Birthday berries!

We're taking a break from Colorado pictures today. The rest of the trip plus our pictures of Pennsylvania and baby cousin Audrey will come soon.

Every year since I was pregnant with Charlotte we have gone berry picking for her birthday. On the Fourth of July 2007 I was T-minus one day to giving birth (obviously I didn't know that at the time). We went strawberry picking in Duluth and a tradition was born. The following year for Charlotte's first birthday we went strawberry picking in Delano, MN.

July 2008 and 2009 were strawberries in Rochester, but I don't have pictures of those today. Last year, 2010, we picked raspberries in Rochester. Baby kitty Stripe came along, too.

This year, 2011, we were in Colorado for her birthday. Despite my best efforts, we couldn't find a place to pick berries near Denver. It was right between strawberry and raspberry season, so we struck out. When we got back we went raspberry picking in Rochester at the same place as 2010.

Can you see all those nice raspberries on the bushes?!

She did such a good job picking this year. I think it is the first year she's actually been helpful!

Yum!

Looking for that perfect berry.

A "berry" happy family!

Someone is very warm, but also very happy to have spent the afternoon picking raspberries. Happy belated birthday, Charlotte!

Somebody call the doctor!!!

Today Charlotte was pretending to be a doctor taking care of Daddy. She proclaimed herself "Dr. Mensing." After a brief examination, she got a worried look on her face and said, "We better call the real doctor!"

That's how we feel some days at work too, Charlotte!

Colorado July 2011

In July we went to Colorado for Kristi's college roommate's wedding. It was really fun to be part of her special day and to see most of our friends from college, whom we do not get to see very often. We packed a lot into our week in Colorado--a barbeque, swimming in a few different pools, hiking in the foothills, the wedding, a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, and just hanging out together. And of course, celebrating Charlotte's birthday at every opportunity (you just can't pass it up when you're at a restaurant and they might give her a free treat or sing happy birthday to her!).

St. Olaf friends and a barbeque. What more could you ask for?

Messy faced Tobiah and his daddy Karl.

Here is most of the St. Olaf crew, though we're missing a few people yet. It was hard to get everyone in one place. Hard to believe that many of us are parents now (even a few people with TWO children!). How time flies!

Karl looks like he should share.

Miss Charlotte in her new swimming suit from Uncle Charlie and Aunt Olivia for her birthday!

Definitely got a lot of use out of the swimming suit on this trip, but she was very clingy in the water and wouldn't let go of mama or daddy.

Rock climbing with daddy.

Matt the mountain goat.

The summit!

Some of our crazy friends Eric, Christy, and Alyssa.

Beautiful girl at the wedding reception.

Our family.

Friends Casey and Alyssa.

Friends Luke and Shannon.

Time for wedding toasts. But wait, who is standing next to the bride, sharing the spotlight?

Oh, it's Charlotte, the girl who is usually shy, but now in front of 200 people can't help but be as close as possible to the beautiful bride.

She sat up there the whole time. And I only had to motion to her once to put her dress down and not show off her underwear...

Charlotte and her new best friend Liz share a gourmet hot dog. She and Liz got along so well!

Dancing with daddy.

Dancing all night followed by 4th of July fireworks at the reception made for one tired girl.

But while she was sleeping, we snuck down the hall with some of our friends to watch our old college video, "Project Awesome," the most amazing home video montage ever made (great job Eric!)

We went on a fun hike in the foothills with several of our friends.

I'm holding Charlotte's hands because there was poison ivy on some of the trail and I was trying to keep her from brushing up against it. It didn't sound like fun to have a 4 year old with poison ivy.

The scenery was great!

We almost couldn't find Charlotte!

For Charlotte's official birthday we gave her one small gift (which we had purchased at Target just the day before for a very reasonable price after we realized how much she loved the pool).

Here she is with her new birthday water wings, beach ball, and kickboard!

From that moment on, she was a fish who couldn't stay out of the water. Even when we found a mouse swimming in the outdoor swimming pool at the hotel...

More pictures to come of the Colorado trip....

And she's off!

Here she is with Misty. It was love at first sight!

Happy 4th Birthday Charlotte!

I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never. Charlotte turned 4 (!!!) on July 5th. We were planning to be in Colorado for her actual birthday, so we had an impromptu party before then with part of our family. It was just the right kind of celebration. A little family, a little dinner, a little cake, and a couple of presents. Last year when she turned three it was much too overwhelming with too many people and too many presents. She got really crabby and couldn't enjoy her own party. This year was much better and everyone had fun!

Dinner with the family.
Her present from Grandpa Mark and Grandma Cindy, a horse on a stick. The horse was promptly named Misty, from Misty of Chincoteague (a wonderful book about the wild horses on the outer banks of North Carolina). Charlotte and Misty have had many adventures, including a lot of galloping at the grocery store.

Charlotte's cake request was a pink butterfly, but we were out of red food coloring, so she was happy with blue and yellow.

Misty had to help with the candles.

Yum!

Our silly birthday girl.

Wax

Daddy: A candle is made out of wax.

Charlotte: It can't be made out of wax! Wax is from ears!

First day of preschool

Charlotte started preschool in September! She is going to the same school Mama went to kindergarten through sixth grade in my old hometown! It was really strange to walk her into the school on her first day and remember the old hallways and all the specific rooms. The school has been remodeled in many places and it is now used for Community Education and preschool, but it still looks the same overall.


Charlotte loves her teacher and her classmates. At home, she is not very talkative about school unless you ask her specific questions. Luckily her teacher sends out an email every day to tell parents what they did that day, so we can ask about specific books or songs or activities. I'll have to get a video of her singing one her favorite preschool songs: "Zippity Do-Da, Zippity Yay! My oh my what a wonderful day! Preschool is fun, lots of learning and play! Zippity Do-Dah, Zippity Yay!" She is learning so much about following directions and behaving in a group setting, like crossing your legs, sitting quietly, and raising your hand. These are not skills we have mastered at home... :) Next week they are going on a field trip to the fire station!

Here are a few pictures of her first day of preschool:

Charlotte and Daddy on the sidewalk on the way in to school. That's a toy bottle she's holding, in case the stuffed kitten she brought needed a drink...

Mama, Daddy, and Charlotte on the steps to the school.

Grown up Charlotte on her first day of preschool.

One of her favorite spots at school is the sand table.