Happy 2 years old, Lauren!

On November 6th our little Lauren turned 2 years old! Hard to believe that two years have come and gone! Lauren is still pretty little (wearing 12 month clothes) but her mom is so glad because I like light and portable. We had a little family party Thursday after Chad got home. I went to get her a birthday cake but wasn't sure which kind to get since Lauren doesn't really like cake, just the frosting. Well, when I saw this mousse cake with fresh fruit toppings I knew it was the one! Lauren LOVES fruit! She will eat an entire can of mandarin oranges in 1 minute and peaches are also her favorite.

You can tell by the pictures that she loved her cake and loved all of the attention. Lauren is pretty spoiled but even she could tell this day was special and that she was the center of it all.

Lauren has a pretty good set of lungs for such a little girl. She blew out the candles quickly but from the look of this picture, she might have had a little unessesary help. I had to hurry and cut the cake afterward before Lauren ate all of the toppings!

We asked Grandma Rowley to take a picture of our family. Where's Jackson? Hmmm ... Well Grandma took SEVERAL pictures, mostly because Lauren kept wanted to look down at one of her new toys. Finally we got her to look up and so I thought we got a few good ones. When I sat down and looked at the pics on my camera, I saw that Carson and/or Jackson were making silly faces in EVERY SINGLE picture! I might have over-reacted and made them both get their pajamas on early (7:30pm) and go to bed. Chad later had them come out and apologize to me so they could watch a movie.

So Grandma Rowley is always so creative with her birthday cards, usually making up a poem. She wrote this birthday card for Lauren and it fits her to a "t"! I just love it! By the way, one of Chad's nicknames for Lauren is "little beast" for obvious reasons!

Here are some things that describe Lauren:

• Loves oranges, peaches, tomatos, soda, goldfish, most candy, cashews, fruity pepples, waffles, cupcakes, pizza, capri suns, and popsicles or "po-pocks"
• She refuses to sit in any kind of high chair or booster seat even though she needs one. She stands on the bar stool next to her brothers and sister when she eats, tempting gravity on a regular basis.
• She sucks on the satin corners of min-blankets for comfort, leaving an attractive brown discoloration that will not be removed in the wash. She calls these blankets "ni-nights" and I have lost track of how many I have purchased and thrown away.
• Shares a full size bed with her sister. She is a wild sleeper so sometimes when Ressa gets up in the night to go the bathroom, Lauren rolls over onto Ressa's side. Ressa then comes and wakes me up to tell me.
• Loves to sing the "monkeys jumpin' on the bed" song
• Thinks she is the absolute FIRST person to get a turn riding the horse.
• LOVES her grandpa and dad first and mom and grandma a close 2nd. (Has grandpa wrapped around her little finger!)
• Loves to go on rides with grandpa on the 4-wheeler
• Not a morning person, much like her mother
• Very good at enteraining herself and loves to "play house" and play outside.
• Loves to hang upside down and ride on Jackson's back like a horse, saying "Gid-up!"
• Loves taking baths with Ressa
• Loves swimming and has no fear of going underwater. Hurray!
• Calls most kids her age "kiddie".
• She is pretty clear on what she wants and determined to get it. She is very sassy and bossy, but she is so cute that you find yourself smiling instead of scolding sometimes.
• Hated nursery for the first 6 months and then loves it now that there is a male teacher in there. She loves wooden puzzles and they have them in nursery so she calls her class "puzzle"

We love you so much, Lauren! You are so unique and fun and you charm everyone that meets you! It is amazing to watch you grow into a little person with your own opinions, feelings, and imagination. We all get such a kick out of watching you strut around and do your thing. You have no fear (except for dogs!) and you will try new things without a second thought. You have such a BIG personality for such a SMALL little girl! This next year of your life will sure to be full of many adventures!