Charlotte's First Dentist Visit

Big girl, you did so good!! You had your first visit to the dentist today. You are always very interested in what is going to happen in a new situation. I explained what I thought might happen and you weren't scared at all. The sweet hygienist counted your teeth and you have 17! She also cleaned them with the "tickly" toothbrush and you chose watermelon toothpaste. The hygienist and dentist explained very thing they were doing and you were very agreeable. I was so proud of how brave you were! You asked me for several days afterwards if your teeth were still clean. Now you brush your teeth "like the dentist told you".

Little Girl Charlotte

You are really growing into a fun and sweet little girl. Today you showed that to me in a couple of ways. You experienced your first gymnastics class yesterday and fit in like a fish in water. Olivia and I got to watch you through the glass in the parent watch room. The class was one hour and you did so much in that time. I was so proud of how you listened and tried everything your coaches taught you. It seemed as if you had been in the class for months. You were a little concerned about not having a leotard for your first class and was awed by the sparkly uniforms hanging in the lobby. Later that day, a friend brought you one that her girls had grown out of. It's a great start but you very politely requested a pink one next time we got one. I think I am as excited as you are to attend class every week!

Another milestone of every little girl's life is telling your first secret. I thankful you wanted to tell me. Later that same day, you came up to me and said you had a secret for me. I immediately got excited because I'd been waiting for this moment. You cupped your hands, breathed into my ear, and loudly whispered, "Did you know that I love you and God loves you and daddy loves you?" You are one of the reasons I feel so loved each and every day. You are such a blessing to everyone who knows you, especially your daddy and me.

A Little Thanksgiving

While this years Thanksgiving didn't include your daddy at our table, it was a happy one nonetheless. Your sweet Chrissy and Poppie drove up to visit us for a week. We got lots of projects done around the house...some necessary, some fun. The highlight was the big red ball! Poppie took it to the tire shop to blow it up and Charlie, you took to immediately! You run and dive into it with joy. Sometimes you just lay in there and pretend you're sleeping or that you're a mermaid. Other times you roll the ball around the yard. Olivia has touched the ball but will not get inside it yet. We also went to Christmas on the Cumberland to see the beautiful Christmas lights along the river.

When it came to Thanksgiving dinner, we didn't want to overdo it. We have all been eating healthy for quite some time now and knew the feeling we get when we out junk in our bodies. We had turkey, broccoli casserole, cauliflower "mashed potatoes", cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, and apple crisp. Charlotte's favorite was the cranberry sauce. You ate it by the spoonful after you drug all of your turkey through it. Olivia chowed down on the big turkey leg.

I love that with a little extra effort and some loving family members, we can make the best of holidays with your daddy away. We of course got to talk to him a few times. He got lots of good food with his friends in Afghanistan. But he sure misses being with us.