A cute picture from mid-November...love her pigtails!
We spent Thanksgiving here at my parents' house, and Brian ventured out on Black Friday for some great deals at Lowe's. He was home around the time that the sun was on the rise, and he was giddy from the thrill of the crowds and deals he snagged! He has an impressive wood working shop set up and is currently working on his first solo woodworking project (usually he works with my dad), a children's activity table.
Helping Daddy and Poppy find good deals in the Black Friday ads
Testing the strength of Daddy's table he's building...yep, it's sturdy! (Side note: This table is built from some wood, black walnut, from Brian's late grandfather's barn. He recently finished making our new kitchen table with my dad from this same wood. They are definitely heirloom pieces!)
We decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Charleigh did pretty well with the "one finger rule", only touching the ornaments with one finger. She was interested in the pretty ornaments and "balls" on the tree throughout the season, so we were constantly enforcing the "one finger rule".
Daddy and Charleigh in front of our tree
Christmas was so fun with Charleigh this year. We hosted a cookie exchange for our neighbors at our house on the last day of school before Christmas Break. Charleigh did so well sharing her toys with all of the kids, and she LOVED getting messy decorating a sugar cookie with them, too. Much to Brian's dismay, I gave many of the cookies away the next day. Charleigh and I made a trip with Aunt Meg and Kohen to the fire station down the road to deliver them a basket of cookies and packets of hot chocolate. We wanted for the kids to be able to do some kind of "service" during the Christmas season, and there's not a whole lot you can do with a 1 and 2 year old that they would understand. However, the kids loved handing over their goodies to the firemen, and the firemen were kind enough to allow the kids the opportunity to sit in the driver's seat of the firetruck and run the lights for them. Charleigh LOVED holding the steering wheel and repeated "more" and "gee" (more and again) when it was time to get down from the seat.
Sitting up high in the firetruck
Loves to "drive"
Our visit with Santa was a very memorable one! We thought we had "coached" her to love Santa and that we would end with one of the few pictures of a toddler sitting on Santa's lap with a smile. What were we thinking?!? While standing in line waiting to sit on Santa's lap, she repeatedly said "Ho! Ho! Ho!" excitedly, and she loved seeing the big girls in front of us sitting on his lap. When asked if she wanted to sit on Santa's lap like the big girls were, she said "Yeth!" But, the moment she was placed on his lap, she lost it! Santa was so good, though, and snuck behind the chair for Charleigh to calm down, then moved to the floor in front of Charleigh. She wasn't crying hysterically in the picture as she had been, but you can tell she was frightened. In fact, she was, in my opinion, quite traumatized by the whole situation! Later that day, she WOULD NOT take a nap. She kept crying (a really sad, hard, frightened cry) and saying "Mommy! No Ho Ho Ho!" Throughout the rest of the Christmas season, she would even say "No" when Santa came on TV! We put on the classic "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in the car during our Christmas travels, and she enjoyed it for a few minutes while the snowman and reindeer talked, but the moment Santa came on, she declared "No. No more." and shook her head. We had to turn it off!
Clinging to Mimi's neck!
We travelled for a few days over Christmas. First, we spent the 23rd in Charlotte with some of my extended family and had our gift exchange with them on Christmas Eve day. Charleigh had so much fun playing with all of the kids and playing with her new toys.
Not the most lady-like pose, but she was too cute laid back in cousin Jackson's chair with her "dee-dee" (blanket)
"Ump-ump" (jump, jump) on the bed with her three boy cousins
Did you know you could fit four kids under the age of 4 in a tub together?!? Charleigh loved her first bubble bath with her cousins.
Christmas Eve day Gavin showed Charleigh all the tricks the space shuttle could do. She was very interested!
Such a silly girl!
Enjoying a little cookie
"Bee-bee" (baby)!
Charleigh with her great grandparents, Mia and Papa Don, her cousins, Kohen, Gavin, and Jackson, and grandfather, Poppy (it's not easy to get four kids looking at the same camera!)
Blocks from Santa and a few wrapped gifts from Mommy and Daddy
Christmas morning
Discovering her new toys!
Read the note from Santa to me, Mommy!
Practicing stacking her new blocks
Watching the snow come down
The blocks' bucket makes a fun ride, too!
Pops giving Charleigh some of her gingerbread cookie from her stocking...breakfast of champions!
Examining the cover of her new "Beauty and the Beast" DVD while Mommy works on putting together her doodle pad
Practicing with her light-up doodle pad
Another silly girl picture! Getting ready to go out in the snow
Wee! Sledding down the hill with Daddy
Pops pulling Charleigh on the sled...she wasn't so sure of that
Yum!
Struggling to walk in the snow
Most beautiful tree topper I've ever seen!
Family picture in the snow
Crawling through the snow
We arrived home and Charleigh discovered her other present from Santa, a kitchen. She's been having so much fun playing in her kitchen and attending to her new baby with all her gear (stroller, bed, and high chair). It's been so much fun to watch her pretend play!
Love the excitement on her face in this picture!
Once our travels were complete and we were home, we also officially moved Charleigh to her "big girl" room and bed. It was a bitter-sweet night that first night. It's so hard to believe that Charleigh isn't a little baby in a crib anymore, but a growing little girl in a "big" bed. On the other hand, it's also wonderful to see her so excited about her new bed and her new routine of putting her baby to bed in the crib after we read our books and say our prayers. She wakes up so excited to see baby in the crib.
View from Charleigh's door. Brian painted the wicker headboard (hand-me-down from his parents) and the dresser and vanity (in a picture below) were in my room growing up (antiques from my Great Aunt Hilda's house that my dad refinished...we only changed the drawer pulls). The art above her bed and to the right of her window (in a picture below) were painted for Charleigh before she was born by my Aunt Kristy. We moved them from the nursery to the "Big Girl" room. I sewed the three throw pillows on her bed using some remnants my mom found and cut up a chenille bedspread for the reverse side.
Charleigh's nightstand...I bought it at an antique market in Atlanta, Brian sanded the ugly retro yellow finish for me, I painted it white, and we changed the drawer pulls.
These are pinwheels that I made for Charleigh's first birthday party. I put them in the vases that I had as center pieces at her party with some floral foam and pink paper "grass". VERY cheap reuse for a decorative touch for Charleigh's "Big Girl" room!
I made the valance...my first solo (usually I have my mom's help), besides simple pillows, sewing project!
We moved Charleigh's name that was above her crib to her "Big Girl" room, but decided to hang the letters vertically for a new look.
View across from her bed, against the wall with the door to Charleigh's room
Charleigh truly is becoming a little girl, more and more everyday. She's recently starting to use the words that I've felt she's understood for quite some time now. She's saying so many things now it's hard to keep track, but my current favorite is "beepf" for "feet". She also gets very girly and squeals when she goes "pass" (fast).
I'm now almost 33 weeks pregnant and am glad to report that I'm still feeling great! Aside from the normal achy back at this point in the pregnancy, I have no complaints. We're getting really excited for Reagan to arrive and can't wait to meet her!
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the best in 2011!
