Big Girl Bed - Part 1 - the bed

I am so excited about this project I can hardly keep from screaming! After much debate, we decided to go ahead with getting Charlotte into a big girl bed before the arrival of Eloise.

A little background.......I became hooked on this website & am constantly finding projects for my handy husband to complete. About the handy husband, he LOVES his time in the garage & does an incredible job when I just leave him alone ; ) Really though, after he drew up his own plans and built the cradle, he keeps surprising me with his growing expertise. I did mention on his Birthday Post that one thing I love about him is his passion for whatever he is doing. He is definitely passionate when immersed in a woodworking project!

Out of the growing amount of projects, Char's new bed was first on the list! I am always drawn to the style of Pottery Barn Furniture but am not too fond of the price tag! We have been talking about building bedroom furniture for us on & off for for the past 5 years or so & finally came across a plan we loved. This happens to be the same bed but miniaturized ; ) Built to look like the Farmhouse Bed, the style is super cute. Here we go......I wish I would have taken some pictures of it as it was getting put together but honestly, he built it super fast so the pictures start here!

Sanding away!

The handy husband himself with the almost completed bed for his girlie pie

All moved in & set up

This pretty much expresses how Charlotte feels about her new bed & her awesome dad......

As far as sleeping in the new bed goes, we actually haven't tried it yet. Our goal is to start next week sometime. Charlotte loves to sleep so we are hoping that she continues to be this way when not confined : ) For now, her favorite thing to do is pile up as many books as possible on her bed then position herself perfectly between the owls so all three can see while looking at her books.

We can't believe that a new baby girl will be needing a place to sleep in our home in a short two months! Time is flying & thankfully I have finally gotten in the mood & knocked out a few crafts/sewing projects & will post about them sometime in the near future.

Thanks Rob for working so hard to make it look the way I was imagining. You did an incredible job & I will never get over how cute it is. I hope we have plenty of little ones that will use it at some point : ) For now, if you have any tips on transitioning from a crib to bed, please send them our way!

Birthday Week for the BIG 3-0!

Oh Birthdays! I really love birthdays. Especially when it is my husbands' birthday :0) It happened this week, Robby turned 30! He is Mr. laid back & had no problem with the change to the next decade of his life. He is definitely a man to be celebrated for many reasons & that is exactly was we did ALL WEEK LONG!

I want to take a moment and list some things that I LOVE & value about my husband:

• He loves the Lord


• He loves his family & cares deeply for others


• He is passionate about whatever he is doing


• He is honest & trustworthy


• He is thoughtful


• He is kind & generous


• He knows providing for his family is way beyond a financial committment. He is with us, loving us & leading us to Christ


• He is smart & loves to learn


• He is a faithful husband


• He is a loving father to Charlotte


• He smiles huge when we talk about having 2 daughters : )


• He is a handy man & loves being outdoors


• He makes me laugh harder than anyone has ever made me laugh...and does this day in & day out.

I love him & anyone that knows me knows this is true. So, when I first starting thinking about how to make him feel special I quickly realized it couldn't happen all in one day so a birthDAY changed to a WEEKEND then to a birthday WEEK.

I am an awful poet but have fun writing poems so I decided to write a poem for each day (sometimes 2) that would reveal the next surprise. Unfortunately, I like surprises a lot more than Rob does so I did have to fill him in on the next days activities earlier than planned a couple times : )

The envelopes for Birthday Week

The poorly written poems for each day

Birthday Week started last Saturday with Robby having a free morning to do whatever sounded like a fun way to spend his time. He quickly decided to work on Charlotte's new bed & hang in the garage (Pictures of this to come).

After getting cleaned up, we dropped Charlotte off with Edie. Edie is the incredible woman that has been watching Charlotte when I am at work. Charlotte LOVES her & was pleased when we arrived at her house just in time for her afternoon nap.

We headed downtown to check in to the Grand Bohemian Hotel for the night. This was a special gift from my aunt & uncle : ) One reason it was extra special is that we have not spent a night away together since Charlotte was born! We would have enjoyed it but the opportunity never came up. Since we are about to be back at the starting gate again with Eloise, I figured it was the perfect time to be away.

The lovely hotel happened to be a couple blocks away from Corona's, a cigar shop that one of Rob's best buds works at. We decided to grab me a burger & fries to eat outside while the boys enjoyed an afternoon cigar.

Rob & Jason

After that we went to see a movie in the downtown theater. This was a big deal for us! We usually see a movie every 2 years at the theater so for us to go off the cuff was surprising : )

We were back at the hotel to enjoy some appetizer dishes in the lounge by 6:30, spent some time reading, then left for our dinner reservation at Roy's. Our meal was delicious & was topped off by an incredible dessert...pictured below. Yes, it was a small serving to share & yes, I considered ordering a second one but resisted ; )

Here is a shot of the hotel

Sunday morning after checking out, we went to Celebration to sit in the rockers by the water and relish in our last hour alone before picking up the little lady. We were SO relaxed & truly enjoyed our time together. Char had a perfect report from Edie & we were happy to see her sweet little face.

Sunday evening he went back to Corona's for some time with the guys.

Monday was simple, a book & cd that he wanted. Charlotte carried it into his office & then ripped the ribbon off & grabbed them both out of his hands before he could get a good look at them. We don't go to many birthday parties....maybe we should.

Tuesday was simple as well but really fun. After Char went to bed, we got snuggled up on the couch with popcorn, M&Ms & each other for a marathon of our favorite Office episodes. I preselected the best of the best...it was fun, until the birthday boy fell asleep. He said I scratched his arm to well for him to stay awake : )

Wednesday was the actual birthday & he found out that morning that we would be going on a double dessert date with Steve & Jenny. Our neighbors, Hugo & Juanita that have Matilda watched Charlotte & Karis while we were gone. What a treat!

We went to the Melting Pot & when we got there we had a room full of friends waiting to greet Robby! He was definitely surprised!

Michael & Christi, AJ, Molly & Baby Drew in the belly

Us with Don & Cathy

Jason & Joy, Steve & Jenny


Chris, me & Rob

We were sad to be missing Chris's girlfriend Amanda who ended up having to go out of town unexpectedly. We made him feel welcome & shared our pots of chocolate with him ; )

YUMMY! Everything at the Melting Pot is delicious but the dessert....mmm....mmm...mmm! The company was fabulous too : )

So the official birthday week came to an end today with the last envelope saying we could go shopping for a pair of cowboy boots. Don't ask me how we got out of Texas with him not owning a pair but he will soon be sporting some boots!

One add on for the week is tomorrow night. Hugo & Juanita are cooking dinner & invited us along with Steve & Jenny for one last celebration!

Robby Valentine, I love you, I love being your wife & I hope this week was special to you. 30 years my dear : ) Lord willing, the next 30 will be even more amazing & I will be right by your side.

A week with Grammy & Grandpa

Bob & Jeannine (aka Dad & Mom to Robby, Grammy & Grandpa to Charlotte) drove all the way from Dallas to Orlando to spend a week with us! We always look forward to their visits but even more now as we get to see them enjoy time with Charlotte. When they pulled up, Charlotte ran outside to see who it was. When Grandpa got out, she took of running to greet him with a big hug. I think our time on Skype is paying off on the recognition skills ; )

Our week was full of relaxing and playing minus a few chores here and there. We were so sad that Steve, Jenny & Karis were only with us for a day before heading to Phoenix for a conference but we did have a good time with the whole family while we could.

We celebrated Robby's upcoming birthday with our annual dinner out to Seito. Here are the proud grandparents outside with the girlies.

Sunday morning, we ate breakfast in Celebration then relaxed by the water before heading to church. There were some ducks, much to Charlotte's delight & a little girl that drew a portrait of Charlotte. She was about 6 years old and made us laugh so hard as she worked diligently to capture Charlotte at 20 months old.

We got Bob in the kitchen as soon as possible ; ) He loves it in there and it shows. He has been into making homemade pizza dough lately and spoiled us rotten with couple delicious pizzas. He also cooked a Jambalaya dish that was tasty.

They treated me & Charlotte to a day at Sea World. Neither of us had been and we so enjoyed it! Charlotte was so content to walk or ride in the stroller, I think she might like to people watch (like me.) She was super happy when it came time for our afternoon treat, Dippin' Dots cookies & cream. Here are some pictures of our visit:

Checking out the rays

Taking a break from the stroller to walk with Grammy

This was Charlotte's favorite show. She was SO excited when a dolphin would jump out of the water. I think we could have watched all day long! She now does a dolphin sound when prompted.

Although she loved all the animals, watching the roller coaster was her favorite activity by far. I think we may have a thrill seeker on our hands! We stood underneath the first drop of a roller coaster Manta where you are strapped into basically a flying position. The people went right over our heads & were screaming. She loved it & every time they passed she would say "mah-mah" & do the sign for "more." Look at her face watching it! When you ask her what the people on the roller coaster say, she says "ahhhhhhhh!" I cannot WAIT to ride a roller coaster with her when she is big enough!

Me and my little sweetie pie smushing the soon to be sweetie pie #2

My mom & dad bought this outfit for her first birthday....too precious!

My pass to Sea World will get us in for the rest of the year so we are looking forward to many more visits!

We ended our last afternoon together with Charlotte's first swim of 2011. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, she sported her lovely green and white suit that shows all her curves ; ) Oh I could just eat her up!

The water was pretty chilly but she got used to it quickly and could not refrain from jumping off the side into my arms....sometimes without notice. You can tell I may have been surprised with the splash in the picture below : ) I wish it showed Charlotte's face. When I would count to 3, her smile would get bigger and bigger along with her eyes before throwing herself into the water. I foresee lots of swimming in the next couple months, one, because Charlotte loves it & two, because I feel as light as a feather..always a plus for rapid weight gain in pregnancy : )

Over all, it was SUCH a fun visit with Grammy & Grandpa. They are planning to come back soon after the arrival of Eloise & we can hardly wait to see them again!

Happy Birthday Bennett & Bella!

Our little puppy dogs are 6 years old today! Bennett & Bella are from the same litter and are American Pit Bull Terriers. We were living in Lubbock after being a married a few months and had the crazy idea to get a dog. To make a long story short, we found a breeder out of the Dallas newspaper Robby's parents sent us. After one phone call, Rob jumped in the Firebird & headed to Rowlett, Texas to pick a puppy for us. We ended up with 2 & honestly, it wouldn't be the same without one of them (minus a decrease in the "my pets" budget). For this reason, someday we might be a one dog or a no dog family but for now, we will keep loving on these two mutts!

Here are some pictures of our little family in 2005:

Bella

Bennett

one of my favorite pictures


look at those blue eyes

One happy family!

These dogs are so sweet & can't get enough snuggles or scratches. They have adjusted to Charzilla pretty well. Lately, she will give each of us a kiss & then head over to one dog and pucker up her lips saying "mmmmmm" until they give her a kiss. Then she goes to the other dog. This brings on a giggle fest of running back & forth between the dogs to get as many kisses as possible & in turn, makes Bennett & Bella super annoyed : )

If you are interested in reading more about life with these two, check out the previous blog posts about BENNETT & BELLA.

Happy Birthday little doggies, Happy Birthday to you!

Eating for two

I titled this post "Eating for Two" although many times, I feel like I am eating for eight. I have always enjoyed eating but while pregnant & breastfeeding, it is ridiculous! It is common for me to say at the end of a meal, "I could eat that entire meal again!" and I am sooooo serious.

When I taught prenatal classes in Lubbock at a March of Dimes based place, I taught that when you are pregnant, your body requires only 300 extra calories per day. I gave the example of this equaling an apple & a container of yogurt. Hahahahaha! I now know why some of those young ladies smirked at me!

I consume more than an extra 300 calories per day & thought I would feature some favorites of this pregnancy:

1. Donuts- white with sprinkles

I went about 3 years without any donuts & maybe a year ago, ate them very sparingly. Over the past few months, I have eaten an approximate total of 40 of these. The picture above was sent to my sister in law with the statement "can't stop!" I could stop...I am not addicted (denial) ha! I have started doing my grocery shopping on Tuesdays when Charlotte is with my neighbor. I go at 9 & the donuts are fresh at Publix & Target. I usually get 2, maybe 3 depending on my hungry bone. I have also frequented Dunkin' Donuts. I truly wish I were in Texas eating Shipley's but I am surviving with my current options.

The 2 best donut stories according to Robby:

1. We woke up one Saturday morning & went to Dunkin' Donuts. We realized it was the first time we had ever done that as a family. We decided to get Charlotte her own donut to enjoy. While she was woofing it down, I told her, "Charlotte, donuts are very special & we only eat them on special days." Then I whispered, "Mommy has had three special days this week!" Rob found this very funny. This is when he first became aware of how many donuts I was actually eating.

2. I went to the store around 7 one morning without Charlotte. I was not intending to get a donut. As I walked past the bakery, I saw them put the fresh glazed donuts out for purchase. They were calling my name & I got one. I opened the container it was in & proceeded to eat it similar to the way Charlotte eats donuts. The donut was warm & the glaze was dripping off all over my fingers. It was delicious. I felt ashamed for giving into another donut & didn't want Rob to know so I hid the container in my purse. He met me at the door and went to the truck to get my groceries. I snuck the evidence into the trash can and went on about the morning routine in the kitchen. About 30 minutes later, he looked me straight in the face & said "what is that on your cheek?" **apparently there was icing all over my face** "Did you eat a donut??" I had to confess that I not only ate the donut but tried to cover it up. He just about died laughing and then told me that there was no need to sneak around : ) What a sweet husband!

2. Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs I have always liked these alot but they continue to sneak into my grocery basket. I like to put them in the freezer & eat them after dinner.

3. Steak & ShakeThis was my first visit to Steak & Shake. I ordered a single cheeseburger & fries. About 2 bites in I said "this is not going to fill me up." Rob said to order something else. I chose a double cheeseburger & fries. I finshed every niblet of both meals and said "I could eat that again."

4. McDonalds Fries- with extra salt Another favorite from my past. I seem to desire these the most late at night which is fine because it is open & nearby. I usually want them after Life Group on Thursday night. This is also perfect because my pregnant buddy Molly & non pregnant buddy Christi like McDonald's too!

5. Domino's thin crust pepperoni & mushroom

This happens to be a late night desire as well. I usually want this if we have eaten a lighter dinner early in the evening. Around 9 pm, it sets in & I say, "Do you want pizza?" Robby usually tells me "It's okay to be hungry." What a true statement! Every now & then he says, "order one, you are pregnant!" I like when that happens!

So, in conclusion, most of the time I make healthy choices but this baby growing inside requires more than 300 calories ; ) It is more fun to make the 300 calories + out of delicious treats instead of an apple & a container of yogurt.

Also for the record: When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I gained 50 pounds total. By this point in my pregnancy- 27 weeks, I had gained over 30. This time around, I have only gained half of that. I can't imagine that I will total out at 50 without having some major pre-eclampsia or something so, I will continue enjoying eating for 2 (or eight.)

Beyond a Building

We can't believe this past weekend has already come & gone! We have been looking forward to it for quite some time now : ) Celebration Community Church is in Celebration mode as we are breaking ground on a building! This weekend was filled with all sorts of events to spend time worshipping the Lord through prayer, singing & preaching of the Word.

Robby spent Saturday afternoon getting things set up on the land. Charlotte & I joined him later that evening for a super relaxed time of various people singing & playing instruments. I ended up singing a few songs but definitely did not play any instruments! There were a few surprises of hidden talent like our good friend Chris who played guitar, sang & revealed his beautiful voice. A couple that we love sang a few hymns with their five children, aged 5th grade to age 2. It was really neat & made me excited for Charlotte to be able to learn things about God through song. Minus the fire ants that attacked my feet as soon as I got there, it was a wonderful evening. The Nations family took care of Charlotte while I was singing & then continued entertaining her for pretty much the rest of the night....thank you for that!

Sunday morning, we had our worship service under a big tent on the land where Lord willing, our building will soon be standing. The weather forecast was not looking too good leading up to that morning & we had some sprinkles on the way there.

We sang this song in the car:

Rain, rain, go or stay
It doesn't matter anyway
The good Lord picked the weather for the day
Rain, rain, go or stay

It was funny because it is SO true that the Lord was sovereign over the weather that morning & He chose to keep the rain away. We did have some wind but it really was perfect for being outside.

Here is the tent filled with our family at CCC & others who joined us to celebrate

Charlotte during the service...notice the name tag

A little tailgating prior to the service. Char was on her 2nd of 3 bags of animal crackers

The four of us....no denying that there is a 4th ; )

This Sunday was the final week of a sermon series called "Beyond." Over the past month & a half, each person/family was called to seek the Lord & consider what He would have us give to make this building a reality. During the service, families brought their commitment cards to the front & when they were counted and announced, there was lots of cheering! The Lord provides every good thing & we believe He will use this building to enlarge His kingdom.

It was exciting to look around & see the people the Lord has brought to our church since we arrived nearly 3 years ago. We are thankful for the relationships with others He has used to refine & encourage us. We are thankful for the consistent proclamation of the gospel week to week, that God made a way for us to be in relationship with Him through his son Jesus who died for our sin.

Please check out the WEBSITE for more information & join us in prayer for the Lord to move mightily in Central Florida through Celebration Community Church.

Catching up with sweet friends

The last weekend in February, we enjoyed spending time with my good friend Amanda & her mom Ganene. Amanda is my friend that worked with me in Dallas & Orlando & then got married in Virginia last fall. Amanda & Ganene also invited me & my mom to join them on a Disney trip in January 2007. We did accept that invitation & had a blast : )

Anyway, back to the current year..... these two lovely ladies took a little girls trip to celebrate Ganene's 50th birthday. Robby, Charlotte & I joined them for dinner & dessert in their suite at the Bay Lake Tower. We had a perfect view of the castle & enjoyed the fireworks from our patio. Charlotte was in awe of each & every firework that went off. Too cute to hear her say "wow" or whoaaa."

Here are some photos of our time with them:

Here is the cake I made. I am awful decorating with icing so I have resorted to sticking scrapbooking things on top of the cake : )

The birthday girl with Charlotte

Amanda & Charlotte having a great time. Amanda hung Charlotte upside down by her feet about a million times. After each time, she would say "mah mah" while doing the sign for "more."

I love this girl....it is a bummer to live SO far away from each other!

One exciting thing is that I GOT TO SPEND THE NIGHT!! It was my first sleepover since becoming a mommy : ) We relaxed in the hot tub, (Just for the record I perched on the side every few minutes so I wouldn't cook Eloise too quickly) chatted & hit the sack early. I got to sleep in my own room, which made me miss my husband but I definitely survived with the black out curtains, freezing temperatures & cozy bed.

When Robby did some traveling last fall, he said that he slept with 9 pillows....YES 9 PILLOWS at one time! Leading up to Christmas he would say "all I want for Christmas is 9 pillows." This made me laugh but I was thinking, "Really? 9 pillows? That is ridiculous!" Once I laid down surrounded by 9 pillows I texted him & said, "we SO need new pillows, 9 each, at least!" Really though, I was so comfortable that even when Eloise was dancing on my bladder at 5 am I figured I would just hold it instead of trying to climb out of my little cave between all my pillows : )

I slept in until 8:30 (late for me these days), enjoyed a blueberry muffin on the patio while talking with Amanda, watching all those crazy people load up their strollers with ridiculous amounts of stuff heading over for a day of torture at the Magic Kingdom. We left before lunch, I dropped the vacationers off at Universal then headed to work to pick up some extra hours. This put me being away from my little Charlotte for over 24 hours.

I received this via text message part way through my day. I could not stop laughing!

Thanks sweetheart for letting me spend some time away! I missed you & Char so much.

Amanda & Ganene, we love your visits to Orlando & hope for one each year : )