I went for a ride in an airplane! Sort of...

I always knew this day would come. It is here, and there is no avoiding it, I must prevail and go forth without fear or reservation! There is no going back!!! Today...is Charlotte's first haircut!!!! Those of you that have known my daughter thru her short 2 year lifespan know that hair is a bit of sore subject. Mostly because for the majority still of Charlotte's life, she did not have any! Those poor mother's that have suffered alongside me coaxing and encouraging growth of every baby fine strand know the pain of having your baby dressed in pink from head to toe, only to have the checkout lady at Walmart ask you how your SON is doing!!!! Maybe there are people out there that dress their boys in pink and lacy ensembles but I am not one of them! For months we endured uncomfortable headbands and comments like, "gosh! she really is bald!" Then came the glorious day of the first ponytail!! It was on a whim that I, while gazing at that sweet head of cornsilk, decided "yes! Indeed I do think there is enough for a ponytail!" Grabbing the nearest comb and smallest ponytail holder I went to work. And after 1 episode of Jack's Big Music show and some protests later "TADA!" Behold the first hairstyle Charlotte's head had ever seen!!! 

She was so proud of it too!!! and every so often would reach up and say "you see my ponytail! Just like momma's!"

 After the first ponytail it seemed like time flew and before you know it we were now getting the mullet comments. "Anna! You have got to cut her hair it is such a mullet!" I was shocked and dismayed by these horrific ideas! Don't these people know how hard I had worked to grow the hair we had! I was not going to be cutting it no way no how!!! But finally I caved, after my husband told me if I didn't cut it he would, and I trimmed the back. It was hard, but as soon as I was done I realized how badly it needed doing!!! 

Charlotte's mullet in full action...holy smokes I can't believe I let her walk around with that for as long as I did!

 So now here we are! She has so much hair that I just can't cut it right myself now and it is time....drum roll please...to go to the salon!!!!! Whoo hoo!! Now as you probably can guess I was much more excited about this trip then Charlotte was. But I played it up as much as I could and by the time we got there she was fairly convinced that what was about to happen was at the very least going to result in some sort of a treat provided there was good behavior to reward. Charlotte did fabulous thru the entire experience of the haircut. Although she was much more interested in the playroom at the salon then the actually haircut, she was very well behaved and in true Charlotte form did not crack a smile once thru the entire experience. Just the concerned and studious frown plastered on her forehead greeted me and my happy camera taking moments! "Charlotte, look at the butterflies in Momma's camera!!" And instead of looking at me she looks in some far off corner of the room and half smiles for a brief nano-second before going back to counting the stickers by her shoes. When she was 18 months she loved the camera, now its like the plague and she refuses to look at it. Anywho I took a dozen or so pictures anyways even though she refused to acknowledge me. 

Pre hair cut in the playroom that was really the highlight of the trip!

There were lots of fun things to do there!

Charlotte picked the airplane chair to sit in!!

Just about to start! Notice the averting of the eyes! Its like she knows where I am but just can't bring herself to look at me!

Finally after several tries she looked at me!!

We loved our hairstylist!! She was awesome with Charlotte and did such a good job!! Yeah for Pigtails and Crewcuts!!!

Aunt Mary looked on in approval :) And notice the flat screen TV in front of Charlotte! They know how to keep a kids attention!!

Here is the serious stare that Charlotte is famous for! I am telling myself someday she will be a famous politician or something and it will serve her well this studious stare!

Counting the stickers at her feet while the lady cuts the back of her hair!

Her first little layers!

A decent smile!

The lady asked if Charlotte wanted smell good stuff in her hair and Charlotte again just stared at her and shook her head yes.

Driving the airplane!

Charlotte I'm over here!!!!

And a quick blow dry to complete the haircut. Of course she was fine with this lady blow-drying her but at home when I try to blow-dry after our bathes she screams like I'm killing her. Typical...

 After all the sitting still and the picture taking during the haircut she was not about to let me get an after shot but it is a wonderful haircut and she looks presentable now!!! Sorry about the mullet honey but don't worry, Mommy loves you!

Momma's Birthday Fun

There is nothing better than waking up to your 2 year old crawling noisily into your bed "whispering" as quietly as a 2 year old can whisper, "happy birthday momma!" This year's birthday was made extra special because Charlotte has finally grasped what a birthday is, and that soon she will be having one of these birthdays so she better pay attention to the going-ons of them! We started the day with breakfast and present opening, Charlotte wasn't impressed with the choice of gifts that I wanted. Especially since I wasn't about to let her play with my brand new laptop from daddy! Thanks honey! The more she opened the more boring it got...a mouse, a computer case...blah....blah....blah...Suddenly though in the midst of breakfast it dawns on her that we are supposed to be singing something. So she states, "I want to sing!" I am then serenaded to a less than perfect version of happy birthday by my Rubert, my hubby and my sister Mary; who shakes her head in dismay as Charlie and Charlotte belt out the words horribly off key but with lots of from-your-toes luster. It was music to my ears. Charlotte then grins ear to ear, extremely proud of herself and bursting with anticipation because she has figured out the secret to birthdays..you sing and then you EAT CAKE! Now, a little background on my daughter's obsession with cake. Whenever I make the mistake of asking my 2 year old what she wants for dinner she most often times answers with a variety of three items. Cake, granola bar(which in her baby language that I can never bring myself to correct, its 'nola bar), or (surprise, surprise) pretzels. As cake is often at the top of her list for eating she was very excited when she was sure this frosting covered treat was going to come next after the singing! Mind you it is 10am but what are birthdays good for anyways right!

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Charlotte likes to only eat the frosting off the cupcakes and leave the cake!

Post cake and during the sugar rush we went to the zoo! Charlotte loves the zoo and the older she gets the more excited she is about seeing all the animals! Favorites this time were and always were, the hippos, rhinos, mandril monkeys, and macaws. I am pretty sure she was communicating at one point with the madrils and had a "moment" with the macaws and she leaned up on the fence squawking at them! And because I am the proud owner of the worlds sweetest child, to each and every animal that we saw she told them as we were leaving, "goodbye ___________ , I miss you, see you next time!" Sweet Rubert. This was Bethany's first trip to the zoo! She wasn't as impressed with the animals as big sister was but had a good time taking in some vitamin D and hanging out with her sling with momma.

Bethany loved being in the Ergo sling! It was the perfect day for a good sling ride, not too hot and not too cold!

My sweet baby was hungry! She went right to sleep!

Guess she can feed the birds next time we go ;)

One of the highlights of the Fort Worth zoo is the parakeet bird area where for a $1 you can buy a stick with birdseed on it and feed the birds! Charlotte absolutely loves this part of the zoo trip and after fighting with the lady over getting a stick of birdseed (there card reader was down and I didn't have cash, how is that my fault!!!) Charlotte proudly walked into bird paradise and shoved the stick at the first bird she saw!

Of course Charlie always has to push the experience to its highest potential and tells Charlotte every time to pet the birds!!!

So proud of herself!!!

"I want to div dem a tiss!!"

I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday, with the people that mean the most to me! Mommy loves all of you so much.