Doing the Puyallup

While Mama was visiting friends in Austin, TX, Charlotte, Daddy, and BFF Carrie Ella went to the state fair. Rides, cotton candy, ball pits, sheep petting- everything a fair-going toddler could ask for!

Big Girl Bed

Now that we have moved into a new house and started preschool, it's time for the next big transition- big girl bed! Charlotte's crib converts to a toddler bed, which made things go a little more smoothly. We went pillow shopping at Macy's, and had a fairy pillowcase from Bubba Linda and a fairy blanket from Shelly! Charlotte took to the arrangement immediately and was very excited to get in and out all by herself. Luckily for us, the idea of getting out of her bed once she is tucked in at night has somehow not occured to her yet :)

Our Little Library

Matt's firm took part in a competition to design a neighborhood lending library and it turned out really cool. Charlotte was of course on hand to help with construction. We can hardly wait for the shelves to fill up.

Haircut and Girls Night

After our weekend roughing it in our yurt, Charlotte and mama had a girls night out. After a haircut at the kiddie salon, we had sushi and some ice cream. Back to civilization!

Glamping

Charlotte had her first camping trip over Labor Day. We stayed in a yurt at Kanasket Palmer State Park on the Green River. Her favorite part was definitely the marshmallow roasting!

Let's Talk About Birds

Charlotte has been very interested in birds from a young age. Looking out the window at birds was our go to soothing technique for a long time. Now she is excited to learn the names of different species, so we got a bird feeder and a bird identification book. Charlotte insisted we paint the roof pink! We hope it will draw some interesting visitors.

Queen Charlotte

All of mama's jewelry. Very regal.

Zoo Tunes

Charlotte attended her first big outdoor concert at the Zoo. She and Carrie Ella rode the carousel, visited the penguins, and had a ton of fun dancing to Taj Mahal.

Summer Fun 2014

It's hot in Seattle. We started the day with swim class, made popsicles, and had sushi dinner followed by ice cream. With a visit to the toy store to complete our herd of my little ponies! 

First Day of School

We had a bit of a rough start to our first day at preschool. Charlotte woke up early and in a very delicate mood. But we strapped on our backpack and headed out eventually. Once we arrived,  Charlotte got engaged in a puzzle with Teacher Jeannie and we said our goodbyes. Then Mama cried hysterically in the car all the way to work :) But all for naught- Charlotte had a great 1st day.

End of an Era

Today was the last day of our nanny share with the Maloney Family and our amazing nanny Michelle. All of them have been such a gift in our lives in so many ways, it's impossible to imagine not seeing them everyday. But given the friendships we've developed, I know we'll stay connected for many years to come.

Anniversary extravaganza in Seattle

The whole family came to Seattle to celebrate my parents' 40th, Ronnie & Elliot's 30th, and Elliot's 70th birthday, and of course to meet the twins. Charlotte loved spending time with the family!

Little Monkey

Charlotte has recently reached new heights in her climbing abilities. She'll pretty much climb anything at this point- trees, jungle gyms, etc. It's a little nerve wracking but exciting to see her feel so confident. 1st pic below is from her gym class where I theorize she obtained some of her skills. 2nd is on the climber near our house where she has been practicing regularly.

Fathers' Day 2014

We had a 4-Dad Father's Day brunch at our house this year with the visit of Seth, Stacie and baby Sophie. It was Seth's and Eric's first Father's Day, Matt's 3rd and Poppie's 38th :)

New House!

Over Memorial Day Weekend 2014 we moved into our new house! Charlotte stayed with Nanni and Poppi overnight while we unpacked and got her new room all set up. Here she is playing at the playground right next door to us. 

Spring 2014

We just sold our house and are getting ready to move 5 miles north to the Wedgwood neighborhood. Here's Charlotte enjoying a sunny afternoon in the sandbox with her monster truck at our neighborhood park. So long, Madison Valley!

Mother's Day 2014

It was the twins' first Mother's Day, so Liz and I staged a photo shoot to capture a grandbaby photo for Nanny's gift. Nathaniel insisted on his paci and Charlotte wouldn't smile for the camera, but Eleanor was very cooperative.

LA Visit May 2014

We paid a visit to LA for a long weekend to spend some time with the family. Charlotte and her cousin Sarah had so much fun together, first at the children's museum, then at the pool, and finally at Abigail's first birthday party. Cousin love!

Easter 2014

Charlotte was pretty excited for Easter, with visions of jelly beans and bunnies and candy dancing in her head. We hosted a toddler egg hunt with a few friends, and she took right to the task of egg gathering, not to mention helping everyone with their candy consumption.

New cousins

Charlotte met her new cousins, Nathaniel Louis and Eleanor Adele this past weekend. She gave them a gift of her own baby clothes, and then made sure they both had an appropriate shmoo aka lovie. She was not into touching them quite yet, but a very exciting day nonetheless.

Visiting Daddy's Office

Charlotte came to visit Daddy at work this week. Not sure what she was expecting an office to be, but as far as offices go, it was pretty exciting. Chairs that spin, lots of tile samples to play with, desks made for drawing. 

Cookies

We had a ton of fun frosting and decorating (and of course eating) some holiday cookies!

Thanksgiving in LA

We had a sunny Thanksgiving in Playa del Rey. Bubba Linda outdid herself on tday dinner. Charlotte loved the beach and made a new friend- Sweetie the dog :) And here are some cute family photos from cousin Abigail's baby naming.

2nd Birthday

We can't believe Charlotte is already 2! Shelly and Carrie Ella threw her a party in the morning, and then we celebrated that night with her favorite meal- sushi- followed by the biggest Japanese ice cream sundae ever. And then a birthday party the following weekend with the fam- jungle theme!

Halloween fun

Halloween is a very important holiday at our house, and we really did it up this year. Charlotte was a flamingo, mama was a peacock, and daddy was a zookeeper.