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.

A Christmas Outfit or FOUR

Merry Christmas House on Strathmore followers!  We had an incredible holiday on the Eastern Shore and saw aunts, cousins, and friends during our 4-day trip.  Charlie, as you'd expect, was completely showered with presents and has already caused his mother to have some minor anxiety attacks about where to put all these toys!   John and I have always loved visiting my parent's house, because in addition to catching up with family and friends it really feels like we're "getting away" and that's probably mostly due to the incredible hosting job Mom & Dad always do! 

Christmas is definitely not over for us as we'll be celebrating with Papa John & Yvette tomorrow and John's sisters on Friday--let the egg nog, Christmas music, and excessive eating continue!

If you are interested in seeing pictures from our Christmas on the shore,  click here!

As Christmas approached we starting losing count of all the adorable outfits Charlie was receiving from his grandparents, aunts, and cousins!  Here are shots of him wearing 4 of those outfits!

Candy House: A Kemp Family Tradition

As a kid my sister and I couldn't wait to "make the candy house," which was probably my favorite christmas tradition.  The tradition comes from my Pop-Pop's side (Mom's father) and has now found it's way to Strathmore Avenue.  John and I have done our own candy house each year we've been together and each year they seem to get better.  The real secret to success is in the batter that serves as the foundation for the candy and this year it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  For those interested in doing a candy house of your own the steps are pretty simple:

1. Build your house from cardboard and duct tape
2. Have your candy all picked out and ready to decorate because as soon as the base goes on you need to hop on the decorating right away.
3. Mix up the batter, the starting point is 6 egg whites and about 2 bags of powdered sugar but depending on how much you need you have to just keep adding some of both components until the batter is the right level of stickiness!

Not that its a competition but before I share pictures of House on Strathmore's candy house you can check out my mom's and aunt's house below for this year!

Aunt Kitty's candy house!

Mom and Dad's candy house!

Now for our house! Of course we documented the process with plenty of action shots! You can be the judge of which household wins for 2011!

Last neighborhood walk of 2011

We are fortunate to live in one of the best neighborhoods in Baltimore, Lauraville, that has amongst its many many strengths Great Sidewalks! Since moving to the neighborhood 3 + years ago we've been walking the neighborhood streets daily to make sure Chelsea gets plenty of exercise and the past 2 months Charlie and I have been getting out and about.  However, sadly, today I think marked our final neighborhood walk of 2011.  This is due both to my return to work, which gradually begins next week, and the dropping temps.  Its hard to believe that when we get back out on the sidewalks in March he'll be going on 6 months, WHOA.

Here are some pics from our walk today! 

 

The boy seriously can't stop smiling!

Just one of the great views we get of downtown on our walks, Lauraville has one of highest elevations in the city!

 Like I said great sidewalks and a goregous moon tonight!

Garrett Heights Elementary and Middle is just a block away and has a fantastic playground that I'm sure we'll be visiting plenty in a few years!

Getting in the holiday spirit

I absolutely love the holidays (like just about everyone else I know) and while Charlie may be a little too young to have any clue as to what's happening it feels a little more special this year!  We got our tree the first weekend of December from the good ole' Home Depot, which has never disappointed us.  We went with a Douglas Fir, here's CPL making the final decision!

  

We got right on the decorating and with the exception of a few more outside lights that Papa Laur still has to conquer we're in full on holiday mode over here.  Chelsea is always a great sport when it comes to posing in front of the tree and this year is no exception!

 

 I decided with the addition of the bambino we needed to step up our stocking game so I purchased new stockings for everyone (except the pup) from Land of Nod and I'm super happy with them!  If anyone has seen cute/affordable puppy stockings let me know, I'm on the look out!

Charlie, like his momma, LOVES santa hats!

Next on the agenda is constructing and decorating the annual candy house.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the final product :)