Charlotte Ann is three!!

I know I say this every year...but where does the time go?!  How is that our wee little baby born in early March is now three years old?! 

On our way to Bratislava, Slovakia!  Oh, the places she has gone in her short three years already...I can't wait to see what is next for her!

Hanging out in a restaurant in Rome, Italy with her bread with Nutella and already planning which gelato flavor to order after lunch!  She loves peanut butter, Nutella, and ice cream...yup - she is definitely related to Adam and me!  

Charlotte (and Adam) hold such huge pieces of my heart.  This little girl full of energy shaped piece of my heart takes on the form of a sassy blonde who lets us know how she's feeling all the time every day and loves to hop from square to square on a sidewalk or "slide" down the slippery red couch in the office of the apartment where we are currently living. 

This always moving and in motion piece of my heart enjoys time with her friends whether they be her size or college-aged size. 

Irish Step Dancing Class in one of my classrooms!

Some favorite activities are to pick up and collect rocks, jump in puddles, and to stare out bus windows as we are carried away to new places.  The truth is we have been carried to places we would never have dreamt of traveling or visiting so often over the last three years since Charlotte Annie's birth not just during this spring semester abroad.  Thank you for taking us along for the ride, Charlotte, as you continue to grow and explore and experience the world as only you can!  Yesterday, at lunch, she turned to me and said, "Mommy, I pope".  I stopped chewing my food and looked at her.  "You what, Charlotte?"  "I pope!" came her reply.  Now, you guys you have to understand that we have been having conversations about the potty so at first I thought to myself, you pooped?  I don't smell anything.  So I asked her, "What?" again.  She insistently said, "MOMMY!  I met the Pope".  Oh, yes, yes, you did sweet girl!  Last week, when in Rome, she met Pope Francis.  I'm not sure what prompted that statement as we munched on our lunches in the kitchen of our apartment but for whatever reason she was remembering that experience and wanted to remind me of it.  It's been such a joy to try to see things through her eyes.

Watching Charlotte Annie learn and grow over the past year has brought so much happiness and love.  I pray she knows how much she is cherished and what a gift she is to our lives.  Over the past year, Charlotte has discovered a favorite TV show, "Spirit", about a girl named Lucky and her horse.  She still loves music and songs.  One of her greatest pleasures is to watch videos of babies...so much so that she requests that she watch, "babies on Daddy's green phone".  She takes exquisite care of her Purple Baby Bear Ballerina and cradles her, feeds her, and tucks her in to her stroller or bed.  When in a good mood, she loves to smile and wave at countless strangers- usually bringing a grin to their faces but when she is not in the mood to socialize, she will stick out her lip in a pout cross her arms as she stares down at the floor.  Yet, at the flip of a switch, she will be cheerful and happy again! 

Every now and then, usually when about to fall asleep and laying beside me on a challenging night when she doesn't want to start out in her own bed, she will turn to me and stroke my face with a smile on her face.  It is during moments like those that I am awed by this huge responsibility of being her mother.  Who am I that God would entrust this little soul to Adam's and my care and what a fragile gift this is?  Those moments of peace and serenity are some of the sweetest I've ever experienced.  It's amazing to look into her blue eyes and see how content she is in the moment.  May we all strive for that way of being...to be fully present in the moment, vulnerable and genuinely open in front of others and God. 

Then, during other moments, Charlotte makes the funniest scrunched up nose face when she is mad or being defiant.  She definitely knows what she wants and is not afraid to go after it.  

Pouting in downtown Assisi by the fountain.  ; )

Look at that scrunched up nose!

She still loves to bring her toys one by one to us and line them up on the table, counter, or bed.  She is still drawn to my school bag of highlighters (thank you color coding) and pens but shows more interest in white out these days.  She is borderline obsessed with makeup and will use crayons, highlighters, and markers to put on her "makeup".  She enjoys coloring her finger and toenails to "paint" them.  

She still enjoys spinning around in circles, dancing, climbing, pouring liquids all over the carpet and coffee table, and running out on the back porch at all hours of the day and night when the pups are being put outside regardless of wearing shoes or not.  She loves receiving piggy back rides and being carried on someone's shoulders since she's "so high".  One of her favorite places in the whole wide world is in her Daddy's arms (mine too!).

The face she made when I said we had to get off the carousel!

Shielding Daddy's eyes from the bright sun in Rome.

As she has done since she was born, when she sleeps, she puts her left arm up by her head and nestles her nose into her armpit, again seeming like she is sniffing her armpit as she did when she was itty bitty little.  This is a quirk that makes her unique and all the more loveable but I know I'm a bit biased when I say that. 

Sleeping on a European-style double bed in Vienna.

Here's to many more years of learning more things about you and loving you even more, Charlotte Annie, our girl of three!

"Here, I'll help you!' - - one of her favorite sayings right now.