Charlotte is 8!!!

Happy birthday to my big girl, Charlotte! I can't believe she is eight today. No, really, I can't. Being the first child, I can remember her infancy the most clearly, and I can remember holding and thinking about this day 8 years later. And here we are, in a blink of an eye, and she is so big and smart and wonderful!

I'm hoping today is a great day for her. She's having a really stressful time right now, so I want today to be a break. Eat whatever you want, today, babe. Liz brought her doughnuts for breakfast, she gets to buy her lunch, and we'll do whatever she wants for dinner. Then, it is her first Activity Days*, and I'll take up cupcakes for all the girls. She is stoked beyond belief. Plus, it is picture day at school, and she is wearing a light-up Birthday Girl button to be immortalized in her 2nd grade photo.

My mom is coming today to help me to something with this ridiculous sty of a house. I can't do it. I recognize defeat. Still, I'm dying to cancel b/c I don't want to mess with it! But it just needs to be done so bad. We have ceased to function. As a small sampling of the state of my home, here is a picture of my desk. It is representative of every horizontal surface including the floor:

I've been horrible about eating sugar lately. I need to reform. Again. A never-ending cycle. Sometimes it is so easy, and I don't even think about junk food. Other times... yeah.

I just remembered: Charlotte woke up telling us we had just put her down to sleep after the restaurant where she ate her "fantina," which is what dad told her a plate of all-you-can-eat food is called. I love my kids' dreams.

And while I'm writing cute stuff to remember: On Sunday, we were gathering in the office to watch General Conference on the internet. Gabe came in to a picture of the Mormon Tabernacle choir sitting in their seats all dressed up in their robes. The women wore red robes and the men wore blue. He glanced at the screen and said, very conversationally, "Oh, who's winning? The blue team or the red team?" Oh, sweet boy, I love you!

Alright, Charlotte, I'll be thinking of you all day! This time 8 years ago I was laboring away at Texas Women's Hospital, wishing I was drinking a Coke. My last meal before I went into labor was onion rings, chocolate cake, and Coke with lime with all my girlfriends. You came on your due date, blessed baby, and Sarah and Mom and Dad all saw you get here. All I remember feeling was happy and excited the whole time. You were the sweetest little baby, always laughing and interested in everything around you. And look at that! You are the same way today! I love you!

Here's a very tiny video of her at a couple days old. It's cuz I can't find a still shot on my computer, and it's only, like, 5 seconds, and if you look at the top of her head when she looks to the left of the screen, you can see a little bit of the giant hematoma nastinest that ensued when the vaccuum popped off her head over and over during her birth:

*At our church, girls ages 8 through 11 participate in a program called Activity Days. Twice a month, they all meet for fun activities and learning experiences that are intended to help them develop and grow their testimonies and their characters. They focus on learning and living the gospel, serving others, developing their talents, memorizing scriptures, and identifying their testimonies. They didn't have this exact program when I was growing up, and I'm excited to learn alongside Charlotte.