finally some fun!

lauren's cousin, ian, came over to play for a few hours this morning. the timing couldn't have been better since lauren has had a pretty boring week so far. and as they get older ian and lauren seem to enjoy each other's company more and more.

they both really like reading books and each picked out one that looked interesting. (even though i think both of their books are upside-down).

their game of catch didn't work to well, but they ended up finding other balls to play with.

they did play for a little while together in lauren's "bouncy house". it is amazing to see how fast they change from tiny babies to "big" girls! but also so much fun.

bedtime

this has been a pretty low key, uneventful week so far. it has actually been really nice, but it also makes finding a blogging topic a little more difficult. so i thought i'd write about our very exciting nightly bedtime routine. after her bath lauren got her 8 almost 9 teeth brushed. she wanted to take a turn with the toothbrush tonight.

she then read a few books with her daddy. she loves her daddy time! (and he loves it too).

when the books were read, she got to drink her bottle.

she (and apparently elmo) were fast asleep almost as soon as her head it the pillow. sleep well, baby girl!

bridget and barry's b&b

this weekend joel, lauren and i drove a few hours out of the cities to spend some time with my cousin, bridget, her husband, barry, and their two kids, isaac and brianna. we got there around 9 p.m. on friday evening (traffic was a little heavy leaving the cities). and of course all the kids were excited to see each other giving them a jolt of energy that kept them going strong until 11 p.m. but oh well we were on vacation!

the next morning we were served breakfast by our ever gracious hosts consisting of cinnamon rolls, eggs, fruit salad, potatoes, juice and coffee. it was delicious! joel and barry then hit the golf course for a few hours. barry, who is a golfing expert, said that joel did quite well considering it was his first time ever golfing. (i was informed that he drove the ball 200+ yards, but also that he needs to improve on the direction that he drives it). joel has decided to take up golf as his newest hobby. so while the fellows were out having fun, us gals stayed home with the kids. but we had a great time talking and relaxing (when the kids were napping).

lauren and isaac had a lot of fun, and both really like playing with balls. isaac is on his way to becoming an expert golfer. for only 2 years old he really drives the ball far!

here is a rare moment when the three of them are all sitting still and together. (i actually was playing peek-a-boo behind joel's back while he was taking the picture. note the look of strange bewilderment on their faces).

thanks isaac and brianna for sharing all your toys with lauren and playing with her! she had a lot of fun and fell alseep as soon as we pulled out of your driveway.

and thanks bridget and barry for all the great meals and yummy vietnamese coffee. i would definitely recommend a stay at bridget and barry's b&b to anyone who was passing through!

elmo's newest friend

lauren has recently discovered what so many millions of kids before her have - elmo. whenever we are out shopping and she sees his face on various items, she imediately exclaims, "elmo, elmo!" so this past weekend her dad bought her a little elmo doll. (it doesn't take much to get him to buy her things, he's a bit of a softy).

ohhh..... so happy!

she even offered elmo her most prized possession, her pacifier a.k.a. "pappy".

but not for too long!

forever friends

today lauren and i had lunch with four of my cousins and their babies/kids. two of them were visiting from out of state, so it was wonderful having everyone together at the same time. we pretty much grew up together and have been good friends since our teenage years. we all got married within a few years of each other and were in each other's weddings when the circumstances allowed. it's always fun to get caught up on each other's lives and laugh about past memories. we had a great time, and i feel so blessed to have family members that i think more of as friends!

this is a picture of us in 1996. the 5 of us flew down to texas to spend a week with my grandma. it was a fun trip!

and here we are today, 12 years later. from l-r: me, corrin, celia, laura and bridget. here's to a lot more fun and good times in the future! :)

picnic at the park

this evening joel, lauren and i had a picnic at local park with my cousin celia, her husband, chad and their daughter ian. ( i should mention they are excepting twin girls next month). the weather was perfect, mid 70's with a light breeze. the girls had a lot of fun and even gave each other kisses from time to time. very cute. i couldn't think of a better way to spend a summer evening!

a cute shot of chad and celia.

the girls had a lot of fun and will probably sleep very well tonight! :)

lauren loves footballs! she was feeling a little left out when joel and chad were playing catch. so she was thrilled when she finally got a turn with the football.

two cool looking dads with their sweet little babes.

lauren enjoyed sliding down the hill. she was quite a mess by the time we left. but she didn't seem to mind, that's what being a little girl is all about. :)

like father, like daughter

joel and lauren are enjoying some freshly made lattes. lauren's"latte", however, is just milk and vanilla. we won't let her in on the main ingredient just yet! :)

at the beach

this past week has been really warm, with daily temps in the 90's. so on friday afternoon, joel, lauren and i went to a local beach. lauren enjoys swimming in my parents' pool, but she's never been to the beach before so we weren't sure how she'd do. well, she loved it! the water was very warm and clear. little fish would even swim within a few feet of us. all she would say was "wa-wa!", her word for water, over and over again. she had fun with the sand and liked having her feet buried. she even got a little popsicle treat, which unfortunately ended in tragedy with half of it falling into the sand - those things are hard to eat! but it was a great day and we're all looking forward to going back again soon.