Jillian birthday theme was "Guess Whoo's One" and surprisingly enough it was not hard at all to find owl stuff to go with the theme. She looked adorable in her owl onesie and tutu, and I'm pretty sure that she knew she looked cute. She really enjoyed opening her gifts and being the center of attention. Lauren and Will were happy to jump in and help get the job done. We all had a great time celebrating our sweet little one year old.

Jillian was not a big fan of her cake. I really think it was the chocolate, so maybe we will try vanilla for her second birthday.

Happy Birthday Jilly!

Our precious Jillian is now a big one year old. It is so unbelievable how fast this year has gone by. I really would not trade one second of the past year, even the many (and I mean many) late nights. Jillian is a tiny little thing (5th percentile in weight) but she has a big personality. She is so joyful most of the time but she can also be a stinker if she doesn't get what she wants. She has turned in to a little screamer, and we know she is just trying to figure out how to communicate with us. Jillian cruises around the furniture and crawls all over the place. We are having to keep a very close eye on her these days, and Lauren is a big help with that. She is not walking yet, but
we think she's just a few weeks away. She can say mama, da da, and bye bye. We think she says kitty when she sees Kirby, but not totally positive. As we celebrate her birthday I keep thinking about how much she has changed and how perfectly she fits into our family. A year ago, I was wondering who this little bundle in the blanket would be like, and I have come to realize that she is just perfectly Jillian. She is her own little person and is wonderfully made by God. I am thankful for ever moment I have with her and she continues to amaze us everyday.

Jillian's birthday pictures are coming soon...

A Party for a Princess

Lauren requested to have a princess birthday party this year. We decided to have the party at the park and try to "princess" the place up. We rented a Cinderella bounce house, and Mommy and Aunt Lolly decorated with as much pink and purple as we could find. It was the perfect party for our little princess.

as Lauren was getting ready to blow out the candles, her arm slid right into the cake. Priceless!

It's fun to be Four

I think it's is just fun to be Lauren, period! Scott and I have both said more than once that Lauren's main goal in life is to squeeze as much fun into everyday as she possibly can. So you can imagine that a month of birthday celebrations would be her dream come true. She asked for a bike for her birthday and she got to pick out the one she wanted. It really is a big girl bike, and she has been tearin' up the streets of our neighborhood on it. So fun! We are really proud of the little girl that Lauren is becoming. She is sweet, kind and loving. She loves to learn new things, and is amazingly smart, in our humble opinion. Her smile is so big and it lights up our lives. She wants to help with anything and everything, and she prides herself on being a "good helper". She adds so much fun and energy to our lives and we are thankful to Jesus for blessing us with such an amazing daughter.

School Days

Lauren started school at the beginning of September and she was so excited. She is going to the same school as last year so she was very comfortable starting things up again. This year she will be in a class with 4 other little girls which is a change from the all boy class she was in last year. She was excited to see the boys from last year and especially happy to see that Hunter was still in her class. They have a lot of fun activities planned this year and I know she loves her time there. I guess this means that Summer is coming to an end. It is going to be a busy fall but we are looking forward to it.



Jillian 10 months- crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. She is our little cutie pie. I have started calling her "stinker" or stink or stinky because she is getting in to everything. Love her so much!

Summer 2010

We didn't get to take a family vacation this summer but we were blessed to get to take several mini trips to visit family. Lots of family time and lots of great memories.

We had a mini-family reunion at Mimi and Papa's house in July. Lauren was smiling from ear to ear all weekend because she got to combine two of her favorite things: swimming and playing with Will. Lauren took swim lessons before the trip and she enjoyed showing everyone what she learned. Mimi and Papa had a new boat and it was amazing. Scott and I even got a chance to jet ski together and I think I scared him a little. It was Jillian and Blake's first time at the lake and all things considered they both did great. It was nice to relax and have fun with family.

We were in Midland this year on Mer-Mer's birthday and it was so fun for us to get to celebrate as a big family. We made the trip for Scott's high school reunion which oddly was 12 year instead of 10. It had been over a year since our last visit to Midland because of me being of bed rest during my pregnancy with Jill and having a new born, so we made up for it with two trips back to back. Whew! Lots of time on the road but a blessing to see our family so much.

We went to Midland to celebrate Grammie's graduation from college. We were all really proud of her and excited to celebrate her big accomplishment. To our surprise, it was super cold and the graduation was outside. It was weird to see people wrapped up in big blankets and jackets at the end of May in Midland, and it definitely added to the memories for all of us. Of course it is always a treat when all of the "little" Reed girls get to be together. As an added bonus Lauren caught her first fish while fishing out of the pond at Grammie and Granddaddy's. Her first attempt was unsuccessful, but day 2 brought a fish and a hook in the knee that Daddy had to pull out. So much fun and great memories.





Summer 2010

Father's Day 2010





This is a Father's Day post, just several months late. My girls have, without question, the most amazing man as their Daddy. He loves them both so much and I was hoping that he would be treated to a really nice Father's Day this year (last year Lauren was a real stinker). Well, this year we celebrated Father's Day with Jillian having a 103 degree temperature and hand, foot & mouth disease. Poor baby! Thankfully Jillian did fine with a little Tylenol and a nap, and the rest of us enjoyed a lunch of Lupe's Tortilla to-go. I guess you can't complain too much about that. Maybe next year we will actually make it out to a restaurant.

Jillybean is 9 Months Old

two bottom teeth

Jillian,

Happy 9 Month Birthday (a few days late). You have had an exciting past few weeks. No more "army crawling" for you. You are up on your hands and knees and giving your sister a run for her money with your speed. Toys have become a little bit of a battle ground between the two of you, and again, you are holding your own with Lauren. Even though your big sister is having to be reminded a lot to share and be kind to you, she still thinks you are the cutest baby in the world and Daddy and I whole heartedly agree. Da da is still your favorite thing to say, which is quite fitting because you are definetly a Daddy's girl. Your Daddy sure is proud of you and I think the two of you are a perfect match. Your favorite game is peek-a-boo with Mommy and Lauren. When we come to get you up from your nap, Mommy and Lauren take turns hiding behind your crib bumpers and you love to come find us and play peek-a-boo. I think that your sister would leave you in your crib and play peek-a-boo with you for hours if I would let her. And finally, after 9 Months of crazy sleep habits, you are getting better at sleeping through the night. Mommy is sure enjoying getting (a little) more rest. You are a great eater and you will pretty much eat whatever I put in your mouth. I need to start giving you some more green veggies because Dr. Talbot said your were looking a little orange from eating to many sweet potatoes and carrots. Everyone always tells us what a sweet baby you are. You are a little snuggler and you make yourself comfortable in anyone's arms. As long as you have your thumb to suck, you are pretty much a happy camper. I am little worried this is a bad habit in the making but it sure is cute. We think you are precious and perfect and we love watching you grow and change.

Jillian's 9 month measurements:
Height 26 1/2 inches (20th - 25th percentile)
Weight 16 lbs 11 oz (20th - 25th percentile)
Head 17 inches (25th percentile)

Jillian's Parent Commitment Service

2 Timothy 3:14-15

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.

May 23 was a special day for our sweet Jillian. We had a Parent Commitment Service at Houston's First Baptist Church were we promised to raise Jillian in a home that believes and trusts in Christ. We are blessed and honored that the Lord chose us for such an awesome responsibility. Lauren was so proud of her sister and she kept saying,"We are going to teach Jillian about Jesus". It is so sweet to think about Lauren sharing Jesus with Jillian, especially because we can already tell that Lauren is going to be such a big influence in her sister's life. Jillian was such a trooper considering that the service was right in the middle of her nap time, but she did end up falling asleep on Daddy's shoulder during the reception (which made for the most adorable picture). It was such a sweet time, and we were so blessed to share it with Grammy, Granddaddy, Aunt Holly, Uncle Daniel, cousins Will and baby Blake.

Our newest little Aggie

Cereal for Jillian

I prayed after having Lauren (little miss picky) that my next child would be a better eater. I think so far my prayers have been answered because Jillian really loves to eat. Now, she is continuing her trend of being a good eater and moving on to rice cereal. She literally smacks her lips when she sees me making her cereal. Lauren loves to feed Jillian, and this is a good and bad thing. Good because Lauren is so sweet and loves Jillian so much, bad because it takes her twice as long as it would take Scott or I to get the job done and twice as messy. We love these girls!

Notice my little helping hands

Tiny Dancers

Lauren is officially on her way to becoming a ballerina. She started ballet and tap class and I don't know if I can begin to explain how much she loves it. She goes to class on Monday mornings and then talks about it and "practices" for the rest of the week. I will say that it is definitely a fun way to start off the week, for both of us. Lauren's sweet friend Haley is also in her class, so I'm pretty sure life doesn't get much better in her eyes. She has to wear a black leotard and pink tights, with the cutest little ballet shoes. She is always so excited to get dressed for class and wants to wear the leotard all day after class.

Easter 2010

We enjoyed the girls so much at Easter time this year. Jillian is at an adorable age right now and its hard to take your eyes off of her because you don't want to miss a moment of her cuteness. She looked so precious in her Easter dress. Lauren was really into the egg hunts and candy, which I'm sure is shocking to everyone, but she was also very interested in the story of Easter.
Even though explaining the death and resurrection of Jesus to a 3 year old is challenging, we were able to continually remind Lauren that Jesus loves her and that he is alive. What a sweet and simple message to proclaim. Thank you Jesus that you love us and that you are alive.

Seriously, could Jillian's bow be any bigger? I take full responsibility!