Birthday Photos - Charlie Ann

Much celebrating was had on November 11th for Charlie Ann. 

Waking her up and telling her she was THREEEEEE!

Clapping is so necessary. 

Queen for the day. 

This three year old face. (Insert heart-eyes emoji here) 

And the bitter sweet part of that day-- returning those pacis to the store. Everyone knows that's what happens when you turn 3. 

And she traded them in... 

...For a larger than life Minnie. 

And no birthday is complete without cake. 

And I'd like to point out that this is a much improved cake as compared to her two year old cake-trastophe.. 

We love celebrating our little Charlie Ann. She's a gem. Happy three, Sweet Pea!

(Also, obligatory birthday growl)

Pumpkin Carving

Before I take down the pumpkins and erase my "happy fall y'all" chalkboard sign, I need to do one last autumn update.  Here are some adorable photos of Charlie Ann carving and painting her first pumpkin.

She got to stay up late and wait for Daddy to get home so we could all carve together.. hence why she is in her pajamas.

She was not really a fan touching the inside of the pumpkin.

Have you hugged your pumpkin today?

And then, after it was all carved and finished, she decided it was indeed NOT finished.  It needed to be painted.  So, round two.

 Multiple smiley faces are good.

Thats a lot of pumpkin love.

Halloween

I lied about being done with autumn posts. I just gotta show off my funny little girl, (who will not touch dress up clothes or ANYTHING princess with a ten foot pole), who suddenly wanted to be a ballerina with wings for Halloween.

{even the next day she would not put this costume on for her grandparents-ha! What a turkey!}

And of course, the most adorable and hungriest skeleton I've ever seen.

Charlie Ann and her little friend, 

"Jessie" 

Happy late Halloween!

Charlie Ann's words

Probably more for my personal memory than any one else's... But these just crack me up. Sweet little girl. 

Magga Mugga (magna doodle)

I Supa Gul (I am Super Girl)

Bonina (banana)

Boobies (blueberries)

Itsee Biber (all bugs, derived from "Itsy Bitsy Spider")

Why Why Why Berry  (at the library)

Bagel Butta (bagel with cream cheese)

Foo Gus (school bus)

Calipipper (caterpillar)

Flooret (floor)

Store-et (store)

Overet (over)

Dooret (door)

Mawn (more)

Charlie Ann: Two and a Half

Charlie Ann at two and a half years old is best summed up in this quote: 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..." -A Tale of Two Cities

Never could truer words be spoken of life as a conflicted toddler. 

I love this child more than I ever imagined possible. Her smiles, her tears, her tantrums, her squeals of delight, her humor, her joy, her naivety, her wonder, her happiness. We ride out the storms of a child who is expanding her freedoms, her choices, pushing her boundaries and trying to make sense of her little world. It is a beautiful thing and very messy thing. And I wouldn't trade any day, even the ones when I am counting the minutes 'til Daddy comes home, for a day without her. 

Charlie Ann, at two and a half, is very different than her two year old self. She has replaced Elmo love, with Minnie Mouse love. She used to not get enough of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" (or whatever book) being read to her on repeat for weeks on end, now it is the complexity of multiple, ever-changing, library books, that she reads to herself. She has discovered choice, and preference, and opinion. She is verbalizing her world to us. She is figuring out cause and effect. She is growing up. 

Overly tired, and therefore overly excited for Christmas. -Christmas Eve 2013

Testing out the Bumbo for Tripp- January 2014

Sleepy, silly and sick - most of Spring 2014

Chores and learning responsibility (and also learning a lot about bubbles and water and making a wet mess) -February 2014

Playing and Potty Training - most of Spring 2014

Painting and painting, snow day after snow day -March 2014

Book wormin' -March 2014

Muddy Puddle Stomping - March 2014

The Car Seat Thing-2014

More Spring Snow -March 2014

Nervous feelings about Butterflies -March 2014

Silliness (and Potty Training) -April 2014

First Braids -April 2014 

Conflicted over Bugs -April 2014 

Swimming lessons, the best thing to happen to this girl since sliced bread -April 2014

Daddy, Her Main Squeeze -Palm Sunday, 2014

Thrilled about Veggies and Hummus for Dinner -April 2014

This Face -April 2014 

She is brave and dramatic and careful, she is kind and giving and protective, she is smart and logical and determined. My little two and a half year old Charlie Ann.