My Girls

Things that make Mom happy....

Sibling Torture

The things you endure when you are the youngest and your sister is ten years older....

Aunt Jami Visits

Aunt Jami Visits Des Moines



We had a GREAT time - thanks for coming, Jami!!! Softball games, Farmer's Market, Valley Junction shopping, pictures, grilling-out, organizing and rearranging the basement - FUN TIMES!

Wolverines Win!

WOLVERINES WIN TOURNAMENT!!!

Aunt Jami was here this weekend and saw Bailey's softball tournament - all four games of it! (or was it 5 or 800?) Anyway - what a show! Bailey's team was undefeated and WON the championship game! She had some great plays and took several wild pitches to the thigh, knee and arm - but she stuck it out and was tough! Good job, Bailey!

8 Months Old

Lauren is 8 Months Old!

Every month since you were born, I've placed you in the recliner in your nursery alongside your pink bear for a picture. I thought it would be nice to see how you grow from month to month by placing you in the same place next to the same bear. This has worked wonderfully......until now. It seems that as an 8-month-old you are no longer interested in sitting nicely in the corner of the chair and posing sweetly for a picture. Instead you are much more interested in wiggling, moving, crawling (kind of), trying to get OUT of the chair.

You can now go from lying down flat on your back to sitting up on your own. Baby Abs of Steel! You can grab on to things and pull yourself to a stand but fall when you let go and you take off in a walk if we stand you up and hold your hands. You are ready to move - thank goodness you haven't quite figured it all out yet though. I don't know if Mommy and Daddy are ready for that chase. You crawl....sort of. You get up on all fours, scoot your back legs in a forward motion...but your front half doesn't quite know what to do. You reach out with one arm...then fall to your belly and give up. But somehow, without actually crawling, you manage to get to your intended destination through a series of scoots, rolls and wiggles.

You still have just two bottom teeth - but those top teeth are SOOO close to coming in. One of your favorite things since having two teeth and figuring out their purpose is Gerber Fruit Puffs. You LOVE the strawberry-apple variety. Problem is - once you start - you don't want to finish. You could munch and mash those things in your mouth all day long if I let you.

You are talking up a storm still - still every syllable and volume - really exploring the sounds your mouth can make. But best of all - we love it when we walk into the room and you light up with a great big wide-open mouth smile and that Lauren twinkle in your eyes. You say "Da-Da" all the time now in this sweet loving tone - but the only time you say "Ma Ma" you are MAD and scream it. What's up with that?! Also - no matter how Mommy and Daddy try to make you giggle you are very reserved with your laughs. But in walks your big sister and let the belly-laughing begin. You look at her like she is your best friend in the whole wide world. I love that.

We love you!!

Drake Relays

Drake Relays 2006 and it rained. And it rained, and it rained and it rained. The Friday night that Bailey raced it didn't rain too much - mostly a light sprinkle - but it was chilly, windy and wet - April in Iowa. Bailey was SO excited to be part of this big event and ran her little heart out. There were several hundred kids running (in different heats) and it appeared that her school finished 6th out of 25 in her heat. Not bad. But mostly this one wasn't about winning - it was about the honor of running at the Drake Relays. We were very proud of her. She is on to a new track kick now - we just signed her up for a Track Clinic this summer through the parks & rec dept.