Humpday-Photo Dump!

Hi! it’s been a fun week. and it’s about to get funner! (yes I’m using that “word”) Mom and dad will be here tomorrow, my two best guy friends from back home will be here next weekend along with my brother and Jen!! whooop whoop! But on to the pictures…

It was pretty cold last week at Shuffle Board, but they still came out to cheer me on.

The shelf in our fridge has been broken for a while…I finally ordered a replacement…if only FedEx would leave it at our door!!

Big girl has moved from the pack-n-play to a mat at daycare.

Since Charlie seems to love pushing the Tang around the shuffle board courts I thought I’d try her with the swifter….

She is determined to use silverware…she’s getting better…

Look mom, I found daddy’s marshmallow gun!

Got my hair done, finally!

Welcome to Moe’s!

It’s a jungle out there kid…or at least it is in the play area at the mall!!

Shopped till she dropped…on the floor of Nordstrom's.

My little Mall Rat!

Learning her B

Putting my new bag through quality control checks…

Getting ready for her play date with Adeline!

The Adeline and Charlie Show!

Mondays….

Post dinner picnics…

and tea parties-she’s such a girl!

Look closely…she’s trying to pull off her diapers! So glad we went snaps and not Velcro!

While the rest of the country is freezing we had a beautiful day yesterday. So I picked her up from daycare and instead of going straight home we hit up a “new to us” neighborhood park. She loved it and I think I’ll do this more often!

It was a great week.

Ten things Tuesday

1. We try when we can to eat dinner as a family as much as possible, but a lot of the times Charlie starts before we sit down. However we always pray. On Tuesday night Charlie was already eating, but Adam and I sat down and began to pray. Charlie looked at both of us, stopped eating and clasped her hands. it was so sweet.
2. Charlie has taken a liking to oranges. she can’t wait for us to peel and deseed the next piece before she starts asking for it. the girl with inhale a tangerine faster than we can peel it. On the down side to this I’ve found out that tangerines stain. booo.
3. Charlie has learned how to blow kisses. Adam did it once when he was sick and couldn’t kiss her and she started to mimic him; the sound and hand. Now she’ll do it every so often and it’s so cute.
4. I was long overdue for a haircut/color. So I went all out and got 5-6” cut off and a completely new color. I wanted Marissa Tomei’s hair from Parental Guidance…and I think I got it! ya for new me
5. Our shuffle board team won their first ever game last week! Ivee and Greta were the winning team. We’re still in the bottom of the rankings, but we’re having fun!
6.  Saturday Charlie and I tried out a Gymboree class; Play and Learn. She was so excited to see their set up and explore the room. The class was ok, not sure we’ll go back just yet, But boy does Charlie have no fear! she was climbing on anything and everything and laughing and running. She even found the cutest little boy in the class and sat next to him
7. Sunday was a play date with Adeline. The girls are so cute together, but we found out that Elmo was not something Adeline wanted to share. Uh oh…they’re already fighting over the most popular boy.
8. Adam and I watched the movie Cloud Atlas.  It was long, but interesting. Not sure I grasped all of the concepts, I think Adam did more than me, but overall it makes you think about events in life and how we’re all connected. If I had an extra 3 hours I’d watch it again…but I don’t. Oh well.
9. We have a busy few weeks coming up. Mom and Dad will be her Thursday and I have friends from Michigan and Joe & Jen coming next week! I wish I could say we spend the weekend cleaning the house, but we didn’t. Charlie and I went shopping after our class Saturday and walked the mall doing all things girly, perfume, purse and make up shopping! I got home and Adam asked if I had a new boyfriend to go with my new look…I said, Just trying to keep it interesting
10. I found out today that a cousin has cancer. That's never good news, but it’s good that they caught it early and are taking action! Please pray for her and a complete recovery!  On a happier note we found out another cousin is getting married and having a baby! That makes 6 weddings in the next 12 months. Yikes. Life is busy, but we must cherish every moment and make it count because you never know what God has in store for you.

Thursday Thoughts–Signs

I saw this picture reposted a few times today on Facebook with the following caption: “A cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed. When you see one, it means they are visiting you. They usually show up when you most need them or miss them. They also make an appearance during times of celebration as well as despair to let you know they will always be with you. Look for them, they'll appear.” –Gordon Matson

And it really resonated with me. Why? Well after my Grandma Hamel died my mother said that every time she see’s a Cardinal she knows it’s grandma. Cardinals were her favorite bird.

Since then every time I’ve seen one, I’ve thought of her. I know all my grandparents are looking down and watching over me. But do you really think that a bird appears as a sign of that loved one? Is it really their spirit? Or is it just coincidence?

Personally I do believe that people can come back in some way or another. (I’m convinced that Joseph and Marina where lovers in a former life) And I feel peace when I see those Red birds at the most random moments, when I’d least expect it. My grandma and I had a special bond and I still have the most vivid dreams about her and her house. So yes, that random red cardinal sitting on the tennis court fence outside my window, not the other side or end of the court, is my grandma looking in at me and my family. She's checking in that everything is going ok and by being visible she’s letting me know that she’s still there if I need her. That even in those hard times, it will be ok.

What do think? Is there something that you see as a sign…that is something more than it is? What connects you with those who have passed? It’s an interesting thought.  I guess my red cardinal brings peace to a lot of other people too.

(On a side note, for those of you who know me well know how ironic it is that I find peace when I see a cardinal. I hate birds and am pretty afraid of them. But that’s just more proof that it’s grandma and not some stupid bird waiting to peck my eyes out!)

Humpday Photodump!

Look at me two posts in a row…I should get a gold sticker or something!

Shuffle board besties!

Learning to use a spoon and eating a whole container of yogurt!

Feeding the “birds” at the children’s museum in Naples. She then proceeded to feed herself the nasty sunflower seeds that were a part of the exhibit.

Checking out the igloo!

Practicing for her big show!

Exploring the Labyrinth

And her shoes…she loves her shoes.

Selfie with mom!

Micah claiming his girl

BFF’s since 1991!

Frozen Yogurt time! she loved it!

Cheering on daddy!

Lunch with mommy on a Monday

Daddy took her to the zoo for MLK day

My 7th bridesmaid dress! I think this is my favorite!!

Well that was our week…it’s a little weak on the photos…I will try better next time.

Ten things Tuesday

Well I haven’t done one of these in FOREVER! But, in no particular order here goes:
1. Charlie discovered slides. We took her to a park downtown Sunday before last and she had a riot! She would squeal all the way down, then try to climb back up. She really loves being outdoors. I wish we had a yard for her…soon.
2. My book club joined the shuffle board league. We had our first game on Wednesday night. Adam and Charlie came out to support. I think we scored a whopping 7 points one game. But we had fun, that’s all that matters.
3. Adam cooked his first roast chicken last night. it was super moist and yummy. I think he should do this more often

4. Sunday Charlie and I drove from Naples to Winter Haven to watch Adam play in his first Ultimate tournament in 1.5 years!! I can’t believe it’s been that long. We all had fun and hope to get him out on the field more often.

5. Friday Charlie and I headed down to Naples to visit Stephanie and her 3 boys. We had fun playing with them and exploring their great children's museum, C’mon! We hope to go back sooner than later!

6. We got our first Nephew! Wesley Xavier was born January 9th. We are so excited to meet him next month!

7. While driving from Naples to Winter Haven I was able to enjoy a scenic route with little to no traffic and have the nicest 2.5 car ride I’ve had in a long time. As much as I love the convenience a city provides, I realized I am a country mouse and I’m longing to get back to simpler things.
8. Charlie got a few care packages last week and one contained a leapfrog laptop. The girl was EXCITED!! She knew just what to do and banged away on the keyboard. come to find out Ms. Jones has a bunch of these…so it wasn’t her first time at the rodeo, but mom was still impressed.

9. Adam is reading a book!!! I about fell out of bed when I found out he wasn’t looking at sports scores. He’s reading Treasure Island on his tablet…and has been for a few nights. He said he didn’t mention it because he knew I’d make a big deal, which I did! I’ve never seen him read a book!!!

10. Charlie is growing up too fast. She is starting to try and use silverware at the table and won’t let you feed her at all! She is so independent. When we go for walks she will rarely hold your hand, and she takes stairs like she’s 4’ tall; up and down! It has just been amazing watching the little person come out of that tiny body. She is such a joy and we are so very thankful.