Catching Moments: {26/52}:

*Crew's favorite thing to do at my parents is play the steel drum from St. Croix. He likes to tell us he is in a rock band, and by the look of it, I think he could pass! 

*"Mommy, I just need to relax some, ok"... Lazy pool days are what Summer is made of! 

Charli Adele turns Five:

On Wednesday July 19TH our first born turned the big FIVE. What a milestone, right! Thinking about this Birthday and age and all of that this next chapter for her will bring {starting Kindergarten, losing teeth, making new friends, etc} makes me feel all the emotions. Our little girl is truly growing up. So when her big day arrived, though daddy was gone, I made it as special as I could {which is something I always have and will always do}. Steven not being here broke our hearts but getting a wakeup call first thing in the morning from him and hearing him sing to Charli was the highlight of her day {cue the melting heart}! 

Charli requested blueberry muffins and breakfast in bed for her birthday morning, and that is exactly what she got! I have a feeling this is going to now be a regular request... haha. Crew helped mommy carry her breakfast in to her and we sang Happy Birthday all morning long! 

We had friends come over a little later to spend the day with her and we headed up to the pool for a fun afternoon. That evening we surprised her with Nana & Papa coming over and taking her up to the Country Club for dinner where a ton of friends were to surprise her! She was so excited when we walked in and she saw everyone. Mommy also surprised her with a little bottle of Sparkling Juice that was served to her in a little champagne glass {insert best thing ever for her!}.

It was the best evening with all of her little friends and she said she had the best day! 

We were able to also celebrate Charli a few weeks prior when Daddy was still home with us. It was our special family night before he left. There were presents and cake and all the love you could imagine that filled our home! 

We surprised Charli with a brand new beach cruiser for her birthday and she was on cloud nine when daddy walked around the corner dinging the bell! 

We love you Charli and hope your birthday was as special as could be! 

We can't wait to celebrate her and our other Summer babe at their Joint Birthday Party! 

***

Now it's time for Mommy's Birthday Weekend!!! 

Charli & Crew's Birthday Invitation: a joint party:

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Friends!

I am so excited to finally be sharing this year's Birthday invitation! We have changed it up a bit and decided to do a joint birthday party for Charli & Crew. Their birthdays fall only 3 weeks apart from each other and unfortunately due to our family's schedule and wanting daddy to be a part of their  celebrations, this was our only choice. Charli was not excited about sharing her birthday party with her little brother but I think after seeing the invitations she changed her mind {because clearly the princess is still center of attention as you can see}. Thankfully Crew is still young enough that he really doesn't care, he is just so excited that it is almost his birthday {and I told him he was the crab, so he was cool with it! haha}. 

I came up with the theme "Mussels & Mermaids" {which I have never seen done before so of course I loved it even more}. I have had so much fun planning this party for our babes. I am keeping it super neutral in colors with a lot of white, a few mermaid decor items, but mostly a beach/shabby chic look. We are planning a big backyard bash with family & friends with plenty of fun water activities {because, Florida heat}.  I hope this gives you some inspiration if you are looking for a fun Summer theme for a boy/girl birthday party. I can't wait to put it all together in a couple of weeks and share all the details with you! 

I hope Charli & Crew love it and have the best celebration together! I still can't believe we have a FIVE year old and an almost THREE year old... 

Happy Birthday to our Summer babes! 

Catching Moments: {25/52}:

*Crew wants to play Tennis so bad, but since he isn't old enough yet, Ball Boy duty it is. He loved picking up all the balls during big sisters camp last week! 

*Summer Tennis Camp year 2! Charli loves the sport and her forehand swing has improved so much. We have one more week of camp before school starts!  

Charli Adele: Five Year Update:

FIVE  years

A whole hand

Since the very day

That our family began

It's hard to believe

That these years have passed by

That they really have gone

In a blink of an eye

You're the smartest of smarts

As logical as can be

You're stubborn and feisty

But oh you are sweet

We love you our Charli

You make us so proud

You're gonna rock FIVE

 We have no doubt! 

Happy Happy Birthday to our beautiful FIVE year old! 

Becoming a mother five years ago seems crazy to me, but here we are, with an almost Kindergartner on our hands. About to enter into this whole new chapter of our lives. As I have reminisced on her yearly updates I have noticed that some things haven't changed with our Charli Adele; her incredible intelligence {we hear it ALL the time from our Pediatricians "she is well beyond her years"}, her logic {I have never in my life met a child as logical as Charli}, her fear/cautious side {she won't do anything if it could be potentially dangerous}, her leadership, her stubbornness/strong willed personality {she knows what she likes and what she wants, and she won't stop until she has it}, and her creativeness {she has a mind like no other. she draws every single day, her favorite thing to do is paint, and she has started writing "books"}. I hope that these traits continue to mold & shape our baby girl into the strong woman we know she will be.

Charli Adele,
Daddy and I could not be more proud of the beautiful young girl you are becoming. You our child, made us a Mommy & Daddy and there is no greater gift in this world then being just that. You are an amazing daughter, sister, and friend. Your attitude may get the best of you sometimes but we are so thankful for your kindness and well mannered personality towards others. You are so caring, loving, and as independent as they come. You want to do everything on your own {because you know, you're five and all, and you know how to do ALL the things}, but those moments when all you want is to curl up in our arms & lap, reminds us just how small you still are. The days can be oh so long, but boy are the years short. You and your brother fight and bicker like crazy but deep down you love him so. He looks up to you sweet girl and loves you so much, you are forever his big sister! We pray that this year is your best one yet and that you continue to be exactly who you are meant to be.

Charli's Stats:
*Height: 48 INCHES {4 FEET}
*Weight: 55 lbs
*School Year: Starting Kindergarten in a few short weeks
*Milestones: I think heading off to "big kid" School trumps the list, Charli learned how to ride her bike this year, started swimming {and I mean, FINALLY, full on swimming, the length of the pool & everything!}, Charli officially has her very first loose tooth {her top front left. I think we still have a while before it actually falls out, but it is definitely wiggly and she is SO excited about it!},  Reading {Charli has officially started reading and has truly amazed us with how fast she has picked up on all of her site words, and how quickly she caught on}
*Favorite Things: Swimming/playing in the pool, Gardening, Singing & Dancing,  Looking for butterflies & caterpillars, anything princess or fairy related, obsessed with mermaids, helping in the kitchen {she loves to help cook or bake}, writing, drawing, and of course being with her friends & family.


The Yearly Birthday Survey:
*How old are you? I'm FIVE!
*What is your Favorite Color? Pink
*What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom that does what mommy does before she was a mom {haha}
*What is your Favorite Animal? Okapi
*What is your Favorite Food? Fish & Lobster {and this is no joke... this girl would rather order Salmon, Flounder, or any kind of fish over chicken fingers.}
*What is your favorite thing to eat for Breakfast? Eggs with Spinach & "Nana's favorite things" {Belvita breakfast biscuits}
*What is your favorite thing to eat for Lunch? A sandwich that has turkey, cheese, and lettuce on it
*What is your favorite thing to eat for Dinner? Lobster
*What is your Favorite thing to drink? "Charli Wine" {aka, sparkling cranberry juice}
*Who is your Best Friend? Ella from Charleston
*What is your favorite Toy? Camille {her American Girl Doll}
*What is your favorite TV Show? Daniel Tiger
*What is your favorite Movie? Frozen
*What is your favorite Book? Princess Story Book
*What is your favorite thing to do? Paint
*What is your favorite thing to do with your family? Well there are just so many things I love to do with all of you, how can I pick just one... I love when we all play golf and tennis together {legit, her exact words}
*What is your favorite Holiday? Christmas, but Summer is my favorite season
*What is your favorite thing to wear? I really like my Lilly Plinsa dresses {Lilly Pulitzer}

Happy Fifth Birthday Charli Adele!

Mommy, Daddy & Bubba love you so much

                          

{A glimpse from birthdays past}:

                           Newborn                                            One

Two                                                        Three                                                        Four

Catching Moments: {24/52}:

*It's Charli's Birthday Week and Crew's is not far behind, so it's on to ALL the celebrating from now until mid August! The kids have loved all the small celebrations we have already had for them with family this past month. I hope they always know how special they are to everyone! 

Happy Birthday Weeks/Month babies! 

Catching Moments: {23/52}:

*"Summertime is always the best of what might be" - Charles Bowden

Simple Summer Nights are what my heart craves. Staying up way past your bedtime, but making memories that will last a lifetime! When I captured this picture it melted my heart; my three humans, Crew's hand on his daddy's shoulder always watching his every move, and their perfect little reflections. My momma heart skipped several beats! 

Fourth of July 2017:

Long Holiday Weekends are my jam and when you add friends coming to town for a visit it makes it that much sweeter! Our good friends from Charleston were headed down to stay with us over the Fourth of July Weekend {after we had to cancel about 3 visits on our end and their end}. Needless to say, we were going to make this weekend epic for sure! 

A welcome basket was in order & waiting for their arrival with all of the necessities for them and their girls! 

They arrived early Sunday afternoon and it was straight to the backyard for the kids, straight to the mountain bike trails for the guys, and straight to the martinis for Sarah and I! Sounds about right to me! The kids had a blast running around on the slip-n-slide, finding lizards, and just playing with each other. It had been almost exactly one year since we saw them in Kiawah Island but I love how no matter the distance or time apart the kids pick up right where they left off.

We ended our evening with filet's & lobster's on the grill followed by classic bomb pops for the kids... because, fourth of July! We then headed out for an adult evening at some of our favorite places down at the beach and it made for a memorable night with our friends! 

We spent Monday by the pool, hanging out at the house smoking ribs, and letting the kids play. Monday evening we headed down to the water at the end of our street and went fishing and ended the night with some fireworks and smore's by the fire pit. 

We had the most wonderful time with our friends and were sad to say goodbye on the Fourth when they headed back home. We cannot wait to see them again. Thank you guys for making the trip and seeing us. We love you guys!! 

Our Fourth Festivities started with a Pool Party with some of our friends! We truly love our neighborhood and couldn't have asked for better friends! 

We moved from one pool party to the next, and headed over to see Aunt Christie & Aunt Lou at the beach. The kids had the absolute best time, got to eat all the cupcakes, gave all the kisses, and did a few sparklers. Their favorite was getting to throw the "snappy things" {that they like to call them} at Uncle Rich though! ;)

Hope you all had the happiest Fourth with your family & friends as well! xoxo