Interior decorator extraordinaire

Don't you love these two holiday arrangements from Pottery Barn?

 So the other day I was flipping through the latest Pottery Barn Catalog and I was coveting all the amazing home decor and their style and pizzazz of arranging every little detail.  As I looked at the shelves or table tops with multiple items stacked together and crowded onto the space to make it look so complete, and I thought, "dude, (that is how I talk to myself in my inner monologue) you should make some arrangements like that on your book shelves."  Then I looked up and realized I already had.  Your jealous, I know.  I am available for hire for all of your home decor needs.

And for the grandma's (Charlotte's and ours):

Look who is learning to feed herself!

Hanging around

  She has turned everything into a purse.  If she can slip her little arm through a hole in something, she carries it around like a purse.

Grocery basket

Toy bucket

Kindle case

Her swimming suit

Momma's sandal

Mammie

Mammie is staying with us for a week.  Charlotte has a blast with Mammie.  

Lately Charlotte has been doing this high pitched screaming (it is pretty obnoxious).  She walks around the house making this noise.  Mammie said in a very sweet voice, "oh very nice Charlotte.  Are you practicing for Walmart?" Then the next day when she was doing it again, Mammie said, "oh charlotte that is beautiful...is that 'Walmart in B flat'?"  

 Mammie says, "you are so sweet.  I gotta stick around long enough to teach you to cuss."

 Mammie showed Charlotte that she can help in the kitchen by pulling a chair up.  Now anytime I am doing something in the kitchen Charlotte is grunting and puffing to drag her chair over.

full

We have taken so many pictures of Charlotte that our storage capacity has maxed out on iPhoto.  There are new pictures of her, but they are safely being stored on my camera until I find a way to get more pictures on my computer.

Also, I would like to note that I am not pregnant.  This Friday a co-worker said, "it is Friday, be happy."  Another chimed in and said, "a three day weekend even!"  I think I grunted at them....it is the civil thing to do.  The first said, "you really should cheer up."  This time I grunted with a glare.  She asked, "what is your deal?  Are you pregnant or something?  You are always in a pissy mood lately."
Nope....not pregnant.  I laughed about it and realized I probably needed a vacation.  Then I came home and recounted the story to Rich and he said, "oh good it's not just me..."  Now, at this point I SWEAR he paused to decide how to proceed.  He swears there was NO pause and he completed the statement "....that is always in a bad mood."

To all who are getting to enjoy our not-so-sunshiny attitude lately, I apologize.  We are happy...really we are... but trying to decide what to do with your future while still living in a very busy present is hard work.  Sometimes I am grouchy.  Sometimes Rich is grouchy.  Charlotte really likes Sesame Street and Oscar is grouchy.  Luckily, she loves all of us.

Stuff

There is a smell in the air that only comes when sun is just over the horizon in the early summer mornings.  The smell is that of satisfaction that you are about to enjoy a morning run  If I could assign a color to the smell it would be "spring green".    The smell takes away the resentment I had for my alarm that was blaring 10 minutes previous.  The smell tells me it will be worth it.  For 6 weeks I was walking out the front door and smelling that smell then walking crest-fallen to my car for the drive to gym.  I would pout every time I would see somebody jogging.

Thankfully 2 weeks ago (I started this post 2 weeks ago) I was able to start running again.  IT IS GLORIOUS!!  I am sort of obsessed with running.  Morning runs are awesome and I am so glad to be back and not pouting every morning.

In other news, today a new couple in our ward invited us over for dinner.  Charlotte needed a diaper change, so I took her into the bathroom.  After I cleaned her up and went to grab the diaper, she quickly  rolled over and stood up.  I was getting the diaper laid out and asking nicely for charlotte to lie down.  She looked me in the eye and started peeing on their rug!!  I was shocked and started saying, "no no no."  She smiled really big and finished "juicing her lemon"(as my MIL would say).  OH MY GOODNESS!  I was so embarrassed.  As I rolled the rug up, I realized this rug was brand new!  I had to walk out and tell these people..."uhhh so sorry, my baby just urinated on your rug." Oh and by the way thanks for inviting us to dinner...bet you are glad you did.    

We had a birthday month in July.  I really wanted to do a super sentimental post about Rich and his 30th birthday.  But it is 11:30...I gotta get to bed.  I will sum it up with this.  RICH IS AMAZING and he is 30!

Charlotte was perfectly willing to dig into the cupcakes on daddy's birthday and emphatically said, "mo mo mo"  while doing the sign for "more".  On her own birthday she didn't want to eat cake. It figures.

 Pin the tail on Rich.  (I didn't get a pic of the kids playing)

 Charlotte turns 1 and I turned 28 on July 9th.

Charlotte and her birthday loot.

Ms New Booty

Ragnar left it's mark on me in the form of a stress fracture. This boot is not only stylish buy keeps my foot warm when it is 103 degrees out. Rich has taken to calling me "booty" and it always makes me think of the song "Ms New Booty" and I start to sing "Booty, booty, booty, booty, rockin' everywhere
Rockin' everywhere
I found you MS NEW BOOTY"

BTW my legs are not as gigantic as they look in this pic.

Charlotte enjoying a strawberry at WaterCountry USA

finally updating.....A whole boatload of pictures

I really love to blog when I have a story or something I want to say.  Today is not one of those days, but I do have a lot of pictures to put up.  I haven't updated in over a month because...

this is how I feel about my life right now (I found this picture on my cell phone one morning.  Apparently, Rich decided to document my life as a narcoleptic...beautiful!   Right?!)

These really don't go in order.

Charlotte sampling the lovely strawberries that Rich is growing in our garden. 

I made banner for "goodbye scraps" AKA goodbye party for a bunch of lovely ladies who were moving away from Richmond.  I was trying to put the word luck on a banner...because pintrest says that is cute.  I pasted it one there 3 times backwards, before I finally got it.  Rich was dying after the second time and took the picture and after the 3rd I really just stared at it not being able to figure it out. 

Finally I got it right!

I got to introduce Charlotte to the city of "You've Got Mail" (AKA NYC, the big apple or New York City)

We went with the Delmege's.  Mary and I were roommates in college and in New York we were sisters...or at least that is what numerous people asked us.  Charlotte and Corinne were patting each other's faces and sharing baby food the whole time. 

When we get the "World's Worst Parents Award" it will have the picture on the plaque.  This is Charlotte's Times Square experience.   People were definitely glaring at me and I felt super guilty about this.   

Central park.

Charlotte loving on her baby doll!

Richard's Booty

Rich said he wanted to buy Charlotte a toy from FAO Schwartz, but when we walked in and saw the design-your-own-Muppet section he decided  he wanted to get one "for Charlotte."

 Naked with shoes is always stylish.

 Our cute little neighbor wrote "pretty girl" on the wall.  I pretended it was in honor of me...it was probably for charlotte.  Look how pretty she is!  HAHA..I am such a mom.

 Charlotte's new primary mode of transportation!  She's  a walker.

Charlotte is looking sassy with her suit falling off.

 Charlotte and I got to meet my new nephew Carter.  I was amazed at how much I love this kid.  He is my first nephew and I am so happy for my sister and brother in law.

 I did Ragnar again and this time it was with my family!  It was awesome.

 We got fake tatoos...check out the placement of my 14 year-old brother's tat.

 My first leg was a beautiful run, so I pulled a "Yes Man" run and took pics of my self while running. On my last leg I hurt my foot a little, but it was still a blast.  I was so proud of my family for running this.  I LOVED cheering them on and laughing until my sides hurt.
My favorite quote:
Garrett: I got passed by this gazelle on the uphill
Jordan: Did she have long blond hair?
Garrett: No, he was wearing a tank top.

Our team name was Holy Schmidt.  Each team decorates their vans and there are some funny vans out there.  We thought we were so hilarious...we might have gone too far.

Van 2 of team Holy Schmidt.  We ran for Lexe.

Happy Father's Day!!