18 months!

Peyton is 18 months! I know I say this every time, but I can't believe it's been a year and a half since the best part of Aaron and I graced us with her presence! We are having SO MUCH FUN!

Stats:

Height: 31.75"

Weight: 22.3 lbs

Diapers: 3, 4 at night

Clothes: 12-18 months and some 18 - 24 months

Shoes: Size 4

Teeth: 12! (bottom 2 incisors should break through any day now making it 14!)

Favorites: Everything about the park, playing with her friends, playing peek-a-boo, crawling all over mommy, chasing and running from daddy, FROZEN, FROZEN and then some more FROZEN, watching Mickey Mouse Club House and Daniel Tiger, stacking objects, putting things in and out of purses and bags, giving hugs, helping with everything, reading books over and over, taking her vitamins, BATH TIME, dancing (she has quite the shoulder moves), swimming and going down the water slide!

Not So Favorites: Getting her face and hands cleaned, sometimes brushing her teeth, sitting still, not getting her way.

Foods: She has become a good eater. She will eat pretty much anything we put in front of her, but she's picky! She might eat it for supper one day and then not want anything to do with it the next day! We know she's finished eating when she starts throwing her meal on the floor and on the wall. She drinks 20-24 oz of whole milk a day and sometimes likes to share a strawberry limeade from Sonic with momma! :) She stopped nursing at 16 months. I was sad at first, but she was so ready and once we got used to the new normal, I felt FREEDOM!!!

Sleeping: She sleeps 11-12 hours a night. After we got back from Las Vegas and she adjusted to the time change she started waking up between 8:00-8:30. I thought she would go back to her 7:30-7:45; but so far, nope! She is pretty much down to just 1 nap. She goes down around 12:30 and sleeps until about 2:30 or 3:00. Except Thursdays. For some reason on Thursday she seems to need 2 naps. It's so weird. Most days, if we're home I will put her in her crib for quiet time in the morning around 10. Most times she will just read or roll around. But on Thursdays... she take a nap. Haha!

Development: Wow. She amazes me every day. (Yes, I am aware every mom thinks their child is amazing, and they are. But you're reading my blog so it's my turn to brag about my little lady.) She can climb ANYTHING, and well. She's quite the climber. I am amazed in 2 ways when it comes to watching her physically accomplish something 1. her ability to do x, y, z and 2. her determination. She doesn't give up and it makes me so very very proud! She has the cutest (and fast!) little run. She loves putting puzzles together. Seriously the first time I watched her put her stacking cups together correctly, I legitimately shed a tear and of course videoed it. (FYI I am not the mom you're going to want to sit next to at sporting events. Sorry.) She can go and get certain objects I ask her to go get. She can pick out what book she wants to read before nap and bed. She likes to mimic, dance, scribble with a crayon, points to things all the time, asks for help and talks like crazy! We have officially hit the 18 month word explosion. But it's mostly only words we understand.

Adventures: 

Nana Camp! Peyton and her cousin Addalyn had their first annual Nana Camp at Nana and Pops house! There was a pool, sand, crafts and a trip to zoo for these sweet girls! They had a blast! By the end of the weekend I know Nana was already planning for next year, and Pops needed a nap! :)

Our cousins Jama, Mike, Jackson and Hunter came to visit! Peyton and Jackson had so much fun! Jackson was so sweet with P! It was so great to see them, and it was also Father's Day so we got to have "cousin lunch" to celebrate the amazing dads!

Peyton's first trip to Las Vegas to visit Papa and Lei Lei! Also, Gma, Aunt Jo Jo, Josh, Uncle Brett and Uncle Todd were there! Peyton experienced a lot of "firsts"... her first trip to the lake, first time to meet her cousin Adeline and her first time to watch fireworks. She loved being at the lake, going to the Discovery Children's Museum, hanging out with Adeline and going to the petting zoo! Wrangling a toddler on the 3 hr flight was quite the team effort! We had a fully stocked snack bar, new books and toys and FROZEN! She wasn't ever fussy, but just sooooo busy the whole time. I felt like I had been working out with 20 lbs weights for 3 hours straight. But all in all, she was great!

We love you so very much Sweet P! You are full of life, so much fun, adventurous, curious about everything, determined and we are loving every minute of having you in our lives!!!

Thanks for reading all about our little lady! xoxo Lauren

Missing her.

So just a heads up... this post might not be the most upbeat I have ever written. But today I just wanted to write a little post about my sweet mother in law, Marsha, who lost her battle to breast cancer 5 years ago today. "If will, grit and determination could cure breast cancer, she would have been cured before diagnosis." Sweet words from Marsha's doctor.

I miss...
...my American Idol watching partner.
...her playful side.
...her cooking.
...her wisdom.
...her heart for the underdog.
...her love for her students.
...her laugh.
...watching her read her Bible during communion every Sunday.
...watching her serve in her community.
...her overbearing mothering. :)
...the way she called Aaron "A" or "Big un".
...hearing her call her dad "daddy."
...how she loved her boys fiercely and with every ounce of her being.
...her determination.
...our shopping trips.
...her being my family.
...the smile she brought to Aaron's face.
...holidays with her.
...her hugs.
...her.

Just to name a few.

She was a pretty amazing woman. Don't get me wrong... that overbearing mother thing was rough when we first got married because gosh dangit "I am Aaron's wife and I can take care of him!" haha! Looking back, and now that I am a mother... it was stupid for me to feel territorial. Sure if I could go back, I would use that as a learning opportunity. But hey... first years of marriage are meant for learning, right?

I know everything happens for a reason and God has a plan greater than me. But that doesn't make me miss her any less and it doesn't mean days like this are easy. Yes losing her was hard and our first 2 years of marriage was rougher than some (she was diagnosed with breast cancer a month after we got married and Aaron's mom and dad practically lived with us in our apartment for 3 days of every week our whole first year of marriage. Then after she died getting through the "year of firsts" wasn't a walk in the park) but I wouldn't trade the strength and foundation of my marriage for anything. Marsha's death doesn't define our family, but it did help shape us into the "Aaron and Lauren" we are today.

Aside from the strength in my marriage, another way God has blessed me since Marsha's death is the people he has chosen to put in my life. I now have a sister in law that is my best friend. She never met Marsha, but shares a passion for the woman that raised our husbands (Aaron has a brother, Brandon). Aaron's dad has remarried and it's so much fun "doing life" with our new HUGE family! (Seriously! There are now 5 siblings... once they are all married there will be 10 of us. Imagine if we all have at least 2 kids?!?! There are currently only 2 grandkids... but it's only going to get more fun and crazy from here!) Even though I don't have the opportunity to learn about life from Marsha anymore, God has placed many amazing women in my life as mentors at my church. In my Ladies Bible Study this past spring semester I gained a lot of mother-in-law-like women who have taught me how to love my husband better, how to cook better, how to be a servant, how to follow God with all my heart, how to be the best mom and how to be the best Lauren I can. I truly cherish these women.

I miss her like crazy. Like a painful kind of crazy. What makes me the most sad is knowing how much Aaron misses her and knowing how much Marsha wanted to be a grandmother. I really think she would have liked Peyton. ;)

There are times that missing her makes me sad, but I mostly smile when I think about the amazing woman she was.

Here's a picture of her and Aaron dancing at our wedding (This may or may not have been right after they did the "toilet bowl." It's a crazy dance move. I told you she had a playful side.). Pure joy is what you see all over her face.

 xoxo Lauren