Engagement Ring

There have been many, many people asking me for a picture of my engagement ring. Sadly it is getting sized, and I do not have it here to snap a picture of it. But, here is the next best thing. A stock picture of the ring. And as usual, a picture never does it justice. It is such a beautiful ring, and I can not wait until Friday to pick it up and start wearing it.

Christmas 2010

What a great Christmas. This really was one of the best ones yet. Steve really got into it, and it was fun to see Charlotte get excited over all the new toys Santa left for her.

Steve and I joked that he got me a McDonald's gift card for Christmas. As you know, I can not stand McDonald's. That place is terrible. So, Steve of course wrapped my present in a layer of McDonald's bags, and taped to my gift. A $5.00 McDonald's gift card. I guess it will buy me 5 Diet Cokes.

Charlotte woke about 830 on Christmas morning. We all came downstairs and did gifts, relaxed some then headed over to Grandpa and Grandmas house. We had breakfast and then opened gifts.

About half way through opening gifts, Steve came out with another gift. Something I did not expect.



We are engaged!

I was so surprised, and from what I am told, I said " are you serious" about half a dozen times.

It was a great way to end 2010 and fantastic way to start 2011.

Christmas Eve 2010

This year was very low key, and I have to say that it was one of the best one yet. It is so much fun to have a little one around. Charlotte was a riot. Chasing the animals, playing ball, and plain just being all over the place. It was a great night of dinner, games and just talking. The night just flew by and it was great haning out with the family.

Fort Nash

Goin to Hollywood

Connection that is. We decided to head over to Hollywood Connection for a little family outing. It was such a great time. Charlotte was so overwhelmed. Unsure as to where to run to first. Her favorite ride of the night had to be the roller coaster. I was really surprised because it was pretty fast. She and Steve must have gone on it 4 times. Then she ride the balloons, and the carousal. Then we headed over to the video games, and played some skeeball, and air hockey.
We had a great time, and I am sure we will be back. Plus, only paying $9.00 was a bonus.

Yippee

What a great surprise.


Steve and Charlotte sent me a lovely Christmas floral arrangement.

Family Party

Over the weekend we attended the annual Morris Family Christmas party. I was a little hesitant since Charlotte is at an age where sitting still longer than 2 seconds is near impossible. She was awesome, and the party was great. There were a lot of kids for char to play with, and lots of room for her and Steve to run around, since he hats crowds.







Then Santa arrived, and Charlotte was nervous and excited all in one. She and I walked over to Santa and sat on the floor waiting for our turn. Once it was she was a little un-sure and was not sure she wanted to let go of me. But, Santa talked to her and asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she finally sat on his lap for a minute. She could care less about who Santa is, she just wanted the gift bag he was handing out. Once she got that bag in her little hands she was done.





Isn't Steve a great photographer? Geez

Christmas Message

Chrsitmas Gift Tags

I do not remember where I saw this, but I thought it was a great idea. I usually do not use gift tags, I just write the persons name on the present, but I thought this idea was too cute to pass up.

I took some winter pictures of Charlotte and made cute little Christmas Gift Tags. Using Photoscape, and Picnik I was able to add text and spaces for writing. Then I just printed them on photo paper.

Who would not want to see this cute face on their Christmas package?

Christmas Portraits

Choo Choo

Charlotte - 21 Months

This month Charlotte has really started to develop a vocabulary. She says Millie "wee wee", Ball "baaallll", Grandma "grnmama". Just the other days she put her finger to her mouth and she told me to shush, and she hissed at the cat. Also, she is now giving sweet loving kisses and I love it.

Bye Bye Mullet ! Her hair is finally starting to grow in on the front and sides, so she is starting to look less like Charlotte Ray Cyrus. Also, it is becoming very curly.

She is doing splended with the sippy cups, and I believe the bottles are forgotten. However, she is still throwing tantrums when she has to get into her car seat. This is everyday...every time.

She is eating really well. I consider myself pretty lucky that she really enjoys eating fruits and vegetables. She still gets a daily nap which last about 2 hrs. Thank goodness. There are some days when I really needs those 2 hours.

It seems that overnight she has sprouted. She is getting taller and taller everyday. Wearing 2T pants and tops.

It looks like we are going to be able to eat at restaurants again. Charlotte and I go to lunch with my mom every Wednesday, and we have been using a booster for Charlotte instead of a high chair. This has been very successful and I could not be happier about it. Now, if I did not have to scarf my food so that I can eat before she gets bored and wants to leave.

Monkey

Oh no she didn't!

Charlotte just jumped ship and got out of her crib on her own. I was sitting in the TV room when I heard a thud. questioned it for a minute and then I heard it again. So, I jumped up to see what it was and there was Ms.LaRue standing at the top of the stairs all happy and proud of what had just occurred.

I am not ready for this transition. I just got her on a good bedtime routine after breaking her of the bottle, now if I put her in a toddler bed she can get in and out with great ease. Do I chance it? Chance her falling while climbing out, or bite the bullet and switch her over?

Time to bite the bullet

Playtime

This morning we spent 2 hours out playing in the snow. I see many many more mornings like this one in our future.

Nash family Christmas tree

Thanksgiving 2010

Food
Family
Fun.

It was a great afternoon.

I wanted to get a family picture taken and here is what I got.

The blizzard of Twenty-Ten

Aahhhhh. It's a blizzard !!

Well, it really was not anything more than a typical Utah snow storm. However, we had fun hunkering down the hatch for the night and watching the snow fall.

This is how Steve and Charlotte spent much on the night.

Charlottes' first snow.

With a foot of snow right outside our front door, how could we resist. It was time to get suited up and let Charlotte experience her first snow. Last winter she a little to young to get out and play in it.

Once I got her in all her snow gear I realized something. For months I have been searching high and low for winter boots, and I never got her any gloves. So we headed out the door, glove less, hand in hand to experience her first snow. She was a little unsure about all this white stuff all over the ground, but after a few minutes she started getting a little more comfortable, and started playing with it. She seemed to really enjoy the little time we spent out in the snow with me, dad, and bonnie.

It's so hard to say goodbye

It is official. Charlotte is off of the bottle, and just like people told me. It did get easier. I think that she realized that her bottles were gone, and I was not going to give in. for the last 4 afternoon, a 4 nights she has taken her naps, and gone to bed without a tear, and without crying. I turn on her music and she just lies down.

Now, riding in the car is another story . She bucks in her car seat when I put her in and she cries. After sometimes she stops and will take her crackers. This too will pass with time I am sure.

This whole thing has been so sad for me. Charlotte having to start giving things up means that she is growing up, and her growing up means that she is not a baby anymore. She is becoming this energetic little girl.

Now that this transition is over and done with, we will soon be onto the next. Potty-training.

Tires and Bolts

Steve has been telling me for months that when winter comes, I am getting new tires on my car. Of course I said, "no, the tires are just fine". Well, today Steve got his way.

Thanks to this.

Some how this 4 inch bolt went right threw the side wall of my tire. This of course made it un-repairable. Now my thought was "I will just get one tire, since that is all I need". Oh no, Steve-o got his way and I am now the owner of 4 brand new tires.

What a lucky gal I am.

Fall Leaves

Highchair, NOT required

The other morning Charlotte insisted on sitting at the kitchen counter for breakfast. She is so big. Where did my baby go?

Purple sweatsuit

Ed, this one is for you. I really tried to get her to smile, but this was the best I could get of her. This purple sweatsuit reminds myself, and Steve of your favorite sweats.

You know something is wrong when you have a toddler at home, it is silent, and it is not nap time.

Nightly Ritual

This is starting to become a nightly thing around her. Charlotte like to sit on the counter and play with her sippy cups. Mixing and matching. However, it seems this is the only time I can get her to even look at her sippy cups with her throwing a tantrum. Oh well.

(What is with that smile?)

DC

No cup is too big. Especially when it contains

Diet Coke.

PJ's Day

When it is too cold and wet to go outside and play what do you do?
Stay in our PJ's, eat cheez-its, and watch movies.

Struggle

I don't know who is having a harder time with this. Me, or Charlotte. On Monday I started weening her from the bottle. It the beginning it was not that bad since she still got her bottle at nap time, and at bedtime. Well, now she does not get it at all and we are really struggling. She is crying a lot more, and so am I. She is getting frustrated more, and so am I. She cries every time we get in the car, every time she naps, every time it is bed time, every time she wants her bottle for comfort. I am slowly loosing it from the constant crying and the tantrums. I did expect there to be some of all the above but not this much.

Maybe it is all my fault. Should I have weened it from her sooner? Have I been to harsh in my removal of the bottle? She has gone 2 long/hard days without it now and everyday I think about giving it back. Just to make things easier. I am really struggeling and I have no idea what to do, and honestly I am not sure how much longer I can do this.

Thank goodness she never had a Binky. I can not image having to do this with a Binky and then a bottle.

Charlotte - 20 Months

Charlotte continues to be a ball of energy. From the time she wakes until the time she goes at night. She is a whirlwind. She has really been testing my patience lately. Pushing and pushing to see what she can get away with. I will admit, sometimes it just is not worth the fight and I let her do some things that I probably should not. However, I have been starting to put my foot down more and she is not liking it. Breaking in to tears and sobbing every time I tell her "no".
She continues to learn something new everyday and enjoys showing everyone what she has learned. And, although she is not speaking much other than gibberish, she understands. You can tell her to get her sippy, of her shoes, or to put something away and she will do it (most times).

At 20 months Charlotte loves

* Watching Shrek. Anything with Shrek. It is her favorite.

*Dancing to any kind of music. Especially the Ice Cream Man.

*Snuggling with her favorite mom

*Pushing her shopping cart around the house and bumping into Millie over and over.

*Anything that involves being outside. I think she would live out there if I would let her.

*Her bottle. ( I am working on getting her off completely. This is harder than I thought).

*Chasing Grandma Jeanie's cats around her house. Poor Toto and Sonic.

*Running around any store we are in.

*Reading her story books.

*Diet Coke (Thanks mom).

We sure do love our Ms. LaRue.

She's crafty

...or at least I was trying to be. Charlotte needed new hair bows and I was not about to pay the insane price for them at the store. I bought some spools of ribbon and some hair clips. And, thanks to YouTube I learned how to create a boutique style bows for the little lady's hair.

"trick-or-treat"

Tonight we did our first Trick-or-treating. Although we did not go to too many houses, we still had fun. I did feel a little strange ringing doorbells and saying "trick-or-treat". I mean, it has been at least 20 yrs since I had done it last. Charlotte was out of control. She was running all over the place, unsure as of what to do. She was just happy to be out in the rain.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

Boo at the Zoo 2010

I think this may be our new Halloween tradition. We had so much fun, and Charlotte was a dream. It was very crowded, and kids were running everywhere. But, non the less it was a great time

Dress rehearsal

Here is Charlotte trying on Steve's Halloween costume.

SCARY!!!