Ruby Rubes and Charlotte Too!: Charlotte

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!