Life With Lauren

Florida

2012-01-01T16:53:00.004-05:00

We had a blast in Florida this year, we took our nieces and nephew bowling, hung out with all the family and went to Disney World. We even had a cousin sleepover one night at the mother in laws house. It was a great trip this year. Disney was lots of fun but so very crowded, the park was at capacity and every ride was almost a 90 minute wait. We did get to meet 2 princesses though and the fairy godmother. We also had lunch with pooh, tigger and the gang.

Tomorrow !!!

2011-12-20T19:29:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day, we head out to Florida for Christmas and to Disney World for Lauren's first trip there. Excited is an understatement :)

Seven !!

2011-12-17T21:58:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe she will be 7 tomorrow. Where did the years go ? She is coming into her own now with fashion,shoes, nail polish and all things girl related. Wow, these years are flying by. Here's a look back at years 2 to 7. The years sure do go fast.

Peanut Butter Balls

2011-12-10T20:15:00.003-05:00

This is such an easy recipe but they are so very good. I tried them at a bake sale and loved them so I researched how to make them, if you like peanut butter then you'll love these too. They aren't pretty but they are tasty !!

Disney On Ice

2011-12-06T20:43:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we took Lauren to Disney On Ice, it was a wonderful show. She loved it. It's a great lead in to Disney World which we are taking her to for the first time on December 26th. Can't wait.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T19:56:00.004-05:00

Lauren decided to go as a light up princess this year for Halloween, I have a feeling this will be the last year we get to do princess type stuff as she is about to turn 7 and is already talking about stuff her friends were this year. No matter how hard you try to keep them little babies they just grow up on ya. :) She carved her pumpkin this year as a first, she has always painted pumpkins but not this year, she wanted to carve one. We did Trunk or Treat at church and also went to the mall to trick or treat so she is loaded with candy.

Fall Fun

2011-10-15T18:39:00.004-05:00

Lauren didn't get a Fall break but we have been trying to have fun on Saturdays since the weather is so nice right now. Today we went to Country Fest which is a small town festival that had train rides, face painting, food, and shopping. It was just the perfect size for me and Lauren to do alone since Steve had a meeting all day.

Career Day

2011-10-03T08:15:00.003-05:00

Today is Career Day at Lauren's school and she has decided that she wants to be a Fashion Designer when she grows up so she made a little book of designs and wore a bright outfit and hat with a fabric tape measure around her neck, she was so excited this morning to go to school and show off her creations.

A Special Gift

2011-09-14T20:19:00.003-05:00

Someone from our church approached Steve with a bag yesterday and told him to take it to Lauren that it was a special gift that she had found for her, so tonight after dinner we let Lauren open it. She had gotten her 2 full Chinese tea sets both with dragons on them, Lauren was so excited when she saw them, they are both so delicate and beautiful. What a nice surprise and a special gift indeed.

Hummingbirds

2011-09-13T14:16:00.003-05:00

We currently have 4 Hummingbirds that come and eat out of our bird feeder and they fight over it, the latest thing for us to do is watch it all take place. Lauren and I love to sit and watch these cool little birds come and drink and then take off real fast. Nature has some cool little animals in it for sure.

1st Grade Pictures

2011-09-08T12:24:00.002-05:00

Lauren's First Grade school pictures came in yesterday, I thought they turned out cute.(not sure why it's crooked, it was straight on the scanner preview)

Flint RiverQuarium

2011-09-05T15:45:00.004-05:00

Since today is Labor Day and everyone in our house is off of work and out of school we decided to take a day trip to Albany, GA to the riverquarium. It was very small but a really cool place,we all had a great time there. The city of Albany has these neat painted turtles all over the place that made me think of Nashville and the painted guitars.

Ocmulgee Indian Mounds

2011-08-13T17:50:00.004-05:00

We decided to visit a local historical landmark today in Macon. It was an awesome place, full of history and information. We plan to go back once it's a little cooler and walk the trails on the river, it was so beautiful there but just too hot.

The earth lodge where politicians and religious leaders would meet, the floor is 1000 years old, notice the bird shape for the ceremonial rituals ?

The outside of the earth lodge

1st Day Of First Grade

2011-08-10T18:29:00.003-05:00

Today was Lauren's first day of First grade, she loved it. she said they had a good day, ate cookies, played outside and played a few games inside. HA....She said her teacher said this was only a first day thing so the next few days we'll get to see how she really likes it once the harder work starts coming at her. She attends a private Christian school that is pretty small, they have 398 kids total in the whole school so most of her friends from kindergarten are in her class now also.

New Glasses !!

2011-07-27T16:48:00.004-05:00

We picked up Lauren's new glasses today, she chose violet ones this year, I call them purple and she corrects me and says they are violet. They are the transition ones again that change into sunglasses and she thinks that's cool.

Disney In December !!

2011-07-26T11:26:00.003-05:00

Lauren got her personalized map in the mail today for her Birthday/ Christmas trip to Disney in December, it's going to be her first time so we are going to go to Florida and visit with family at Christmas and then head to Disney from there for a few days on the way back home. She is so excited and it's still 5 months away. We cannot wait to take her and see how she reacts to all things Disney !!

Summer Fun !!

2011-07-25T20:30:00.004-05:00

We have had a great but busy Summer this year, We took trips to Atlanta, Helen, Ga and to Blue Ridge, GA. We had vacation Bible school, LOTS of birthday parties, tons of swimming and alot of hanging with friends. School starts in 2 weeks and we are ready, Lauren loves school and is excited about first grade. She is getting new glasses on Wednesday and chose purple frames this year, she is changing her taste so frequently we can't keep up. Her birthday party theme for this year has already changed 5 times and it's still 5 months away, like I said she changes so frequently :)

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4th Of July

2011-07-06T14:22:00.006-05:00

We had a great weekend leading up to the 4th of July, we went to Blue Ridge, GA for 2 days and spent some time in the mountains. We went on a train ride, played putt putt golf, had some great food, did some shopping and then came home for fireworks.It was a nice little getaway for sure.

Cousins Galore

2011-06-19T15:29:00.005-05:00

We had a family reunion for Steve's mom's side of the family last week in Helen, GA. We had an absolute blast and Lauren could not get enough of her cousins, she is actually in cousin withdrawal I think. There were 8 cousins there I think and they had the best time playing with each other. We went tubing on the Chattahoochee 2 times, did putt putt golf,panned for gold,went to the water park and did some shopping. We cannot wait for 2 years for another one.

Pizza !!!

2011-06-02T17:22:00.004-05:00

For six years now we have tried to get Lauren to try pizza, she always refused and said she knew she wouldn't like it. At church a few weeks ago they had pizza rolls as a snack and one of her friends told her it was really good so she tasted it and LOVED it.A few weeks went by with no mention of pizza or pizza rolls and then her class had an end of year party and served pizza for lunch, I sent a lunchable just in case she wouldn't eat it, well, her teacher said she refused the lunchable and ate 2 pieces of pizza instead. Not a major deal by any means but six years later she is finally trying new foods. Now, let's see how long it takes her to try vegetables ?

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-28T06:42:00.004-05:00

Lauren has now graduated from Kindergarten, she starts First Grade on August 10th and she couldn't be more excited about it. She has already decided on a backpack and lunchbox for next school year, she likes Summer but she cannot wait to go back to school already.

Field Day

2011-05-23T06:31:00.005-05:00

Lauren's school had field day a few days ago, they had it set up like the olympics and the kids had a great day with it all.

Swinging In The Rain

2011-05-16T19:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had a quick rain shower here in South Georgia but Lauren was determined to go play in it even though she already had her pajamas on so she threw her raincoat over them and headed out to play in the rain, sometimes I think we could be a little more like kids, when the mood strikes and play in the rain with no reservations :) While she was swinging she noticed we had a rainbow behind our house and thought that was the best thing ever.

Georgia Music Hall of Fame

2011-05-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Lauren's school had a field trip yesterday to the Music Hall of Fame, it was a cool place that was all about the music that has come from Georgia. They had a lady come and do a demonstration on African instruments and she was wonderful, I have contacted her to see if she would come to our church kids program because she was so good . Everyone had a great time. (Sorry the pictures are dark, the room was really dark and these are with flash)

Handmade Mother's Day Gifts

2011-05-08T19:42:00.003-05:00

Lauren presented me with her gifts that she made at school for Mother's Day this year, I thought they were creative and adorable and she was so proud of them too which made them even better :)

A Bad Blogger

2011-05-02T19:54:00.002-05:00

The first step to recovery is admission of a problem right ? well, I said it. I am a bad blogger now. I opened a home daycare on April 4Th and I now have two 17 month olds during the day and 2 more babies coming, 1 in September a newborn, and 1 in November another newborn so by the end of the year I will have 4 babies in my house all day long and Lauren will be here when she's not in school also. I honestly think this daycare has helped me with my frustrations of another adoption, I am so busy that I forget to think about the waiting and the non answered emails from DFACS.We are STILL trying to figure out what to do since our profile book and last homestudy have now expired with the attorney in SC, We just don't know which way we should go and are aging out with some countries for getting a younger child. Lauren says she no longer wants a sister or brother because of the daycare kids which is funny to me because for years she wanted a baby in the house and now that they are here all day she is not interested because they are into EVERYTHING. I will try and do better but can't promise anything :)

Great News For Lauren

2011-04-27T12:29:00.005-05:00

Lauren has been attending a Christian private school since January but because of the rate increases we thought she would have to leave in 2011-2012 but we got our financial aid packet and she got a scholarship so she gets to go back for 1st grade. Yippeee...She doesn't adapt well to change so we were concerned about moving her to a new school but thankfully it won't happen. She is excited to be going to Trinity again and we are happy that she loves it there so much.

First T Ball Game

2011-04-12T19:12:00.004-05:00

We signed Lauren up to play in a local t ball league this year and Saturday was the first game. There are 10 teams in this league, Lauren plays on the LSU tigers. She had a great time out there and did a great job for a first timer.

Spring Break 2011 ( Picture Heavy)

2011-04-06T09:07:00.008-05:00

We had a great Spring Break this year, we went to Atlanta with some church friends. We stayed at the same hotel we stayed in 2008 for our Atlanta reunion and it was such a nice place. We went to the Georgia aquarium and the Zoo and of course the outlet mall :)

ready to go

Fuzzy Wuzzy Time Again !!

2011-03-21T15:35:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again, we have collected 7 fuzzy wuzzy's for the caterpillar box so far. can you guess what she named them ? crowny, fuzzy, wuzzy, cuzzy, cozy, brownie, shiny. Great caterpillar names don't you think.

Riley, the great Caterpillar hunter

First Report Card

2011-03-18T21:15:00.003-05:00

Today was report card day at Lauren's school, she got a great first one. She got O's and S's in each grade category and an S in Behavior. When she first started this school her reading was graded at a 70 which is an N but today it was graded at a 90 so she has done so well in catching up in her reading, I think with this speech therapist coming she is going to get right on track.

First Field Trip

2011-03-16T12:54:00.002-05:00

Lauren had her first field trip today at school, she has been to homeschool field trips before but this one was different. She got to ride the school bus to a local theatrical theatre to see the production of Beauty & The Beast with both Kindergarten classes at her school. She was super excited to ride the bus :)

Stages

2011-03-14T09:06:00.003-05:00

I feel like we hit stages over and over at our house, the separation stage is back again and now she cries because she doesn't want to go to school, she wants to be with us. I feel like we take 2 steps forward and 1 step back all the time with Lauren. I thought by this age things would be better but sometimes they are not, she makes progress and then we go right back to square one with not wanting to be left at school. Sigh.... I wish I could get into her head sometimes and see what she sees and know what she thinks and what triggers these moments.

The Book

2011-03-08T16:57:00.002-05:00

Ever since we moved away Lauren has been missing her little friend Jocelyn, they were together from 2006 to 2010 when we lived in Cumming, Lauren was 16 months old when Joce came into her life and she misses her terribly so I decided to use shutterfly and make her and Joce a book of pictures of the two of them together, we mailed Joce hers today. Lauren has enjoyed her little book so far and I hope it helps her stay connected to her friend.

Wacky Wednesday

2011-03-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

today was wacky Wednesday at Lauren's school in honor of Dr. Suess's birthday so she wore her pants backwards, 2 different socks, 2 different shoes, and had 1 sleeve up and 1 down and her hair had a high ponytail and a low ponytail. She was so excited about today because it was something fun and different at school.

The Journal

2011-02-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

When we went to St.Louis, Lauren picked out a gateway arch journal to put all of her thoughts in, a few days ago she was busy writing her deepest, most innermost thoughts down and when she was done she showed me the page :) It cracked me up, she wrote " Mom is a silly mom", "Mom is a chick" and " Lauren is not a goober" and then drew a picture of herself as a princess with earrings and a crown on the bottom. I swear this kid cracks me up :)

Macon Children's Museum

2011-02-01T09:47:00.006-05:00

We decided to get out and have a fun Saturday so we went to the Children's Museum in Macon, it was neat. they had these little houses from other countries where you could visit them and then get your passport stamped. The biggest hit was the bubbles, we did them twice. Apparently it was under construction as some areas were not open but it was neat little place anyway.

The Stepstool

2011-01-27T19:15:00.004-05:00

Remember this post ? this was in 2008 when she painted this stool so she could use it to reach the sink. Here she is now on the stool, she hardly needs it now. I don't always notice how fast she's growing up until I look at stuff like this.

The Tooth Fairy

2011-01-25T19:14:00.004-05:00

Lauren lost her first tooth today and she got a bonus deal of 2 teeth at once :) She lost 2 bottom teeth at school sometime today, they gave her a little card with her teeth attached to it. The tooth fairy comes tonight for the very first time.

Weaving

2011-01-20T20:36:00.004-05:00

We were at a craft store the other day and they had a Weaving craft on clearance for $5.00 so I thought what the heck, we'll try it and see how it goes. We got it home set it up and Lauren went to town weaving, she has made 1 potholder so far but was working on another one today after school. I like this, she doesn't ask to watch t.v. all the time now, she wants to craft after school. not a bad deal for $5.00 :)

Winter Fun

2011-01-10T15:14:00.004-05:00

Lauren started school on January 4th and she LOVES it, she was sad today because it was a snow day and she couldn't go to school. We are having a snow/ ice storm here in GA and there's ice everywhere today. We spent the day around the firepit roasting marhmallows.

First Day of School

2011-01-04T12:12:00.003-05:00

Lauren's first day of school is today at Trinity, she was so excited. She wasn't upset when we left at all, she said " Bye, see you later" and went off to play with the little girls in her class. She has 15 kids in her class and most of them are girls so she was happy with that. I thought I would be sad but she was so happy to be left there that I felt excited for her. She's a big girl now :)

Great Deal on Crocs Shoes

2010-12-16T19:39:00.002-05:00

I posted this on FB also but it's such a great deal I decided to post it here too.

crocs is offering buy one get one for 50% off right now and if you put the code eddiesco11 in at the end you'll get another 20%off. They are also offering free shipping right now. I just had to let everyone know. Lauren loves crocs but they are pricey so this morning I got her 2 pairs for $12.98 shipped free. Great Deal for sure :) Happy Shopping !!

A Month of "Lasts"

2010-12-14T10:32:00.003-05:00

December is turning out to be a big month of "lasts" for us. There's alot happening this month that is changing our family dynamic.

This is the "last" month that Lauren will be 5
This is the "last" month that Lauren will be homeschooled
This is the "last" Christmas we'll have with our dog Molly as her kidney's have started to fail now.
This is my "last" year of being a stay at home mom as I am trying to get a job now

Seems like alot of "last" things happening with us but we are excited about all of the "Firsts" also. I think 2011 will be an exciting year with us with Lauren turning 6, starting private school in January and life moving forward. It's hard to think about all of the "lasts" but we are moving ahead and looking forward to what the future and the month of January brings.

Trinity Christian School

2010-12-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

We have been talking about Lauren going to regular school for a while now, she is ready and wants to go but because of where we live she would have to take an approximate 1 hour bus ride to public school so we found a local Christian school and applied to send her there and applied for financial aid, we got a letter a few days ago and we have been approved for financial aid so miss Lauren is now a Trinity Crusader :)

She will start in January and I have been looking for a job to help offset the expenses of private school.

Thanksgiving and an Early Birthday

2010-12-06T21:44:00.003-05:00

We had 12 at our house this year for Thanksgiving, we had a great time and while the family was here from Florida we did an early birthday party for Lauren's 6th birthday at a local ice cream place called Scoops. The party was alot of fun and Lauren thought it was great that her cousins could be here as well as her friends.

A Lesson Learned

2010-11-15T17:46:00.003-05:00

Lauren has been making herself crazy asking for Aqua Sand Mermaid Island so she got money from her grandma and decided that's what she wanted to buy, it was a good lesson for her because she thinks everything she sees on TV is the " best thing ever" well, we got it home and opened it and she was highly disappointed in it because the mermaid is tiny, there's only 2 bottles of sand and a cheap plastic bowl, so it was a good lesson learned for a 5 year old :) on a brighter note, she did get some the cutest shoes ever also :)

see that tiny little pink thing, yep, that's the mermaid

Orbeez

2010-11-03T12:34:00.003-05:00

Lauren has been saving her money for Orbeez and finally she had enough so we ordered them and they came today. What a happy surprise that was for her, she finished school and then it was time to play. They start out little and grow in water so you can make them into other things, she is having a blast so far :)

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T13:59:00.002-05:00

This is our first Halloween in the country and boy was it a doozie, we went trick or treating for 5 hours but only went to 12 houses :) Lauren was a Monarch Butterfly and she had a ball !!

Pumpkin Painting

2010-10-26T19:40:00.004-05:00

Every year we let Lauren pick out a pumpkin and paint it, for some reason she loves to paint them :) Here's a few from over the years and then this year, she is growing up way too fast...

2006

2008 couldn't find one of her painting it just picking it

2009

2010

Lane Southern Orchards

2010-10-22T16:37:00.003-05:00

Lauren had a homeschool field trip today to the lane orchards, they had a hayride, corn maze, peach ice cream and each kid got a little pumpkin. It was fun but HOT...I can't believe this is late October.

The Box

2010-10-16T17:38:00.003-05:00

We've been taking Lauren to a doctor for her PTSD issues and we finally found something that is working that she has suggested. It's a box, yep a box. but it's a " worry" box. Lauren has MAJOR separation and abandonment issues and this box has helped her with that. When she gets upset because daddy has to go to work or because of some other fear or worry she puts a rock in the box and closes it up because as her doctor told her " there's nothing we can do about it anyway" and you know what ? It's working, when she gets upset or worried she goes outside and gets a rock and puts it in the box and closes it up and she's OK again. It's amazing that this little wooden box has reduced the drama in 3 days of using it :)

5 Years Ago Today

2010-09-01T12:31:00.004-05:00

We were in Nashville, TN and I was at work when they announced overhead that I had a call from Children's Hope, I took off to my desk and that's when i got " the call" Brenda was on the other end and she said the greatest words ever " You have a daughter" What a great day, we got these pictures the very next day, Yang Li Meng was approx 6 or so months old in these.

5 years later and she is now in Kindergarten, heading rapidly into year number 6, wow, the years really do fly by.

Pnue-mania

2010-08-30T18:15:00.004-05:00

The title describes how I feel right now about pneumonia, we have been at this battle with Lauren's pneumonia since it all started on August 10Th. We have been to our doctor 5 times since then, filled 9 prescriptions and spent somewhere around $350.00 in the process . We go to another doctor who is a pediatric pulmunologist on September 15th in Macon to try and see if he can help us rid this child of this crazy illness. I don't understand why she won't get better and why the cough will not go away but we'll keep trying until we get an answer. Until then we are in Pnue mania still :)

It's Official !!

2010-08-26T18:32:00.003-05:00

Lauren has now been registered with the state of GA as a home schooled child. I sent my Declaration of Intent to them today so now I have to do four and a half hours of school each day for 180 days a year and send in monthly attendance reports on her to our school superintendent :)

BUGS !!

2010-08-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

Our local Science museum has a special exhibit on large bugs so after being home bound for a while with pneumonia we decided to get out of this house and go check it out. Lauren's favorite part was the gift shop of course :)

finding China on the globe.

Where Have We Been ?

2010-08-15T15:36:00.003-05:00

as much as I tried to avoid it, facebook took over my blog, it's easier to load pictures to facebook so I got suckered into it. :)I am determined to keep this blog because I don't scrapbook and this is how I have Lauren's milestones recorded. in the last 6 or so weeks we have moved to a small town, struggled with domestic adoption, signed Lauren up for PTSD therapy, started talking to DFACS about an adoption and getting ready to homeschool again for Kindergarten/ First Grade. We have also taken a trip to Florida for Steve's parents 50Th anniversary. It's been a busy few weeks but I am trying to keep up with my " online diary" now :) Here's a recent picture of my cute girl who starts Kindergarten/ First Grade homeschool on Monday. I say kindergarten and first grade because she will be doing 1st grade math and language arts and we'll be reviewing kindergarten in the other subjects.

Glasses

2010-04-20T17:47:00.003-05:00

Lauren got glasses today, she loves them and thinks they are so cool because when she goes outside they turn into sunglasses automatically :)

2 Days + 2 Field Trips = Too Much Fun

2010-03-18T18:28:00.004-05:00

We have had fieldtrips for 2 days in a row with our Homeschool Co-op group. Yesterday was the Crisson Mine for Gold and Gem panning and today was the Tellus Science Museum. We had a great time at both but are glad to have some downtime next week as well. :)

The New Blanket

2010-03-14T18:35:00.004-05:00

Our church is making no sew blankets for the local nursing home so when Lauren saw them she wanted me to make her a blanket with rainbows on one side and princesses on the other so today after church I did it :) I think it turned out cute since I only learned how to do it yesterday, I made one for the church ministry and one for Lauren so far.

The Best Shoes Ever !!!

2010-03-12T19:39:00.003-05:00

I bought Lauren a pair of Rainbow shoes today at Ross on clearance to which she declared " These are the best shoes ever, I am going to keep them forever" not bad for a pair of $11.99 shoes right ?

First Ride on Her New Bike

2010-03-09T21:03:00.005-05:00

Lauren got a new bike at Christmas but because the weather has been so crazy here she hasn't gotten to ride it since she got it but today was a great day so we hit the park for her first ride, she did great and had a blast riding :) I got some great pictures on her swing set today also, I zoomed in on her so she is not posing that's just true kid joy and I love the happiness that comes through when she's not posed or posing for pictures.

Snow !!!

2010-03-02T21:40:00.004-05:00

Yep, snow in March. I am ready for Spring to get here and for the weather to get warm but Lauren on the other hand loves the snow, she played in it until her face was beet red today with daddy. They made a snowman, built a snow fort, had a snowball fight and made snow angels.

Glamour Girl

2010-02-28T20:04:00.003-05:00

Lauren was invited to a Princess party this weekend at Sweet n Sassy and she had a great time, they had their hair done in updo's, had make up put on them, walked a runway and dressed up like princesses. Needless to say my glamour girl was in her element :)

5 Year Old Portraits

2010-02-09T18:44:00.001-05:00

I am late posting her 5 year old portraits but decided to go ahead and do it anyway, she did so good this year with pictures it was much different than last year and the drama that was the 4 year old portraits.

Easy Bake Oven

2010-02-03T08:45:00.003-05:00

Someone sent Lauren an easy bake oven but she was very young still so we stuck it up in the attic until she got a little bigger, the other day a commercial came on for one and she said I want that so daddy went up to the attic and viola an easy bake oven appeared :) She had a great time doing it, we made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and a cookie. It was a great way to spend a cold winter day.....

Homeschooling

2010-01-26T16:44:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted lately but school is in and we are busy :) Lauren loves home school and we are having a great time learning and going on field trips with our co op and also she is in K2 chorus now so we are in the throws of education here. Monday we had a co op field trip to a local fire station and today we had a co op field trip to a local bread company. My camera battery died at the bakery so I didn't get any pictures but here's a few from the fire station.

Lauren still says she does not want to go to "regular" school and honestly we are fine with that, she is learning alot in home school with me and then we are also in a Christian co op with approx 180 other home school families from our community so she gets to go on alot of great field trips and then each Thursday she goes to co op for 3 hours and that's where she learns about her socialization as she is in a class with 11 other Pre K kids, I know homeschooling is not for everyone but for us it works :)

The Teacher

2010-01-11T13:17:00.002-05:00

Lauren decided to play teacher after dinner the other night, she was teaching me and daddy Spanish and would tap the poster with the pencil to get us to pronounce the word correctly, she had her hand on her hip for a while but I couldn't get a picture of it. and no, she is still not wearing pants :)

Panda Lullaby

2009-12-31T20:18:00.001-05:00

Lauren got a Wow Wee Alive Panda for Christmas, she named it Joy and tonight she sung her to sleep. :)

Birthday Party, Christmas, New Bike ( picture heavy)

2009-12-30T18:49:00.004-05:00

We spent 9 days in Florida for Lauren's birthday party and Christmas. We had a great time and she LOVED her cake and her party at Chick Fil A. She also had a great Christmas as well and of course she was happy when she saw the bike under the tree that Santa left :) She also got to feed a stingray at Sea World :)

Look At What Santa Brought

2009-12-17T20:58:00.003-05:00

Santa delivered Lauren's big present early so daddy could assemble it, we have it hidden in the spare bedroom under a blanket so we can put it under the tree once she is buckled in the van for Florida so as soon as we get home she'll see it :) And yes, that is a cage around our tree because Riley won't stay out of it, let's just say he thinks we brought the outdoors in for him to water and leave it at that :)

She's Going To Be Psyched !!!

2009-12-16T16:30:00.003-05:00

We are leaving on Sunday for Florida for Christmas so Lauren wanted to have her birthday party at Chick Fil A there with her cousins and we thought that was a great idea so today I ordered her cake, I got it from walmart because it was $30.00 cheaper than Publix, yes you read that right $30.00 cheaper :) She is going to be super excited when she sees it the night of her party :) I knew I couldn't make this cake with being at the in laws house and all the busyness that comes with traveling so I was really happy to be able to buy her this cake for her 5Th birthday.

Meet Riley

2009-12-03T15:15:00.003-05:00

We adopted an 8 week old Dachshund/ Chihuahua mix today from a local rescue group, his shelter name was Buster but we changed his name to Riley. Lauren loves him, he is cute and spunky and I am learning what life with a puppy is really like, he is not housebroken but he is neutered. Right now he is 4 pounds but he sure doesn't look it, it should be fun around here :)

Thanksgiving in Florida

2009-11-30T14:31:00.004-05:00

We had a great trip to Florida for Thanksgiving, we took all the nieces and nephew to Sea World and just did some hanging out as a family. Lauren had lots of cousin time and she loved it, she misses her cousins when she has to go back home but I told her we go back in 3 weeks and she can see them again :)

The Feast

Cuddling with Kenny, her favorite cousin :)

Giving Thanks

2009-11-22T09:09:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving is a holiday that we are grateful for, Lauren came home from China the day before Thanksgiving 2005. Here's a look back from the last 4 years. Steve, Lauren and I are leaving tomorrow for Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving, it will be the first time in 8 years that we have gone home for Thanksgiving and we are also giving thanks for that :)

Nashville 2005

Atlanta,Georgia 2006

Helen,GA 2007

Alabama 2008

Ready to go to Florida 2009

Breakfast With Santa

2009-11-17T13:44:00.004-05:00

Daddy's job had Santa and Mrs Clause come last Saturday and have a pancake breakfast with the employees kids as a fundraiser for their department, Lauren actually sat in Santa's lap and she hugged him which is huge for her. She loved Ms Clause and ran right up to her for a hug :)

Stylin.....

2009-11-12T16:11:00.002-05:00

Lauren's latest thing is to ask if her outfit is "stylin" I do not know where she got it from but every outfit has to be "stylin" or she won't wear it. Such a crazy kid !!!

Trick Or Treat

2009-10-31T18:38:00.004-05:00

Lauren decided to go as Cinderella this year, she had a great time dressing up for dance class and then going trick or treating first at the mall, then to Nanny's and then to our neighborhood, let's just say she has plenty of candy now :)

Coffee Fundraiser

2009-10-26T18:56:00.002-05:00

I started a fundraiser today with a coffee company called just love coffee. We are trying to raise money for our domestic adoption for things such as hotel stay, birth mom expenses and stuff like that when we are chosen. Our attorney has suggested we have about $1000.00 or more for a cushion. We make $5.00 for every bag sold so if you love coffee please visit our site and help us and get some great coffee as well.

Thanks for your support.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-21T09:12:00.003-05:00

Lauren had a Homeschool fieldtrip yesterday to Burt's Pumpkin farm, she had a great time but the best part was getting in a hay throwing fight with her friend Cecelia on the hayride.After the fieldtrip we came home and she painted her pumpkin blue and purple, aren't all pumpkins those colors ? :)

Disney On Ice

2009-10-16T13:26:00.006-05:00

What can I say about this ? It was truly awesome, the effects were in true Disney fashion and Lauren said " Mommy, this is the best day ever" ya can't top that. We went with our Homeschool Co Op and because it's considered a "school" we got to go for $10.00. so totally worth it, it truly was an amazing show :)

Usborne Books

2009-10-15T16:32:00.003-05:00

I am selling Usborne books now, they are great books and are for all ages. Please visit my website to check out what they have, books make great Christmas gifts. :)

F=Fair, Face Painting and Friends

2009-10-14T12:19:00.003-05:00

Our church has a booth at the local fair so we have been up there almost every night working it, Lauren likes it there because she gets her face painted for free and then today Jeremiah came to play all day with her.

Hillcrest Orchards( Picture heavy)

2009-10-02T16:13:00.009-05:00

We had a homeschool fieldtrip today to Hillcrest Orchards, it was a great day and a very cool place to go. Lauren was able to go on a hayride, milk a cow, see pig racing, try apple cider, go to a petting zoo, slide down a giant slide. She also learned how apples grow and how they are harvested, Hands down this was one of the best Homeschool fieldtrips we have been to.

Hula Babies Dancing

2009-09-26T18:34:00.001-05:00

Here's a clip of today's hula babies dance she did at a community event, I was on the wrong side of the room so I didn't get a very good shot, it's still cute though :) It was supposed to be outside but because of the rain they had to dance inside the studio.

A New Language

2009-09-24T20:11:00.001-05:00

Lauren is taking sign language classes on Thursday's, she has made up a new sign for yuck. when it comes to food she doesn't want to eat :) she is too funny at times.

Catching Flies

2009-09-21T18:15:00.003-05:00

This picture made me laugh out loud, I walked into the room to check on her and she was out like this, foot propped up on my bed, her blankets laid out on the floor and mouth wide open catching flies :)

Japanfest

2009-09-19T18:34:00.005-05:00

We went to an Asian festival today called Japanfest, it was really neat and they had alot for kids to do and demonstrations of karate, music, etc. Lauren had a great time playing the games and making paper lantern and fans. Her favorite part was the fishing game where you had to use paperclip looking things on paper rods and try to "catch" a balloon, it gave me an idea for future birthday parties :) The food was OK but they ran out of most of everything by the time we got there so we only got to try some mackerel dish and a beef dish, neither tasted all that great :)

Pretty Pretty Princess

2009-09-17T18:41:00.002-05:00

I went to a kid's consignment sale last night and saw this game, it was only a couple of dollars so I got it thinking if anything was missing out of the box at least she could play with it for dress up well I was shocked when I opened it and it was brand new, the pieces hadn't even been taken apart. We played this game 3 or 4 times today and she loves it so it was a great deal for sure. Gotta love a bargain :)

Making Cupcakes

2009-09-12T16:10:00.003-05:00

Lauren loves to bake so yesterday she got to make cupcakes, she had a great time and the results were tasty :) and before you ask no she is not wearing pants, this child dislikes clothes in the house, seriously, it drives daddy nuts.

A Day At The Atlanta Zoo

2009-09-01T17:21:00.004-05:00

Today was the 4 year anniversary of our referral for Lauren so daddy took the afternoon off and we headed to the zoo for the day. We had a great time and are so blessed to have our feisty Hubei girl.

Earrings

2009-08-29T15:15:00.003-05:00

Lauren got her ears pierced today, she has been asking to have it done since she saw her friend Annslee's rainbow heart earrings. She did not cry and was so brave but when they were done she said " ow, that hurt". They were able to have 2 people there to do it so they did it all at once which was great and they did it so fast I think that helped since they didn't have to do one at a time.

News And A New Blog

2009-08-27T11:45:00.003-05:00

We started a new blog to keep everyone updated on our adoption. We have sent a profile book, contract and payment to an adoption attorney in SC to adopt a newborn baby. We are asking for prayers for us and the birthmom that chooses us as well. We also have our first homestudy visit next week to get that under way as well. so there's lots happening here right now but it's all good :) I haven't done much to the new blog as we are just getting started but keep checking there for updates, I'll post them as soon as I get them :)

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-18T15:21:00.003-05:00

Lauren started Kindergarten today via homeschool, I know she is not 5 yet but we did pre k last year and she was ready for a bigger challenge so we started 4 day Kindergarten today with her. She did very well counting by ten, writing out words with a sounds, working with money and a few other things. We are using Sonlight's kindergarten curriculum and Horizon's math with her and so far so good. We are doing 4 day because she is also in a co op and I wanted her to have a day for field trips and things associated with that group so she's not overwhelmed and over scheduled everyday :)

A Free Swingset = A Happy Girl

2009-08-13T07:24:00.003-05:00

Someone in our homeschool co op gave us a free wooden swingset so we brought it home and cleaned it and stained it and it turned out pretty good, we still need a rock wall thing for the back so she can get to the slide and a canvas for the top to help with the sun but that will be less than $100.00 so we are feeling really blessed by it :) Lauren LOVES it, she wore herself out last night playing on it for the first time.

Chixos Review

2009-08-11T14:26:00.002-05:00

Lauren has been bugging us about getting Chixos so when she had collected $10.00 of her money we took her to buy them, she was super excited about these things as she loves pixos, she chose the fashion design studio and couldn't wait to start on it. well, IMO this is the cheapest, goofiest waste of $10.99 that there is. Honestly, they come with 2 dolls, 5 small packs of pixos, and a " fashion studio" that is actually the inside of the box they came in. Never, will we buy this again. Just my opinion but it's a total waste of money. Lauren loves crafty things and she got bored with it once the 2 dolls got put together and wanted to move on to something else, just trying to save other mom's of " crafty" kids some money :)

Cinderella, Are You There ?

2009-08-03T10:06:00.004-05:00

I was listening in on a phone conversation this morning between Lauren and her princess phone. She started with Cinderella, are you there ? and then said hold on, I have an email from Sleeping Beauty. Now Snow White is leaving me a message, I'll call you back. I was cracking up at her...she is too funny.

What Do You Wear To Shop ?

2009-07-31T20:22:00.004-05:00

if your Lauren you wear a tutu and heels of course :) notice she's shopping for more clothes and her poor baby is nude, she's working on her mommy skills I promise.

Before I Forget

2009-07-30T14:04:00.002-05:00

I need to get down these Lauren quotes before I forget them, I use this blog as a baby book so to speak and have been neglecting it so I need to get these funny things down before they slip my mind :)

"Mom, you are styling" She was watching me get ready

"Mom, this next one will be easier for you" She said this because I couldn't understand what she was saying to me :)

"What's the big idea ?" she said this when she lost a game of topple to me and daddy

" Do brains go away "

She is always saying funny stuff but if I don't get them down I'll forget them and since I can't scrapbook very well this is the way I remember what she says. :)

Go Fish - The Mom Song

2009-07-27T17:35:00.001-05:00