Puddles

They just make me laugh.

Lately Lauren has enjoyed using my camera. She especially likes to take picture of Ella, and she usually gets a few good ones. Here is a sampling of her new found talent:

Walking the Dog

Lauren likes to take her dog for walks at the park. She gets lots of comments from other dog walkers about her dog. The smaller dogs get pretty nervous around Lauren's dog...I think it's the funny squeak he makes as he rolls down the path...

Huka

Watch out BYU...she's doing the Huka for the other team.

Tulips, Rainbows, and Catepillars

We had a nice spring rain storm the other day. After it dried up outside, we went out to look at the tulips.

Somewhere in our travels, we met a catepillar that loved the rainbow on Lauren's pants.




We played with our new friend for a while, although Lauren was never quite sure about him. She thought he was silly, but didn't want to be too close to him.

Daddy Time

Everyone says kids go through phases where they only want Mom or Dad, but they will switch back and forth between parents. Well, this phase has lasted almost 16 months now, and I'm still waiting for my turn. Lauren and I have a great time together, but there is nothing like Dad for her. She likes to snuggle with him in the mornings (she's like me and it takes her a while to completely wake up) and always wants to know what he's doing. I caught this picture of Russ teaching her one of his favorite things: dipping graham crackers in milk.

Our Day Together

I came home early from work today because Lauren was sick. I think it's the measles...

If you're thinking it looks like we had too much fun for a sick day, you're right. It was a great day. Lauren took an hour long bubble bath in a steam filled bathroom (major benefits for her congestion) and then had a picnic lunch in her wagon in the front room. We colored and sewed (she loves the hum of the sewing machine) and even found time to walk to the park and feed the geese (finally a day warm enough to do that!). And despite the cold, Lauren still managed a few glamour shots:

The Black Spot

Picture for Uncle Micah

Lauren has discovered the joy of markers. She colored this picture for Uncle Micah the other day:

I know Micah will appreciate the picture even more when he sees how she got the big black dot in the middle. I made a video of it, and I'll post it shortly.

The Excited Face

One of the things I love about Lauren is her excitement. You always know when she's excited about something because her whole body shakes. I had Russ take this video of us reading a book so you can see what I mean:

Laundry

This photo is from a Saturday a few weeks ago when I was trying to get caught up on housework. Lauren had been fussy all day long...she wanted to play instead of watching me do chores. When it was time to fold the laundry, I dumped it in front of Lauren and she rummaged through it while I folded. She tossed clothes left and right, chewed on a few, slobbered on a few, unfolded the piles quicker than I could fold them, played peek-a-boo with the clothes...it was great fun until I finally finished and had all the neatly folded piles out of her reach. Then she started fussing again. Now when I do laundry, I'll dump the pile in front of her and leave a few items for her to play with. Often I have to wait for her to go to bed before cleaning it up. Sometimes I've been so tired by that point that the clothes get left out for the week...