Scrapped Desktop

I came across a digital scrapbooking site & blog that I really enjoy. It is called Shabby Princess. They have super cute ideas but most of all, I love their free downloads! Here is my September Desktop.....great to send to Grandma's and anyone else that can't get enough of your little one.

and last months too...

Get your free desktop to jazz up that computer screen : ) It is fairly simple to add your picture in Photoshop. Check the tutorial section on the blog if you need any assistance.

Meet our neice!

Meet our beautiful niece

Karis Ann Valentine

August 20th, 2010

6 pounds 1 ounce & 18 inches

Here she is with her mommy & daddy, Jenny & Steve

Aunt Lala, Jenny & Karis in the recovery room

How sweet is this little face?

I had the privilege of being one of their nurses while they were in Labor & Delivery. It was INCREDIBLE! Honestly it was right up there with welcoming your own child into the world : ) I did great snapping pictures & not crying until I peeked around the surgical drape & saw Jenny smiling with tears rolling down her cheeks. I said "Jenny, she is so beautiful" & that was it! The tears started coming. Over all, everything went great with her c-section & recovery. They are now home and getting used to life as a family of 3.

I am grateful to the Lord for blessing me with such a special relationship with Jenny. I am also so very thankful that Jenny & Steve let me be a part of welcoming Karis into the world. It was sweeter than I could have imagined & I will always remember that joy filled moment of laying eyes on my neice for the first time.

So far, I love being an Auntie! I have gotten to hold her a lot & I changed a diaper last night. Let me say that this girl has the teeniest little tushie I have ever seen! She came home weighing 5lb 10oz so you can imagine how petite every bit of her is.

One question I have heard from many is "What does Charlotte think of her?"I tried to post a video of her but it wouldn't work. I will try again later. I think she didn't notice her for most of last night until Karis moved her hand then Charlotte stopped and stared at her. She sat in my lap & held her for a minute. She gave her a hug & lots of pats (she learned that from "Pat the Bunny"). She also grapped her head & pinched her nose. We have been practicing being gentle alot with her baby dolls Libby & London. Let's just say we need to keep an eye on Karis at ALL times or she may be going for a wild ride in the swing : )

We are excited to have the girls only a year apart & hope that they share a wonderful friendship. When Jenny goes back to work this fall, Kare-Bear is going to spend one day a week at Aunt Lala's house (that's me). It will be a blast to attempt the 2 child thing before actually doing it ourselves : )

I love this girl already and look forward to seeing her grow!

Big Girl Seat

It is official! Charlotte is not a little bitty baby anymore : ) We moved her to her new car seat last week! She is undecided if she likes it or not. Sometimes she is smiling & other times she lets out a frustrated scream followed by an unhappy look on her face. I am sure she will get used to it. As you may notice, we agreed upon Texas Tech theme transportation for the Valentine Family : ) Red & black truck, red & black seat....Fight Raiders Fight!

Date Night

Since Charlotte arrived, we have discovered our favorite date night in. Cheese & Wine night! We do this fairly often & have come to love our quiet time chatting on the couch or catching up on our favorite shows.

A few days ago, we decided to go all out & head to Whole Foods to prepare for our date. We picked up a great bottle of wine......

3 cheeses- Gouda, Blue & Goat, water crackers, almonds & walnuts

and a little (or big) dessert

If you haven't had a date night like this before, you should try it! My only advice...skip dinner : )

Playtime with Dylan

Today we got to spend some time with my friend Nadine & her handsome little guy Dylan. Nadine works with me & we were just 2 weeks apart in our pregnancies. Charlotte & Dylan have gotten to play together a few times but this was definitely the most fun so far! They were adorable interacting with each other & did a great job sharing : )

Here they are in Charlotte's School Bus

and in the pool.....I love these smiles!

Charlotte cannot hide how great of a time she is having!

and sharing some books in the comfy chair

We love you Nadine & Dylan! Thanks for coming over to play : )

Comparison

When I was pregnant with Charlotte, my mom bought her the same adorable outfit in newborn size & 12 months. I had to recreate the picture & show how much she has grown : ) I love her oh so serious face at 3 weeks. Exactly one year later, she is ALL smiles!

Celebrating a special day

Today, my Grandma Shirley turns 80 years old. What a cause for celebration! I really love this woman. She along with my Paw Paw raised 4 daughters & saw their family grow to include 7 grandchildren. Over the past 5 years, 4 spouses have been added to the family & one great granddaughter, Charlotte Grace. This woman loves her family! She is hard working & always has some project going....I think my mother & I inherited this lovley trait from her : ) She is kind & thoughtful, wise & wonderful! Most importantly,she loves the Lord & she loves others.

Here are some pictures of her through the years......

It has been such a sweet experience to watch her embrace her new role as Great Gran to Charlotte. She has written her many letters that are filled with the history of our family & reminding her of how much she is loved. I look forward to sharing them with Charlotte as she grows up. She has offered much helpful advice so far in my journey of motherhood that I am thankful for. She is always helping me recognize how special the simple things are that Charlotte does.

I loved the moment that these two met. Great Gran flew out to Orlando when Charlotte was 6 weeks old & immediately bonded with her. Great Gran always seems to be talking with Charlotte, sharing some sort of secret with her : )

Here is a picture from their first weekend together

Great Gran & Charlotte this summer

Happy Birthday Grandma Shirley, Great Gran, La-Grand-ma-ma! We love you dearly & wish you the best of birthdays!

Hanging out with Uncle Kyle

I must admit, I am a little sad right now. We had to send my brother Kyle back to Texas today after the most fun 6 days of catching up. We spent time at the zoo, at the movies, running errands, shopping & playing multiple games of Settlers of Catan (new obsession at this house).

When we weren't out & about, we were relaxing at home playing with little Miss Charlotte. Charlotte loves her Uncle Kyle. After carrying his card all over the place for the days prior to his arrival, she took about 5 minutes to warm up to him then they were best buddies : ) Kyle is a wonderful uncle! I loved seeing him interact with Charlotte. He was amused with how she ate more than him at breakfast everyday....she is a hungry little girl! I lost count of how many times he read "Pat the Bunny" to Charlotte. She really REALLY likes that book right now! Kyle & Charlotte played with all kinds of toys. He even put together her new school bus that was delivered yesterday...pictures to come.

Here they are having fun, look at her smile!

Charlotte is wearing her Texas Tech onesie that Kyle bought her : )

Here they are reading, unfortuntely I caught a different book

instead of "Pat the Bunny"

On top of catching up, Kyle was SO very helpful with cooking, cleaning, diaper changing, dog walking & pretty much anything you can imagine. We absolutely loved having you here Kyle & hope you come back soon, we miss you already!