Sunday mornings

We have started taking the girls to a neighborhood church which we were introduced to by Jenny, Preston and Callie.  The girls look forward to Sunday School, but just as much to the 10  minutes after church that they spend running around in circles chasing each other.

Running...

Running...

Taking a quick break...

 



And they are off again!



18 months!!

She sure has become 'Toddler Laurel" and is quickly leaving babyhood behind.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you asked her she would tell you she is a three year old just like her sister.  In her mind she is a big kid.  She refuses to sit in her booster seat at the dinner table and thinks the highchairs in restaurants are for babies.  She carries her dishes to the kitchen to put them in the sink (while leaving behind a trail of food).  Brushing her teeth with her sister is her favorite thing to do right now.  She prefers to drink water out of a real cup instead of her sippy. She wants to use the grown up silverwear and not the small kids version.  She wants to carry her own lunch box to and from school.  Ever since she moved up into the next class at daycare she has developed this new level of independence.  In fact, they moved her up a month early because they couldn't keep her out of the room with the older kids.  The teachers like to joke that they have never before had a one year old make the trasition decision for them!

What do I love about Laurel?  Her sense of humor.  She is such a goofy kid and is always looking for a laugh.  She LOVES music and enthusiastically dances to it in her carset.  You know when she is ready for bed, she walks over to Maya and Daddy/Mommy for kisses, grabs her blanket and walks right into her room for story time.  Although she wasn't a reader in the beginning she is now obsessed with books and puts up a fight when it is time to stop reading bedtime stories.  She is very nurturing and is always covering up her dolls, stuffed animals and the cats with her blanket while patting their backs.  Everytime she makes a sound like a monkey she also uses her arms to imitate a monkey.  She is very reserved in new situations and with new people, but once she warms up she will light up the room.  She is unlike any kid I have met before.

She is weighing in at 20lbs 10oz and is 30" tall (both at 10%).  She isn't much bigger than Maya was at this age... except for her giant head which is still in the 90 percentile!  She is developing perfectly but man was she ticked off about having to get a shot!  Here are some fun Laurel pics:

A new favorite activity is to take all the pillows off the couch and jump on them.

This is a common Laurel look - an "I am not amused by your attempt to make me smile" look.

Art projects!

 

Ferry boat ride - checking out the wa-wa, seals and birds.



Mispronounciations

I am holding tightly to Maya's current mispronunciations... she doesn't have many these days.  I have yet to correct her because I am not quite ready to let go of the toddler she once was.

- Are we going the "reguly" way? (regular)
- I am making a "pattering". (pattern)
- Can I have some "piratcy"? (privacy)

Here she is on the first day of the new school year.  Such a big girl.

Camping!

Despite my extreme hesitation and expectation of worst case scenario, we headed to Lopez Island for a weekend of camping.  And guess what, it was a complete success.  The kids had a great time playing outside for days on end, they enjoyed splashing around at the beach and they even managed to sleep well in the tent!  Thanks to the Joneses and the Wards for a great trip... we survived it with 3 three-year olds and 2 one-year olds, it can only get easier from here.  Dare I say, we even had fun?

The kids table.

Eating fresh caught crab.

A little break from the chaos - stickers.

Conversing.

We headed to the local farmers market and got to check out a rescue helicopter.

Waiting for the helicopter to take off.  Although it doesn't appear so in this picture they were both pretty excited to watch.

Checking out the water.

I am not even sure there are words to describe how awesome she is!

 Notice the girls' attire?  Three moms and not one of us considered bringing beach wear for our walk to the beach.  Not our finest parenting moment.  We were very glad to have Aunt Jenny and Callie join us for the day.

 

The girls were so dirty when we got home that I made them have a pre-bath in the pool outside before allowing them to get into our actual bath tub.

T.M.I.

Just a little story to embarrass the girls when they get older...

The girls and I get home from a long day of school and work and Maya has to go to the bathroom... only she can't make it in time and ends up peeing on the floor.  I put Laurel down, who immediately starts screaming because she wants to eat and isn't happy there is a delay. I walk over to Maya so I can clean it up and notice that she had decided to try to catch it in her hands and is now clapping them together causing it to splatter all over.  So, I grab her, throw her in the tub and ask her to strip down. All of a sudden I hear Laurel's screaming escalate so I peak around the corner and quickly realize that she was following us and unfortunately for her slipped in the puddle, landed right on her back and is now covered with pee.  Um, gross.  She also gets tossed in the tub, still screaming of course. They stand there while I disinfect the hallway, then I somehow get them each bathed while Laurel continues to scream the entire time.

Eventually we manage to get everyone clean, settled and fed... although dinner that night was pb&j sandwiches, it was all I could handle!

Yes, I can laugh about it now.  At the time, after a long day... not so much.

Breakfast time!

Patiently waiting for pancakes!



There is a cute store here - I actually had them sitting across the table from each other but Laurel decided she wasn't happy with that arrangement.  She hopped off her chair and pushed it over to Maya's side so she could be as close to her big sister as possible. 

Roar!

It is only fitting that the first animal sound Laurel learns is that of a dinosaur.  Considering her big sister and father, I am hardly surprised!