4 months

Can you believe it? Charlotte is 4 months old! It seems like in the last few weeks, she has changed more and more. She is holding on to and interacting with her toys, talking to everyone, and making sure that her opinion is heard! She loves to watch her big sister, and she finds some things very funny. She also likes putting everything in her mouth, especially her thumb. She is definitely a thumb sucker and is very proud of herself when she finds it. Today, she tried out the exersaucer and really liked it. It seemed to open up her world even more! She loves sitting up and is close to doing it on her own. She watches everything around her, and you can tell that she is ready to explore more things, including food. She watches every bite that goes into our mouths, so we will see when we go to the doctor on Monday, if the possibility is opened up for her to start trying food! I know that she will be excited about this change.

In my attempt to get a four month picture, Mary Ellen joined in, and Charlotte continued to spit up and drool all over her clothes. These pictures definitely show our real life in all of its glory!










And this is a little taste of Charlotte laughing. She only laughs when I do this to her, and sometimes it quickly turns to being upset. But, right here, she liked it!

Branson

Last week was Spring break for Mary Ellen, so we decided that we would take a little vacation. We went to Branson for three days. When we left, it had cooled down a little, but it was still sunny and enjoyable outside. As we were in Branson, it got colder every day, and it was rainy. Mary Ellen didn't seem to mind and loved being in the hotel and going to the swimming pool. She likes to say how she loves being with her family. As she was running out of clothes to wear, and the weather was pretty miserable, I was really questioning if I ever wanted to go on a vacation again. But, throughout the trip, Mary Ellen would say something that she loved or show such excitement about something, that it really made it worth it. As we were leaving, she told us that she wanted to come back again with her family!

This is the girls in the car on the way up there. Our DVD player has headphones to go with it, which we had never tried before. Mary Ellen decided that she wanted to try them and really liked them. She thought that it was very cool. Charlotte slept most of the way on both trips!




When we got to the hotel, Mary Ellen could see the playground from our window. She of course had to go and try it out. Because of the weather, this was the only time that we were able to enjoy it. She didn't seem to mind at all that it was cold.


The first night, we went to a restaurant called "Mel's Hard Luck Diner." The waiters and waitresses all take turns singing. Mary Ellen loved watching them sing, but didn't know what to think when he stopped and sang to her.

She did love the dessert that we got to share at the end of dinner. She kept telling us how good it was, and she definitely ate her share!




Here are the girls having some fun playing on the bed one morning.


We picked where we stayed, because it had a "splashtorium." It had more than just an indoor pool. The only problem was that you had to go outside to get there, so we bundled up with our swimsuits and went for it. Mary Ellen had been talking about going swimming, but when it became reality, she didn't know if she wanted to do it. It didn't take long for her to adjust back to the water. She loved the hot tub and being carried around in the pool.



This was Charlotte's first thought about the water...

Once she got adjusted, she didn't mind it!




At another place that we went to eat, Mary Ellen saw this and called it a princess chair. For fun, we tried it out, and found out that we have a little teaser on our hands.


We ended the trip with shopping at the outlets. Mary Ellen found some new sunglasses, which she had to wear, even though it was raining!

Spring is in the air...

... or at least it was a week ago, when I took these pictures. When I went to upload pictures from our trip, I found these from last Sunday. Last Sunday was a beautiful day and warm that we pulled out the spring clothes. Mary Ellen was excited to be able to wear flip flops, and Charlotte could show off her cute, chubby legs. You will notice that Mary Ellen has gloves on. These are her Dora gardening gloves that her daddy got for her. She was able to use them this week to help daddy plant tomatoes, cucumber, and squash. She can't wait to see the produce. When you ask her about it, she will tell you all about the plants and also what they found in the dirt!

Daffodils, daffodils, and more daffodils

We took the opportunity this morning to go to Wye Mountain to see the fields and fields of daffodils, or pretty flowers as Mary Ellen likes to say. Bo and Caki were able to join in the fun of seeing the fields and fields of daffodils. It was a little colder this morning than we expected, but it was a beautiful site. We were able to get a few pictures of both girls, but it took careful planning, because Charlotte decided that she wanted to cry. Mary Ellen loved picking the flowers and showing them off. Charlotte even held onto her own flower for the longest time. She enjoyed it until she saw one of her toys that she wanted more! It was a lot of fun, and some place I am sure we will enjoy visiting again next spring!

First visit to the park

We had our first visit of the season to the park. It was Charlotte's first visit ever to the park. It ended up being a little cooler than we thought, but everyone had a great time. Charlotte loved watching Mary Ellen play, and Mary Ellen had a great time playing with one of her friends. Charlotte has discovered that she doesn't have to stay in her car seat and have a ride with me carrying her, so I didn't get a lot of pics, but here are a few from the morning of play!

Impromptu Photo Session

When Paul walked into the kitchen yesterday morning, holding both girls in their matching outfits, it turned into an impromptu mini photo session. I actually realized the other day, that I didn't have any pictures with the girls since before Christmas. So, since we were all dressed and full of smiles, here are the results.

Hula hoop

Mary Ellen has seen Ruby playing with a hula hoop on her favorite show, Max and Ruby. So, whenever she sees one, she wants to try it. She tells me she has to wiggle her hips and make it go!

Sweet hands and feet

Charlotte has discovered her feet, so she uses them to play with her toys. When she looks at them, she gets so excited about seeing them. Her world has expanded so much by finding these new appendages!

Not a very clear picture, but I looked down, and Charlotte was asleep with her hands folded. What sweet hands!

Sophie and Frankie

Charlotte is discovering toys, and she has some favorites. She really likes soft loveys, and one of them is an elephant. For some reason, Mary Ellen named it Frankie, and it has stuck. Charlotte puts it to her mouth, giving it many kisses and using it for a snack when she needs to! And then there is Sophie the giraffe. She is close to being able to hold it on her own, but sometimes you have to put it in her hand. She likes to close her grip before she has it. She gets so excited when she makes it squeak on her own, but loves to have others share the fun by squeaking it for her!

The last few days of the girls

These are just a few from the last few days of the girls. With being outside more and having a more regular schedule, I am going to try to be better about taking pictures and getting them on here quicker. But, that is easier said than done, so I will keep them coming as I can! :)

Look at me!

Here is a better one of Charlotte looking directly at the camera during tummy time!