Atlanta!

This past weekend we took a spontaneous trip to Atlanta with two main goals, visit Ikea and find my sister a prom dress. Bright and early on Saturday morning we headed out and thankfully Charlotte slept half the trip.
Once in Atlanta we grabbed lunch and headed straight to Ikea! I was amazed and not expecting to find so many things I loved! It was overwhelming not only because of the size of the store, but also because I didn't have Kyle there to help with Charlotte and all my stuff. (you single mamas are amazing!) By the time we left I was EXHAUSTED, to say the least, so instead of going to the Lenox mall that evening with the family Charlotte and I got all cozy and stayed in the hotel to rest.

Selfie we sent to Daddy

 The next day we woke up early... thanks to my child. Once she was up everyone was up.... :) We all got ready for our day and ate breakfast. Before heading out we realized none of the places we wanted to go were open until 12. We had two hours that we did not want to waste so we took a vote between the Coke factory and the Aquarium and the Aquarium won!

Lindsey teaching Charlotte how to use a camera

 My camera phone is full so I was only able to take a few photos... I didn't have my photographer husband there to capture this fun day. :(
We got to see a dolphin show and Charlotte really enjoyed the whole thing... even clapped her hands and cheered!

She loved looking at all the fish.

SWEET....  

Soaking it all in like a sponge.

 During lunch we looked up some places to check out prom dresses.... first up was Cinderella Dresses. While we were at Cinderella a lady that worked there asked if I would let Charlotte try on a pageant dress, of course I didn't mind. Charlotte looked so cute and won the attention of many!

Looking in the mirror at herself.... such a big girl!

Many dresses later Madeline finally found the perfect dress! So happy for her! 

She said YES to the dress!

As soon as we finished we took the long trek home. It was a fun, but a very quick trip... next time I will need more time in Ikea!

Spring-like days

This past week we had beautiful weather which meant we could go out and play, get some much needed fresh air, and take walks to our neighborhood playground!

You love your wagon... cracked us up when you propped your feet up.

You LOVE to swing now!

The slide is fun too!

But not with mommy... ;) This was your first time going down, after a few times you ended up loving it. 

The way you crinkle your nose when you smile is the BEST!! 

We are looking forward to SPRING and going out to play more often! 

Valentines Day

What a difference a year makes! 

This is our second Valentines day with our girl and we decided to make a homemade meal and stay in this year. Charlotte and I stayed home all day to make cards for the family and cook since our meal was going to take 3-4 hours.

Ever since seeing the movie Julia & Julia, years ago, I have been wanting to make beef bourguignon and valentines seemed like the perfect opportunity! We checked out her cook book at the local library so we could have the exact recipe and went shopping for all our ingredients.

Charlotte playing with the music set from nina and poppy!

Daddy is good to us! Flowers and lots of goodies!

Nina came by for a visit!

This is how I was able to do most of my cooking. :) 

Dinner is served.... it was delicious!

Little Charlotte "eating" her meal.... aka smearing it everywhere and playing with her fork.

Play time with Daddy!

After our meal we had dessert, Charlotte opened her gift from us, and then Kyle and I watched our favorite show on Netflix while Charlotte slept. We had such a fun evening at home eating on our beautiful pink china by candlelight. :)

Paleo cake like brownies, Jenis milkiest chocolate in the world ice cream, and strawberries. 

Opening your gift! New bath toys, a book, big girl bib, and outfit! (And I didn't have to pay for one thing... used your birthday gift card!)

Charlotte turns ONE!

Well sweet girl we made it to your first birthday! I can not believe how fast this year has gone by.... it seems like yesterday we were bringing you home. You have changed our lives for the better and I can not imagine life any different.

You have the sweetest personality and are a joy to be around. One of my favorite things about you is that you LOVE to laugh and be silly which makes me laugh. :) I know the Lord has big things for your future and I love watching it all unfold before my eyes. 

It took me a while to figure out the theme of your first party and finally came up with "Oh the places she'll go". I thought it would be a fun idea to do this as your first party and then do the same theme at your graduation party one day. The theme also went so well with how your first year went, you are a little traveler and go with the flow. We love taking you new places!

 I made you a Paleo smash cake using coconut flour and the icing was real cream that we whipped. I thought you would enjoy getting to eat cake since you have never had bread or anything but you wouldn't even touch it.

You did not want to touch your cake so I helped you out a bit.

And you obviously did not like it! 

So many of your friends and families came out to celebrate you! 

It was so sweet watching you open gifts!

Mommy and Daddy love you more then you will ever know!

Your party was a huge success, I am so thankful for all the family and friends that love and invest in your life. You are blessed my dear.... LOVE YOU!

Sleepy girl!