Little Princess

Charlotte was invited to her first birthday party.  It was princess themed and the guests were asked to dress up as princesses.  Charlotte loved dressing up and she loved the party.

Maternity Pics

My friend Amber took some maternity pictures for me on Friday.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Thanks Amber!

Amish Country

I love Amish Country.  We've visited a couple times since we've moved here, but this was our funnest trip.  We went with our friends who grew up in the area, and so they knew of some really fun places to go.  Our first stop of the morning was at a free petting zoo.  They had all sorts of farm animals there that Charlotte loved petting and feeding.  Adam did too.  I enjoyed looking at them (I don't know why, but I'm not really fond of touching animals).

We also met Big Ben "The biggest horse in Holmes County" who stands at 19H 3".  He was really big!

Next to the petting zoo is a small bakery called Hershberger's where we got some amazing donuts and fresh kettle corn made in an actual kettle over a fire.  It was the best kettle corn we've ever had.

Our last stop was to Heini's Cheese Chalet.  They make and sell cheese...lots of cheese.

And the best part is that you get to sample every single kind (flavors like Italian Garlic Herb, Bacon Cheddar, Smoked Swiss, Jalapeno, Lacey, etc.)!  They have three walls of cheese samples and half a wall of fudge samples.  We didn't make it out of there without buying some.

36 Weeks - The Good and the Bad

So here I am...down to the last month of pregnancy #2.  A few people (who don't live in Ohio) have asked for an updated pregnancy picture.  Here I am, catering to their demands in all my 36 weeks glory.  This pregnancy has been far more enjoyable than the one with Charlotte.

Things I like about this pregnancy:

I'm carrying lower...rarely are there feet in my ribs.

My hair is soft and thick (it was very dry and brittle with pregnancy #1).

No swelling (remember my cankles??)!!!

I can take a nap every day if I want to.

This baby is very active...I like watching him karate chop and kick (even if it does hurt a little sometimes).

Things I don't like about this pregnancy:

I have a hard time staying asleep at night.

I get "morning sickness" in the evenings a few times a week.

I'm starting to get impatient about meeting this new little guy of ours...even if the pregnancy has been enjoyable.  Maybe he'll decide to join us a week and a half early like Charlotte did...

Turning Two

So, our Charlotte turned two yesterday.  I cannot believe that she's been a part of our lives for the past two years.  At times it seems that these years have flown by, yet I feel she's always been a part of my life.  We had a pretty quiet birthday celebration this year at home.  It was fun though because she finally "got it" this year.  Mimi sent her some wrapped presents about a week before her birthday, and I had them sitting on top of the dryer.  Every time I did laundry Charlotte would see them sitting up there and squeal, "My birthday party!!" 

Opening presents.  We have a few videos, but she opens them so slowly  (one little piece of paper at a time) that they all turned out a little long for the blog.  She got lots of new clothes and changed them multiple times yesterday.  She also got some books, Little People, and dress up accessories.  It really couldn't have gotten any better for her.

Adam has been waiting all summer for her birthday to come along so that we could get her a tricycle.  She was pretty excited about it.

It was a little funny, but she was more excited about the food than her presents.  I made her chicken and rice for dinner because it's her favorite and afterward we had some cupcakes.

Hooray for turning two!

Simple

I got four hours of sleep last night.  It's all thanks to heartburn, a  growing baby that keeps me from being able to sleep on my belly, and an almost two-year-old who decided to shout out my name every ten minutes from 1:00am to 2:30am and then woke up at 6:30 this morning.  After showering I decided that after a night like that I was justified in putting my pajamas back on and spending the day inside.  Most days I find myself running from one task to another...trying to mark everything off my to-do list.  Today was peaceful and nice. I made Honey-Whole Wheat Bread.  It's something I've been meaning to do, but it just seems that there is somewhere to go everyday, and I just don't have the time to dedicate it to making bread.  I'm glad I shut myself in today.  There is something relaxing and comforting about making homemade bread. Sometimes I think we just need to go back to simple.  Sometimes we need to do something that requires patience just to put the rest of life back in perspective.  I'm not always going to feel a little body move inside me, and one day my toddler isn't going to cry out for my help all the time.  For now I'll cherish these things, along with four hour nights.

Beach Baby

This past Saturday we took Charlotte to Lake Erie.  Needless to say, she loved it!

Return Missionaries

At the end of June, Charlotte and I flew down to Georgia so we could be at the airport to pick up my brothers from their two-year missions.  It was such an exciting time for my family, and I am so grateful that I was able to be there for the reunion. The prep:

 Dario and Josh both left before Charlotte was born.  They've had to watch their only niece grow up through pictures so far...hence the "I've waited my whole life..." message from Charlotte.

Reunion #1:
Josh returned home from Argentina first!

(I'm his favorite sister!)

Snapshot with the parents.

Charlotte and Uncle Josh finally get to meet.

Reunion #2:

Dario's mission was extended a week due to some complication with the incoming missionaries.  So a week after picking up Josh we all got to travel to the airport once again...this time to pick up his twin from Ecuador.

Uncle Dario and Charlotte finally able to get acquainted in person.

All the guys together.  (I'm spoiled because of them.)

(I'm also his favorite sister!)

The proud mom.  She always said she wanted lots of boys so she could send out missionaries.  I don't think she realized that those boys she sent out would come back men.