Charlie's First Year in pictures...

A year of Strawberry Princess!

Charlotte's First Birthday!

It's hard to believe, but Charlie is already one year old! She loves activity and noises and Dora. She says "Bye" with a Southern Accent and will soon be walking. She loves eating bananas and noodles and yogurt and apparently, paper. She's a big time climber and loves jumping on her new trampoline with her sister. We're having her formal party on Saturday with friends and family but celebrated tonight with a little cake and a small party. She's an awesome, awesome kid, and we can't believe she's already "So Big!"

CharlotteBDay2013, a set on Flickr.

Also, I wanted to share a picture that Lily and Charlotte's Cyber-Grandma Katie Hoeppner drew and shared on Facebook:

(She also gave Charlotte a handmade pink sock monkey--see pictures above! Charlotte LOVED it!)

Karate!

Lily started Karate tonight with her friend Sarah!

World Rhino Day!

We took Lily to the Buffalo Zoo's Celebration of World Rhino Day tonight! Lily has loved Rhinos from a very early age and has been in love with Tashi, Buffalo Zoo's Rhinoceros, since the first time they met many years ago. We are so excited that she is going to have a baby and can't wait until next June to meet the newest Rhino at the Buffalo Zoo. Lily thinks they should name the baby after her!

We arrived at the zoo a little early and Lily and I took a few pics in Delaware Park!

Lily took this pic of Liz and I.

Charlotte wasn't too impressed with eating dinner on a bench in the park.

Some of the Buffalo Zoo docents made Rhino Cookies!

The presenter showed pictures of World Rhino Day from other places on the planet!

Here's the sonogram of Tashi's baby!

Lily with one of the many posters hanging at the World Rhino Day event!

Also, a flashback from a few years ago from a morning at the zoo!

Brave...

Tonight, Lily told Liz that she was feeling brave. We told her that it was the 3rd anniversary of her brain surgery to remove the tumor and how brave she was that night. She wanted to celebrate by getting her ears pierced so Liz took her.

Liz said she cried briefly, but then wanted to pick out tons of different earrings but settled on the butterflies. While I'm happy that we've been blessed with a kid as awesome as Lily, I have to admit that I'm not nearly as brave as she is. She doesn't remember a whole lot from that time but I do. I'm glad that we're where we are now, and I'm glad that this little ham is mine. Earrings and all.