Our 4 Month Old!

Dear Charlotte, who said you could get so big so fast? You are such a sweet little girl and we love having you in our family! You are just getting to an age that is fun and exciting. You love to play with mom and dad and try and mimic what we do. You have just started showing interest in your toys and you love to grab everything and put it in your mouth. You rolled over for your first time this week. You sleep really well at night, but you take short little naps during the day. When you lock eyes with your mama your face lights up and you have the most beautiful smile and big blue eyes. We love you so much...here are some of my favorite pictures of you over the last month or so.

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and think "I'm becoming my mother?" Or better yet, have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and think "I wish I could be more like my mother?" It seems that those days are becoming more frequent for me lately. There is something about becoming a mother that makes me want to excel in the homemaking department. Oh how I wish that 16 year old Sara could have looked into her futute and seen me now. This is what she would have said, "Oh my gosh, you are such a dork." My mom used to always tell me, you'll understand when you're older. I thought she was so dumb. Sorry Mom! How right you were. I love you so much. Anyway, as I was sitting at my desk today planning out our meals for next week, I thought of some things that I really want to accomplish this year. I have decided to list them here so I can come back at the end of the year and assess my progress.

1. I want to sew something for Charlotte to wear. (a hat, gloves or booties don't count) My mom used to make us clothes all the time and I want to be able to do that for my kids.

2. I want to can something from every season and get at least a six month supply of food in our pantry. I know we need a year, but I'm taking baby steps.

3. I want to read one good educational book a month. By educational I don't necessarily mean fiction or boring. I was thinking more along the lines of a book that will teach me something or give me new perspective.

4. I want to cook more. Although I have been much better as of late, I know that I need to be more consistent. Sometimes I will cook all week and then take a whole week off. Since I have had a baby I have not been very good at getting meals together. We just moved into a new place, and I've vowed to make dinner most nights of the week. This will not only save us money, but will also be good for our health!

5. I want to invite one family from our ward over for dinner every other month. I know this doesn't seem like much, but if you know Dustin and I, that will be painful. I love people, don't get me wrong. I just don't like meeting new people. So, I'm going to try and step out of my comfort zone.

Well, that's it. There are many more things I want to work on this year, but I can only focus on so many right now. I will add a picture of Charlotte, because she's just so darn cute!