snapshots of Charlie

The other day my sister Leanna wanted to take some snapshots of little Charlie! I happily obliged on the quite cold afternoon and Charlie just loved all the attention! Thanks Leanna!!

halloween this year

{ some of Charlies' nursery friends from the ward}

The night before Halloween our ward had a party and we had a great time! We sat by the Barrier and the Jones family while we ate our chili and cornbread. Little Charlie made such a cute Charlie Brown and everyone seemed to like his outfit. However, only 2 people recognized me and my husband's characters... Linus and Peppermint Patty from the Peanuts. Perhaps it was our terrible costumes or just that no one has seen the Peanuts for over 20 years and are a bit rusty on the characters! We did not take pictures of us in our costumes because I forgot but I will describe my costume to you all. I had a green striped shirt like Peppermint Patty, I put freckles on my cheeks, made my bangs look just like hers and I even wore flip flops!! My husband wore a red shirt and carried a blanket and called it good. Oh well, maybe next year we will all go as characters that everyone is familiar with!!

you're a good man...

My little one will be Charlie Brown for Halloween!
It was the easiest costume I've ever made taking about 20 minutes to cut and sew!
He wore the outfit yesterday to mommy playgroup and I thought he looked so darling!
I might be Sally, Lucy or Pepper Ann but can't decide which one to be, any thoughts?!

pizzeria 712

We dined at Pizzeria 712 last night for Charlie's birthday and it was divine!
I liked the ambiance, the staff, and the food. Charlie chose to go there for 2 reasons...
others in our ward said it's the best pizza in the area, and second because he's never had it before. The prices were fair and we enjoyed every plate they served us.
Our waitress even added pita bread and hummus for the babies for free!
We later headed over to Dane's for homemade gelato and Italian cream sodas! He had a great birthday and I'm so thankful for the family members that joined us!

26 years

My husband Charlie had his 26th birthday yesterday!
I love my husband so much and I'm so glad that I've been able to spend 3 of his birthdays with him so far and many more to come! He is such a wonderful husband and father and I really appreciate all that he does. It's not easy having the stress of work, going to school, being away from his family in Georgia, having a wife and baby but somehow he makes it work! Thank you honey and I love you!

while the children sleep

{Charlie and cousin Azaleia sleeping together in the crib this morning}

{checking on the babies}

I watch my darling niece Azaleia every week and it is so fun for Charlie to have a playmate his size, but he still likes to play with me too! Charlie is still transitioning from 2 naps a day down to one long nap and Azaleia usually takes one long afternoon nap but I noticed both of them rubbing their eyes around 9:45 this morning and getting quite grumpy so I decided I should let them rest! They were out like a light within minutes and I had some free time on my hands!

Let me please tell you how I spent this free time...
*I curled my hair,,, haven't done that in months!
*I finished my research proposal for my English class.
*I took these pictures shown.
*I am currently writing this post.

It was nice to take a break, thank goodness for naps!!

diy: paper rosettes

*I have received some questions about how to make the rosettes from Charlie's birthday party. These were so EASY to make and you don't have to use special paper either.
I used computer paper and cheap construction paper.
It took probably 3 minutes to make and assemble each one!

*I think the paper rosettes are a welcomed change from the ever fussy, time consuming tissue pom-poms that are used for every party! So here is the tutorial,
enjoy!

Michelle's baby shower!

My best friend Michelle "Craig" Johnson is having a baby girl pretty soon and her family threw her a baby shower the other weekend. Erika did not disappoint!! First off, her house was decked out with the cutest Halloween decor and I just wanted to hire her as my holiday interior decorator! Anyways, back to the baby shower... Shelly got a lot of BIG gifts like a travel system(car seat, stroller), baby bouncy chair, TONS of diapers!, and even more but I can't remember. She sure is loved! Michelle married into such a warm, cozy family that made me feel welcome when I was the only non-member of the family! I sure love you Shelly and can't wait to see your little Sophia Jane!!

1st Birthday Party

{ tiny vanilla cake from The Chocolate, thanks Leanna and Ernesto!}

Baby Charlie had a wonderful birthday party with family on Sunday night. We celebrated on our back patio which is perfect for entertaining. We had lasagna, garlic bread, salad, fresh boiled vegetables, winter squash, pretzel dessert and fresh homemade lemonade! We ended the night with Katie serenading us with her music and 12 rounds of the couch game in our living room!! Baby Charlie sure is one lucky boy to have such a wonderful family that loves and adores him!

Charlie's real birthday

...wasn't so great. He went to the hospital first thing in the morning to have surgery(tubes in ears). He was a great sport and after the surgery he was completely normal!

He had a long nap in the afternoon and once my husband came home from school and work we headed over to a fancy toy shop called Blickenstaffs in the Riverwoods. It was darling with vintage toys and all!

It wasn't the 1st birthday I had expected but we still made it fun for him, sort of! I don't know how I can make surgery fun?!! Well, that night we had Panda Express for dinner and called it a night. Hopefully next year we can have a party on his actual birthday!