9 Months...

Doesn't she just look like a little lady?

This is her snarl face. It's hard to capture it completely, but cracks us up. Her nose gets all scrunched up...

I love this picture because you can see her big, blue eyes.

Lauren is 9 months old today!!! Wow, we are enjoying her so much and are beginning to see a bit of her personality coming through. She already seems much more girlie and dramatic than James ever was so I'm anxious to see how she is when she gets a bit older. I keep trying to warn Luke of things to come... :) (he has no sisters) Here are some facts about Lauren at 9 months:

-Food-she loves anything and everything, but has quite a sensitive gag reflex, so baby food with texture is a bit difficult. She loves banana bread though and soggy cinnamon toast crunch which James likes to feed to her :)
-Teeth- 6 total...2 on bottom and 4 on top
-Movement- she still crawls all over, but has officially mastered the "monkey walk." She gets up on all fours and "walks" across the room. She can move pretty quickly and it's hilarious to watch. I'm wondering when she'll walk...
-Talking-well, she's not talking yet but she's babbling a lot. Her favorite sound is, "da da da da..." Don't know how that works.... :)
-She LOVES watching TV...I know I shouldn't blog this, but it's the truth. We don't let her watch much, but anytime it's on...she's glued. If you get in her way she'll move so she can see again. Isn't that awful???

-She pays attention to detail and tends to be attracted to the things are less obvious to the eye. Therefore, making my job as a mother even more difficult. I have to constantly be aware of everything-everywhere!!!

-She's persistent-she knows what she wants and she will do whatever it takes to get it and be very vocal when she doesn't get it. She got the batteries out of a toy last night....I mean seriously!!!
-Nicknames- Lou-Lou, Munchkin, Lou-Magou, Loola-Magoola, Wawen (James can't say "L's"), Sweet Lou, Peanut; there are many more, but I'm too tired to think of them :)
-She loves taking walks...in the wagon, stroller, being held...doesn't matter. She loves just looking around at new things
-She is dramatic (yes already). If you take something away from her she squeals and squawks and cries...such a girl...
-She's a sweetheart...she loves people and she's content being played with or talked to
-She's a very happy baby most of the time. Now when she's fussy we're actually surprised. Did you ever think that would happen?

We are so thoroughly enjoying our precious little girl and cannot wait to see what's in store for her. We just pray we can be the best parents possible to raise her to be all she was created to be. Love you Lou-Lou!!!

Eating Corn with "Handlebars"

I'm sure chewing on this corn sure felt good on her teeth (she has 6 now-2 on the bottom and 4 on top!)

James wanted to help me shuck the corn but he HATED the corn silk. He's never been able to stand having "stuff" on him.

They couldn't help themselves...mmm...uncooked corn

James had his first experience with corn on the cob about a year ago when he stayed with my parents while we were on vacation and the truth is...he's loved it ever since! It is probably one of his favorite foods and of course the best part for him is eating it off the cob and holding on to it using "handlebars." (that's what he calls the corn holders...isn't that hilarious! It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about. guess it makes sense-corn cob holders..James interpretation...handlebars). I let him help me shuck the corn and he couldn't wait to take a bite. I mean honestly... cold, uncooked corn??? Lauren loved it too! I tried to grab it away at first and boy did squawk at me. We are enjoying the many perks that come along with summer. One of them being fresh, sweet corn.

Happy 1st Birthday Mallory

My niece Mallory, Tami's little girl turned one last week and they had her birthday party on Friday night! She had lots of fun and got lots and lots of new, fun toys! It is so different buying little girl toys!!! We're used to seeing trucks, trains, and action heroes. Instead we saw baby dolls, shopping carts, and play food. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed playing outside and enjoying the beautiful weather. Mallory is the first of the three babies to be born within just 3 months of each other. It's a crazy reminder of how quickly time is going. It was a fantastic party! Great job Tami!

Splash Pad

James would run toward the sprinklers and take a quick veer to avoid getting wet...defeated the whole purpose, but pretty cute.

This is his friend Addie. They held hands a couple times through. He needs the support of a woman already! :)

There is a great little sprinkler park in a little town about 20 minutes from us that I've wanted to take James to all summer. We finally had a chance to go and had perfect weather to make for a perfect day. Jennifer, Tami, me and all of our kids met up at my sister Tiffani's house and headed to the sprinkler park. My friend Lyndsay met us there with her two girls and we had a blast...(that is after we figured out how to get the thing going. I'm sure we looked like a bunch of idiots...) To end a perfect morning/afternoon, we had lunch from McDonalds. These kids are pretty lucky don't you think? We had an absolutely perfect time. It was so much fun and once again I am so grateful for my friends and family AND for a husband who allows me to stay home with our kids and make these kinds of memories!

Family Fun

James loved the little jacuzzi tub and so did we because it was plenty small and we didn't have to chase him.

Over the weekend, we travleved up to Michigan to see my dad's 7 sisters and their families...yes, 7! We had a fantastic time and it felt like a little vacation. They had a great pool and right next to it was a jacuzzi tub. James and Lauren both loved it because it was very warm and James could stand on the ledge and jump around. And of course we loved it because it kept him confined to one area which doesn't happen very often. It rained and cooled down into the 50's but that sure didn't stop the kids. They changed out of suits, back into suits, and out of suits several more times. The dads were great about taking them out into the cold. They were eventually all huddled in the jacuzzi tub. The kids even got to watch movies in a movie theatre in the house. A movie theatre complete with large leather reclining chairs and a stage. They thought that was pretty neat. But, what did James want to do? Go around to all of the chairs and put the leg rests up. I'm telling you...he NEVER wants to do what we "think" he should want to do. We had such a wonderful day visiting with family and the kids sure enjoyed the pools!

Popsicle Pals

One for you...one for me...one for you...one for me...
One of James' favorite things about summer has to be eating a couple popsicles a day...yes, you read that correctly... a couple. He loves popsicles so it was natural for him to want to share his love of them with Lauren. And let me tell you, she thought they were pretty great too. She kept grabbing for it when James would pull it away and of course give her signature girlie squeal. James would take a lick and then give it to her. They went back and forth for quite a while. It was pretty cute. For a split second I wondered how sanitary that whole process was, but I figured it was too cute to worry about. :) I appreciated the fact he was willing to share it with her because let me tell you, his popsicles are a sacred thing.

"Ideal" Ideal Beach

James and Landen enjoyed playing in the kiddie pool together but that water was COLD!!!! Of course they didn't seem to mind.

He wasn't real sure about this water fall. The water was really cold, so he just stuck his bottom in it. Maybe it's not that cold that way...

Before we knew it, he had shimmied up this lifeguard chair. As soon as I approached him, he said, "Jump mommy," and proceeded to jump to me. It may not look high in this picture, but it really was. At least I was ready...brave boy

It was very difficult to get pictures because of running back and forth after James. It figures, that no pictures were taken of Lauren except for this one at the very end when she was exhausted and due for a nap. She had a great time and love playing in the sand. We had to watch her because she also liked eating it...YUCK!


There is this great little water park/beach here in Elkhart called, "Ideal Beach." Hence the name it really is pretty ideal. There is a little beach for the kids to play on as well as a playground and kiddie pools. My mom and I took the kids and met up with Tami and her kids as well as her mother-in-law. It's a good thing there were 4 adults because there was never a dull moment trying to keep track of them all especially with so much to do. We had a great time and James and Lauren both took great naps on the way home!

James has been waiting...

They really were thrilled to be in there! Honest...

She loved every minute of her first wagon ride!

I love the way she's kind of looking over her shoulder like, "Is this really ok?" James was thrilled to be able to pull her around. It got a little jerky at times! Lauren is going to be a tough cookie...she'll have to be! :)

We have always taken James on many, many walks but this summer it has been more difficult because Lauren didn't like the stroller until recently. James has been waiting all summer for us to be able to take the number of walks we used to be able to. We decided Lauren was probably sturdy enough to handle the wagon so we buckled her in and this is what she thought of it...she LOVED it and James thought it was pretty great too! They laughed at each other all the way around the neighborhood. My heart just soared with excitement along with an overwhelming feeling of joy and contentment. This is one of the first things we've done with the kids together when it seemed like we had two "grown-up" kids. It was a lot of fun and I felt myself getting all teary-eyed. I know, I'm a sappy one...I'm sure we will go on many, many more wagon rides and now that James knows we can all go, he will probably talk me into several a day! :)