Sunday, July 21, 2013

Pennsylvania, We Love You So....

We had another great trip to Pennsylvania back in June and I'm just now getting around to posting about it!  I really didn't think I would be able to say that after a 17 hour trip one way with 2 babies and a 1 year old that doesn't usually sit still long enough to take her bottle.  But we made it and it went surprisingly well!  We didn't hardly hear a peep out of Ansley.  She was content watching movies, lounging, singing, or telling stories.  The only accident we almost had was after the adults in the vehicle tried to push the limits of a 3 year old bladder.  Guess who won?  Not US!  That ended in a stop on the interstate with Daddy holding her mid-air as she peed in 2 ft tall grass.  That's right...we're from Missouri.  Charli was so sweet too.  She cooed, slept, watched her sister, played with her travel toys, threw them on the floorboard...said "uh oh" 587,000 times (in the sweetest voice ever, I will add!), squealed, ate a lot of puffs, and learned how to make a clicking sound with her tongue.  You know, the stuff of scholars! :)  We stayed the night at Youngstown, Ohio to split up the trip a bit and then did the other 4 hours on Friday.  When we got to the hotel, Charli took off in the fastest crawl I've ever seen her do (I'm sure she was looking for a new set of parents.  Ones that didn't confine her for 14 hours straight) and Ansley headed straight for the pool.  It was so nice to get a break from the car! 
On Friday, we drove the rest of the way and then arrived at my Gram's house just in time to go to my cousin, Nate's rehearsal dinner.  My aunt Sarah planned and crafted all the details.  She is seriously so talented.  It had a sweet rustic feel overlooking the most beautiful view of Pennsylvania (well, there are a lot of beautiful views in PA, but this hit high on the list for sure).  The most precious time was the lantern lighting at the end of the night.  Ansley kept saying, "Mommy, this is like Rapunzel's birthday." It was so magical as we all set our lanterns free into the Pennsylvania mountains and humorous because we all almost set ourselves on fire. It was quite a sight to see us juggling our own lantern, Ansley's and making sure no accidentally got too close to Charli.  Whew!
Here's a picture of the tables 
And some of the sweets
Charli was so glad to be able to crawl around finally
The girls were so excited to have little friends there! However, Ansley couldn't quite understand that they were her cousins also.  :)
Some last minute flower arranging. I love that the guys were involved and somewhat enjoying it :)
My beautiful Gram with Maddy and Ansley
Laura and I 
The hubs and I
The next day we had the wedding and reception.  It was such a gorgeous day.  Look at the beautiful bride and handsome groom!
Then it was bubble time
:)
We TRIED to get a family pic....
And these two girls romped around outside together 
My beautiful cousin, Becky
The men and little Charli
Our breathtaking view from the church
We tried to get a big family shot.  Almost....
The reception was a lot of fun too.  They had a photo booth (what Booth family wedding doesn't need a photo booth?!) and Ansley practically camped out there!  She loved the fact that she could interchange her outfits and her hats.  She was in heaven!
She also got her dance on with some of her newly found, older friends. Glad she didn't get a neck cramp after this one. :)
The next day we went to Colissa's mom and dad's house to eat and watch them open presents.  Just another reason to celebrate. These boys clearly weren't wanting to be serious for the picture.
Charli was wheeled around everywhere in this and she loved it.  She didn't have to do any work, but was still in on all the action. Ha!
My dad and Uncle Eric
The next day was a rainy one, but that doesn't stop us!  The kids played in the trailer and found all kinds of bugs, dirt, and mud.   
After getting real good and dirty, we took the kids to Knoebbels.  It's an amusement park really geared towards kids.  It was supposed to rain all day, but we didn't want to make the kids sit around the house, so we went for it!  I'm so glad we did because they loved it!  The rain wasn't even a big deal and only drizzled here and there.  They rode all kinds of kid rides and ate popcorn, ice cream, and fudge all day.  They were a little more spoiled after leaving that place. 
She loved the bumper cars
 And the airplanes were fun because Jansen liked them.
The ice cream was a big hit!  This was Charli's first ever lick of ice cream as far as I know.  I'm sure the grandparents have beat me too it actually. 
Don't laugh at us and our hats.  We were all a mess.  As you can see, the kids were ready to hit the road at this point!
 That evening, we went with some of our family to the Watsontown Inn for dinner.  As we were waiting for our food, we noticed a pet parade going by.  Of course, the kids were thrilled.  We've never seen anything like it and to have front row seats was really fun! After dinner, the pig was walking by, so Charli got a ride and Ansley got to pet her. 
She couldn't believe that people actually had a pig for a pet!
How cute are these two?!
That evening we packed up and unfortunately had to say goodbye to most of our family. 
The next morning as we were leaving, I snapped a quick picture right before we hit the road back to Missouri.  It's one of my favorites.
On our way home we stopped at Paducah to celebrate Laura's birthday at the Pink Flamingo restaurant. 
Almost home and still smiling!  I wish I had gotten some pics of Ansley riding because she was as content as she could be too.  This little turkey got the view of the back, which was US! 
We always miss our PA family and it seems like we NEVER have enough time with them.  So thankful that we try to make an intentional effort to see each other every year.  It's so hard to have 1000 miles separating us!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Charli Suttyn: 13 Months

Here she is, the little beaut!  She's a month past her first birthday and she just keeps getting busier and busier!  Before we even blinked, she's rounded 13 months and is approaching 14 WAY too quickly!
 
*You are doing the all four's approach to moving.  It's pretty comical, actually.  You're still a little too cautious to take your first full step by yourself and at this point we're hoping you're not TWO when you decide to try it. :)
 
*We have some more teeth pushing through!  They started to make their way through a few weeks ago and so far they look huge!  It looks as though it's your 2nd molars, which doesn't really make sense since you don't have your 1st molars yet, but then again....your teeth cutting has been no where close to normal!    
 
*Here lately you've been getting a little more free with your kisses.  Those open mouthed "aahhhh" kisses are more than welcomed here!  We practically beg for them!
 
*Our nightly rituals consist of shoulder loves, hand pats, and "All Sons and Daughter's".  You love to sing along too.  Lately, your daddy and I have been fighting over who gets the nightly snuggles.  
 
*You still have no patience at this point and get quite a bit demanding, but we're working on that!  You love to let us know what you want and usually it was 2 minutes ago.  You like to give us the angry shake. :/ 
 
*Loving your wispy curls!  They keep getting fuller and fuller. 
 
*Thankfully your teeth have whitened up a bit.  Whew!  We were hoping the iron drops hadn't permanently stained them.  Brushing is quite a daily feat, but there's NO compromising in that department!
 
*You're getting really good at shaking your head, "no".  Real big!  You are sure to let us know if you've had enough to eat or if you don't want to do something.  It is seriously so cute.
 
*You LOVE ice cream.  We made the mistake of letting you try it one time (during a moment of weakness) and now you can spot it a mile away!  
 
*You were 21.5 lbs and 31 inches long at your one year check. You've stayed right around the 48% in weight and 90 % in height the range. Growing like a weed! 
 
*You've taken one really long trip to Pennsylvania and you did amazing.  After our 17 hour car ride you were still smiling as usual!  Your Booth family loved you! 
 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Our Favorite Reason to Celebrate the 4th of July!

We have a BIG reason to celebrate the 4th.  Don't get me wrong...we love our Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, but there's one more reason to celebrate for us.  Our sweet and sassy girl, Ansley turned 4!  We celebrated her actual birth DAY at my cousin Amber's cabin on the lake.  It was a beautiful day!  It wasn't too piping hot and we had JUST the right amount of breeze...it was perfect.  Ansley got to fish, swim, eat cake, and set off her fireworks (her favorite was the Woo Hoo!).  What was so funny is her comment to me at the fireworks stand..."Mommy, I love that all these people are buying fireworks for my birthday!"  I couldn't break her heart just yet, so I just rolled with it.  "How about that?!" :)      
After dropping by my Aunt Debbie's house and the fireworks stand, we headed to the lake. 
She was already hanging tight to her sparkler.
Then it was ice cream cake time!
Charli was so happy to sing to her big sister!
 
More swimming with Macy and Chiara after a full belly of cake
We had such a great day relaxing and celebrating.  Can't believe our firecracker is 4!