farmers' market

Going to our Sunday farmers' market today reminded us that we still had some fun snapshots from our weekly routine a few weeks back.

Charlotte seems to like the hustle and bustle there, the colorful fruits and vegetables, the friendly sellers that cut up anything you'd like to try, and the big lawn at the back where she can run around, snooze on Daddy and let Mama chase her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

me and mini-me (2)

  
You might remember when Charlotte took along her 'twin baby' for a tricycle ride. Well, our little one does seem to be a real (fashionista) girl that likes to match accessories with her outfits:











For a walk the other day, Charlotte insisted on taking sock monkey along -- he was just the perfect fit! (Minus sweet potato yoghurt stains ;-)

the value of money

  ... not much for a toddler, it seems
-- based on Mama's latest find in the trash can!

la dolce vita

We still need to capture a good dig-into-your-spaghetti snapshot... but Charlotte has discovered the deliciousness of pizza, pasta, tomato sauce and gnocchi -- and determined that childhood in Italy must be pure bliss!

alle meine entchen

happy us!

A post about Mama and Dada* for once... 
as we celebrate our 3rd anniversary today! 

* By the way, it's interesting how labels change in a relationship over the years: 

first, we were boyfriend and girlfriend, then significant other/domestic partner 
(according to our employer's benefit form), followed by fiancé(e), husband & wife, 
and now Mama and Dada - or 'the people that feed me', if you ask Penny ;-)

(a continued) love-hate relationship

  

Here's a latest update on some of Charlotte's favorite and most disliked activities
and things....

CHARLOTTE LOVES

Penny, Rosa, Leo
Crunchy food
Playing with water

Washing hands
Balls

Bubbles

Climbing

Walking
To sort and stack
Mini books
Rocks & pebbles, sand
  Pointing out her body parts, esp. belly button and nose (good to stick her finger in :-)
To push things around
Music
Dancing
Animals
Hug her teddies
Give wet kisses
Wave hello & good bye
Brushing her and Penny's hair
Sweeping the floor
Helping to throw things away
Shake her head
Stomp her feet

To cuddle

Getting tickled

CHARLOTTE HATES

Getting lotion put on, especially her face
Having to wait
Sitting still
Brushing teeth
Not being able to reach things
Getting her finger nails cut
The vacuum cleaner
The blender

Daddy hammering nails

charlotte speak

Charlotte's (spoken) vocabulary to date:

Mama
Dada
Wau-Wau (doggie)
Moo-Moo (cow)
Up
Jaja
Nein/No
Ba(ll)
Boo(k)/Bu(ch)
Bebe (Baby)
Bubble
Apple
(H)elp
Gabe(l)
Ag(u)a
Elmo
Bro(t)
Aben(d)
Da!
Bye-Bye

ablage

 

Mama's Papierkorb war letztens so schön leer... perfekt um alle Bälle im Haus zusammenzutragen!

(Penny sucht immer noch
nach ihren :-)

picnic in the park

Before Mama left for DC, we had a fun Labor Day picnic in the park - running across the grass, playing with friend Sofia and trying to 

convince Penny that going down the slide is fun... ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

diaper change

 
On the topic of getting dressed...
Diaper change is not just for little
Charlottes anymore!

Another skill our little explorer picked up at daycare: changing diapers,
on others ;-)

So (poor) Leo had to model
a few weeks back:

 

Alright buddy, let's figure this out...

...Can't be that hard, right?!

 Here you go!

 




Voila!!! 

(with a little help from Mama ;-)

penny über-cool

I told told you! That little sister will try to dress me up...

Sigh - well, at least I got a choice between the green and brown dress.

hard time

Charlotte spent the last ten days alone with Daddy while Mama traveled to DC for work. It wasn't quite solitary confinement since Charlotte had Penny to lean on (literally) during the dark hours.

Like the prisoners who idle away their sentence by working out, Charlotte emerged considerably bulkier from the ordeal. While some may say she was doubling up on meals due to a growth spurt, it is far from clear that it wasn't instead the magic combination of Daddy's fun cooking and festive dining atmosphere: Charlotte came to the table with only her diaper (it was also brutally hot last week), so she was free to dig in with both fists. After each meal Daddy simply hosed her off. Other than the lax security when she palmed some sweet potatoes and petted Penny's head (ugh, double ugh), it was quite the system.

Charlotte's outdoor recreational time was spent chasing Penny on the high school softball field and boosting cars.

something's cookin'

 These are pictures from earlier this summer... just to say hello and let everyone know we're well - and busy. The last two weeks have truly been the end of summer.. Mama is back at work full time (and right away kicked it off with some business travel), Charlotte has assimilated to punching the daycare clock, Daddy plunged into job market preparations, and Penny re-gained the beach for her evening walks: i.e., the whole family has been running around!


















 But - not to worry: we got some fun blog updates cooking ... it's just a matter of (upload) time for the pictures and stories to make it up here. Stay tuned ;-)

 

the end of summer

 
Officially, summer ends this weekend as Labor Day rings in the return to school and office.

We had a fantastic summer, with lots of events - like Charlotte starting to walk and going to daycare. Hard to believe she's already so big.

But local summer is just about to commence here - so we look forward to many more (less crowded) sunny days in the park and on the beach. Although, wearing a hat is no fun - no matter when!

penny cool

Yeah, I know, I got a baby sock on my head... so what? 

Not worth shaking off - wait until she tries to dress me up!