A Purposeful Peek

Paper lanterns are part of ancient Asian traditions that are thought to date back as far as 230 BC.  To this day, they are used in religious and cultural festivals and holidays around the world, usually symbolic of some type of celebration.  In their simplest form, they are a light/candle inside of a paper bag, set on display for only a short time before they burn out.  But there are more intricate paper lanterns - sky lanterns - that inflate when lit, rise rapidly into the air, and float into the sky for miles and miles. They give off a glow that can be seen by anyone who happens to look up and behold the light that illuminates the night sky. Last week, I got to release my first sky lantern with my first best friend, the person who knows me most deeply (besides my husband), the person who I have shared every season of life most closely with. My sister.  It was a bittersweet celebration and a symbolic farewell... After nearly seven years of preparat...

Char-char, No, that is not a nickname that your daddy and I came up with; it is your very own invention and the way you most commonly refer to yourself with a proud smile on your face.  We still prefer to call you Charlotte or Charli, but in the end you will ultimately decide what you want to be called anyway!  We just hope you don't take a page out of your aunt's playbook and insist on changing the spelling of your name (to something like "Charlytte") while in high school ; ) Gone are the days of monthly blog updates from your first year of life; at the pace you are moving now, we are doing well to document your quarterly developments... and what a fast-paced quarter these last three months have been! You can now kick a soccer ball while running full speed ahead, jump with both feet lifted off the ground, and you have figured out how to climb out of the crib (!) These are the days when we are most proud and yet sometimes overwhelmed [in the best way...