Happy Turkey Day!

Ha ha, Charlotte and I did an impromptu photo shoot on the front porch swing. She is such a little ham!

She got a litle brave here and let go of the chain to wave!

Thanksgiving Feast

I got invited to hang out with Max at his second-annual Thanksgiving feast! We had a great time, he especially loved painting his face to look like a true Indian. : )

We are so thankful for the wonderful school Max goes too. He is learning and having so much fun!!

Family Photo Shoot

It's that time of year again! 

Last professional photo shoot, Charlotte was only a few weeks old, wow time flies! 

Enjoy some of my favorite photos. :)

Love Charley in this hat!!

Max looks very dapper in his vest!

Trick- or- Treat

What child doesn't love to go trick-or-treating? Visit neighbors and friends, ask for candy, and come home with lots of loot? 

The correct answer to these rhetorical questions: Every child!

So it goes without saying, Max was excited.

 This year Max and Charley got to go Trick-or-Treating with cousins Claire, June and Hunter! It happened to rain that night, but as you could have guessed, that didn't stop any of these kids!!

Pictured above is Thor, a Zebra, Dorothy, a Lion and a Giraffe!

Cold and rainy, but still a success!

And this lil' zebra stayed home. 

Charlotte's 1st Birthday

Charlotte Jane,

You, our sweet baby girl, have made our lives so complete. This time last year, we were meeting you for the first time. And we instantly fell head over heels. 

It is amazing how life can change in just an instant. In eight very short days, our lives were miraculously changed for the better. A phone call from the agency, a flight to Tallahassee, a beautiful birthmom, YOU, and back home again to get settled into our new family routine. 

God is so incredibly, incredibly good.

We all have been smitten with you, my love, since the moment we laid eyes on you. You have been doted and loved on, as all princesses deserve. You make a single peep, and you have an entire household wrapped around your teeny tiny fingers. You smile and giggle, and we all light up. You cry or get a little bump, and you have your choice of arms to fall into for comfort. Little one, we absolutely, whole-hearted, adore you. 

Charley, we can't wait to see your destiny unfold! We already know God has big things in store for you. We support your 

desires and your dreams and want the front 

row seat of watching them come true. 

Hugs and kisses from your biggest fans.

Mommy, Daddy and Maxi

Hard to choose which birthday photos to post, so I did just about all of them!

Uncle Sam is the man!

Sam's sister and hubby asked us to hang with their kiddos for the day, so we got to spend the afternoon with 5 of our nieces and nephews. And that always means something fun with Uncle Sam. :)

Max received this volcano kit last year for Christmas from us. 

Madeline, Lauren, Maximus and Abigail with some pretty messy hands. Side note - Abby broke her arm zip lining a few days ago. Ouch! She sure is a tough one!

This picture says it all! Max loves all things loud, crazy and explosive. He is ALL boy! Max loved that it was a volcano that you could erupt multiple times. So after a few demonstrations we stored this up high in the garage until another craft day and watched it ooze again, and again! :)

Fall Fun

It's a beautiful day in mid-October for us Ohioans, and what better place to spend it than at the Pumpkin Patch. Grandma Tonya (Colton's Mom) was in town visiting this weekend and we thought we'd take her out for a little family fun! We definitely enjoyed our short time together, but we made sure to make many memories!

Doesn't Charley look like a big girl here? I think our baby is growing up.

Max checking out how tall he is this year. I think he is a little over half a leaf away from 4ft (with boots on, of course)

You can just tell they adore one another. And that sure makes my heart happy!

Thanks Brit for editing this photo! Looks cool.

Gotta weigh that pumpkin, right? 

Looks like a big one, Max!

Reunion in St. Augustine, Florida

Dearest Aaron,

What a gift you have given us. Charlotte lights up our life. She is sweet, and funny, and absolutely adorable. Our lives are forever changed because of your decision to choose us! Maximus has enjoyed every minute of being a big brother and has continued to surprise us with his tender spirit and protective nature towards his baby sister. And Sam and I are completely smitten with having a daughter. It is more than we could have ever imagined or wished for. Charlotte is a dream come true. 

What a beautiful reunion we just had with Aaron, Chris (Charlotte's birthfather), Grandpa Chip and Grandma Sheila (Aaron's parents) in St. Augustine, Florida. We dined, and shopped and our sweet little Charlotte melted all their hearts. 

Charley, you are one blessed little girl! You have SO MANY people that truly love and adore you. Family that will go to the moon and back for you. What a treasure you are to all of us! 

Cheers to time well spent with our new and extended family. Already looking forward to next time. 

Charlotte (age 1) and her sweet Birthmama, Aaron

Caught Red Handed

Mmmmmm Hmmmmm....

Whatcha doin'?

First Day of Pre-K 4

We were in shear joy when we found out that Miss Katie was going to be Max's teacher for his second year of pre-school. In case you don't recall, Miss Katie taught Max's first year of pre-school. What a great feeling to know Max already knew and was familiar with her. And on top of that Maximus learned so much last year; I can't wait to see how much fun he has in her class this year!

 I just had to compare these photos. On left, Maximus on his first day of Preschool - age 3. And an entire year later, Maximus looking so grown up heading to Preschool - age 4.

First Time in the Stadium

Maximus loves himself some Ohio State football! So when he caught wind that he was actually going to get to go to a game, he couldn't stop talking about it. In fact he kept telling us "You know I'm not going to watch the game on the TV today!" This was a big day for Max and I am so glad Sam got to take him.

Go Bucks!!

 And here's baby sister wearing her first game day sticker all geared up for the game too. I think she's hoping to see Daddy and big bro on TV. :)

My Soccer Stud

Max is a sports fanatic! He loves watching it all - football, basketball, hockey, you name it. But now it was time for Max to join in on the action. In our neighborhood soccer league you have to be four years old to play, all of this, Max knew. So, when he hit the big 4 we signed up and it has definitely been a hit!

He looks too cute in his tiny shin guards, sock and cleats.

Annual Family Vacation in OBX

Charley enjoyed being on the beach. This was her first experience. Such a happy baby in between napping and eating. Two of her favorite things. :)

The boys playing in the sand.

Max and Charley with Grandma and Papa. They get such a delight out of spending an entire week with all their grandchildren!

Max cracking me up while pretending to "sleep" by the pool. What do you think this is vacation?

It's crazy to think last year at this same beach we didn't even know about Charlotte yet.

God is so good!

 This year was the first year that Max could actually swim, well. It was a constant discussion "can I swim without my backpack, please?" :)

We always get ice cream on the last night. I love this tradition and, as you can see, so does Charley! :)

My sweet little angels 

One BIG happy family!

backrow - Madeline (11) Gavin (2 months ) Lauren (7) June (1) Clarie (3) Shayden (3) Quinton (2) Gabriel (5) Abigail (9) Charlotte (10 months) 

middle row- Elijah (4) Maximus (4) Hunter (1)

front row- Norah (2) Lincoln (3)