Friday, November 30, 2012

Thanksgiving & Trev's Birthday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday last week! The truth is, though, that I was a TOTAL slacker on taking pictures. So you'll get a couple random ones taken with my iPhone. Sorry! But, more importantly, I just wanted to write about what we did so I can remember (blog = journal ... remember?). And since most of the photos are Instagram photos anyway, I'm just going to include all of the ones I've taken recently up until today! :)

Saturday 11/17/12... another one of Charlie's new favorite activities. He loves to open up the cabinet door to the lazy susan where we keep all our food. So far, he hasn't been bad about pulling things out (except the one time he found the mini marshmallows and started eating them!) so I let him sit there and just turn it around and around.
Sunday 11/18/12 - Also a habit of Charlie's... he LOVES to pull his feet up on top of his high chair. Usually he can only get one up, but this day his Daddy put the tray on a looser setting so he was able to get both feet up there! Crazy kid!
Happy Thanksgiving from two members of the crazy Shipp clan! :) I took this first one on Thanksgiving morning after Charlie had just woken up:
And this second one was taken at the church in Heber City where we had Thanksgiving this year! Let it be known that I took this picture as a complete joke. No really. It's a joke, I promise! :P I was talking with my sisters-in-law about how so many teenage and tweenage girls litter Facebook and Instagram with self-photos  sporting peace signs, kissy lips, wide mouths, etc... (you know what I'm talking about!!) and I took this one so I could tap into my inner 12-year-old self!
Thanksgiving Day was exactly as it should have been: Relaxing and full of family, great food, and fun conversation! Although doing it at the church means we missed comfy sofas and sports on TV (for the guys!) ... but it was still fun and Trev got to enjoy his sofa and TV once we got home later that afternoon!

I'm always so excited for Black Friday the next day, not so much because there are deals on things (definitely a perk!), but more-so because I get to go shopping with my sisters and then meet up with all the ladies for lunch at the Pizza Factory afterwards! Aren't we so cute? From L to R: Me, Grandma Deanna, Mical, Jill, and Meghan! Always a great time!
Well this year on Black Friday I lucked out and Trevor let me continue to go shopping AFTER lunch!! He was glad to watch Charlie and so I continued to have a great day! I found out that new Outlets opened at the point of the mountain and I was SO excited to go to J.Crew! Finding a parking space at this place was literally impossible. It probably took me 15 minutes. And then the LINES! These were definitely the longest lines I had to wait in all day. (The University Mall that morning wasn't bad at all since it had opened at midnight on Thanksgiving and I think that's when everyone went! I was happy because I still got great deals and no lines!... until J.Crew at the Outlets haha!) Regardless, everything in J.Crew was 50% off and so it was worth the 25 minute wait in line!
After the outlets, I joined Meghan and Mical at Ikea (no purchases for me there... yet!) and on the way home around 4:30pm there was the most awesome sunset!! LOVE those November sunsets!
The next morning we took our family pictures for the Christmas card! (Can't post those until cards are sent! I can't wait to show them off!) By this point, our whole family was feeling the effects of the cold/flu that Charlie picked up somewhere. Charlie's worst day was Thanksgiving day - his skin was dry, eyes were red, and his nose and eyes were oozing green stuff. It didn't look great, but he really didn't whine much and seemed to be pretty happy, which was great! But yeah, by Saturday morning Trevor knew that he was getting sick (cough, achy, stuffy/runny nose... the works) and I felt a little under the weather but just barely. So, we were all troopers to go get these photos taken! :)

That night was our traditional see-the-lights-on-Temple-Square night! However, we were short in numbers this year since Mical had to go back to Vegas early, Russ was out of town so Jill (and therefore Trent) didn't come, Troy ususally does something else, and Trevor was feeling really sick! So, that left just me and Charlie and the whole Sonnenberg clan!

But it was still a blast! We ate amazing mac 'n' cheese at Noodles 'n Company in SLC. Dining with 5 kids was an adventure! This photo, I think, pretty much sums it up. Meghan was trying to get a pic of Steve with the 4 kids. Kelan was moving around, Kanyon and Scarlett were making silly faces, Cohen is being sweet (and active!) and Steve's trying to keep it all wrangled in. And then there's Charlie at the bottom, who's looking at me like "Mom, are these crazies really my cousins?!!?" :P
After dinner we drove over to Temple Square! It was cold, for sure, but at least this time the cold was manageable. My toes didn't get cold and I didn't have to wear gloves (good thing because I didn't bring them!). I think Charlie really enjoyed looking around at the lights and trying to touch them whenever we got close enough!
Halfway through we always love stopping to get hot chocolate to warm up from the inside out! Once it cooled off enough, Charlie loved it too! Here he is all bundled up looking SO SO adorable:
The whole weekend was really so much fun, minus the sickness that was floating around our little family. I always look forward to Thanksgiving festivities all year!

Now onto Trev's 28th Birthday! I have no pictures of the birthday boy. He was sick. He went to work for only a couple hours in the afternoon. He could barely talk, so those couple hours were torture! The one blessing from that, though, is that we actually got to see him on his birthday since Mondays are usually very long days at work! That morning (the 26th) I went to the grocery store and thought the produce looked really pretty so I took this photo:
I bought salmon and yams, and since Trevor was home that night, I ended up cooking a nice meal for him for his birthday. It was the best salmon filet I've ever cooked, or close to it! As requested, I also took his ties in to be dry cleaned (that's what he wanted for his birthday... so practical, this man I married!). But I also wrapped up an awesome black pull-over and a new pair of socks from Banana Republic that I picked up shopping on Black Friday and let him unwrap that. No parties, no cakes, no hoopla. And that's just the way he likes it. Just a nice dinner, a little gift or two, and a back rub before bed. I think, despite feeling under the weather, he had a good day :)

Okay, just finishing up the rest of the Instagram photos! The next day, Tuesday 11/27/12, Charlie and I really needed to get out of our sick house and went on a walk to the park for some fresh air. He finally got brave enough to crawl through the tunnel. Once he did it, he just went back and forth a lot until he discovered something more dangerous to do. ;)
And lastly, here's one from today 11/30/12. Charlie's current angelic state:
Gotta love nap time! Now that we're all finally feeling better, here's hoping that the coming Christmas holidays will be full of cheer and less full of the flu ;)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Life As My Phone Sees It 10/23/12 - 11/14/12

Here's one last big post of pictures... some of it will be a bit of a repeat of the things we've been doing, but I just love my Instagram photos! :)

10/25 - Happy 1st Birthday to my Charlie!! For his birthday, God sent a small flurry of snow!
10/26 - This awesome, personalized little chair from Pottery Barn Kids was Charlie's birthday gift from my parents! LOVE it!
10/27 - Charlie's birthday party festivities! He partied hard with Curious George! And here are the cupcakes I made!
10/28 - Charlie discovered his new friend - Mr. Ghost. He was totally fascinated by its changing color glow!
10/30 - We voted early! Go Mitt Romney! Too bad he lost to Obama the next week :(
10/31 - Happy Halloween! Yummy candy!
11/1 - Charlie's 1 year appointment at the doctor. Looking like such a big boy sitting in the chair. This was before the mean nurse gave him 5 shots! :O
11/2 - One of Charlie's new favorite activities: Opening up all the drawers and pulling out what's inside. THIS is what he found that day.... ugh!!
11/4 - Sweet boy fell asleep in my arms. Daylight savings changes are rough on little ones!
11/6 - (Election Day) - While waiting for the presidential news later that day, we took a family outing to Cherry Hill park! It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day!!
11/9 - Second snowstorm of the year, and this was a BIG one! It snowed all day long that Friday and it still hasn't all melted yet! We got maybe 6-7 inches! And here's Charlie looking out the window thinking, "Holy Cow... That's a LOT of snow!":
11/9 - Despite the snowy weather, Trevor and I made a point to go on our date that night to the temple. Afterward we went to Five Star BBQ for some delicious eats! Mmmm!
11/14 - Good morning! I love that I get to wake up to this sweet boy every day! :)
Can't wait for thanksgiving festivities! :) Enjoying the cooler weather and listening to Christmas music today! Already!?! Well, okay! ;)

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A Couple of Notes about Charlie

Just a couple things I want to remember:
  • Charlie weighed about 20lbs at his one year doctor appointment on November 1st. 
  • He's finally starting to cut through both of his two top teeth, at about 12.5 months old. And man, can I just say... that POOR baby. Teething has made him absolutely miserable! We've been living with a steady dose of Tylenol these days and still he's not quite my sweet, happy boy like he usually is. It's SO sad. Hurry up little teeth and let's end the misery ASAP!
  • Even though he's been taking steps here and there on his own for a little while, he's getting pretty good at walking! Not a 100% walker yet, but I'd say he chooses walking over crawling maybe 70% of the time now! And he's learning how to turn around corners and things while walking. And figuring out how to walk with shoes on. GO buddy!
And that's about all for now... just wanted to get that down for journaling purposes ;)

Halloween Trick or Treating!

Trick or treating was SO much fun this year! I have to admit, having a kid really brings the fun back! Watching Charlie toddle around carrying his little candy bucket was just TOO CUTE. We were excited to go trick or treating down in Springville at my sister-in-law Meghan's house. She's probably got the BEST neighborhood to trick or treat in, ever! :) We are so lucky!

Here's our little family getting ready to go!
We popped Charlie in the wagon with his 2 year old cousin, Kelan! Pardon Charlie's somewhat solemn expression... he was a little tired, and also when there's just so much to see all around him, he just sits and concentrates while taking it all in. :)
One of the first houses... just learning the ropes with the help of his Daddy:
Grandpa Russ pulled the wagon:
Looking like such a big boy walking to and from the door holding his candy basket. Seriously... we couldn't stop laughing at how cute it was. Go Charlie, Go!!
More of the gang taking up the lead... you can see a bit of Grandma Jill's head, and then Grandpa Russ again, Scarlett, and Meghan!
Got the loot! There's my wonderful mother with her awesome festive pumpkin headband! ;)
Cute little Scarlett was Catwoman from the Dark Knight Rises movie! She looked awesome!
I could barely catch a picture of Meghan's older two boys: Kanyon and Cohen. They kept running (so much energy, those young people!!) from house to house ahead of us. Sometimes they had to be reminded to just wait for a minute, much to their chagrin ;)
Got the candy! On to the next house...
Oh yeah, we have to wait for little Charlie! C'mon buddy! Thanks for the help, Kimma! ;)
Grandma Jill took a turn with Charlie, and Kelan (Spiderman) is just holding his own ;)
Finally, the work is done! Time to EAT the candy!! Or try to, at least. Charlie would gnaw on the candy bars through the wrappers until they were pulverized, and sometimes he'd get lucky and puncture through a wrapper and get some of the good stuff!
"Happy Halloween!", says Charlie Pumpkin, all lit up:
Watch out for those creepy crawlies!
Until next year! Can't wait... Charlie will be able to do it all on his own!! <3

Monday, November 12, 2012

Ward Trunk Or Treat

So my posts are a little out of chronological order, but I wanted to do it this way so all the Halloween festivities were all lumped together! :) Our ward had their annual Trunk or Treat party on Friday, October 26th. That was the day before Charlie's birthday party, to give you some perspective. It was complete madness planning for a birthday party AND planning to decorate the trunk for the ward party! But, in the end, it was all totally worth it!

The weather at the trunk or treat was, in my opinion, just perfect Halloween weather: A bit cold, just enough to nip you in the nose, but not enough that your other extremities become frostbitten and you wish you were dead... or in the Sahara desert. ;)

My wonderful Mom took over the camera so I could enjoy the evening with my family. First, we had a chili/soup dinner inside the church and everyone who dressed up paraded across the stage:
 I was a princess (or damsel in distress, etc) with my protective (and adorable!) guard dragon:
After dinner wrapped up, the fun commenced out at the trunks! I was so excited to pass out candy to the kids while Trev took Charlie from car to car to collect candy. It seriously was the most fun I've had in a while... the kind of fun that makes you feel like a kid again! I'd comment on all their costumes and refuse to give them candy unless they said "Trick or Treat". I know... I'm totally awesome! ;)
Charlie stopped by our trunk and dug some candy out of the bucket! Don't worry... I didn't make HIM say "Trick or Treat" since he can't speak yet! :P I just love this cute candid family photo:
I know some of these pictures are pretty psychedelic. Trying to take pictures at night with no flash results in crazy lighting and blurs and streaks... but you know what? I actually LOVE them! Especially this one of my little man learning first-hand about the joys of candy:
But we did, in the end, want a crisp shot so I turned on the flash. I don't always love the harsh flash look, but that's just what you're gonna get when you want to take pictures at night. I love this next picture because little Charlie looks SO much like me when I was a baby! Such a sweet, fat-cheeked expression on his face!
And finally, a good full-family photo that shows off our awesomely decorated trunk (spiders and pumpkins and a little glowing ghost - oh my!). It also shows our full Halloween theme. Remember how I'm a princess and Charlie's a dragon? Well... Trev is my knight in shining armor coming to rescue me! :D <3
More Halloween photos yet to come!! Stay tuned! :)