A Feeding Frenzy

We started feeding Charlotte real baby food a few weeks ago. I really felt like she was ready well before we actually started, but I guess I just wanted to put if off as long as possible. At her 4 month checkup, Dr. D gave me the green light and really encouraged it since her refux is so bad. She seemed to think it might help her not spit up so much. I agree.

She's been sitting in her highchair at mealtime since she was about 3 months old. The girl who never fusses would cry and fuss at mealtimes if she wasn't included at the table. And, who can blame her? After all, mealtimes are quite entertaining at our house. It one of my favorite parts of the day, listening to the kids talk about their "favorite part" and laugh at each other and try and guess Charlotte's favorite part. Matt and I just finally decided that a highchair would be easier than us switching back and forth holding her.

And, eventually, she even got some real food of her own. She was happy about the prospect...at first.

And, Daddy made it look like so much fun!

But, she wasn't too impressed with the taste. I gave her rice cereal the first time and she did not like it at all which is funny to me since it was basically the same thing she's been drinking in her bottle for the past few months. Ha!

I just love watching the funny faces she makes when she eats! The best part is that besides the rice cereal (which after a couple of bits she refused to open her mouth for) she hasn't seemed to really dislike any other food. She seems to like squash, sweet taters, bananas, and carrots the best, but she'll eat anything.....no surprise there, have you seen her adorable chubba wubba thighs??? Wish that looked as cute on me as her! :)

The Drive-In

Friday night was a first for our family. We went to a drive in movie. A real drive-in! And it looked probably like it looked 30+ years ago. :)

We took the kids, met up with some great friends from church, and had a BLAST! I can say for sure that it will not be the last time our family does this. It's perfect for small kids because they don't have to be super-quiet and super-still. They can get down & walk around. And, it's cheap -- $12 a car to be exact, and you get to bring in your own snacks! :)

We went to see Toy Story 3. A couple of weeks ago, the kids saw Toy Story 1 for the first time & looooved it! Harrison is a wee bit obsessed with Buzz, Woody & friends. We've had to limit the number of times he can watch it in a DAY. Yes, a day. He & Madeleine act out scenes from the movie and Harrison happily traded in his paci (yep, I'm the bad mom that let her 3 year old have a paci!) for a Buzz Lightyear. He's never looked back.

So, to say that we've been looking forward to this night might just be a bit of an understatement.

The one condition to seeing this movie was that the kids must, must, MUST take a nap. Harrison actually asked to take his although it was a little more of a fight with Madeleine. A few hours and some good sleep later, we headed out to meet our friends for a night of fun!

Do you think these kids were happy???

Some of our friends, Matt & AJ, had borrowed her brothers truck & brought a blow up mattress to put in the back for the kids -- such a fun idea! They thought it was so cool!

By the time the movie started, our kiddos wanted to be back in our car, which was fine with me! I loved the chance to snuggle up with my sweeties and watch a movie. They both like it; Madeleine like it more than Harrison. He doesn't usually love a movie the first time. I think he likes knowing what's coming & what to expect. Now that he's seen it & knows what happens, he's been asking a lot to go back.

And, little Charlotte slept happily in her carseat through most of her first movie. :)

Miss C at 5 Months!

This has been another wonderful month with our sweet Charlotte. I'm a week late in posting these pictures that I took last Sunday. She's growing & changing so much each day! This month we had to really distract her so she's leave her 5 month sign alone!

Charlotte has really found her voice this month, and it's LOUD! She not only laughs and squeals, but has added bababa and blablabla to her repetoire. :) I like to think the "baba" is really her way of saying "mama." Ha! I've spent hours saying "mama" to her!

We started some solid foods this month as well. She took right to them! It was like she was waiting for me to finally give her some food.

She still loves her tummy playtime & turns herself right over on her belly as soon as I lay her down. We have to really watch where we're putting her & what's around her now. She prefers to sleep on her belly with her bootie in the air -- I just love that!

I can't believe in one month we'll be celebrating her 1/2 birthday! It's just going too fast!

Wedding Weekend -- The Big Day

Finally the big day arrived! As much as I've been looking forward to this day, I can only imagine how much Sharon has dreamed about it! We started off the morning by heading out to get our hair all beautiful. But first, a stop at Old Mill for some breakfast. Sharon had her fav cinnamon scone to start the day off right. :) She goes in there so much that they know her & were excited to hear that she was getting married that day! They couldn't believe that she was so calm....and she was!

Then we headed to Swank to have our hair done! The hairstylist was amazing. Sharon knew just what she wanted & when she was done it looked so chic....just like her. I have to say how much I enjoyed that morning with her. We had such fun & it was nice to have some sister-time that day.

Here we are after, makeup-less and all. :)

Then we headed back to the house to meet the other bridesmaids and get dressed and head off to the church. The church looked incredible! I wish I'd taken more pictures. It was the perfect setting for a wedding....complete with a church mouse & all!
Picture time! Check out David & Whitney's blog for a sneak peak of pictures. And if you're in the NWA area -- they're just a short drive away! :)

See?! The flowers were amazing! Stewart's mother is part of a group that does flowers for weddings sometimes & they outdid themselves. They were spectacular!!

I have no ceremony pics, so the rest are after the wedding & during the reception. One thing I loved about this church was that it was a typical old church with a center aisle and windows along the sides. We got ready in a room in the back of the church & had to walk around to the front to enter -- via outside. As we walked, I could see people looking out the windows to catch a glimpse of Sharon. How cool is that??!! It was almost movie-ish.

Check out the wreaths on the doors. After the bridesmaids walked down the aisle, the doors closed. The music began. And, at the perfect moment -- the doors flew open and there she stood. It was magical. The look on Stewart's face was priceless. I saw his hand cover his mouth in awe & his eyes never left her. I have never seen Sharon look so happy either. I'll never forget the look on her face or the determination in her voice as she said her vows.

On a side note, there were a couple of things I especially loved about the day...

That morning, as a joke, my dad put on a tie that Sharon had made him when she was about 12 for Father's Day. It had places on it to draw pictures & even then she was quite the artist and put a lot of time into it. Although he had a tie to wear that day that coordinated -- She insisted that he keep that one on. She said it was perfect. And it was.

Sharon & Stewart had opted not to write their own vows & instead told dad to choose some that he thought best. He said in the ceremony that he had decided to yield to words better than his & pulled out some vows that my grandfather, our PopPop, had written when he was alive. PopPop was special to Sharon & she adored him (think of the way that Harrison adores my dad!). I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the church after that! I know that I was mopping up my tears.

I also loved how they had Stewart Soda outside the church for guests to sip on since it was incredible hot!! Such a neat touch -- and a yummy one!

I have to give an honorable mention to the music, which was so fitting for the day, and the church mouse that I hope was more scared of us than we of him (if that's possible).

On the way to the reception-- Madeleine & Harrison both went to sleep! They were exhausted from the day already!

Groom's table. I loved the centerpiece. And, instead of cake, they had pie -- pecan, chocolate & key lime. They were yummy -- especially the key lime. I could have eaten so much more of it!

Here's the kitchen crew that kept things running smoothly. These are true friends of my moms. I can hope that some day, I'll have friends as good as this that will help us out.

Rhea and Charlotte.

Rian and Charlotte. Rian is so special to Sharon.

And, poor Harrison slept through it all. His goal all day had been CAKE & he missed it! Good thing he got him a cupcake later at home. :)

Aunt Kathy & Charlotte. Sweet Charlotte is quite the charmer.

Instead of throwing her bouquet, Sharon gave it to Madeleine, who was so so so proud of it!

I think it was the perfect day for them. They both looked so happy....they just shined with love for each other. Seeing them that day was like seeing all the good & happiness in the world wrapped up in two people. I pray that it will always be like that for them.

Congrats you guys! We love you both & welcome to the family Uncle Stewart! :)

Wedding Weekend -- The Day Before the Big Day

Friday was a busy busy day for us! Along with the excitement that comes the day before the big da,y there were lots of fun activities to keep us busy as well. Our morning was spent getting pampered and pretty for the bridesmaids brunch. Since Matt was playing in a golf tournament, Harrison got to spend the morning with Grammy and Pops having fun while the girls enjoyed the brunch. It was wonderful! Not only because Charlotte did this from the time we got in the car to leave, until the moment we arrived back home....

but also because we got to enjoy some yummy food and lots of good conversation. The brunch was held at Kathy Steven's house and I know that made it extra special for Sharon. This family is as much a part of our family as if we were truly blood-relatives. They've shared so many special moments and holidays with us & it was so wonderful that they could be a part of Sharon's day. So many of our childhood memories revolve around playing with Andrea and Juliana and spending holidays and vacation time with them. Of course, Kathy had prepared an absolutely fabulous meal! We feasted on quiche, scones, grilled asparagus, and fresh fruit. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now.

We had time when we first arrived to take some pictures. Here are my favorites.

Madeleine and Sugar. Madeleine thought she was so so so big getting to have brunch with the girls. And she acted so grown up! I was so proud of her. She sat and ate her lunch, then went and got her books and read while we talked. Perfect girl. :)

Madeleine and Mammy.
Us. I actually have pictures with me in them. Ha! And, I'm even wearing makeup and have my hair done. What a treat!
The group.....Stephanie (Sharon's MIL), Elizabeth, Ashley, Sharon, Me, Angie (bridesmaids), Mammy (my grandmother) and my Mom.

The table. The flowers in the center were gorgeous! They were so similar to what Sharon had chosen for the wedding.

Sharon with our yummy dessert. It was ice cream layered with caramel and a pecan-oatmeal crumble. More mouth watering going on. :)

After lunch we divided up and the other bridesmaids went to do a bit of shopping while Madeleine, Charlotte and I went to run errands and pick up cupcakes for her lingeie shower later that night. We met up at Sharon's house that afternoon since Madeleine was dying to see Sophie. Here they all are.

The it was home to change and off to the rehersal! Here's the sappy couple.

Practice, practice, practice!

They got married at a little church that's been restored, but is 100 years old. It's an adorable white clapboard church -- steeple and all -- set on a beautiful green lot surrounded by nature. It fit them.

Then we headed back into town to have dinner at Vesuvio's. It was fantastic. The food just kept coming and coming. I actually ate so much that I really was sick later! My mom had gotten sitters for the kids, so we grown-ups could enjoy dinner to the fullest. Yeah! We were able to sit and talk and enjoy a very leisurely meal. And, at the end of the dinner, Sharon had prepared a mini-movie for everyone to watch. It made me cry the first time I saw it. I remembered almost every picture in there, and the old ones brought back such sweet memories for me.

This is my mom and Kathy Pence. Kathy helped SO MUCH this weekend and I'm not sure what we would have done without her....probably gone insane. :)

Charlotte did get to come to dinner with us. She slept through some of the meal and spent the rest of it charming everyone.

Sharon with her friends that traveled from Dallas for the big event.

Our Texas family -- Dana, and Whitney & David (the fabulous wedding photographers!)

Aunt Kathy & Uncle Ron

Us, again. Look -- we coordinated. :)

After dinner, the bridesmaids & her friends headed back to Sharon's house to have a little lingerie shower for her. She got to be the princess for the night.

Coffee and Cupcakes -- her favorite!

Sugar and Sophie.

It was a fun party! We had some yummy food and some great conversation. She got some exciting things as well. ;) Then she packed and we all headed to bed for some beauty sleep to get ready for the big day.