Girls Day!

Saturday, Charlotte and I headed out for lunch with some of my best girlfriends from college. Sorority sisters in fact. It was a great day and I have no idea why it has taken us this long to plan something that turned out to be so easy! Charlotte loved being around the new babies, Daniel and Nolan! Thanks for a great visit girls!

Why, yes. That is a giant blackberry.

We went to the Blackberry Festival in Lenoir this weekend. Lots of fun - but hot! I hope that "blackberry" got some perks from dressing up in the stuffy costume! Blackberry Ice cream was enjoyed by all!

must have had turkey in it...

Fell asleep with a breakfast burrito in her hand. Hmmm - remember when I was pregnant and I had a strange thing for those burritos? Like mama like daughter.

Water Baby!

And off to the beach we went! One whole week of fun in the sun! It was well deserved and needed, if I do say so myself. We were joined by our friends, the Steeds, and had a great time.... kids and adults alike! Charlotte loves the water! By mid week she was jumping off the side of the pool and asking to go play in the big water (ocean)! She had such a good time with Conley and Chandler! Good meals, nice tans, sandcastles, ice cream, shopping/golf day, and we even ventured into one of those cheesy beach shops (like a wings or eagles or something?). We were there for the Fourth of July and had great seats for the fireworks and celebrated with an All American cookout. Here are some of the pictures!

Wilderness Charlotte

This post is a bit out of order - but recent just the same. A few weeks ago, we took a family camping trip with Brian and Laura (mm's brother and sis in law) who were visiting from Oregon. We went to Spruce Pine, NC and camped at the Bear Den campground. Fun times were had by all! We grilled hot dogs over the fire and made smores - and Charlotte slept in the tent! Just like a big camping girl! It was such a great visit with Doc and LaLa, and as always, too short. But, we have some great pics to remember it all!

Birthday Shenanigans

Its official! She's a 2 year old! She's had the party to prove it! We are so lucky to have such an amazing group of family and friends to celebrate with - they spoil her! Pizza and cookie cake... that's the way to go for sure.

"Charlotte Happy Paaaaty"

(This is what we have been hearing a lot of lately - since we have been telling Charlotte that she is going to be having a birthday soon and I think she associates Birthdays with Parties - thanks to little celebrations at school. So, if we say "Happy Birthday!" she says, "Happy Paaaaaaaty!")

So ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE! I can't believe its been 2 years! We are the luckiest parents in the world!

first day

first smile

first bath

first best friend

first kiss

first time to see the ocean

first sporting event

first xmas

first ice cream

first birthday

first haircut

first snow


We love you red-bird!

Splash!

Its the first pool /water play time of the summer for us - and Charlotte had a blast as always. I got out the old baby pool and a beach ball crazy sprinkler and let her go to town!

At one point I asked her if she was having fun, and she said yes. Then I asked her if she loved the water and she said yes - and then leaned in the pool to kiss the water!

I can't wait to get her in the big pool!!

Its All a Blur...

Whoops, seems it has been a long time since I blogged. Sorry 'bout that. It's just that the Bakers have been busy! To sum it all up in no particular order... work, work travels, weekends away from home, an extremely snotty cold, a reborn need to read at night, nice weather outdoor play, both parents being sick, holiday, and all around excitement of a (almost) 2 year old... this is the time I get to write!

Things are great. I won't babble on too much this post - I'll skim the surface, but I will get back on track with posting from here on!

We did get a quick weekend trip to Charleston in recently (Wes was in a golf tourney - and we met him there). This was MM and Charlottes first trip back since October! We were able to finally meet some of the babies that were born since we left. Charlotte's godparents, Liz and Barton recently had a beautiful little girl, Eliza, whom we got to love and hug on all weekend. Charlotte loved it and was so sweet with her. I think has sparked her recent love of baby-dolls!




We also got to meet Chandler! She is the daughter of our good friends James and Suzie (parents of Conley as well) from our old neighborhood. Conley and Charlotte played cars while the mommies visited and made fun faces at Chandler. The Holmans came over as well to fit in a visit - so Charlotte got to see all the boys at once!





And last but not least, we got to see our god-son, Jack! We all met up for a play date at the playground - and it was like old times again. We miss Robyn, Jake, and Jack so much, but the kids picked up right where they left off... playing!

Oh My!!

We've had some pretty busy times recently -- but last weekend, we went as a family to Mayfest in downtown Newton. We didn't really know what to expect, but it was great! They had done such a great job with the vendors, the weather was good, good music, and Charlotte loved it! Well, Charlotte loved seeing the "blue choo choo" drive around the square and of course the petting zoo. The girl has no fear! The petting zoo was a pretty unique blend of goats, cows, llamas, porcupines, a camel, and a kangaroo?!?! well, I thought it was strange - but Charlotte had no issues with it. After seeing the animals meant no harm and just wanted to eat the yummy carrots we were holding, she warmed up to all of them! The goats were a little needy, and the camel was big and in your face all the time, but our personal favorites were the llamas. We fed them, petted them, and Charlotte let them eat out of her hands and even got a kiss from one of them! Here are a few of the pics from the event.





Oddly enough, the next day, Charlotte had another run in with some unique animals. MM's mom asked us to go with her to "Memorial Sunday" in her hometown of Harris, NC to visit with some childhood friends and add some new flowers to the cemetery where Charlotte's great grandparents are buried. As tradition, everyone gathers for a covered dish meal at lunch and this year was no different. We ate the "weekend farm house" of an old Huss family friend who happens to be an avid hunter. So, the decor was not really our style, but impressive just he same. Charlotte touched (all stuffed of course) a bear, a timber wolf, deer, and a moose! Crazy!