charlotte's performance

We have had a busy week. Most of last week, our church did a mission trip to the city of Des Moines, called "Mission to the City". (Rather than going overseas or across the country to serve people, we chose to stay in Des Moines and serve people here. People took off work to do this; it was everything you'd expect from a mission trip, minus the hostels and the luggage.) It was wonderful; very encouraging! (I wasn't able to participate much with M2TC, but I did a lot of the other M2TC, "Mission to the Charlotte". Haha.) Matt, however, was very involved with the regular M2TC, and was gone until late most days last week, coming home completely exhausted (for a good cause, of course). Then, last night, our church had an event called "Arts in the Village", and Matt was in charge of a lot of stuff for that event. The event consisted of great food, live music, live art, as well as artists from around Des Moines displaying some of their work. I think the event went really well, but it was a lot of work for Matt - he was home even later the last few nights from working on stuff for that than he was for M2TC stuff, and he was even more tired. PLUS, all three of us have been sharing a cold, which, for Matt, peaked at Arts in the Village in terms of sluggishness/sore throat-ness. Suffice it to say, we've kind of been looking forward to this weekend - just so we could have Daddy with us for a bit, and especially so that Matt could rest up and hopefully feel better soon! (Although we were very grateful to be involved in the opportunities of M2TC and Arts in the Village, don't get me wrong!)

What was the point of saying all of that? To set the stage for this morning! Matt and I were sitting on the couches, trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our morning (relax at home, go to the Farmer's Market, go to Home Depot, etc), and Charlotte was tooling around, entertaining herself. Just as Matt and I were about to peel ourselves off the couches, Charlotte did something very interesting. It was so interesting that she ended up deciding what we'd do with our morning!

It's hard to put into words how cute, unique, sweet, perplexing, inventive, and... well, CUTE it was!! But, I'll try. Charlotte decided to put on a one woman show/recital for us. She walked over to this little play mat by the fireplace, turned to face us, then she'd say/sing some jibberish, pause, then she'd erupt in applause, yelling "YAAAAAY!!!!". She repeated this process for literally 15 minutes. (One thing to note is that whenever a song finishes - on the radio, at church, during a music class for children, etc - she applauds and yells "YAAAAY!!!".) She was very specific about where she would stand - it was always on the little play mat. It seemed like she obviously considered to be a stage! (Girl, how do you know what a stage is?) So, after she'd done this for ten minutes or so - Matt and I having been thoroughly entertained the entire time - I got up the courage to get my camera, hoping it wouldn't keep her from continuing her performance. It didn't. Here are some videos of the cuteness.

(I will say that I've watched these videos, and they're nowhere NEAR as cute as the live show was. The cutest thing about it was the randomness of it all - like, "WHY are you doing this???", "How did you get the idea to do this?", "Have you been to some poetry readings that we don't know about?", etc. The second cutest thing about it was the persistence; the fact that she did the same thing over and over again for 15 minutes, with a consistent level of enthusiasm and a consistently proud smile on her face the whole time. The third cutest thing was her eye contact, which you can't really grasp in these videos, either. But trust me, it was cute, and these videos are just a small souvenir that we'll keep from this experience; they will hopefully jog our memories to relive the live show in our minds years from now, remembering how sweet our almost-two-year-old Charlotte was, during her first performance.)

This last video is the same as the other two, but it shows Matt sitting on the couch. He and I would clap and yell "YAAAAY!!!" along with her just about every time. 

I think Charlotte's plan for our morning was waaaaay better than any Farmer's Market, Home Depot trip, or whatever else we would have done. What better way to kick back and relax after a long week than a morning at the theater? I don't necessarily know what this "means". Perhaps this means that she likes to perform? Perhaps it means that she likes attention from her parents? Perhaps it means that she's just a peculiar little girl with a big imagination? Perhaps this is some weird milestone that all 21-month-olds reach? But one thing's for sure: I know that it means she's our little sweet, one-of-a-kind, beautiful, creative, and hilarious Charlotte!! I would choose her to be my daughter over any other little girl in the world! We love her SOOOO much, and we can't wait to see more of her performances in the future!!!! 

book report: monkeys jumpin' on the bed

I wanted to include a video for this book report, because Charlotte picked up on an action that I would do while reading this book. "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" by Eileen Christelow shares the same words as that children's game (it's a game, right?): "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head. The mama called the doctor and the doctor said, 'No more monkeys jumping on the bed!'" Then "Four little monkeys...", then three, two and one.

When I got to the line, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!", I'd shake my finger at the book. I don't know if I came up with this motion, or if that motion goes with the story/game/whatever it is, but either way, Charlotte picked up on it. Sure enough, each time I'd read the book, as soon as she'd recognize this book was the one with the finger motion - even before we'd get to that part - she'd start shaking her finger at the book. Just watch. It's sweet. 

charlotte's quiet time

What is a quiet time? I mean, it could just be a time that you're quiet. But, I'm referring specifically to something else. In many Christian circles, people call their devotional times with the Lord a "quiet time". That's what I call it. (I kind of think it's a weird name for it, if I'm really being honest, but it's what I'm used to calling it, so here we are.) Every day, I spend a little time reading my Bible and praying. I usually do this during Charlotte's nap time, although I want to be better about doing it before she wakes up for the day (one day...). It's very important to me that I spend at least a little bit of time each day both hearing from and talking to the Lord. It's during these times that the Lord changes my life and my heart the most. If you haven't tried having a "quiet time" before, you should totally do it! Don't just do it one time, though - do it every day, even just for a little while. There's a reason so many people still read the Bible today. :-) 

But yesterday, Charlotte decided she wanted to have a quiet time of her own. She picked up a Bible that was sitting out in our living room (a KJV from Dollar Tree, no less), and started flipping through it. She even started reading aloud, which I triumphantly captured on video!!! (You'll have to listen really carefully to hear her "reading" aloud, but it's very sweet. She even looks up at Matt and I to make sure we're paying attention.) 

So sweet!!! Matt and I debated about whether or not to let her "play" with the Bible. One thought was that we don't want her to be used to playing with adult books - maybe one day she'd rip a page out of someone else's Bible...? But, she was playing with it so nicely, that we decided it was best to let her explore the Word of God, even at this young age. And really, I bought that particular copy at Dollar Tree, and I only use the KJV as a reference for deeper study. 

I'll leave you with some action photos of Charlotte's quiet time:

27

Today was my 27th birthday. It was such a great day! I feel very grateful for all the people that the Lord has put in my life. I woke up to a few texts from friends wishing me a happy birthday. Then, Matt brought me an iced vanilla latte from Village Bean, and informed me that we'd be going to La Mie for brunch. Village Bean, by the way, has AMAZING coffee!! Apparently, they changed their espresso about a year ago, which for me, took it from a place that I'd only go to for convenience sake to a place that I'd like to go out of my way to patronize! Also, La Mie is just great. Just great great great.

After brunch, we went to the Art Center. I am so thankful that Des Moines has an Art Center with free admission! There is a large Jackson Pollock painting there through July, so we went to see that. I was also really impressed with another exhibit from Tony Feher, which is only there for another week or so. After admiring the art, we walked around the Rose Garden. All three of us seem to be a little sick, so we (okay, just I) couldn't walk for too long.

Then, we came home and relaxed for awhile. Winston joined us and wished me a happy birthday by purring on the couch next to me. At this time, I got a few surprises delivered to my door! My sister sent me some really fun cookies (thanks, Meredith!!!):

...and Matt's mom sent me some beautiful flowers (thanks, Laurie!!):

Later on, our friend Alex Mentzer came over to babysit Charlotte while Matt and I went out to dinner and a movie. Matt had made reservations for us at Centro, which is a fun place to go out to eat on a special night! They even made me a special dish that's no longer on the menu (just ask for cheese-filled tortellini with pesto, peas, tomatoes and mushrooms - it will make you cry it's so yummy... and then tell them to put it back on the menu). Then we saw "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which we both enjoyed. When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I kept wanting to find a movie about pregnancy to rent, but I don't think I ever scratched that itch. So, when I saw ads for this movie coming out - when I'm in my third trimester, no less - I made it clear to Matt that we would be going to that. He agreed to it. 

Matt does such a great job of making me feel appreciated and special everyday, so on my birthday, he makes that message even more loud and clear. I am so thankful for him. He even got me some beautiful jewelries. I feel so special! Thanks, Sweet!!!! 

If you read all of that, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. What a boring post for anyone who is not me! 

charlotte's first composition

There are high expectations for Charlotte to be musical. I have a degree in Music Education, and Matt was a Music Ed major for a lot of his college experience, as well. (Some readers may not know that Matt's one of the best keyboard players I've ever known, in addition to being a skilled trombonist, which was his major instrument. He is very skilled at improvising and has a great sense of musicianship.) When people talk to me about Charlotte, that's usually one of the first things they mention - that they expect her to be musical in some way. 

However, Matt and I haven't noticed much of an interest in music from her - at least not more than an average toddler (and definitely not as much as her interest in dancing). I'm not too taken aback by this, since Matt's and my families aren't the MOST musical people in the world, although they all have musical talent. But, there are no other music majors in our immediate families.

BUT!! Charlotte, it appears, does have an interest in music after all; it's just manifesting itself in a different way than I was expecting. You see, she's composed her first "song" - but it's not melodic (probably because she can't sing yet...); it is rhythmic. She's been "singing" this same "song" for the last week or so, multiple times a day. It's always the same. There are two parts (or more likely, two versions) of the "song", but she usually hits both parts (or versions) every time she "sings" it. 

Would you like to sing along with Charlotte's First Composition???? You're in luck! I've transcribed it! You can find both parts (or versions) below. (Be advised, sometimes she'll change the lyrics, which I suspect are just different verses. You might throw in a "Ba" where you'd otherwise say "Da" once in awhile.)

Charlotte likes to start out her days by "singing" her "song", while she's getting changed from pajamas to day clothes:

During breakfast, she's still "singing" her "song":

Even when Daddy comes home from work, she's not sick of her "song" yet! She's happy to "sing" it again for Daddy, even with a mouthful of sippy cup:

Beware. That "song" gets stuck in your head!

I hope you enjoyed Charlotte's First Composition. All rights reserved.

gah-reat garage sale

I had the most successful garage sale-ing experience of my life this past weekend. I mentioned in my last post about the toy stroller I got for Charlotte and clothes I got for New Cute, so that was nice. But the next day, Matt came with us, and we went to the jackpot of all garage sales. 

You see, the family having the sale had a girl and a boy - the girl was a few years older than the boy (just like us!). Also, this family had decided that they were done having children, so all of her maternity clothes (in my size, yay!!) were for sale as well. AND, this lady is apparently super anal about her laundry, because there wasn't a stain in sight, nor were there any faded colors, weird color bleeds, or yellow-ed whites; everything was clean, clean, clean (cleaner than my clothes, to be honest). Two words: Jack, Pot. I seriously could have bought everything she had there, and walked away with a complete wardrobe for New Cute, full of quality brands (like Baby Gap, Carter's, Gymboree, etc), but I only picked out my absolute favorites (I've listed all that I purchased below the pictures). 

The jackpot was specifically the following items, all purchased for $50:

• 10 maternity shirts
• 2 nursing shirts 
• 3 nursing tank tops - I meant to buy some of those when I was nursing Charlotte, but they usually cost around $20 each, so I never bought them. Joke's on you, Target! I got 3 of them for $2!
• 2 Bella bands (the real brand, which is far superior to the ones I had already)
• pair of maternity jeans
• pair of maternity capris
• black maternity skirt
• 3 Carter's fleece pajamas for New Cute
• sleep sac for New Cute
• snowsuit for New Cute
• SUPER CUTE navy blue corduroy coat for New Cute
• 2 full Carter's outfits for New Cute
• 5 pairs of pants for New Cute
• super cute Gymboree plaid shirt for New Cute
• super cute Gymboree SWEATER VEST for New Cute
• monitor (We'd like to have one for Charlotte and one for New Cute since they'll be in separate rooms. We think it will work out because Charlotte's is digital and the one we purchased is analog. Matt claims that it should be like how WiFi never interferes with radio waves... We still need to test this.)
• a board book by an author that Charlotte really likes
• car seat belt pads for Charlotte, since I've misplaced one of the pair that came with her car seat
• 2 skirts for Charlotte
• pair of jean shorts for Charlotte
• 5 shirts for Charlotte 
• toy stroller for Charlotte

Are you impressed???????? In case you're not yet, that's 47 items for $50; 47 items that we will use a lot - some of which we'll even use every day (monitor, sleep sac, toy stroller, etc). I'm pretty pumped about it all! 

stroller, sunglasses and soccer

Stroller

This morning, Charlotte and I drove past a garage sale, and I noticed that there was a lot of kid stuff there, so we stopped in. I scored some clothes for her brother (including a sweater vest!!!!), and we also found a really fun toy for Charlotte. $2 got us this sweet little doll stroller. She loves it so much!!! She played with it after her nap, and I might as well have not been in the house - she was completely entertained on her own. It is just more proof to me that she is going to be an excellent big sister! 

When I was going through pictures to pick which ones to put on the blog, I noticed that the following one looks like she's actually checking on the baby. I thought to myself, "No... that can't be what she's doing"... but then I saw the following video that Matt took. Check it out for yourself!

She's always ready to smile for the camera, even when she's busy taking care of her baby. 

Here's a close-up of her "baby", followed by a video of her actually putting the baby in the stroller. It is so sweet how gingerly she places the baby in there, and adjusts "her" to make sure she's safe, before Charlotte goes strolling on her way. Not only is she going to be an excellent big sister, she is (Lord willing) going to be a GREAT mother someday! (I love her so much!)

In case you haven't seen enough videos of the same thing, here's another one. Although, this one is slightly different than the others in that she talks to herself in the mirror, which I find very endearing. Also, you can see how great she is at maneuvering this stroller - you'd never know she's only been playing with it for a matter of minutes! PS: Watch for a cameo from Winston in this one (he's in his new favorite spot). 

Winston Interlude

For some reason, Winston has been very interested in going into Charlotte's room lately. Even this afternoon, during Charlotte's nap, Winston went pawing at her door, meowing all the while. (I found it 10% cute and 90% aggravating.) And, on numerous occasions, he's decided to nap on her changing table. Um, ew??! I don't understand his sudden interest in Charlotte's room. Who knows what's going through his cat brain sometimes? 

King of the Jungle

Cat brain, deep in thought.

Sunglasses

Tonight, we went with some friends to a high school girl's soccer game. Our friend, Adam, has a coworker who coaches the team, and he wanted to show some support. I was a little nervous about Charlotte hanging out on the bleachers, but she had a great time! I'll talk more about the soccer game later, but one thing that kept her occupied the whole time was our sunglasses.

I guess it's time for me to buy her some Charlotte-sized sunglasses.

Soccer

Charlotte did such a great job at the soccer game. And, in pure Charlotte form, she made some new friends. There were a couple high school girls who were sitting in front of us who couldn't help but talk to Charlotte; and of course, Charlotte was more than excited to talk to them. 

She had a good time hanging out with her regular friends, too:

In this next video, Adam and some of the other guys were trying to get the crowd and the players pumped up, because our team was down by two points. I don't know if the cheering helped the team much, but it sure got Charlotte all fired up. It's hard to hear, but after Adam yells, "Go! Go! Go!", Charlotte says, "go...go...go..."

The other thing that was great about the soccer game is that Charlotte and Daddy had some fun times together. I love seeing them hang out - and she LOVES her daddy SOOOO much!!