Today was Charlotte's first official day in nursery at church! Everyone tells you how fast time flies once you have a baby, but I mean seriously...

Eighteen months old??

I heard it from the nursery workers themselves, she was an absolute champ! No tears, no grumpiness, just sweet little Charlotte from beginning to end! Of course she was exhausted on the way home. Church that starts at eleven is terrible for tiny humans who still desperately need naps. But after only a short fifteen minute power nap, she has been pleasant and lovely ever since we got home!

I can only hope that this is a habit that will continue, and that I will finally be able to pay attention in Sunday school.

Balloon baby

For my 29th birthday this past Monday, Ander brought baby girl to the Lash Lounge to surprise me with some yummy birthday treats and a cute balloon! It became very clear from the moment I laid eyes on my sweet little girl, however, that she had no intentions of handing over said balloon, and that she now considered it hers. "She can keep it," I said, giving my sweet husband a hug, "She needs it more than I do."

Well...

Ander sent me a few pictures throughout the rest of the day, and it appeared that she really did need it more than I did! She never let it go!

Oh, and she wanted to hold it, not have it tied to her wrist or clipped to her in any way. She also liked to see it bump against the ceiling, but she refused to be the one who let it go to allow it to do that, so Ander had to physically take it from her to make that happen.

Silly little baby bean.

Bathtime funnies

Sorry for the wonky angle, I was playing entertainer and cinematographer!

Nine years

Nine years, five addresses, one fur baby, one little munchkin, and a whole heckuva lot of bass = one very happy family.

Happy anniversary to my one and only, my puzzle piece, my soul mate, my baby daddy, and my eternal companion.

And I thought I loved you then...

My apologies for not posting anything for a while. I have had some projects that I've been working on, not to mention a new calling for my church, and with the holidays and work being insane, this post is long overdue.

December was a crazy time for us, because our complex raised our rent and we were entertaining the idea of possibly moving, but as we searched for somewhere else to live, we didn't find anything the piqued our interest or seemed to be worth the hassle, so we've decided to stay where we are. The ward we are currently in feels more like family to us than any other ward either of us have been in, and even though our rent is higher, we're actually glad we're staying. We've been in this ward for over six years now, and I'll tell you, it's going to be a rough day indeed when we finally have to say goodbye.

But enough about that...

Because this post is so long overdue, I'm going to do my best to condense it and to not be too long winded. For those of you who know me personally, this is a challenge, for sure, but we'll see how it goes:

In October, my dad and Colleen, my stepmother came out to visit us for a weekend, and it had been over a year since they had seen Charlotte in person. She did great with them, and we had a wonderful time! It was so good to see them after so long, and it pleases me so much to see how happy they are with one another. The weather was beautiful, so naturally Ander took them on a guide trip which was a success, and we got to go and see Ander's brand new boat, which was being processed and worked on at Bass Pro Shops. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with them and show them around our favorite spots in Austin, our little home!

In November, Granny Lisa and Auntie Katie came to visit for Thanksgiving, and Charlotte gave us the best gift we could have ever asked for for the holidays. She started walking all by herself! And let me tell you that the old sayings are true: Once the child starts walking, the parents start running. Charlotte loves to walk around, making any outing we take now much more of a chore since she wants to be on the ground, but it's so much fun to take her outside and let her go! She loves the outdoors, (just like papa) and actually has begun to throw huge fits when we bring her inside, so I'm not sure whether to be grateful for that or not. I believe she started walking at Thanksgiving because she had an audience, and who wouldn't want to take more steps when you have an entire cheer squad applauding your every move? Thanksgiving was great, and it was once again wonderful to have family here, even if our apartment is small and doesn't much space for visitors.

 

 

In December, Uncle Joe came to visit for one night while he was on tour with A lot Like Birds, and we got to take him to dinner downtown with little Charlotte in tow! We ate at a sandwich joint which was relatively empty, so after dinner we put Charlotte down and let her go while we cracked up at how excited she was to be walking around the restaurant. Joe looks wonderful, hairy, happy, and healthy, and I was actually worried that Charlotte would be nervous to be around him, much like tiny children are afraid of Santa Clause, but Charlotte bonded with Joe instantly, which was a great mommy moment for me.

 

A huge thank you to everyone who came and visited us, we had an absolute blast with each of you! We miss you dearly, and look forward to more fun visits in 2016!!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

It's funny being a book lover, a reader, someone who lives thousands of other lives in their own lifetime, because you're never sure what you're going to get when you pick up a book. Stories are amazing creatures, and they have the ability to affect you in unpredictable ways when you read them, sometimes causing you to smile or laugh, and other times causing you to become completely unglued. During my short life, I have only ever cried a few times while reading a book, though I'm usually able to hold my emotions back until I at least finish the page, chapter, or book itself, but not this time.

In my defense, I listened to A Monster Calls as I went on my morning walks with baby girl. I've found these walks are a fantastic way to get a lot of things done at once: Stay fit, get baby girl outside for a while, take May-May for a walk, and most recently read a book. I have very little time these days to actually pick up a physical book and read it, so I've decided to multitask and "read" one while I walk. This book was brilliantly recorded by Jason Isaacs, who has a lovely voice with a British accent to boot, and I actually highly recommend listening to it rather than reading it. Isaacs does a great job with the words, the timing and the characters, and it made the book feel incredibly real to me.

Maybe that's why I was a sobbing mess during my morning walk yesterday.

A Monster Calls synopsis:

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Connor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

This book literally changed me. Changed me from the inside out as I listened to this thirteen year old boy struggle with his mother's illness. I loved Conor. I loved him so much I thought I was going to tear apart inside. This sweet, darling little boy who is doing the best he can with what he has. This story made me take a step back and think about how we treat our loved ones, especially when they are struggling, no matter what that struggle is. This story taught me that sometimes things aren't fair, but that we can get through it with the help of others.

Five stars. Ten stars. Ten out of ten. Two thumbs up, with wads of tissues in both hands. This book was an absolute wonder, and I recommend it to everyone. Even as I type this I can feel that lump in my throat that I felt so often as I listened to Conor's story. Listened to the monster.

Apologies to the college students who walked by me yesterday morning, for the blubbering mess I was. Everything was fine, I promise.

Stories are amazing creatures.

A Happy Halloween

I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween! We took our little wolf to our ward Halloween party, even though it was pouring rain outside. May you all eat your leftover Halloween candy for me, since we didn't buy any...