Beach blanket bingo

CJ and Zozo took advantage of the gorgeous weather to splash around in the back yard. After they had enough of the sun, they continued the playdate inside. Joslyne and I were too lazy to get them dressed again, so they romped around in diapers. It didn't slow them down a bit!

Not sure I can deliver with that kind of build-up!

I wracked my brain all day for a creative and exciting way to announce it, but nothing came to me. So I'll just get to the point. Charlotte will no longer be an only child in December! I'm 10 weeks pregnant, which means Charlotte will be a little over 21 months old when her sibling is born.

Corey and his sister are about that same distance apart, and I am only 23 months older than my little brother. So, this seems like good timing for us. Most people seem to think we may have rushed things a bit and they warn me how difficult it's going to be. I see plusses and minuses to any age difference, and we're happy with our choice.

There has been a distinct lack of blogging over the past couple of months because I have been suffering from much more morning sickness than when I was pregnant with Charlotte. It's hard to be creative when you feel like hurling. Or when you ARE literally hurling in the front yard and ruining your poor neighbors' dinners. Sorry about that, Alicia and Faith Carol.

So, 10 weeks down and 30 to go. Man, it sounds like an awfully long time when you put it that way!

Watch this space . . .

Now that Niki is 500 posts in, there is about to be a plot twist!

What will it be?

Keep a close watch on this space . . .

Not exactly an Olympic-sized pool

This evening, we had a little time before dinner to test out the new pool. It was a hit!

Are you kidding me? 500?!?!

This marks the 500th post on Stringer Family Antics. Who knew there was that much to report about Charlotte's life? Who knew there were so many photos to post? Who knew this blog would hold my interest for so long?



Lil' CJ is rocking a "whale spout" hairdo today and wearing a super cute new outfit courtesy of her Great Granny and Great Grandpa Taylor, so of course I had to post a picture of it. She's in her signature "found my belly button and soon to be sucking my thumb as well" pose. Not the most lady-like pose, but it gets the job done. We're both wiped out from lunch with Alicia, Faith Carol, Joslyne, and Zoey in addition to a visit to the park (sans Alicia and FC), so we're headed for napville sometime soon. It's my favorite place to visit.

On the cusp?

Are we on the cusp of a major breakthrough? Charlie has been showing increasing interest in talking to us. She looks us in the eyes and explains just about everything that she can. She is showing a quicker and quicker ability to repeat certain words and use them correctly, such as "cat" and "no", and an increasing ability to recognize words we use, such as Mommy, Daddy.

Maybe soon?

Corey

Charlotte teaches cousin Jordan some tricks

Our cousin, Jordan, stayed with us for a few days after he finished up his junior year at Belmont University. Charlotte did her best to teach him all the tricks she knows. We're so proud of his new skills!

Do Charlotte and Sonia look anything alike?

Since Erin and I are identical twins, it stands to reason that Charlotte and Sonia are kind of like half sisters, right? That's what Erin and I tell ourselves at least. What do you think? Here are some photos from each of their first days of life.

First, here is little Charlie Jo on March 10, 2008:




And here's Sonia on May 13, 2009:

Here's a better picture of our cute niece!!

Happy Birthday Sonia Marie Malahowski!

Erin and Andrew welcomed baby Sonia Marie Malahowski this morning at 8:47 am! How nice of her to be born on her Great Aunt Kim's birthday, huh? Sonia is 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and she is 17 1/2 inches long. Not bad for a baby born at 37 weeks! I'll put a link to their blog once they get it up and running later today (my parents are charged with posting duty while Erin and Sonia are in the hospital). I have seen a few photos, and Sonia looks darn cute.

Congratulations to Erin, Andrew and Sonia!! Can't wait to see what the cats (Margie & Bobo) think of the new addition. Sonia looks a little ticked off in this photo, but I bet those lights do seem a little bright to someone who has never been outside the womb!

Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day - to JoAnn and Mom - thank you for shaping the people Niki and I have become. We love you!

And to Niki - Wow! You are incredible!

Today is Niki's second Mother's Day. What a great Mother she is! I feel very confident that Charlie is getting the best maternal parenting possible. Niki is equal parts practical and whimsical, and that does wonders for Charlie. Under Niki's watchful eye, Charlie is free to explore her world to the fullest extent possible, yet Niki does wonders in setting appropriate boundaries for her. As a result, Charlie is blossoming into a wonderful, caring, beautiful child.

There are not enough words, aren't enough pictures (each worth 1000 words), to express my gratitude and admiration for Niki and what she is doing for Charlie. I am proud, glad, and thankful that Niki is Charlie's mother.

Niki, thank you.

Corey

Baptism . . . but no pictures of Quinn, for some reason . . .

Quinn was baptized today. Charlie was a little too loud to sit through the service, so she inspected the stained glass at the church.
What a beautiful church, and what a beautiful day.
The proud parents put on a very nice dinner afterwards.
Niki and I had a TN Stringer family picture taken.
And again . . .
Don enjoyed the day.
For Mother's Day, Granny was given a new insulated picnic basket and modeled it!
Grandpa modeled it, too!
Kayla was not amused.
GrandDad and Charlie read together.
By the end of the day, however, Charlie was locked and loaded.