{five things}

{1}
At the beginning of last week a little virus came into our home and took Matt and I hostage for 24 hours.
Thankfully it didn't take Lauren.
But having a healthy toddler did make the day a little more challenging.

Remember a few posts ago, where I whined about how much more difficult this second pregnancy is.
Well, I got a little taste of what it could be like and I'll just keep my symptoms.

{2}
Halloween has been a lot of fun this year.
Lauren understands a little bit more,
is excited about pumpkin sightings,
the potential of scoring some M&M's
and her cow costume.

Last week, we attended a little Halloween party at The Little Gym.

She got a few pieces of candy, had a blast with the bubbles, and enjoyed pointing out all the Elsa's in the room.

We also attended a local Halloween in the Park event.
Lauren got a little more practice with the actual trick or treating part and really enjoyed looking through her collection of candy.


She even got to choose one piece before bed.
Brave?
yes.

{3}
Lauren is a budding little artist.

She loves to color, paint, and do anything with the word 'project' attached.
While we had our first 'no coloring on the wall' conversation recently...

I love watching her creativity at work

and how proud she is when we hang it on the fridge.


{4}
Now that I don't take a monthly photo of Lauren, I also don't do a monthly update of all the little things she doing or saying.
I realized that makes me kind of sad.
So as a sort of documentation for my mama-self,
here's a few of my fave All Things Lauren right now:

* she talks. a lot. and quite well. Her phrases are getting larger and larger and her vocabulary broader and broader.
Our conversations are becoming quite entertaining.

* she calls herself, Lorno.
 I love this.
"Lorno wash her hands"
"Lorno's dolly"
"Mommy, Daddy, Lorno"
Did I mention I love it?

* she loves her dollies and has been playing with them so sweetly.
Putting them to bed,
feeding them,
patting their little backs and
shhhh-ing them at the same time.
If it's any indication of the big sister she will be... this baby is a lucky one.

* she still loves books and has started to memorize her favorites.
She can pretty much rehash the story of Five Little Pumpkins
and the other day I heard her say "true love" when reading Frozen aloud.
Oh, my heart.

* Speaking of heart, she talks about Disney, a lot.
Hugging Pooh & Tigger & Belle,
Ariel at the parade,
riding the 'horsey' with Papa & 'Gamma',
Mickey singing Happy Birthday.
Matt and I are amazed at how much she remembers and love listening to her talk about it.

{5}
We held our 10th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest.
Lauren painted her pumpkin while mom & dad carved theirs.



It's pretty obvious we don't have the time we once had to devote to this competition.

But a winner was crowned,

evening out the score at 5 wins a piece.

Good time to retire?

Maybe next year when I take another win...

five things

...Lauren's been up to this summer.

{1} Pool time/Splash Pad


With the dreaded Texas heat upon us, the splash pad and pool have been bit hits for us as of late. Lauren loves the water so we've also clocked in some hours at our neighborhood pool and the Fisher's backyard.

Lauren also began swimming lessons last week, which are going wonderfully. She attends on Wednesday evenings with Dad who has been great {much better than mom} at helping Lauren to get her whole face in the water.


{2} Fourth of July Parade
We attended the city's annual 4th of July parade and this girl got a lot of of waving & 'Hi's' in.

Especially to the horses & the Chik-fil-A cow.

She also watched fireworks from the backyard. With no issues.
One less thing we have to worry about next year.

{3} Little Helper
That Texas heat sometimes keeps us inside, so one thing that has kept us busy & happy this summer is baking.




{4} Baseball
The Royals were in town and we couldn't not go.
Lauren sported her new Esky shirt from Uncle Tyler and lasted until the bottom of the 8th.
On a Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, she has also now seen a Royals loss.

{5} Morning Walks

We love to go on walks.
It's been part of a routine since Lauren was itty-bitty.
And in this weather, we switch it up a little bit and take our walks first thing in the morning.
After breakfast, of course.
It sort of reminds me of our Colombian days, when I took her out first thing in the morning and walked around the bay.
I'm really hoping baby #2 enjoys walks {or is just as good in a stroller} as his/her big sister.
That being said, my double stroller hunt is on...
... any suggestions??

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.

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...

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!

five things

It is my goal to make at least three blog posts a week.
So far, the only reliable post is a weekly picture of Lauren.
But goals are things to work towards and consider this a step in the right direction.

{1}

It just so happened my grandparents were in the state of Texas visiting my Uncle Dan, who lives in the area. Their evenings were all booked up with previously scheduled plans, so they didn't get to see Matthew, but Lauren and I spent a lovely afternoon with them.

I love watching Lauren with my grandparents.
There is something so special about it..
and it makes me smile.

{2}

We are settling right into this America thing.

We spent a wonderful weekend as a family of three plus a boxer, which included watching basketball, lunch and shopping at the Galleria, driving through surrounding areas in search of the right city/neighborhood to begin our house hunt, and of course Target.
And the craziest part of it all...
we get to do it all over again this weekend.
This whole 2-day weekend thing is pretty great.

{3}

I am still working on getting caught up as an American.
I am constantly thinking of things we need and to-do's that need to be crossed off.
We still have boxes sitting around that need to be taken to storage and random items waiting to find their home.
I am itching to get things on the walls, but heavily debating if it is worth finding the perfect arrangement of things, followed by holes in the walls, and then another move.
I think it's probably worth it...
I am not sure if my husband will agree.
However we did get a little something on the walls in Lauren's {third} nursery.

{4}
At this time, both of our teams are no longer part of the Madness.
Both Tennessee and Iowa State lost tonight.
But we've had a lot of fun coordinating outfits for each game...
and by we, I mean I had a lot of fun coordinating Lauren's outfits.
I'm getting excited for football season.

{5}
Lauren is a growing girl. I can't believe we are approaching the 6 month mark. She is a happy girl, who loves to giggle, is constantly blowing raspberries, and can be found rolling around the living room. She is a talker and likes to see how loud she can get. She still loves her dolly Lola, bouncing in her exersaucer, and her pacifier. She is working on sitting up, but she's not quite there yet.
But that's okay, because, just like everyone said, it's going too fast...

her giggles slay me.
every. time.
will that ever stop?
I hope not.