i need this chair, right?

check it out…it is simply destiny that i have this chair.

i mean come on.

last year at this time

charlotte had rsv. i was just looking at all of our pictures and came to these.

this one is from when she was at primary children’s. she was so sad…and so was i.

i love this little girl so much!

things i remember from this time:

• my first ambulance ride.
• sad babies with rsv everywhere and with no parents by their side. broke my heart to see the tiny baby that shared a room with us crying in the middle of the night with nobody there to help…unless you count me.
• charlotte not eating.
• charlotte not smiling.
• charlotte sleeping non stop.
• being grateful for my awesome family…always so concerned and supportive.
• the sucking out of charlotte’s snot. you never want to witness this. if you think babies hate the big blue bulb for sucking out their snot this is one thousand times worse.
• sleeping on a chair for 2 nights.
• lugging the big ol oxygen tank everywhere around the house and to the doctor’s office when she came home from the hospital.

anyway, i was just remembering. gosh it seems like i’ve been talking a lot about sick charlotte…by the way, no more fever and she is feeling much better even if she did wake up at 6:00 this morning (not okay). i still have no idea why she had a fever for 3 days. is this normal? do kids just have fevers without other symptoms? lame.

movin’ to so cal

not. question, do people get less sick when they live in a warmer climate? generally speaking? just wondering.

charlotte has a fever and has had one since yesterday morning. if it continues…i suppose i need to take her in to the doctor. she doesn’t really have any other symptoms except a fever. i hate fevers! she has already had roseola…but i think it’s possible to get this again. she had a fever on new year’s eve, but then it went away the next day. now 6 days later, it’s back. i don’t know what’s going on.

she woke up at 3:30 in the morning and did not go back to bed until 9:45 am. and even then she only took a 45 min. nap. she later took an almost 3 hour nap…bout time.

i wish they had a thermometer that told you what the heck was wrong with your kid when you took their temp.

anyway, i’m exhausted. and if she wakes up again tonight i’m droppin her off at my mom’s. just kidding, maybe.

just needed to vent.

she is already asleep for the night, i should probably get to bed too since i might be up at 3 again. healthy charlotte.

i feel bad for the little tike. fevers bite!

16 months old today

the apple

 

christmas 2009 highlights

• going to breakfast at bambara then crossing the street to head to ballet west’s nutcracker at the capital theater on christmas eve day…sidenote: we got a babysitter for the first time that wasn’t my mom or my sister. crazy huh?
• trying to find the over enthused man at the nutcracker who was cheering so excitedly and shouting bravo and brava every 5 minutes. then finding him and watching him. so great and so funny.
• making goodies. i didn’t make as many as i usually do, but i plan on making more before the year is up just cuz i wanna.
• charlotte opening her new pj’s on christmas eve. billy came home with them one day and i thought he did a great job picking them out!

  charlotte toting around her jammies

• christmas morning. charlotte helped unwrap gifts and enjoyed her presents, but she got especially excited for her new doll and even more excited for the sippy cup that came with the doll.

• going to my parent’s house for a delicious breakfast. so good!
• opening presents with all of the cousins.
• going home for a much needed nap for billy, josette and chuck.

charlotte was deliriously tired by the time we left in the afternoon. 

• going back to my parents house for a delicious christmas dinner…more yum.

christmas lowlights:

• charlotte waking up christmas morning at 1:45am and not going back to bed til 5am. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO US!! she wasn’t crying at all…just talking and having a grand ol’ time in her crib.
• chuck being tired most of christmas day…she was still in pretty good spirits though.

i’m officially done with christmas. decorations down! christmas post done! bye bye christmas. i love how every year i am so excited to see christmas come and to see it go!

15 month stats

weight: 22 pounds 9 ounces…45%

height: 31 inches…65%

head: still very big

okay, i love charlotte at 15 months! i have loved her at all ages, but she is so so fun lately. she is loving the christmas season and is obsessed with santa. out of all the words that charlotte knows she says “santa” the most…even more than “dada”. when i ask her to say “mommy” she says, “santa”. it’s rad. she will say “jesus” when prompted to, but prefers to say “santa”. she loves the christmas tree and will snag an ornament here and there, but overall she is pretty good with not destroying the tree. she is diggin the holiday music…”santa claus is comin to town” and “feliz navidad” are two of her favorites.

 

billy and chuck with our christmas tree atop the car. it was cooold.

 

 

charlotte snaggin an ornament. p.s. see that santa in the background? she loves that santa and carries him all around the house. she also does a pretty good “ho ho ho”.

 

that’s all for now. i just had to retype this whole post due to me knockin the power cord out of the wall. DOH! sorry if it’s a bit choppy.

randomness at best

just ate THE best orange and i wanted to document it because i seriously do not remember the last time i wasn’t disappointed with an orange that i peeled myself and ate. nothin’ better than a delish orange.

 

i’m making a stocking for charlotte. i think it’s cute (i will post pictures later). but, i may have just ruined the cuteness by trying to put her name on it…it’s not finished, but i’ll let you know. or even better, you can be the judge.

 

i just got our family picture framed and now i am trying to rearrange my “families are forever” wall. it is a wall with a bunch of pictures and stuff dealing with family…and now that i have made our family picture GINORMOUS i cannot stand to look at this wall…but i also can’t stop looking…it’s like a train wreck.

it needs somethin’ and i don’t know what.

billy’s mom and sister are coming to town and the house is a mess. i will be up all night tonight and tomorrow scrubbing the place down. i wish charlotte was a heavier sleeper so i could get the vacuum out without her waking up. for the love!

 

i am craving caramel popcorn.

 

that’s all i got.

search, ponder and post:getting my life back edition

*i get my life back today! been spending lots o’ time at the conference center rehearsing and performing for the mo tab’s christmas concert with natalie cole. a few things about this so i don’t forget:

i loved every minute of it. loved dancing through the aisles of the conference center. loved hearing the choir. loved meeting lloyd newell! loved hearing natalie cole get better and better with each performance. she really is such an elegant lady and her voice grew on me with every song she sang. loved seeing her walk in and out in 6 inch stillettos…seriously not lyin! loved the stories that david mccullough told. loved loved loved the remix organ solo of good king wencelas and the nutcracker songs…seriously something straight from “GLEE”. loved seeing pres. uchdorf RIGHT in front of me while i was dancing and president monsen a little to the left. loved seeing uchdorf’s smiling face the whole time! loved the beautiful christmas decorations adorning the stage. loved watching mack wilberg work his magic. loved going through the underground tunnels from the conference center to the church office building to eat lunch. SO YUMMY! loved how the concert filled the whole conference center with the christmas spirit. loved hearing pres. monsen tell natalie cole he was proud of her. loved being on the stage when the choir sang “god be with you til we meet again” especially to natalie. loved watching miss cole get teary eyed as she most assuredly felt the spirit.

things i did not love: being away from chuck and billy. missing chuck sit on santa’s lap at the ward party.

p.s. on saturday morning i got a call from my mom saying i was in the deseret news!! funny stuff. here is the picture:

i know you might ask yourself, “where is she looking?” well, i was always taught to look to the third balcony and project way up there…so i did…not sure where these other chumps are looking. ha! except the guy in the hat…he’s lookin to the balcony too. ANYWAY…can i just tell you that it was so nerve racking to stand there knowing my big mug was on the jumbo tron because they of course would be getting a shot of natalie. i’ve never smiled so hard in my life!

giveaway

my very talented and amazing sister is doing a give.a.way. she has started a new online shop with some very cute things to offer. she makes custom t-shirts that are to-die-for. so, so, so cute and very high quality. i seriously love them. go to her blog and enter to win one!!!

go check out the shop…boutique ballou

florida ‘09

billy and i just got back from florida. yes, we left charlotte with my parents for 4 whole days…and five nights!! even writing this right now i can’t believe i survived!! i missed her so so much and was so worried she thought we had abandoned her. BUT, we had a blast and now that snow has graced utah i wish i was back in florida!! we went with some great friends from chicago who always keep me laughing.

we started our vacation with a trip to the beach. we went to cocoa beach and it was pretty windy, but still loads of fun.

 

we asked joe if we could bury him in the sand…he said no. the next thing we knew he was diggin himself a hole to lay in. so, we made him into a merman…much to his delight.

hahahaha!

mia with her imaginary friends!

it was windy!!

we went to sea world…i love sea world! it was billy’s first time, and he loved it too.

the dolphin show was my favorite.

 

i saw some guy who was wearing matching shirts with billy and i really wanted billy to go stand next to him. he didn’t want to (that’s weird) so i managed to snap this shot. i really love billy’s face.

 

our mock engagement picture (thanks for the idea brit)

  shamu was fun too…but mostly due to natalie making me laugh hysterically!! i haven’t laughed that hard for a while. i hope you never erase those pictures from your camera nat!

we went to epcot…

mexico norway

italy

  morocco

china

england

epcot was so awesome and fun!!! even getting completely drenched watching the amazing fireworks was great. billy and i were the only one’s in the whole park who didn’t buy a $7 poncho. it’s about our principles people!!

next up…magical kingdom…

we were greeted with a parade on arrival!!

we were sooo excited!

 

mia and nat in their awesome AND cute ponchos.

the castle was so neat at night. it kept changing colors and it was decked out with lights that looked like icicles. rad!

we had so much fun going to all of these fun places, but going with our peeps made it that much better. i wish i could go into more detail on all that we did, but seriously this post is already waaay too long…

pound it girrrl!

it was a great trip, but i was sooooo excited to come back to this little girl.

happy halloween

search, ponder and post

some things:

• first, i had to scrape off my car this morning before church…what a downer… but, the sun is out so that makes me happy.
• i get excited to get chuck dressed for church every sunday. she looked especially cute today and got loads and loads of compliments. i didn’t get any…shocker!

• before church i vowed i would start eating really good and then after church i got home and ate a piece of leftover pizza and a mini 3 musketeers and a coke zero. it’s sad.
• chuck is gonna be a ladybug for halloween due to the hand-me-down ladybug costume from my sister’s little girl. she will be cute, but it’s not my first choice…and this might be the last year i can be the sole decision maker for her halloween costume. oh well, it’s free. if it was up to billy, she wouldn’t have a costume at all. he doesn’t like halloween. what the? good thing it’s not up to him.
• i am itching to do some decorating changes in my house, but i really shouldn’t spend the money.
• my sister took some family pictures of us and they turned out really well(even if i do criticize myself in every photo)…she is so awesome. i am currently trying to decide which one i like better maybe you can help(as in the two or three of you that read this blog):

• i just bought some new jeans that i needed very badly. BUT, i have a bad habit of buying them too big. now i am constantly pulling up my brand new jeans. frustrating. maybe i should go get them tailored?
• in relief society today the teacher showed a clip of elder holland’s talk in april. i cried. it is just so good.
• i love sundays.

happy birthday billy

i must do a shout out to my amazing husband billy. he turned 32 today! i love this guy so so much! he is the best husband ever AND who knew that he would be such a wonderful, amazing, tender father? I DID!!!(not to toot my own horn or anything) happy birthday babe! i love ya!!

charlotte’s first birthday

so here is the post on charlotte’s birthday…short n’ sweet version. i meant to post this a month ago. oops. i think i’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

charlotte’s amazing unwrapping skillz

  the birthday girl

charlotte and her entourage

more unwrapping skillz…plus check out lola’s face…funny

 

getting ready for cake

  the cake i made with my mom’s help

charlotte and her smash cake

  she was pretty serious about eating the cake

playing with the pony that grandma and grandpa gave her…yeehaw!

it was a great day! i’m pretty sure she loved every minute of it.