The Downside of Walking

Over the last week or so Lauren has really taken off with walking on her own. One day she was taking a step here and there and the next she was walking about 90% of the time. I must also mention she seems to be the dare devil of the family.

So, it was the night of Christmas Eve and all through the house the kids were stirring to get ready for bath time. Lauren was toddling in the bathroom all snug in her jammies when all of sudden a trip she did take. Downward and forward she flew to the floor but to our dismay it wasn't the floor she met first. With a sharp noise she landed into the side of the bath tub and instantly she cried out.

I rushed over to get her and take a look at the damage; a big giant bump swelled up like a bubble. I was scared and so was she...we ran to find grandma and seek her advice. After some counseling from a nurse we stayed home for care but, made sure to observe our baby stay fair.

Now, Lauren looks like a prize fighter, I know, but the black and blue continues to improve. We hope that soon she will return to the condition she was before that fateful Christmas Eve.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas today. As for us, all is well. Tahlor dodged the naughty list and Lauren had a fist fight with Santa last night (more about that later). We all had a wonderful day spending time with family, enjoying great food and sharing presents. It is about time to turn off the lights and head to bed. I will write more about Christmas later -- Good Night!

Happy 5th Birthday!

This past weekend we celebrated Tahlor's Birthday - 5 Years! John and I cannot believe it has been five years...she is getting so big. Right now Tahlor is into Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift and music so we had a rock star party. I made a sweet guitar cake and some microphone cakes (cupcakes inserted into the top of an ice cream cone). It was a challenge to make but fun at the same time. Family and friends came over to celebrate and sing to the birthday girl. Being it was her birthday I actually let her have a piece of guitar cake and a microphone cake - that must have been a major sugar rush. She stayed up beyond her normal bed time playing with her friends and cousins and enjoying the new toys she received. It was a great time and now we are looking forward to Christmas!

You will have to pardon the pictures as the camera settings were messed up.

Santa Claus

We took the girls to see Santa Claus the other day at Town Square. Tahlor did a good job and even made out a list of things she was going to ask Santa for Christmas. At the last minute she decided she wasn't going to use the list and on top of that Santa didn't ask her what she wanted for Christmas...hopefully she gets to see him once more before Christmas.

Yes, someone is missing from this picture - Lauren. She was not at all excited to see Santa and sit on his lap so, she didn't make it into the picture. I have said it was quite like the cartoons you see when a baby cries and then tears are literally flying out of their eyes. John said he captured it on video however, I don't think I am up for reliving that again. Maybe next year Lauren :(

Tahlor's Turn

I posted earlier about Lauren and yes, Tahlor has also been taking swim lessons. She is not new to swim lessons as she also took them when she was a baby but, it has been a while since we have taken her to class. She is getting back into it now as a 'big girl'. She is doing great. The teacher even said she is ready to move to the next level the next time she comes for lessons. I am so happy to be able to take the girls to things like this. I think it is important to learn about being in water as to avoid fear and to learn what to do should they find themselves in a compromising situation. Plus, Tahlor is having a blast with it! Here are some shots I took of her - excellent job, Tahlor.

So Many Firsts...

We have been busy the last few weeks and I have not posted about all of Lauren's firsts. In addition to her first birthday there has been:

First swimming lessons - So for the last 4 weeks, both of the girls have been taking swim lessons and I have been the only parent with them. John was off work over the holiday and that gave me the opportunity to get some pictures of both the girls. These are Lauren's first lessons and she is really starting to get the hang of it. Just this past weekend she was kicking and swimming with her arms at the same time.

Still working on the bubble blowing.

After swim lessons - lets get dry.

First haircut - Granny and Pappa came over to watch the girls. I thought it was an opportune time to give Lauren her first haircut. Okay, one time when she was much younger I did cut out some hair that was knotted that I could not comb out but, that doesn't really count. Lauren had some out of place longer hair in the back and some of the hair in the front was getting in her face. She needed a little evening out. As a side note - these haircut pictures are taken by Tahlor.

Thank you to Granny for the haircut!

All done and ready for the close-up.

Lauren a few days before first haircut.

Lauren a few days after her first haircut.

First regular milk - Lauren has recently finished up the last of her formula and is now drinking the real deal. She seems to like it more or at least she consumes more of it than she did formula. Lauren is now a pro at using the sippy cup and has been bottle free for several weeks. Wow! What a big girl!

First wagon ride - Daddy gave Lauren a ride in the new wagon. She does like to try to get up while it is moving and so riding with Sissy is a little safer. Weeee!

First attempt at self dressing - Lauren seems to have this thing with her socks. She understands when I talk about them. She wears them but also likes to take them off like it is some sort of challenge. One day I told her to put her socks on and this was her attempt to do so. She even lifts up her foot for me when I go to put them on.

Happy Thanksgiving/Birthday

Thursday was a day of celebration for two reasons: 1. Thanksgiving of course and 2. Lauren turned 1 year old! The day was full of preparing and cooking a Thanksgiving feast.

Lauren helping prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Special thanks to our family who contributed to the delicious menu.

20lb. turkey
stuffing
mashed tatoes
sweet mashed
green beans
sauerkraut
spinach
squaw corn
fruit salad
rolls
pumpkin cheesecake
pecan pie

Lauren enjoyed a great birthday dinner full of different food items she had never tried before...and loved them all. Then she received her birthday cheesecake - yummy!

Everyone is ready to dig in.

Happy Birthday to you!

Wow, eating with my hands has never been so fun!

You think she could fit the whole fist in her mouth?

Almost gone.

All clean...come here mama.

She Walks!

Tonight while the girls were taking baths and getting ready for bed, I noticed Lauren actually took a couple of steps towards me instead of diving towards me as usual. I told daddy that we may have a walker here...and sure enough Lauren did it, just two days before her first birthday. We got her to practice a few times but she grew tired and disinterested after a bit. We are so proud of her. Tahlor was a big helper, filling in on the receiving end of Lauren's strides so that daddy could film. What a great night!

Here are some fun still photos!

Mr. Potato Head

Looking for a great toy to give a younger kid for Christmas? And what about a price tag of just $2. See the post at the Saving Made Simple blog link about how to get a Mr. Potato Head for just $2...don't wait, deal ends tomorrow.

Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for (as we all do I am sure). It is nice to spend some time thinking about what we do have and not what we don't. We are gearing up for a wonderful Thanksgiving with immediate family and this year it is extra special as we are also celebrating Lauren's first birthday the same day as Thanksgiving.

I am surprised how fast the year has gone by. Literally it feels like last month that Lauren was born. It certainly did not feel that way the first time around. It must be the law of motherhood or parenthood. The last year it has been awesome to see Lauren grow. We have enjoyed experiencing the differences from her older sister. I remember when I was pregnant with Lauren, wanting badly to know how the two would be different and the same, in appearance and personality. It is so cool. Our girls are definitely one of the many things we are thankful for.

Stairs

The little stinker has triumphed over the stairs. Tonight we watched her crawl up, one by one each step on the entire set of stairs in our house. While we are proud, we are now scared at the same time. Now we have to make sure she is not on the stairs alone. Time to make more use out of the baby gate. Look at her go...

BBW Savings

Recently I received an email from Bath and Body Works about a sale on hand soaps 4 for $10 and $6 wallflowers. Great deal, right? What is even better is that there are coupons floating around...some for 20% off and some for $10 off $30 purchase (30% savings if your purchase doesn't exceed $30). Wallflowers are normally $12.50 each and with this deal utilizing the $10 off, they are $4 each. Wow! If you are a wallflower fan or have contemplated trying them, now is the time. Also, if you are on the BBW mail list you probably have received another coupon which gives you one Signature Collection product free with a minimum purchase. Don't miss out, these could make for some great savings on Christmas presents.

Bath and Body Works Sale!

7 YEARS!

Today marks seven years of marriage for John and I. I woke up to a yummy, hot breakfast (not usual on a weekday) and a wonderful, sentimental card with lunch compliments of John. Tonight we are going to our usual Tuesday night small group meeting however, next week are continuing the celebration with a trip to the movies to see the new release of New Moon. I can't wait! Thank you John and Happy Anniversary!

First Tooth!

John told me that Lauren had been extraordinarily cranky today and did not take good naps. He said "she is teething and chewing on her fingers." Tonight at dinner, after some inspection, we discovered that indeed her first tooth had cut through the gums. Yeah Lauren! We are so proud to see her reach another milestone. Unfortunately, capturing this on film is virtually impossible so, all of you will have to wait to notice it in pictures of future posts.

Saving Spree

I have always enjoyed bargain shopping but I have to say that since discovering Grocery Smarts and the Saving Made Simple blog, it really has become even more fun! Over the past week I have taken advantage of the Albertson's sale, making several trips, to enjoy savings like yogurt 4-packs for $.25, yes that is twenty-five cents. The other night during one such trip, I purchased $118 worth of groceries for under $30. Absolutely amazing! I decided to leverage the sale to make a donation to my church so that they can provide holiday meals to those in need. We are also planning one more trip before the sale ends tomorrow. I am really going to have make better organization with my pantry.

Also over the last week, Target had featured a special on the front page of their weekly circular. It was buy 2 Wii games get 1 free. Well, I thought about it and decided that I was not going to get any, then thanks to a post at Saving Made Simple I changed my mind. The post discussed that there was an additional coupon of $10 off of 2 games. I could not pass it up! I ended up purchasing 6 games for $100 (three games at the higher end of the price range and three games at the low end).

Can't wait to discover more!

Utensils Are a Beautiful Thing

As Lauren approaches her 1st Birthday, she has really grown in many ways. In the last three weeks she has been using her sippy cups full time and has mastered the technique. She also enjoys playing games with her cup such as; lets see how many times mommy will pick up the cup from the floor after I drop it. While she does not walk on her own quite yet she will make steps when you hold onto her hands or if she can stand and push something when she walks. She is quite skilled at balancing and standing without holding onto anything.

The other day I discovered that she has learned how to wave; a sort of mutated version of the wave I give to her. If I would only capture it on film...super cute.

In just the last couple days we realized that she can guide a food-loaded spoon into her mouth to satisfy her hunger. Next up, using utensils to pick up the food.

Coming in for the landing...And we made it!
Let's do it again, and again and again

Trick or Treat?

It finally came...Halloween night. The girls and I went to the southern end of town to my girlfriend Joey's neighborhood. John was working late however he will enjoy seeing all the pictures and reading this post. We made a pasta dinner before heading out to find all the candy we could. There were a handful of houses where they passed out full-size candy bars...yummy! One neighbor gave all the kids large glow sticks to wear around their neck. The kids thought they were cool and parents enjoyed the safety aspect. One house had some flashing lights and a witch in the front yard and they had some sort of speaker system set up so that they could talk in a spooky voice. Needless to say, Tahlor refused to go up to that house. Tahlor and Korin had a good time while they ran around the dark streets and begged for candy. They did have good manners with all of the neighbors. Afterwards, we 'inspected' the girl's loot and then had some spider cupcakes. I know...like there wasn't enough sugar already! It is a good thing this happens just once per year.

Rapunzel, Belle, Tinker Bell and the little fairy.

Lauren (Sleeping Beauty) and I looked scared.

Is anyone home?

It is dark...let's head to the next house.

More Jack-O-Lanterns

This Saturday brought more pumpkin carving for the evening of Halloween visitors. Grandma Karen brought over to our house another pumpkin from her garden and this one was bigger than the last one. Before we left to go to Joey's neighborhood for trick or treating we created another jack-o-lantern. Maybe Tahlor would make a great jack-o-lantern.



At Joey's house, Jack had some master pieces of his own. One a prince and the other a spider. Jack-O-Lanterns by Jack...well done!

King's Faire

King's Faire was this past Friday evening. My best friend Joey brought her two girls. They had a good time playing in the bounce houses and other games. It was packed with lines for just about everything. Even though tons of candy is donated for the event, the candy ran dry and the church made a run to the store to get more. There were over 11,000 people in attendance.

Korin, Tahlor and Kaeli

Tahlor going down a bouncy house slide.

Korin is ready for a big jump.

Halloween Princesses

As promised here are a few of the images taken with the girls for Halloween. Tahlor is dressed up as Belle and Lauren is Sleeping Beauty, except for of course when she does not have any clothes on. Lauren's dress came with a fabric crown to wear around the head and well, we had a hard time convincing her to keep it on her head. The diaper picture...that was sort of impromptu as I was changing Lauren out of her dress towards the end of the shoot.

Yummy, pumpkins!

Little angels...

Sweet daughter.

Special thank you to Rachel for making these images digital so that I could post them.