Rehn turns Two!

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His cute little voice calling out "Hhhot... Mama, Daddy... Pop!..." filled the air, as Rehn ran from one thing to the next with the energy only a toddler can have.

Our little nephew, Rehn Scott, turned 2 years old this weekend! Robin hosted a fun party for him at the park, and all his cousins had a grand time with all the sugar and games! The fabulous cake was not only pretty to look at, but so scrumptious that the entire table of kids was silent as they consumed it... I think Robin should go into cake business! :)

The birthday boy was having so much fun running around that Robin had to corral him to open his presents... though I'm sure he will enjoy them plenty at home! :) My girlies loved the party, and were very happy with the 'loot' they brought home from the treasure chest pinata!

~len

Blowing Dandelions

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While I'm not so sure the park's gardener will be so appreciative of the propagation, Elizabeth & Evangeline were in Dandelion Heaven this afternoon at the park! Evangeline also had a blast stomping through the clumps of white poofs, watching the white fuzzies blanket her toes! It was fun to watch them dance around and laugh at the drifting seeds. One time Elizabeth blew into the breeze, filling her mouth with fuzz... it was so funny to see her reaction! :)

Hope you are also having a lovely spring!

~len

Morgan: Graduation Card

Her mom called me a few weeks ago, saying they decided to order Morgan's graduation cards with photos from her senior session that we did a few months back.

I had so much fun putting this 4x5.5 card together for Morgan! They decided to upgrade to the awesome metallic finish, which gave it such a cool shimmery affect! The quick photos I snapped in my kitchen don't really do it justice (of course, I've edited out the personal info on the front and inside)... I wanted to keep one just to look at and feel. The smooth shiny finish was addicting to the touch! :)

~len

28 Weeks

...84 days to go!

By this week, the baby weighs 2 and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open and close his eyes, which now sport lashes.

And just for fun, here is a 3-D ultrasound image of a baby off of the Baby Center website:

Last Friday after dropping the girlies off at the grandparents for the day, Scott & I drove a few hours over to Modesto to visit our good friends Matt & Cami. The day was a lovely respite from the normal daily responsibilities... we spent it chatting, playing the card game Rook, and going out to eat a scrumptious meal.

Cami & I have been friends since we were 15, were in each other's weddings, and now are both preggo at the same time together! Cami is due about 10 weeks after me and isn't showing yet, so we didn't do her belly photos this time... but she did take a few fun ones of me and the little man.

~len

Audrey Caroline

Audrey Caroline

While I've never had to walk the hard road of miscarriage, I am a mother and am currently pregnant, so in many ways Audrey and her family's story speaks volumes to my heart. I thought I'd share her story with you all, to minister to your hearts as well... wherever you may be in your life's journey.

Our Little Girl is Growing Up

She entered the world with her fist clenched to her cheek, a gesture that foretold her adorable habit of sucking her thumb as a baby. Her cherubic cheeks, beautiful skin, honey brown ringlets curling about her face, and large round eyes melted the hearts of more than just her daddy and I. As her sweet and happy demeanor grows more and more pronounced by the day, I become aware of how blessed I am to have a daughter who is so thrilled to participate in our daily life in whatever way she can.

Elizabeth Rose was born 4 years ago today. She has been so excited waiting for this special moment, counting down the months, weeks, and days! She has "planned" her birthday party (to be held on Sunday) with great anticipation, from the pink sparkly balloons, pink sparkly presents, pink dress, pink shoes, to the "pink cake like a big strawberry" (catching the theme here?!), even going to great lengths to list for me the guests she wants to attend...

"I want to invite Grandma & Grandpa, and my Aunties and Uncle John, Grandma Helen & Pop, Auntie Robin, Uncle Edde, Rehn, Auntie Angie & Uncle Daniel, Caleb & baby Madeline, Auntie Jojo, Ali, Uncle David, David's friend Nick (I'm not shy of him, Mommy), Uncle Jeff & Auntie Carolyn (but they live a long, long, looonnng way away, by the ocean), Avila & baby Hope, Merci & Jaden, Kelsey & Cammi..."

The list goes on, but my prego brain can't remember them all. Thank goodness we are celebrating at the park! :) If you are on this list (or aren't, but would like to come have fun!), and I haven't been able to spare a minute to call you, please consider this your personal invite from Elizabeth. :)

As for today, since she is getting over a little cough, we decided to keep it simply just our little family. We have spent the entire day doing girlie things that have kept her smile plastered to her face! I'm going to list the Elizabeth's day of events out of deference to my lapsing memory... feel free to skip ahead to photos! :)

• woke up to ribbons adorning the house
• long bath playtime
• got a visit from Grandma, Auntie Karen & Julianne, was given a special birthday ribbon (she wore it all day, taking it off only to crawl into bed tonight!)
  
• manicures and pedicures on both girlies
• make-up and perfume for all of us girlies
  
• first birthday present of 4 $1 bills - HUGE smile!
  
• good-byes to Daddy, and off for a day of fun!
• bought a little horse and princess at first stop with her birthday money
• went to In-N-Out for lunch - menu choice was only french fries, but ate her hamburger anyhow. :)
• visited Pop & Grandma Helen, opened a present - a pink bubble wand! Both girlies squealed with glee chasing the bubbles!
• visited Grandma & Grandpa and asked if I wanted to go work at the Dojo (she wanted to hang out there awhile longer)!
• went to McDonald's to play on the play land, made a new little friend sliding down the slides, and had a blast...
• went to Starbucks and girlies split a "strawberry water", got lots of attention from our barrista friends which made her glow
• came home and picked flowers out of the garden to decorate the house "for her birthday"
• made dinner, her menu choice of Spaghetti and salad
• took dinner to the Dojo; all the students sang Happy Birthday to her; had dinner with Daddy
• went by one more store on the way home and bought some headbands with more of her birthday monies.
• came home and snuggled into bed with a beaming face and heart...

It was a full (free!) day of FUN and SPECIAL memories! :)










~len

Our Boy

Your pregnancy: 26 weeks, 98 days to go!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air.

The Many Faces Of Laura V

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Just a small taste of the fun we had that day! :) The rest of the images are almost ready...

I've been delayed on my work here with a bunch of house rearranging to make room for the next phase of the remodel. It feels like we are moving almost! We finally got our reclaimed wood flooring in... new life reincarnated, from an old floor in an Alaskan fishery to our cozy little craftsman bungalow!

I'll update more when I get a chance, just now I need to go put a new coat of paint on my bed frame refinishing project.

Many thanks to Edde for setting up our new wireless router! My laptop is loving the freedom!!!

~len

Daughters' Love

Each morning we awake to sleepy little voices calling out, "Mommy, I woke up! May I come suggle wid you duys?", and if it isn't too early :), we have them come crawl into bed with us for our morning tradition of Snuggle Time. The other morning during our snuggles, Elizabeth smiled impishly and proclaimed "I love you to my nose!", and after we giggled together, she added, " and I love you to the driveway!"... My almost 4 year old is too creative! :)

Evangeline also loves Snuggle Time, and usually brings her special blankie with her. Every morning she exposes my baby bump and proceeds to kiss, cuddle, and talk with the baby, all the while sharing her beloved blankie with him "to keep him warm". It just is so sweet to watch our girlies get excited about their baby brother... anyone who even so much as looks at them in a store gets the announcement "We are having a baby brother"!

~len