Now that it's almost September...

I guess I should really work on blogging more!  The month of August is gone and I only posted once this month!  I'm not even sure where the time went...

Some quick updates:  I finally got a new job and start Sept. 5th.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I haven't worked full time in over 2 years and I'm really going to miss my time I had to spend just Charlie and me.  But I know we need this job (the extra $ will definitely help) and the job sounds like it's going to be a great fit for me.  I think I'll really like it once I get started but I think I'll miss Charlie too...

We traveled down to Des Moines last weekend to celebrate Brayden's baptism.  We had just seen him 3 weeks prior but I swear he is a whole new baby!  He looked twice the size and is already holding up his weight on his legs (w/ help keeping him stable).  He smiles so much now too and is such a sweet boy.  I love the lil dude.

Not thrilled to be getting her pic taken at the moment.

Charlie is learning so much at such a rapid rate.  I think she learns several new words every day and continues to amaze me when she says something new.  She's conquering fears left and right as well.  Going down a slide alone?  No problem!  Climbing up high on playground equipment?  Done.  Riding her trike super fast down our driveway aimed straight at oncoming traffic?  Check.  Yep, we've definitely got to stay on our toes around this one now!  She's fast and curious.  Two lethal combinations.  But her squeals of happiness while doing these things?  Priceless.  I love this girl so much.

We've been working on potty training, but it's just that: a work in progress.  We can get her to pee in her potty but not poo.  And she'll only go on it if we ask her continuously and bribe her with M&M's.  We'll get there eventually so I'm not putting too much stress on her.

Since I have been a bad blogger I forgot to post her 2 year stats.  She's still a tiny lil peanut weighing in at a massive 21 pounds 9 ounces, which puts her in the 1st percentile again.  She's 33 inches tall which puts her in the 27th percentile for height.  Seems her height has dropped down b/c up until now she'd always been on the taller side for her age.  She must be getting on track to be a shorty like her mama. 

Still loving Minnie!

Other than that nothing too major going on.  Just enjoying our summer weather and being outdoors as much as possible.  Winter will be here before we know it.  I'm dreading it.

I'll try to stay on top of things here in blog land and post more regularly.  I really have no excuses not to.  Just pure laziness on my part!

Xoxo~
Kel

Happy birthday to my 2 favorite people!

A day late a dollar short on this one but happy late birthday to my wonderful hubby!  We celebrated by having the neighbors over for ice cream cake.  I know.  Lame.  But when you turn 33 on a Tuesday it's not that big of a deal.  I know this first hand since I just turned 33 on a Tuesday in May.  Anyway, Happy Birthday Wade!  Love you!

And today is my lil peanut's 2nd birthday!  Happy birthday, Charlie!  I can't believe she's 2 already!  Time flies when you're having fun so we've obviously been having a blast b/c it feels like I just had her yesterday!  Ah!

We celebrated a little bit the other weekend down in Des Moines w/ caterpillar cupcakes and friends.  Then this last weekend she had her big hurrah at home w/ lots of friends and family here to celebrate.  She had a blast and got even more spoiled than she already is.  Although I didn't know that was possible.  Ha!

So happy birthday to the 2 most important people in my life!  I love you both so, so much!

Xoxo~
Kel/Mama

He's finally here!

A week and 2 days overdue, lil Brayden finally decided to come out to play!  Weighing 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long, he was born June 25th at 9:19 pm.  And he is absolutely precious and I cannot wait to get to see his little face again!

Mama and baby doing well!

For some reason Charlie refused to hold him.  Maybe next time.

I'm one proud Auntie!

Omi showing off her 1st grandson!

So precious!

I love you lil Brayden!

Xoxo~
Auntie Kel  :)

Success at Walk MS!

We completed our MS Walk again this past weekend!  Charlie rode along in her stroller the whole time and loved it.  I think our team had the most dogs in attendance too w/ 5 dogs walking with us!  Although I definitely didn't raise as much as I have in previous years I still raised enough to be proud of my contribution.  AND if you still want to donate, there is still time!!!  :)

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MNMWalkEvents?px=3047773&pg=personal&fr_id=17886

Anyway, it was a great weekend down in Des Moines spent with family and great friends.  And even better my friend Sarah timed things perfectly with her pregnancy and had her little bundle a week early so I was lucky enough to get to go visit them in the hospital. Little Preston is beautiful!  So happy for them!  They're going to have so much fun and be such great parents.

Charlie found a new favorite toy too:  Balloons!  We had a lot of fun blowing some up and rubbing them on her head to stick to her and pushing them up her shirt.  She had a blast playing with them.  She is so much fun to watch have fun.  It immediately brings a smile to my face!

Xoxo~
Kel

Wordless Wednesday

This time,last year... Charlie has grown SO much!

Weekend recap: Boy or Girl?!?!

Still loving this fish eye lense (it's hilarious!)

Wade has been in Monterrey since Sunday and so it's been almost a week since Charlie and I have gotten to see him! We miss our hubs/dada! Luckily he comes home this afternoon! Yay! Since Wade was gone we spent some time down in DeMo over the weekend.  I threw out the idea of a ladies night on Friday since I'd have my parents to watch Charlie and was so excited when most of the girls said they could make it.  We went out to eat at Trostle's Dish which serves tons of different tapas and it was soooo tasty!  After a delicious dinner we headed to Bradley's Pub to continue on the night of celebrations.  After all, we had several things to be happy about.  I was down visiting, there was an engagement for Jenni, and we got to find out the sex of Kara and Todd's baby earlier that afternoon!  It was so great to see my ladies!  And we even ended the evening picking up Todd and his friend Conor and singing some karaoke.  Oh yes, it was that kind of night.  :)

Charlie and I had the privilege of joining Kara and Todd for their big sex reveal ultrasound on Friday afternoon!  We were so excited to find out and of course the ultrasound tech made us wait until the very last minute to find out!  It seemed like it took forever!  In the end though it was determined that Kara and Todd are having a little BOY!  Oh boy!  We don't know what to do with boys in our household!  It definitely will make things interesting and I'm oh so super duper excited to get to meet the lil booger in June!

Charlie & Uncle Todd

We are so thrilled for them and cannot wait for June to hurry and get here!  Charlie can't wait to have a baby cousin!  She loves babies!!!  :)

She also loves doggies obviously.

In other news, Charlie is now walking 99% of the time.  It's about time!  She's been able to walk for about 5 months now but just chose to continue with her little butt scoots.  No longer!  She's now up and walking (soon to be running I'm sure!)  She's such a little toddler now.

We have an escapee from diaper change time!

We had some quality family time the rest of the weekend and watched the superbowl and ate and drank a lot.  Charlie got her first tutu thanks to Auntie Kara and a pretty headband from Omi and looked absolutely adorable in them! 

Pretty as a princess!

It was a great weekend besides the fact that Wade was missing.

Charlie loved our old school keyboard!

Omi & Charlie

Hugs~
Kel

Toddling around!

My pretty peanut

This girl definitely has a personality!  Just in the last month she's changed so much!  I'd been told that around 18 months you'll really start to see their personality and they'll start to talk more and interact more w/ you and others and boy is that the truth.  Charlie will be 18 months old this coming Monday.  She's talking more although just one word, no sentences yet, she's throwing tantrums (yay!) and she's showing me what she likes/dislikes.

The things she is currently loving:
*  Shoes (she takes after Mommy on this one!)

Sparkle shoes!!!

*  Purses/bags
*  Animals and animal sounds
*  Headbands, barrets, bows, etc.

She kept handing me more to put in her hair so who am I to say stop?

*  Her "lovey" (aka blankie)

Lovie snuggle time!

*  Ranch dressing
*  Bath time

*  Lotion (her legs are SO dry this winter and she loves having me slather the lotion all over them!)
*  Cartoons
*  Wrestling/tackling us on the floor (she giggles like crazy!)
*  Books

Learning her shapes!

*  Music and dancing
*  Popcorn
*  Stickers
*  Climbing stairs
*  Elmo

Taking Elmo for a ride

*  Walking!!! 

One sock on, one sock off - the only way to stroll

Yes, that is right!  After being able to walk for the last 5 months but choosing to continue w/ her adorable gorilla butt scoot, she is finally up and walking!  Every now and then she'll sit down to scoot somewhere when she wants to get there fast but the walking is definitely beginning to win in the selected mode of transport!  So exciting!  She's still slow at it b/c I think she is afraid of falling but she's really good at it and hardly ever falters.  I'm sure next thing we know she'll be running around this house!  This spring will be fun outside!

Charlie and I are heading down to Des Moines tomorrow night to visit family and friends.  And the BIG reason we're going is so we can be there first hand when Kara and Todd find out the sex of their baby!  Yay!  We are so lucky to get to join them!  I can't wait to find out.  Friday morning can't come fast enough!  The only thing I'm dreading are the car rides alone w/ Charlie.  I usually sit in the back w/ her and Wade drives when we go long distances but since it will just be me and her she will have to entertain herself!  Let's hope it goes well.  I really don't want to have to drive w/ her screaming at me the entire trip!

Lastly, girl can still make one helluva "mean face".  It cracks me up, she loves to make me laugh, so she does it over and over.  It's a never ending circle of faces and laughter.  She also still makes her "ooooooooh" face constantly.  It cracks me up as well.  She's such a goof.

I'm Thankful!

Phone pic dump of a few things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:

My future neice or nephew!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Kel

Teething be damned!

Charlie is getting her molars in and has been sleeping like shit lately so I'm exhausted and will be keeping this one short.
The BIG news to update: I'm going to be an Aunt!  My sister, Kara and her hubby, Todd are expecting!  They are due in June and I can't wait!!!  I made t-shirts to help surprise our parents with the news last weekend:

And just for your viewing pleasure, Charlie double fisting it while driving her cart at Best Buy.  She LOVED it!  They need to get more of those things b/c they only had 1 and she would have ridden around in that thing all freaking day!  No baby tantrums while riding around in this Geek Squad car!

Too tired to post on anything else for now.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Tata~
Kel