lunch break

...clara turns one

...second-child syndrome. At least these pictures are getting posted within two weeks of her actual birthday. Someday she can analyze this with her shrink.

I overdid it with Charlie's first birthday and I think I'm still recovering. So for Clara's, we gathered a few family members and a few friends and called it a party. I limited myself to one craft:

...three generations. Clara is wearing the dress I wore on my first birthday. Vintage with a little bit of mod thanks to some ruffle butts:

...family:

...well, this face kind of sums up Clara's thoughts on cakes in general:

...Clara's bottom lip started making an appearance when we sang the birthday song, and Charlie promptly started his own chant of, "My turn, my turn, my turn, my turn, my turn." In our family, we celebrate anything Charlie says, so we re-lit the candle, stuck it in Charlie's cupcake, and sang happy birthday to him. Poor, confused little boy:

...beautiful birthday girl:

...beautiful (running) birthday girl:

...we spent her actual birthday at home. With balloons:

...and more, "meh," cake faces:

...she takes my breath away.

...his voice

...and yes, I will ride the mall train and dress my child in Angry Bird shirts to hear those words. I think I also promised a cookie and a porsche when he turns 16.

...writing it down

...not only did Clara turn one on Sunday, but I turned the page on the second year in her One Line a Day Book.

I don't do Project Life. But I write it all down, for both my kids.

...It is fun (and sometimes hard) to look back in charlie's book to what we were doing a year, or two years ago. I dread the days in his book in early May leading up to Charmer leaving us. I dread the days that same year after my mom was first diagnosed with cancer. But I still write it down.

...and she's one

...just like that.

...at four weeks, I whispered to Ken (scared to say it out loud), "Do you think it's colic?" She was the baby who didn't like the car, the crib, the stroller, sleeping, napping, the changing table, the bath, the cold, the hot, the dark, the light, the bottle, the boob.

She still doesn't like some of those things, but at least she sleeps through the night (if 5:30 a.m. counts as morning). And she gives kisses, big open-mouth tongue kisses. And she gives high-fives and puts her hand up to her ear and cocks her head whenever you say, "Hello?" And she dances and claps. And she plays ball. And she puts her hat up to her head, because she knows that's where it goes. (And she points the remote at the TV because she knows that's where that goes too. Ha.) She shrieks and smiles and laughs. And she climbs the stairs. And she runs. She runs. SHE RUNS.

And dear lord if she still didn't like anything, those curls would make up for it entirely.

She is one.

...charlie, my future docent

...don't worry, I had to google, "What's a museum tour guide called?" to remember the word docent.

He's very proud of his picture wall in the playroom.

This project became that much easier when I learned IKEA has a $1.99 8x10 frame.

Better pictures to come...well, someday.

...cleaning up my act

...around here.

...I added layouts to my Pages album.

...I cleaned up my Pinterest boards. It just looks so pretty.

...I added Clara's Collection to the left (pictures of her room to come).

...Oh, and after 800-some photos, I decided to go public on Instagram. Ha. My username is charmer. I still do not understand the point of #hashtags.

...world's laziest etsy shop owner

...that would be me. Another thing to engrave on my tombstone.

I went to add a new item to my shop and realized I hadn't paid my bill in oh, who knows how long. Ha. So the shop had gone dormant. Guess I should read those e-mails.

I've retaught myself cursive, paid my debts, and added that new item:

If you know anyone getting married, moving, giving birth, or wanting to send out fancy-schmancy bills, send them my way!

...friendships

...over the last few weeks, I've been reminded of how many good friendships I have in my life.

I am lucky that my mom taught me how important friendships are.

I have friends who I have known forever. One sent me a gift card to Terrain last week with the message: "Just because. Send a pic of the fabulous thing I picked our for you. ;) I know how much time, energy and love you put into caring for your family. Take a little time to care for yourself...even if it is just to go through online Terrain at midnight." (A good friend is someone who knows your favorite store).

I have friends who I've never met. That's weird, I know. But through scrapbooking I have so many friends I've never met, probably will never meet, but will always consider them friends. One sent me this poem:

hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune--without the words,
and never stops at all,

and sweetest in the gale is heard;
and sore must be the storm
that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm.

i've heard it in the chillest land,
and on the strangest sea;
yet, never, in extremity,
it asked a crumb of me.
(emily dickinson)

And I have friends who I've known for years and just met, like this lady. When we sat down to eat, the waitress asked us if we were a birthday party. Ha. No, just me, Charlie, Stephanie and Jimmy, and their 8,000 kids.

We began our friendship about five years ago talking about the Bachelor. And quickly bonded over growing up tall, awkward, and without flat irons. And now we live on the same coast. We might start a support group for those who grew up tall, awkward, and without flat irons.

...similarity

...after I posted the other night, the picture of Charlie and Clara looking at the computer kept feeling familiar, and I couldn't quite place why. Until I remembered this picture:

Charmer.

A lot of times we say Clara is Charmer reincarnated. Maybe it's because she pants when she crawls and eats food off the floor.