Whidbey Island!

Last weekend, despite my skepticism, we very last minute decided to go camping!! I used to love camping when I was little, and my family would go all the time! Sometimes we would even stay for like 3 to 4 days!!!! For some reason as time has gone by, my excitement to sleep on the ground and eat food you cook on a stick over a fire has somewhat declined. How was I gonna go pee 10 times in the middle of the night? It's scary outside when its dark, and I certainly wasn't gonna go by myself! So when Chris kept suggesting this is how we should spend our weekend, you can understand my hesitation. Finally I realized that if we didn't go, all we would be doing was yard work, I packed us up and agreed! All I can say is I'm so glad I did! Literally its was one of the funnest weekends I've had in a long time! Chris's parents have 50 acres on BEAUTIFUL Whidbey Island, complete with their own small lake, 4 wheeler type things (they call them odysseys), all the fishing stuff you could ever need, trampoline, basically you name it, its up there! Not to mention the beach is 2 minutes away, and there's animals (nice ones) everywhere! Just look at this!!

Ok I have to be honest this isn't just any deer. The care taker of the property/ good family friend Bill, found this little dear when she was a tiny baby, and had no mother! He took care of her, and now even though she's still wild, and is completely free to go wherever she wants, she still comes back to see him! She's very friendly, and will even eat right out of your hand! Charli loved it, and is still talking about "Missy" the dear. We also were lucky enough to see cottontail bunnys, owls, cranes, and bald eagles!

I really didn't take as many pictures as I should have (I never do) but this one shows just a tiny little bit of the property, so you can get somewhat of an idea of how beautiful it is. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in a place that is so amazing, green, and FUN!

The girls out for a little paddle boat ride with their dads! Oh yeah, Jeff and Talise decided to come with us too!

Charli holding her first little fishing pole! Mickey Mouse of course. She actually caught a couple fish on her pole, and Chris helped her wind them in!

I figured I'd put this one in, only because I'm ALWAYS the one taking pictures, so I have virtually no pictures of me with Charli! Please excuse my gross rolled up pants and disgusting outfit. Forgive me, we were camping!

The beach was really fun, especially for Charli who loved collecting things in her bucket! I tried to get her to collect shells, but she preferred to grab rocks and crabs! You wouldn't believe how many crabs there were! Every time you lift up a rock, a whole family of them would go running in all directions. Some were really big, and some were soooooo tiny!

Have you ever seen a little crab that small!

Charli doing her thing

This is a really crappy picture of coast line, of course my camera doesn't do it justice at all, but it really is amazing. Oh and I guess my dogs Lola and Callie are there too.

Sweet girls!

Oh My Charli!

Last night before bed, I found Charli coming out of the bathroom. She was shutting the door, so naturally I tried to go in, to see what she had been doing in there. She pushed me away, and said "No Mommy".

I said, "why can't I go in?"

Charli: "kee-lee go pee-pee"....

Kitty going pee-pee

Golfing

So another week has come and gone, and with Chris home, we really tried to make the most of it. I always hesitate to say when he's gone, because our blog isn't private yet, and I don't like announcing when I'm here alone. But he got back a week ago from a short 10 day trip, and as always its great to have him home!! Yesterday we decided to go golfing with Chris's brother and his wife Bree, and of course Charli, and they're new baby. I always forget my camera nearly everywhere we go, but not this time! I was determined to get some pictures of our fun time, but apparently no one else thought that was a good idea. I was accused of looking like the paparazzi, hiding in the trees trying to get some action shots, but only because no one would pose for me! We really did have fun although, I golfed terrible as usual, even with all my cheating, and everyone else did really good! here's the only one I got of my hot husband.

Here's our driver, don't mind the homeless hair, sometimes doing her hair just isn't worth the fight. She really had fun riding around in the cart. She kept yelling across the green for us to "sit" and would slap the seat next to her:) I guess I took this picture before she found herself a golfing glove, because she put one on (the best she could) and wouldn't take it off to save her life.

This is a random picture from the night before, but I put it in her, mainly for my own records. On Friday night, after already have a long exhausting evening at "pump it up" (basically a giant room, filled with a bunch of giant bounce houses) Chris thought it would be a good idea to go to a movie..... and take Charli..... we never do this EVER, because anyone who has, knows its a giant waste of money, and you just end up walking the halls, and stuffing your child with as much junk as you can to keep them quiet. But for some crazy reason I agreed, figuring Charli was so exhausted she would hopefully just fall asleep. Welp, she surprised us both! She didn't fall asleep, or run up and down the stairs! She literally sat quietly in her seat, and watched the ENTIRE movie!! Not a peep! She must like Will Farrell as much as her Dad! I'm completely convinced that this was a total fluke, and this will not happen again for years to come, but I just needed to remember this one! Oh, and the fact that as soon as we got there, she managed to dump an entire water bottle on herself, and I had no other clothes for her. I didn't even have a jacket. So I took her shirt off, and she got to wear mine:)

Mad Cow!!

So the other day, we we headed out for what was supposed to be a happy fun day at the zoo. The last time we went, Charli was in heaven and talked about all the animals for a week after! Needless to say, I was happy to finally have some nice weather and spend a relaxing day with my daughter in her happy place. Welp I was mistaken. My first mistake was deciding to start our trip in the "farm" area of the zoo. We looked at the sleeping goats, and the pigs that didn't move, and I could tell she was hoping for more action. I saw across the way a cow that was standing right up against the fence, so I thought at least I could get her really close, and maybe she could even pet it. No sooner than I got her (buckled in her stroller) right up against the fence, did this cow lower its head, eye level with her, and let out the loudest, scariest "Moo" I have ever heard! Not only was it as loud as a bullhorn, but the thing showed all its teeth, and continued to moo, as I carried my screaming child who was clinging to me like a monkey as far away as I could get. Great start to our day. So...... I spent the next HOUR and a HALF carrying her around, and pushing my stroller because after that she refused to walk, or ride. Even after she had calm down, and we were well away from the "farm" sometimes you could faintly hear that cow moo in the distance, and we were back at square one all over again. My arm was about to fall off! (I will also remind you that I'm almost 30 weeks pregnant!) On our way home, and still today, she will randomly tell me "cow eat ta-ti!" I guess we'll see if I've given my little girl a life long fear of cows!

(Obviously this isn't the actual cow, but you get the idea)

My saving grace!! The one place at the zoo that I knew would distract her! One ride on the carousel, and she was back talking about Disneyland! Yeah for my arms!! (Check out her sandals, their my favorite)

Just a quick shot of my little one with an animal that she has no problem ordering around, and taking charge of! One of our little dogs Lola.

What a weekend!

This weekend was not only Mothers Day, but Saturday was my birthday and I turned 26! Crazy that I've finally gotten closer to 30 than 20. I don't know how, but we lucked out, and managed to finally get some really nice weather, which was a present in itself. Chris and I had made an agreement that after the small fortune we spent in Disneyland, that we weren't gonna do anything for each others birthdays this year, but I should have known he wouldn't stick to something like that. He surprised me, and took me to one of my favorite restaurants, "Satly's". I love seafood, and this might be one of the best places in all of Seattle to get it! I also love it, because its right on Alki Beach, and you get an amazing view of the whole city, which is absolutely beautiful at night. I didn't take this picture, but this literally was the view from our table. I wish I would have brought my camera, because the food not only tastes amazing, but they do a pretty sweet job with the presentation as well. Thank you Chris for a great birthday!

Mothers Day was also great! I never thought I'd love something so much as being a Mom. I live for every moment I get to spend with Charli, and know that I'm truly blessed to have such a sweet and wonderful daughter. I can't wait for August, to finally meet my first little boy. I hope my children always know how much I love them, and want nothing but happiness for their lives. Thank you Chris and Charli for an amazing weekend!

Ten Reasons Why I Love This Girl!

10. She's so excited for her "bebe buber in tummy"
9. She thinks anything that jumps is a "tigger"
8. When she's upset she will cry for waffles
7. Anyone in a pretty dress is cinderelly
6. strawberry is said "tabalees"
5. She loves slides, and will try to make ANYTHING into one
4. When she wants to watch a show, she will sing the song to me to let me know which one.... deedeedee dora!.....go deigo go!!
3. She always blesses our dogs 2 or 3 times when we help her pray at night
2. I hate unloading the dishwasher.... she LOVES to try and help!
1. She is still the shy, sweet, innocent little angel she always has been

The Happiest Place On Earth!

I've been meaning to do this post for a while now, but haven't had the time, so here it is!! about 2 weeks ago, Chris and I took Charli to Disney Land for the first time, and stayed for a whole 5 days!! Everyone told us we would be ready to go after 2 or 3, but honestly I could have gone another week. It may sound funny, because we've been on some pretty incredible vacations, but this could seriously be the best trip I've ever been on! I was a little worried Charli might still be just a little too young to appreciate all Disneyland had to offer, but I was proven wrong within minutes of entering the park! She couldn't get enough of all the characters, went on seriously almost every ride there (minus a few of course), and went crazy during all the parades! It really was amazing to experience Disneyland through the eyes of a 21 month old little girl! First let me say, that a really nice camera is for sure on my wish list, because not a single one of these has the quality I wish it did. I must have taken 200 pictures or more, but here is just a few from our much needed, amazing week!




The Disneyland "Celebrate! A street party" was AMAZING! Maybe I think so because Charli loved it so much, but we all loved it




These suckers were her favorite. It wasn't pretty when the time would come to put it away




"C" is for Chris and Charli!




I think we rode King Author's Carousel 50 times. She LOVED it.




My camera takes so long to take a picture, she's never smiling by the time it FINALLY takes it! Just take my word for it, she loved all the characters, and is still constantly talking about all of them. Here's her and Pluto or "Newno" as she likes to say.




Happy Girl and Dad at the Street Party Parade!




Its took her a few days before she decided she liked the fireworks, but once she realized she could see Tinkerbell fly over the castle, she changed her mind. Here she is on our last night, barely awake, but watching the big firework show.




Minnie, is one of her favorites! She loved getting to go walk through her little house after meeting her.



And here is Ariel in the flesh! She right now is Charli's absolute favorite. She watches this movie over and over, sings the songs, and was soooooooo excited to see "mermaid". This was actually taken at Ariel's Grotto at California Adventure, and was great! All the princesses come to your table, they teach you how to curtsy, and serve you a 3 course meal that was actually pretty good. Since Charli was under 3, she was free, so of course that's a plus. If anyone has little girls, you can't miss this place!




Lucky Donald got a kiss!




Charli and "Relly"




Tigger!




And Pooh..... Her latest favorite cartoon on playhouse Disney! (which is also a great show at California Adventure worth seeing)



Tinkerbell!



One last ride on the Carousel! We can't wait to go back again with both our kids next time!

Baby news.....

We couldn't be more happy!

Happy Easter

In our house this year, I'm sad to say Easter went by in a whirlwind and was almost overlooked completely. Not only did it sneak up really fast, I was out of town until late Friday night, and we were leaving for DISNEYLAND very very early the next day. (Stay tuned for pictures) However we did manage to color eggs, have a few Easter egg hunts (our own, then one big one with the whole family) and the bunny did make its way to our house to bring Charli a pretty sweet Easter basket. I hardly took any pictures, and the ones I did are not that great, but at least you can kind of see her little dress:)

She really got into the Easter egg hunt this year. When it was all over, she continued to look around for quite a while hoping to find more!

Just ignore her hair in this picture. Sometimes she sports the homeless look, but I did actually make it look really cute before church.

Finally!!! Chris is home!

First of all I've got to get better at this, because soooooo much has happened and once again its been a month since I've posted anything, so time to play catch up again!! The last week of march, Chris finally came home! This was by far the longest he's ever been gone and I was ready to have him back. I was actually a little nervous because at some point when he was gone, I transformed into a full blown pregnant lady! So after his flights kept getting cancelled, due to bad Alaskan weather, and a pesky little volcano that kept erupting, he finally made it home about 3 days late. Let me just say, that he makes it a point to NOT SHAVE the WHOLE TIME he's up there, so my hot husband comes home looking like a werewolf! I wish sooooo bad I would have got a picture, but I make him shave almost immediately so I forgot and you'll just have to take my word for it. Just picture Jesus.

We had a lot to do when he got home, I put him right to work building shelves, hanging curtains, landscaping our backyard etc. I'll have pictures of that coming soon. Somewhere in the chaos of it all I managed to slip away to Utah for one night while he watched Charli, to go my friend Sarah's wedding. I've known her since I was like 4 years old, so I wouldn't have missed it for anything. She looked beautiful, and things went pretty smooth. It was so great to see old friends and catch up a little bit! I wish I could have seen more of you, but hopefully soon we'll plan a really fun trip to somewhere fun!

The happy bride and groom

Hollie, Chantay, and Me. Holls and I are the pregnant lady's of the bunch, and I just have to say that she looked AMAZING!! Great to see you girls!