lauren and jillian

2011-07-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Dance Recital

Lauren started taking dance in September 2010. She showed off her beautiful ballet and fancy tap dance at her first dance recital this spring. She loved getting her hair and make up done and being in the spot light on stage in a big auditorium. But the thing that put the biggest smile on her face was the flowers that Daddy gave her after the performance.

2011-07-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Following in her Daddy's footsteps

Lauren played her first season of soccer this spring. Besides looking incredibly cute in her soccer uniform, she did a great job and worked hard to learn the skills of the game. Scott coached her team and I was amazed by his patience when teaching the kiddos on Lauren's team. Just another example of what a great Daddy Scott is to Lauren and Jillian.

Coach Dad and his girls

GO DRAGONS

2011-07-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2010

Two Christmas cuties in matching Santa jammies

Sneaking a bite of Santa's cookies before bed!
No worries, he didn't hold it against her.

2011-07-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

A Merry Christmas with the Reeds

Lauren, Maia and Josie got Rapunzel dolls for Christmas
complete with add on hair extensions!

Aunt Mar and sweet Jillian

Granddaddy with his youngest granddaughter

2011-07-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas with the Walker's, Duckworth's and Young's

Dressed up for some Christmas fun!

2011-07-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

The Reed girls decorating Christmas cookies at Grammie and Granddaddy's house

They really weren't having very much fun at all :)

Josie was sprinkle crazy!

2011-07-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving with our sweet cousins at Mimi's house

I love Will's face in this picture

2011-07-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Thanksgiving like a chocolate pilgrim hat

No chocolate pilgrim hats for these two!

2010-11-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-11-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-11-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

2010-11-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-11-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

Jillian's birthday pictures are coming soon...

2010-11-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-11-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

2010-11-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

2010-11-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-09-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-09-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-09-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-06-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our newest little Aggie

2010-04-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-03-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jillian-5 months

Can my baby really be 5 months old? I am seriously asking myself this question over and over again because I truly can't believe it. What an amazing and blessed past few months we have been living. The lack of sleep and constant spitting up (we are talking three wardrobe changes a day for her and me) are nothing compared to the joy that little Jillian brings to our family. She is getting cuter everyday and her little personality is really starting to come out. I think she might be a little shy because she sometimes acts embarrassed when she notices that you're looking at her. Staying true to the girl in her, she is a little squealer. She has started smiling and laughing a lot, and I can not tell you how much it lights me up inside to hear that sweet giggle. Another milestone that Jillian has mastered is rolling over. She has been a little rolly poly for several weeks now, so I can no longer lay her down in one place with the guarantee that she will be waiting for me in the same spot when I return. Lauren tells her all the time, "Stay on your blanket Jilly". Cracks me up! We are working on sitting up, but she is still pretty shaky. Jillian has also recently discovered her feet. She can entertain herself for quite sometime with her new found appendages. It's pretty adorable when she sucks on her little toes, but not at 3 in the morning when her feet are entertaining her so much that she can't sleep. So this is what the little Reed has been up too lately. Lots of growing and changing, everyday it seems like, and so much happiness and joy. Praise the Lord for an amazing past 5 months.

2010-02-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Big Sister-Little Sister

Lauren has found a best friend in her little sister. Lauren loves that Jill is starting to smile and interact more. Jillian watches everything Lauren does with wonder and amazement. I often have to remind Lauren that Jillian is not a life size baby doll, but I am pretty sure that Lauren believes that Jillian was brought in to this world for the sole purpose of being her play mate. Lauren tells Jillian all time, "I'm glad your here". It warms my heart to think of how close they are going to be. Thank you Lord for these precious girls.

This is what happens to you when the weather is cold outside and you have a 3 year old sister that loves to play dress up

2010-01-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

A visitor from the North

The girls were so excited when Santa made an early visit to our neighborhood. He heard that all of the kiddos in our cul-de-sac were making Christmas cookies at the Fricke's house, so he hopped on his sleigh and surprised us all. He read the kids a Christmas story and talked to them about the real meaning of Christmas, Jesus's birthday. Go Santa!

Jillian was very interested in his big white beard

Lauren was still wearing her apron from making cookies. She told Santa she wanted a baby for Christmas. Santa clarified that it was a baby doll she was asking for.

2009-12-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Snow in Houston?

I know it's hard to believe, but these pictures were taken in our backyard. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out my kitchen window and saw huge snow flakes falling like crazy. I called for Lauren to come look, she was amazed and couldn't wait to get outside and play in it. I took Jillian outside for just a moment because I wanted to get both the girls' pictures. She was not a happy girl. She prefers to be swaddled up nice and warm. Lauren had a great time making snowballs and catching the snowflakes on her tounge. Daddy got to come home early from work, so he and Lauren got to play together in the snow while Mommy and Jill stayed warm inside.

2009-12-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

We were blessed to spend Thanksgiving with Uncle Rob, Aunt Mar, Maia, Josie and Grammie. They were so excited to finally meet Jilllian. Lauren was thrilled to have a permanent play mate in Maia for a few days. They played and entertained each other non stop the entire visit. It was wonderful!

2009-12-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009

Halloween was a blur this year. We came home from the hospital with Jillian just in time to trick or treat with Lauren. Lauren and Will got to trick or treat together this year, and as you can see they were both precious in their costumes (is it ok to call Buzz Lightyear precious?) Lauren was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, complete with ruby slippers and all. She had no idea who Dorothy was, but when she saw the sparkles on this dress, she was sold.

2009-11-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome

Jillian Renae Reed

After 40 weeks of pregnancy, we finally got to meet our precious Jillian. Precious really is the perfect word to describe her. She gave us a little bit of a scare during labor because her heart rate kept dropping during contractions. Before we knew what was going on they were preparing us for a c-section and Jillian was born with in a matter of minutes. We were so relieved and overwhelmed with joy when we got to see our beautiful daughter. The first thing I said when I saw her was, "Hello Lauren". She reminds me so much of what her big sister looked like when she was born. She even has birth marks in the exact same places as Lauren. I think these girls are going to be two peas in a pod.

2009-10-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

39 weeks and still waiting!

I can't believe that I am 39 weeks pregnant. After being put on bed rest at 28 weeks and being so worried that our baby was going to make her arrival too early, now this girl seems content to stay put. We are ready for Jillian to join our family and meet her big sister. Hopefully soon!

2009-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch and Pregnant

I wasn't sure it was going to happen this year, but we did indeed make a pumpkin patch trip before our newest pumpkin arrives. I am 38 weeks pregnant and chasing Lauren through a sea of pumpkins was not happening, so Daddy deserves a round of appaulse for keeping up with our marathon runner. After a while of searching for the perfect pumpkins, we ended up bringing two large and two small pumpkins home. Lauren picked her pumpkin right away and carried it around the whole time. Good thing it was small! She also picked a pumpkin for baby Jillian, very sweet. I don't know what it is about kids and pumpkin, but they make the cutest pictures. Don't you agree.

2009-10-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

38 weeks pregnant

Daddy and his little pumpkin

2009-10-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Lauren Grace!

Our little Lauren celebrated her 3rd birthday on October 6. What a sweet and precious blessing she is to our family. She is growing up so fast, but I still think of her as my baby. I don't think that will ever change. We love the little girl that she is growing into, and it is so fun to watch her personality develope She loves to sing and tell jokes, just basically likes to laugh and make others laugh. I think the Lord has given us the best of both worlds with her because she loves to play dress up and baby dolls, but she also won't pass up any opportunity to get messy and dirty. We think she is the perfect combination of a princess and tomboy. We love you, big 3 year old girl. Thanks for making the past three years so much fun!

The birthday girl

Cupcakes with her friends at school. Our daughter, the only girl in her class, was the only child with cupcake all over her face.

We took Lauren to the see the movie Toy Story 2 in 3D. It was her first movie and she loved it. She was a little unsure of things at first, but nothing a little popcorn, candy, and lemonade couldn't fix. She hasn't stopped talking about it.

2009-09-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lauren's purple room

Lauren has made the move to her new room. With baby sister's arrival rapidly approaching, we have been working on making Lauren a special big girl room so that we can keep Lauren's old room as the nursery. Last night was her first night in the new room, and we had our good and not so good moments. She was not happy that Daddy put the safety rail on her bed and she told us that her bed was ruined because of it. Trying not to laugh, we explained that all of her friends also had safety rails on their beds. She didn't buy it at first, but eventually gave in. Once we got her put down, Lauren decided that the fun was just beginning. She went from jumping on the bed, to swinging and twirling around in the curtains, and finally ended up breaking 3 of the planks in the plantation shutters. Dad was not happy. She didn't fall asleep until after 10. She did however sleep through the night with no problems. Yeah!

The bed is no longer next to the windows and curtains. Lauren had too much fun playing in them last night, so that had to be changed this morning.

2009-09-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

First day of School

At the beginning of September, our little Lauren started going to a Mother's Day Out program at the local Presbyterian church. It honestly makes me a little emotional when I think about it too much. She loves it and has several friends that are also in the program. Another funny side note, she is the only girl in her class. This apparently does not bother her at all. I have been on bed rest for the past month, so it is a blessing that Lauren has a place to go and play and be stimulated a couple of times a week. We went through a little bit of separation anxiety the first week, me more then her, but we are starting to get the hang of our new routine. We're excited about what a big girl she is becoming.

Lauren picked out a Disney princess lunch kit. I know you are all very surprised.

This picture makes me laugh. Doesn't she look like she is saying, "Hurry up Mom, take the picture".

2009-05-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2009

This was an extra special Mother's Day for me. I got to celebrate being Lauren's Mommy, which brings me more joy then I could ever put in to words, and I also got to celebrate being a Mommy-to-be again. I am truly loving this time in my life, and trying to soak up every moment. Don't get me wrong, being pregnant and chasing a toddler is challenging, and half the time I feel like I'm losin' it. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Doesn't Lauren look like such a big girl in the picture

2009-04-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our newest blessing!

We are so excited to share our newest blessing with all of you. We will be adding a new little one to our family in October. Another October baby! God is so good! Lauren will be almost exactly 3 years older then her baby brother or sister. Our new little baby is so lucky to have such a sweet big sister. We can't wait to see the two of them together.

2009-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. What an amazing message to proclaim: He is Risen! So with all the bunnies, chicks, candy and eggs aside, we put Christ as the center of our celebration. Hallelujah, He is Risen!

Lauren called her dress "my ballet". This is what she calls pretty much anything that twirls.

Digging in her Easter basket

2009-04-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Little Girl

Lauren got a pink baseball glove and ball in her Easter basket this year. I am sure there is no doubt who picked this out for her. Of course, Daddy and Lauren went right outside to break the glove in. Lauren also had to have on her sunglasses and bracelet before she was ready to play ball.

2009-04-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hunting Eggs with Friends

We had an Easter egg hunt in our backyard for Lauren and her friends. Daddy hid the eggs, but before he could finish, the kids came running out to get their loot. I was cracking up. It was a great time and all the kids loved opening their eggs and eating the treats.

Once again, my daughter was the only one with stuff all over her face. This is actually her second change of clothes.

2009-04-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Lauren's Big Beautiful Bed

Lauren made the move to a big girl bed and things are going surprisingly well. Because we have such an active little girl, we were concerned that she would use her new found freedom to have an all night party in her room. We told her that the big girl bed comes with only one rule, "No getting out of bed until Mommy or Daddy comes to get you". She has done great and always follows the rule. She tells everyone that will listen to come and see her "big beautiful bed". We are really proud of our big girl.

Lauren playing princess in her big beautiful bed!

Of course cuddle cat also had to check out the new sleeping arrangements

2009-02-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Sweet Valentines

Lauren got together with her friends in Pearland to celebrate Valentine's Day. They ate lots of sweet treats, danced, played with bubbles and exchanged cards. Lauren was so cute passing out her Valentine cards and she loved looking through her bag of cards and treats. It brought back fun memories of Valentine parties at school as a kid. I know that Lauren isn't there yet, but this was a perfect little party to start those memories.

The cupcake crew
(and why is my child the only one with frosting smeared all over her face)

Emery was showing Lauren how to blow bubbles

more cupcake!

Dance Party Pearland

2009-02-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

Wildlife Park

Our playgroup visited a wildlife park and it was amazing. I hope you can tell from the pictures how unbelievable this place is. The kids got to see the animals really close up, feed them and touch them. It was super cool! We rode on an open tram for about 40 minutes and the animals would come up to the tram and eat out of your bucket of food. Lauren wasn't scared of the big animals at all, but the petting zoo was a different story. She would let a huge ostrich or camel get right next to her, but she wanted nothing to do with the goats and pigs in the petting zoo.

feeding the ostrich

2009-02-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

Lauren feeding a camel. She literally gave the camel a kiss!

2009-02-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street Live!

Lauren's wildest dream finally came true! She got to see Elmo, Abby and the whole Sesame Street gang in person. She was on the edge of her seat the entire time with this look of amazement in her eyes. Her smile was so big and it was so much fun to see her get so excited. It is really fun as a parent to do something for your child that totally amazes them. I think this definitely falls in to that category for Lauren.

I think this picture is worth a thousand words.
Could Lauren be smiling any bigger?

2009-02-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

On the edge of her seat!

Here's the low down on Lauren's outfit. Elmo t-shirt, Zoe hair clip, Elmo tatoo on her right arm, and Abby tatoo on her left arm. Her Daddy still couldn't resist buying Lauren a souvenir t-shirt.

2009-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Time to Play

After over a week of traveling, Lauren took some time to enjoy her Christmas gifts. Mimi and Papa bought Lauren an outside teeter-totter. She loves it, and so do her friends. She also got a small four wheeler from Mommy and Daddy. She is still trying to figure it out, but she looks super cute on it.

2009-01-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Lauren and Will Christmas

Will and Lauren met up at Poppy's house on Christmas eve to sprinkle magical Reindeer food in the front yard for Santa's Reindeer. They were so excited to be together and loved tossing the food in the air. I am including a picture of these two cuties from last year so you can see how much they have grown.

2007

2008

2009-01-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

Presents at Poppy and Mer Mer's

Lauren opened gifts on Christmas morning at Poppy and Mer Mer's house. Santa Claus left Lauren and Will scooters under the tree, which they were both crazy about.

2009-01-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

Reed Christmas

Here are some pictures of our sweet Reed girls at Christmas. We had a new Reed girl to celebrate Christmas with this year. Happy 1st Christmas Josie. Just for fun, I included a picture of Maia and Lauren from last year so you can enjoy how much our girls have changed.

2007

2008

Aunt Heather enjoying some Josie snuggles

Aunt Mar enjoying some Lauren and Maia snuggles

Daddy and Lauren opening gifts

2009-01-24T19:34:00.001-08:00

Sweet Family

This Christmas was made even sweeter because we got to spend some time with Uncle Gene, Aunt Sandy, Amy and Kevan. It was Lauren's first time to see Gene, Amy and Kevan and she absolutely loved them! She still talks about them, so hopefully we can get together again soon.

Lauren also met Papa and Pat Craddock this Christmas. We had a fun night of opening gifts, eating yummy food and chasing Lauren around. Thank goodness Landon and Ashton were around to help entertain Lauren. By the end of the night she was getting into everything, but we still think they loved getting to meet our bundle of energy.

2009-01-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cookies

Lauren had several opportunites to make Christmas cookies this year. She was a little young to enjoy the process of making cookies, but she was an excellent taste tester. Mom was a little worried that she would get sick from eating raw cookie dough and spoon fulls of icing, but no harm done.

2009-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008

The Reed family had a wonderful and blessed Christmas, and we hope you did too. Lauren has changed so much since last Christmas, and it was so special for us to begin teaching her about the true meaning of Christmas. Of course she was showered with gifts, which she is an expert at unwrapping, but she also loved singing Christmas carols, playing with her nativity set, and singing happy birthday to Jesus. She definitely made the connection between Jesus and Christmas. It is an incredible thing as a parent to experience your child beginning to love Christ.
The week of Christmas seemed like a whirlwind. We travel from Houston to Whitney to see Mimi and Papa. From Whitney we headed to Midland, and stayed there from the Saturday before Christmas until the Friday after Christmas. We had an amazing time with all of our family. We returned home feeling very loved and very tired. There are many more Lauren Christmas stories and pictures to share, so I will be adding more to this post soon. I had to include a picture of Lauren from last Christmas so everyone could see how much she has changed.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2007

2008-12-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

After living in Houston for the past 5 years, we have gotten use to the reality that it just doesn't get very cold here. So we do all the traditional Christmas things, but sometimes it doesn't feel all that Christmassy when you're wearing shorts and it's 70 degrees. Well, on Wednesday we got a little sprinkle of winter to help get us in the holiday spirit. It worked out perfectly because our sweet friends down the street had agreed to watch Lauren for us so that we could go Christmas shopping that night. So after a quick family photo, we dropped Lauren off and went Christmas shopping in the snow. Isn't that awesome?!

This is in front of our friends house down the street.
After this picture Scott went home and got a bigger coat!

It was about 7:00 at night, so all the pictures are in the dark.
The snow was gone by the morning.

2008-11-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Our Little Lady Bug

Lauren had been talking about trick or treating for several days leading up to the big night, so her expectations for this Halloween were pretty high. I must say, I don't think she was disappointed. She absolutely loved her costume and she kept calling her wings "umbrellas". I painted little black freckles on her cheeks, but we didn't make it out of the house before she smeared them and we had to wash them off. Oh well, maybe we'll try the face paint again next year. She trick or treated up and down the neighborhood, and by the end of the night her bag was so heavy that it literally dragged the ground. Lauren would not let Scott or I carry the bag for her and she would yell, "Let go", if we tried to help. She did get a little scared at a few of the houses that were decorated with scary things, which surprised me a little, but for the most part she thought the whole night was magical. I know I said this last year, but we really do have the best neighborhood in the world for trick or treating. Well, I pretty much think we have the best neighborhood in the world all the time, but during Halloween especially. There is no traffic, and the street is full of kids and families trick or treating, eating pizza, and showing off their costumes. I really do feel blessed to live in this neighborhood if you can't tell. And last but certainly not least, Lauren went trick or treating in big girl panties! She went the whole night with no accidents. We made a potty stop at the half way point and she was good to go! Scott and I were so proud.

Lauren had a sucker in her mouth the entire night.
I was surprised that I got any pictures of her without one.

2008-11-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

2008-10-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

It's the Great Pumpkin Lauren Grace

Lauren did not spend Halloween night in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin, but we did make a trip to the pumpkin patch in hopes of getting a few good pictures and to pick out our own great pumpkin. I had an easier time taking pictures of Lauren sitting the pumpkins last year because she would actually sit still for more then half a second. This year I think we chased her more then anything, but I did manage to get a few good pictures. Bonus: Dad came with us to the pumpkin patch this year so he joined in on a few silly shots. Oh, and you can bet that we will be watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown next week, it's one of my favorites!

Lauren called this scarecrow her baby. She's such a good little mommy!

This pumpkin looked like it needed a kiss

sitting still, but not for long!

2008-10-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Lauren put a lot of thought in to picking the perfect pumpkin

She gave this pumpkin a test run, but it didn't make the cut

Finally the perfect pumpkin! And Daddy agrees!

2008-10-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Backyard Party

We had a backyard birthday party to celebrate Lauren's 2nd birthday. Scott said that after all the time he spent working on the swingset, we had to have at least one birthday party in the backyard. Well, all the planning turned out to be worth it because Lauren had a twinkle in her eye the entire time. If you have ever wondered if a 2 year old really knows it's their birthday, I have the pictures to prove that they really do. Lauren put her hand in the cake and pulled the pizzas down on top of herself, to help provide us with a few hilarious toddler moments.

An Abby Cadabby party would not be complete without an Abby tattoo

Aunt Holly brought a jumper from Austin, and the kids went crazy over it

2008-10-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Daddy had to join in the fun

2008-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

2008-10-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sweet little handprint in the cake - It just screams 2 year old!

2008-10-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

After opening a gift, Lauren would scream, "I love it"

Kirby waited until all the party guest had gone home before she wished her sister a Happy Birthday

Lauren used her princess wand to make a wish-the wish being that everyday would be her birthday

2008-10-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Our big 2 year old

All last week my mind kept slipping back to what I was doing 2 years ago at this time. I can still remember so clearly the days right before and right after Lauren was born. I am so thankful that God has etched those moments in such detail into my memory because I feel like I can barely remember my phone number sometimes. One moment that I keep going back to was about an hour after Lauren was born and I was sitting in the hospital room and all the craziness that happens right after you give birth had just died down. I was getting to feed my newborn for the first time and I looked up at Scott and I said," I love this". That exact moment was the first time I felt what it was like to be a mother. What an amazing gift! Happy 2nd Birthday Lauren Grace, Daddy and Mommy love you to the moon and stars and back.

I will be posting birthday party pictures soon!

2008-09-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Take a hike Ike!

Our wonderful house suffered no damage at all when Hurricane Ike hit Houston a few weeks ago. We our praising the Lord because we know how damaging this storm was to so many people in our city. I can't get the song "Praise you in this storm" by Casting Crowns out of my head these days. We left Pearland at noon on the Friday before the storm hit. Scott and I went back and forth on whether or not to leave which actually sounds quite crazy to me in hind sight. I think we were both terrified of having another 14 hour drive to Austin like we did during the hurricane Rita evacuation. When we woke up on Friday morning, neither of us felt right about staying so we took that as God's way of letting us know we should go. We drove to Austin (it only took us 4 hours YEAH!) and stayed with my sister and brother in law. We had a fun weekend visit but lots of anxiety about what was happening at our house. Not to mention, Kirby the cat also made the trip to Austin with us which didn't help ease our anxiety level. After expecting to be without power for a couple of weeks, we had power at our home in Pearland within 48 hours of the storm. Amazing!

Scott spent all day on Thursday boarding up the windows of our house. It was a big job!

The little tree in the middle of our cul-de-sac was blown down, but the trees in our yard were standing tall (well, slightly crooked)!

Along with a couple of missing shingles, this was the only thing on our house that showed signs of being hit by a hurricane.

2008-09-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

The newest member of the No Cavities Club!

Lauren went to the dentist today! She was very brave and so was the dentist. She chipped a tooth in the front and we wanted to get it checked out. It turned out to be no big deal. Everyone at the office fell in love with Lauren but I can not say the feelings were mutual. The good news is that Lauren is now a member of the No Cavities Club. Her name is now entered in to a drawing for a Toys R Us gift card. She also got a new toothbrush, dental floss (not sure about that one) and two new toys that she got to pick out. All in all it wasn't that bad.

Lauren got a sticker for being so brave and so did Abby!

2008-08-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Josephine Rose Reed

We are excited to welcome the newest Reed girl into our family. Our sweet niece Josie was born on July 30th and she definitely lives up to the cuteness that her sister and cousin have well established as a Reed girl trait. We think she is going to look a lot like her sister, lucky girl, except with darker hair. God has really grown our family and we feel so blessed. What an amazing gift we have to get to watch these little ones grow up. We can't wait!

Josie Rose

Scott with all the Reed girls
What a hand full!

Uncle Scott with his two nieces

2008-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Aunt Heather with sweet Josie

Big cousin Lauren giving Josie kisses on her feet

2008-08-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is how Lauren rolls

Lauren has her own set of wheels and we could settle for nothing less then the little tykes coup in pink, of course. Actually I got this car at a garage sale and I literally almost wrecked my car trying to get out and grab it. Anyway Lauren absolutely loves it. She hops in the driver's seat, closes the door, waves, and then says," bye-bye, I love you"! It makes me smile every time. Oh and as a bonus, the horn plays twinkle twinkle little star. How cute is that!

2008-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

A Magical Night at Chick-fil-A

On the way to the ball Cinderella stopped by the Chick-fil-A in Pearland. We heard that she would be stopping by so of course Lauren got all dressed up and was so excited to meet her. She talked all day about eating dinner with Cin-da-ella. Well, when the magical moment was finally upon us Lauren panicked. I was so hoping for a cute picture, but this is what I got. Actually I think I might like these better because they really crack me up.

I love the look on Cinderella's face in this picture.
I know she is thinking somebody please take this child away.

2008-07-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Costa Rica-Pura Vida

We just returned from a 4 day vacation in Costa Rica (we meaning Heather and Scott-no Lauren). I don't think I even have the words to describe what a wonderful time we had together. I hope the pictures do justice to the paradise where we were living. It was absolutely breath taking. I woke up every morning saying out loud how gorgeous it was. I tried to sleep in but Scott was up and at 'em early, which was so out of character. I am going to try to briefly describe each day because each day was so different but also so perfect.

Day 1
The Costa Rica airport was a little crazy, but we found the driver of our van right away and we headed to paradise. We spent the afternoon by the pool and in the hot tub. It rained a little, but we didn't care, we just enjoyed being together. When we were getting ready for dinner there was a small earthquake that shook us around a bit. We weren't sure why the floor was shaking until later on that night when we over heard some people talking about the earthquake.

Day 2
We slept in, but like I said Scott turned into a vacation early bird. Weird! We went down to the beach in the morning and just enjoyed lounging around and playing in the ocean. The ocean had super strong waves so it was fun to play, but not relaxing. We went snorkeling in the afternoon and Scott found out very quickly that a life jacket makes snorkeling for 45 minutes much more enjoyable than trying to swim the whole time. It was absolutely amazing. We saw a ton of fish and it was just cool to actually get to see what is swimming around you in the ocean. We both loved it.

Day 3
This was our adventure day. We started off by taking a van ride to the nearby surfing town called Tamarindo. This is were the adventure begins. From here we drove ATV's through the rain forest and I almost broke my leg, but I still managed to have fun. Our tour guide took us through some crazy stuff and as you can tell by the pictures we were covered in mud at the end. So we drove these crazy things to a canopy zip line. Basically you ride a zip line from platform to platform (8 platforms in all) through the jungle. We even rode one of the zip lines backwards while hanging upside down. UPDATE: Zip Line pictures now posted!

Day 4
I told Scott that I wanted no adventure this day, just relaxation. He tried to talk me in to kayaking but I stuck to my no adventure rule. We spent the whole day just relaxing by the beach and at the pool. Scott has the sunburn to prove it. We watched the sunset on the beach and just enjoyed how beautiful everything was. We had steak and lobster for dinner and ice cream for dessert. I am not sure that life gets much better.

2008-07-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Anybody got any marshmallows.

Heather at the pool in front of our room.

The locals called this little guy "mopachin". He looked like a cross between an anteater and a raccoon. He seemed pretty friendly.

2008-07-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Here's Scott before leaving for the ATV/canopy tour. Clean and confident. That would change.

It looks like we're racing here, but actually we were just sitting there waiting for the people ahead of us to get unstuck in this...

Our guides even got stuck in this. To be fair, they only had two wheel drive. Heather almost lost her leg during this little stretch. Scary!

In the middle of the ATV tour, we stopped for a nice zip through the treetops of the Rain Forest.

In addition to trees, we were also dangling high above streams like this one.

Here goes Heather...

and there goes Scott.

We were waiting on others to go and making sure we were still alive.

For some real thrills, they let us go upside down.

Scott managed to bump his head along the way, but he doesn't even remember feeling it.

This is after the ATV and canopy tour. If you look closely, we're covered in mud from the knees down.

2008-07-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

This was the thought that was constantly in the back of our minds during the trip. Sometimes more prominently in Heather's though.

The guy on the right is pre-sunburn Scott. Post-sunburn Scott looks like a tomato.

Scott's body-surfing here. He spent the rest of the day cleaning sand out of his swimsuit.

Heather took it a little easier in the ocean.

2008-07-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

The sun set around 6:30 local time. It was beautiful though.

Big waves!

2008-07-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here's our room. Somehow we were in bed by 10:30 every night.

This is the golf course that Scott didn't get to play :(
It was covered with monkeys when we rode by it though!

Lauren's catching up on current events with Granddaddy.

Grammie and Granddaddy came down to watch Lauren while we jetted off to Costa Rica. They probably need a vacation now.

2008-07-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

3 friends

Ash, Ross, and Luke came to visit us at the lake over the 4th of July weekend. The boys played on the lake while the girls chatted and the babies slept. Ashley is my best friend since forever and she lives in Dallas. We live in the Texas triangle because Holly lives in Austin and I live in Houston. I'm not really sure if that's a triangle, but you understand what I mean. Our time together is always so sweet and I am blessed by our friendship. Here is a look back at how much our babies have grown.

July 2008

October 2007

July 2007

2008-07-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

4th of July Fun!

We went to Mimi and Papa's house at the lake for the 4th of July. We played on the lake and in the pool, so Lauren had a lot of time to practice swimming. She kicks her legs and blows bubbles in the water, and I think she will be ready to compete in the summer Olympics by August. Lauren also got to try out the jet ski for the first time. Yes, she really did go on a short ride with her Uncle Daniel. If you know Daniel then you understand the extent of my fear as he putted off with my first born; however, he was barely moving and very cautious. So unlike his normal self. What fun! We love the lake!

2008-07-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

We miss you already!

We had a fun little treat over the past two weeks because our family from Midland came for a visit. Lauren got to spend a lot of time with cousin Maia and now she can't stop talking about her. We were brave and even attempted to bring the girls to the museum of Fine Arts. I was a little bit scared that we would owe the museum our life's savings after we left, but surprisingly enough no priceless works of art were destroyed during our visit. My camera battery died so I don't have any pictures of the girls at the park downtown, but I do have video that I will try to post later. I am not sure why I don't have any pictures with Scott or Robert. Sorry guys!

2008-07-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Father's Day - a little late

OK, I know this post is a little late, but I had to share these pictures because they make me smile. This was my attempt to capture a picture of Scott with his girls on Father's Day. As you can tell, neither of them was cooperating.

If you can't tell, that is Kirby trying to make her escape. I accidentally cut her head off. I promise it really was an accident!

2008-07-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Will

At the beginning of June we traveled to Austin to celebrate Will turning 2. He had a cowboy party complete with a hayride and homemade ice cream. I thought I would include a picture of Will and Lauren from his party last year, so you could all see what has happened to these two over the past year. Lauren was still in the middle of everything while Will was opening his gifts. I guess somethings never change. Happy 2nd Birthday Will! We love you.

2008-05-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Attack of the elephant sprinkler!

Don't these pictures make you want to be a kid again

2008-05-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Cute Cousins

The little Reed girls got matching outfits. I don't think the word cute can do these girls justice. We couldn't get them to stay still for a picture, but the action shots still turned out to be cute. They are both so silly and sweet, it was fun to see them together.

2008-05-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

Midland Mania

Daddy had a golf tournament in Midland, so as an added bonus we got to spend a few days with our West Texas family. Lauren's Aunt Mar worked her magic on Lauren's hair and gave her the cutest haircut. She is now sporting the Suri Cruise cut, but much cuter. We got to see Granddaddy, Grammy, Uncle Rob, Aunt Mar, Maia, Auntie Chan, Landon, Ashton, and Poppy and Mer Mer. Whew, it was a busy busy trip, but so much fun.

The Reed boys and the little Reed girls

Aunt Mar and the Girls!

Grammy and Granddaddy took Lauren out to the pond to feed the fish

Lauren loves Auntie Chan

2008-05-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Urban Cowgirl

No your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a real horse and yes, Lauren is riding it. Her cousin Noah had his 2nd birthday at a ranch with a petting zoo and horseback riding. So Lauren at 18 months got to ride her first horse. Mom was amazed and quite honestly scared to death. Cousin Will showed off his cowboy skills too. We think Lauren might need a pony and a pink saddle for her birthday.

2008-05-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Lauren traveled to Lubbock in April to visit her aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandma Mamu. She is definitely racking up the frequent flier miles. Lauren's Lubbock family had not seen her since she was around 6 months old, so they loved getting to see her as a toddler. Everyone got to experience first hand our sweet and adventurous little girl. I do not think Lauren's feet stopped moving the entire trip. Mom was on her own, so it was a good thing that there were lots of aunts and uncles to help keep an eye on Lauren. Jen, thanks for letting us stay with you. Miss you already!

2008-04-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Signs of Summer

backyard pools

popsicles

popsicle smile

playing in the sand with friends

2008-03-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter

Lauren had a wonderful Easter. Grammy and Granddaddy came to Houston to celebrate with us. We discovered a hidden talent of Lauren's, which is Easter egg hunting. She was the cutest thing, and you couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.

We went to church to celebrate Jesus and the true meaning of Easter

Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away although it was extremely large...
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; he is not here.
Mark 16:4&6

2008-03-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

2008-03-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

2008-03-24T07:00:00.001-07:00

Mimi and Papa came to Houston to visit Lauren. We went to the zoo and everyones favorite, Lupe's Tortilla. Mom's camera ran out of batteries, so we didn't get any zoo pictures. But we did get a cute shot of the three of them.

2008-03-11T13:09:00.001-07:00

The busy life of Lauren Reed

Who knew that a 1 year old could have such a busy schedule. Our little social butterfly has been living a pretty crazy life so far this year, and things don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Here is just a brief recap of what's been going on in Lauren's life.

March

We traveled to Dallas to celebrate Lauren's friend Luke's birthday. We had a great time catching up with friends and watching Luke eat his first birthday cake. His mommy really knows how to throw a party.

February
Mommy took me to Mimi's house for a very special visit. Will and I got to meet our cousin, Avaleigh, for the first time. She fits in just perfectly with us. We ran circles around Mimi, but we know she loved it.

January
Mommy and Daddy brought me to Austin so that I could hang out with my cousin Noah. Noah, Will and I had fun making a mess of Aunt Holly's house. She didn't mind though! It was kind of fun being the only little girl.

2008-02-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

For all of you non believers

We know that many of you ,with good reason, do not believe that our cat Kirby has a sweet side. All though she has done many things to contribute to this bad reputation, she does have a soft spot in her heart for Lauren. We know those of you who are not Kirby's biggest fans probably don't believe it, so here is the video evidence.