five things

{1}
Our little girl is just that, a little girl.
She is reaching milestones by the day and leaving behind little bits of infant-ness by the moment.*
The other morning I walked in and this is what I saw:


And I immediately reached for my camera,
which is still at the camera doctor.
Oh, how I miss her so.

*
Don't worry, we are savoring the infant-ness moments we have left.
They were right. 
This all goes too fast.

{2}
I still haven't quite figured out blogging balanced with motherhood.
Since we use this blog as our family scrapbook, there are several things I realized I haven't blogged about that I want to remember.
For example...
My first Mother's Day

Matt surprised me with a spa day.
I left the house Saturday morning at 8:30 am, for my 9:00 am 60 minute massage and didn't return until 3:00 PM.
There was also a facial, mani/pedi, and a blow out.
A full day of pampering and since the last pedicure I had was the week of Lauren's birth, it was time.
I loved coming home to see Matt and Lauren, who had worn one another out, and listen to them tell me all about their day together.
Well, Matt told me.
I would have loved to hear Lauren's version.
On Sunday, we went downtown for brunch and Matt & Lauren gifted me with a special charm for my bracelet.

It was a nice little weekend, full of love for this beautiful little girl who has completely changed our lives.
But I couldn't help but thinking about the mothers in my life and how my love and amazement grows for them each day I experience motherhood.

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother - Abraham Lincoln

{3}
The other purpose of blogging is to keep our family and friends updated on our life and we have quite the update.
We sold our house in Tennessee...
to some really sweet buyers.

A long story short, my parents sold their house and have been in search of something for a little while now. Not finding what they were looking for and running out of time, they came to us with an idea. While I was a little worried they were just being really kind, having a nice, new, temporary home works for them right now and it allows us to make Texas a permanent home.
I am looking forward to seeing them make this house a home
{since we never did and they are really good at it!}
and as of last Friday, we officially stopped referring to it as Matt & Sarah's house.

{4}
For Christmas Lauren received two Disney Princess castles, one that involves horses that klip-klap through the stable and the other where each Disney Princess announces herself and sings a song.
Between our moves, these items remained in their perspective boxes.
Until we had a few rainy days...




There is no doubt, that I had more fun than Lauren.
I was giddy putting the things together...
it was probably one of the few times I've used a screwdriver and been thrilled while doing so.




I am in no hurry for my sweet baby to grow up and have princess tea parties wearing gowns,
but when she is ready...

So am I.

{5}
Today at playgroup Lauren was the oldest babe there and the only one without teeth.

But that's okay.

It's common in the McQuinn family not to have teeth until close to a one year of age

and






we really can't get enough of that gummy smile.

Lauren & Grace

When Kathleen and I realized that we were pregnant at the same time, visions of life long play dates danced in our heads.
Kathleen and Matt discovered they were having a baby girl a couple months before my due date.
 When 'George' was finally introduced as our Lauren, we knew we had a couple of 'BFF's' to raise.



I hated not being able to visit Kathleen in the hospital or stop by the Schroeder family home to introduce myself to Miss Gracie,
{read: torture} 
so we were thrilled when Matt and Kath decided to be our first official Texas visitors.



Kathleen and I FaceTime a good amount, so in ways I felt like I had spent hours with Gracie,
but oh,
that feeling of holding her for the first time.
The best.




We found ourselves talking about how in a few years we will think of the girls as the same age.
They are only four months apart, but with Lauren mobile and Gracie staying sweetly in one spot, cooing and smiling, they seem like a baby and a big girl.



We had a pretty quiet weekend with some pool time and even enjoyed a few meals out.



Conversation included a lot of life with baby talk,
{umm... can I just mention how great it is to be on this new mom journey with a bestie}
but there were lingerings of our pre-parent selves mixed in.



We had a wonderful time.
Matt and I enjoyed every second and were so happy the Schroeder Family braved Gracie's first flight to come visit!
she did awesome by the way



I can't wait to see them again in just a few short weeks and continue to watch our girls grow together for years to come.

And with Kathleen as a mom and Matt as a dad, Gracie is sure to grow up to be one sweet, smart, kind, and beautiful little girl.

Lauren is pretty lucky to call her a friend...

...and I feel pretty lucky to call Gracie's mommy my friend too.

34 weeks

33 weeks

This little girl is officially on the move.
Crawling,
Pulling herself up,
and opening up cabinets and finding everything she isn't supposed to have her hands on.

She keeps us busy...
and our house full of laughter, gibberish, and lots of love.

****

I noticed that the focus on my DSLR camera seemed a bit off and she wasn't performing like her stellar self lately, so she is visiting the repair spot for some overdue service.

I miss her already.

Especially since she is currently sitting in a box on the counter, all ready to be shipped out...

Who knew a stay at home mom would have a hard time making it to the post office?

five things

{1}
It's official.

We've got a crawler in the house.
She's been a roller and a body surfer with a mean army crawl, but now her belly is off the ground and it's one hand in front of the other. Her legs get caught up behind her in a sweet little pretzel twist, but we know that in a matter of days, she will be zipping through the living room.


{2}
Bella and Lauren's relationship continues to grow.
{especially since she became mobile}
One of the sweetest things about moving back to the US, was knowing that Lauren would grow up with Bella.

When Lauren is napping, from time to time Bella can be found relaxing on her elephant chair.

Whether it's her way of getting a well deserved break or staying close to Lauren while she's asleep,
 we think it's pretty much adorable.

{3}
I've shared my love of wine before and my devotion to Cakebread.
I've even mentioned my hope to be a lucky Cakebread Wine Club member.
My husband made that happen for me at Christmas.

Every other month I happily await a heavy box, containing four bottles of wine.
For a girl who loves mail and wine... it makes my day.

{4}
Lauren is still exploring the world of purees.
While she isn't gagging as often, she still doesn't love her greens,
which kind of breaks my green loving heart.
In time, I am sure she will learn to appreciate her nutrient rich vegetable choices,
but for now, one green option we can both agree on...
avocado.


{5}
Before I became a parent I swore my living room would never be the playroom.
This is the current state of my living room:

While a large part of this situation is due to lack of space...
this whole parenting thing is really humbling.

32 weeks

five things

{1}

We had a great weekend celebrating Matt's birthday that included a trip to a food truck festival {where we ran into a couple from Cartagena that has been relocated to Houston}, a few gifts including getting fitted and ordering new golf clubs, ice cream pie, and a nice dinner out to one of our old favorite sea food spots.
We missed the Gulf Coast.
Especially the oysters.

{2}
During our dinner out, Lauren sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time.
And felt pretty special doing it.
Matt and I loved it. She entertained herself with rice crackers and people watching while we enjoyed our meals...
and a celebratory glass of wine.
Both for Matt's birthday and Lauren's new milestone.


{3}
Every year I print our blog into a book. It works pretty well since I don't scrapbook anymore nor do I print pictures for albums. When I printed 2013, I noticed a few of my last posts didn't have pictures. A few months ago, I was made aware that the photos were showing up differently on the blog from Flickr. I thought it was a change they made. Apparently it was a change in my settings. So now on my to do list, is the task of replacing all those pictures with the correct setting, so I can print our 2014 book with pictures.
guh.

Oh and by the way, while I was strolling down memory lane....
remember when 'this' welcomed us to Cartagena

It looked the exact same when we left.

{4}
This girl had some dental work done yesterday, which is quite invasive when you are a canine.
Anesthesia, teeth cleaning and little extra gum work.
She's on the mend and getting some extra attention around here.


{5}
While Matt was getting fitted for clubs last weekend, Lauren and I did a little shopping.
I stumbled upon both of these on the clearance rack at Marshall's.

Seriously.
In the middle of Webster, Texas.

I guess we are meant to be here...

31 weeks

7 months

At seven months, little LEMma LEMma P *...

... is SO close to crawling. She's a maniac on the floor. Scooting, rolling, up on all fours, and army crawling, but not crawling by definition.
... is a babbling girl. She likes to be heard {in true Schoenfelder form}. Her first recognizable babble, "Mama".
... is coming around to her vegetables, but definitely prefers her fruit. She loves peaches, bananas, apples, and avocado and beams with pride when she uses the cup herself.
... loves her some Bella. She follows her around {as much as she can on the floor}, is fascinated by her toys, and is in heaven when she rides in the backseat with her. The feeling is mutual.. especially since Lauren began eating solids in a high chair.
... is still toothless and full of gummy smiles.
... still loves her exersaucer and jumping around. She's a mover.
...doesn't sleep through the night. Yet.


*LEMma LEMma P is a take on Lauren's initials and how L,M,N,O,P seem to be squished together in the alphabet

five things

{1}
When I found out we were moving to Texas, I immediately began researching Houston children's photographers. After some research and a referral, we scheduled a session at the end of April with sweet Jenny from Jenny Miller Photography.
A few weeks ago she advertised a free session for the Mini Bluebonnet Sessions she was offering. This American family got really lucky and won.
It was the perfect welcome to Texas session for our little Lauren and we couldn't have been happier with the images!







We met with Jenny again last weekend and had a blast with her. We are SO excited to see the sweet shots of our girl...
I can't believe she is 7 months tomorrow!

{2}
There were many things that drove me crazy about Cartagena, but I never had a "I don't know what to wear" melt down.
You knew what the weather was going to be like and there wasn't anywhere you couldn't go in 'casual' attire.
Since returning to the US, I have had several "I don't know what to wear" meltdowns.
I realized after living in South America for three years and spending the last year pregnant, my wardrobe needed some updating.
I have been searching for key 'go-to' pieces to add to my closet here and there, but my shopping patterns have changed since I started bringing my little darling along.
Cue Stitch Fix.
An online personal styling service for women.
They send you 5 pieces, you try it on, keep what you like, send back what you don't.
I was a little hesitant about it, but after reading some blogs and reviews, I decided to give it a try.
 
Loved it.
First, I love mail. Especially in the form of clothing. And it's quite fun to have no idea what's in the box. Surprise!
Second, you fill out a style profile when you register. Based on your responses, a stylist chooses five pieces for you.
I ended up keeping a blouse that I would have never picked up on my own. That's fun.
I also kept a cardigan that is totally versatile and is a great fit.
I completed a survey about the items sent, what I liked, what I didn't, what fits worked, etc, so the next fix, should be even more personalized.
Lastly, as a new mom, it is awesome to try on clothes on your own time, in the comfort of your own home.
I am not sure I did a great the greatest job of explaining the service, but I definitely recommend.
And if you want to try it out, feel free to use this link, http://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3591974,
which gives this mama a credit toward her next fix.

xo

{3}
I took this picture of Lauren a few weeks ago and every time I look at it, I smile.

I can't get enough of it.
That sweet yawn,
a girl with her favorite toys.
I love her.

{4}
I finally got around to blogging about Christmas 2013.
Yes, it's May 1st.
One of my April to-do's was blog about Christmas and order our 2013 blog book.
done and done.

If you would like to read about Christmas 2013, check it out here.

Let me warn you, it's not my typical Christmas post.
I was disappointed in myself, but it's a little difficult to be in the Christmas spirit in May
and to recall all those special holiday details.

Note to self... next year, don't wait 5 months.

{5}
This weekend, we get to celebrate a birthday...

And since I wasn't around for the last two,
I'm really looking forward to this one...

Happy 32nd birthday to Lauren's dad!