Charis started a new “trick” over the last few weeks of throwing her food off of her highchair when she decided that she was done eating. Well, this landed her in a whole heap of trouble with the parental authorities. In the last few days she has started ever so slowly to say done and start handing you the food that is left on her tray. It is pretty abrupt and a very definite done (said very quickly). You have to be ready for the food to be handed to you or else it will find its way to the floor. It is so funny to see what Charis learns and decided in her own mind each day.

Brad and I were playing with Charis in her room tonight before bedtime. We had just been sitting with her and she would crawl back and forth between us and pull up etc. She was over sitting next to Brad and she just decided that she would stand up without holding on. It was very wobbly and bouncy but oh so precious and cute! Her face was quite determined and she knew that she had done something grand but she did sit down ever so quickly after her amazing feat. I am not sure if she was shocked by what she had done or that she was hoping that we did not see her it was probably a little of both. She has been standing on her own for a few seconds here and there so we must be approaching closer to walking. Amazing!

Here is the latest news on the chicken…we still believe that he lives somewhere in the vicinity of our backyard which is still just so odd to Brad and I both. The past few nights he has been making his way pretty close to the back of the house to eat from the birdfeeder. He just feeds on whatever the other birds have dropped but it is still quite an odd site to look out the kitchen window and see a chicken at the birdfeeder. I am not sure if he is coming up to the feeder because he feels safe hiding in the tall grass or if he is just that hungry. Yes, I do need to mow and yes our grass really is that high at least in the backyard (that is what a fence is for)! I will let you know if there is any new news on the chicken but for now we just have the chicken eating from the birdfeeder! Stranger things have happened I suppose.

Brad and I made an escape out of town to Atlanta to see Wicked the Musical! I had heard it several thousand times in the car with Brad and I liked the whole concept of it being the prequel to The Wizard of Oz and all but I could not totally figure out all that went on without really seeing it instead of just hearing it. We had balcony tickets and I was excited mainly just for the escape out of town and a little break from Miss Charis. Brad and I arrived early at the theatre and we decided that we would both enter into the lottery for closer seats. What was the first name called…Brad’s!!! We ended up having third row seats for my new favorite musical of all time! It was so incredible to be so close to see the actor’s faces etc. It was truly an experience!!! The musical is quite humorous! My favorite line is when the wicked witch (Elphaba) is talking to the good witch (Glinda) and she says, “We can’t all travel by bubble!” It was so funny! It is definitely a must see and a must see again and even again!

Brad’s Thoughts

Wicked Website

I do love a good surprise and last night was one! Brad had started asking me about a week ago how I would like to celebrate my birthday and we had decided on dinner out but the debate was on would we take Charis or not. Finally Brad suggested that we would have a picnic with Charis this week and then just the two of us would go out for dinner. I thought that was a great idea! Last night was the night for the family picnic. I decided that I would make us a nice meal instead of just PB&J for a yummy dinner at the park. Brad was being so nice and telling me that sandwiches was just fine but I wanted to have something nicer for him. I am so slow…I know! We loaded up the car and we were off to the park. When we were pulling into the park the thought crossed my mind that this could be a surprise party but I did not see anyone’s car from our family so I was back to being excited about the family picnic with no surprise in store. I even checked out the pavilion where everyone has parties and I did not know those people. We walked down the path and I saw some balloons but they were still a bit off but I was convinced by this time that there was no surprise to come. We kept getting closer though and the people looked more and more familiar! It was our sweet dear and wonderful small group! They know how I love my birthday and surprises. They planned a whole shindig just for me! It was so sweet and totally thoughtful and so much fun! The Lord just really used it to bless me greatly! Well, there was no need for my “nice meal” as they had brought together tons of even more yummy food and cupcakes with candles! The candles are so key! When you get older the candles seem to disappear from the cake but trust me they are needed! They are festive plus you get to make a wish; the child in me will never grow old! There were even super wonderful presents to open as if the surprise and dinner were not enough. It was a beautiful evening as the rain held off and it was so much fun to celebrate with friends! I felt so loved. Thanks to everyone! It was a total surprise and I loved it all! Thanks also to Brad who got me there without even a hint of a surprise going on! It was definitely a fun night!

Yes, we do love our touch and feel book but who cares about feeling when you can lick! Charis loves to lick all the furry things in the touch and feel books. It is quite odd but oh so funny! We will be reading along and just touched and felt the scaly skin of a lizard and the next page will bring us to the furry lion and immediately Charis will pull the book towards her mouth and give the lion fuzz a good lick. She will get a hairball one of these days.

We celebrated Charis’s birthday this weekend with a little picnic in the backyard. It was so sweet to have the family all together and to just celebrate her! She was so passionate about having hotdogs probably more so than her cupcake. She ate her cupcake very daintily and didn’t even really make a mess. She ate most of it with only her thumb and pointer finger. She did not even use two hands until the cupcake was almost all gone. She is her father’s child! It was a beautiful day and so much fun to celebrate a whole year of Charis!

Pictures from the Ladybug Picnic

Charis and I were getting ready to go for a walk around the neighborhood so I had her all strapped in her stroller and I was just gathering a few things. She kept saying buuh buuh. I figured that she was just babbling so I did not pay much attention. As the buuh buuh persisted I glanced over at her to she what she was looking at. She was saying bird! I am convinced of it! There were about three birdies in the yard enjoying some worms and she was pointing them out to me. She has a fascination with the birdies so I have been pointing them out to her for a few weeks and saying bird. I guess that she caught on. It is so exciting to see her learning new things and sharing them with me.

With turning one came the turning of the car seat to face forward. Charis still really is not sure exactly what is going on but I think that she is enjoying whatever it is! She loves being able to see Brad and I as we drive down the road. The first time that she faced forward in the car her feet ever stopped dancing (when she gets excited she kicks her feet ). She loves looking out the windows and seeing things that are going on around her. Every new experience is so much fun with her.

May 3, 2005 12:03pm: Seeing Charis for the first time and just being amazed that she was finally here! She was so totally dependant upon us for everything.

May 3, 2006 12:03pm: Watching Charis feed herself lunch and being amazed at how much she has grown! She is so totally independent.

It is the exact same time of day but oh what a difference a year makes. Miss Charis is quite able to stand her own ground now expressing everything from her wants to her needs to her demands! Everyone told me that the year would fly but I had no idea just how quickly a year could fly. The Lord has taught me so much through this little girl. Just so much about myself and so much about the world that we live in. I am so thankful for the gift and blessings that God has given me in Charis. I know that the years will continue to fly but my prayer is that I will savor every moment of everyday of every year. I wonder what the next 12:03pm will hold.