Thursday, March 1, 2018

Waiting on Baby Morlock

A few posts back, I referenced a special dinner that Brian, Todd, Tiff and I had in Mexico. We thought it was a normal dinner until Todd raised his glass and made a very nervous and quite frankly nonsensical toast that we finally figured out meant that Tiffany was pregnant. I really am not sure I've ever been so surprised...I couldn't even form words for a few minutes.



And THEN they revealed that Brian and I had to keep this secret for a while...from everyone. Even my parents. It wound up being about a month of not being able to tell anyone. I had to listen to Granny speculate on when she'd have another grandchild many times without spilling the beans! Finally it was time to tell the rest of the family. We started by telling Charlotte and Jensen, who got special shirts to break the good news to Granny and Sir.



They (especially Charlotte) were very excited to get to share the news. I so wish I could post a video here, because Granny's reaction was pretty priceless. She did not close her mouth for a good five minutes.


Once the news was out, it was time to find out if Baby Morlock was a boy or a girl. I really thought boy, and so did Granny. Charlotte was firmly on Team Girl. Brittaney and I threw a reveal party so we could all find out together.




And in the craziest gender reveal ever, the confetti cannons exploded with blue, and everyone celebrated that baby Morlock would be a BOY! (Well, except Charlotte. She proceeded to have a meltdown due to the fact that she really wanted a girl cousin.) And then Brittaney, who had ordered the cannons, had to break the news that the confetti cannon people messed up and the confetti should have been PINK! We were all so confused (especially Todd and Tiffany), but Claire Catherine Morlock is indeed a girl and we are so excited to meet her!

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Fall Fun

Fall seemed to fly by this year...the older Charlotte and Jensen get, the faster time seems to go. I thought I was busy when they were babies, but it turns out the older they get, the busier we all get!

As far as activities go, Jensen joined Cub Scouts this year. Charlotte is taking a theater class. Both are taking a swimming class to work on their strokes, and Jensen starts baseball in the Spring.

In September, we celebrated Mommy's 37th birthday...

And I also got a getaway with my college friends.

In October, we hit up a new pumpkin patch with some of our buddies:





And then we celebrated Halloween! Charlotte was set on being something scary, so she went with zombie cheerleader. She loved dressing and acting the part!

Jensen had a costume picked out, but decided at the last minute that it was uncomfortable. So he put on last year's ninja costume and was good to go.

We love our neighborhood and trick-or-treating with our friends.

Brian and I even went to a grown-up party this year! Here is our cat burglar and cat.

Of course the dogs got in on the action too. Charlotte and Jensen picked their costumes out at Target one day. Our little cupcake and little cheeseburger were not too thrilled.

Perhaps the most exciting event of fall was the completion of our new pool! Of course it was cold outside by the time it was finished, but the kids didn't care. They invited a few friends over for a polar bear plunge.



And although we've discovered that heating the pool during winter is definitely not cheap, we have enjoyed the hot tub a few times. Looking forward to summer and the pool AND hot tub being enjoyed daily!

First Graders

Once our summer travels were over, it was time to head back to school. There was a bit less anxiety this year since Charlotte and Jensen already had one year at Willie Brown under their belts. (Actually, I think all the anxiety was mine alone. I always feel it when they go back to school, and I probably always will.) Once again, I chose to put the kids in different classes. They really enjoyed having their independence in kindergarten and when I asked if they'd rather be in the same class their answer was a definite NO!

Just like in kindergarten, Charlotte was put with the teacher I really hoped she would have. She was also in class again with her friend Isabella, so she was off to a great start. On the other hand...once again, Jensen was the odd man out, with his three best friends Finn, Luke and Owen all in the same class (Charlotte's class, to make matters worse!) and him on his own. He knew a few people from last year, but nobody he was super close with. Just like last year, I hated it for him and wanted to fix it...but just like last year, he proved that not much can get him down. He has had a great first half of the year.

My BIG first graders!

Future Stage Actress


Future Miner


This year something very exciting happened...Ellison started kindergarten at Willie Brown!




Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Summer Vacations 2017

The Shelton family enjoyed two out of country vacations in summer 2017. As has been a tradition for three years now, my parents were kind enough to give us a trip to Mexico for Christmas. It is the best gift ever and once again we had a great time. We also decided the kids were old enough to introduce them to a trip that was one of my favorites growing up...Fort Erie and Niagara Falls.

First up, Mexico. One of our favorite places for sure, and this year, the kids (and Grandfather) tried something new...parasailing!


Ready to set sail...

Lots of pool time with Uncle Dot...


Both kids spent lots of time in the hammock outside our room.



A dance with Uncle Dot...


Up, up and away they go!



A very special dinner...

And then they decided on parasailing adventure wasn't enough and went up for another ride with Daddy...

Someone took full advantage of the all-inclusive...



The whole fam...


And just a few weeks after returning from Mexico, we set off for Canada. It was a trip I took many times growing up, and I was so excited to show the kids where Grandma grew up and where I have so many happy memories. 

Unfortunately we were off to a rocky start when our flight from Philadelphia to Buffalo got canceled, and what should have been the first night of our vacation was spent driving in a hail storm and finally getting a few hours sleep in the most disgusting Red Roof Inn you can imagine. But the next morning we were back on the road and met up with my parents in Buffalo. The rest of the trip included Niagara Falls, the old fort, lots of sightseeing and even more Tim Horton's.

Charlotte and Jensen's first glimpse of the falls...


We rented a house on Lake Erie for a few nights and it was beautiful.


Jensen rode on Maid of the Mist with us. Charlotte opted to stay on shore.


Clifton Hill fun house...

Cable car ride over the gorge...

We celebrated Granny's 70th birthday with lunch in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

And finally headed home. We ended our trip pushing Granny (broken ankle) in a wheelchair through the airport. In all the excitement, Jensen left his backpack in Philadelphia. It somehow made it back to us in Mansfield, iPad and all!

We are so fortunate that Charlotte and Jensen are good travelers, and we can't wait for next summer's adventures!