On Your Third Birthday...

Sweet girl, there are not words adequate to tell you how much I love you.  I think the last year of your life has been my favorite so far.  We've had our share of struggles, but isn't that your job right now?  Test your boundaries, push until you know how far is too far, stretch and grow into yourself.  You are well on your way, little one!  I've learned so much about who you are over this past year.  You are becoming the little person you were meant to be...oh, how I pray you will love that person as much as I do. 

God made you perfectly for our family, Charlotte.  You add so much life to us!  You love to sing (as loud as you can in the car...and to your own beat) and dance and practice your ballet moves...always telling anyone around, "watch this!"  You love to take care of your babies and play with your princesses.  You will be such a good mommy one day, my love.  Each little baby in your room (and there are MANY) is so special to you.  You gently carry them around or hand them to me and say, "Be careful" and then tell both of us, "I'm going to Bible study!  See you later!" as you strut down the hall, purse on your shoulder.  You are such a girly girl, just like your mama!

I've loved getting to know the person God made you and I can't wait to see more of her!  God loves you, sweet Charlotte, and He made you unique...there is no one else like you on the Earth.  He has a special plan for your life, and my prayer is that you will seek to follow it and make Him proud.  I know you will...

Crystal Beach

I'm not a big fan of the beach.  I don't really know that I ever have been...at least for the adult portion of my life.  It's just always felt really dirty to me.  I'm sure it would be totally different if I went to Hawaii and I didn't really feel this way in Mexico either, actually, but especially when we go to Texas beaches, I just get the heebie jeebies anytime I have to sit in the sand or take a deep breath and step into that murky water.  I can't stand the feeling of seaweed rushing up against me and shells under my feet that very possibly have nasty little sea critters in them.  You just never know what you're walking in, and the clean side of me can't handle that.  But we go because I feel like it's an essential part of growing up for the kids.  Hopefully next summer we can go somewhere with whiter sands, less seaweed and clearer water.

Not to be negative...we totally had fun despite the grossness of it all!  Starting with lunch at Taco Bueno on the way down...

Once we got to Galveston, we got to take the ferry over to Crystal Beach.  We got out of the car because you could see dolphins jumping right by the boat...

Finally we made it and the house was so great!  It's less than a year old and had an awesome outside play area downstairs where we grilled, played games, and listened to music and a beautiful inside (that I got no pictures of)...

When we got there, my sisters, mom, niece and I went to the grocery store while Rich and James ventured to the beach with the other kids...

When we got home, they were digging right outside of our house...

My sisters waiting for James and Rich to grill up some dinner...

After it got dark that night, we all went back out to the beach.  I think the pictures speak for themselves...

They were so excited!

The next morning we headed back out for our first "real" day at the beach...

We brought some kites to fly...

Hunter spent most of his time hanging out in the water or searching for shells.  Charlotte just loved hanging with Vanesa and Aunt Katie (I was so thankful for them because I was pretty nauseated most of the trip).  Vanesa and Char spent some time burying Zack in the sand...

There was SO MUCH SEAWEED there...

James would go waaaay out by himself into the ocean, so I zoomed in and got a picture of him all by his lonesome...

He looks like a little surfer!

I have a picture of Hunter and I when he was about a year younger than Charlotte is here doing this exact same thing, so I was glad that James snapped one of Char and I...

We were so thankful to have a weekend away with the family.  I love vacations!

Baby Love

As seen on Facebook...

Coming Valentine's Day 2013, we will be a party of 5!

The kids are super excited about it.  They both screamed when we told them, and now they are always talking about whether they want a brother or sister (this week it's a brother).  I've been sick as usual, and sweet Hunter came up to me one day and in a really concerned voice said, "You can't throw up mommy!  You will throw up the baby out of your tummy!"  This is the exact reason I use anatomically correct language in all other instances with them.  We had a quick anatomy lesson on the uterus as a follow up to that question.

The out-takes...

I'm still a couple days shy of 8 weeks and ALREADY SHOWING.  I hear that's what happens to your body after already bearing 2 children.  Looking forward to 7 months of maternity clothes...and then some when my stomach is still really flabby after the baby comes.  Yay.