Wow! Charlotte is nine years old today. Time these last nine years has flown by that is for sure. Charlotte didn't have school so off to work with me she went today. She was thrilled to hear she would be going to class with me because she had been asking to come to work with me for a while.
The theme for her birthday party on Saturday is based on the Solar System! This party is going to involve a lot of educational fun from a gizmo to a rocketship race to fun readalouds grounded in the out of this world theme.
Charlotte continues to be a girly-girl loving the color, pink, drawing hearts on everything, and signing her name in cursive. She continues to enjoy water activities and playing with her dolls and dollhouse. She can often be found rearranging the furniture in the dollhouse and also enjoys drawing items, or printing them, to place inside the dollhouse as she creates different "scenes" for her dolls.
She continues to love being a student in our local Catholic elementary school and has been enjoying life as a 3rd grader. She lists her favorite specials as being gym, music, art, library, and computers in that order.
She is still a music lover and is a self-proclaimed 'Swiftie' who wants to be a singer when she grows up then a teacher or babysitter. Even though it is March, she can often be found belting out lyrics to a favorite Christmas song. Shortly after the New Year, we brought home a new puppy, Oreo, whom she loves playing with alongside Hershey (who will turn ten in April).
Since last year's birthday post, we have gone on adventures, often going on them with our friends, Robbie & Liz, like last year.
Once again, Charlotte was able to bring a friend home to Grammy's house last summer. Natalie and her mom joined us for Grammy Weekend! A highlight, while home, was creating our own chocolate candy bars at the Hershey Chocolate Factory!
Adam and I have noticed she has come out of her shell a bit more this past year, which has been terrific to see! In fact, she picked out a library book at school that goes with the party theme and she wants to read it aloud to her friends during the party!
She still enjoys going to plays and musicals, movies, and playing with her family and college friends when they babysit her. She has been enjoying taking tumbling and cheer classes at the local family activity center.
She still often colors her nails with markers, rather than using nail polish. Eat and Park is her favorite restaurant followed closely by Texas Roadhouse.
Currently, she uses the word, available, instead of the word, able, and I am here for it. The other day, she was lamenting being unable to put on a shoe but said, "I'll never be available to get that shoe on my foot"...or if she's sad about not being able to have a playdate, she says, "Mamaaaa, I'll never be available to play"....it's really cute and I will miss these sorts of expressions once she outgrows the incorrect usage of the word. We're still enjoying sharing birthday week with my birthday having been seven days ago. In fact, Adam said he had been waiting for nine years to snap this photo after a recent grocery run. ;)
The above photos capture how Charlotte decorated for ME last week. So sweet! Here she is with the shared birthday balloons, too.
Thinking of some of her favorites, she still enjoys spending time with her college friends, Girls GIFT (Growing in Faith/Fellowship/Friendship Together) teachers and peers, puppies, babies...especially her new baby girl cousin who is one week old! She also loves her friends and painting or other sorts of crafts/art.
Happy 9th Birthday, Charlotte Annie, on the 7th of March! You are out of this world fun and your Daddy and I feel so lucky and blessed to be in your orbit. 💫
