Baby Lorenzo is here...

The rag quilt I made for baby Lorenzo. 

I wanted Azaleia to open a gift when we arrived.  I used the pottery barn kids catalog as gift wrap. One of the cheapest gifts!

Her golden horse! Charlie picked it out for her for $1 at goodwill!

Here is her bedroom, also using the pottery barn catalog! 

Returning home.  Luckily my hubby had a work trip to Atlanta and we hopped along for free! :) my kind of vacation!

  

  Someone wasn't as excited to leave.  Poor boy, he had the best time playing with his BFF.

The stars aligned and prayers were answered for our visit to Atlanta to welcome Leanna's baby into the world. Hubby had a work trip and we tagged along on the exact week Leanna was delivering. I was the carpool mom for little Azaleia all week and we had such a great time with her. I woke up the kids extra early before school so they could play in the playroom for 20 minutes before school.

My favorite part was visiting Leanna and Ernesto in the hospital and getting loves from baby Lorenzo.  He is a little Azaleia and such a sweet baby.  Another bonus was seeing my mom for a few days. I miss my family so much and our week in Atlanta was just what I needed!

school bells are ringing

Charlie started his first day of preschool today and it has been the smoothest transition.  Many kids were crying or clinging to their moms but he just walked right in and wanted to play. Charlie needs this outlet to play with children and learn in a group environment and I'm sure I will find things to do with my new alone time.

I can see sewing projects, craft projects and perhaps some house cleaning on the  horizon!

ushering in fall

I am feeling fall all around me. We are slowly getting ready for Charlie's last year of preschool and I am feeling sentimental as of late. This is my last year with my baby at home and it's all catching up to me.  We visited his new teacher, Ms. Leanna and she is a gem, just perfect for my boy. 

In the meantime my boy is enjoying his last week of summer building a parking lot on the back porch. 

Hilton Head by boat

We decided to stay an extra day in Savannah to spend more time with Charlie's parents and the frenchies.

We took the boat around the harbor and decided last minute to head to Hilton Head for lunch at the salty dog, a family tradition. We sat on the deck and enjoyed a very small breeze as we devoured seafood and drank cup after cup of water! Who knew boating could bring on such an appetite?!  Not just appetite, but such boat hair!! I thought I would be sure to document my salty beach hair and no makeup!! Enjoy!

my southern family

I married into a true Southern family, with deep Southern accents to boot.  We had our first Baggett family reunion this last weekend in Savannah and I wish it didn't have to end.

The Baggett families gathered in the Woodlawn bungalow and ate bbq from Carrey Hilliards, sat around and listened to old stories, watched old family movies from the 1950s, listened to Uncle Mark play delta blues on his guitar, the young loves dancing in the family room when they thought nobody was watching, and for dessert we ate watermelon on the front porch.

Of course, some of my favorite moments of the reunion were not pictured, like when the little boys started jumping in puddles on the quiet street and got soaked from head to toe.  Or when David revealed his overly sunburnt body from a day at the beach!  

Some things I took away from our reunion was the importance of family, especially extended family.  Their experiences, life lessons and wisdom.  I was reminded of what childhood was like in the good ole days when kids played in the backyard all day, everyday and used their imaginations to every extent and how much I want that for little Charlie. 

I am so glad my little Charlie is being raised in the South, with a big Southern family only a few hours away.

bee yourself

Summer isn't complete without summer camp in my opinion. My co-leader and I planned a summer day camp this week for the girls 8-11 at church and I am loving every minute.  The theme is "Bee Yourself" and we wanted to put focus on self worth. 

The first day the girls piled into my townhome and we played group games, made goal poster boards and played missionary tag to end the day.  I think it's important to leave the girls on a high note after a day of discussion and projects.

Yesterday the girls met at Latta Plantation for a nature hike and craft. A "naturalist" pointed out every creature, tree and rock and described the history and importance. The girls made their own trail mix before the hike and the girls loved exploring.

Today we have a cooking class that I am currently late for (swim lessons). They will learn to make Italian meatballs ad spaghetti and also a dessert. 

We will end the week with a pool party and lunch.

I hope the girls have learned through the activities we planned to recognize they are a child of God.  That they are important and have been given gifts. I strive to teach self worth in every calling I have because it's a growing problem in our culture. I feel this is one area that I can help others with since I faced this challenge growing up and learned to love myself and realize my potential.

Moira stops by...

Charlie has never been funnier than when his mom is present! His mom is so so funny and gives my hubby great material to bounce off of!  Endless entertainment right there!  So glad I could capture all the happiness!

The definition of Southern charm

Today was a good day. Just a typical day basking in Southern charm!  Reba and David are visiting from Paris, France and I have been dying to tour the Latta plantation just minutes from our doorstep. It was the perfect excuse to head to Latta with our Frenchies in tow.

While touring the plantation I took a minute to soak up the beauty around me. It honestly just dawned on me that I live in CHARLOTTE, North Carloina. I grew up in sunny, dry California and all of sudden I was in a lush green and vibrant city in the South where plantations are right around the corner. When and how did this happen?! 

More than anything, I enjoyed every minute being with family. Whenever I get together with Charlie's family, I know it will be a good time full of laughs and even more laughs. Put that together with a French accent and I give you Reba and David! Hopefully we can visit them in the near future, except we will be touring old castles and the Eiffel Tower!

Little fish

We put Charlie in private swim lessons and we are going on week two. It's so different when swim season is only 4 months long in the South compared to where I grew up in California and we swam just about year round.  So, the fact my son isn't swimming on his own at almost 5 worries me! 

Charlie is very confident in doing anything physical...running, baseball, soccer, wrestling and he's fairly good at doing all of them. Everything except swimming!

He has a huge fear of putting his head underwater.  He hasn't had any terrible experience that would make him fear going underwater, so it's hard to help him.  

His instructor is SO patient with him and she's 6 months pregnant! I think it's hard for Charlie to not excel at this sport like he is with every other. Especially when he notices younger kids swimming better than him.  Let's hope he swims on his own by the end of the summer!

Laundry confessions

Since our townhome has ZERO storage we currently use our laundry closet as a storage closet. It has been bittersweet each week lugging our laundry to the laundromat. We have always had a washer/dryer in every rental we've had so when we moved to Charlotte we didn't think about it. Silly us!

 

The couple who own the laundromat love, love, LOVE Charlie and always spoil him and sometimes me with treats and drinks.  They offered me an ice cold diet coke as soon as I walked in with my arms full of clothes.  I happily accepted, of course.

I always use unstoppables, especially with detergent that has a bland smell. It actually makes me smile while doing laundry!

I like to think I get better and better each week as I brave the laundromat. Well, last week I forgot our hangers and had to lay out 25+ shirts on the cart. While transporting the clothes from the cart to the car all of the clothes fell over on the ground and I about flipped!  It was OH SO HOT and I was already sweating from folding the clothes and it was my last straw. Little Charlie helped pick the clothes up and decided that we needed to go swimming to get happy.  He knows me too well, that boy of mine and we did just that. 

Weekend photos

Yes, along with everyone else on Friday.

Looking/driving by homes is a normal occurrence around here. Although, I'm having a hard time deciding on newbuild or older home with character. Any tips would be appreciated...

Would love a white kitchen, not too keen on this dark look.