FLOOD!!!!!

We got home from Florida Saturday evening and at 2:15 on Sunday morning Steve heard a noise and went to the hall to find our house was flooded. The guest bathroom had a pipe bust and lots of water was quickly coming down the hall. in a nutshell Lauren's room is a total loss, she has to have a new bed, dresser, desk, hamper.etc, etc. her floor, the hall hardwood floor, the dining room, our closet and the living room floors all have to be replaced. I am so glad we came home from Florida when we did or the whole house would have been a total loss and we have insurance but it's frustrating none the less. I am trying to look at the bright side and at least we'll have all new floors and Lauren will have a brand new room :) We do need prayers though because this is a stressful time dealing with insurance adjusters and so on.

A Florida Christmas

We are back.....We had a great trip to Florida to see family.It was 82 degrees for Christmas. Wahoo...even our dog Molly loved the warm weather. HA

Lauren had so much fun with the cousins and she had a bounty of gifts. Her all time favorite gift this year was a leapster, she got a leapster and 6 games for it and she has not put it down since she opened it. it made for a nice ride home. :) she also got 7 new board games so we'll be busy for a while playing those. She LOVES to play board games. We had a great visit but it's so nice being home and in my own bed. :)



The Dudley Cousins




playing leapster with Heather

Merry Christmas !!!!

We are leaving for Florida tomorrow but wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas....

lauren and the piano

Lauren got a mini baby grand piano for her birthday. This is her mini concert :)

Childrens Church Christmas Program

Lauren was in the childrens Christmas program at church on Sunday, her job was to hold the letters C and H which were helping to spell out Christmas. She did well for a few minutes and then got the urge to spin and so there was no being still after that, she spun on stage and twirled. then the ball on her hat was between her eyes so she started crossing her eyes trying to see it. :)

Party Pictures

The birthday party was alot of fun, 8 friends came and they wore themselves out bouncing,playing with the train tables,running and twirling . Lauren was so tired she crashed on the way home, that's the sign of a good party :)

Tomorrow's Excitement

Lauren's 4th birthday party is tomorrow at a safari themed jump place called lollipops and today she is wildly excited. seriously, she cannot wait. She keeps going under our tree and asking " Is this for my birthday". Honestly, she cannot sit still, there will be no nap for her today :)

I'll post party pictures after tomorrow's festivities. Here's a dressup picture for you of today's fashion choice.

4 Year Old Portraits

We took Lauren for her 4 year old portraits on Tuesday and to say it was a nightmare is a huge understatement. We went to the picture people and waited for our turn, well, we got lauren into a room and they discovered they had the wrong name on the wall and it wasn't our turn yet so we had to wait again, when it was finally our turn Lauren REFUSED to cooperate, she crossed her arms and would not budge. she complained for almost an hour that she didn't like her outfit ( she picked it out at the children's place and it wasn't on sale ) so after trying to bribe her with a trip to the disney store, candy, and half the world we left the mall and came home empty handed. However, the story doesn't end there because I am in the picture peoples portrait club and my membership expired that day I had to get the pictures done so we came home Lauren picked her own outfit and we got 4 year old pictures taken that evening. So, she is not in the outfit I paid full price for, she is in an old outfit that she wanted to wear but the pictures are done and I need a nerve pill. Keep in mind she in not even 4 yet, what am I going to do when the hormones come into play ?

Mama, Come Look At Me

I was in the playroom cleaning up and Lauren called out " mom, come look " My first thought was Oh no, what now. She had taken my couch cushions off and made a spot to flip in. The couches are pushed together because the Christmas tree will only fit in one spot in my living room so Lauren now thinks it's a great place to flip.

And no, she is not wearing pants...You can't wear pants with a tutu and a crown :)

Such A Funny Girl

I decided to make french fries at home yesterday to go with lunch so I was cutting potatoes and frying them when Lauren came in and said " I smell something good" I said yes, it's lunch cooking, Mommy is cooking french fries to which she replied " There's no Mcdonalds bag" oh my word, my poor kid thinks that all fries come from Mcdonalds :)

Homeschooling

We have been praying and thinking very hard lately about homeschooling Lauren and have come to the decision that starting in January she will begin homeschooling at least through the elementary years and then we'll see about a private school. Her last day at preschool will be the week of Christmas break. We have already joined a local homeschooling activity group and they have weekly activities for the children and monthly teaching meetings for parents. We also got a package of curriculum from Sonlight. We also prepared our house by turning the playroom into an office/ playroom and buying a student desk and chair set for Lauren. We are all excited about it and feel like this is the best decision for us and for Lauren. Steve is a bus driver for our county and quite honestly our schools here are not the best in my opinion, lots of issues I won't put on a public forum but trust me they are really bad. anyway, here's a picture of our little turkey with her Thanksgiving hat and napkin holder she made :) We hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. We all have lots to be Thankfull for :)

Family Day Celebration

We have had a busy Family Day weekend so far, Friday night we put up our tree and Christmas village, This morning Lauren had parent day at dance school so we got to sit in on her class, then we headed to lunch and to see the new Madagascar movie, the mall was having a children's festival so after the movie we headed to that. We are having a busy but great weekend with our girl :)

Three Years Ago

Steve and I met little Lauren for the first time, I cannot believe it's been three years. I'll never forget that day or the 7 hours of screaming that took place after they handed her to me that first time. She has changed so much physically, socially, mentally since then. She is now a carefree, happy girl that loves her mama AND her dada unlike those first few days. What a blessing we have been given not only with the gift of Lauren but also with the gift of the other families we traveled with, we have made some wonderful friends with those 11 families :)


First time seeing mama

Her first reaction to dada

Gingerbread House

I got Lauren a wilton gingerbread house kit. She had the best time spreading the icing, and decorating the house. Walmart has them for $10.00 and they are pre baked and pre built, all you do is mix the icing. I highly recommend them for these cold, dreary days. :)






Spreading Icing







The artist and her creation



The finished product