Lauren's Life

We’ve MOVED!

2010-09-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. I’ve recently realized that I should have updated this page with our new blog address. Please check us out at our new home on the interwebs:

The Thompson Garden

All is well, thanks so much for looking and following our life!

37w1d

2010-06-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

Mommy knew she should have asked Daddy to take this picture yesterday, but she forgot. At the time this pic was taken mommy had been having contractions every 2 minutes and was about to leave for the hospital. Good luck Mommy, I can’t wait to meet my little brother!

Happy Father’s Day 2010

2010-06-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Father’s Day Daddy! Today, we made a trip to Daddy’s office to decorate it with the new things he received for Father’s day. We also ran some errands and ate lunch. Daddy had some political work to do later so Mommy and I swam in my pool. It was a fun day. I love you Daddy!

Art Fair & waterpark

2010-06-19T19:10:00.000-05:00

This morning, we went to the Art Fair by the Library. I got to sit in this really cool huge chair. It was really sunny out so I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Mommy bought daddy a neat panoramic picture of the Duluth Harbor for his office at the art fair. He likes it a lot. It’s for father’s day.

Then, the Larson family joined us for a trip to the Waseca waterpark. It took me awhile to warm up to the idea of swimming again, but once the sun came out I was sliding down the slide and didn’t want to leave. It took Baby Mark awhile to get used to the water too.

Sprout’s Lilac

2010-06-18T19:04:00.000-05:00

Today, Daddy and I planted a Lilac bush for Sprout. It was a gift from Grandma Helen and Grandpa Bob. I have my own lilac bush as well. Sprouts will be white and mine is purple. When we’re big they will be too and will hopefully have lots of pretty flowers.

Dancing queen

2010-06-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

Today, we met a bunch of my friends for a concert in the park. I had a blast dancing to the music, snacking on food, and playing ring around the rosey. Check out the video on the left.

Swimming with more friends

2010-06-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

Today, after preschool, I went over to my friend Makenzi’s house to swim and play. I had a great time and Mommy even put her feet in the water to cool off.

Riverfest weekend

2010-06-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

This weekend we went to Windom for Riverfest. It rained so much that we didn’t have as much fun as we could have. Here are some pictures

Mommy thought this picture of my buns sticking out was hilarious. I can’t help it that the skirt was a little big on me and fell down when I jumped. I didn’t even notice it until later.

Friday night was my very first fireworks experience. I really enjoyed them. They were very pretty. Mommy was nervous about how I would react to the loud noises but I did well…only getting a little scared during the finale.

Mommy folded the seats backwards in the van and watched the show with her feet up. We had a great night!

Getting Ready

2010-06-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

Mommy is starting to get things ready for when she has baby Sprout. Today she put some things in his crib that she would like to remember to bring with to the hospital.

A tired husband and a hiding beanitude

2010-06-09T21:46:00.001-05:00

This is what I returned home to find (after picking up Kevin’s anniversary present for tomorrow) at about 4:45pm today. Kevin woke up at about 3 am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. He had his alarm set for 5am so he could be in St. Paul early for meetings. It turned out he didn’t need to bother with the alarm. He was pretty tired when he got home from his meetings today (apparently!)

Needless to say, Kev didn’t get the nap he had hoped for and we all went outside to play instead. Lauren even tried to wear his shoes.

35 or 36 weeks?

2010-06-07T22:44:00.001-05:00

Here is a good 3-d picture of little Sprout-a-cus taken today. The weird blob in front of his face is the cord free-floating in the fluid. I’m exactly 35 weeks, but measured at 36+. The verdict is out if my Dr. will move up my due date or let it go since it’s within the margin of error. If the due date moves, it would move to July 5th. My next OB appt is a week from Wed, so we’ll have to wait a week to see.

Home depot day

2010-06-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

Today we made a mini foosball table while Mommy went to the Chiropractor. Daddy says that I wasn’t very into the project today.

Fun in a box

2010-06-04T16:37:00.000-05:00

Today a big box came from UPS. It sure made a fun toy. Mommy thought it was pretty funny of me to play and hide in it, so she took pictures, of course.

Sprout’s room: before & after

2010-06-03T16:03:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of my room before it was finished for comparison purposes. These were taken before I was born. There was a lot more stuff on the dressers and on the wall later, but Mommy is too tired to search for the proper pictures right now.

Now, here is Sprout’s room, getting closer to finished.

You can click on the pictures for a bigger view. Mommy is still looking for a cd player. She just ordered a vinyl wall decal for above the changing table that will have Sprout’s name on it along with a sailboat. We all worked very hard on Sprout’s room. Gaga helped mommy pick out the stuff and shop for the accessories. Daddy sewed the changing pad cover and helped with all the painting. Papa painted the stars, blinds, paddles and some of the wall, plus did all the hanging of things. Grandpa John made the cool paddles on the wall. Mommy really likes it in there and likes to sit in the chair and rock at night time.

We sure hope Sprout loves his new room!

I sure am hungry!

2010-06-03T15:05:00.001-05:00

Wow Wow Friends!

2010-06-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

My name isn’t Wubbzy, but I sure do love him. Mommy got me this super cute WWW outfit and hairclip set since I love that show soooo much. Look at the little Wubbzy’s in my hair. I bounced around the house singing the Wubbzy song all day long today.

I also got to pet a real live lobster today. After I ate all of my lunch I was allowed to meet a real live lobster and watch it do tricks. It did sit ups. It was the neatest thing ever!

A busy day of work

2010-06-01T20:33:00.000-05:00

Mommy, GaGa, Papa & I were busy working all day long. Mommy had to visit the Dr. this morning. She will be getting another ultrasound next Monday. The Dr. wants to get an estimate of Sprout’s size. Mommy has a different doctor this time, so she didn’t get an ultrasound so late in the pregnancy with me. She’s really excited to take another peek at Baby Sprout. The doctor thinks that this baby will be bigger than I was (5lb 15.5 oz.) Mommy has only gained 10 lbs so far with Baby Sprout, which is much less than she did with me, so mommy is hopeful that Sprout isn’t TOOOOO much bigger than I was.

Mommy & Gaga ran lots of errands and did a lot of shopping today while I played with Papa. Tonight, we had a treat and played at the park. I loved the tire swing with Papa!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to the carnival again. It was warm and sunny and a great day to ride some more rides. I tried a new ride today that was shaped like a big puppy.

3 year pictures

2010-05-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

Today, we had our family pictures taken. I’m going to be 3 soon, so I had my pictures taken too. Here is a little preview.

While Mommy & GaGa were deciding which pictures to order, I got to try on tool belts. I think I’ll be pretty handy someday.

Saturday…what a day!

2010-05-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

GaGa & Papa are visiting for a little while. There’s lots of work and trips to Menards in store for us…HAHhahah! I saw a giant M&M guy today at Menards. I wanted to eat him. I love M&M’s!

I got to ride a lot of rides at the carnival tonight. My favorite was the motorcycle.

Another fun Friday

2010-05-28T20:24:00.000-05:00

Today, Michael stopped by to visit all of us. He even played dollhouse with me once I woke up from my nap. He’s sooo much fun. Him and Mommy went to a movie while I played in the pool and sprinkler with Daddy. It was a hot day out.

Baby Mark & Janet even stopped over to play. It was an exciting evening in the cul-de-sac.

Big sister class

2010-05-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Mommy and I took a class just for me all about becoming a big sister. It was pretty fun, but I was feeling a little shy. We talked a lot about babies and what they do and why they do it. We also took a trip over to the hospital to see where mommy will be when she has baby Sprout in a few weeks.

Here I am trying to put a diaper on baby Stella. It’s hard work, you know?

Here I am giving Stella a bottle. I also got to give her a paci. They all went into my mouth first, you know, just to make sure they were ok for baby.

My new pool

2010-05-27T14:17:00.000-05:00

We’ve been enjoying the warm weather from my new pool this week. Mommy got super lucky to score this pool on Craigslist on the cheap. It needed some TLC, but now it’s just right! Here are some pictures from the past few days.

Today, Mommy’s friend Meghan came over with Luci and Harrison. We had fun!

Fun at the park

2010-05-25T13:22:00.000-05:00

Today we met some of my friends from ECFE at the park. It was hot in the sun, but nice in the shade.

33w

2010-05-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Sprout Bean

EEK!

Fun @ Gaga & Papa’s house

2010-05-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

Today I came home from Gaga & Papa’s here are some fun pictures that Gaga took with her camera.

Here I am bouncing with Papa after he got home from work. I didn’t even let him shower first, he had to jump right away!

Working on Baby Sprout’s room

2010-05-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

It’s so much more difficult this time around with all the furniture piled up into the middle of the room (and boxes of bedding and decor piled into the crib.) We hope to have this project completed by memorial day. This was just the primer coat.

Mommy 32 w

2010-05-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures Gaga took of Mommy. Daddy doesn’t take very good pictures, so Mommy likes someone else to take them.

A trip to GaGa & Papa’s house

2010-05-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

Today, Mommy and I made a trip to GaGa & Papa’s house. It was Great Grandpa Jack’s birthday and we wanted to take him out for lunch and give him some new pictures of me. I had a lot of fun playing and get to stay here until Saturday. I can’t wait to jump on the trampoline and go to the park!

Here I am doing what I do best: looking at myself in the mirror and hamming it up for the camera!

I love to visit with Grandpa Jack, I bet he’ll come visit me a lot while I’m in town!

A warm sunny day!

2010-05-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

Mommy was super excited to bust out some of my new summer clothing today. We spent a lot of time playing outside in the beautiful sunshine today. We met some of my friends at a park this morning and then this afternoon I played outside and build sandcastles in the sand.

Then, I chased bubbles. It was so much fun.

Dance Recital

2010-05-15T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today, was my dance recital. Everyone said that I did a great job. Mommy didn’t take too many pictures (flash isn’t allowed) as she was enjoying the show. The one above was taken before the music started.

Dance Dress rehearsal

2010-05-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

We started the rehearsal with the finale and I was not very excited to dance. I pretended to be shy (because you ALL know, I’m not ACTUALLY shy.)

I warmed up though, and did my dances eventually. It was a good rehearsal, I’m sure I’ll have fun tomorrow for the real thing.

Dancing with Daddy

2010-05-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Pedicure by Daddy

2010-05-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

Today, Mommy and Daddy painted my toenails. They both worked together because I’m pretty squirmy, even though I ask for it to be done. Later tonight, Daddy is going to do Mommy’s toenails too because she can’t bend over too well anymore and it’s going to be awhile before their next MOMS pedicure night out.

My exciting Saturday

2010-05-08T19:47:00.000-05:00

Today I did a lot of exciting things. I helped Daddy & Grandpa John plant a tree for me. We picked out an Autumn blaze Maple.

Here is Mommy telling me to be gentle with the other tree we planted (another Autumn blaze maple.) It’s much smaller than the other tree so she asked me to use a 1 finger touch with it.

I visited with my Auntie Jen & Uncle Craig. Craig even played dollhouse and blocks with me.

We also had a super yummy lunch!

Don’t bother me!

2010-05-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

I’m sleepy!

Ok, better now!

My Friday

2010-05-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

I had an exciting day today. Two sets of Grandparents visited me. I had lunch with GaGa & Papa before they picked up some fencing materials at Menards. Then when I got home, Grandma Pat & Grandpa John were at my house. They came down from Duluth for the weekend. Here are some pictures of what we did today.

I had an apple at snack time. It was yummy!

I took off my sock and tried to trace my foot.

We all took turns playing in my newest and most fabulous toy: giant box.

Giant box is awesome!

It was a fun day.

Big Bean on Campus

2010-05-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

Today, we had a play date at the park by campus. When it was time to leave Mommy decided to take a trip to campus to have lunch with Daddy outside by the water fountain. It was a beautiful sunny day and we all had a blast!

Go fly a kite

2010-05-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today, we tried to fly my Strawberry Shortcake kite. It was a really windy day to Mommy & Daddy thought it would be just perfect to give kite flying a whirl. We got it all set up and then went into the cul-de-sac to make her fly. It was not very much fun. The kite didn’t fly very well and I didn’t like the wind. Mommy and I decided to go inside after about 10 minutes of trying to get it up in the air. Daddy stayed outside and fought with the kite for another 30 minutes. We just watched him from the window and laughed as he ran around the cul-de-sac looking goofy with a Strawberry shortcake kite. Mommy says that she still has her kite at home from when she was little. I think she’s going to get it and give that a try since it’s a bit of a thicker material (and it’s on a little fishing pole for ease in letting out string.)

Picking flowers

2010-04-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Daddy had volleyball practice so we went with him to play at the park while he played volleyball. I had a ton of fun. I got to pick flowers with Brooke. We also played at the park together. I really like her. Mommy had to look it up on the interwebs to be sure of how it worked, but Mommy told me that Brooke is my 2nd cousin (the children of 1st cousins are 2nd cousins and Brooke’s mommy and my mommy are 1st cousins.)

Firefighter Lauren

2010-04-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

We went to the Creative Play place again today. It was a blast. Then, we got to play at Tree-mendous park afterward. It was a very fun morning with my friends!

Mommy: 29 weeks

2010-04-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Mommy and baby Sprout.

Sorry, no comparison shots this time. When Mommy was pregnant with me at 29 w they had just moved into the new house and were super busy with painting and whatnot. The picture with the stroller is 27+w the other one is about 28+ weeks.

Cootie!

2010-04-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

Here I am all snuggled up with the desk chair and a blanket watching Dora at GaGa & Papa’s house.

Here I am playing with my new cootie game. We each built a cootie. It’s a fun game, I really liked it.

Here are papa and I having a little snack.

Just for comparison

2010-04-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

August 2007 April 2010

Mommy thought it was funny how both of these pictures were taken off of GaGa’s digital camera. There were also some pictures on there of Mommy and Daddy when she was pregnant with me. Mommy said she’s surprised there aren’t wedding pictures on there still. Mommy thought it was kinda neat how I’m kind of in the same place, only about 3 years older.

Cooking with GaGa

2010-04-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

Mommy and I came to GaGa & Papa’s house on Tuesday. I got to hang out with one of the coolest people ever, Mommy’s friend Michael. Mommy got her hair cut and colored and we did a little shopping. Then, on Wednesday, Mommy left and I got to stay with GaGa & Papa until Sunday. I missed Mommy and Daddy but had a great time going to parks, jumping on the trampoline, hanging out with Great Grandpa Jack and baking cookies.

Yum, cookie dough!

Last day of school

2010-04-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

Today was my last day of pre pre-school. We took a picture of our whole class. My teacher is going to have a baby too. Mommy said that almost half of the staff is pregnant.

After class, I got to go with Mommy to another doctor appointment. This time she got to drink some orange stuff and get poked with a needle afterward. I was really upset when I didn’t get to drink any of the orange stuff. Mommy really wanted to give it to me, but they had someone watching her (to make sure that she drank it and didn’t give it to me.)

Raking the yard

2010-04-18T17:25:00.000-05:00

Today we raked some of our yard. It sure is hard work. Here is Daddy taking a socialization break to talk with Phil (cool), Janet & (baby) Mark.

I’m still working hard, even though Daddy is taking a break.

Mark even got in on the work. You have to start them early (that’s what Phil & Janet said!)

Stuck!

2010-04-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Another fun night with the Larsons

2010-04-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

We had the Larson family over for dinner tonight. It was a perfect night for hanging out outside. I love to spend time with my friend (baby) Mark. He’s going to be 1 year old soon. Mommy and Daddy are so happy to spend time with their Godson and be involved with his family. It’s always a good time when we are together.

After dinner, we took the buggypod out for a test drive. Mommy was pleasantly surprised at how well it handled with two kids in it and is excited to use it when Baby Sprout comes. Mark also seemed to enjoy the ride.

What a NICE day.

2010-04-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today was such a beautiful day we had to make a trip to Sibley Park. I like to call it the park with the animals. It’s my favorite! My capri pants for summer haven’t quite reached capri length yet on me, they just kind of look like short pants, ahahhaa!

Mommy rode the Chicken. She almost couldn’t fit on it, baby sprout takes up a lot of room.

I also wanted to feed the goats, and wasn’t even afraid to do so. It was fun!

Mommy Blog: The new and improved family room project.

2010-04-10T18:38:00.000-05:00

We finished our basement about 1.5 years ago and have been slowly re-decorating the rooms to bring them up to where we want them to be. The family room was the final room in this project. It previously held furniture that was purchased when I graduated from college in 2002. The furniture was not exactly family friendly (all glass/metal and sharp.)

The clock project was a fun one. I enjoyed finding eclectic picture frames and picking out pictures to put in them. I didn’t enjoy building the clock mechanism.

I have a “make panoramic” picture feature in my photo shop program, I just never bothered to learn how to use it. Here’s the best I can do for you.

Thanks to my mom for all of her help picking things out and helping with the grunt work.

Dinner with the Larsons

2010-04-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we all went out for dinner with the Larson family. Mommy was excited to take them for a ride in our new van (they’re anti-van) so we all piled in and went down the road. I love to hang out with Phil (cool), Janet & (baby) Mark! We may not have convinced them to run out and buy a mini-van, but we sure tried!!!

3-d ultrasound

2010-04-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

Today, we had Mommy’s 3-d ultrasound. It was really neat to see baby Sprout up on the screen. Jon @ Enlightened 4d Imaging was great and very knowledgeable. Here are some new pictures of my baby BROTHER!

Our trip to the fire station

2010-04-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Today, we went on a little field trip to the fire station for MOMS Club. It was soooo neat. I even got to watch a real fire fighter slide down the pole. It was definitely Mommy’s favorite part too.

Here I am holding one of the nozzles they attach to the hose. It weighed almost as much as I do.

Here I am riding and driving the fire truck. It was really big.

Here are some of us with Firefighter Bubba (Chris.)

Mommy and I thought it was the neatest thing to see the man come down from upstairs on the pole. I even got to give it a try!

There sure are a lot of buttons to push on one of these fancy trucks.

Exercise with Daddy

2010-04-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

I wanted to exercise today so I asked Daddy if he would do his video with me. I made it about 6 minutes before getting bored.

Mommy blog: Lauren’s new bathroom & BIG Girl room

2010-04-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

They’re finally finished (minus a picture that needs to go on the wall above Lauren’s bed.) I forgot to take pictures of all the little details (like above the doors and the white wooden blinds under the pink curtains, but that’s ok.) I’ve had a ton of people ask me for specifics on stuff, so don’t mind the boring stuff if that’s not what you’re looking for.)

Bathroom: Dot stuff all from target including the giant mirror and accessories. Random accessory pieces from Hobby Lobby and Gordman’s.

It’s not quite this dotty, but the mirrors are reflecting dots. LOL!

Bedroom: The white furniture is from JC Penney (trundle underneath) The bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids (including the tree decal on the wall.) White organizers are closet maid from target as is the white stool. Tree print with owl & birds is custom (made with Lauren’s hand and foot.) Other print is from Farmhouse Five. I also purchased matching wallpaper cutouts from them (they’re above the door.) However, they don’t stick as well as I would have liked (like the vinyl.) It’s a neat site though and they have pretty much everything you can think of to match tons of popular children’s bedding patterns and prints. The owl, frame & jewelry tree (LOVE!) are from TJ Maxx. Let me know if I didn’t answer any of your questions. I can’t remember them all.

Mommy’s belly

2010-04-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures that mommy tried to take or had taken this week. She is 25+ weeks pregnant with my little brother (we think!) Some of these pictures are pretty funny (and bad!)

Mommy took the last one herself with the self timer and for some reason she looks much bigger in that one that she actually is.

AAAAAAAnd, since we always love to compare, here’s the difference (she even tried to recreate the look with the same bottoms, she had tossed the shirt though.)

25w6d pregnant with Bean 25w6d pregnant with Sprout

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of me taken today. I really loved my little Easter Egg hunt in the living room. This is the first year I’ve done it, and I can’t wait to do it again!

I just felt like modeling my hat and gloves, they don’t really go with this outfit (Naartjie-The Jie-jie dress.)

Here I am on my egg hunt and playing with some of my Easter goodies from GaGa & Papa and Grandma Pat & Grandpa John.

Here I am enjoying a chocolate ducky. It was delicious, but I did get a little sad after eating his head.

I’m a big girl!

2010-04-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

Today, was a busy day in our house. Mommy, Daddy, GaGa & Papa worked really hard for most of the day to check off a lot of things on Mommy’s to do list. One of the things they did was turn my old room back into a baby room. Here I am modeling the baby crib.

As you can see, I don’t exactly fit in it baby style now. It’s quite the change from this, almost 3 years ago:

Painting Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Mommy was enticed into buying some new Easter Egg dying kit, only to find out that it required you to paint the eggs, not dye them. She was pretty bummed, but we made the best of it.

They turned out quite pretty in the end, but were not what we expected.

Home Depot-April

2010-04-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

Today, at Home Depot, I made a butterfly house. I was really excited to do this project once I found out that it required a screwdriver. Not all of the projects do, so I was pretty excited.

I played with the screwdriver while Daddy started the nails for me.

Ta-da!

My BIG girl room

2010-04-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

Well, the time has come. I made the move to my big girl room tonight. Mommy spent the morning today moving down all of my clothes. It sure did take her awhile. I took a nap in my old room today and went to bed tonight in my new room. Now that it’s pretty much done (except for the photo on canvas to go above my bed that hasn’t been taken yet, LOL) you can expect pictures of it in the next few days (and also pics of my new bathroom!)

After hugs and kisses from everybody (including GaGa & Papa) I was ready to hit the hay.

Good night!

Dairy Queen

2010-04-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight, for dessert we went to the Dairy Queen. The are open for the season and have the best Dilly Bar flavor variety ever!! I had an ice cream cone, but of course, sampled Mommy & Daddy’s treats as well.

Rockin’ with my friends

2010-03-31T11:59:00.000-05:00

Today, it is a beautiful day outside. Mommy waited forever to put me in this outfit thinking it would fit better. Unfortunately, the capri pants are still falling off of me. Notice all of the bags of clothing on the chair? It’s stuff Mommy has bought for the sprout. She needs to go through it all and make a list (spreadsheet) of what she has (in which sizes) so she knows what she will need yet for him. I don’t think she’ll get to it today though, it’s waaaay too nice outside.

A warm spring day

2010-03-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

It’s spring break from classes this week so I met a bunch of my friends at the park for some playtime. It was a pretty nice day outside, so I got to break out my spring/fall jacket.

Here’s a picture of me in our new van. When I first saw it this morning I said, “It’s a new car. It’s really big!” So far, I really enjoy riding in it. It sits up a bit higher than the car so I can really see out of the windows now.

Here’s a fun picture of Daddy bench pressing me. I don’t know why he did it, but it was a lot of fun.

Later, we washed Daddy’s new (old) car. He was excited to have his car returned to him.

Washing a car is hard work!

Duluth-Saturday

2010-03-27T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today, we visited Grandma Georgie. We had lunch together and I got my Easter gifts. I also had a fun time playing with her various stuffed toys.

Here I am with my Daddy’s kitty: Fluffito B. He’s 17 years old and lives in Duluth. He let me pet him (even the wrong way.) I liked him. I was sad when he declared that he had enough and went upstairs. I told him to, “come back kitty!”

Then, later that night we had a real feast at the Texas Roadhouse in celebration of Daddy’s birthday. Dinner was a blast and was delicious to boot. Here I am with my Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Ryan. I like to call her Auntie Tiffers and she lets me get away with it. Hehehehe! Mommy tried to get a picture of me with Grandpa Bob & Grandma Helen but I was uncooperative.

After dinner, we mentioned to our server that we were celebrating Daddy’s birthday and they brought out the saddle and everyone yelled and whooped and made him ride it. They rewarded him with an ice cream sundae which I taxed heavily. It was yummy!

What a fun trip to Duluth!

Duluth-Friday

2010-03-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

Today was another exciting day for us. We started out by making a trip down to canal park. I got to play in the toy store for like an hour while Mommy, Daddy, Grandma & Grandpa looked around and checked out what I liked. I ended up with a few goodies, all birthday gifts!!

After some lunch, Mommy, Grandma Pat and I made a trip up to the mall. Mommy wanted to go to Gymboree and check out an outfit for me. She ended up leaving with a few things for the sprout (and so did Grandma Pat.) I’m very excited for my little brother and sure do hope he likes pirates and ships like Daddy does.

Here’s a picture of Grandma Pat teaching me how to throw a coin and make a wish. I liked the water, but was bummed that their mall didn’t have a play area for little ones like me.

Later that night, we made a trip to see my Godfather Ryan’s new house. I got to play the drums and hear my voice on the microphone. Be sure to check out the video for my awesome reaction to having my voice altered.

That night for dinner, we went to Mommy & Daddy’s favorite restaurant in the town that they used to live in: Mexico Lindo. It was delicious and we had a lot of fun. Here I am having a little jousting fun with Ryan’s Dad, Ron. I was excited that Ryan’s parents were able to join us as I really like them (and I think they like me too!)

Duluth-Thursday

2010-03-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

We had a fun day today. At lunch we met Auntie Tiffany and her sister-in-law and nieces at McDonalds for some playtime. It took me awhile but I finally climbed up the play area and went down the slide. Luckily, Daddy was willing to trek up there with me.

After lunch, Mommy & Daddy went to check out some vehicles and I decorated Easter cookies with Grandma Pat & Grandpa John. I had so much fun doing this. It was hard work spreading the frosting out, but the reward sure was sweet!

My tongue is out, so you can tell it’s really hard work and that I’m concentrating quite hard.

The frosting sure was yummy!

I didn’t like holding on to the cookie while I frosted it, so Grandpa John helped me hold it in place.

Sprinkles are the best!

After the cookies, it was time for some bird watching.

Then, we looked at photo albums of me (one of my favorite activities) and made silly faces.

Finally, we ended the day with a little dress up. Mommy’s shoes sure were fun.

Duluth-Wednesday

2010-03-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it to Duluth. It took a long time. Mommy & Daddy stopped at a car dealership in the cities to check out a new van on the way up. I slept through it until a semi truck that was exiting the freeway got cut off in front of the dealership and made his anger known by blasting his horn and waking me from my sound slumber. I was less than happy after that and they had to cut the test drive of the vehicle out. Bummer too, because it seemed just right for them (so they say!)

Here’s a picture of Mommy and I after my bath time and a long day in the car. Mommy was ready for bed! She’s also hiding her baby belly pretty well in this picture. She promises to take a belly picture sometime next week for everyone that is asking about it. Yes, it’s big, just cleverly hidden in this picture.

Feeding my bear

2010-03-23T15:59:00.000-05:00

Here I am giving my teddy bear some food. He was very hungry! Don’t worry, I made sure that he said, “Thank you!”

Happy Birthday Daddy

2010-03-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your favorite cake! Sorry that we ran out of pineapple rings when making it. I’m sure it will taste just as good as if we had the extra two rings. I love you!

Dancin’ machine

2010-03-20T16:58:00.000-05:00

Today, my dance class performed one of our recital pieces at an assisted living complex. Not all of our class was able to make it, but the 4 of us who did really rocked it. Mommy and GaGa were soooo impressed with our dance. They thought we did such a great job! Here are a couple of pictures of me.

Mommy isn’t quite sure what I’m doing with my hands in the second picture, but thought it was cute all the same.

Mommy also needs to find me some better fitting tights. These are supposed to fit 1-3 in toddler but they’re huge!!

The Amazing Castle

2010-03-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

Today, I made a trip to the Amazing Castle exhibit at our Children’s museum. They had a little dollhouse built into the wall and it was very cool. I also got to see Elliot, Mary, Anna & Kyle since they were in town. Mommy was expecting some big hug-filled reunion with Elliot since it’s all I had been talking about all week, but it didn’t happen. Turns out, Elliot had been talking about playing with me all week too, but no big reunion took place.

Here I am playing with Baby Mary, who isn’t quite a baby anymore.

I also got to water the garden. Yum yum, carrots!

Swimming and lunch with my friends.

2010-03-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

Today, Mommy and I went swimming with my friends. I even went down the BIG waterslide all by myself. I really wanted to do it and asked Mommy if I could. However, when I came out the bottom I didn’t go on it again. After swimming, I met some of my friends for lunch and we got to sit in our own booth. It was pretty cool!

Don’t worry, Mommy fed me too. We just got there late as we had to collect the money for MOMS Club.

Happy (early) St. Patrick’s day

2010-03-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today, mommy had me wear the same green dress that I wore on St. Patrick’s day last year. I think she’s been feeling a little nostalgic lately.

Mommy said it will have to be the last time I wear it though, since I’ve grown so much taller and longer in the legs. It’s a little bit short on me now. Mommy used the word ‘indecent’ and after school was over she put it in my outgrown bin.

Last year This year

My baseball cap

2010-03-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

I played with Great Grandpa Jack today. It was a lot of fun. I also took his cool hat, I think it looks cute when I wear it backward.

The Petting Zoo

2010-03-13T15:54:00.000-06:00

We went to visit GaGa & Papa for awhile this weekend. While we were there, we went to the big Farm & Home show. The best part was definitely the petting zoo (the yummy popcorn and free root beer came in a very close second and third!) I had fun looking at the animals and even asked to pet a baby chick. Mommy was very surprised by that, because she thinks that I don’t like animals. She’s kind of right, they make me nervous. But, the baby chick was just the right size for me to love it, so I did!!

Bathtime @ Gaga’s

2010-03-12T19:56:00.000-06:00

I love to take a bath in the sink at Gaga’s house. I outgrew it a long time ago but since I tend to get my way at her house, I haven’t made the move to the bathtub yet. Mommy thinks I’ll be about 6 before they can pry me out of it.

2009-2010

2010-03-12T14:52:00.001-06:00

Just for fun….

Mommy can’t seem to find the picture of me from the very first year I did the make and take. It appears to have fallen off the face of several backup sources. Mommy knows that an actual copy of it exists, but not in her possession, so the past two years will have to do. I sure have changed in one year. Funnily enough though, I still have the outfit I’m wearing in last years pictures. It’s play clothes now so I wear it to school. Mommy left the stroller at home this year because I’m such a big girl. She’s also quit using a diaper bag and is back to her regular purse. However, Mommy still has her furry earmuffs. I don’t think she’ll ever get rid of those.

Drummers Make & Take

2010-03-12T14:36:00.000-06:00

Today, we went to Drummers to do a kids Make and Take for MOMS Club. We got a tour of the facilities and then got to pick out some flowers to put in our planters. They are going to keep them in the greenhouse for us (nice and warm and watered) and we can pick them up later this spring. We’ve done this for the past 3 years and they always turn out beautiful and huge!

Here I am planting away. We made them patriotic this year. I can wait to see our big red, white, and blue baskets.

We also got to feed the Koi in the pond. They were really pretty. One of them looked pregnant like Mommy, but just had a big wide belly.

Family Picture

2010-03-07T14:29:00.000-06:00

Grandma Pat & Grandpa John came down for a quick visit yesterday. They had to go back home to Duluth today but before they left we took a family picture.

Home Depot-March

2010-03-06T14:23:00.000-06:00

Today was Home Depot project day. Daddy was gone at a meeting so GaGa & Papa came up to help me out (and visit with Grandma Pat & Grandpa John who came to visit later.) The project was a rain gauge and it was a very simple project.

I love Home Depot!

Memory Game

2010-02-28T16:19:00.000-06:00

Here I am playing with my new memory game. Did you know that I have a really great memory? I don’t follow the rules very well (I like to sneak in and play once I know where the matches are, so we’re working on that!)

Snugglin’ with Papa

2010-02-27T20:17:00.000-06:00

Here I am snuggling with Papa watching a little t.v. before my bedtime. You can also see a preview of our new family room furniture here. Mommy isn’t ready to share pictures of the family room, my big girl room, or my bathroom yet because she’s still working on finishing them all up. She has several walls that still need some attention. So, when they’re all complete, we’ll give you the details on everything (like my furniture and bedding since some of you have contacted mommy about it.)

Hide N Seek

2010-02-26T20:13:00.000-06:00

I love to play Hide and Seek with Mommy and Daddy. Sometimes, I come up with really good spots (when I have help.) Other times, I use the same spot over and over and over again. Here I am showing off one of my good spots. However, I forgot to hide my entire body so it turned into a not so good spot.

My Ice Skating Adventure

2010-02-25T15:09:00.000-06:00

Today, I went ice skating for the very first time. I had a good time, and was excited because Daddy even popped over from work to watch and help out for 15 minutes. It was really slippery. It took me awhile to become comfortable on the skates and then when we got on the ice it was quite scary at first. We took a couple of breaks and by the end I was having a blast. Maybe I’ll take some skating lessons this summer?

Mommy skated with me since Daddy can’t skate (or rollerblade for that matter.) All of these pictures were taken when we first got on the ice, so by the end I looked quite a bit less frightened.

Daddy slid around the ice with his regular shoes on. Mommy and I did that at the end and it’s waaay more slippery without skates on that with them on.

Here I was at the end of my adventure, it was fun!

It’s a….

2010-02-24T14:03:00.000-06:00

We’ll we’re not positive. The Sprout wasn’t as cooperative as possible so we didn’t get many great pictures. The technician *thinks* it’s a boy. Mommy and Daddy are going to have a 3-d ultrasound done just to make sure. For now, we’re planning on a boy, but are holding off on selling all of my old goodies until we know for sure. In the meantime, here is a picture of me taken before the ultrasound this am.

This is Bananas!

2010-02-22T14:36:00.000-06:00

Here I am displaying what I like to do with the banana skin after I’ve finished eating it. Mommy was doing something while I was eating and was pretty surprised when I told her, “this is cold.” She found me like this:

After a reminder that, “bananas are for eating, not putting on your tummy,” we threw away the peel and played some dollhouse instead.

Spanish time

2010-02-21T21:32:00.000-06:00

Daddy is really excited about teaching me new things in Spanish. He doesn’t speak it very well himself (having only taken a couple of required classes in college.) However, he is enjoying it so far and I’m catching on pretty quickly. Here is a video of us singing twinkle twinkle little star (at bedtime) in Spanish. Turn up your speakers, it’s better towards the end.

The Buggypod

2010-02-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

Mommy ordered a newfangled contraption for me to ride in once the baby is born. She didn’t want to spend the money on a double stroller when I’ll be 3 years old and may not want to ride at all anymore, but, she wanted me to have more than a little jump seat like the sit and stand strollers offer. She came up with the Buggypod. It’s like a sidecar for the stroller. They’re made by a company in the UK and have won tons of awards. Unfortunately, they’re only available at 1 store in the us (in Oregon.) Mommy got lucky and found a used on ebay for a really good price. It’s now attached to my current stroller (a Zooper Waltz to be specific since you asked) and it’s pretty neat-o. I asked mommy if we could go get baby Mark to try it out. She didn’t think that would be a good idea since it was past his bedtime. Here are some pictures of it.

Here it is opened up beside my stroller. The Sprout will ride in his/her infant seat in the main stroller and I’ll ride in the pod.

Here I am trying it out (looking at Daddy.) Mommy figures I’ll probably be under the weight limit for it until I’m about 4, barring any crazy growth spurts.

Here it is folded up, for when I’m feeling like a big girl and want to walk instead of ride. So far, I think it’s pretty neat!

Creative Play place

2010-02-19T15:41:00.000-06:00

Today, we made a trip to the Creative Play place and had a great time. They had open gym for an hour and then opened up the CCP. It’s filled with lots of fun things. They have art projects to do, a sensory table, lots of dramatic play, dress-up and even a real two-story castle. Underneath the castle they had a huge sandbox and I had a blast playing with the pretty white sand. We will definitely be going back (but not on a Friday, it’s a bit too busy.)

My first beater

2010-02-15T20:28:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I got to help Mommy make a yummy layered dessert. I also got to help lick the beaters clean between the layers. They were sooooo yummy. My favorite layer to lick was this one: Cream cheese, powdered sugar & cool whip! I got a little messy, but I already had crazy sucker hair (leftover valentine treat) so it was all good.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

2010-02-14T18:25:00.000-06:00

I had a blast opening up the Valentines from my school friends today. I even got to eat some of the candy! The stickers were also a lot of fun. My favorite valentine was a hand-made Owl that came with a sparkly pencil from my friend Marleigh. Her twin sister, Keana gave me a cute hand-made book to use the pencil with. Their Mommy is very crafty and my mommy was quite impressed with their work. It’s super cute!!

I played with my Valentines for about a half hour, so mommy thought it was great entertainment.

My, what a large baby you have!

2010-02-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

“Oh, he’s a real beautiful baby too!”

“Quite a large head on him!”

Just kidding, I’m the baby (toddler!)

Bath time for babies

2010-02-13T21:08:00.000-06:00

Today was a fun day! We met some of my very favorite people out for breakfast (Phil-cool, Janet & Baby Mark.) Then, later today we went over to their house for dinner and playtime. After dinner, we all came back to our house. Daddy & Phil-cool played some new Mario Bros on the Wii while Mark and I got to take a bath together and hang out. It was a lot of fun! I haven’t taken a bath with anyone in a long time.

Thanks for such a great night neighbors!!!

What a snugglebug

2010-02-10T14:23:00.000-06:00

While Lauren was visiting GaGa & Papa this week (and I wasn’t working due to snow) I got to help out and do some “babysitting.” Monday, I watched Elliot & Mary for a little while and then on Tuesday, I got to watch my Godson Mark while Phil ran an errand. Mark is such a sweetie pie baby. He’s a real snugglebug and I just loved it. Lauren was definitely not a snuggly baby so I hope #2 is a little better in that department.

Baby Expo & Home Depot

2010-02-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

Today, we went to the Baby & Kids expo. Mommy wanted to get some preschool information on the local preschools but found that barely any of them were there. She did however, get lots of goodies for the Sprout instead. They were giving out lots of different free samples, bags, and even baby onesies.

After the expo, we made our monthly trip to Home Depot. This month, we built a racecar shelf. It won’t be the most useful of my projects, but I still had a great time. Mommy forgot to pack my apron but the nice girls who work there every month let me borrow one so I didn’t have to go without. They also remembered my name this time. I think we’re regulars now.

Making out my Valentines

2010-02-04T15:13:00.000-06:00

At school we are giving valentines day cards to all of our classmates. Here are some pictures of me writing out my valentines. Mommy had me write the big L for Lauren and then she wrote the rest. I also got to attach little boxes of Nerds candy onto them too. I didn’t last long. Once I realized how delicious they were, I decided to take a snack break.

My first bowling adventure

2010-02-03T18:03:00.001-06:00

Today, we went to the WOW Zone with some of my friends and had a real good time. I tried out bowling for the first time ever. They even had itty bitty bowling shoes in my size!

Their computers are really smart and automatically brought up the bumpers when it was time for us little ones to bowl. We also got to use the metal rails since the balls were pretty heavy and Mommy didn’t want any broken toes.

I stopped for a little snack and then proceeded to whoop everyone. I even beat Mommy and her friend Toni! They weren’t allowed to use the bumpers, but mommy was still pretty sad that she was beaten by her 2.5 year old child.

After lunch, we got go play some games. I had a lot of fun!

I can’t wait to go back again!

Playing with Elliot

2010-02-02T17:44:00.000-06:00

Today, we had Elliot, Mary & Anna over to play after school. It may be one of the last times we get to do that. :(

Anna loves me!!!

I will miss my Good friends!