Outside the New Nest

There are pictures being taken sporadically of the inside of the new nest but for now, we will focus on enjoying a new backyard.  We had a fabulous large grassy area behind our home in Orlando but were missing something quite important for safety....a fence! What we will dearly miss about our old yard was the steep hill that provided a perfect slope for a slip n' slide. It's just not quite the same on flat ground or on our front lawn, down the hill, into a busy street ; ) That being said, we are certainly loving having a yard WITH a fence this time around & have spent ample amount of time outside hunting for roly-poly's, playing, chasing & getting a little wet! It has been fairly hot but not unbearable yet minus a couple days. We have some swarms of mosquitoes that think the Fab Four are pretty delicious which is annoying but for the most part, we are loving the shade of our giant pecan trees & the comfort of playing in our own "mini" great outdoors.  

We have a nice covered area with an outdoor fan so mommy can sit with her camera while the rest of the crew splashes around. There is a flagstone patio just outside the back door & another large area of flagstone across the yard which made for the perfect location of our lemonade stand. The rock wall along the back is fabulous for pretending to be a gymnast on a balance beam then leaping off & crashing to the ground. Thankfully O&A aren't big enough to climb aboard yet but I fear my future ; ) 

The water table was given to Charlotte when she turned two & we have gone through phases of it being enjoyed then not cared about whatsoever. This was the first time the boys have played with it since they have been on two feet & I think it's safe to say Anson thought it was pretty exciting!

The girls decided that their scooters needed a bath & they did a great job scrubbing off all the dirt while the boys fought over a basketball in the background.

Then they realized there were bubbles in the bucket...

Oh Anson...

Bella was not left out of the fun. That dog absolutely loves water! She also loves the comfort of her own back yard with bits of sunshine coming through the trees.

After plenty of splashing & chasing around the backyard, these two decided to kick back & relax. I love how Anson is grinning at Owen like "that was fun huh bubs?" while Owen keeps his tough exterior.

Since the girls weren't up for taking a photo break from the action, I resorted to my other little guy in his relaxed state. Owen, who is looking just about as big as his bro these days even though he is still outweighed by a few pounds was paying attention to that big black thing on mommy's face. His grin truly melts my heart over & over & OVER.

Here's to many a fun play date in the great outdoors...outside our door. It's safe & cures all bad attitudes, even mine!

Celebrating Charlotte

Once the Lemonade Stand was closed for business, we enjoyed some dinner with the Ellis family followed by a good nights sleep for all in preparation for the official 5th birthday of our special girl. She crawled into our bed as the sun came up, we gave her a good snuggle & wished her a happy birthday.  What a great start to the day. 

Breakfast was served, pancakes & sausage balls...a go to for every celebration or just when it sounds good, which is often ; ) Char is always up for pancakes though so she was a happy girlie pie!

Ginger, her dog enjoyed breakfast too very quietly next to the table. This is her new stuffed pup that she purchased a $14 collar for & received all sorts of doggie accessories from GGran the day prior. Ginger liked his bowl & new snazzy rhinestone shirt. Eloise has a stuffed pup named Shadow that is also just as easy to care for. I'm really beginning to like these dogs a lot...they sure are easy to take care of!

After breakfast, Charlotte had a few gifts to open including Monopoly Jr. from Uncle Scott (woohoo, I love that game) & a baseball bat, ball & football from Uncle Kyle. She is surprisingly coordinated with the bat & within three days was devastated that Bella ate her ball. Again, I'm really leaning toward buying out all the breeds of Melissa & Doug stuffed dogs one of these days ; ) Paw Paw was a happy recipient of multiple shots during his visit....see below. 

Next up, our favorite gift that we have been SO excited about surprising Charlotte with. Uncle Scott was outside with the camera while Char got dressed. Anson, as you can see was more interested in photo bombing.

Charlotte's reaction was so Charlotte.  She got this grin across her face & was reserved as she frequently is. I think back to the home video of my fourth birthday when I snottily proclaimed "Hmm, I got my bike!" We were delighted to see such a sweet response from this girl : )

She was so content just sitting on her new bike on the front porch that we had to ask her if she would like to try it out on the sidewalk. Again, so cute. Eloise was excited for her & stayed as close as possible during the first ride.  She did get her feelings hurt when we asked her to back off a bit so she didn't get run over. Her pouting turned to smiles again when Paw Paw sweet talked her off of the neighbors grass.

Gaga, the uncles & the baby boas were out front watching. Here is a great picture displaying the massive trees over our new nest. They provide amazing shade compared to those two palm trees we had in Orlando.

Uncle Scott with the O-Meister riding up top & Uncle Kyle walking along with Handsome Anson.

The rest of the day was SO low key & perfect for relaxing. We played with lots of new toys & games, had dinner at home then enjoyed our first official bike/scooter/wagon ride/walk down to the bridge over the creek. LOVELY DAY! My Dad & brothers left by lunch time but my mom stayed to help for a few more days since Robby was still in recovery mode from his appendectomy. Before they left, we got a picture of the girls with my favorite baby boas ; )

Just three years ago....

Oh & I had to squeeze in for one too. Love these handsome men I call my little bros!

and...back to the birthday girl!

Dear Charlotte, 

As your Daddy & I shopped for your birthday gift we looked at two different size bikes. I was certain we needed the smaller one because surely our little Charlotte Grace was not tall enough to ride the bigger one. Daddy was right though & my heart felt a little heavy when I watched you climb on & ride down the sidewalk without hesitation. When did your legs get so long? When did you get so coordinated? Weren't you just snuggled on my chest yesterday at 8 pounds 4 ounces? 

We celebrated your 5th birthday just a couple weeks after moving into our new house in Texas. You have taken this crazy transition in stride & have impressed us with your excitement for change. You have grown up so very much this past year & we just laugh after you go to bed a night when your Daddy & I give each other the play by play of all the conversations we shared with you throughout the day. We love talking through all that you are experiencing in life & answering your many questions. We also have a giggle remembering the hilarious comments you make....you are quite the funny girl my darling. 

You are a simple girl right now, desiring to dress comfortably & never making a fuss over your hair unless I am trying to fix it any way other than down & straight as a stick. You LOVE Eloise, Owen & Anson so very much & care for them in the sweetest way. You talk a lot & laugh even more. You have great ideas of fun things for us to do during the day like have tea parties & play "tag your it" for hours on end. You are a collector of "treasures" that may seem meaningless to others but you find them to be very special. You have grasped the idea that God loves you more than Mommy & Daddy do & that there is nothing you can do that would take that love away. We hope you always remember that.

Although my heart felt heavy as I watched you with those long legs riding your first bike down the street, I felt deep joy as well.  We could not be more thankful for what God has given us in you my dear.  I look back at the five years of our many hours of playing together, snuggling together & sometimes even crying together as I adjusted to being a mommy not only to you but to your sister & brothers & am reminded of why we named you Charlotte Grace. You have been & will always be our undeserved gift that God is using to remind us of his faithfulness & to make us more like himself as we figure out how to be your parents. You are a delight Charlotte. We have loved your for a long time & will love you for even longer. Happy 5th Birthday sweet girl!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy

Charlotte & her Lemonade Stand

Sweet Charlotte Grace celebrated turning the big FIVE on July 13th. For weeks on end she had been requesting to have a lemonade stand outside Grammy & Papa's house where we had set up camp for the first two months of our time in Texas.  I attempted to explain that lemonade stands are not quite as fun when no one buys your lemonade. I'm not sure it was ever really understood BUT she ceased with the asking when I mentioned having a lemonade stand at her birthday party. 

She was then quite excited & asked often about how things would work with the selling & our brains were working hard figuring out how to get our family moved to the new house, work two full time jobs, build a lemonade stand & make the birthday girl feel special. Cue ruptured appendix & emergency surgery just two days after moving in.....oh my! Thankfully with the help of friends & family, we were able to get fully moved, mostly unpacked & prepared for the party which happened to be exactly one week post discharge from the hospital. We considered postponing but decided to just go with the flow since that is our style & we were glad we did. I made the invite just one day before the attack of the appendix started.....

On the day prior to move in day, our friend Brad delivered Robby's safe that he had been storing for him & left us a pallet. I've always wanted one of those to tackle one of the thousand pins I have on Pinterest ; ) A lemonade stand seemed to be the perfect first project. I must give credit where credit is due though & say Robby made it workable, I made it cute. He abided by the rule of not lifting anything over 10 pounds... nobody ever said "don't swing a hammer!"  He just busted off 3 slats across, made a table top with two of those & added legs. It was beyond adorable & Charlotte just lit up when she saw the completed stand...

Charlotte went out into the backyard, walked across to the paved area & said "I think I would like to set up my lemonade stand here, this is the perfect place for it." She made the lemonade with the help of Uncle Scott & Crystal (Light that is). She taped on all the scalloped pieces of the banners inside & out. She asked me at least a thousand times "How much does it cost again?" & no matter how many times I said "25 cents" she said "25 dollars." Haha! We just love that girl.

My whole family came up from Houston & her uncles were happy to be photographed with the birthday girl along with me, the mother who can't believe that precious first baby is now FIVE years old!

and one more with the beloved GGran...

We had a sign inside directing those to the stand. It was a recent purchase & housewarming gift from my mom purchased at Home Goods, my new fave store that fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it)  is right down the street. I used chalk paint pens on it & today after attempting to wash it off, I gave up & added a new coat of chalkboard paint so it would not forever say...

SO many of our family & friends came making it so special for the birthday girl. After some playtime & visiting inside, it was announced that the Lemonade Stand was open for business & that Uncle Kyle had a jar of quarters since we were not equipped to take credit cards ; )

I'm pretty sure Uncle Mike was the first customer who may have slipped in more than a quarter in the jar. Seriously, that girl made some birthday cash! I think I may set it up one afternoon during naptime & fund a pedicure for myself! Anyway, back to the party. Charlotte was very serious about selling, meticulous with pouring & cute as a bug! She actually never spilled a drop. I was shocked & so proud of her mad lemonade skills!

Levi was there which made me (& Charlotte) smile since we love that family so much. He is the oldest son of my dear friend Jocelyn who is actually celebrating his 5th birthday today! He was a serious buyer being direct with his order but politely thanking the birthday girl.

Just four years ago, they looked like this....

Where has the time gone? Just kidding, I'm pretty sure I know it has gone to multiple pregnancies & babies for both Jocelyn & myself making those two seem SO old compared to younger siblings ; )

Cutie Patootie Eloise had more than a few cups of pink "yemonade" from "Chah's Yemen stand." I love how she talks & how she is in Lolo land sipping her pink drink.  For as much as this girl is sweet on her Gaga & Grammy, she enjoyed snuggling up on her Paw Paw for a bit.

Char was cracking me up with people who paid with a one dollar bill & were getting two cups which meant she was actually making a profit BUT if they weren't paying with individual quarters, she was questioning if they were paying at all.  Money is in our new math curriculum we will begin in August so that portion of the Lemonade business will make a whole lot more sense by next summer. What we do know at this point....Charlotte will not be one to get ripped off.

The Clark Crew minus their big bro Corbin were there to keep Charlotte in business. Kenzie, Karlee & Camden stayed close by, drank their fair share of lemonade & Cam even tried to take over the business for a bit. Charlotte & Camden really hit it off in the playing department & have had a wonderful time together so maybe there is a business partnership in the Lemonade world down the road for these two. We are living pretty close to one another....they can take over the neighborhood! 

At one point when someone came to order Charlotte looked at me & said "I have to take a break & drink some of this lemonade! This is hard work!" She lasted a good 45 minutes "working" before taking a break, a swig or two & heading inside for the celebration to continue. 

I was happy to sneak in a picture with Jocelyn (pregnant with another baby boy due in October) & Brooke, the mama to all those blondies that kept the stand in business. I have known both of them for about 12-13 years & had missed them very much while we were away. I wish we could have snagged Renata & Halie for this one but they were both busy chasing around their little ones.  I love these women & am thankful to have good friends to jump back into life with here in the Lone Star State. All four lovely ladies have husbands that my husband thoroughly enjoys spending time with which makes our friendships even sweeter.

Once back inside, the kids kept playing & adults kept chatting while we were getting ready for cupcakes. Toys everywhere & lots of noise= fun right?

Cupcake time came next. We came across some adorable paper cupcake holders that were striped & polka dotted...also at Home Goods. We snatched those up & I let my mom, Eloise & Grandma do the duties of mixing up the batter, backing & icing them. That's why they look so cute. I just put the lemon slices on top.

Charlotte has come a LONG way in a year. Last birthday we had our family, Steve, Jenny & the kids plus my brother celebrating with a birthday breakfast- 8 people total. We began singing "Happy Birthday" & she burst into tears, poor little dear. This year, I asked her how she felt about letting everyone sing to her & she quickly obliged. She endured 45+ people singing loudly & clapping for her as she blew out five candles. We were a little shocked & very excited to see her enjoying herself.

Grammy & Papa swapped out with Gaga & Paw Paw on twin duty. O & A were happy to be coloring & showing off their new walking skills for all those in attendance.

Robby got to catch up with his buddy Eric who belongs to Halie. I think Mr. Valentine was looking pretty good post move, post appendectomy & post swinging a hammer!

Charlotte's birthday weekend happened to fall during a visit GG, Robby's grandmother from Michigan had already planned. It was really special to have the kids' grandparents & Great Grandma's all in the same place! We snapped a picture with GG, Aunt Anne & Caroline who was our flower girl nearly ten years ago. Again...another reminder of how quickly time is passing. Aunt Edna was there too but must have snuck out of that picture somehow. We always enjoy visiting with her too!

Since we were near the front porch, I thought we should get a lovely family picture of us outside our new place. It was the best we could do...as usual. 

Outback, the Loftin clan was hanging by the Lemonade Stand & wagon rides were in full gear thanks to Aubrey who was getting her work out hauling those boys & girl across the yard.

and the rides got progressively more fun....and more hilarious. I need to post a video : ) 

Uncle Kyle wasn't the only one giving rides...

Those busy little baby boas walked all over & fell all over the rocks before settling into laps of those Texans who have been awaiting snuggles for a long time.

Owen chose GGran which was not surprising. The boys pick her often. I remember enjoying snuggles in her lap too, probably even past the age of normal lap snuggles but hey, I was of small stature, she smelled good & she wore a wedding band on her necklace that I liked to put my finger in : ) We are thankful to be within quick driving distance of a Great Grandma that our family can enjoy time with often. The birthday girl received many gifts that we are still in the process of writing thank you notes for but the one that might have been the biggest hit was from GGran. Long story short, Charlotte has a stuffed dog named Ginger that she treats better than she treats Bella. GGran got Ginger a leash, a bed, three shirts & a dog bowl. These items have provided HOURS of entertainment (and laughter for us). I do love anything that encourages pretend play & I love that the girls are obsessed with fake dogs & not asking for a new puppy. GGran wasn't the only one getting attention on the back porch....Uncle Joe got a big hug from the almost five year old before they left.

Uncle Joe brought his very own "mini-me," his son Keaton. I mentioned in a blog around Christmas time that through some incredible circumstances the Lord reconciled relationships between Joe & his children Emma & Keaton. We had not seem them in years & are so thankful to have them back in our life. More than that, we are rejoicing that Emma & Keaton are experiencing life with a father who never stopped loving them while they were separated & is enjoying life in full gear as a parent of two college students. Keaton jumped right into playing with a 3 & 5 year old. At one point I heard Eloise say "Do you want to run in circles?" to which he responded "you want me to run in circles? Absolutely! Let's go!" as he chased them in a fairly small circle compared to the size of the backyard & his 6 ft 4in stature.. I think I might need to hire him for playtime once an afternoon ; ) Since then the girls have asked "Can that big, tall boy come play with us again?" Haha!

Eloise requested that her picture be taken with Gaga & Paw Paw. I love when they get to the age where they ask to have their picture taken & actually smile on command ; )

Uncle Mike brought Charlotte something that shoots...as usual. These toys are always entertaining. This time, it was a little rocket like thing with a parachute that apparently lights up in the night sky but there was some malfunctioning & much laughter as they attempted to shoot it off. There was even more laughter when a game of "Jail Break" ensued. Uncle Mike is the favorite warden & Charlotte & Eloise go crazy running about & squealing. In the process of ringing the "escape bell" ie the wind chime that Robby re- constructed for us sometime last year, he broke a piece off of it. I think it might have been captured on video. It was pretty hilarious & the game continued until the last moments of being outside.

What a full day of celebrating it was on the eve of her birthday. We ended the night with some Pappasito's fajitas at the house & a sleepover with my parents & brothers. I call it a sleepover but everyone slept in their own beds/couches. I fell asleep easily that night with a full heart & a smile on my face.

One last picture of our sweet Char & her stand.

As sweet as it was to celebrate her birthday here in Texas, we were reminded of the many celebrations we shared with our Florida family. God provided abundantly in every way for us during our time in Orlando but especially in the area of friends to share life with.  As happy as I felt celebrating that day, I was often thinking about the families we have always shared those special days with. Those were families that made Florida feel like home to us, families that loved our children & families that will be dear to us for years to come. We are thankful for the many seasons of life, how God provides different people to walk with us & still can't believe we are right smack in the middle of that parenting young children season! What a joy it is to be mommy & daddy to Charlotte as she begins Kindergarten next month, grows in her understanding of God & the world around her & makes us laugh when she tells us that after five she will be six, then seven, then eight, then nine, then ten & that ten is really old.

 If I had a cup full of Charlee's Pink Lemonade in my hand at this moment, I would raise it in a toast to many years of sweet celebrations of this even sweeter little lady! I think I have said "sweet" about 100 times...it's appropriate since it is the number one word that comes to my mind when I think of Charlotte Grace.