This is a sweet outfit I snagged on eBay last night from Janie & Jack. I think because Charlie wasn’t walking last Fall I never bought skirts for her…but now, I am LOVING the tartan skirt/knee high socks/beret look and I have a feeling there might be a few sets like these in our future…have I mentioned how much I love Fall??

I’ve had quite the dilemma lately…at least, a dilemma to me. Do I keep all of Charlie’s clothes or do I sell some stuff off as she grows out of things?? I know, we don’t know the sex of the baby yet (although we will soon!) so it would stand to reason to hang onto the things I have loved on her…but in sitting down and thinking about the timing of this baby and where he/she will fall in the seasons, I realized that Charlie’s clothes will most likely be too big for “her”. And to hold onto every last thing “in case” our (possible) third child is a girl…well, we just don’t have the space and I am fickle, and that is just the truth.

So, I spent an afternoon going through bins and decided that we cannot fit any more in our storage unit…so when one thing comes in, one must go out. Last night my auctions on eBay ended and I did quite well, better than I expected, and so the fun begins. 🙂

Now, don’t go thinking that I sold it all; I will hold onto all of the Oilily, Matilda Jane, and cherished clothing from the closet of Charlie’s cousin, Dali…but things like winter parkas and snow boots are things that the little one in my tummy is not going to need in a year’s time. Here is just a small list of the things I have purchased/are purchasing for Charlie for Fall/Winter. As usual, it is quite the mixture, because you know, variety is the spice of life.

This morning we met up with Charlie’s buddies Lindsay and Tad at a neighborhood park to play. You might think that Charlie looks a little fancy for the park…I tried this on her yesterday and discovered that it fit her exactly so we needed to get some wear out of it, rain or not. It’s an adorable hand-me-down from her cousin Dali, and perfect for a warm day.

The kids splashed in the splash park and shared snacks and when it started to rain we drove to a great brunch place and enjoyed our meal while they created general havoc for the diners around us. It is so nice eating with other moms who have children the same age as Charlie…what a relief that they understand!! “It is what it is”, my friend Ms. Paige said. So true.

After baths, these squeaky clean kiddos played inside for a little bit and then it was back outside for some sparklers and one last wagon ride from Ms. Jen. It was bittersweet considering our sweet friends are moving to Michigan at the end of the month. We have been so blessed having them right around the corner from us this past year, and Ms. Jen and Mr. Jeremy have been lifesavers in many ways for our family.

I don’t know what I would have done without Ms. Jen’s support and help throughout my early pregnancy, especially…and just being able to count on her to watch Charlie in a pinch has really been amazing. I know that Charlie will miss her little buddies terribly, but we are going to make a point to see them as often as we are able. I’m hoping we can convince them to drive into the city once a month or so to visit, and I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll get to meet our new addition in the Fall.

We love you, Jernigan family!!!!!!!

…and these would be the “after” pictures…accompanied by a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday, America”…

To cap off our Independence Day weekend, we invited our very good friend’s the Jernigan’s over for dinner on our back porch. Our upstairs neighbor Carl let us borrow his grill and Daddy did some “studying up” this afternoon to get it just right. On the menu: hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, fresh watermelon, and (drumroll, please) dirt cake. Yum!!

Needless to say, the kids had a ball. It was warm enough to splash around in the kiddie pool, and we knew we were going to have to dunk them all in the bath after all was said and done. We call these our “before” pictures…

This morning Charlie wore her “Watermelon” dress by Vive La Fete. Every summer when we travel to Tennessee to visit the Bischoff family we make a stop halfway in Louisville, Kentucky. There is a store called Animal Crackers there, and it is the most darling little store you’ve ever seen. They happen to specialize in smocked children’s clothing (which you know I have a thing for), and they also have pretty amazing end of season sales. This was a purchase I made last summer, and as you can see, it’s still pretty long for our little girl. Good thing she’ll get wear out of this one next summer, too!

This weekend we had the pleasure of being invited to a 4th of July dinner at the home of one of Vann’s colleagues, Ms. Elizabeth. Ms. Elizabeth has an amazing view of the museum campus and Lake Michigan, and Charlie got to see Chicago from 25 floors up!

We dined on hot dogs and potato salad, and some out-of-this-world brownie dessert. Ms. Elizabeth was such a gracious host and allowed our toddler the run of her lovely home, and we were happy that Charlie did fairly well staying out of trouble. In honor of such a special affair, Charlie wore her 4th of July monogrammed bubble by Chez Ami. So cute!!

Charlie got her 4th of July weekend started off right with an impromptu playdate and lunch with her friend Lauren. They wore themselves out at the park and ran around the square chasing “duckies” for awhile, and then sat still at lunch and ate their food like the big girls they are. Charlie is sporting her fancy $4 dress that Mommy found at Walmart. Gotta love that!