Charlie discovers his first toy

You know the saying "they change every day," well that is definitely true these days. Charlie received lots of great toys for Christmas and we've been introducing a few of them to him recently and today it he finally got into it. The real key for him was figuring out how to work his hands!!!

CPL's Aunt Amanda & Uncle Ryan got him a Bright Start Activity Station that we're keeping downstairs and his Gigi & Papa John got him another exersaucer for upstairs. We tried putting him in one last week and this was the result:

Bottom line--he wasn't interested!

What a difference a week makes in the world of Charlie Laur. We put him in there again tonight and OMG he has totally gained control of his arms and hands--its seriously incredible! Check out our baby genius!

3 Years of Chelsea

Yesterday marked Chelsea's 3 year "adoption anniversary" with us.  Chelsea came to us in 2009 from the Maryland SPCA where she'd been transferred from BARCS after being found on the "streets" of Baltimore.  They told us she'd probably been abused and while she was only 1 1/2 she'd given birth to at least two litters of puppies.  Anyone who has had the pleasure of walking Chelsea or seeing her interact with other pups understands that she carries those days from the streets with her constantly.  Yeah, she is definitely a fighter but she is just as much a lover.  She does everything intensely: eating, sleeping, walking, barking, playing, fighting, etc.

While Charlie definitely confirmed our status as a "family" we felt like a family of three before he entered our lives.  "Chels" is definitely not a lay around kind of pup, she wants to be entertained, touched, played with, and basically adored 24/7.  Since having Charlie I have had many days where she was trying my patience more than him.

She's also as smart as they come.  She's a pro at catch and this past summer mastered swimming! She recognizes that good food is hard to come by and always wants to savor the opportunity.  During the first month we had Chelsea I left a few steaks to thaw on the counter only to come home and find them both gone.  A few hours later when we sat down to watch TV, John reached in between the cushions and pulled out an entire steak!  Then, there was the time she slept on the kitchen table to get closer to the fan during a hot summer night.

We couldn't have imagined the past three years without her...she makes us smile and shake our heads in disbelief (mainly that we let her run our lives) every day.

Chelsea's first night at House on Strathmore

John meeting Chelsea for the first time at the SPCA--her name was "Brooke" then

Her first snow, I think we'd had her a week at this point

This past summer, at her favorite spot--Herring Run Stream!

Ringing 2012 in with style

What a year 2011 was! As long as 9 + months of pregnancy feels like, when I consider that I wasn't even pregnant last NYE it feels like it all flew by.  Charlie is growing up so fast and lastnight really showcased that.  We had a few friends over, most of which also have little ones, and Charlie was loving all the attention and interaction from the other little boys--Evan & Max.  Here are some pictures of them "playing" :)

 

Once the kiddos went to bed the adults counted down with lots of food, beverages, and an intense game of Catch Phrase.  One really fun thing we did this year was have everyone fill out "I want to leave behind in 2011..." card that we then all tossed into a bonfire after the ball dropped.  It's been unseasonably warm and even at midnight it couldn't have been below 50 degrees outside.

I am absolutely obsessed with pinterest and have been trying lots of new recipes.  For NYE I made Bang Bang Shrimp and these Oreo Truffles.  You can see all the recipes on my pin boards here.

And finally, our little guy was well dressed for the night (thanks to his Aunt Amanda), rocking the "Party in my Crib" onesie! We can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for the House on Strathmore Family and look forward to sharing all our adventures with you!  Charlie has been talking up a storm lately, if you want to check out what he has to say click here.