Relaxing on the couch

Winter Fun

We've gotten ALOT of snow so far this year and finally have had a chance to get out and play in it a little. Since it takes about an hour to bundle up little missy, we try and make the most of our time outside.

Riding in her new backpack!

Posing on her sled...check out YouTube for sledding video.

Bundled up for Holiday Lights...she looks cozy, but don't forget it's about 17 degrees outside!

Xmas 2009

Xmas was especially fun this year with Lauren able to really enjoy her presents.  We did two Xmas celebrations, one in Dallas on 12/20 and one in Denver w/ Granny Jane on the 25th (still waiting for pics from Dallas). We all had a wonderful day and enjoyed a delicious meal of roast chicken w/ bread sauce, one of James's favorite dishes. 

Xmas Eve story and a bottle...a wonderful tradition :)

Lauren playing with her See and Say!

Zoe enjoying Lauren's new Dora couch...made herself right at home :)

Lauren opening her big present from Granny of a wonderful rocking horse...check out our YouTube sight for some "riding" video.

Lauren's First Birthday Party...take 1!

Lauren had her "Denver" birthday party on Sunday. Her Granny Jane was here from New Zealand to help celebrate.

Not quite sure what this boxy looking thing is on her high chair.

Starting to get into the good stuff....

Full on icing mess!!  Please tell me who thought black icing for bumble bees on a baby's birthday cake was a good idea. 

Following her cake coma....a little relaxing with her friends on the couch.  Ben is 4 weeks younger than Lauren and Emily is 6 weeks younger.  Lauren gave them some good tips on how to get the good stuff for your birthday :)

Opening presents with the gang.  All the other kids were a great help and even volunteered to test drive Lauren's new toys for her!

Lauren pushing Darla around on her new Mickey airplane.  It was quite the hit!

Lauren Meets Santa

Lauren met Santa this week and needless to say was not impressed.  My mom says it's something about the beard, but whatever it was, one look at the old man and she lost it.  Oh well, maybe next year!











Got some great pics while waiting for Santa though!

Somebody is quite the little poser :)

November Trip to Dallas

A couple of weeks ago, the family headed to Dallas for my friend Joanne's wedding and a little early Thanksgiving. The wedding was beautiful and of course Lauren loved spending some time with her Nana and Grandad.

Love my duck!

See me playing my xylaphone on You Tube!

All the friends gathered around the bride and groom.

Kristen, Joanne & Jocylen

Halloween!

Lauren's first Halloween was a huge success. We went with the Piglet costume since it fits her current personality and physique. She loved it and it kept her warm for trick or treating with the neighborhood kids. She also had a blast at her My Gym party on Friday.

My Gym Halloween mania!

Lauren under a neighbor's spooky skeleton (she just wanted to wave at him).

Snow Storm

As some of you may have seen on the news, Denver got buried this week under a big snow storm. This is a little early for snow, but it's always pretty unpredictable. Where we live in Littleton, we got about 20 inches in 48 hours. Needless to say we didn't get out much this week. It's warming up quickly though and we're hoping most of the snow will melt by Wednesday of this week.
















Our backyard....note depth of snow on table.

Abby enjoying the snow...she was about the only one!

Catching Up

Sorry it's been so long since an update...no excuse really :( Things are going well in Denver though. Lauren just turned 10 mos yesterday!! She went in for her 9 mos appointment in Sept and weighed in at 18lbs 10 oz and 28.5 in. which puts her in the 50th% for weight and 90th% for height. We were pretty excited about the increase in weight, but seeing how she attacks her food, we weren't surprised :) She's crawling around like crazy and pulling up on anything she can get her hands on. She's starting to walk with us holding her hands, so we expect by her birthday she'll be cruising. She's got 3 teeth now and a 4th just popped through yesterday. She's pretty much exclusively on finger food now and doesn't have much time for baby food. Still loves going to My Gym and is finishing up her second round of swim lessons. Other than that, just spending her days playing away at home. Here are a few random picks from the last 6 weeks.

Playing at My Gym...

With Daddy on her first picnic...

Exploring all angles of her Exersaucer..

Photo opp at Wash park...on Daddy's 40th birthday!!!

Doing a Little Crawling

Lauren's really been improving her crawling these last few weeks. She's no speed demon yet, but she can get from A to B. My Gym is her favorite place to practice and last week she had the whole class cheering her on!

Playing at My Gym

As previously mentioned, Lauren loves her "My Gym". Because of all the wide open space and activity, we've found it a really good place to practice her crawling. This last week she got to sit in the turtle, which is a big honor :)

Finally...I made it in the turtle!!!

Introducing Libby!

Zoe and Abby recently got a new cousin...Libby! My Aunt Mary adopted Libby and as you can see she's made herself right at home. It's uncanny how much Libby resembles a young Zoe...watch your shoes Mary!!

Big Girl Shopper!

Cheerios and Teeth Brushing

Lauren had her first Cheerios this week and absolutely loves them! We of course were slightly paranoid about her choking, but she did a great job and took to chewing with no problems. Now that she's eating more solids, our dentist said it was good to start brushing her two little teeth (I guess if you only have two you want to keep them!). Lauren really likes toothbrushes and is happy to suck on the brush all day....she doesn't mind the scrubbing either. Hopefully she has her dad's teeth...he's never had a cavity!

















Looking for the lost cheerio :)

Dad went a little Spielberg with the camera work...don't watch too closely :)

July Trip to Dallas

At the end of July, we all took a trip down to Dallas. It was great to spend some time with everyone. Lauren especially loved the pool, as you can tell by these pictures. And while we missed the doggies, Lauren really likes being able to roll around and play on the floor without Zoe licking her mouth.






















Floating with Nana and Greatgranny!

Gym Rat

Lauren and I started going to Gymboree this month and she absolutely loves it. From playing with the other babies, to riding the train, zip line and airplane swings, she is in baby heaven! We go several times a week and she has gone from not being able to sit on her own a few weeks ago, to not only sitting up and playing, but almost crawling. Her favorite part though is the storytime/puppet show at the end.

Playing in the big tent w/ puppets and her other baby friends.

In her favorite bouncer!

Update...

Sorry I've been so bad about updating the blog recently. Here's a catch up episode...


Lauren's been doing well. Putting on some definite pounds...went to the MD this week and she weighed in at a whopping 17lbs 10ozs, which finally puts her back in the 50th %. She definitely likes her solid foods.



Lauren started in daycare this week. She'll be going to Miss Vicki's twice a week for 5 hrs each day. So far she is having a ball playing with the other kids and loves Vicki. I'm really enjoying the great naps she takes when she gets home :) In celebration of her first day of "school", we picked up an outside swing. She absolutely loves it!

First day of "school" with her backpack full of bibs!

Music Maker

Our little Mozart!

Big Bath Tub

Here are a few pics from Lauren's first big bath tub experience. Now while she appears happy in these shots, additional tries in the bath tub have not been so successful and we have temporarily let her go back to her baby bath tub. If anyone has any "moving to the big bath tub" tips, we'd greatly appreciate it.