ridiculously huge post

This is a regurgitation of pictures from the last few months (even some from Christmas time). Ben has been downloading the pictures onto his computer lately, hence the little blogging I've done recently since I normally blog from my own. And sometimes I just avoid blogging because it takes too dang long.

I believe this post has 36 pictures. It's everything up to about a week and a half ago. I'll get to those pictures later along with about a thousand videos.

I want to get caught up before we head out of town next weekend to IRELAND! Ben is doing an away rotation at the university hospital in Galway for four weeks. Then we'll be there two more weeks traveling.

We have an apartment, rental car, passport for the wee one. We're set.

Now enjoy this ridiculously huge post.

{lunching with two ponies in her hair, tossed around by Daddy and Eli, trudging through the snow in Michigan}

{sharing a ginormous donut with Daddy and Krista, gearing up to head out on the snow, being pulled by Eli and sliding with some friends in MI}

{loving on Big Bird, on a walk in her new rain gear, "bubbos" are her new obsession}

{trying to love on a friend at Match Day, giving her goofy side smile, enjoying St. Patty's downtown Chicago}

{swinging at our favorite park, "requesting" to go outside, with Dr. Judy - one of two of her peds}

{sitting on her hedgehog bean bag she loves, she asked to wear her Mickey ears all evening, having a family day at the zoo}

{getting tuckered out at an Indian restaurant, she looooves hiding under the dining room table, and she loves just about anything she can cuddle/manhandle - monkey, baby doll, Ugly Doll...}

{playing with her boyfriend, up at Mt. Rainier in WA while visiting my fam, at Snoqualmie Falls with Ben's aunt and uncle}

{up at Mt. Rainier, Pike Place Market in Seattle, celebrating New Year's Eve with silly string}

{on a date for our 5 year anniversary, playing with Papa, making/decorating/eating her first sugar cookie at Christmas time with Gramo and her cousins}

{sitting with a stranger on a plane, meeting her first kitty (not very impressed... I think she's a dog person), with her little cousin, Adison}

{excitedly putting on her Santa pjs}

Charlotte is almost 17 months old. Where did the time go?! It feels like it is going by much faster than in the beginning. She is definitely a toddler now. Seeing what she can do without you looking, arching herself backward when she's ticked, getting some quality time on her time out rug, teasing you, not listening... oh the joy... She still hasn't learned the word 'no', but I'm sure that won't last too long. She loves having bows in her hair, shoes on, and twirling. She loves taking naps cuddled up with me watching a Disney movie (preferably Toy Story 3). Every night she sits on Ben's lap, folds her arms for a prayer, "helps" Ben read a verse, then flips through a few pages pretending she's reading. Love it. If we don't immediately get the scriptures out after she's ready for bed then she'll grab them for you and fold her arms waiting.

We love love love her more every day.