Señorita Sullivan!

Happy Birthday Sullivan!  

What better way to celebrate a First Birthday than the mexican restaurant?  Of course!  

Our special guest... Mexi (as Charlotte has named her) - forever to be displayed in Sully's room.

 "Now wait... I get to eat this??"

 "If Charlotte gives it to me - I'm sure its safe." 

 "YES!  It is good!"

"Reeealllllly good!"

 "Leave me alone woman... let me eat my cake!"

 The Big-Kids Cake

What a fun year its been -- watching you grow!  Fiery personality to say the least, the sweetest hugs ever, and big blue eyes that will melt you to pieces!  You follow your sister everywhere and can have full conversations with Fern, the dog.  Not a fan of potatoes - however you love pasta.  Especially with red sauce... just like Charlotte.  Grilled cheese sandwiches make you silly and ice cream is your favorite treat! You took your first steps the day your turned 11 months and haven't stopped since.  Peek-a-boo is your favorite game and snuggle time with mommy before bed is a must.  

We can't wait to watch you grow into the amazing little lady we all know you will be!  

xoxox

A Fair is a Veritable Smorgasbord...

Pardon the Charlotte's Web song reference... I can't help but think of it anytime I mention the Fair.  Which is exactly where we went!  To the Fair for a fun filled afternoon.  Now, I had not been to the fairgrounds in a loooong time.  Like high school long time.  I had several friends that played legion ball and I think that was the last time I was there!  No worries though -- it hadn't changed much.  Nor had the crowd in attendance... talk about "people watching"!  We did a pony ride, watched the pig races (!), and stocked up on the lemonade.  Then, as we were making our way to the rides, Charlotte spotted her best buddy from school, Daniel.  Daniel and his Mom, Dad, and sister were headed that way too.  Well, that was all it took... Lemonade, fair rides, and Daniel.  Charlotte was a happy girl the rest of the day.  Sullivan was a trooper in the stroller the whole time, but I think she'll be joining the "rides" as soon as she can!  I'm so glad Charlotte has the "roller coaster riding gene" from both me and daddy!  

pig races

 Daniel

How they walked all day... casually... right in front of me!  Come on Charlotte, give me a few more years!

Two of a Kind

Music to my ears.

Here is what I found downstairs on the piano (mine when I was little). Looks like we have a composer on our hands! I asked her about it and she said, "It's my song". Then she sat down and played it for me. Its beautiful... in a Charlotte kinda way.

One small step for Sully...

One giant leap for the Bakers! Sullivan has taken her first "solo steps"! Atta girl! About 3 steps after letting go of the crib (she was standing beside it) and walked right on over to Mommy! I called Wes and Charlotte in to witness and she did it several more times. She was so proud of herself; laughing as we were cheering! She is only 11 months old as of TODAY - so in my books that officially makes her a genius. ;-)

Everybody watch out... she's on the move!

Sweet sleepers.

This is how we found the girls after a night with the babysitter. Hey, I don't blame her... don't wake a sleeping baby, right?

Charlottes favorite thing to do... On the weekends Wes and Charlotte curl up on the couch before bed and usually watch a Scooby Doo movie - this is what happens on BUSY weekends!

Sully and Sleepovers

Thought I should do a little update on Sullivan in the format like I used to do for Charlotte... "What's Sullivan Up To"?

Sullivan loves:

- Charlotte

- Fern

- her tupperware container full of uncooked pasta

- pulling up on things

- splashing in the bath

- food.

- being in the middle of everything

She is a super fast crawler and while she is not walking yet, she is close. She pulls up on anything and everything and will walk along that object. She has a sweet giggle that usually comes out most for Charlotte. She will follow her sister anywhere and is a pretty good listener when told "no". She points at things a lot and is extremely curious. She has 4 teeth and is eating a lot of table food. She likes things that are tomato-based the best (spaghetti, lasagna, etc). She is almost 11 months old and I think she will be so happy to be a year old! Front facing, whole milk, and no bottles! We call her Cricket - 'cause if you are remotely close to her she likes to rub on you constantly. Like a little crickets legs. Oh, sweet Sully... you make us smile!

Also - just 'cause its super cute... here are some fun pics from when Magi and Poppo invited Charlotte over for a sleep over with the boy cousins (Alex and Nicholas were staying there while their parents had plans). So, instead of just a sleep over, why not go to Monkey Joe's too! Yay! Thanks Magi and Poppo! Charlotte had so much fun being part of the "big kids"!

Whew... Birthday Part 4

Annnnd, then there was her ACTUAL birthday. Yep... Her birthday was a Sunday and the festivities took place Friday and Saturday. Thank goodness the Birthday Fairy (sort of like Santa, and has the same standards) remembered where she lived... cause she got a new bean bag chair and a bike! 6:45 am and Charlotte is in her (new) pajamas riding her new bike on the road! What an amazing birthday! She has already been asking when she turn 5.... yikes!

And Part 2 & 3... party day!

After what was already an awesome birthday at the Zoo, came the parties! We had a princess tea party at Madison Tate's in downtown Hickory, the perfect girly-party spot! There is dress up, craft time, make up, hair glitter, nail painting, snacks/cake, balloons and glitter galore! Words don't even describe how cool it was. We had an "all-girls" party, so all the female family members (in town) could come and some of her school and dance class friends as well! We didn't tell Charlotte until a few hours before the party - with good reason -- she didn't stop asking if it was time to go for those hours! Check out these princesses and their kingdom for the day!

As if that wasn't enough... if you have an all-girls party, you have to have a boys party too! So, we took a quick break at home after the princess tea and geared up for round 2. Dinner with the whole family at Charlottes favorite... Village Inn Pizza Parlor! Always nice to top off the day with a pizza buffet!

Happy Birthday Redbird! Part 1...

Charlotte is 4?!? Can you believe it?! I started this blog when I was pregnant with her - it seems like yesterday. Such a little lady, so smart, funny, and a joy to be around. We are so lucky! This year her birthday turned into kind of a big deal. Aunt Ashley and Uncle Perry came to visit for the occasion - which is a big deal in itself! But -- even bigger... they wanted to take her to the zoo! So, Ash, Perry, Charlotte, and Wes played hookie from work/school that Friday and off they went! MM had to work - so I enjoyed text messages and photos throughout the day. They had a blast! It was hot -- but they stayed hydrated and shaded as best they could. All the animals Charlotte had been asking about were there (plus more!). I have a feeling that gift may be hard to top!