Monday, February 20, 2012

Adventures....

Chris summed it up perfectly at the end of a very eventful and fun filled weekend when he said that Charlotte has already had more adventures in the past two weekends then most kids have in their lifetime! Last weekend our little family went down to the San Diego Zoo and purchased year long passes which allows us access to both the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park! Needless to say Charlotte LOVES it! When we went to the zoo she just loved the Flamingos and the sheep. I think her favorite part though was the kids running around! 
This weekend was full of adventure again. We took her to the Wild Animal Park. She went to the bird show and saw the Cheetah's run! I think the highlight of the day was seeing the elephants. She just seems to LOVE elephants!! She just sat in her stroller holding her yellow ducky lovie smiling at the world. Everyone we passed would just ooo and aww over her! You can’t blame them she is adorable!!

We even went up to Julian (a quaint little town in the mountains) and walked around in the cold crisp air looking at historical sites and stopping for a cup of hot cocoa and world famous fresh hot apple pie! As you can tell from the pictures she had a blast! I think I have more fun watching Charlotte look at things than actually looking at them myself. She is so innocent and untainted by the world, she sees everything so pure that I have started to pause, take a step back, and really see things as she sees them through her eyes. She is only three months old and I have already learned so much from her! I am so excited to continue our adventures!

Don't you just want to grab those cheeks?

Grandpa, Aunt Shannon, and Charlotte at breakfast.

Cold!!!


Part of the Monahan gang warming up with some hot cocoa and fresh pie!

Grandpa warming up his girl.

Picnic!

Goofy face while watching Elmo!

She REALLY likes Elmo.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Our Little Charlie Bear

This picture was taken while Charlotte was out for a walk with Grandma yesterday. We all love our little Charlie Bear so much!! I love this face she is making, she makes anytime she is about to laugh. Chris says is best;  “We are in so much trouble…This little girl has us all wrapped around her little finger already and she does not even know it!”

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Dreams Really Do Come True!!

From the time I could remember I always had this reoccurring dream of myself “older” sitting in a rocking chair holding my baby and singing I love to See the Temple. (That has been my favorite primary song since the time I was very little) I was never quite sure why it was always that song in my dream and although it was a dream it felt so real every time I dreamt it.
Last night while Chris was at mutual with the Young Men I was in our cozy little home sitting in my rocking chair holding my sweet baby girl singing I love to see the temple to her and watching her intently look back up at me. When it hit me like a ton of bricks that this is exactly what I had dreamt for years and years. The sudden emotion was overwhelming and the tears could not help but begin to flow. I felt the spirit so strongly testify to me again that our sweet Charlotte was always meant to be a part of our family and the words to the song: I Love to See the Temple took on such a deeper meaning now that she is in our life:
I love to see the temple.
I’ll go inside someday.
I’ll covenant with my Father
I’ll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth,
A family is forever.

I am so humbled by the tender mercies that our Father in Heaven continues to give our family! I cannot wait to go to the temple and be sealed to our little girl! Families are forever!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The many faces of Charlotte!!













Three Months Already?!
I never understood why mom would say that we grew up so fast, all she had to do was blink her eyes and we were older! I TOTALLY understand that now!!! Where does the time go?! I cannot believe that my little girl already three months old! There are not enough hours in the day for me to stare at her. She is so smart and getting smarter! Thank goodness we started saving for her college fund already!  She keeps Chris and I laughing and on our toes every second of the day. Every day I look at her I am reminded of how much our Father in Heaven loves us! She is our miracle! Here are just a few of her milestones/personality that we just adore!
1.      Morning time is her favorite time! Thank goodness we have another morning bird in the family (I have always loved the mornings more) Chris and I have this tradition that we sing the primary song “In the leafy tree tops” except we made up our own version that she just loves. She just sits there and watches us sing and smiles every time!

2.      She LOVES television. Maybe more than I would like her to! J I will be sitting in the rocking chair feeding her and she literally cranes her head and her body to face the T.V. while she eats! I have had to start going in the other room so that she is not so distracted while she eats. But she LOVES her Baby Einstein, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Elmo. It is hilarious to watch her try to dance to the music! She kicks her legs and flails her arms to the music everytime.

3.      She is a talker! She loves to coo and talk to her hands, people, my mom’s dog, you name it she will talk to it. She is definitely not shy. In fact this past Sunday Grandma was teaching the lesson in Relief Society and Charlotte stood in the back of the room with mom talking to her the entire lesson! It was the sweetest thing! People are amazed at the amount that she talks already!


4.      Total strangers will literally walk all the way across a room to come over and see Charlotte and tell me how beautiful she is. She really is the most beautiful baby and I am not just saying that because I am her proud mom! She has these brown eyes that looks right into your soul and a really nice round head too!  She might be a dancer, she is all legs!

5.      She loves color! Whether it is a dress, a book, or an animal she will stare at it for hours and hours!
6.      She has a yellow duck that she just loves and holds on to while she sleeps and plays. Her favorite thing to do is to hold onto the collar of your shirt while she sleeps (It is my favorite too!)

7.      If she could be walking already she would! She tries so hard to use her legs to kick off objects and people to move get where she wants to go.

8.      If she is mad or wants your attention she makes this funny squawk noise to let you know. Almost like a yell but she only does it once! We call it our “warning call” We better get there soon or else we will really hear about it!


Here are some fun pictures from her most recent adventures!






Charlotte and Grandpa. He LOVES his grandbaby!!!





Charlotte had the chance to go visit both of her Great Grandmas! Everyone just adores her!




Charlotte with her second cousins!






 We have discovered that she loves animals (especially fish) good thing we live next to a big ocean!
We have decided that zoo passes are a must this year!


If you cannot tell already, mommy LOVES dressing her up and there is no outfit she cannot rock!







She is SO smart and loves her reading time everyday!!








Charlotte at her local hangout.
She even saw dolphins out in the water that day!