Laughreys' Love

Sneak Peek

2011-02-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Check out this blog to see a sneak peak of our photo shoot by the talented Ms. Erin Cobb. We can't wait to see more--amazing job my friend!

It seems like it was just yesterday her husband Coleman (aka Brent) was our Cadet Squadron Commander--LOL! Kelsea was so excited to meet their daughter Sarah who is of the same age. I think we could have left Kelsea in their hotel room for the day and she would have been perfectly happy. ;-)

Five

2011-01-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness my baby girl turned 5 yesterday! At 1:01 to be exact. One of these years she is going to forbid me from taking this photo, but for now there she is the minute she turned 5!

I am pretty sure I JUST took this picture on her first birthday

and now she's an entire hand old! (And pretty darn excited about it.)

My only picture of her with a present. It all happened so fast, reminiscent of Christmas morning.

What started out as a Charlie and Lola cake, turned into a Rapunzel Cake.

I am pretty sure she was wishing that she would marry Nate someday, and that they would go live in the forest hunting wolves. At least that's what her wish was the other day as she blew out her bathroom candle (and Daddy promised his ears were closed).

I think she had a pretty good day from the look of it.

Wish us luck at Chuck E. Cheese next weekend!

Thankful for

2010-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

My loving, patient husband

My beautiful, sweet girls

Delicious food. (Thanks Mom!)

Family nearby to share it with

My darling nephew

And his wonderful family

My grandparents that are still with us and those that I miss dearly

Family that we don't see nearly enough

My amazing friends (both around the corner and all across the country)

All the photographers in my life who are so willing to share their talents!

My Christmas decorated home

And last (but certainly not least), this little guy or gal that we are looking forward to bringing home this summer (EDD 27 Jun).

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Princess Ladybug. Up until a couple weeks ago she was going to be Princess Cinderella. But, after watching the "owl" movie at the theater a couple weekends ago we went browsing through the PV shops. Shortly after I told Kelsea we were not buying ANYTHING, she came across this dress at the toy store and asked if we could please buy this so she could match her sister for Halloween. SOLD! (I am such a sucker for the girls matching!)

My little ladybugs

Mama trying to convince Lorelei to wear her hat (she preferred the bucket instead).

Daddy with his ladybugs.

Dizzy the Giggling Monster (and his parents)

Peek-a-boo, where's Lorelei? Hmmm...maybe that's why she preferred the bucket to the hat?

The comparison shot. I look at the picture of Kelsea, and think wow she really hasn't changed. Those eyes and that smile are just the same as when she was one. Makes me wonder if I'll say the same thing about Lorelei in three years!

Kelsea loving Ben

First picture of all cousins together!

Not really sure what to make of his first Halloween.

Grandma Laurie chasing ladybugs out of her yard before we head out and get way too much candy!

And after all that fun, someone PASSED OUT on the way home

Good fun at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the family (and I mean the entire family) headed to the pumpkin patch in Long Beach for some family fun.

Kelsea was very excited to see that this place offered much more than pumpkins! Despite all the excitement I still managed to get her to take some pics with her sister before she ran off to the rides.

And we even got one of the entire family!

And of course a darling picture of the Love Family. I was amazed at how much Ben had grown since I last saw him and looking more and more like his beautiful Mama (but a handsome version of course)!

The petting zoo was a huge hit with Lorelei. Unfortunately I have not figured out how to take normal looking pictures inside a tent!

A boat ride, just what every pumpkin patch needs?

Twirling in circles (truly only fun for kids)

Peek-a-boo (never mind that's suppose to be an arm hole)

Lorelei and Dada

"What does Lorelei say?" Pointing to herself "lah-lie" (our way of trying to get her to smile for the camera).

Lorelei hanging out (momentarily) with Grandpa but at least long enough to get one picture!

Lorelei picking out a pumpkin or two

I think this one's just a little too heavy....

I think this one will make a great climbing pumpkin Mom!

Kelsea's highlight of the entire day--face painting

Such love those two have for eachother!

And after all that fun, we left the patch pumpkinless-LOL!

But we did end the evening with dinner at Mimi's (kids eat free in Oct-yea!) which also happened to be right across the street! I love how those things work out!

Another First

2010-09-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Kelsea's first soccer game was Sunday. She was so excited, she wore her uniform all weekend long. I even caught her dancing in her shin guards and underwear. Here's some snippets of the game:

The girls getting some pre-game coaching. I love that the practices are built into the game time. 15 minute practice. 6 minute quarters. The perfect amount of time to keep the kids attention.

Kelsea practicing dribbling and shooting before the game. I am very excited that one of the father's on Kelsea's team is a professional photographer-score! Can't wait to see his photos!

Kelsea's 4 adorable teammates (Amanda, Ruby, Kate & Kylie).

Lined up and ready to play

The cheering squad (minus Grandma)

Kelsea was glowing with happiness at the end of the game. This extra glow might be due scoring her first soccer GOAL! She dribbled the ball down half the field and kicked it right into the goal! She was so proud of herself (and her Mama and Dada might have been a little proud too). I think she's going to be a soccer player... :-)

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Our Trip to Hawaii

1. The Stuff. Between the pack n' play, stroller, car seat, golf clubs and of course our clothes, we had one full minivan. Luckily we didn't have to leave anything (or anyone) behind.

2. The view from our balcony. Not such a bad place to lay back and read a book (make that four books and two magazines).

3. We spent most our days at the pool, which was fantastic for little kids. Kelsea could walk across most of it since the deepest part was 4 feet. Even Lorelei could wade pretty far into it without being underwater. Wallis was quite a trooper and stayed in the pool, while I got to lay under the umbrella and read (and take pictures of course). Such a fantastic husband I have!

There was one or two melt downs. We are still learning how to share.

Lorelei deciding she needed a break from Kelsea drama (and the heat).

Grandpa and Grandma relaxing under the umbrella.

Often she's a really good sharer.

Kelsea really loved riding the boogie board...despite the lack of waves

She also made a new friend, Miss Anna from Oregon.

4. One of the days it was a little overcast so we went on a train ride, which included feeding the pigs. Kelsea tried very hard to give most of her pita bread to the baby pig. Lorelei was pretty excited about the pigs, and enjoyed growling at them.

Ggrrooowl

5. On Saturday night Wallis and I got to have a nice dinner sans kids, at the Beach House. If you ever stay in Kauai you must eat there, it was fabulous! They even had a photographer! Look how young she made us look! :-) My parents went the following night.

6. Kelsea was very excited to watch "the hula girl." She was especially thrilled to get on stage and learn a few moves. She told us that she wanted one of the dancers (the one in the middle) to be her Mom. LOL! Sorry babe you are stuck with this one!

Wallis snapped this one before we left for the "show." Not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold both girls in my arms.

Lorelei is not too sure about these girls

And some nice family took a photo of all of us.

7. We went to Poipu Beach one of the days. Not quite as comfy as those lounge chairs around the pool, but still kid friendly and beautiful!

If you get out your magnifying glass you'll see Kelsea and Wallis walking across the sand bar to the "island".

8. While Wallis and my Dad Went golfing, the resort had games and activities for the kids. Kelsea was pretty serious about the Hula Hoop. Lorelei didn't quite get the concept yet. Wallis also took Kelsea to hit golf balls. She is now hooked and has been back twice since we've been home.

9. We of course had to end our visit with a few pictures of the girls. A much easier task to accomplish by themselves then together.

Two peas in a pod

10. And of course my lovely parents, who probably now need a vacation from their vacation! Ma-halo

*******************

What do you mean we have to go back home?

Back from Kauai

2010-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh after 7 fabulous days in Kauai, and then three days off at home we have to go back to work/school tomorrow! Long drawn out sigh of sadness.

I took 291 photos, so I think it may have to be a 20 on Tuesday. We did have a lovely time, most of it spent at the "beach" pool. Here's a sneak peak of more to come:

One and a Half

2010-08-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the terrible twos are almost upon us. Or maybe they are already here, since we have witnessed plenty of your open-mouth, high-pitched screams, with the eyes closed, and body parts flailing along the floor these past few weeks. Where did our sweet, calm baby go?

Your personality is making it's way to center stage, as you turn 18 months. If I had to guess what you will be when you grows up, it's Chief. Chief of whatever. It is your way and that's it.

And just like your sister you are very independent. Must be genetic. And if we try and take that away from you, you'll let us know that you do not approve (see first paragraph). So much for you being the "mellow one." LOL!

You also want whatever it is your sister has. You are not a happy camper if Kelsea gets something and you do not! Although this could be troubling in a few years, it's also advantageous for things like swim class. I think you are thriving at swim lessons partially due to having your sister in the next lane. Maybe this attitude will make potty training and crib-to-bed transition easier next year...

And just like your big sister you are very sweet and hand out lots of hugs and kisses. Your most favorite things are centered around bed time (bath and books). We are reading a boatload of books to you, when just a couple months ago you would push them away and opt to go to bed instead. You are still incredibly easy to put down to bed, and still take great naps during the day (thank goodness). You are an amazing eater, which might be why you are so tall, 33 inches (90th %) and 24 pounds (50th %). And as one can see from the last two photos, you are looking more and more like your Dad. The Laughrey gene pool wins again. :-)

Four and a Half

2010-08-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by, despite it feeling more like Winter here in "sunny" California. One month ago yesterday, our oldest baby girl had a half birthday. She was disappointed to find out her half birthday did not come with cake, candles and presents, but she's still pretty stoked about telling people she is 4 1/2. I think I convinced her our trip to Kauai later this month was her and Lorelei's half birthday present. That has to count for something?

A few things about you at four and half:

You love, love, love watching movies.

You adore playing at the beach, even when you are shivering from the fog and wind.

You enjoy building things at school. Your teachers tell us you spend lots of time building intricate towers. Today you built Disneyland.

You are becoming quite a good swimmer.

You love to play dress up more than anything else. Even if it's just trying on your own clothes.

You want to know why raccoons don't turn into butterflies.

You tell me stories of when you were "big", as if you lived an entire lifetime before you became a part of ours.

You are a wonderfully sweet big sister.

You want to be a mommy when you grow up and either a baby teacher or a baby doctor.

You ask a lot of questions about how you were born and how "Baby Jesus" made us.

You still sneak into our bed at night, and although I may not have quite as many good nights of sleep, I know that one day (too soon) I will yearn for a night of snuggling with my little girl.

You are growing up way to fast, in fact in all these photos I can envision you as a teenager. So for now we will simply enjoy your four-and-a-halfness!

Eleven Blissful Years

2010-07-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 11th Anniversary.

To include:

Breakfast with our friend Kelly, and her darling 4 year old niece, Madison.

A real date (dinner and a movie).

Our bed all to ourselves.

Sleeping in until 8!

Watching what we wanted to watch while eating breakfast.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Love for watching the kiddos and letting us be us for a day!

Wallis and Kelsea's Conversation

2010-07-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

This was their conversation on the way to work this morning:

Dad, who made Disney? (we are going to Disneyland tomorrow for Wallis' Birthday)

-A man named Walt Disney.

Dad, who made the world?

-A guy by the name of God.

Oh. Where does God live?

-(had to think hard about this one and how to answer without

confusing her too much)

-He lives in your heart and in heaven.

Oh. Where is heaven and why does he live there?

-He likes living up there so he can see all of us.

And he can protect us?

-Yep.

Policeman protect us from witches in buildings and save us sometimes too.

-Yes, I guess they do.

When we go to Disneyland I don't want to have breakfast with those big puppets.

-Ok, we wont.

I love you dad. Im done talking now.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-06-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

1. Wallis thinks that I should make Yo Gabba Gabba outfits for the concert this fall. I think he has forgotten who he married. Sew? Really? I tried to explain that my love for Project Runway has nothing to do with my abilities to make clothes.

2. My neighbor gave my Flex it's first boo-boo (he backed into my parked car). If only a band-aid would fix it. $1200 and 2 1/2 days later it will be all better.

3. This led me to thinking that the next time I buy a new car, Kelsea will most likely be starting high school and Lorelei middle school. Kind of a frightening thought.

4. In less than 24 hours the kids will be at Grandma and Grandpa's, and in less than 48 hours I will be laying at Wrightsville Beach reading a book, a real book!

5. The thought of leaving L.A. at 1:00 am doesn't even make me flinch, because we won't be traveling with car seats, pack n' plays or diaper bags.

6. And in case you are wondering why we are spending 4 days in North Carolina (sans kids), our friend Brian is getting married. Here he is with Lorelei last August! Oh, where did those thighs go?

7. Has anyone else started Christmas shopping?

8. Since some of you have asked where's the picture of me holding my nephew.... (not such a great picture of me, but look how cute Ben is)!

9. Blissfully three

10. And although I took a couple darling photos of Ben on Saturday, I have to find out from his parents if any of them will be used in their announcement before posting. So I'll leave you with his tiny little feet instead.

Welcoming Baby Ben

2010-06-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jennie got the most precious Birthday gift this afternoon, her beautiful son Benjamin Daniel Love.

7 pounds, 12 ounces & 21 inches long

The first diaper (with oh so many more to come!)

Time to get footprints made. They also did them on Daddy's t-shirt. Pretty cool memento!

Getting to know his Daddy

Grandpa Steve, holding his first grandson!

Grandpa Dan meeting his very first grandchild! Just delighted!

Searching for his thumb and he was quite happy when he found it!

First yawn (or at least the first one I got on camera)

And now two becomes three. I think they are pretty happy.

Happy Birthday Jennie & Baby Ben! We love you!

15 Months

2010-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

At 15 months you are walking (running wherever you can), climbing onto furniture, stairs, step stools and anything that looks challenging enough but not too challenging. Which is why you have no big desire to climb down our scary staircase and that is perfectly acceptable by us!

You must have had a growth spurt this month, because Dr. Sergis says you are in the 95th percentile in height (32.5 inches) and holding steady at 50th percentile in weight (22 pounds), and yes you still have a tiny head (25th). I am a little skeptical on the height measurement, since this photo doesn't look like a really tall 15 month old, but I guess we'll know in another 3 mos how accurate it is. At least I know you are growing and healthy, despite having your bad Mama dislocate your elbow last week. Next time I will let you fall and not pull you up by the arm, because clearly a fall would have been less painful than having your elbow popped out of it's socket!

Luckily you forgive easily and are still giving me the most wonderful hugs and kisses. We are only understanding a few of your words, (Mama, Dada, uh-oh, more, milk) and you are signing the two essentials (all done & more), but you certainly have way more to say than that (we just haven't figured out what that is).

One of your favorite games is "Where's Lorelei?" Here's a snippet:

Where's Lorelei?

There she is!

Where's Lorelei?

There she is! That never gets old (for you).

You are fiercely loved by your sister!

And enjoy chasing after her and doing whatever it is that she is doing,

like figuring out how to ride this scooter

You are growing up crazy fast, but we are enjoying every minute of it. Happy 1 1/4 Birthday Lorelei!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

1. About a month ago (actually the day before Easter) Lorelei got her first big girl haircut. Mama forgot her camera but at least had her phone to snap a photo of this momentous occasion. And I am happy to report that the back of her hair is starting to curl like Kelsea's did!

2. We had such a lovely time visiting the Vuoso Family's new digs, that we had to carry Kelsea out the door (crying). I at least got a couple photos of them playing at their nearby park.

3. Currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and with just 4 chapters left we will be moving on to James and the Giant Peach. Such a nice change to be reading chapter books!

4. Currently listening to A Fine Frenzy and Greg Laswell's new CDs.

5. I got an early Birthday (& Mother's Day, Anniversary, Christmas, etc) gift last month.

6. I took Kelsea to see the Dragon movie on Saturday. I loved it. Kelsea told me she liked it but did not want me to buy it when it came out on DVD. I think the dragons may have been a bit too intense for her. But no dragon nightmares so far, so I chalk that up as a win!

7. We got these taken for Mother's Day gifts this year. Sort of a painful experience with me having to leave the studio since Lorelei only wanted to climb in my lap. Of course leaving didn't solve anything, since she just wanted to run all over the place. And then Kelsea got tired of sitting there waiting on her sister and told the photographer she would only take two more photos. All I could hear was Wallis shouting (talking loudly that is) Kelsea smile, Lorelei sit down, Lorelei come back here, Kelsea smile at the camera, Lorelei stay etc. So it's a miracle we even got these!

8. Despite my other gift, Wallis got me this for my Birthday. It arrives next week-yippee! I will now be able to check my friends blogs and watch TV at the same time--ultimate laziness!

9. I had a lovely Mother's Day thanks to my wonderful husband who let me sleep in 'til 0730 (yes that is sleeping in), made me french toast, watched the kids while I had a 90 minute massage (heaven) and cooked the entire family a mexican fiesta (sangria and homemade salsa included). Thanks my love!

10. And I will leave you with just a few of my many attempts at getting a Mother's Day photo with my girls.

Kelsea trying to squeeze the love out of Lorelei

Lorelei trying to wiggle her way off my lap to freedom

Two of us are at least smiling and looking at the camera...

We can see all of our eyes! This one will have to do...

At least Kelsea wanted to take some with her Mama. Maybe someday Lorelei will too...

A Shower of Love (for Baby Love)

2010-05-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

One month ago, (gosh has it really been that long?), Jennie's best friend Liza and her Mom (pictured below) threw Jennie a baby shower.

Many of Jennie's friends and family came to celebrate. And we were all smiles after a couple mimosas!

The food was delicious,

to include this yummy chocolate dessert, made by Jennie's dear friend Larry!

And there were of course plenty of games played, and letters written to Baby Ben by each of the guests for his Mama to open on each of his Birthday's (until age 25).

Lots of presents were opened, including this darling blanket made by Grandma Love

I think this Mama is very excited about becoming a Grandma!

Now we just have to wait for Baby Ben to arrive, I hear his Mama is ready...although she sure looks cute pregnant!

Ten on Tuesday (Easter Edition)

2010-04-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

1. Our morning started with Kelsea peeking out our bedroom window looking for the Easter Bunny. I am sure she was relieved that he was not there since she is still frightened of that giant human size bunny you find at the mall.

2. We then headed downstairs to find that the Easter Bunny had left his first clue, "Sit on your knees and look beneath, where your baby sister falls asleep" in an egg by her bed. Not bad for starting this at 9:00 at night, (if I may say so myself).

3. Kelsea continued to find 4 more eggs, which lead the girls to their baskets (in our bathtub). And she was very excited to see Miss Alice in her basket. Lorelei still had no idea what the excitement was about (maybe next year).

4. But they did seem pretty pleased with their goodies. Good job bunny rabbit!

5. We some how managed to get dressed and out of the house in time for morning mass. We almost made it through the entire ceremony, until Lorelei had a meltdown after communion.

6. Lorelei came home and took a long nap, while Kelsea watched her new movie (for a total of 3.5 times that day). I guess we all have our own way of celebrating His resurrection!

7. Before heading to my parents house for dinner (and more egg hunting) I attempted to get a picture of the girls in their matching dresses. Kelsea did her best to help...

But instead of happy, smiling faces, I got a lot of these

9. So Plan B was put into action, some of just Lorelei

and a few of Kelsea practicing her model poses

10. And then it was time to hunt for more eggs and consume more chocolate at Grandma & Grandpa's house, since clearly we had not done enough of that already.

Luckily Uncle Steve was there to help Lorelei find one egg

Which kept her entertained while Kelsea found the rest

This is the face of Lorelei eating her first piece of chocolate. Not quite sure it's a winner yet.

And Kelsea showing off her winnings

And we ended the day with both kids falling asleep on the ride home (and staying asleep while we put them in bed--SCORE)! I was somewhat concerned that Kelsea had fallen into a sugar coma, but found out it wasn't so when she crawled into our bed to snuggle later that night (whew!)

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend-we sure did!

Kelsea's American Idol Audition Tape

2010-03-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hope your day was filled with a little peace,

love and kisses

And the out-takes:

Me: Honey, can you take Lorelei's paci out of her mouth for the picture

Kelsea: I got it Mom

With Lorelei now walking, getting a photo of the two of them has reached a new level of difficulty (in case you couldn't see that from the photo)

Not knowing if there was even a halfway decent photo, thought I'd better take one of each of them, just in case...

At least one of the two stands still and smiles! :-)

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

1. I heart Daylight Light Savings time! Maybe with that extra hour of daylight I'll start running again, or watch Kelsea ride her bike, or play hopscotch, or do a load of laundry, or a little gardening...oh, the possibilities are endless!

2. Kelsea sporting her new hat (and press-on princess fingernails) from Auntie Kelly.

3. I was informed today that Lorelei will be moving into the pre-toddler room next week. She's been with the same teachers since she was four months old. Sigh.

4. Despite the pain in my heart of hearing my baby will no longer be in the baby room, I was quite content packing away the bottles this weekend. And whole milk is way cheaper than formula.

5. Somebody else loves the kitchen as much as her sister!

6. Wallis was in DC last week, hence no blogging last week. He'll be in Colorado for a week next month. Still trying to decide if I or all of us should join him.

7. Wallis was told his next job will most likely be in Palmdale (yuck), Bethpage, NY (had to look that one up), or San Diego (keeping my fingers crossed). We'll see...

8. I never sent out Christmas thank you cards. Please forgive me. The Laughreys are all very thankful. Next year I'll do better. (If I write it, it will happen right?)

9. My friend Cathy took some pictures at Lorelei's party. This is one of my favorites. My heart melts when I see it.

10. My aunt Robie also took pictures and even got a video of Lorelei eating her cake. Thank you- thank you! I would post it here, but I'm too tired to figure out how to do it (my brain starts to malfunction around 10pm). So here's a darling photo instead! Wish I knew what she was thinking.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-02-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

1. Hopefully a second shot at birthday cake today was better received! Happy Birthday Jimmy!

2. Kelsea was quite a fan of the jumper at Jimmy's party.

3. Happy belated Valentine's Day!

4. Lorelei is 29.5 inches tall and 20 pounds 2 ounces, just 1/2 inch taller and 2 ounces bigger than Kelsea was at one.

5. Lorelei's official one year photo. I hope our next baby is born during normal waking hours.

6. And her not so happy face when I greeted her with "Happy Birthday to you"

7. How Lorelei spent most of her Birthday and the two days following.

8. Yep, she's definitely not feeling well. Not even a glimmer of an interest in her mini carrot cake. Don't worry Lorelei, Kelsea will be sure to help you out with that.

9. There is something truly magical about baths, because she was all smiles once in the bath!

10. Somebody else had a Birthday celebration! Happy Birthday Stevie!

Her Party (our party)

2010-02-21T20:41:00.001-08:00

Decorations: Flowers, balloons, table cloths, heart confetti (which we are still finding around the house), and this little banner my Mom and I threw together 45 minutes before the festivities began.

And there was lots of food, thanks to those great chefs at the Loft.

A few presents. I know, it's hard to resist buying clothes for little girls. Thank you friends and family for all your contributions to Lorelei's registry. We were able to donate two Hope Baskets, a gift of trees, two flocks of ducks, one flock of chicks and a goat to some needy families around the world!

And of course a birthday party wouldn't be a party without some cake.

And candle:

At least the adults are looking at the camera. Lorelei is much to enthralled with what's been put in front of her.

And I think the cake was a winner!

She didn't leave much for leftovers, but she did discover frosting makes for good finger paint.

Luckily we had some wonderful friends and family to share (the other) cake with:

Uncle Steve and Aunt Jennie (carrying cousin Ben...which is short for a name that is still in debate)

Some pretty Mamas and their babies

Our beautiful aunts and cousin

The van Weezendonk family, who will be missed when they head off to VA this summer

Some of our littlest guests playing with our most popular toy:

Landon and his Grandma Marta

Just a week apart, Jimmy & Lorelei had no interest in smiling for the camera or even looking at the camera. So much for their first Valentine's Day picture together!

And finally to wrap up this wonderful day, some of the birthday girl:

A few of Lorelei enjoying the warm sun on the balcony.

Look I'm walking, are you watching me Mama?

Oh Happy Day!

2010-02-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, she's a year old! We had a lovely celebration on Valentine's Day, since she is a "Love" after all. She enjoyed her cake in case you couldn't tell.

And it's a good thing we celebrated on Sunday since she was tired and cranky today while home sick with Daddy. Don't worry more Birthday pictures to come.

A Couple Weeks Ago

2010-01-30T10:48:00.001-08:00

Some body turned 11 months old. I'm having deja vu. Oh yes, that was last months post title too. Only instead of the holidays, big sister's birthday got in the way. Which is a good thing for me, because it's given me less time to dwell about the sudden onset of my baby tuning one. Sigh.

At 11 months, Lorelei is 29 inches tall and 21.5 pounds.

Lorelei is quite a fan of the swing still. Now when she wants to get in it, she walks right over and starts pushing and hanging onto it. In she goes, and a few minutes later she looks something like this. A tough life our little Lorelei leads.

She loves, loves, loves her pacifier. It's like her crack cocaine that she can't go too long without. We're wondering when the addiction will end, and how many more months we are going to be hunting for the missing pacifier. The good thing about them is that it keeps other things out of her mouth.

She also enjoys bath time (to include pooping in the bath), meal time and snuggle time. She sleeps on her belly in the crib, and I love how her bum sticks up in the air. She still loves to dance, give kisses and wave goodbye. When she's really exited you get the double wave goodbye. She is a big fan of the ball popper and her sister's kitchen. She also enjoys unrolling toilet paper and playing with the water in the toilet (when we forget to shut the bathroom doors).

Just tonight she started taking a few steps on her own, so may be she will be walking on her birthday.

And speaking of birthdays, we've asked that family and friends donate to Heifer International instead of gifts for Lorelei. She even has her own registry: www.heifer.org/myregistry/lorelei

And in case you want to know about the organization, they were featured on KCRW's Good Food program last month. If you click on the link you can listen to the podcast which talks about the organization (about 7 minutes into the podcast). Pretty spectacular idea that provides long term solutions for families all over the world, even rural United States.

Birthday Wrap Up

2010-01-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

Kelsea, the moment she turned four:

Same picture one year ago (still in her crib).

On Sunday we had my family over for dinner, cake, and presents. Here's a few of Kelsea opening her presents:

New rain gear from Grandma & Grandpa (such good timing!)

Hello Kitty back pack from Aunt Jennie and Uncle Stevie

Jewelry box from her sister

After dinner we had some cake, well sort of. It was confettii cake inside the cone, with strawberry ice cream, whip cream and a strawberry on top.

Enjoying the dessert

The following day was a holiday for me and the girls. While Lorelei was napping, I was able to get a few pictures outside before the beginning of a week long down pour.

Disneyland

2010-01-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Kelsea's 4th Birthday at Disneyland . I was a bit apprehensive going on a Saturday but it was by far the least crowded I have been since Kelsea was born. Maybe everyone stays home on the weekend thinking it will be too crowded? Ha-we outsmarted them!

Here she is telling us she is 4 as we wait for the Tram (at 8:40 am). I have to put that in there because I'm super impressed that we made it out of the house on time (for the first time)!

It think she is excited about her trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!

First stop was the getting her birthday button at Town Hall, where Goofy freaked her out by singing her Happy Birthday. She did love the button and everyone wishing her Happy Birthday throughout the day.

We then headed to the Plaza Inn where we had breakfast in the park with "Minnie & Friends." Where she was also freaked out by the giant Disney characters. Near the end of the meal she started to blow kisses and give high fives, but there was no way of convincing her to take pictures with any of them. At least Grandma did!

Yet, my daughter did go on Space Mountain, Star Tours and Matterhorn. Go figure?! We also went on Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (one of her favorites), Disneyland Railroad, the Carrousel, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, it's a small world (her other favorite), Jungle Cruise, Teacups, and ended the day with the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthough. I thought it was just the big opening that you walk throught to get to and from Fantasyland! Who knew there were actual stairs that took you inside?

Do you notice there are some people missing in the Teacup? Wimps!

One of the things Kelsea was most excited about was having cotton candy. I believe the bite she is holding is the only bite she ate. But of course we had to hold the cotton candy the entire day, even though she had no interest in taking another bite.

We also took Kelsea to the Big Thunder Ranch where she pet some goats and a cow. I have no idea what that expression is about.

We tried to convince her to ride Big Thunder Mountain, but it was after lunch and she was getting tired. This was her rebuttal to our pleas. It's my birthday, not your birthday so I don't have to go on it. Touche! The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a close second, right?

We did have a magical day. Kelsea was terrific, and I love the fact that she is now tall enough to go on all the rides (except Indiana Jones). I also loved that she was willing to try two roller coasters. Maybe next time she'll ride the "fast train" and Splash Mountain (my personal favorite). And hallelujah we didn't have to stand in line to see the Princesses! You have no idea how happy that made us. Maybe my baby turning four isn't going to be so bad after all.

Kelsea's Preschool Party

2010-01-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

We had a little party at Little Aviators on Friday, and it went something like this:

Dora jumper (from a company that has $1M liability insurance) - $95

Costco Princess Sheet Cake - $16.99

Thirty-two Princess & the Frog /Spiderman Goodie Bags - $50

Not having to set-up, clean-up or find room for a bunch of p-r-e-s-e-n-t-s....priceless

And this little girl's happy face is pretty darn priceless also!

A Sneak Peak

2010-01-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

at our just turned beautiful FOUR year old

and darling ELEVEN month old

I thankfully just have Disneyland photos to edit! Check back later this week for the entire Birthday extravaganza!

Ten On Tuesday

2010-01-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

So it is Birthday week in the Laughrey household, and to honor our little girl's (I have already been reminded that she is not a baby) forthcoming celebration here are 10 of my favorite photos that our fabulous photographer friend took this past September. I had not posted them previously since I wanted the photo books I made for Christmas presents to be pictures my family had not yet seen. Somehow J.J. has magically captured Kelsea's spirit in these photos.

6. Even a few with me that I adore...mainly because they are so us

9. And she sure loves her little sister.

10. Fiercely. And with no concern for reciprocation. I love that about her.

Ten On Tuesday

2010-01-05T22:07:00.001-08:00

1. I am not a fan of taking pictures on Christmas. For one thing the lighting is always dismal. It's still too dark in the morning during the opening of presents and to dark in the evening when the family gathers for dinner (and usually more presents). Secondly, I like to watch the chaos and excitement of it all without worrying about getting a decent photo. I have decided that I too need a fairy godmother (yes, we have been watching a lot of Cinderella), only mine shall follow us around, snapping photos of our lives (and while your at it go ahead and download/edit them too Ms. Fairy).

2. But for now these will have to do. Proof that we too celebrated Christmas in 2009. The tree, jam-packed with presents...luckily these were all leaving the house.

2. Christmas morning: We tried to convince Kelsea to get out of our bed and check to see if Santa had come yet, thinking that might buy us a couple more minutes in bed before the chaos of Christmas began. No such luck. She was too scared that Santa might still be out there, so we all got up to see what Santa had left us.

3. I at least got one picture of them in their matching jammies.

4. Lorelei didn't have a clue as to what was going on, but she did enjoy the banging the boxes and eating the paper. Luckily she had a big sister to help open all her presents.

5. After it looked like Toys R Us had thrown up all over our house, the girls found a nice lap to snuggle on.

6. Later that day Kelsea asked me why Santa would go on the roof and give the reindeers their carrots and then come back down the chimney and put the half eaten ones back on our plate. She was also perplexed as to why she couldn't hear Santa. Hmmm, she is way smarter than I gave her credit for. I'm going to have to get more clever or more convincing these next few years.

7. Later that evening we headed to my parents for a delicious Christmas dinner, and getting a picture of the girls in their matching dresses was difficult to say the least.

8. Especially when this little one just wanted to go exploring,

9. and walking with Grandpa.

10. And getting one of all four of us--nearly impossible! But at least most of us are smiling and looking at the camera. Uh-hem, Lorelei, do you think you could work on that next year?

A New Year

2010-01-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's a new year, let alone a new decade! I am stumbling over how to shorten 2010. 2009 was always "0-9", so is it just "10," or is it "0-10," or do I just say the whole darn thing?

We had a pretty eventful 2009 with Kelsea turning three and her baby sister coming one month later. Wallis and I both took new jobs which have proved to be both challenging and interesting. Our families have also had exciting news. My Mom retiring, my brother and sister-in-law's pregnancy, Wallis' youngest brother graduating high school and starting at Vanderbilt on an Ingram Scholarship, and his oldest (younger) brother finding out he will be an Intel Officer in the Navy with the completion of his final year at Vanderbilt.

In 2010, we are looking forward to celebrating Kelsea's 4th and Lorelei's 1st birthdays, and anxiously anticipating the arrival of our first nephew!

In 2010 I simply hope to:

read a novel

run farther

stress less

lose the last five

play more

Here's to a wonderful new year!

Two weeks ago

2009-12-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

somebody turned 10 months old. And although there were plenty of pictures snapped to document this double-digit milestone, the holidays (among other things) interfered with my ability to actually post them!

So here's a few updates this month:

Weighing 21.5 pounds (with clothes on and a huge meal in your belly), so lets just call it 20.5 pounds instead. I'm sure your taller too, but measuring you is just not as easy as it once was so I think we'll wait until your one year appointment. Hard to believe I'm writing one year.

Eating everything (that you can feed yourself). We are buying a lot less yogurt.

Two new teeth have appeared on the top with two more on their way, which is making you a little grumpy.

We have made it halfway through flu season with just a couple runny noses. In fact you still haven't been sick with anything other than a little cold. Yes I'm knocking on wood.

You enjoy waving at just about anyone, and smile and giggle as if pleased with your new found talent.

You can stand without holding on to anything.

You scream in delight when you are walking (whether it's us or a push toy you are holding on to). Not that we are trying to encourage this kind of behavior. We are perfectly content with the crawling phase.

You have rekindled a love of the pacifier. You had not used them in over 2 months and just when I was thinking about packing them up you discovered all their glory. Sure makes diaper and clothing changes much quieter.

You love giving us kisses, the mouth wide open kind. I guess the puckering of the lips is a hard thing to learn at this age, which is okay by all three of us who can't seem to get enough of them!

And of course the same day Lorelei turned 10 months old, our not-so-baby-girl turned 47 months. 31 days (17 now) away from turning 4. Gosh 4 sounds so old (relatively). Just a year and half left before "real" school.

After taking pictures of the two of them, I got the ole "Mom I'm done taking pictures." And begging and pleading proved unsuccessful. I'll have to hold Disneyland over her head at next month's photo shoot.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-12-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

1. Penny update: still waiting for it's arrival. Looks like we will be taking Kelsea to get an x-ray this week.

2. We went ahead and saw Fantastic Mr. Fox on Saturday. It was fantastic. I think Wallis and I might have enjoyed it more than Kelsea. Maybe if there was a princess thrown into the mix she would have been more excited about it?

3. While Lorelei was napping on me I asked Wallis to take some Thanksgiving pictures of the family before it got too dark. This is what I came home with. Not really what I had in mind to remember this Thanksgiving by...

I think Kelsea might be a better photographer than Wallis...

4. Inspired by an article I read on Thanksgiving, I spent my Sunday afternoon furiously making over our refrigerator. I must have been feeling guilty about our Thanksgiving feast, but whatever the inspiration was, I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Here's the full length view:

And a close up of the yummy, healthy stuff:

5. Wallis was nice enough to make this delicious recipe from the same magazine. We (actually that would be Wallis) is going to try this one on Saturday

6. I ate a cricket today.

Are you asking why? All for 100 points. Want to know what the points are for? Okay read on. We (my office at work) went on a very thorough scavenger hunt through downtown Long Beach this afternoon. This included a session of Dance, Dance Revolution, a game of Skeetball, a three seat bike ride, dressing up in a sumo wrestler bodysuit (hilarious), many pictures of random paraphernalia and several stops to stores/restaurants to find our next clue (12 to be exact). I must admit the cricket eating place (Hot Licks) was my least favorite, and the "sour cream & onion flavor" didn't really help the fact I was eating a dried-up, crunchy bug. Was it worth it? Yes, we won. :-)

7. Lorlei will no longer let us spoon feed her (so much for all that baby food I just bought!) This is what it looks like when she feeds herself.

8. Due to the fridge makeover consuming my Sunday, I didn't quite get to the Christmas decorating as planned. We at least got the advent calendar up tonight, so Kelsea will be happily surprised in the morning.

9. I still have two more November magazines before I get to my December ones. Does anyone else have this problem?

10. Uh-oh, Kelsea is awake and crying and coming up the stairs...which means she will be snuggling with us tonight. Does anyone else have this problem?

Ten on Tuesday

2009-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

1. I am going to have a nephew this Spring! I am not the only one excited! When we asked Kelsea if she wanted a boy or a girl cousin, she quickly replied "a boy, I already have a girl one." (referring to Lorelei)

2. Speaking of funny things kids say, Kelsea told me when she gets bigger her boobs are going to grow like bubbles. LOL!

3. Kelsea swallowed a penny on Sunday. We now have to make sure it leaves her body. Yep, that's Wallis' job.

4. Lorelei had her 9 month well check today. 19 pounds, 11 ounces (75th) & 28 1/4 inches (75th). Big girl! We are also happy to report that her head size has bumped up from 5th percentile to 15th! :-)

5. No H1N1 vaccine available yet (they only enough for high risk kids). At least it made the decision on whether or not to get that vaccine for Lorelei easy!

6. We are heading to GG's house for Thanksgiving. Wallis is excited about playing two rounds of golf. I'm just hoping to get through the rest of my November magazines. Lofty goal, I know.

7. I'm actually still in awe that it's Thanksgiving already. I am pretty sure I say that every year.

8. I am just about done with my Christmas shopping. What are you hoping Santa brings?

9. Debating taking Kelsea to see Fantastic Mr. Fox. I adored Roald Dauls books as a kid, but they seem to think the appropriate age for this move is 7. Anyone seen it or have an opinion?

10. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with their families. I am thankful for the many blessings in my life, especially my incredible friends and family!

9 Months

2009-11-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Well my littlest love, it's hard to believe that you are 3/4 of a year old. You have mastered crawling, and way too quickly moved on to standing. I know it won't be long before you're taking your first few steps so we are going to enjoy this smaller range of mobility while we can! Even if it has made picture taking a bit more difficult...

You are a healthy eater just like Kelsea. We go through 7-8 jars of food a day and you are still drinking 20 ounces of formula. Which probably still explains those chunky thighs and round belly (which might actually be bigger than your head).

You still only have two teeth, but we hope more break through soon, because you don't seem too comfortable with the teething phase.

You also don't like to nap at daycare (just like your sister). Oh dear, I'm seeing a pattern. We are thrilled when your activity sheet says you've napped for an hour, but more often than not it's less than that.

You still love the bath, Emily's toys, and shaking you booty (as Kelsea likes to call it).

And sometimes you smile like a pirate...aarrrhhh

But most of the time you have your mouth wide open

and we just love how we can always catch you with a smile

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Before heading to the Village to go trick- or-treating we took a few photos. Luckily with Halloween on a Saturday, we weren't rushing quite as much as previous years, so I took quite a few pictures. One-hundred-and-two to be exact. So here's just a few (okay so more than just a few) of Lorelei's 1st and Kelsea's 4th Halloween.

First it was pictures of Princess Belle

Our little diva

and always a princess

Then we brought our little bee out, so that we could compare the photos to Kelsea's first Halloween.

Peek-a-boo, I see you.

Maybe I can just crawl away from this craziness...

And Kelsea's first Halloween, three years ago.

And three years later loving her own baby bee

Here's Lorelei in her "real" costume. The one she wore trick or treating (and one that is not her big sisters).

Mom, I'm really not enjoying this thing on my head.

Won't someone help me out here?

Ok, so I guess we think the pig hat is a whole lot cuter than she does

And some with the parents

Lorelei is under there somewhere...I think

Hope your Halloween was a treat just as ours was!

Ten on Tuesday (with a special Bonus)

2009-10-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

1. It would be interesting to have an expert psychoanalyze how Kelsea's dollies take naps. One might say she likes structure and organization. Not sure where she could have got that from?

2. I had (what I thought) was a great idea of taking Kelsea to see Mary Poppins as either a Christmas or Birthday present. After realizing a decent ticket was going to cost well over $100, I thought it might be a good idea to ask her if she would like to see Mary Poppins live on stage. She was unusually quiet.

Me: That's okay Kels we don't have to see Mary Poppins. Maybe you would like to go in a couple years?

Kelsea: Contemplating this idea for a few moments.. Maybe when I'm 10. More thinking. I want her to stay in the TV.

Me: But you loved seeing her at Disneyland! I bet you'll want to see her before that. You love Mary Poppins!

Kelsea: More silence. How many years are you Mommy?

Me: Thirty-two.

Kelsea: When I'm thirty-two we'll go see it.

Well alrighty then, scratch that one off the list (thank goodness I asked)!

3. I am very excited about having Halloween on a Saturday this year. No rushing home from work to get the kids fed and dressed and ready for trick or treating (and photos of course).

4.Wallis made the mistake of telling Kelsea we were going to take her to the shoe store to let her pick out a pair of shoes since hers fell apart Friday. Side note: I always buy shoes on sale with a pair waiting in the closet for when she outgrows the pair she is wearing. Which probably explains her excitement about going to the store to pick out a pair on her own. I unfortunately made the mistake of taking her to Nordstroms. (And no, I don't know what I was thinking). So, we came home with these. Next time, it's a trip to Target.

5. It only took one weekend of Lorelei crawling to find the best toys in the house (that are within a foot off the ground). Oh the treasures to be found in a trash can (that can of course be placed in ones mouth)! And what toy can beat the feel and sound of a doorstop!?

6. It's been 90 degrees here. I'm ready for 65 degree fall weather, actually make that 68 degrees.

7. Kelsea made me this lovely necklace out of floss (unused thankfully) and safety pins. Maybe I can wear it on causal Fridays?

8. Oh bummer- neither the Dodgers nor the Angels are in the World Series.

9. Weird things going on at the Laughrey house. After several months of it not working, our wine cooler mysteriously turned on. Back from summer vacation maybe? If we hadn't been too busy (lazy) to figure out where to dispose of it, we would have replaced it. Lorelei's light on her ceiling fan arbitrarily turns on at night. The speed of the fan will increase randomly too. Not sure if we should call a priest or an electrician?

10. I still look at my Mac monitor in wonderment. Really, there's a computer in there? Genius!

BONUS- BONUS-BONUS

11. I'm going to be an AUNTIE. Oh I'm so excited! Congratulations Steve and Jennie. Baby Love expected to arrive late May/early June.

We will miss you Barbara

2009-10-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Although you may have left this Earth, you will forever be in our hearts.

Kelsea will especially remember coming to your home to pick out a singing Christmas toy.

I am glad that you were able to meet Lorelei at her Baptism just a few short months ago.

Below is Barbara's obituary from the Bakersfield Californian.

Barbara Ann Baldwin Love (Cutherell) (1926 - 2009)

Barbara Ann Baldwin Love (Cutherell) January 16, 1926 -October 13, 2009 Barbara was born in Bakersfield. She was the youngest daughter of Barrett and Lena Baldwin. She was a graduate of Kern High School and UCLA. Barbara worked for Christine's Dress Shop and the Board of Trade. She enjoyed helping people and educating them on her native Kern County. Barbara was preceded in death by her mother and father, brothers, Barrett Jr. and Lawrence and sister, June. She was also preceded in death by her first and second husbands, Jack Cutherell and Bill Baldwin. Barbara is survived by her husband, Jim Love; daughter, Jan Cutherell; son, Jeff Cutherell, daughter-in-law Paulette; her granddaughter, Kristen and husband Paul Howard; grandson, Brian Cutherell and wife Jennifer. Barbara was extremely fond of her great granddaughter, Aubrey Cutherell. Barbara is also survived by her sister, Geraldine and husband Elmer Suorez; and her many nieces and nephews. Additional surviving family members include Jim's sons, Steve Love and wife Dr. Laurie, David Love and wife Niki; Craig Love; daughters, Julie and husband Bruce Morrow, Susan and husband Donato DiFlorio. Bill Baldwin's children: Jane, Phil and their families. Barbara was an avid bridge player and enjoyed her bridge days at Stockdale Country Club with Lee Olcott, Patty Bass, T.G. Hopper, and others. Barbara also enjoyed playing golf, traveling to Las Vegas, working the daily crossword puzzles, and watching Jeopardy nightly with Jim. She will be truly missed at the family birthday parties and holiday gatherings at the Cutherell's. Barbara was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend. The family wishes to thank Hoffmann Hospice for their wonderful devoted employees and especially Barbara's favorite nurses, Kathy and Anne. A special thank you to her golfing friends, the Welch's, Scott's, Graffius's, Foy's, and Shelton's for the food and great support they gave Barbara and Jim. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date for family and friends. Donations may be made to Hoffmann Hospice, 8501 Brimhall Road #100, Bakersfield, California, 93312.

8 Months

2009-10-20T22:34:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe that you are eight months old, crawling (really crawling), and grinning with two very visible bottom teeth. You have outgrown your infant car seat (much to my dismay), and are wearing 12 month clothes. We had to lower your crib since you realized you could pull yourself up (and chew on the crib rail).

To celebrate all these momentous milestones we let you pick out your own pumpkin (small pumpkin-ok cheapest pumpkin). Sorry Lorelei, that one is above our price range. Mommy's not sold on an $18 pumpkin, even if it is your first.

You were really much more interested in the hay than anything else (just like your sister was).

You were quite content just sitting there discovering this cool new toy.

Some nice lady snapped this one...thank you nice lady.

And this one turned 3 3/4. Still not ready to say I have a "four year old." Maybe by January.

Still loving her friend Nate (who she has to go visit every time Lorelei is dropped off at school). Both having a grand old time jumping in the jumper and sliding down the big slide (over and over again). Both activities free with the purchase of $10 in pumpkins. I wonder if I could just drop Kelsea off on Saturday with a $10 bill? Hmmmm...

Portrait Session

2009-10-14T21:10:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, the girls had their portrait session that I "won" in a drawing at Little Moon (children's clothing boutique in the Village). I use "won" very loosely since we all know nothing is ever free (except the actual session and one 8x10). I must say that I am very grateful for our usual Laughrey family photographer, or the Laughrey's would be broke (or have a lot less pictures).

The photographer was very patient, which was great since Kelsea really wasn't interested in posing for photographs, and Lorelei was a bit tired and hungry. Luckily we still got a few cute ones. If you're interested, click on this link, and enter the site:

http://www.zoomtheory.com/

Click on Client Login, password is Laughrey2009

Ten on Tuesday

2009-09-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

1. A couple Saturdays ago we actually got out of the house and had a date night with a few of our friends. Here's proof in case you don't believe me. :-)

2. We got back yesterday from our wonderful trip to Colorado Springs for my 10 year USAFA reunion. When we pulled into the driveway Kelsea said "Yea, we're home, our beautiful home! I love you home!" I guess she had had enough of Colorado.

3. We had such a nice time seeing all our friends, many of whom we had not seen in YEARS! To include my soccer friends Polly and Laura. (enter picture here after they e-mail me it).

4. Although I dragged my camera to Colorado, there were so many friends with cameras (and much better photographers than I) that I only took it out for the football game. And I only took two pictures, because we left before halftime! Ron, hopefully yours is better than this. At least there's some proof that we were there...

5. So we left the game early, because we had a very important date at FamCamp. My old stomping ground. Where me and my fellow Dawgs spent many evenings drinking beer, just hanging out, away from all the ridiculousness of the Academy. So nice to see you Jeff-darn we forgot to take a picture! Guess you have to come down and visit now. We'll find you a cute California girl to date. :-)

6. Thanks Stahr family for having us over most of the weekend (a surprise is being mailed tomorrow). We are missing your baking already. It was wonderful catching up with you and the Killins. So what book are we going to read? I've heard Cabo is a good place to discuss books. :-)

7. And a very special shout out to our friend Mackie who opened up his beautiful home to us, cooked us a lovely dinner and kept Kelsea entertained! Brian, Wallis's poker losses are in the mail.

8. We even went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where Wallis and I had our first real date (12 years ago!). Kelsea's favorites were the baby giraffe (but she wanted nothing to do with feeding them...those tongues are much too scary) and the baby monkey hanging on his Mama's belly.

9. Kelsea was fantastic this weekend. For all her good listening and good behavior, we let her pick out any toy she wanted from the Zoo gift shop, and somehow she managed to find the only girly "toy" in the store. A purse filled with everything a three-year old going on thirteen could want to make her toes and fingers pretty. She even convinced Daddy to paint her nails two nights in a row, with a sticker on every single finger, so that they look beautiful of course!

10. Thanks J.J. for taking family photos (again). Sorry readers I won't be posting any of those pictures until after Christmas...I hear Santa might be delivering them.

7 Months & Drooling

2009-09-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

As you will notice from these pictures, Lorelei has the drool going on, thanks to those two razor sharp bottom teeth that have poked through. In a couple weeks my daughter will no longer be all gums when she smiles. Sigh.

At 17 1/2 pounds, actually my scale originally said 18 pounds but that's impossible, you are rolly-but not that rolly! Plus, how could you possibly have gained 2 and a half pounds in one month! So after several more "weigh-ins" I got you at 17 1/2 pounds. Wish it was still cute for me to have chunky thighs and a buddha belly. :-)

You still aren't crawling, even though you are practicing like a mad woman. I'm still trying to capture that cute little dance you do when you are excited. You are talking and babbling like crazy, keeping us all guessing about what you are really trying to say. You are loved by all the day care providers since you are never fussy and ALWAYS happy. Of course this means you are always the last to eat, but it doesn't look like this has effected you at all!

You are 27 inches long and are quickly out growing all your summer clothes! Luckily fall is just a couple days away (although it still feels like summer here)!

And there goes the drool (might need to download photo to see...)

What's this pokey stuff? (First time on grass)

Your usual smiley, silly self

My beautiful 7 month old!

A few thoughts about my Mom

2009-09-17T21:59:00.001-07:00

My Mom is officially retired--woohoo! Her ceremony and party were this evening. I am thankful that I got to say a few things and reflect on my Mom's career:

Becoming a new mother has made me realize how difficult it is to strike that perfect balance between family and career. The idea that women can have it all seems very illusive, yet if anyone ever came close in this world to having it all, it would certainly be my Mom.

Growing up I always felt we came first. Whether it was ballet, swimming, basketball, track, softball or soccer, my Mom always found the time to take me to practice and cheer me on at every single event or game. I am still amazed that she never missed a single one. For many years my Mom was both my soccer and softball coach. She spent her summers off from teaching, carpooling me all across Southern California to participate in soccer and softball tournaments. I was always very appreciative of her involvement in my sports and activities, but I didn’t realize at the time how much of a sacrifice it really was. So I thank you Mom, for all your time and dedication to coaching me and cheering me on from the sidelines.

During all this, my Mom somehow found the time to earn her Masters Degree from Dominguez Hills and later her Doctorate from USC. I was very proud of my Mom when she became Dr. Love, but at the time I didn’t realize the magnitude of her accomplishment. It took her 5 years from start to finish. I still am unsure to this day how she found the time to work, go to school, and raise my brother and I. My only conclusion is that she must not have slept. When I come home from work exhausted and unmotivated I often wonder how she made everything seem so easy. How did she have time to write a dissertation, participate in all our school and extracurricular activities and still cook us dinner every night?

My Mom was also always there to help with homework and school projects, like the California mission we built from Styrofoam blocks and coffee died Ivory soap. I will certainly be enlisting your help when Kelsea and Lorelei come home with school projects! Whether it was homework, a test, or a game my Mom would often tell us just to do our best. It was her gentle encouragement that helped me succeed both in and out of school.

My Mom was instrumental in the lengthy application and interview process to the Academy. If it had not been for her, I would not have been blessed with an education from one of the best schools in the country. Although at the time, I certainly was not feeling blessed to BE at the Academy. It was her encouragement and support that helped me survive four years as a cadet.

My Mom has taught me the value of education and hard work, but more notably she has taught me the importance of building sand castles, kicking a soccer ball, and baking cupcakes with my girls.

It is my Mom that motivates me to do better every day and to strive for my best. She will always be my role model and my inspiration. I am extremely grateful that I was born to this woman who has taught me such a great deal.

So, thank you Mom for showing me how to gracefully strike a balance between career and motherhood. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being my coach, my friend, and always my Mom.

I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished.

Congratulations on entering the next phase of your life…you know the one where the grandkids sleep over on the weekends. :-)

Bath Time Fun

2009-09-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just a glimpse of our evenings with Lorelei.

I hope bath time will always be this fun and easy-HA!

Ten on Tuesday

2009-09-01T21:17:00.001-07:00

1. I can't believe the middle of July was my last ToT post! It's good to be back!

2. Kelsea and Aunt Jennie splashing in the pool last month. We need to somehow squeeze swim lessons into our week.

3. Pictures taken by Wallis of Kelsea playing with the hose and Lorelei in the exersaucer while Mommy was doing something really important inside. Yah, I have no idea where I was or what I was doing, but I'm sure it was something very important!

4. Our friend Brian came and visited us a couple weekends ago. We are glad that he is back in Vegas so we can see more of him!

5. Since Brian was sleeping in Kelsea's room, we put Kelsea on a cot in Lorelei's room. When I went to check on the girls before bed, this is what I found.

Mommy, I just wanted to snuggle with Lorelei.

Gosh she loves that darn crib. Say the word and she would gladly take it back.

6. The weekend after Brian's visit I had the girls to myself while Wallis and his friend Pete Norton went to Santa Barbara for the triathlon. I was so excited to hand over the girls Sunday evening, until Wallis came home with the stomach flu. Sigh.

7. Thankfully Steve and Jennie joined us at El Retiro park for a few hours that Saturday. I thought for sure, after My Gym and over two hours at the park, I would have some quiet time while Kelsea napped. Think again Mom. Here's a picture (taken with iPhone) of Lorelei watching her big sister play.

8. We went to the Natural History Museum with Kelsea's school on Sunday. Here's a picture of Kelsea with her school friend Juliann at the Butterfly Pavilion exhibit (taken with iPhone). The two of them are inseparable.

9. Looking forward to seeing some old friends at my 10 year Academy Reunion at the end of this month. Hard to believe it's been ten years.

10. Hard to believe August is over. Where did the summer go?

6 Months (and 43 Months)!

2009-08-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what happened between last month's post and today, but somehow an entire month rolled by with no blog post! Yes, I am having bad mom guilt, but I am determined to do better this month. I sure wish I had their sleep gene, then I would have at least 2-3 more hours to get stuff done every day.

Lorelei's stats: 26.5 in long (75th), 15 lbs 7 oz (50th), and still a tiny head (5th percentile). Yep she's got my head too.

You are eating 2-3 fruits or veggies every day, and so far there isn't one that you haven't liked, although you favor the fruits. You are babbling a ton, and coming close to sitting up on your own without plopping over. You put everything in your mouth, but your favorites are your foot, your fist, and my hair. You took down the entire household with the lovely cold you gave us last week, yet we could hardly tell you were sick. We are waiting for a tooth (or two) to pop through, but we are enjoying your gummy smile for now. I'm still amazed at how easy going you are. I can't really say where you inherited that from since we all know your parents are not really the laid back kind. Although it's only been six months, we're starting to forget what life was like before you were born. It certainly couldn't have been as sweet as it is now.

Here's a few from today:

And a couple of them together. There were so many photos where just one of them looked really cute. I don't know how large families ever get one photo where all the kids are at least looking at the camera (let alone smiling).

And a couple of Kelsea, who is now 43 months old (or 3 years, 7 months)!

5 Months

2009-07-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not sure how it is you are 5 months old already because it really has flown by. You are getting bigger by the moment and weighing in at 15 pounds, and about 25 inches (a not so accurate measurement done by yours truly).

You are now eating rice cereal in the morning and either sweet potatoes, peas or bananas in the evening. I have to hold your hands when feeding you because you would prefer to grab the spoon and do it yourself (much like your big sister). You are sometimes sleeping the entire night through but mostly you are getting up once to eat. We often catch you sleeping on your side as if you were much older than 5 months.

You laugh when I blow bubbles on your belly, and smile at anyone that talks to you. Your face lights up and breaks into a big open mouth grin when you see your sister. I hope that will always be the case.

You can roll over both ways now, especially if there is a toy you are trying to reach. You have been practicing sitting up or what I like to call baby teasers. You are able to grab hold of your pacifier and put it in your mouth, and get frustrated when it ends up in your hand backwards. You are still a very happy, easy going baby and we're hoping those traits stick.

And to honor my usual ToT post, here's ten of my favorites from this months photo shoot. (I apologize to non-family members for the excessiveness).

1. It's kind of wet here, do I have to put my hands down?

2. Same pose as your sister's 5 month pictures, even down to the placement of your feet and hands!

3. Oh such a pretty face you have! (I can say that right?)

4. Do you have to keep clicking that thing in my face?

5. Well, it looks like I might be here a while so let me just lay back and chill.

6. Chilling is over. One of the last pictures of round one, and how I knew the photo shoot was near its end.

7. The beginning of round 2. An almost smile, we're getting close!

8. Why am I up here again?

9. Yea, a smile with your eyes open!

10. The end of our 5 month photo shoot.

(Don't worry she was all smiles again once I picked her up.)

Three and a Half

2009-07-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

You had a Half Birthday on Thursday and although your sister turned 5 months old that day, we are going to start with you, (being the oldest and all).

What can I say...it's late, I'm tired, and trying to eat dinner and blog at the same time! Check back tomorrow for Lorelei's post.

Kelsea Rae Stats: 35 pounds, 40 inches tall

As these pictures show, you love being outside and are especially fond of the beach. Although you did tell me tonight that you did not want to go on a boat because you were scared that it wouldn't bring you back home. I have no idea where you got that idea from.

I also made the mistake of telling you that the author of your tree book (The Giving Tree) is no longer here on Earth but is living in heaven (since you wanted to know all about the the man on the back of your book). On the way home from school today you said you did not want to go to heaven like the man on the back of your tree book, because you can't take your pictures with you. I love that it's the pictures you are most worried about, and second to that was whether or not we would be there too.

You are still as strong-willed and determined as ever. You know what you want, and you work really hard to ensure you get it...even though you don't always do. Your new favorite show is Back to the Barnyard, which makes Mommy and Daddy really happy since we actually enjoy watching it! You love books, coloring, playing pretend and all things pink (still). You only wear dresses and sometimes skirts. Lorelei is going to have quite a few unworn shorts and pants handed down to her...hopefully she will wear them. You still want to do everything yourself, to include opening up your own cheese stick (as your Aunt and Uncle discovered).

You are the sweetest big sister. As soon as your sister starts crying you are the first to try and comfort her. You sing songs to her, help feed, burp, and bathe her. I can't remember a time I've seen you jealous or upset at her. I am thoroughly amazed at your capacity to love her at this age.

Kelsea Rae, you are a constant reminder to us of what really matters. You force us to look at life in new and exciting ways. Yes you challenge us, and often wear us all out, but we wouldn't want it any other way. We are looking forward to the next half of your fourth year. We know it will be full of more love and surprises!

Ten on Tuesday

2009-07-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

1. If you want to LOL go see Hangover.

2. On our staycation, we enjoyed a quiet morning reading the Sunday paper and sipping coffee (that's actually still hot).

3. It was eerily quiet all weekend without the girls. Were we bored a lot before they were born?

4. I did get to read three magazines this weekend, while basking in the sun (with a large brim hat, sunglasses and spf 85).

5. Our iMacs arrived Saturday. Wallis was nice enough to get them all set up for us (while I did #4). Ok, so the 24 inch monitor might be a bit excessive, but OMG the picture is amazing!

6. Lorelei is now officially done with her harness. All measurements came back completely normal! Hallelujah!

7. I wish my friend was still here to take these 5 month photos of Lorelei this weekend. It may take me a few tries to get one I love of Lorelei as much as these.

8. I think this may have been the beginning of their friendship.

9. Thanks Steve & Jennie for babysitting Friday night so that Wallis and I could overindulge ourselves at Chez Melange.

10. And we are very grateful to Grandma & Grandpa for taking the girls so that Wallis and I could have some time for us.

In a Decade

2009-07-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

we have lived in three states, two apartments and three homes

we adopted Jordan, bought Reilly, fostered numerous kittens and dogs, and rescued Emily

we changed jobs 6 times (most of those being yours)

we said goodbye to some loved ones

we had two beautiful girls.

Feels like a lifetime ago that we got married and yet somehow it still feels like it was yesterday.

What a wonderful life we have built together! I am so thankful to be married to someone who understands me, knows me, and loves me just the same.

Happy Anniversary hon. I love you more than I thought I ever could. To many more decades...

Ten on Tuesday

2009-07-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

1. I have some catching up to do this post! Wallis and I got a bad case of stomach flu two weekends ago, and instead of downloading photos and editing them, I was confined to the couch, desperately trying to stay awake long enough to ensure Kelsea didn't harm herself (or Lorelei).

2. First up, Father's Day! We had a wonderful day and were very glad to have Wallis' Dad here to celebrate. Here's some of Kelsea and her Daddy. See the resemblance?
3. That afternoon we headed to my cousin Cari's High School Graduation Party. Congratulations Cari! And thanks to Aunt Robie for the photos!
4. Wallis and his Dad's Birthday was Thursday, his brother's was on Friday, and his Grandmother's was on Saturday. Happy Birthday everyone! Thanks Cathy for the yummy carrot cake recipe--it was a hit.
5. My little Octopus singing "The Slippery Fish" song at her end of school year performance. With as many times as we heard Kelsea practicing, it is safe to say that Wallis and I also could have stood up there and sung along.
6. Lorelei had her first meal of rice cereal two weeks ago. The first couple of times she was much more interested in sucking the spoon than what was actually on the spoon. Now she can't get enough of it! Next month-vegetables!
7. Wallis took Kelsea to see Ice Age III on Sunday. This one seemed to go over better with her than Up. Although the dinosaurs did scare her some.

8. Our ten year anniversary is Friday and we are having a STAYCATION. My parents are taking the girls Saturday & Sunday, while we vege out at the beach and sleep in! Nothing as exciting as what our friends are doing for their ten year on Friday, but looking forward to it nonetheless.

9. For our anniversary we got ourselves new computers. I got the 24 inch iMac and Wallis got the 20 inch (since he mostly uses his laptop from work). I'm a little worried about transitioning from PC to Mac but I can't wait for them to get here!

10. We are happy to report that Lorelei is (unofficially) done wearing her harness. The radiologist on Friday said everything looked normal (and that actually her last ultrasound looked fine too). We find out officially when we see her orthopedic surgeon on Friday. Yea!

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kelsea was so excited about "America's Birthday". Mostly because we were "having a party" and going to the beach with our lovely friends!

Sara chasing after Jake and Adam.

We missed Paul since he had to work (like most firefighters), but luckily Sara's Mom, Angela was visiting from Texas. With all these kids we could use another pair of hands (especially when it comes to the all important job of building sandcastles)!
And of course burying our kids in the sand! Kelsea was all about Adam yesterday. Watch out Nate you may have some competition! The Bolanders also joined us at the beach with their three boys in tow. Here's Johnnie dragging his Daddy toward the waves. Yep, I can definitely see why Rick has some back issues.

Joey was not so sure about the oceanThe littlest babes at the beach, Lorelei & Jimmy Kelsea's favorite past time, running in and out of the waves

And thanks to Cathy for taking a couple family photos!We then headed back for some warm baths and yummy food (even though I have no pictures to show for it).

After our friends headed home for naps, we made our way later that day to our friend Alissa's house for a potluck block party. They even rented a jumper with a slide--Kelsea was in heaven!
The girls with Alissa's baby, Landon. Hard to believe he's only 3 months older than Lorelei!

My beautiful girls on Lorelei's first 4th of July! We hope everyone had a fun and festive 4th of July!

Ten on Tuesday

2009-06-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you Grandpa Mike

1. for taking me to the beach (twice), and letting me run around in my underwear, chasing waves and digging in the sand.

2. for taking me to the aquarium, even though the drive there and back was longer than the actual time looking at the fishes.

3. for watching me dance and sing to my music, and understanding when I didn't want you to participate.

4. for taking me to Veterans Park and pushing me on the swing.

5. for helping me color the bumble bee and bury him in the dirt so that he could rest in peace beautifully.

6. for my new Tinkerbell back-pack, bracelets and ponytail holders, and for my baby sisters pink blanket, Dr. Seuss book, and toy rings.

7. for helping Daddy epoxy the garage so it's shiny and new.

8. for taking me to get ice cream (twice).

9. for the yummy Chinese takeout so Daddy didn't have to cook one night.

10. for being a wonderful Grandpa who enjoys spending time with me as much as I love spending time with you! Come back and visit us soon. We love and miss you!

Jackpot

2009-06-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure Lorelei felt she won the jackpot when we broke out the beloved exersaucer this weekend. We thought you folks out there would appreciate and enjoy our dolphin daughter (or dying cat, take your pick).

4 Months

2009-06-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

At your four month photo shoot you found yourself a new friend to play with,

to hug

to suck on

to pull on

to grab a hold of

and to snuggle with. I think this is going to be a lasting friendship.

It is hard to believe that you are 1/3 of the way through your first year in this world. You are such a sweet joyful baby! You absolutely love bath time and splash and kick the water the entire time. You still like sucking on your fist, but the pacifier soothes you best when you are tired. You are hardly ever fussy and it is rare to hear you cry. You love sucking on blankets, especially your lovey. You are still sleeping in our room, and it will be sad day for Mommy when we move you to your bedroom. You weigh 14 pounds, 2 ounces and are 24 1/2 inches long, which puts you right at 50th percentile. Happy 4 month birthday little one, we just love you so!

Ten on Tuesday

2009-06-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

1. Lorelei is 4 months old today! Check back Friday for her "official" 4 month photo post.

2. Kelsea is 41 months old today.
2. I am officially back to work full time. It is only Tuesday and I'm already exhausted.

3. The one nice thing about going back to work is getting to take yoga and pilates classes at lunch again.

4. Our conversation driving home from school last Wednesday:

Mommy, my hair was really crazy today and I cut a lot of it because it was in my face.
What do you mean you cut it Kels? Do you mean you pretend cut it?
No I cut it.
With scissors?
Yes, with school scissors.
Oh god. (Where were the friggen teachers)
Whats wrong Mommy, are you sad?
I'm just sad that you cut your curls hon.
Oh. Well, don't be sad mommy it will grow.
Touche my love, touche!

Here's a picture of her her new do before visiting our hairdresser Connie. Not bad really. We just now have bangs to deal with in the morning.

The new do after Connie. She just evened it out and put some layers around her face.

5. Kelsea periodically wears her life vest while playing outside. Not really sure what that is about. (We also have a picture of her napping in it last year). Here she is just waiting for her ride to take her somewhere...
Kelsea getting ready to give Daddy a ride on her back.
6. An expression we often see from Kelsea. I'm pretty sure this was the look she gave me when she told me not to be sad because her hair would grow back.
7. Wallis getting ready for a run with the girls.
8. I just like this one
9. Loving her sister. 10. Lorelei meeting my Aunt and Uncle's dog Gordan. I'm sure she's thinking, wow, he's bigger than Reilly!?

Ten on Tuesday

2009-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

1. Transition week with Wallis in Florida is really no fun. Four days down and three to go!

2. Lorelei had a good day at daycare. I stopped by at lunch and she was playing and talking. She drank all her milk and took two naps. Small victories!

3. I am not a fan of breaking in new shoes. Can anyone recommend a shoe brand that carries 2-3 inch heels that are both comfortable and cute? My Bandolino ones certainly are not.

4. Kelsea has been a great helper this week. Although we really miss Daddy and can't wait for him to get back, it's been much calmer in our house with him gone. I can't figure out why that is?? Maybe I'm just calmer and more patient with Kelsea when I know it's only me that will have to deal with any sort of tantrum or whining frenzy.

5. Kelsea reading Lorelei a bedtime story. Doesn't look like Lorelei was too interested in anything but those polka dots!
6. We took Kelsea to see Up on Sunday. A bit of a downer for Kels. She was so upset when "Kevin" got captured and cried the rest of the movie. She is still talking about those scary dogs and how sad she was about Kevin.

7. Hard to believe that Lorelei will be 4 mos old in one week! Hard to believe that this was Kelsea just 3 years ago.
8. This is my last weekend before I go back full time to get stuff done! To include thank-you cards from Lorelei's baptism!

9. I hope we get to a Game 7, just to make it more exciting. Go Lakers!

10. I have an easy and fun (for the kids) Father's Day project if anyone is out of ideas. I would tell you about it, but that my spoil the fun for our Dads and Grandpas!

Worn out

2009-06-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

In case you couldn't tell from the photo, my little Lorelei was worn out after her first day at the CDC. Although she was only there for 5 hours, she ate and slept half the amount she normally does at home. Ms. Aricka said she had some "sad moments" thanks to some crazy crying babies in her room, but that she enjoyed watching the hanging mobile and seeing herself in the mirror. I wonder if I should be concerned that Lorelei is soothed by starring at herself in the mirror? Hopefully these shorter days at day care this week will be less traumatic than the 9 hour days she is going to have soon. They are at least less traumatic for me, although not for my feet. After 3 months hanging out in my lovely rainbows, my feet have forgotton what it's like to where heels. Tomorrow I will go to work with my feet covered in band-aids. Kelsea is so jealous (and perplexed as to why I don't want to wear princesses on my feet).

Don't worry Lorelei, you will grow to love Ms. Aricka as much as your sister did. But I will miss listening to you discover your voice, and that look of pure joy on your face when blowing spit bubbles. I will especially miss hearing all those loud toots as you start to wake up from your nap, and that big goofy grin when you realize that I'm right there watching you. I will miss being able to kiss you and hug you and hold you whenever I want. I will miss the quiet moments of just us. I will miss the walks along the beach and the baby & me yoga classes. I will miss being able to take photos of you whenever I want. I didn't want to be sad about going back to work, but I am. I know you will be well taken care of, but I wish it was in my arms and not theirs. It is days like these that I realize we can't have it all.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-05-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

1. On Sunday we started the day with our first family run. Yep all four of us! So glad we decided to get the double jogger!

2. We then headed to my parents for some swimming and BBQ! This was Lorelei's first reaction to the water.
3. She was much happier with her Mama.
4. On Memorial Day we went on another family run that was almost 6 miles (and yes Wallis pushed the jogger)! I'm still in shock I made it home.

5. After the long run we headed to South Coast Plaza to hit the big Nordstroms sale (big mistake) and for Kelsea to ride the Merry-Go-Round. Amongst the CRAZINESS I was able to find a pair of work pants. I now have 3 pairs of pants that I can wear to work. I will be wearing a lot of skirts and dresses this summer.

6. Speaking of back to work, this is my last week of maternity leave. I work from home the first two weeks in June, and then it's back in the office I go. I'm still in denial that I have to back to work, and that Lorelei has to go to daycare. Sigh.

7. If only this wonderful bill would hurry up and pass (or at least before Lorelei turns one)!

8. The good news is that a spot at daycare opened up for Lorelei just in time (June 8th) and in Ms Aricka's room-- my most favorite caregiver!

9. Kelsea is very excited about seeing Up. Trying to decide if we should go opening weekend or not...

10. Tickets to Mary Poppins just went on sale. The show runs from Nov-Jan, so I think we are going to get tickets as one of Kelsea's Christmas gifts. She will be so thrilled to watch her favorite movie LIVE!

Baptized!

2009-05-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

Lorelei was baptized last Sunday at St Lawrence Martyr in Redondo Beach. Luckily we had done this once already because neither of us could understand what Father John was saying.
Here he is anointing Lorelei with the oil of catechumens for protection from evil and for strengthening in Christ.We then all went to the font (mini bathtub) to have her washed free from sin! Who knew that a 3 month old needed to be washed from sin? But we go with it, because that's what good Catholics do! Thankfully Lorelei seemed to enjoy having the water poured on her (three times).Next she was anointed with chrism, symbolizing her union with Christ.
Finally, the priest says a prayer for the opening of her ears and mouth to hear Christs word and proclaim her faith.
And miraculously this little girl did great through the whole event and without a nap! She earned herself a Baby Born Swim doll when we got home.
We then did all the necessary group photos. Sort of felt like a wedding....

With all the grandparents

The Laughreys & the Loves

With Lorelei's Godparents, Alissa, Byran and their sweet son Landon.Just us

We were all very excited to have Nana Lucky make it out from Florida to attend the big event!
And like all good Catholics it was time to eat and drink wine! Although it was a bit warm at Bucca Di Beppo it didn't seem to slow us down.

Lorelei's Great-Grandparents, Pop & Barbara

Lorelei's Great-Aunt Susan & Uncle Dinato who were celebrating their Anniversary that day!
Lorelei hanging out with my cousin Cari with her mom, Cathy.

Cindy (Cathy's sister) and Rick (Cathy's husband)

The Baileys and the Opfers (with Kelsea). Baby Landon by the way is only 6 mos old! He is as big as Kelsea was at one year! Thanks everyone for making this a wonderful and fun event. It was so nice to see everyone! And a special thanks to Cathy & Jennie for taking all the photos!

Three Months

2009-05-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

At three months, you are one happy baby, despite the fact you have started to teethe (already). You are trying hard to get your fist into your mouth, but it just doesn't seem to fit. You are eating 6-7 times a day, and more often than not you are sleeping 8-9 hours at night. We thank you for this. You love your swing and play gym, but you mostly love to be held and talked to. Your smile just melts my heart little one. It is hard to believe that you've been in our lives for three months now.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-05-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

1. I turned thirty-two on Mother's Day.
2. My amazing family made me feel special all weekend long.

Me and my girls.

Grandma and her girls.

3. Wallis and the girls took me to Roadrunner Sports to get fitted for a new pair of running shoes. I had never done that before and I was quite impressed with the whole ordeal. I ended up with a brand that I had never bought or even tried on before. I'm sure these are going to make me run faster, don't you think?!

4. We also walked to one of my favorite furnishing stores, Le Garage to purchase this pretty new phone table. I'm just waiting for this to arrive to make our "junk" area complete.
5. I got these sweet gifts for Mother's Day. Thanks hons they are perfect.
6. I especially love this homemade one.

7. Pretty new placemats and napkins to set the table with. Thanks Mom and Dad!

8. I'm wearing this new top today. Thanks Steve and Jennie, I love it!

9. I also got new dish towels, a headband, a necklace, earrings, panties and yummy smelling bath products from my girlfriends. This friend got me a beautiful pair of earrings from this great etsy shop! Thank you friends!

10. So what I'm trying to say is thank you ALL for the gifts, phone calls, e-mails & cards wishing me a special birthday and mother's day. It truly was a wonderful day and I feel so blessed to have all of you in my life!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

So this is certainly a true statement for my daughter since she has not stopped talking about our next trip to Disneyland. I'm still thinking I would be much happier on a beach with a book in one hand and a Mai Tai in the other, nevertheless fun was had by all!

First stop-the carousel! I actually think this is Kelsea's favorite. Maybe because she's familiar with it and she knows there's nothing scary about it, unlike that dark, scary Pinocchio ride we went on (and shouldn't have).
Second stop, Dumbo! Thanks Cathy for taking this picture while I was feeding Lorelei (standing up might I add)! This happy couple had their first Disneyland debut together!Although we had to force her onto the boat (thanks to the Pinocchio ride) this might actually be Kelsea's new favorite ride. They've even added Ariel to "it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world". Is it in your head yet?And speaking of the devil herself, look who we stood an hour in line for! That was fun, huh Grandma?
And this is why it's just better if I take the picture.
At least this one came out a little better. Belle has now became Kelsea's new favorite princess, especially since Kelsea talked Grandma into bringing home the Belle dress. And why can't they make a dress that keeps the glitter on the dress rather than all over the house? It's even found it's way on Lorelei?!
I hope Cathy & Grandma had a wonderful Birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth! We'll have to do it again...someday...

Swing Lover

2009-04-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

The swing is by far the best baby invention EVER! She's just so darn happy in that thing. When she's not tired it makes her coo and smile. When she's fussy it calms her down. When she's tired it puts her to sleep. What more can a parent want in a baby gadget?

And in case you can't see the pure delight in those pictures, here's a few close-ups

Ten on Tuesday

2009-04-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

1. This is how we found Kelsea Friday night before we went to bed. She's practicing for her first sleepover.
2. I started reading Between Parent and Child this week. Hopefully by the time I'm done I'll be a better parent (or at least a more knowledgeable one) .

3. Kelsea's future wife (see previous post) turned 4 on Sunday. Happy Birthday Alla! We love and miss you!

4. Someone else also had a party this weekend. We celebrated my Mom's Birthday on Saturday.

Kelsea being her usual helpful self

Looks like it was a good wish!Grandma with her granddaughters
Stevie and Jennie (aka the babystitters)
Grandpa with his littlest granddaughter

Not pictured, Wallis & Katie

5. Thanks to last months Real Simple, I've become addicted to browsing this site, and this one, and this one.

6. On Sunday we went and saw Earth with some of Kelsea's classmates. It was much more traumatizing for me than her. She's been asking to go see it again since we came home from the movie. But what about the polar bear, hon!? What about the poor polar bear! (Don't worry I was only shouting this in my head.) That's the problem with the circle of life...someone always loses.

7. And in case you could not tell from the photo above, I am no longer a blonde, but a reddish brown. If you are wondering why, it has to do with the red roots that started to show up sometime after Lorelei was born. Strange that my hair started to come in the color I was born with, but it probably has to do with those fantastic pregnancy hormones! Better red than gray, right? I'll be interested to see what my natural hair color turns into these next few months.

8. So I went on my first run on Sunday, and I'm pretty sure an alien has stolen my legs and replaced them with much heavier ones. I kept telling myself that it will get easier, but when I went on another run yesterdayI did not find it any easier. It was pretty much like the run on Sunday only my legs hurt before I started running. And I'm not sure why I keep referring to it as running, since I'm pretty sure I could have walked faster at the speed my legs were moving. Oh well, maybe the next will be better, or the one after that...

9. Lorelei turned 10 weeks old yesterday. Here's a close-up of my beautiful baby girl!
10. Tomorrow we're meeting up with this family at Disneyland! Kelsea earned a trip to Disneyland for her transition to her big girl bed so we decided to join in on Cathy's Birthday trip to Disneyland. Since it's also my Mom's Birthday tomorrow she's coming along and getting in FREE!