Charlotte's very first birthday

Last weekend on April 25th we celebrated my little love bug's 1st birthday. It was such a wonderful day. She took a very long nap right before everyone arrived which made her a very happy and social guest of honor. The theme I selected was lady bugs. Here are some pictures of the day. I warn you...there are quite a few.

The birthday girl... The decorations...simple and sweet.Mommy and Charlotte...Daddy and Charlotte...Getting ready for a little snack...Ready to take flight...Bunu and Buna Vlad...Daddy and a very unhappy Charlotte in the bounce house...

The cake and other sweet goodies...The smash cake...What she did with it...Yum Yum...all done...Showing off her second outfit...
There you have it...just a smidgen of the day. My thoughts on motherhood are simple. Motherhood is the most amazing gift the Lord ever gave me. It's been a blessing and an honor to serve God in this way. To my sweet little love bug---you've made my first year as a mommy a wonderful one. God Bless you!

I love you!

--Mommy

A great weekend filled with some major milestones!

We had a very very busy weekend.

On Friday, we celebrated my friend Jayme's birthday at Matsu Restaurant in Huntington Beach. The sushi was very yummy and we had a great time. Because Jayme hates photos...I'll only include 2 of her on the blog. (one is a group shot...so it doesn't count!) Happy Birthday Jayme! Here's to many many more birthdays!

I just love this man so much.Rachel and I realized we didn't take a photo at the restaurant...so we thought...hey, better late than never. Here she is sitting in Charlotte's humongo car seat...(ha ha)

Saturday, we went to Chris and Stephanie's wedding. What a beautiful wedding that was. We all had a wonderful time celebrating their commitment to one another. God Bless you guys! Unfortunately, I did not get many photos of them. I think I was just so excited to spend time alone with Raresh that the happy couple...kinda slipped my mind. Oh well...

Sunday, we went to Temecula to visit some friends. It was such a nice day for a drive and then a great day to BBQ. Charlotte was not with us on Friday night or at the wedding so it was so great to take her along to Temecula. We missed our little pumpkin.

Boy oh boy did she love playing in that fountain.In this picture you can see, she's totally over the crawling on her knees stage. That didn't last long at all. She now does this weird let me walk on my hands and feet thing.I'm glad she was with us that day cause while in Temecula she got---HER FIRST TOOTH!!! Bottom left. I know...some of you parents out there are thinking...she's going to be 1 in a week and she just got her first tooth?---Yes it is true...her first tooth. It's actually quite fitting...1 tooth for her 1st birthday! Awwwww. I'll try to get a picture of her tooth up on the blog as soon as possible. She's not quite interested in letting me get a good look at it so it's been very difficult to get a photo of it. We've been dealing with on and off teething issues for months so it's so nice to finally see that little pearly white peeking through.

The other major milestone happened yesterday April, 20th. She took her first steps!!! This little girl is now officially on the move! She's of course very stumbly and all over the place but she's getting the hang of it and very quickly! I'll post a video of that soon.

Overall, we had a great weekend.

Charlotte's first Easter

It was a wonderful weekend. We celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior with family and friends. It was a very busy weekend filled with all sorts of things.

Friday, Raresh, Charlotte, and I went to Good Friday Service at our church and then enjoyed a quiet afternoon together. That evening we had dinner with the Calderons and enjoyed a much needed soak in the jacuzzi. We all needed it! It was so cold and windy outside the grotto/cave thingie and so warm and relaxing inside. Perfect evening!

Saturday, was a day filled with errand running and money spending. I got a dress and shoes for Chris and Stephanie's wedding coming up next week. I also picked up a few very necessary things like the amazing EZclip/comb you see on TV. It's awesome ladies---I would definitely invest in one. Raresh got a bike and I got brand spanking new inline skates (they aren't called rollerblades by the way---that's a brand--just a little trivia for you---just like pocket utility knives are not called Swiss army knives either---okay I digress)

Sunday we went to our church service at 8:30am and then to the grandparents church at 11:00am. It was wonderful to sit in the congregation, sing those amazing hymns about Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and his glorius resurrection. After both services we went to the Isai house first for some lunch and then the Aunties put together the 3rd annual Isai Easter Egg Hunt in the grandparents backyard. Here are some photos from the fun afternoon.

Landon and CharlotteLuke and CharlotteCharlotte, Landon and LukeHere's the hill---wait till you see the photo of grandma down below...high high hillCan you imagine finding an egg in this garden?? It was quite a chore. (Luke lost in the jungle)Charlotte and daddy having a great time.ooo goodie--Charlotte found an egg!and another...There's grandma---watching...I told you it was high!Easter 2009- Family shot!I'll post the pictures from the Vlad side later. I don't have those yet! A good time had by all!

Arianna's Birthday

This weekend was my sweet little neighbor, Arianna's 1st birthday. The party was a huge success. She had lots and lots of visitors and the decorations and goodies were just amazing. Her mommy did a great job! She also set the standard pretty high---but guess what?...I'm not threatened by anyone's standards...Charlotte's first b-day will be perfect because it's hers! Anyway, I forgot my camera, so I didn't get any photos..but my other neighbor Katie did---Here are a few...


The birthday girl and her daddy. She really loves that cake!

Charlotte and Kayden playing in a little house. They are such good little buddies. Arianna was too busy to join them this time. She was the guest of honor!--We understand.
Mommy and Charlotte in the bouncer. That didn't last long. Some how I can just tell, my kid won't be a thrill seeker. She hates being thrown in the air, loud noises, jumping, swings...any of that stuff is just not her thing...instant terror and tears. It's cool...she'll grow into it.