We can discover the wonders of nature....

This past Saturday Charlotte took her first trip to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium http://www.colszoo.org/. We met up with Josh and Jessica Whisler and their daughter Sutton.

Charlotte looks for the Gorillas from her stroller. She especially enjoyed the Elephants, Gorillas and of course the Wolverine!

Penguins, awaiting their certain demise at the hands of Charlotte's Red Wings.

Charlotte did well with the 84 degree heat and was a trooper through 3 hours at the zoo.

This Rhino was happy to pose for a picture for us, we hope to see a lot more of him this summer as we use our new zoo membership.

Here is a computer enhanced projection of what Charlotte will look like a year from now. Only joking, this is actually Charlotte's friend Sutton enjoying a nice sit at the zoo. Sutton as you can see is adorable and will be 2 years old in July.

The other major event for Charlie since our last blog was her first haircut. She got a trim at Charles Penzone's Grand Salon (http://www.charlespenzone.com/) with Mom's stylist- Lucy.

Charlotte was a great little client while sitting on Mom's lap.

Just a little off the top please...

Lucy works on the back of Charlotte's hair, taking care of the beautiful mullett that had taken hold on the back of her head.

Grandma Rose holds a souvenir from Charlotte's first hair cut.

Lucy displays her finished product. Charlotte's haircut looks great and she feels great as well. She is looking forward to Grandpa's 60th Birthday party this weekend and seeing many of her relatives and friends.

Feelin' Alright..

Charlotte sits and poses for her 11 month picture! Yep, 11 months already.

The milestone was met during troubled times as Charlie battled through her worst cold yet.

She managed to go to her first Clippers game despite her cold that lasted over a week.

She looks an awful lot like her mom in this mother's day photo.

Swinging at Grandma Rose's house.

She really loves this swing that was given to us courtesy of Molly and Brendan Ballard- thanks guys!

Dad and Charlie on Mother's Day.

Mom and Charlotte celebrated mother's day at the new Clippers home field - Huntington Park.

Dad and Charlotte at the game.

Robin enjoyed her first mother's day despite a week full of sick people. Vegan pancakes, the baseball game, and a new pair of sunglasses made it a successful day. Charlotte battled nasal congestion that caused her to cough and vomit all week before finally feeling better today.

We have had pretty decent traffic on our house and we hope to have good news soon, keep your fingers cross for us!

I've got to keep on movin'...

Ok, after many friendly requests, a new post for ya'll. We have been busy getting the house on the market but we are listed and good to go- so her is a little Charlotte to quench your thirst. We mentioned in the last post that she is crawling, but that little blurb didn't really do the milestone justice. So here are some crawling pics.

Once you set this on down, off she goes, generally right for something we don't want her anywhere near. She really likes...

Bookcases...

Oh me? I'm just going to catch up on my reading..

She actually crawls for a little while, stops, sits and gives herself some applause...her she is right after she finished "clapping"..

She also likes to chase Gracie around, here she has her pinned underneath the desk.

The fruits of her labor at the bookcase...

Gracie and Wyatt have done a good job of supervising her while she crawls all around.

She also loves to stand up in her crib, not so cute at 3:30 am.

Charlotte's three teeth get a workout on this piece of playmat.

In her big blue hat on a trip to the park...

She loves the swings at the park, of course thats pretty much all she can do at the park at this point.

She also loves watching the other kids, she loves other little ones and is clamoring for a play group.

Charlie and Mom on the back porch right before heading to Charlotte's first swim class. She loved being in the water and looks forward to going each week.

Birthday Letters From Home...

We have an Aunt & Uncle themed blog today as we celebrate Uncle Joe's Birthday tomorrow and chronicle our trip to see Aunt Kristin this past week...

Happy Birthday Uncle Joe! For those of you who don't know, Uncle Joe is a Captain in the Marine Corp and serves as a WSO, NFO, or even GIB. Which means he flies in really cool planes and controls the weapons systems and navigates. He is currently deployed to Japan and will return home this spring.

These pics are of Uncle Joe and Aunt Leanda from this summer. Charlotte can't wait to see them when they visit this June. Hope you have some fun on your birthday and be safe out there!

Speaking of siblings, we also got up to Cleveland this week to spend the night with Aunt Kristin and Jon.

Kristin and Jon have a great house in Sheffield Lake and Charlotte had a fun time enjoying their carpeted floors- much easier on the knees than our hardwood.

Charlotte gnoshed at Cheesecake Factory and did some browsing at Crocker Park in the afternoon before attempting to eat Aunt Kristin's finger later that evening.

Charlotte stands with a little help from her rocking chair.

Charlotte crawls -yes she does now crawl, for short distances -onto Dad's lap for a hug.

Post bathtime excitement- hey I know you!

Always talking this little one, not that we can understand what she says..

Charlotte already mastered the art of getting new clothes..

It's easy- you simply pee through your outfit while at the mall, preferably in an expensive store, and Mom and Dad have to buy something new for you to wear home. Suckers!!

See, don't you like my new Tennis outfit? All you have do is wet yourself and you can have one too!

Charlotte had a great week at home with Mom and Dad on their spring break this past week. She was an excellent little baby as she let us get a lot of work done around the house. With a little luck our cozy little home will be on the market a week from now as we seek to move up to a bigger house to accomodate lil' Charlie's toys. Wish us luck, or if you are looking for a house- come buy ours!

Tryin' to hold on...

Charlotte turned 10 months old this past week and posed for her picture in her new adirondack chair in the front yard.


Charlotte likes her chair and will sit with mom and dad on the back deck as the weather improves.


Charlotte had a short week with granny as mom and dad only had to work four days.

Smiling at dad jumping out from the garage... she makes you work for a smile in pictures these days.

:)

We like this angle..

Spring flowers survived multiple frosts this week.

First visit to see the Easter Bunny at Worthington Mall, she was very brave and loved looking at the bunny.

Charlie seems to have moved past the "stranger" phase for now and is smiling at everyone she meets.

Bunny eh, you know that used to be my mom's nickname (because of her diet..)

Easter morning, Charlotte enjoys the fruits of her time spent with the Easter Bunny... her first Easter Basket!

Enjoying one of the five easter baskets she received on the day, this one is from Aunt Daphne.

Hanging with Dad at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Somebunny loves her grandparents...wow that one is cheesy, but I'll leave it in anyway.

Having fun with Grandma and Grandpa after Brunch.

Checking out the spring blossoms with Grandma B..

Happy Easter!