I'm a slacker...

Being a good blogger is not something I consider myself. I take lots of pictures, but I am not very good about blogging them or putting them on Facebook. Maybe I will change that.

As for our life...
We still LOVE Charleston.
I am so happy summer is coming, but I will probably be sad about the heat come July and August.
We have made some great friends here and love everything Charleston has to offer.
We have been going to the beach as often as possible. Today was perfect...we got out there around 10:30 and left around 3...amazing! We met some friends out there and had a great time. Annabelle LOVES the beach!!!
Ben is not in love with his job, but he is learning a lot and knows it is a great experience. He is excited to learn and grow more in his career as he continues to work with some great attorneys.
I've been doing more with my photography, and it has been a lot of fun! carolina chic photography
Ben continues to enjoy singing in the Charleston Men's Chorus. He has had two concerts that I have missed, but I am really looking forward to the one at the end of the month.
This month is going to be crazy busy.
Ben's brother gets married this weekend.
I'm going to LA with some friends the next weekend.
Ben and I will celebrate our 8th anniversary on May 22.
Annabelle will be 2 on May 25. Unbelieveable!
We are scheduled to close on a house on May 25, but I hope we can close sooner.
We will be having a joint 2 year old birthday party for Annabelle with her friend, Doss. They are two days apart...Annabelle on the 25 and Doss on the 27. The theme is monkeys!
Annabelle is talking more each day. It is so fun to watch her learn and grow. It really is crazy how quickly the time has gone. I look at pictures of her as a little baby and am so shocked at what a big girl she is now.
Speaking of big girl, she has a big foot...she didn't really have a choice. And she wears a lot of 3T clothes. She is solid! But, again, she didn't really have a choice. Have you seen her parents?
I am going to try to have our first garden this summer. Right now, I have basil, rosemary, and parsley in pots, and I am going to try to grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and maybe some green beans when we move. We'll see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, that will be ok because I love going to the farmers' market. There isn't much that makes me happier than walking outside, picking some herbs, and cooking with them in about 5 minutes. I would love to be able to do that with veggies like my Mom used to do when I was growing up. It was awesome! I always thought it was cool, but I now have an ever greater appreciation for it as I have grown up.

Sisters Christmas weekend

My sisters and I got together at my house to celebrate Christmas between the three of us. It's a new thing this year, and I think we all agree it will now be a tradition for us. It was so fun to have them here! Friday night, we went to see the lights at James Island County Park. It's called the "Festival of Lights," and it is pretty spectacular. I've heard about it for years, but this was my first time going. We'll be back next year...and probably every year after that. They seriously have anything you can think of in a light display. It's amazing! Annabelle loved all of the lights!

Annabelle's not to sure what to think of this light bulb creature...



They had the trees light up to music and Annabelle loved it! She was dancing to the music...our little dancing queen!



On Saturday morning, we had "Christmas morning" and exchanged presents. Annabelle knew what to do with the wrapping paper this year but didn't want to make a mess with it. After she ripped a piece off, she would then hand you that piece. If only she was so careful and didn't make messes with other things...

After presents, we baked and made treats, walked the bridge, and had our ward Christmas party that night. Ben was singing in a Christmas parade near his home town, so he took Annabelle for the night, and my sisters and I were able to go downtown and meet some friends for dinner and dancing. It was the first time we have all three gone dancing together...definitely to be repeated! It was so fun!!!

My Mom used to give each of us matching pjs. I continued that tradition for us this year and here we are in our matching pjs that night. I love sisters weekend, even if I don't go to sleep until 4am and have to be at church the next morning. It was definitely worth the no sleep. I can't wait for our next weekend together!