twirpy twirp

sometimes....i tell you what....this cute kid of mine leaves me flabbergasted. he has me cracking up one moment and then about to pull my hair out in the next. he's 14 months now and at the moment is whining, standing on top of a box because he can't get down. he's got a strawberry breakfast bar smeared all over his Lakers pjs, and now that he's down from the box, he's mischieviously pulling out little screws and keys from a drawer in our computer desk. all the while he's keeping an eye on me, in case he sees me coming and planning to ruin his outlawed fun. sometimes....

but he's so much fun. so silly and so sweet. and he hands me those beloved screws and keys without a second thought. he's a very good sharer. he's just uber mischievous, adventurous, curious, and busy, busy, busy.

his latest accomplishment: walking! i love it. i love to see his little legs move so mechanically and penguin-like all at once. he took his first couple of steps right before he and i left for california a few weeks ago. scott had tears in his eyes when he took those shaky first steps. love that man. he had been so nervous that jake would walk in california and he'd miss it.

jake's favorite foods: grapes, chex mix, freeze-dried yogurts. favorite show: Curious George and the theme song/intro to The Office. favorite hand motion: waving bye-bye because he wants to go outside. favorite toys: car buggy and any ball. favorite word: ball. favorite thing about life: ball.

ball. ball. ball. ball. loves to say it. loves to play it. he applauds basketball hoops on our daily walks. to say he loves to play ball is an understatement. last night, after dinner, i thought, "hey, we should bounce the ball outside on the pavement. jake would love that!" so we go outside. we bounce the ball against the garage. and then jake spies a step. the one little step up to our porch. and he decides that going up and down this one, solitary step is way cooler than a ball at the moment. a step. sometimes....

there are the days when jake has found some black craft paint and ate it and smeared it all over my closet floor and there are the times when he pulls out all the socks from the drawer or the time when he pulled off a strip of wood from our kitchen table. yeah. that was pleasant.

but there are the sweet moments where he jumps down the couch and falls into my arms giggling or the nights where he wraps his little arms around my neck as i put him down to sleep or the sweet smirks he gives me that make his cheeks puff like a squirrels.

i love his twirpy guts. 

six years

jake with a babysitter

me and my love holding hands

uptown charlotte

high rise building

27th floor

Bentley's 

jumbo shrimp, ribeye, filet oscar, chocolate torte, creme brulee

view of sunset over charlotte

candlelight and little kisses

love that charming, romantic man of mine

forever

xoxo

the bertie is engaged!

"do you hear bells, baby?" why yes i do! cardon ellis proposed to my sister brittany a couple of weeks ago and the date is set for november 24th! we are so excited to have another wedding to plan and to add another guy to the family. bert and cardon are so in love. these two dark-haired, quirky, silly lovebirds belong together. congrats sista. i love u.

newport beachhouse//part one

wowie. we are finally back from a two week long vacation in california. it was tons of fun as always! this year we tried out a beachhouse in Newport Beach. we. loved. it. it was right on the sand--no boardwalk--so we could open the sliding doors and step out to the beach. with a little one in tow it was the perfect situation. i think Newport may just be the "it" beach for the family here on out. (not to mention the shopping in Newport is fantastic :)

all week long we sunbathed on the beach--whilst under the ez up--and dug giant holes in the sand--which jake once fell into headfirst--and lathered jake up with sunscreen like a greased piglet--but he got a titch burnt on our walk to the Stuft Surfer for breakfast the last day--and we snacked and snacked and snacked. i must have gained 10 pounds that week. but if you give a Cristine a bag of pretzels and a jar of cheese whiz she will eat it all. and in Cawley family tradition we played International every night til, watched the Olympics till our heads ached, and just relished time together as a family. thank you mom and dad!

***and silly me. i forgot my camera, so all pictures were taken with my iphone/instagram. enjoy.