Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Charlotte - Weeks 50 & 51

We had a great couple of weeks!  Our fun, spunky Ruby turned 4, how time flies!!  Ruby's birthday was on a Wednesday so she enjoyed an extended celebration with cupcakes at school and mini-golf with Mommy and Daddy on her actual birthday and a fun-filled party at The Purple Slide with 10 other little friends on Saturday.  Her favorite thing was checking the mail every day on her birthday week - so exciting!  Ruby says she's most excited about growing up so she can use a sharp knife.  Somehow, I am not surprised.

Charlie is a handful - phew, I'm getting tired just thinking about her. :)  She is FULL of energy and is now running around at full speed and is near impossible to get a diaper on.  She loves to be naked and will run away from us shrieking when she sees us coming with her diaper and pjs after a bath.  It's pretty cute but then comes down to a game of wills when it's time to finally get dressed.  She definitely puts up a good fight, she does this Houdini-like combination of thrashing and shrieking and dead weight.  This kid is strong.

I can see Charlie's top right front tooth starting to push through but she doesn't let me look very often.  I usually have to hold her upside down and make her laugh to get a quick look.  Charlie loves, loves, loves animals.  She carries around various stuffed animals and will stop mid-walk and squeeze them really tight and drop to the floor and hug them really tight and say "ahhhh", it's so cute!  She also gives great hugs and kisses to us, if I haven't seen her in a few hours, she comes right over and gives me a big hug and turns my face so she can kiss me - such a love bug!  She's as equally loving as she is hot-tempered.  I never knew an 11-month old could throw such powerful temper tantrums. She wants to do everything that Ruby does so she gets frustrated if she can't or if I won't let her have something that Ruby has or if anyone takes anything away from her - watch out!  She collapses into a heap and puts her face right on the floor and screams.  She's a spit-fire, that one!  A lot of times Doug, Ruby and I just look at each other when she has her tantrums and Ruby says, "Loco"! 

Charlie is pointing at everything now and saying "dat?"  She's also trying really hard to copy what we say.  She loves walking outside and seeing the little lizards running around.  She actually said "lizard" pretty good today!  I don't have very many pictures of Charlie smiling because as soon as I get the camera out, she wants to play with it and screams and cries until I give it to her or put it away.  So you can take my word for it that she's a pretty smiley, social baby!  I can't believe she's going to be one in 2 short weeks!


I want the camera!!
Being a big girl, just like big sister.
The Birthday Girl!
Ruby and her teacher, Ms. Teresa.

The Purple Slide!
Home-made banner made with love by Mommy and Daddy.
Ruby did NOT like everyone looking at her when they sang "Happy Birthday."
Make a wish!

Charlie and her much adored kitty.
I WANT THE CAMERA!!

Welcome to Barbie world.

Oh yes, our neighbors graced Ruby with a piano, with a microphone for her b-day. (Check out the video at the end of this post.)

This is what a face plant on asphalt looks like.  :(

Mornings with Charlie.

Sweet girl.

Science experiment.  Water + Oil + food colouring + alka seltzer = COOL!

Dancing!

She's got some moves!

She's got a rough life.

Can't you just see the glint of mischief?
 
In a dress for Ruby's b-day.  Not too happy about it!

Mini-golf, Ruby's request for her b-day.

Balloon artist made Ruby a monkey in a tree, pretty cool!

Charlie got a happy shark.
Hello Kitty outfit from Aunt Jayne.

When Ruby's brushing her teeth, Charlie MUST have a tooth brush too!



Thursday, August 18, 2011

Charlotte - Week 49

We've had a fun last week of vacation before Ruby goes back to school. I can't believe that starting Monday, she'll be going 5 days/week until she graduates high school! Although we've had fun, Ruby and I are both ready for her to go back to school. :)

Charlie is practically running now. Lately she's been trying to jump and today she actually got some air. She's a dare-devil, wonder where she gets that from! :) I have a feeling that she's teething this week, just not sure which ones are trying to work their way through, she won't let me near her mouth.

We went shoe shopping to get sneakers for school for Ruby and also got Charlie her first pair of shoes. She's not a fan of walking in shoes, she actually looked like a baby fawn trying to walk the first time at the shoe store but she got a lot better pretty quickly. She's definitely a Florida girl and would rather bare feet any day.

The count down is on for Ruby's 4th b-day! Have a great week!

Ahh, having little girls is awesome. Both pushing their babies.

Morning sleepy-heads!

Wowzers.

At a Fancy Nancy tea party. She got to put on make-up!

ET phone home.

There were pirates at the christening of the new ship at Daddy's work!

Captain Ruby and First Mate Charlie!

Letting her ride the escalators at the mall all by herself for the first time. She was so proud.

Recycling our crayons!

Ready to go in the oven. Not Ruby, just the crayons.

The finished product. Pretty cool!!

She loved them.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Charlotte - Weeks 46, 47 & 48

What an amazing few weeks we've had! We spent a full week on Oak Island, NC celebrating mom's 60th b-day and Stephen & Stephanie's wedding. I can honestly say it was the most amazing, enjoyable week I've ever had. To wake up every morning knowing that I had the whole day to hang out with my siblings and my mom was priceless. Ruby and Charlie were spoiled rotten and it was so great for Doug and I to get a break.

Charlie is walking!!! She took her first steps on Oak Island and hasn't stopped since. Every day she gets so much better and now she's walking around so fast and can go from sitting to standing to walking all by herself. The video I'm posting seems almost irrelevant now compared to how she's walking, but cute all the same. :) She's walking about 3 months earlier than Ruby did.

Charlie is a fire-cracker. She definitely has a fiery temper at times but is equally sweet and loving. She's become VERY attached to "buddy", her little lovee that she sleeps with. If it was up to her, it would come everywhere with us but I'm really trying to limit it to her crib. Usually when I try to to take it from her to put back in her crib, she shrieks and writhes and cries so I always end up giving it back to her. This is new to me, Ruby was never attached to a lovee like this. I had to sneak it away to wash it the other day, it was getting pretty funky.

The girls were so great in the car (it was a 12 hour drive), Ruby is pretty easy now and with Charlie still taking 2 naps, we timed it around those so she slept a lot of the way. Ruby and Charlie just loved being at the beach. Ruby would have stayed in the ocean the whole time if she could have. Charlie liked eating the sand. We swam, we played, we found "creatures", we built sand castles and we RELAXED. I could have stayed for another week, easily. Charlie and Mae actually played together a bit on this trip, Charlie liked watching her and I really think that's why she started walking. It will be so cool to see how their relationship continues to develop since they are so close in age.

The wedding was unbelievably beautiful and perfect. I think everyone enjoyed every second of it and watching Stephen watch Stephanie come down the "aisle" was heart warming. They make a beautiful couple, inside and out. Welcome to the family, Stephanie!

Whenever Charlie's around, you can be sure buddy and doggy are not far behind!

This seems like it would feel incredibly awkward.
Road trip!
Breaking up the drive with a stop at the Ripley's aquarium in Myrtle Beach.

Ahhhh...this view never got old.

One of several pedicures (her favorite thing).

Cuddle time with Auntie Em.

The 5 "Murray Girls". :)

Breakfast cuteness.

Doesn't get much better than a pool on the beach!

Fishing buddies.

Pet lobsters.

Of course pedicures and manicures for the groom-to-be!

Getting ready to be the flower girl!Awww, kisses!
Charlie LOVED J-A & Steve's music.



Kudos to Auntie El for taking this amazing shot!

Ruby + Miles = CUTE!

Bliss.


Married!


So fun!