Christmas Tree Ornaments

When I was younger, my Grandma Zurcher made each of us grandchildren Christmas tree ornaments. I can remember how excited I was to finally get all of them out of the box to decorate our tree. This tennis player is one of the ornaments that she made for me. Right before Lauren was born, I happened to come across some ornament kits. I was so excited to continue the tradition that my grandma had started. I have now made Lauren one each year that she has been born. On the back of each ornament I stitch in her initials and the year, just like my grandma had done. They are far from perfect, but I hope Lauren enjoys them as much as I did, and do even now.
These are the ornaments I have made for Lauren thus far.

Silly Girl

Lauren enjoys wearing glasses when we travel. When it's cloudy or dark, you can bet she has them on anyway. She can wear them upside down. It's all the same to her.
She's just happy to have the sunglasses, and "Doggie", as he is called. "Doggie" is another story. She sleeps with him, pushes him around in the stroller, talks to him, feeds him, changes his diaper, and kisses him. It's as if he is alive. We better buy a back up dog just in case something happens to this one; otherwise, there won't be a happy Lauren nor a happy Mom and Dad.

The Boise Zoo

Lauren and I spent a week in Boise for Thanksgiving. One of the things we got to do before Jason came down was go to the zoo with Aunt Brenda and some of her friends. I can't say when the last time was that I went to the zoo or how many zoos I've been to. I can't recall if I've ever seen a real lion and giraffe until now. Most likely I have, but Lauren hadn't. So here are a few pictures from our day at the zoo.The lion and giraffe are new to the Boise Zoo. As we were walking around, we heard this really loud noise coming from one of the animals. We weren't even sure what it was, until we got to the lion's cage. I guess that shows you how many times we've heard a real lion roar.

I think the two things that Lauren will remember the most from our trip to the zoo was the lion because she likes lions, and the monkeys because of the smell. The monkeys were inside, so you can only imagine the smell and how stuffy it was. When we went in, Lauren instantly put her hand to her nose and said, "Stinky!" She quickly turned around and headed straight for the door. She is hilarious!

Here's Lauren and Aunt Brenda in a tunnel. Here's my chance to brag about Brenda too. She is amazing! Brenda has lost just over 100 lbs. She has always been beautiful, but look at her now...she is gorgeous! She is an inspiration to me and Jason!! Thanks for inviting Lauren and me to the zoo, Brenda. We had so much fun!

All in a Day's Work

While we work,

she will play (or watch cartoons)...

We have made a lot of progress on our front yard. We've torn out almost everything for the Winter, and will begin from scratch in the Spring. For now, we'll spend more time inside fixing up what we can.

As for Lauren, she loves cartoons. It has given me more freedom to get things done around the house. I need to limit the time she watches T.V., but there is always one thing after the next to get done. Lauren constantly talks about the characters she watches. She'll stand, kneel, or sit right in front of the T.V. She becomes oblivious to the world around her! I love that she's growing up. I know I'll take that back one day, but it is so fun.

Not only does Lauren love cartoons, but it kind of looks like Aunt Stephanie does too...