Through the Eyes of Lauren

8 Months

2010-07-15T18:17:00.006-05:00

Happy 4th

2010-07-04T08:14:00.004-05:00

Happy 4th of July y'all. Mommy said that today is a day that we celebrate independence. So first off thank you to anyone and everyone who is serving or has served in our military. I love my freedom, even tho I'm just a baby, and we couldn't have it without y'all.

Mommy, Auntie Sara, Uncle Travis and Cousins went to the lake last night. It was beautiful. We played in the grass, listened to the symphony orchestra, chewed on flags, tasted hotdogs, and watched fireworks. It was a perfect night... until it all of a sudden started raining. No, POURING! Mommy and I ran as fast as we could to the car but we still got soaked to the bone. If you remember I'm not a fan of the rain so the night didn't end as well as it started but I had a great time anyways. :)

Happy 4th of July y'all. I hope y'all have wonderful plans set up with family, friends and food. Tonight Mommy said we are going to Grandpa and Grandma's for the annual July 4th BBQ and fireworks. It should be a blast.

That's what I'm talking 'bout

2010-06-25T13:02:00.002-05:00

Mommy wanted to get a picture of me on Daddy's computer, however I enjoyed talking to myself on camera. If i had known Mommy was going to post the video i would have done my hair.

I love talking, Mommy doesn't quite understand me, but I'm sure a few of y'all will understand what I'm talking 'bout.

How to Enjoy a Baseball Game

2010-06-23T08:49:00.005-05:00

Y'all I attended my first baseball game last night. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed staying up three hours past my bedtime.

I know some of y'all will be attending your first game someday too. So let me tell you how to truly enjoy your experience at a baseball game cause I am now a professional since I have been to one.

Best way to enjoy a baseball game is to take your Mommy with you.

Also bring your Grandpa along. Grandpas like baseball and can teach you a lot about the game.

Get a good seat, near first base is always best.

Catch a ball.

All babies will understand this one: Eat the ball.

Flirt with the cute boys behind you.

Always make sure you have a cool beverage to drink.

And when your team loses the game, cry.

Look Who's Standing

2010-06-22T12:33:00.003-05:00

Mommy says that being this close to the TV will hurt my eyes, but I don't care. I love being able to stand :D

Happy Daddy's Day!

2010-06-20T23:03:00.006-05:00

I love this Man! He is my number one man in my life! His name is Daddy! He's been staying house sitting Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Sara's house while they are off on vacation and I haven't seen him in over a week cause he had/has something called shingle and I couldn't get around him. I have missed him oh so much, and sure was glad I could see him for an afternoon. :)

Mommy and I went over to visit Daddy and bring him his gifts. First we opened his cards, I made sure the envelops were taken care of. :)

Daddy's cards. Mommy and I picked them out at Hallmark. We spent a long time in that store, but there was a really nice lady that Mommy talked to and she played with me for awhile. I sure do love people.

I love paint! OMG it is so fun to play with. Mommy would paint my hand to 'sign' my Father's Day cards for Daddy and I would first try to eat the paint, cause I mean I want to know what EVERYTHING tastes like, but Mommy would take my hand and press it to the cards. Not as fun as eating paint, but still lots of fun. I giggled though the whole thing.

Next I helped Daddy open his presents I got him. I picked that bag out all my myself. Seriously y'all she did. We walked past the bags and she reached out and grabbed it. :)

Eating the paper.

This was the gift I made for Daddy. It was a travel bag for all his bathroom stuff. Those are my foot prints on there. They are a bit sloppy cause I had a hard time keeping my feet still. :) By the way, paint under baby toenails is hard to get out. Best way to get rid of is swimming in the pool.
Inside the travel bag I put all of Daddy's favorite candies. Mommy and I tried to make cookies but Mommy burned them.

After we opened Daddy's gift I played with Daddy and he saw me pull up and stand holding onto the couch for the first time. I love playing with Daddy he always makes me smile.

After we played for a while I helped Mommy cook Daddy one of his favorite meals, Chicken Pesto and Pasta. I got to eat some bread with dinner. I love bread and can't wait until one day when I get to eat the rest of that meal cause it smelled so yummy. :)

Happy Daddy's Day. I love you Daddy! You will always be the most important man in my life. You were the first one to hold me and that special bond will always be there. I may have gotten Mommy's personality but I got your looks and your love of music and rhythm. Thank you. You are the best in the world!

Mommy loves being a mommy

2010-06-18T11:36:00.003-05:00

I know this I my blog, and Mommy and I write about what goes on in my life, from my perspective, but today Mommy is going to be taking over. I don't mind sharing my blog with her since she's one of my favorite people ever!

Hi this is Mommy, I just had to share something. I love, love, LOVE being a mother. I have loved many things, but being a mommy is the best thing ever.

I have always loved family. My siblings were and still are some of my best friends. Through college my younger brother and I stayed close. Every Tuesday night we had 'date' night. lol I'd take him to eat or come eat at his college's cafeteria and then we'd watch American Idol (even tho I don't really like that show, but he does so that's what we'd watch). My older sister was my hero and I wanted to be just like her, except for the blonde hair, never really wanted to be a blonde. And my little sister and I pretty much did everything together. I loved being part of a family and it was what completed me.

Then when I became a teacher I loved it! Having 25 adorable kiddos looking up to me, looking to me for direction and love was just amazing. I loved getting to know each one, I loved helping each one in their specific needs, I loved teaching them about math, reading and writing, I loved teaching them how to be part of community of people and how to succeed in life. I truly love teaching and know I was meant to be a teacher. I guess it's the closest thing to being a mom. I consider each of my students my kids and will do whatever I can to help them.

But, oh my word, there is nothing, NOTHING that compares to being a mommy. Since the second i saw her, I fell in love. I can't imagine life without her, literally, it's kinda hard to remember what it was like and it's only been 7 months. Monkey loves me with all her heart, I love how with babies it is easy to see what they are feeling. If they are happy they are overly happy if they are upset, well yeah you definitely know it. They don't know how to hide emotion and I love that about Monkey. Now that Monkey is a bit older (yes 7 months is older) her personality is shining. She is a very passionate person. She may not look like me but she has my personality. She loves life. She loves those around her. She love food. She loves to 'talk'. She loves people and wants to be in the middle of everything going on. I love that about her :)

When I go wake Monkey in the morning and she looks up and smiles it is the most amazing thing, I feel complete. When she hold onto my finger and stares into my eyes as she drinks her bottle, I feel complete. When she crawls across the living room to get to me, her Mommy, I feel complete. When she reaches her arms out for me i feel important, I feel complete. When she falls asleep in my arms, I feel complete. When I'm the only one that can calm her down, I feel complete. When she giggles and laughs as we dance around the living room, I feel complete.

Being a mommy is what I was created to be. I still love my family and love teaching but nothing will ever compare to being a mommy. I look forward to the day that Monkey can say 'Mommy' and 'I love you'. Until that day comes I will just take every smile and giggle as her way of saying "Mommy, I love you".

This post has taken hours to write. lol between yelling at the tv watching the Slovenia vs. USA world cup game, playing with monkey, fixing and eating lunch, feeding monkey (she still doesn't like carrots) and then changing her second poopie diaper of the morning. Now I remember why I typically write at night. haha

Pool Time- Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T21:06:00.004-05:00

LOVE

2010-06-15T15:15:00.003-05:00

Nothing is better than falling asleep in Mommy's arms. It is pure love.

I think Mommy pretty much loves me sleeping in her arms too. She thinks it is pure love too.

Real Life

2010-06-12T09:39:00.004-05:00

edit: this post was created yesterday, however in my lack of sleep I forgot to upload. Thankfully today Monkey is napping. :)

Signs that I have not napped:

I am over fussy
I pull on my ears
I rub my eyes
I want to be held 24/7
I have random melt downs
Dancing with Mommy doesn't make me happy (it is my favorite thing to do most of the time)
Mommy is tired
She has not showered
She has no makeup on
She is still in her pj shirt at 2:45pm
Her hair is in a ponytail

I'm on day two of nap strike. Mommy hopes I nap some tomorrow, cause I'm not being her happy baby that she's so used to.

Mommy and I talked about it and people comment to her that we always seem to have it all together and always look so put together so we decided to vlog in a not so glamorous state.

This is your warning:I have not had a nap. Mommy has not showered. It is 2:30pm.

Nick Jr

2010-06-11T10:28:00.003-05:00

Ok, y'all why didn't anyone tell Mommy about Nick Jr before today? These shows are great! So much better than Mommy's shows like Desperate Housewives, the Discovery Channel and Glee (although I do love to sing along to those songs on there). Mommy couldn't believe how fascinated I was by things like Wonder Pets and Little Miss Spider. I giggle and laugh out loud while watching the shows. I'm so glad that Auntie Sara showed us this channel, Thanks :)

Auntie Sara and I watching Wonder Pets

Summer Heat

2010-06-10T18:19:00.005-05:00

Y'all it's Summer down here in the south. It's hot outside, it's hot in the car and it's hot in the house. I'm like Daddy and even if the air is on I'm always warm so Mommy lets me crawl around in just a diaper. I love it, I feel so free and cool; however I wish she would listen to just one thing... NO PICTURES!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-02T07:31:00.000-05:00

NOM!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T23:54:00.021-05:00

Monday was a special day. Mommy and Daddy told me all about how we have the freedom to do what we want here in America because of the amazing men and woman who have fought for our freedom. I am so thankful for all they did cause I enjoy the fact that I can swim naked if I want.

We went to Nana and Papa's house for the Long weekend. We had a great time, filled with great food (I tried watermelon and avocados for the first time) and lots of naps (for both me and Mommy). We also got some pictures taken on Great Grandpa's '51 International truck. It was pretty cool getting to sit up on the hood for pictures. Mommy and Nana were kinda nervous and wouldn't get too far away from me, I guess they thought I might jump off or something. Daddy did such a great job taking pictures, don't you think. :)

On Monday afternoon Mommy, Daddy and I went to visit Great Grandma's gave and we placed flowers on a few of the soldiers' graves. Mommy wants me to learn to respect and honor those who gave their life for us.

THANK YOU SOLDIERS!

Wordless... Thursday?

2010-05-27T20:55:00.004-05:00

Concert In the Park

A Day in My Life

2010-05-25T09:01:00.005-05:00

Well Daddy is done with school for the summer and Mommy only has two more weeks left of work before she is done for the summer so my days are about to be filled with 100% ME time. Mommy will get to spend all day long with me, with nothing to do but play and feed. Cause i mean really who needs clean dishes and laundry.

Some people wonder where I spend my days while Mommy is at work. Well, before Daddy finished school I would spend Monday and Wednesday with my Great Auntie and Thursday and Friday with my Grandma and Daddy made sure he had no classes on Tuesday so he stayed with me that day.
Now that Daddy is done with school my schedule is a bit different.

6:00am: I wake up for a bottle. Daddy usually feeds me while Mommy jumps in the shower. Daddy is great like that and Mommy is so glad he is does it.

6:30am: Finished bottle. Daddy goes back to bed and Mommy and I hang out for a bit. Mommy saw my first crawl on one of these mornings while she ate her Eggo and did her hair and talked to me. (she is the queen of multi-tasking)

7:15am: If Daddy is sleeping I go back to bed and just play in my crib. If he is up we watch morning news together as Mommy runs around doing last minute things for the day. Now that I'm crawling I usually chase Stella dog during this time.

7:25am: Mommy leaves for work.

7:25-10:00am: I play and sometimes I take a nap. If Daddy has music stuff to work on we go up to the college and I play there. I've lot lots of friends (yeah, I have college friends-I'm cool like that).

10:00am: Second bottle of the day.

10:45-11:00am: Daddy tries to put me down for a nap. I'm pretty 50/50 on the whole nap thing. Some days I love taking a nap and will nap for 2 hours, other days; not so much.

11:00-2:00pm: If i don't nap I'll just play. I get passed from one person at College to the next. I enjoy chewing on their clothes. Everyone that holds me ends up with a slobbery mess. It's my sign of love. :) I spend most of my time around the music department so Daddy is confident I'll grow up to be an amazing musician.

2:00pm: My third bottle of the day. I love to eat. Mommy and Daddy laugh cause I get so excited when I see the formula container. I'll start bouncing in their arms out of excitement. seriously y'all it is too cute!

2:30pm: If I haven't had a nap today Daddy and I will usually go home so I can sleep in my crib. If I have had a nap Daddy will keep working on his music and I'll play some more in his office.

4:15pm: Mommy gets home! If I'm still at College with Daddy, Mommy will come pick me up. Mommy and I will hang out for a few hours. She'll tell me about her day. (those school kids are crazy y'all)

6:00pm: I get my 4th and final bottle of the night. Mommy feed me and then we cuddle on the couch for a bit. I also hang with Daddy after my bottle. We love watching Mythbusters together. Jamie and Adam are so funny.

6:30pm: Bed time. I typically fall right to sleep or sometimes I will play with toys in my crib for a bit, but there are days that I am a holly terror and want nothing to do with bed at all. NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH in no way am I going to go to bed. I will scream and holler till the neighbors hear me if I don't want to sleep. On those nights I stay up til 10:00pm and get an extra bottle.

Once I fall asleep I'm out for the night until 6:00am when it starts all over again.

Vlog #3

2010-05-19T20:30:00.003-05:00

Mommy and I have decided that we are too lazy to actually blog today, but we wanted to say hey and chat for a while so here's a vlog :) Enjoy!

Oh and Mommy wants y'all to know that fastly is indeed a word ;)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-18T21:41:00.003-05:00

Mommy will write all about my major milestones in my 6th month, but for now we will just leave you with a few 6 month photos.

Look I won something! (I didn't even know I entered it)

2010-05-18T12:26:00.007-05:00

Well well well. Look what mommy and I won. :) Our fabulous friends over at The Pretend Writer honored us with the Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you! I am socked that I was honored with this award since I don't blog very often, but we love it anyways :) She is one of Mommy's twitter friends and is pretty fantastic :)

In order to accept this award Mommy and I have to do a few things:

Thank the person who gave you this award. ::ckeck::
Share 7 things about yourself.
Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!

So 7 things about me? Wow, since I'm only 6 months old that's going to be kida hard, but I'll do it non the less :)

1. I have started crawling. Actually it's more of an army crawl cause i can't get both my arms and legs to work together. Either way, I can move pretty well and love to chase after Stella Dog.

2. I have more than doubled my weight since birth. I don't know my exact weight cause when Daddy took me to my 6 month checkup he forgot to write my weight down. I know I am at least 17lbs tho (yes, I am a chunky monkey)

3. I will only take naps in my crib when we are at home. Mommy is always showing me pictures of other babies asleep on their mommies, sleeping on the ground or in a jummperoo. HA! Unless you place me in my crib it is not nap time (sometimes even if I am in my crib I decide it's not nap time.)

4. I am going to be a drummer when I grow up. Don't tell Daddy cause he doesn't think drummer are very smart but I love to beat on thing and I actually tap and stomp on beat to any music you play. (Thanks Mommy for putting headphones on your belly every night for me)

5. Mommy and Daddy call me Monkey. Only rarely do I hear my real name Lauren. They have called me Monkey since before I was born. Mommy and Daddy always joked that they would have a little monkey cause Mommy has a round face with ears that stick out and Daddy is hairy: thus my nickname

6. My due date was November 4th. Mommy was excited cause that was her BFF's birthday but I had no desire to come. On November 11th I was a week late and I was still not even close to coming into this great wonderful world. Mommy was induced and I still didn't make my appearance until the next day November 12th. I fought on as long as I could. I don't know why I was so apprehensive to make it into this world, it rocks.

7. OK, I'm not sure what else to share about myself. Oh, I know. I get to spend every day with Daddy while Mommy is at work. It's pretty awesome. We go for a walk everyday and get to spend time with Stella Dog. Sometimes when Daddy can't do his music stuff at home he has to go up to the school. I love when he does that cause I get to hang out with all my college buddies. Yes, you heard that right, I have college age friends :)

OK, seven things about me ::check::

Now onto the hard part. How do I choose my 15 top blogs? I have so many that I enjoy reading with Mommy. But I'll do my best

This a a hodgepodge of blogs: mommy blogs, daddy blogs, serious blogs, funny blogs. Just stuff Mommy and I enjoy

1. Charmingly Chandler

2. What the Blog?

3. Harper's Happenings

4. Heir to Blair

5. 365 Days: 30+Mommyhood

6. Mom-In-a-Million

7. Blog Dangerously

8. Smonk you

9. Raising Madison

10. Mom-Nom

11. Mamma Maven in the Making

12. My Beautiful 604

12. Waking Up Williams

13. Spilled Milk

14. Hormonal Imbalance

15. You Just Keep on Believing that One

15 blog nominated ::ckeck::

hope you enjoy some of these blogs :)

VLOG, Just for the heck of it

2010-05-02T19:06:00.006-05:00

Monkey wanted to say hi!

Mommy Runs

2010-05-02T18:43:00.004-05:00

Mommy and I have been running every day. She runs because it keeps her sane and helps her get in shape and I run cause she straps me in the stroller. On Saturday Mommy ran her first 5k since having me. I wasn't allowed to run cause the people in charge of the race don't like strollers and my feet were too tired to run a 5K. So while Mommy ran, I sat and watched.Mommy didn't run alone tho. She ran with my favorite non family member Kelsy :) She's the bomb diggity and I hope to be as tall as her one day :)*Mommy and Kelsy*

Yes, they are dorks. Although I do enjoy watching TheBigBangTheory too :)

While I was waiting for Mommy to finish her race, it started to rain! I don't know who forgot to let Mother Nature know, but I do not like the rain, not one tiny little bit.

RUN MOMMY RUN!

Papa and Uncle Jeremy ran the race too, they beat Mommy by a ton, but she ran the race and I'm so proud of her for doing it. :)

TSD

2010-05-02T17:34:00.009-05:00

Toad Suck Daze. For realz? I mean I've seen some strange things in my few months here on Earth, like this: But this weekend our town had it's spring festival that is all about TOADS!!! Toad races, toad master, toad jams, little miss toad and miss toad suck daze. Also you can get anything and everything you've ever wanted deep fried. Gator, pickles,Twinkies, coke, Oreos, chicken on a stick, etc. Lots of stuff that I can't eat! "Toads? This whole thing is about toads?"

I nomed on my toys as Mommy nomed on a frozen chocolate dipped banana (she said she ate it for you Auntie Ann) . The best part of TSD is all the crafts, especially the ones that focus on ME, the babe! Mommy bought me a new t shirt and some new bows, like this one:Me in my fancy new TSD shirt and another bow Mommy got me at the festival.

Mommy and Daddy brought me to the FAMOUS toad dome and got the all important pictures with the cutout toads and huge blown up toad. Mommy says it's not TSD without at least one picture :)

Mommy and I strolled through all the people and really enjoyed ourselves. I was really tired by the end so Mommy loved on me some :) always a good end to a day!

It's My Monthday, It's My Monthday

2010-05-02T15:57:00.009-05:00

Monkey turned 5 months on April 12th. Like I said earlier, I've been really bad about publishing what we write here on our blog.

HAPPY 5 MONTHS OF LIFE TO ME!!!Can you really believe that I'm this old already! Mommy says next thing she'll know I'll be driving. (lets hope I get Daddy's car, it's cooler).

Here are the stats for me this month:
My weight is:16.6 lbs
My height is: 26 inches
My sleep pattern is sleeping from 6:30-7pm to 6:30-7 am. I take 2-3 1.5-2.5 hour naps a day, although sometimes I like to keep Mommy on her toes and skip naps all together
My eating habit consists of eating at 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 6pm. I eat 6oz at each feeding. I have been trying rice cereal at dinner a few nights a week.

This month I have learned how to roll from back to front and am now a rolling queen. If it was up to me, I'd roll around the living-room all day long . I got a squishy book from the Easter bunny and it has become my new favorite toy. I also discovered my feet this month and can now nom on them all day long, if I so wish.
I have also started teething, and let me tell all you grown people that are reading this, TEETHING IS THE DEVIL!!!! I know Mommy says I need to have teeth to eat cheeseburgers, but you know, I'm not so sure I want one anymore.

This month I did lots of fun things, some of them were firsts.

I got my first exersaucer and, dear lord it's so much fun! This is my favorite place to be, besides rolling around the living-room that is.

I went to my first dance this month. It was Daddy's jazz dance. He wore a tux and everything for me :)

Mommy and I had a picnic and then went swinging on the swings. I'm loving this summer weather :)

I went swimming for the first time and OMG it's so awesome! I thought bath time was awesome, this is even better cause you don't have to have your hair washed!

Lucy, Mommy and I went to the zoo. Lucy was trying to teach me to cluck like the chickens, all I could do was blow bubbles at those silly birdies.

Uncle Jeremy got a motorcycle this month, I can't wait until I am old enough to start riding it. It's really loud, but it didn't bother me one bit!

Mommy and I went on many, many walks and jogs this month. It's a favorite thing of mine for sure.

Easter was this month. It was my first one, duh I'm just 5 months and it only comes once a year, My favorite part of the whole day was my new shoes. I love my feet and shiny leather is fun to nom on.

Daddy took a lot of pictures this month of me, this is Mommy's favorite. She is dying to get it turned into a special piece of art, maybe for my 1st birthday.
Ok, I'm done with this post, I'm just going to go chill now. bye!

Nom Nom

2010-05-02T15:37:00.004-05:00

This post is from a few weeks ago. I've been really bad about publishing the posts Lauren writes.

Well, guess Mommy and Daddy finally decided to let me try out this whole food thing they do every day. I've been watching them like a hawk as they nom down on chicken, steak and veggies. So I was pretty excited when Mommy said that I was going to get to try some food and have something besides just a bottle. :)

Well let me tell you, Mommy didn't pull out a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza but instead this bowl full of whit muss-she says it's rice.

At first I was all like "WOAH, THIS IS WEIRD!" I wasn't sure if I really liked it. Howerver, the more I had the more I liked it. :)"Hey, Daddy, This stuff isn't half bad"

I have now officially decided that rice cereal is the bomb diggity and can't wait to try out more of this food, even if I don't get to have a cheeseburger for quite awhile.

2010-04-26T18:38:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T20:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I know this is supposed to be wordless, but it will be mostly wordless, k. These pictures are from my trip to the zoo. It was so much fun! I secretly think Mommy liked it better than me, but whatever.

Alright, I need to know what happened to these animals. Did a magic spell make them frozen? Whatever happened to them, I think it's pretty cool that they let us ride them. :)

I'm a Buddha!

Mommy wanted me to look at the camera, but there were monkeys in that cage. I had no clue that's what I looked like.

We went to the petting zoo part of the zoo, but mommy wouldn't let me pet the animals. HELLO, it's called a PETTING zoo.

It's a lot of work looking at animals. I go on the idea that if I pass out during the trip it's a win.

Twitter Home Tour/ Twitter House Party... oh whatever. Here's our house

2010-04-15T21:50:00.014-05:00

Ok, so I'm totally letting Mommy take over this post because we procrastinated and it's late and I'm going to bed, so without further ado, here's Mommy...

Well thanks Monkey for letting me hijack your blog and show the rest of the world our beautiful little home, the home that we brought you home to 5 short months ago. ::tear::
HEY Y'ALL! Welcome to our home. Sorry the grass hasn't been mowed, our mower broke this week. -things seem to be breaking for me, my wine glass, my car, the mower- I better not hold any mirrors- sorry I degress, let me get back to our home tour. We moved into our 1960's house this past summer and have painted every room in the house, added a porch, replaced the kitchen back splash, sink and counter and replaced the bathroom sink. We've been busy!

Anyways that is the front our our house with our new porch. I am so excited about it and all the wonderful memories that I know we will build out there. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are sitting on the porch with my mom or siblings drinking sweet tea and just talking. I can't wait to do that with Monkey.When you first walk in our front door you are greeted by my family wall of photos. They are pictures of our families and us through dating, marriage and baby. This hangs above the door in the living room and was the first gift my Mother in Law, Nana, gave us when we told her we were getting married. It is one of my favorite gifts of all time :)
I love the painting above the love seat, I love tree artwork, actually I am a huge fan of art in general, trees are just a top favorite. See, I love tree art :)Our living room has quickly turned into a playroom for Monkey. We spend most of our time together as a family in here. I made those curtains when we lived at our old house and the walls were painted to match. Hubby picked out the paint I believe because I am no good at picking paint colors :)our keys and this picture hang by the front door. I love this canvas, and can't believe how much Monkey has changed in just 5 months!
Our kitchen is also the dinning room and laundry room. This is what it looks like when you first walk in. I told you we have a love of art, we even hang it in our kitchen. I believe this piece came from a New Orleans street painter. And yes, Stella dog is hanging in the kitchen-for some reason she thinks I'm in there to give her some scraps. This is our new counter top, freshly painted cabinets (they were icky gray before) and new back splash. We did all the work ourselves-all while I was 8 months pregnant. Here is our biggest dilemma in our house right now, our 'pantry'. It works for now, except for being an eyesore, but once Monkey starts crawling it's going to be a problem so if you have a solution let me know. kthanks! Also, don't you just love the kitchen table? It was Hubby's Grandmothers table back in the 50's :)
Like I said our kitchen is also the laundry room so you get to see our beautiful washer and dryer hanging out next to our fridge (which I totally meant to clean off before I took pictures). Also Stella again. Hall leaving the kitchen. Living room is first door on the right, master bedroom is second door on the right, bathroom is first door on the left and Monkey's room is second door on the left. The painting on the bottom is from Jamaica, it was painted by a street vendor. Bathroom, not much to say except I love the new sink Hubby installed :) Also, we painted the tile white because it was a fuggly brown and made the bathroom look so tiny. Here is our master bedroom, I love green but since two rooms in our house were already painted green we decided that the gray would look good with our black and white comforter and we would just add lime green accents :)This is opposite the bed, next to the door. The tree painting was my first attempt at painting ::eh::-Hubby liked it well enough so I kept it. Also those books are just a few of the ones we have. When Monkey came we had to pack up boxes of them to fit her and her stuff. One day when we have a larger house I'll unpack all the books again. :)Here is our dresser and another one of my early attempts of painting, I promise I'm getting better. :)Herd is another tree art piece. This is my favorite, it is just so peaceful and relaxing to me. It was the first piece of art I bought and was so proud of myself. I also love our bedspread-I think it's fun but classic. Hubby likes it because it's not pink.

Now onto my favorite room. Well half of the room, the half that is Monkey's not the half that is spare bedroom. Her entire bedroom is monkey themed. Shocking I know. We picked out the bedding before we even knew if Monkey was a girl or boy. We'd always joked that our kid would be a monkey so we knew this would be the nursery theme. The name above Monkey's bed was my favorite project to work on. I painted the canvases with poka dots and then fastened letter I got at Hobby Lobby to them. They are hung with ribbon and just perfect as far as I'm concerned. The painting in the middle is from a friend of mine and has one of my favorite verses painted on it. She's got great style and I was so glad to have it.This part of the room is all squished together, but that happens when you live in a tiny house with little to no storage. We make the best of it so that's all that matters. Monkey goes to bed every night listening to her ipod. I find it funny that she had an ipod at birth and I didn't have one until last Christmas. Can someone say :SPOILED: The picture is of Monkey when she was still a little nugget inside me.
The heart patterned monkey is wearing Monkey's ear muffs. She wears them to Basket ball and Football games and to marching band rehearsal with Daddy. We don't want her hearing get damaged so she wears them for protection. She looks like a doll in them. *reminder: post a picture of Monkey in her ear muffs. The piggy bank says "Lauren's College Fund" and my entire family each put 2 pennies in it so they could say they put their two cents into her college. hahaThis book shelf is filled with books, toys and stuffed animals. All the Animals on the top are monkeys that people have found and given to her except for the yellow duck, that was mine from when I was 6. It's really old and kinda gross so Monkey will probably never play with it. I remember what that thing went through and no amount of washes will ever get it germ free. :) (I liked mud as a kids, what can I say).Here are some of Hubby's guitars. He plays them for Monkey all the time and she just loves it. I hope when she grows up she will have a love of music like her daddy. There are also some of her bows. She might have just a few.... The painting I did above her changing table is one of my favorites. Every time I change a diaper and look up at it I smile. And with some of Monkey's diapers, I'm glad it's there as a distraction. I hope you've enjoyed our home tour and that I haven't bored you too much. Come again to catch up on all that goes on in our lives as seen through Lauren's eyes.

Once upon a time, @MomNom, @jennandtonica, @emmie_bee, @heirtoblair, and @ColeEmmett were talking about home decor on Twitter. We thought it would be so great to be able to see each other's homes! A *bunch* of other tweeps joined in, @Alena29 put together a terrific button, and #twitterhometour (or #twitterhouseparty) was born! Feel free to join us - add a link to your home tour post (pictures, video, or both!) below.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

Taking a Bath with Clothes On

2010-04-08T20:53:00.010-05:00

This week Mommy and I headed to Memphis to visit Nana and Papa and help watch my favorite person, my cousin Lucy Jewel. This girl is crazy fun! Just look at that face. Who wouldn't want to hang out with her.

We do lots of things together and today we did something really awesome. I took a bath with clothes on, and didn't even have to wash my hair! Mommy calls it "swimming", I think she may be confused. One thing that was different with this bathtub is that it was really BIG! It was like 10 times bigger than my tub at home. Another weird thing is that everybody wore clothes, I'm not sure why you would want to take a bath with clothes on, but it was pretty neat nonetheless. I splashed in the water and tried to drink it, but Mommy wouldn't let me. "I'm not drinking the pool water, that's just your imagination"

I loved swimming around in circles but was not to much a fan of getting my face or head wet. After a while Nana got out a cool Hippo toy that was just for me!I could just lay back and chill or splash with some water. Lucy Jewel and I had a lot of fun swimming together. She would pull me around the edge of the pool in my hippo and everyone just thought I was the coolest. I really liked how my voice would echo in the room, and would holler with my loudest voice to hear it bounce off the wallsLucy Jewel and Mommy played together while I just chilled in my Hippo. Lucy Jewel is cool so I don't mind sharing my Mommy with her.

After we went swimming we headed over to Great Grandpa's house and Lucy Jewel helped Nana and Great Grandpa feed the ducks. Swimming is hard work, so after our long day I just needed to take a little break.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T20:35:00.002-05:00

Driving to Nana and Papa's is hard work.

Look I can 'ALMOST' sit

2010-04-05T21:52:00.004-05:00

I've been trying to sit for a while but today when mommy started taking pictures I kinda sorta sat for a few seconds at a time. Now, I'm not saying that I'm the world's best sitter (I probably am not even in the top 100) but I can 'sit' for a few seconds. Mommy likes that I'm getting better at sitting because I will be able to show off all my beautiful outfits. :) See, I'm a big girl!

These aren't fat rolls on my arms, they are PHAT rolls!

Ok, I'm bored. Now what?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T20:52:00.004-05:00

This past week I got to hang out with my Nana and Papa and we finally got a picture with Great Grandpa, four fantastic generations all in one place.It was late, that's why I look sleepy: I was!Great Grandpa is funny and I love him so much!

Mommy has been lazy and hasn't helped me write a post in awhile, we promise to get one written about my trip to Nana and Papa's house over spring break.

My best friend

2010-03-24T14:14:00.009-05:00

I love many people and have lots of friends. I mean Mommy and Daddy are the bomb-digity and Grandma,Grandpa,Nana and Papa are some of the coolest people around. Lucy Jewel almost makes the best friend mark, but to be honest my best friend doesn't stand on two feet, but uses all four to get around.

My best friend is Stella Dog... Just look at her isn't she awesome?
Stella and I have had a special bond since before I was born. Mommy says that once she found out that I was growing inside her Stella started following her around. She used to only sit next to Daddy on the couch but she soon started laying on the couch by Mommy, even following her into the bathroom when she had to pee.

The morning I was born, Stella made sure she told me she was ready for me to come home. Just look at this picture, isn't it just too sweet!Once I was born Stella was so excited to meet me. I slept in a pack and play in Mommy and Daddy's room at first and Stella would sleep right next to it. When I woke up to eat, she'd follow Mommy into the living room and lay by her feet as I ate. If I started to cry, Stella would come running to find out what was wrong and if Mommy or Daddy didn't respond quick enough to my cries Stella made sure they knew I was crying by running to find them. ::Back off, this is my kid::

Also, when we go for car rides, Stella used to look out the window but since I've been born she lays down in the back and keeps guard of me and my car seat.Every time I take a nap, Stella will nap next to my crib in my room and watches everything Mommy does as I get my diapers changed. She also loves to give me kisses and licks my hands, feet, face and head. :)
But my favorite thing Stella does it play with me on the carpet.

When I am on my play mat, Stella lays on the ground next to me watches everything I do. I can now reach out and grab at her and she doesn't mind my pulling on her ears or kicking her as I work out my leg muscles. ::Notice that my legs are moving so fast they blurred the picture::

I love my Stella dog and am so glad that I already have a best friend: who says that a dog is a Man's best friend, My dog is a Girls best friend. :)

The time Auntie Rebba and Uncle Chris came to visit

2010-03-21T12:41:00.007-05:00

Auntie Rebba and Uncle Chris came down to visit me this weekend. They got here on Friday and since Mommy and Daddy had to work they took me on a field trip. This place was so cool, filled with a lot of flowers and people. I enjoyed watching all the people and eating the flowers (even tho Grandma tried to stop me from doing it)

Here are a bunch of pictures from out little outing. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did the flowers. Oh and thanks Auntie Rebba, Uncle Chris and Grandma for all the fun.These flowers are so A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

Because these bunny ears are dumb, I'm not going to look at the camera.

The shirt don't lie...Auntie Rebba loves me.

I don't now how to tell you this, but Uncle Chris, but your head is naked.

I really do love my Grandma, I am just choking on all the flower smells

Get me out of this tutu!

I am a thinker...

Happy Baby

I love trying to stand

Happy Spring everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T22:25:00.003-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day y'all!
And yes, I am Irish!

4 Months and Rolling

2010-03-14T20:27:00.008-05:00

Happy 4 month birthday to me! ::Cue the birthday music::

On Friday I turned 4 months old-Mommy can't believe I'm already this old! Mommy was really sick so she couldn't help me with my blog that day, so here I am today letting you all know what all is going on with me and my 4 month old self.

Here are the stats for me this month:
My weight is:16.6 lbs
My height is: 26 inches
My sleep pattern is sleeping from 7-7:30pm-6-6:30 am at night and I take 2-3 1.5-2.5 hour naps
My eating habit consists of eating at 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 7pm. I eat between 5-6oz at each feeding

This month I am continuing to discover new toys and can now entertain myself for quite awhile on my play mat. I also LOVE music and will sit quietly through an entire music concert at Daddy's school. Jazz is my favorite!
One of my accomplishments this month is that I will now grab and pick up toys from my play mat. It is quite exciting that I no longer have to wait on Mommy or Daddy to hand me a toy that is within my reach.

This month I did lots of fun things. I went to a Jazz concert and a Concert Band concert and saw Daddy conduct the band for the first time! I also went to 3 Basketball games-Wow those people are tall! At at Basketball game:So much fun

I also got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa for a night while Mommy and Daddy went to a Music conference-Those two people are a lot of fun and I'm so glad they are my Grandma and Grandpa! I celebrated my first Valentines Day and attended a Mary Kay party for Mommy's friend Beth. Mommy and I also babysat Lucy for a night, we had a lot of fun and Lucy is my all time favorite buddy! On my 100th day of life (Feb. 20) I went to my first wedding-Mommy said that one day I will get to wear one of those beautiful white dress too!

My 100th Day

I went on my first walk with Mommy and Daddy-the most fun time of my life!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today is Sunday, March 14 and i did one very amazing thing tonight! Mommy put me to bed after my last bottle. I am a belly sleeper and absolutely love it, but tonight I wanted to see what those pesky monkeys above my bed were doing so I tried to roll over and it is really cool! The only problem is that I don't like to sleep on my back so every time I roll over I scream and holler for Mommy to put me back on my belly. Then I roll back over and the whole cycle starts over again. :)

Mommy walked in the room and saw me on my back: Mommy I'm now a roller!

Mommy is Sick

2010-03-13T14:04:00.003-06:00

Mommy is sick, like really sick. She has this thing called Strep. Apparently strep is a sickness that doesn't allow Mommy to hold me, feed me or even kiss me. :( Strep is no fun at all! I miss Mommy... a lot, but Grandma has been taking care of for two days now so it's ok. :) I love hanging out with her. She is a lot of fun and always gives me the best kisses! We have been playing a lot and I like the crib at her house just as much as my crib at home so it's all good. I got to spend my 4 month birthday at Grandma's house (Mommy was sad about this) and Mommy will be helping me with my 4month blog in a few days when she is better.

Mommy's fever broke this morning so I get to come home tomorrow! I am so excited! I miss her so much! Daddy would take care of me today but he has school stuff all day long today-I thought Saturdays were Lauren days?!? One thing for sure I am ready to have both my Mommy and Daddy all to myself again (I'm sure they are ready to have me and my smiles back too).

I mean who wouldn't miss this face?

Spring=Sick?

2010-03-11T16:57:00.003-06:00

Ok, So Mommy said spring was going to be great! Well, she lied! Yes, I love the warm sun beating down on me, and walks rock-but she said NOTHING, and I mean nothing about spring=sickness. Ever since the weather turned warm my nose has been leaking, I've got this pesky coughing thing going on and I've not been able to enjoy sleeping through the night. :( Pooh on you spring!

Mommy took me to the doctor lady today and we had a great time. She looked in my throat, nose and ears and took this cool looking thing and listened to my lungs. Mommy was glad that doctor lady said I only have a small cold and I don't have to have any medicine.

Because I don't feel very well right now, I'm having a hard time sleeping and napping. I've been taking quite a few of my naps on Mommy which means the laundry is piling up but she doesn't mind. Also, at night I'm no longer sleeping through the night-I just want a little extra snuggle time with Mommy :)I'm sick, that's why I have snot and drool on my face- Ok, so don't judge. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T19:38:00.002-06:00

Cart Cover Givaway

2010-03-09T13:19:00.004-06:00

Mrs B, over at feels like home just blogged about a great cart cover giveaway!! head over to her blog to enter!!! Good Luck
Wouldn't it be great if I had this when I went shopping with Mommy or Daddy?

The time Mommy almost burnt down the house

2010-03-08T12:13:00.004-06:00

I've only been around a few months, but I have already learned how to know when dinner is ready. When dinner is ready there is this 'bell' that goes off. The bell sounds like this "FIRE, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, FIRE!" Every time that goes off, Mommy says "dinner's ready".

Yesterday was a long day for Mommy and I hadn't been the best baby around-I mean really who wants to nap on a beautiful day? I just wanted to holler at the world. Mommy doesn't seem to enjoy my screams so much.

Anyways, it was 3pm and Mommy was just getting to making some lunch for herself. Daddy was at school and I had FINALLY fallen asleep for the first time all day. Mommy made a sandwich, threw some fries in the oven, checked on me in the crib (I was so cute sleeping away) and went outside to empty the trash and try to clean the car out. Mommy came inside to get a trash bag and smelled smoke, at that moment the 'dinner bell' started going off. "FIRE, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, FIRE!" Mommy ran in the kitchen to see flames shooting out the oven, smoke filling the house, Stella Dog barking and running around the house excited the 'dinner bell' had gone off and I woke up screaming. I mean really how dare Mommy eat without me!

Mommy shut the stove off, grabbed me, threw me in the car seat and placed me on the porch. She then went inside opened the back door to get the smoke out and grabbed the fire extinguisher to put the fire out. By this time I was mad as can be that I was woken up from my beauty sleep and put outside, Stella Dog was running around the front yard excited that she was aloud out front and Mommy was coughing from the smoke.

Mommy figured out that the fire started because Daddy put some plastic handled grill tools in the bottom compartment of the stove. Daddy didn't realize that it wasn't a storage compartment but a broiler. Therefor when Mommy started the oven, the flames set the plastic on fire. Lesson learned: don't mix plastic and fire!

Thankfully it all worked out and no one was hurt, yes we may not have a stove that works anymore (we'll find out tomorrow when the repair man comes by) but Mommy is very glad that the 'dinner bell' worked and that Daddy made sure there was a fire extinguisher in the hallway.

Lucky for me, bottles don't need a stove to be prepaired. :)

The time Mommy didn't have the flu

2010-03-08T08:58:00.008-06:00

Edit: This post is mostly for me so I can remember some of the details of Lauren's beginning. I have already forgotten so much.

One year ago today, Mommy and Daddy found out that their life was about to be changed forever. One year ago today, Mommy took her first pregnancy test and now here I am writing to you about it, so you can assume what the answer to that test was.
This is a story about Mommy's journey of incubating me.

Mommy had been going to the gym every night to get in shape. She had been running a few miles and then going to either yoga or step aerobics depending on the night. Mommy had gotten sick during one of her workouts and 'lost her lunch'. She actually thought that she worked out hard enough to do it, I mean the people on Biggest Loser do it all the time when they have a great workout. She was getting upset that even though she was working out she felt 'bloated'. Little did she know, I was swimming around inside her, making her tummy upset. :)

At School Mommy had been sick in the morning and afternoons, but she just chalked it up to being flu season and her working at a public school teacher. She even had Daddy get her extra Day and NightQuil. Mommy's school friends had been sick and a bunch of Mommy's students had been out sick. Why would she think it was anything but the beginning of the flu.

On March 7, 2009 Mommy's friend Beth had a engagement party, Daddy had All Region and couldn't come down to Conway so Mommy went by herself. Beth's future mother in law made a comment at the party about making sure Mommy didn't get pregnant until after Beth's wedding and Mommy let her know that it would be a few years before they started a family. (little did she know I was already 4weeks old). Mommy stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and came home Sunday March 8th after church. Daddy and his friends had been talking and they had come to the conclusion that Mommy was pregnant. Mommy walked in the door and Daddy said "You're either pregnant or going crazy" (apparently mommy had been a bit emotional and irrational). Mommy took the test and went to change into pj's. She was in the middle of putting on pj pants when she saw the 'pregnant' on the stick! She just stood their in shock-she had no idea what to say or do, she couldn't even finish putting on her pant. Daddy came around the corner saw Mommy's face and knew what the test had revealed.

Mommy didn't trust the first test so she took three more and they all came up positive. Daddy had to take a test for school that next day so Mommy called her doctor and made an appointment. Because Mommy and Daddy hadn't been trying to plan a family right now they were both a bit shocked, but Daddy said it would all be fine and he was actually a bit excited about the fact that we would soon be a family. It took Mommy a bit longer to get excited, but she soon became glad that she would be a Mommy and that she would have me in her life forever!

March 9th Mommy went to the doctor while Daddy was taking his test and the doctor said "Well, your pregnant." Mommy asked if she was for sure about that. I think Mommy was still in a bit of denial. The doctor said yes, you are indeed pregnant and probably around a month along. Mommy and Daddy called Aunt Sara and Uncle Travis and told her (on her birthday) that I was going to be coming into this world in about 8 months. They all went to dinner to celebrate both the discovery of me and Aunt Sara's birthday.

Mommy and Daddy told Nana about me at lunch on March 11 and Papa over the phone the same day. On March 14th Mommy and Daddy got together with Grandma, Grandpa and the rest of the family at Aunties for a bbq and told them the good news with T-shirts that said "World's Best Grandma and Grandpa". Grandpa started jumping up and down and crying, he was very excited to know that I would be in his life soon.

Mommy had a rough time carrying me and had night sickens for the first 7 months and then had really bad acid reflux for the last 2 months. Mommy gained 34lbs and the extra weight was hard on Mommy's back and feet. Mommy had an aversion to meat the first trimester, but couldn't get enough fruit and Swanky's tacos. :D
Early on, Mommy and Daddy decided that they would use LJ as my initials. Daddy, Papa, Papa's Papa, and Lucy Jewel all share the LJ initials. Mommy and Daddy came up with two names: Lawrence Jacob for a boy and Lauren Joy for a girl. I already knew what I was but Mommy and Daddy had to wait until June 18th to find out that their little LJ was going to be Lauren Joy! I was a girl! Grandpa got to come with Mommy and Daddy to find out and they all cried-even Daddy, though he will say he didn't. Mommy, Daddy and Grandpa sent out 100's of texts with my picture and my name, letting everyone know I was a girl.

During the time Mommy was carrying me Mommy and Daddy quit their jobs, moved to our new town and Daddy started Grad school. Mommy went to every football game and sat with the band, I think that is why I like noise and music so much.
I was very comfy inside Mommy and had no desire to enter into this world (although now that I'm here I don't know why I was so afraid to come out-this place rocks!) and Mommy had to be induced when I was a week late. Mommy was induced on November 11th and I finally met Mommy and Daddy on the 12th. I'll write sometime later on my birth story.
A lot has changed in the last year, but Mommy and Daddy couldn't be happier that I am part of their life and that one year ago that little plastic stick said "pregnant". :)

The Great Outdoors

2010-03-04T19:14:00.006-06:00

I went on my first walk today with Mommy and Daddy. The weather here in the South has been miserable, there has been more rain, snow and cold weather than typical. I mean really we're in the south- we shouldn't get over 12" of snow! Well today the weather was WONDERFUL! It was sunny and warm -this is the kind of weather I'm talking about! Since the weather was so nice Mommy and I decided that when Daddy got home from school we would take our first family walk.

We loaded up into Mommy's car with my stroller, a change of clothes, diapers,water, passies, toys, the camera and Stella Dog. Yes, we could have packed the kitchen sink but unhooking the plumbing takes too long. Mommy used to just throw Stella Dog in the car and head to the trail, now that I'm here it takes a bit of planning to head out the door. :)

I'm not sure who was more excited to take a walk, me or Stella Dog, but we sure were happy to be getting out of the house. Mommy, Daddy and I headed to the local walking trail and took a 100 mile walk, it was closer to 3 miles, but it felt like a 100. I enjoyed it for the most part, but near the end I realized that I hadn't taken an afternoon nap and got quite sleepy and grumpy.

I also discovered a fantastic new thing during our walk- the straps on my stroller! They taste like chocolate~ well I'm sure that's what chocolate must taste like since Mommy noms on chocolate like I nom my stroller.
Mommy and I are going to be making walks a common occurrence around here and we are both happy that spring is around the corner. Mommy has told me that the grass will be green, there will be leaves on the trees, flowers will start blooming and it will be warm and sunny most days!-I think I'm going to really enjoy this whole warm weather/spring thing.

Bows

2010-03-04T12:14:00.014-06:00

When Mommy and Daddy found out they were having a girl (that's ME!) Mommy got excited about all the accessories that she would be able to put on me. Daddy wasn't to keen on the idea but was ok getting one, maybe two bows for me.

My First Bow

Well, three and a half months after my arrival....

Yes, I love bows! I also think the bigger the better! No, I don't want to be seen from space, but I do want to stand out in a crowd. :) Nana and Papa make fun of me and bug Mommy about all the bows, but I think they secretly love them too. Yes, I know a bow is not a necessity but I think a bow on a headband sets my entire outfit apart from the all to typical babies out there.
Well, now to the real reason I have been writing about one of my all time favorite things. My 'friend' Gigi's mommy over at As the Forest[e] Grows is hosting a fantastic bow giveaway! Wouldn't it be GREAT if I won all these fantastic bows?

They would fit right into my collection and look great with all of Nana's fantastic dresses she will be making me. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-03T19:10:00.006-06:00

So I no longer want to smile for the camera, and yes I always have drool on my face.

Trying to figure this out!

2010-03-02T20:01:00.004-06:00

Ok, so Mommy is trying to figure out how to do this whole blogging thing. From what I've observed she isn't very computer savvy (that's what Daddy is for). This blog will be from my perspective most of the time, but since I can't type yet Mommy will be helping quite a bit.
We have decided to start this blog to help Mommy and Daddy remember what goes on in our world and to keep track of me and all my changes.
I spend most of my day eating, playing, chewing on my fist, sleeping and hanging out with people. Life is Good!
Mommy is a substitute teacher and is still trying to find a full time job teaching.
Daddy is a full time graduate student getting his Masters in Music Conducting and working as a graduate student for the bands.
Our blog will be filled mostly with pictures and accounts of special events in our lives.