Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Day at the Farm

The Monday after Easter we joined our dear friends at their farm for good old fashioned relaxation and  fun!

They greeted us at the end of the long gravel driveway, and off the twins went on the gator (needless to say, Aidan was beside himself with excitement!)....



We took the gators down to the barn to see the tractors....







....hay barn....




...and the animals - especially the new baby donkey, Oreo!




And then it was time for a snack....




....and another ride down to the creek....


....where Ella was thrilled to "drive" us back to the house!



After a little time spent playing and relaxing in the sun....














...it was time to pack up and head back home to Charlotte. What a wonderful escape for the day! Apparently, we have been told that we are going back one day soon to camp out down by the river!



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Easter Wrap Up

Easter was a fun, but busy day. No relaxing in this family!

Because it rained earlier in the week on Mike's lawn day, he had to spend all morning out cutting grass, making it home just in time for us to head over to the Parker's at 1 PM for a little brunch and fun with family.

The kids enjoyed a wonderful Easter egg hunt....














We had to leave by 2:30 PM so Lauren could get in her nap, and then I had a photo session at 4 PM.

Needless to say, it was a nice, absolutely GORGEOUS day!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!


Sunday, April 1, 2012

9







Happy 9 Months Old, Lauren!


Sweet girl, yet another month has flown by and you are continuing to grow up more and more each day! You are constantly babbling (lots of Dada, Mama, Lala, Yaya, NaNay, etc) and are really trying hard to move about - you just cant quite get the hang of how to do so!

You may not be crawling yet, but you are still managing to have quite a lot of other fun firsts:

Your first time sleeping like this (and now it is your favorite position!)....










....first taste of real peas....
















....first time in a hotel room....



....first time dipping your feet into a pool....


....first taste of ice cream....


....and, though not a first, you have now officially gotten the hang of the sippy cup and drinking from straws....




You absolutely love to stand and are pretty good at pulling yourself up.

And you LOVE to eat! No more baby food for you, though I am really trying to sneak it in so the jars I have left don't go to waste. You do like oatmeal, so that is where I can manage to sneak in some of the mushy stuff!   Your favorites right now include waffles, pancakes, turkey, peas, blueberries, bananas, cheerios, and chicken. You are down to just four bottles a day - breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.




We had your 9 month appointment and here are the details:

Weight: 19 pounds, 5 ounces (50-75 %)
Height:  28 3/4 inches (75-90%)
Head Circumference: 17 1/2 inches (50-75 %)

You were cleared to eat anything you want, with the exception of shellfish, peanut butter or honey. Everything is right on track and since you have mastered the sippy cup, we can begin to wean you off of bottles and begin to introduce whole milk at around 11 months. I think I will have a harder time with losing the bottles - I love how your eyes light up when you see them, and I love relaxing in your room at night feeding you that last bottle of the day.


You are an absolute dream come true and I count us so lucky to have been given such an amazing gift!