easter sunday

so, for christmas and easter i usually try to find matching outfits for my family. not neccessarily all the same, but same color schemes. i know this is kinda silly, but it gives me something to be obsessive about. this year i was really loving the coral and brown.




jonathan was having a little too much fun with photoshop in this last picture. :)



don't we all look great wearing scott's facial hair. haha!

the doughnut shop

after leaving the tulips we made our way to krispy kreme. yummm!!! i had talked this up quite a bit to brooklin, telling her that she would actually be able to see how the doughnuts were made. she did watch for a little while, but was definitely more interested in the hat and eating the doughnuts. i didn't realize that scott had never been either. well, he's been through the drive-thru, but never inside. i guess he was on his mission when the store opened, so he didn't have the chance to stand in those enormous lines. remember? he thought it was pretty neat anyway, even if he's not a big doughnut fan. i think he makes an exception for krispy kremes though. :)

tulip festival 2011

the tulips were absolutely beautiful! my favorite ones were the purple and white. they were so gorgeous. brooklin loved all the flowers and for the chance to run around. this was her 3rd year going to the festival, but i'm sure she doesn't remember the other two times. lauren enjoyed riding around with scott, and was such a good little baby the whole time. i think she liked the change of scenery for sure. i love that scott will bring his girls to the tulips even though i know it's not something that really thrills him, but he never complains and he definitely was a good sport. and we had AMAZING weather for it!

p.s. you'll notice in two of the three pictures that both girls are in, lauren has her head turned toward her sister. she sure loves brooklin!

brooklin's unique fashion statement

oh my!

LoLo is 4 months

wow! i can't believe how fast my little lo is growing. i have to say that i think she is ageing a whole lot faster than brooklin did. maybe it just seems this way because i've got 2 babes to care for and love. i don't get to devote all of my time to lauren like i did brooklin. or it could just be that she's been a big baby from the beginning. :0) either way, i'm a little sad my baby is growing up.

what can i say about lauren. hmm... well, she is just a little ray of sunshine in our family. she has almost always got a smile for us. she just adores her big sister. she will just sit and watch brooklin, and she lights up anytime brooklin talks to her or plays with her, or even looks in her general direction. it's like she already "knows" how special is is to have a big sister. i am so excited to see their relationship develop. lauren is in a pretty "needy" stage right now. she always wants to be around us, or be held and talked to. i think she just wants to be a part of everything and gets frustrated when she's left out. which is understandable, i guess i'd get frustrated too if i had no way of getting myself where i wanted to be. although, she has become quite the skilled roller. maybe she'll figure out how to roll herself after us. :) lauren is still an excellent sleeper at night. she gets up to eat once or twice, and usually goes right back to sleep. i wish i could say she was an excellent napper too, but beggars can't be choosers, and i guess i'd rather have her sleep well at night. it just make is a little difficult to get anything done during the day when she only takes quick 10-20 minute power naps. lately, like this past week, i've been trying to feel out "her" schedule and figure out the best times to hurry and take a shower or play with brooklin (just her and i). i think just about every day last week i managed to be dressed and have the girls dressed and ready for the day before 11. this is huge for me! i know, someday i'll really get my act together, of course by then we may think we're ready to have another... or not. :) we're claiming lauren's first word is "boo", but she'll only say it when brooklin plays peek-a-boo with her behind the couch. and it has to be brooklin, she won't say it to scott or i. lauren has quite a healthy appetite, as is evident in the size of her cheeks, but let's face it chubby babies are the cutest. she has very good control of her body, at least for her age. she can grasp toys and actually "play" with them. she likes to grab and hold on to anything, hair, clothes, noses, really anything. when i put her to sleep she has to be holding onto my finger. she has very pretty blue eyes, just like her sister. her hair is still very sparse, but continues to look like a strawberry blond. her skin is pretty fare, just like her momma's, so i'm going to have to be a little more careful with her than i have to be with brooklin. can't leave home w/o sunscreen.

here are her growth stats from her 4 month well-child checkup:

height: 26", which is above the 95th percentile
weight: 14 lbs. 10 oz, 75th percentile
head: 16.75", just under 90th percentile

we just love our little lolo and can't imagine our family without her!