Our Boy...

...wants to be just like his Daddy...glasses and all! :-)

Life throws you curveballs...

Trey was out of town at a conference the weekend before last so my sister, niece, and mom were planning to visit us. Unfortunately sweet Kate got really sick with a terrible ear infection so she and my sister were unable to come.  At the time we didn't know how fortunate we were that my mom still decided to make the trip!

Last Monday, I received some heartbreaking news.  My mom extended her trip an additional four days to stay and help us get through the week.  She really was our lifesaver.  Trey was able to work and I was able to rest.  My mom took over bus drop-off and pick-up, preschool drop-off and pick-up, soccer practice, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, bathtime, bedtime, and still had time to have lots of fun with the kids!    

A girl can't leave the house without a little lipstick, right Charlotte? ;-)  

My mom took Henry grocery shopping so that he could pick out an early birthday treat.  Cookie cake for the birthday boy!  :-)

Tea party time!

"Mom, my stroller has been broken for months and Mére fixes it in 10 minutes!  She is never leaving, right?!"

Before my mom came to our house, she was at my brother and sister-in-law's house for three days, drove home, left the next day for our house for seven days, drove home, and flew out for New Orleans the next morning for a week. She kept saying that it was her pleasure to be able to help us and spend the time with the kids but we really could not have survived last week without her. Thank you Mom for giving me the time I needed, for seamlessly handling the kids' activities and giving them lots of extra love and attention, and for keeping our home going until I was ready to jump back in. A big thank you also to Laura, Tommy, and Kate for sharing Mom with us and thank you also to my dad for "enduring" fast food for the week while Mom was with us. :-)      

Life throws you more curveballs...

So I wrote the previous post before I really knew there would be more to tell.  This last Tuesday I unexpectedly needed an outpatient procedure.  My mom was in New Orleans visiting my aunt and grandmother.  Not an hour after Trey called to tell her what was going on she was at the airport and had bought an airline ticket from New Orleans to Charlotte for that evening. She did not think twice about changing her plans completely to come and help us once again.  She stayed with us for another three days to get us to the weekend when Trey was off of work. We were disappointed that she had to change her plans but were so thankful that she was here with us.  Memére and Aunt Celle, I am so sorry that Mom was not able to spend the week with you all.  Thank you for changing your plans for the week so that she could come rescue us once again!  And Mom, we owe you at least a 2-week trip to Tahiti after all of this!  Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-)

We also had some wonderful friends who did not think twice about helping us on Tuesday with the kids.  I dropped Charlotte off at my friend Megan's (Mary Wynne's mom) house at 830a on Tuesday and did not come back to get her until 430p that afternoon.  I had not brushed Charlotte's hair or packed a lunch for school but Megan took care of it all for me.  And our neighbors Katie and Rick got Henry off of the school bus Tuesday afternoon and had a delicious meal waiting for us when we got home from the hospital.  Friends like those are rare and we are forever grateful for them.

On Tuesday, Trey had to leave the OR to come pick me up for the doctor and then had to take the rest of the day off of work.  Since my mom had come back into town, he was ready to get back to work on Wednesday but his boss insisted that he take Wednesday off as well.  In the past two years of fellowship, Trey has not taken one day off of work just to hang out at home so this was a true blessing for all of us!  Trey took Henry to the bus stop and Charlotte to school.  He then went and had lunch with Henry at school, picked Charlotte up, and then went to Charlotte's soccer practice! We loved every minute of having him home with us!

"Go Charlotte!"

These past two weeks have been rough for all of us but we have so much to be thankful for.  Friends and family, two healthy children, and each other. We could not ask for much more! :-)  

They LOVE hats!

Our kids absolutely LOVE hats! I am not sure where that came from because Trey and I rarely wear hats but nevertheless Henry and Charlotte love them! So they were both ecstatic when my mom knitted them some new hats! They wore them for days at the bus stop even when it wasn't that cold outside. ;-)

And how could they not love these hats?!  Henry's is camouflage and Charlotte's is pink and purple...couldn't be more perfect!

"Thanks Memere!" :-)

Sleepy Time :-)

We sure do love sleepy time in our household!  Well maybe Trey and I do...the kids probably not so much!  ;-)

Luckily, most days Charlotte will still take a nap.  I can usually get her to fall asleep in the car and then I can transfer her just to the couch and nowhere else.  And lately if we have had a busy morning, I can also get her to fall asleep while watching "Despicable Me 2" (her absolute favorite movie).  We don't let her sleep past 4p because we start our bedtime routine around here at 7p.

Charlotte, Lovey, and Lambie look like they are taking a really good nap!  ;-)    

Our sweet boy gets up at 615a for school so we try to start our bedtime routine at 7p for lights out at 730p.  No matter how tired he is, he likes to stay up and play for a little while in his room. Most nights he falls asleep now with his light on.  You never know when you walk in his room what sleep position he is going to be in.  He will be sleeping completely sideways with his body in bed but his head hanging off or sleeping in wildly uncomfortable-looking positions...

...or sleeping completely covered by his sheets.  Can he breathe under there?!  ;-)

No matter where they are sleeping or what position they are sleeping in, Trey and I are incredibly lucky to have two wonderful sleepers! :-)

Hide-And-Seek

Charlotte loves, loves, loves playing hide-and-seek.  We play it at least 10 times a day if not more.  At home she hides in the same three or four spots.  She giggles the whole time you are "trying" to find her.  Outside she tries to be more "creative" with her hiding spots....

"I am going to put my hat over my face...  

...and hide behind this street sign pole.  Mom will never find me!" :-)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Whatever Daddy does, Charlotte has to do too! :-)

Risk anyone?

I love playing games and I love that Henry is starting to really like playing games too!  There are a couple of games that are labeled "Daddy Games" because they are my least favorite games to play.  Luckily those games are Daddy's favorite games so they are reserved for just he and Henry to play.  Risk is one of those games.  Ugh, a favorite game amongst all of the men in my family but not one that I understand at all.  Candy Land is more my speed!  ;-) 

Daddy is beyond thrilled that he now has a Risk playmate!  ;-)

Charlotte's Birthday Celebration at School :-)

On Tuesday after her birthday, Charlotte had a birthday celebration at preschool!  Charlotte wore the birthday hat, her class sang "Happy Birthday!", and she blew out the candles on her "cake"!  I brought in birthday cake Oreos and princess napkins for all of her friends.  

"Happy Birthday to ME!" 

Charlotte's Birthday :-)

Charlotte's actual birthday was on a Monday so no school but she did have her 3-year well visit at the pediatrician.  She did wonderful, happy as usual.  And the pediatrician confirmed our thinking that she is perfect! ;-)  Luckily for the Birthday Girl, there were no immunizations at this visit.  Woohoo!  

Her stats - 

Height - 3 ft, 2.75 inches (87th percentile)

Weight - 36 lb, 6.4 ounces (91st percentile)

(Surprisingly, she is bigger, both height and weight, than Henry was at this age.)

Our birthday girl, making even the doctor's gown look cute...  

After the pediatrician's appointment, I took the birthday girl to Chick-Fil-A!  

"My favorite!" :-)

Charlotte turns THREE! :-)

On Sunday, January 26th we celebrated our big girl turning THREE!  Her actual birthday was the next day but we wanted to have a whole day devoted just to her.  :-)  

We started with a breakfast that the birthday princess chose - Krispy Kreme donuts and chocolate milk!  

Charlotte chose Doc McStuffins as her theme.  Pink and purple (her favorite colors) were everywhere and a special Doc McStuffins shirt to wear!  

"Time to open presents!" 

Charlotte showing off some of her birthday presents - a "smartphone", a Sofia the First bicycle with a doll carrier, and Funshine Bear as her passenger!

No, texting while bicycling Birthday Girl!

And here she is modeling some more - Funshine Bear, a Hello Kitty outfit, and a princess crown!

After breakfast and presents, we took the train uptown for bowling and lunch at Moe's - Charlotte's choices! :-)

And the birthday princess bowls a strike!  ;-)

Seriously though, these two fantastic people came in third and fourth place.  We couldn't let the Birthday Girl lose on her birthday, right Henry?! ;-)

After a quick rest once we got home, it was time to blow out the candles on her Doc McStuffins cake!

Make a great big wish Birthday Girl! :-) 

Charlotte, three years ago you made Henry a big brother and us a family of four.  We cannot imagine our life without your beautiful smile, your infectious optimism, and your personality that lights up a room.  We love you infinity Beautiful Girl.  :-)  

Winter Storm Pax - Tuesday, 2/11

So out of the blue, Winter Storm Pax developed and was headed our way!  (Side note - I had no idea they named winter storms!) Now if you have lived in the South long enough you know that when the weathermen call for a lot of snow, you usually get nothing, but if the weathermen don't mention snow at all, you get a blizzard.  The weathermen were calling for up to a foot of snow from Winter Storm Pax so we were really prepared for a dusting of snow on the grass.  ;-)

The system ahead of Pax arrived the morning of Tuesday, 2/11. Schools let out two hours early that day. We got about 1 - 1-1/2 inches of snow.  

Charlotte was ready with a snowball for Henry when he got off of the bus! She didn't actually hit him with it though.  She got so excited when the bus pulled up that she threw it on the ground and ran towards him! ;-)  

Henry immediately got off of the bus and started working on building a snowman with our neighbor Caroline! We were honestly not sure how much more snow we were going to get so we wanted to take advantage of it while we could! 

Winter Storm Pax - Wednesday, 2/12

We woke up the next morning and more snow was falling!  The kids were anxious to get outside to play so we were bundled up and out by 9a!  :-)

Yes, Henry is wearing chemistry goggles.  He was actually incredibly smart because the snow/sleet that was falling was coming down hard and really hurt our faces!  Everyone that passed by commented on his awesome goggles!  And the sword is to fend off snow monsters I suppose!  :-)

By that afternoon we had gotten 5-6 inches of snow and it was still coming down!

Trey had to go into work every day, of course, but we were lucky that he was able to safely get home early to play in the snow with us!  

In our neighborhood there is a major hill that was the sledding spot for all of the neighborhood kids (and adults too)! Unfortunately the snow was really powdery and not very slick so the sledding was not great at first.  Once some tracks were made the sledding got a lot better!  

Henry and Trey spent hours sledding outside with one of Henry's school friends and his dad!  :-)       

For some reason Charlotte was not a huge fan of sledding.  In some ways she is becoming less of a daredevil and much more cautious. She also really did not like the snow hitting her face. She was a trooper though and liked watching all over the other kids on the hill!  ;-)

She also did not mind getting rides on the sled from Daddy!  ;-)

"Okay, enough snow fun! Let's head in for some hot chocolate!"

Winter Storm Pax - Thursday, 2/13

Thursday morning we woke up to sleet and then another couple of inches of snow! This was by far the most snow the kids had ever seen and the most snow the city had seen in over 10 years! 

By this point the kids were not begging to go outside but had to be coaxed a little bit.  Neither enjoyed the long process of putting on many, many layers to keep warm and dry.  With no snow gear we had to improvise quite a bit!  Once outside, we had lots of fun though!     

Charlotte stood in the same spot for long portions of time.  She found it hard to walk in the deeper snow so she just seemed to enjoy watching the other kids play.  ;-)

Henry, on the other hand, was one busy, very cool kid!  :-)  

We really enjoyed playing with our neighbors and friends, Caroline and Will!  

Will and Charlotte walking around taking it all in!  The snow was up to their knees in some parts!  

This snow was much better snow for snowball fights, building a snowman, 

and snow angels!

By Friday, the kids were completely done with the snow. Charlotte and I took a short walk just to get outside but by this point the snow was really slushy and wet and not so fun to play in.   

The kids had half day of school on Tuesday and missed school completely on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  We are making up one of the days on another teacher workday in March and then two of the days we are making up over Spring Break!  :-( 

It was such a cool event for all of us to experience and certainly not one that happens very often in the South.  We had hours and hours of fun outside and lots of memories made but probably won't be too sad to see it all melt.  It definitely gives us a better appreciation of what all of our family and friends in the North experience for months and months!  :-)

A Real-Life Princess Story

We struggle with getting Charlotte to stay at the dinner table until everyone else is finished.  She usually takes a few bites, hops up, and wants to go back to playing.  So last night I asked her to tell me a story because she loves talking!  ;-) She said, "I am a princess and I live in a castle.  I have two shoes but then a lose one."  We were all thinking she was talking about Cinderella at this point.  So I ask if the prince brings her her lost shoe.  And she says, "No prince.  My daddy."  ;-) 

This princess loves her Daddy!  :-)

January Snowfall

At the end of January, we got some snow!  Pretty typical amount for us - 1-1/2 - 2 inches.  Unfortunately it was powdery and not packing snow so we weren't able to build a snowman.  Sad for Charlotte because that is all she wanted to do!

All bundled up but Charlotte insisted on wearing her Hello Kitty skirt!  ;-)

The neighbors across the street have a steep yard and driveway, perfect for sledding!

"Ready, set, go, Henry, Will and Caroline!"

Henry probably went up and down the hill at least 100 times! :-)

"Weeeeee!"

Charlotte was not a fan of sledding down the hill but she loved when I pulled the sled around the yard!

We assumed this would probably be the only snow we had this winter so we were just thankful to be outside enjoying it while it lasted! Little did we know there was a lot more coming just around the corner!  ;-) 

We had an early dismissal and two missed days of school during this snow event.  This was the same storm that disabled Atlanta so I think the city of Charlotte was being extra cautious! Unfortunately we have to make those two days up on President's Day and the day afterwards (which was initially a teacher workday).  :-( 

A Busy Saturday

Last Saturday was a busy one!  The morning started off with a Lowe's workshop where the kids built love note holders!  

Henry was not thrilled with this project because he is in the stage where anything associated with love and Valentine's Day is yuck!  He made the best of it though and made his love note holder for me and even left a sweet message!  :-)    

After Henry's basketball game Charlotte had a birthday party at the YMCA for one of her school friends.  No party is complete without party hats and Mary Wynne!  :-)

"Happy Birthday Noah!"

While Charlotte and I were at the birthday party, Henry and Trey went to see "The Lego Movie" in 3D!  Henry is rocking those 3D glasses!  :-)

Saturday was busy and filled with lots of fun with friends! Sunday was quiet and filled with lots of cuddles and relaxation! ;-)