Happy Birthday Lauren!

Lauren is 4!! She had a wonderful birthday weekend. We had a birthday party for her yesterday. She started her party with a birthday twirl in her favorite party dress. We rented a bouncy castle, had some pizza and cheese balls for lunch, plenty of juice boxes, a princess cake, lots of fabulous presents, and tons of fun!

In fact, this is how much fun was had! Passed out cold on the couch right after supper. We had a neighborhood bonfire in the evening and she managed to show up for the last half hour or so of that!

Today we went to the zoo. We saw the dolphins and all the other fish (Lauren's favorite part), we played in the great playground there, rode the monorail (Josh's favorite part) and we all had a great time.

I just can't believe that my sweet girl is 4! It seems like so long ago that we brought her home from the hospital, but it has really gone by so very fast. She is growing up more and more and really starting to understand concepts like "responsibility" and "treat others the way you want to be treated." She's such a loving, kind, sweet little girl all sprinkled with a little bit of attitude!

Brian and I were telling her last night about the day she was born. We told her how when the doctor placed her in my arms, she didn't even cry, she just stared at us like she had been waiting nine months to meet us. She stared at everything, exploring her new world. It was so calming and beautiful. It also got me thinking about the fact that she was born on a Tuesday night at 8:07 pm. Brian and I were also born on Tuesdays, but Brian was born at the EXACT same time as Lauren - 8:07 pm! Isn't that crazy?

I've always seen Lauren as a butterfly. I don't really know why. Maybe because she's so fluttery and pretty. Maybe because I know one day she will fly away. She's my baby girl and she's growing up so fast and I just want to imprint every moment with her (and Josh and Logan). I know in the blink of an eye they will all be growed-up and I will want to push the rewind button. I know this even though a lot of days it feels like it isn't going fast enough! The last four years have been wonderful and I can't wait for the next four!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN!!!!!

silly

Here's Lauren and Josh being silly! The top picture cracks me up! She's trying to tie Daddy's shoes on him while he looks through the Hello Kitty binoculars to check her work!

LOGAN!

Logan is nine months old. It's just plain crazy! It feels as if the last 9 months have gone by so very fast, but at the same time I feel like I've aged so much in that time! Logan is such a happy baby boy. He is sitting up now, rolling all around, creeping, and grabbing every toy he can get a hold of. He isn't crawling yet, but he is trying very hard so I'm sure it won't be long. He gets mad when his brother and sister leave the room and he is left behind! He is eating a lot of different foods now. He really likes all of his baby food, peas, squash, carrots, and of course all the fruit. He is good about trying all the food I put on his tray. He likes chicken and he tried some roast beef one night. He's not a huge fan of green beans yet, but his favorite food by far is crackers, any kind. Right now we are eating sesame crackers and he LOVES them! He loves sitting in his high chair and eating with Lauren and Josh. He's sleeping good and no more ear infections (KNOCK, KNOCK!!!!) And teeth! He has two on the bottom and is getting his top two teeth! Lauren says that he is "big" now and can talk because he has teeth. Hmmm......

Anyways, here are is "stats" from his doctor's appointment.

Weight: 26 lb 1 oz

Length: 2 ft 7 in

We are excited to see what Logan will be up to next - I'm sure it will involve moving and trying to catch Lauren and Josh!

neighbors

I love my neighbors. It sounds silly, but neighbors can really make or break how happy you are in your neighborhood. We have the BEST neighbors. Before we moved in when we were painting inside the house, one of our neighbors brought us over a plate of fresh baked cookies and a map of the neighborhood with everyone's names so we wouldn't have to remember anyone! Isn't that super nice and thoughtful?! Our neighborhood is FULL of kids and it's so great - probably because we have kids ourselves! And I cannot think of a neighbor that I truly dislike. I even like the grumpy neighbor who lives next door to us. I'm gonna break down his grumpiness one of these days! My goal is to get him to the neighborhood party that we have in the summer!

With all that being said, this is what happens when your husband becomes buddies to the neighbor next door (not the grumpy one).......



That's right. Our backyard is a baseball field. Not just a "hey, let's play some ball" kind of field, but a "here's the foul line and the pitcher's mound" kind of field. It was definately an unauthorized use of the lawnmower. I was told it was for the "kids" .......hmmmm, I'm not buyin' it!!