*AHEM* Your attention please

To most of you, this is not news, but to the few who may not have heard, Charlotte will soon be graduating to the ranks of big sister! That's right, Baby Freeman #2 will be joining our family some time in June. And before the question is asked, yes, we will be finding out the sex of this baby. But we won't be telling you. Just kidding. Maybe.

Proof that there was at least one sunny day this October

Knowing that the weather wouldn't stay nice forever, we took advantage of a fairly nice October Saturday and went to the park. Debbie was in town that weekend, so she joined in the fun.

Ready to go!

Stealing Gramma's donut

Feeding the ducks

A sea of rocks!

Getting bad ideas about good places to put rocks

Charlotte didn't spend a whole lot of time playing on the playground. She was far more interested in the rocks. A prime example (pretend the video isn't sideways):

And a few random videos

Funny Books




The Battle Between Sleeping and Eating

Random Cuteness

I have a bunch of pictures that don't really form any kind of cohesive story other than cuteness, so here is a random collection of those pictures. Enjoy!

Playing with Grandpa

Reading Mommy's Bon Appetit. My little foodie.

Looking for mice with Daddy

Octoberfest!

The first weekend in October is always a busy one for our family. My aunt and uncle sponsor a 4-mile run in Webster Groves every year, so we usually wake up at the crack of dawn to volunteer. This year, Matt and Charlotte volunteered and I ran the race for the first time. It was quite an accomplishment for me! It was nice to run in a race I have been volunteering at for so many years. Yay me! Afterwards we go to the loop to see my cousins Paige and Morgan perform with their dance troupe. They get better every year!

My aunt Shirley, her daughter-in-law Stephanie, and Stephanie's kiddo Derek came to visit that weekend as well. Saturday night after the race and show, my parents and Shirley went to see my brother's latest play (Macbeth) while Charlotte and Derek played and got to know each other a little better. Derek was very sweet with "Baby Charlotte", but wasn't a huge fan of sharing toys, or anything else for that matter. :)

Sunday we went to the Best of Missouri Market in the morning and celebrated Ted's birthday that evening. Great weekend!

It was pretty chilly the morning of the race, but the kiddos did really well. My mom, Stephanie, and Charlotte walked the course as the caboose. I think their walk was more difficult than my run with the strollers!

Mommy survived the race!

Tandem piano playing. Both kiddos have a pretty darn good sense of rhythm. Family band in the future?

I think this picture is so precious. Two kiddos, a piano, and sippy cups. Does it get any better?

Saturday night was bath night so we had the kiddos share a bath. Charlotte had no problems, but Derek was a little wary sharing his tub time.

My little splasher

It was about this point that Derek decided he'd had enough of Charlotte's splashing and got the heck out of the tub.

Apple Picking

Near the end of September, we went to Eckert's to pick apples. A few weeks ago we went again for pumpkins, but I don't have the pictures since we forgot our camera AGAIN. I'm waiting on the pictures from my parents' camera. We had a great time both trips!

We went on a rainy day. We practically had the place to ourselves!

Checking out the petting zoo. Charlotte was a little unsure.

Protect me, Daddy!

Charlotte loved the apple spinner. She rode it twice!

Charlotte's excitement is obvious. Daddy, however, looks a little sea sick.

Down the mine shaft!

Mom, can't you see it's raining?

Eating succotash while waiting for the rains to subside

Waiting for the wagon to take us to the orchard

Charlotte's first apple, straight from the tree

Helping Mommy pick apples

Yay!

Enjoying her second apple of the day. Piggy.

Funnel Cake while waiting for the jack-o-lobber

So precious!

Driving the tractor with Daddy

Please, Mom? Can't I have just one more?

Tuckered out after a long, fun day!

To get you in the Halloween mood...

We present "Charlotte: The Thriller Edition"

A Day at the Park

We tried to get Charlotte out as much as possible while the weather was still warm. We knew it wouldn't be long before we would have to find indoor fun! One day after work I met Matt and Charlotte at Carondelet Park. We had a great time!

Coming to get Daddy

Sad we have to go home

Where did this little girl come from?

Random Thoughts

Since our computer issues have prevent me from updating recently (yay for a new laptop tomorrow! Thanks, Mom!), I have decided to post a few random thoughts I've had about Charlotte the last month or so. Sorry, no pictures.

1. Charlotte is a walking fool. It is so strange to see my baby walking. It's like all of a sudden I'm the parent of a toddler! Craziness.

2. Charlotte has a boyfriend at daycare. His name is Harvey. He'll come up to greet her when I drop her off. So cute! The teachers at Growing Footprints told me that Charlotte and Harvey are the best behaved babies in their class and therefore a match made in heaven. However, when they told me this, Harvey was crying in timeout, so I'm not sure what exactly is required to be the "best" behaved.

3. Charlotte loves to dance. She bends her names, shakes her head and arms, and will often clap to the rhythm. My girl has rhythm! A future percussionist maybe?

4. Because of Charlotte's love of music and dancing, we watch So You Think You Can Dance together while Daddy is at his physics class. She loves it! She claps after they're done and when there is commentary, she looks at me like, "Ok, Mom. Fast forward to the good stuff!"

5. Charlotte loves apples. If you think there is anything cuter than a little girl taking a bite out of an apple, you would be wrong. Pictures coming later to emphasize the point.

6. And in a self-serving, pat-myself-on-the-back moment, I ran a half-marathon! Charlotte played an integral role in me crossing the finishing line. She and Matthew were waiting to cheer me on at mile 11, just as I was ready to quit. Charlotte saw me coming, started clapping and running/toddling toward me and I knew I could cross that finish line for her. Don't want her to think Mommy is a quiter!

7. I love my daughter. She is the best!

*Sigh* We haven't forgotten you...

Still waiting on the computer front. I had no idea how dependant I was on the Internet until both of our computers died! I can't wait to share all of Charlotte's new adventures! I just can't get over how different she looks every time I take her picture. She just turns into more of a little girl every day. My baby girl is growing up. :(

Stick with us- hopefully we'll have a working computer in the next few days!

Updates coming soon!

My computer went kaput, so we're waiting on a new battery. As such, I can't upload any new pictures, so no new posts! Hopefully one of our computers will be working again soon and I can show you all of Charlotte's new tricks, including... wait for it... FIRST STEPS!!!

So blessed

This weekend has been one that has made me realize how truly blessed I am. I am the proud mommy of this little girl:



She is happy, healthy, and the greatest gift I have ever received. I blogged a month or so ago about this amazingly strong woman and her three miracle babies. Yesterday afternoon, one of their beautiful little babies passed away. I have not been able to stop thinking about this family and the pain they must be feeling. I cannot imagine losing a child. My heart is just broken for them.

Ever since reading that post yesterday, I have been watching my little family with a little extra care. I have been so blessed. My daughter has brought me so much joy in such a short period of time. And there is so much more waiting for us. I've been hugging her a little more frequently and just a tad tighter so she knows just how much I love her.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Brooke, Joe, Charlie and Lily. Stay strong.