Roadtrip!

We'll start this post off right...with Charleigh of course! ;)

This past weekend Jon, Charleigh and I went on a roadtrip.  And when I say roadtrip, I mean ROOOAAADTRIP!  We started Thursday evening after Jon got off work.  We left straight from SLO to Modesto where we stayed the evening with our friends Steven & Teresa.  Charleigh actually did VERY well.  It took us about 4 hours to get to our first stop.  Thankfully we left at a time where I fed Charleigh dinner in the car, then played with her for a little bit, and she finally went to sleep for the last leg of the journey.  We were really excited to see and visit with Steven & Teresa (and to hopefully give them some baby fever with Charleigh around) :) They just bought a new house, so we (and as in "we" I mean Jon) helped them move a little.  Charleigh was REALLY good at unpacking-too bad we were supposed to be helping packing-and not the un part. We decided to skip Charleigh's morning nap on Friday so hopefully she would sleep the majority of the way to our next destination, Redding (about 3 1/2 hours north).  She started getting a little delirious around 1.  That was our cue to pack up the car and head out.  Charleigh was asleep before we even pulled out to leave.  Ha.

Onto Redding!  We made a poop pit stop about and hour and a half south of Redding.  Charleigh needed to be tended to ;)  And it was nice to let her crawl around for a little bit.  FINALLY-we made it to our destination!  Our friends, Emily & Jon, also just bought a house! Their home has been updated by Emily's husband Jon, and I am amazed by all that he did to the house .  If you see before and after pictures of this place you would think it was a different house.  These two are also EXPECTING their first baby! YAY! Little baby GIRL Hobbs. :)  (I will be surprised if they have a name by the time they leave the Hospital-they are both very stubborn on their names)  I love all the options each of them have on names though, so whichever one they pick will be adorable...unless they try to combine two names into one...then I'm not so sure how that would work out.  Hehe. (Iiiiii looooove youuuuu guuuys) ;) 

The ultimate reason for this trip?  Emily's baby shower!  It was A-DOR-ABLE! Oh my.  I took tons of pictures for you all to see.  She has .the. craftiest friends!  Everyone sat around chatting while making homemade onesies for 'Lil' Nugget' (as they call baby Hobbs...which is hilarious (ok, not hilarious, but quite funny) because that is what we call Charleigh!)  The 'men' of all these women played poker in the garage, and half the proceeds (is that what you call them?..)....winnings? went towards the baby! Clever, huh?  It was so funny seeing all the guys sneak in every once in a while saying "I've always wondered what these things are like....so this is what you girls do?"  They didn't sound too impressed...:)  I swear they think we are WILD at these things...when all we really do is talk a lot, eat a lot, and open presents.  SOUNDS FUN TO ME! (...and not so fun to men apparently).

I also had the pleasure of taking some maternity pictures of Em.  They turned out beautiful, of course.  We took them by the Sacramento River.  So pretty!  Such a beautiful mama she is!  

(more pictures of her maternity photos to come...)

Charleigh LOVES her Dada

Pictures of the baby shower

Look at how crafty these girls were!

 Em made this one :)

Charleigh's little friend Riley...she is precious!

The onesie & headband I made at the shower

Redding reminds me SO MUCH of Visalia.  I can seriously see myself living there and having it feel like home! There are many similarities...and it is such a beautiful place!

We began our trek home Sunday night.  We decided to split up the drive, instead of doing a straight 71/2 hour stretch (yikes!).  We made a stop at Steven and Teresa's again.  This time I actually got to see their new house!  So nice! And VERY happy for them!! Now all they have to do is start filling up all those extra bedrooms ;) hehe.  (can you tell we want them to start having babies?)  We had dinner with them, let Char crawl around, gave her a bath, put jammies on, and headed out.  Our next stop, Visalia.  We spent the night at my parents, and decided to stay all day Monday instead of trying to come home.  That way Charleigh could sleep the rest of the way (she does very well while driving at night.  She can sleep and doesn't get tired of being strapped in!)  While in Visalia we got to meet precious baby Harlow!  You can read her birth story here, on our friend's Buck & Jamie's Blog.  She is seriously one of the prettiest newborns I have ever seen.  Her and Delaney top the list for sure! (I know, my OWN daughter doesn't even top the list!?...but I'm just being honest) :)  I still think Charleigh is the cutest thing EVER!  

LOOONG weekend doesn't even begin to describe the trip.  But I am so amazed at my little girl! She was AAAA-mazing in the car! No major melt downs, slept a lot of the time!  Everyone who got to spend time with her was so impressed by how happy she is all the time!  She was so smiley for everyone, and in such a good mood! ( I did have anxiety when both the places we stayed at didn't have a rocking chair.  If you know me, then you know how panicked I must've been).  But surprisingly all went well!  Charleigh slept really good at both places (maybe that had to do with the fact that we stuck her in the bathroom (in the pack-n-play) with the fan AND sound machine blasting, and no windows in sight) :)  Rocking is a last resort for her if she is having a meltdown, but THANKFULLY she didn't have one! Yay baby Char! 

I LOVED spending time with these two!  Amy & Emily I met at Biola, and they are definitely life long friends :) LOVE YOU BOTH!

3/4 of a year old

Charleigh Grace

My sweet baby.  You are growing so quickly.  I have to admit...the first two months you were with us I thought would NEVER END!  We LOVED having you FINALLY with us-but you were very needy ;) You did not want to be put down, and made that very known by screaming at the top of your lungs! And you slept on mommy in the rocking chair ALL night long :) I look back now and cherish those moments I got to spend cuddled with you.  But once we got through the crazyness and newness of you-the time began to fly!  How are you already 9 months old? Each month that passes keeps getting quicker and quicker.  Your daddy and I are loving every minute we get to spend with you.  You are our smart, curious, adventurousness, beautiful baby girl-and bring a smile to anyone's face who sees you.

Likes: Putting EVERYTHING in your mouth (STILL...you may have snuck a few rocks in there earlier today while mommy was trying to take pictures of you outside...;))

Kisses from Cousin Laney

Crawling on your hands and knees!

Pulling up on whatever you can

Watching 'Baby Signing Time'

Being Tickled

Splashing in the bath

Crawling on TOP of things

Eating

Taking walks with Mommy in your Ergo

When mommy vacuums, you follow it around and giggle ;)

SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

Dislikes: Putting jammies on after bathtime

Being patient while mommy makes you food :)

When a toy is taken from you...or something other than a toy that you shouldn't be playing with

Appearance/Growth:  You have 4 TEEFERS! Two top that you got this month, and two bottom that you received last month.  They are so stinkin cute!  You are still wearing 6 mo. clothes, but I think it is time to move to 9 mo., at least in the jammies.  They are getting a little tight in length :)  We will find out how much you have grown at the Dr. on Monday.  I guess around 16 lbs.  Your smile is contagious, and your giggles are the cutest.

This last month your daddy and I left you overnight for the first time!  It was hard, but you had such a fun time with Gramma and Pop Pop!  They LOVED spending time with you.  And they took such good care of you!  All your daddy and I talked about when we were gone was YOU! We rushed home early so we could cuddle and kiss you :)  Also, your cousin Laney Bug and Auntie Jilly came to visit!  You had so much fun giggling at Delaney. :) 

My precious nugget.  Soon you will be ONE!  Your daddy and mommy are so madly in love with you, words can't even begin to describe.  I now know how much my own mommy must love me!  My heart never knew it could hold so much.  

HUGS AND KISSES!

mommy and daddy

Easter 2012

This year we celebrated Easter with my family a little early.  The reason for this was because my sister and cute little niece Delaney Rae came to visit for the week!  

We packed up the car and headed to Visalia the weekend before so that we could make it to see my nephew, William, turn one! 

Then Jill and Laney arrived the following Monday. Hip Hip Hooray!

Our family was reunited again....LOVE. (the only thing missing are the hubby's)

Jill and I got to see The Hunger Games...finally! She is the one who introduced me to the series, so of course I had to wait to see it with her!  I really enjoyed the movie.  I wasn't expecting to be so sad through-out it though.  I guess when I am reading I don't take into account the real emotion behind everything...  But I was thoroughly impressed by how close the movie followed the book! 

On Thursday of that week we invited all the cousins over for an Easter Egg hunt!  This is Laney and Cami.  So cute.  They are only about a month apart in age.  

Cami has a new baby brother Sam :) Isn't he handsome?

I had a WONDERFUL week with my parents, sister, niece, and daughter.  But it is weeks like this that make me wish we all lived closer to each other.  Hopefully someday that will happen again...

Jill and Delaney left for "Tecus" on Friday afternoon, and I made my own trek back home.  I was welcomed with open arms by my hubby who I missed terribly.  AND, while I was away, a little man came into the world! My best friend, Jenna, gave birth to Jude Matthew Sarr on April 1.  Her birth story is crazy, and can be read on her blog here.  

We spent Easter day as a little family, and headed off to a church here in Arroyo Grande.  Then we went to The Sarr's house and had a big ham lunch! Yummm.  They have really become our family since we moved over here and I am SO VERY THANKFUL to have them in our life.  I don't know where I would be if they weren't here....probably holed up pulling my hair out and having a nervous breakdown...or something of that sort... ;)

Mornings at the Foley's

On the weekends we have cuddle time in the mornings-and it has come to be my favorite part of the week!  Just look at this!  SO PRECIOUS!  This little girl wakes up this happy EVERY morning.  (she definitely didn't get this from me!)  But it makes getting up in the morning so much more enjoyable!

8 months

My sweet little girl is 8 months old.  Wow.  How!? How is she already 8 months old?  I know I mention this in almost all my posts regarding Charleigh...but here it goes again.  SHE IS GROWING TOO FAST!! :) I have especially noticed it this month.  She is crawling, she has two bottom teeth, she is beginning to talk (dadadadada), she sits up perfectly, and can push herself into a sitting position from her tummy.  AH! Stop getting so big, Charleigh! 

Likes: Putting EVERYTHING in your mouth

Kisses from Daddy

Big Girl Food (especially Pears, Carrots, Banana and Puffys)

Crawling EVERYWHERE

Being outside

Bathtime

Kicking your feet, whether it be in the stroller, your highchair, or just laying on the floor-you LOVE to kick those little legs of yours!

Dislikes: Nursing ( I have a feeling this girl is going to wean herself quickly...it's more of a chore now to feed her than it is enjoyable...makes me sad!  She gets this look on her face sometimes when it is time to nurse like "Mom, are you serious right now? Ick" and then pushes away from me whining.)

Getting dressed (especially when I am putting clothes over your head and pulling your arms through-you scream-every.single.time.)

Getting your hands and face cleaned off after eating (I think because you realize there is no more food coming your way...)

Appearance/Growth:  You don't seem to be growing at the rapid pace you were a couple months ago.  You still wear 6 mo. clothes, but we are slowly transitioning into 6-9 mo. clothes.  You have smiley,big, blue, beautiful eyes that everyone comments on.  You giggle at random people when we go grocery shopping.  You have two small bottom teeth that are so stinkin cute!  And you are getting more and more hair.  It doesn't look like much from far away because it is SO blonde-but it is there!! 

We love you little miss Charleigh!

Mommy & Daddy

Charleigh- 7 months

My Charleigh baby is 7 months old! (ok, so by now she is 7 1/2 months...I'm a little behind on the blog). As I write this (on my phone...which is driving me nuts since it keeps auto correcting everything!) I am rocking my sweet little girl. She woke up pretty cranky this morning and the only thing that she wants is to cuddle with her mama. :) She is also not feeling well. We both have a bad cold :/ Poor thing has been waking up at night coughing and can't seem to keep her paci in because of her stuffy nose! Makes me so sad. So this week it has been PJ day everyday! Which is A-ok with me. The only bummer is that it is so nice outside this week! 70's and 80's all week. Hopefully we get over this bug soon and can enjoy the wonderful weather. Also, we are moving this weekend! Ahhh.

My poor sick baby :(

 Charleigh's 7 month stats: 

Likes: Rocking with mommy 

Your blanket

Smiling at everyone

Kisses from your daddy

Playing with your cousin Delaney

Cuddling with your Auntie Jill (especially after waking up from nap-time)

Eating! And Puffys!

Drinking out of a sippy

Putting everything in your mouth

Getting into everything

"Crawling" (you do the worm on your tummy, but girl you can go fast!)

Being outside

Taking walks

Dislikes:

Teething (who wouldn't!)

When mommy takes things away your aren't supposed to play with

Sleeping in (you have been waking up around 5:45)

Being inside for too long....you like to go out and do things

Nap time (at least right now)

Charleigh Grace- You are growing so much! You are about to get your first tooth on the bottom.  And you are such a joy to be around.  Even when you are sick and not feeling well, you still give me the biggest smiles.  You went on your first plane ride to Texas-and got to see your Auntie Jill and cousin Laney.  We had a blast! Other than having to wake you up at 4am and you getting a cold-you did very well!  We love you our beautiful baby girl!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo,

mommy & daddy

...next post will have lots of Texas pictures :)

 

Valentine's & Texas

Valentine's Day

Last year my Valentines Day was spent with this little girly.

AND...this year it will be too! I am headed to Texas Monday morning at 6am!  I keep having mini anxiety attacks about this trip. 1) because I HATE to fly and 2) I will now have a 7 month old on my lap for the entire ride.  I'm not sure if #2 will help with my fear of #1, or if it will make it worse :/ I hoping for the former...

When I traveled to Texas last year I was pregnant with little miss Charleigh.  I didn't know yet that she was a "she" :) But she sure did squirm on the plane.  It was the first time my mom and sister felt her move.  And Laney LOVED to give my belly kisses.  So cute.  

(My belly this time last year!)

Now she is excited for "baby char char" to come and play with her.  She knows that Charleigh is "crawling" (if that's what you call doing the worm to get wherever you want to go) ;) and Laney says that she will "catch baby char char" when Charleigh tries to crawl.  Haha.  My mom calls Delaney "pickle-head" (don't ask me why...) so Laney came up with a nickname for Charleigh too...drumroll please..."bubble-head".  I'm thinking her baldness may have influenced this nickname, no?

Here are my Valentines this year :)

(I came inside one day and this is where I found Jonny and Charleigh...made my heart melt)

This will be my SECOND year in a row not spending Valentine's with my hubby :( Although I am sad about that, I am very excited to go visit my sister! I haven't been out there since last Valentine's-and I am ready for some sister time! WOO HOO!