Birthday Cake Rocks!

Because Max's neutrophil count is so low, we had to cancel Lauren's birthday party. Luckily, we were able to find the perfect little birthday cake and a nice candle, and we had a celebration, just the four of us. Lauren loved the cake. Unlike Max, who seemed baffled by the sweet, sticky, messy thing placed in front of him when he was one, Lauren attacked it with gusto, digging right in to the frosting before picking up the cake. She enjoyed every bite, and we enjoyed watching her eat it.

This is how you do it, Lauren.

Max was happy to show Lauren how to open her birthday presents. He was also happy to show her how to play with them. He wasn't always as happy about letting her play with them. 

For Me?

She is one already. Where has the last year gone? 17 pounds now, healthy, happy, and a ton of fun. She keeps us running and while I can't say I enjoy every minute of it, we do love her personality. She is into everything, has a great sense of humor, and I can not believe she is one year old today. 

Yum!

After peeling the "perfect" banana for Max, I turned around to find Lauren sitting in Max's stool, happily eating it. She ate the entire banana all by herself, and enjoyed every bite. 

Sit and......

She hasn't exactly mastered the spin part, but she is working on it.

Lauren loves playing with toys that we used to think were way to big for her. She enjoys Max's cars, his little trike, his rocking chair, the sit and spin, and the smaller slide. Some of these things Max has outgrown, so it is really nice to see them being used by Lauren.

Not a Baby Anymore

I can't believe she is almost 1. She climbed up in this chair all by herself and was so pleased. She is a very independant little girl, quite determined, and busy busy busy all the time. She is tons of fun, but I have to admit I am exhausted. I wouldn't change her, though. Well, except for the not liking to sleep thing. 

Beep Beep!

One of her favorites Max toys is the car. She often climbs right over the top of the doors to get in.

More Ice Cream

I couldn't resist this shot. 

Ice Cream and Geese

Max loves chocolate ice cream. Every time we go to Kimball's he gets it. He also loves the animals there. This day, he was cold so he wore my shirt, which went to his ankles. It was a fun afternoon, especially because Uncle Greg had come to visit. 

All Geared Up.

He isn't sure what roller blading is, but he is ready for it (well, except for his helmet). Max's favorite thing to do right now is to play pretend, especially with props. You won't see any pictures of it, but I was all dressed up, too. 

Getting Bigger....

But not giving up the Pooh seat. Cisco sneaks into this seat whenever he has a chance. I am not sure what he is going to do when he outgrows it. 

Over to the Dark Side

Well, we did it. We bought a minivan. And you know what? We love it. No more knees in the dashboard. No more 4 hours of playing packing tetris. The dogs are comfortable. We can even get everyone plus our stuff inside it rather than on top. (We ended up taking the box off the top when we figured that out.) 

Loving Mommy

I just could not resist posting this picture.