Recent Photos
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time in St. Cloud celebrating Lauren’s first Christmas with family and friends. Lauren enjoyed playing with Great Grandpa Paul in her jumper. She was excited to open gifts — so she could play with the gift wrap. She also got another visit from Santa, although she wasn’t very happy that he arrived in the middle of her nap, but she warmed up to him after awhile.
We’re looking forward to ringing in the New Year in Grafton. Lauren hasn’t seen her uncles since she was 3 weeks old so she’s looking forward to showing them all of her new “tricks”.
And here are some “outtakes” from our effort to get a shot of Lauren for a Christmas photo.
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Last night we took Lauren to her first ever MN Wild game (Thanks Veegs for the tickets) and it will be one we’ll remember for a long time. Marion Gaborik became the first player in Wild history to score four goals in a game, let alone five. The last NHL player to score five goals was Sergei Fedorov on December 26, 1996.
Lauren did as well as we could expect. She was very entertained by all the motion and lights. She didn’t even seem to mind the loud goal horn until the end of the night once it was well past her normal bedtime. I think she was just upset that Gaborik didn’t get that 6th goal with the entire crowd chanting “Gabby, Gabby”!
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- Erin says:
That big smile is so great! Looks like another hockey fan already :) I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow when I get to see you Lauren!
Love, Erin
Lauren got to meet Santa at my Christmas party this year and the look on her face says it all- who is this guy with his fuzzy white beard and funny costume? She just checked him out a little and then had fun playing with wrapping paper. We also had a few holiday parties this past weekend- it was too chilly for her to watch the Hollidazzle parade, but she had fun swimming and entertaining Josh’s family. Now we’re counting the days to Christmas and excited to spend time with our families…
Merry Christmas to all!
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- Ridell says:
Such a beautiful girl. A fun “Merry Christmas Moment”, thanks for sharing guys. Love you-DEL
We took Lauren swimming for a birthday party last weekend – she liked the water but didn’t splash as much as she does in the bath. She was more interested in watching the older kids jump in off the sides of the pool. And she didn’t even mind too much when I dunked her underwater!
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- Nana Jo says:
Oh what fun! Looking at the pictures I can just imagine her reaction — brings back memories of when Josh and Erin first experienced the pool too…. She’s such a sweetheart and I’m always waiting for the next time I can cuddle and love her:) She didn’t look frightened at all — hope she continues to love the water.
Love, Nana Jo
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- Nana Jo says:
Looks like Lauren is getting some rice cereal…and wants to hold the spoon too.
I just love getting the new pictures. This weekend that cute little hat will come
in handy as she experiences her first snowfall:) Stay warm! Love, Nana Jo
November has been a busy month so far! We started out by celebrating my birthday and I had a couple of fun nights out with friends. Then Lauren came down with a fever which was pretty tough on Josh and I- the worst were the shots and finger pricks she had to endure at the dr. office. She just wasn’t our happy, smiley little girl for a few days. But she was feeling better by this past weekend and we spent some time in St. Cloud with Josh’s family… happy birthday to Nana Jo on the 15th and to Uncle Jeff on the 16th!
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- Grandma Mary says:
Lauren, you are too-o-o-o cute for words!! Where have I seen that smile? Great-auntie Carol’s, for sure! Thanks for the darling pictures, Josh! Can’t wait to kiss those pun’kin cheeks!! Love, Grandma Mary
Well Lauren had quite the first Halloween complete with 2 different outfits. We thought her Butterfly costume might be a little much for a day at school so she went as a cowgirl wearing her cowboy hat from Uncle Jeff and her Boots from Manda. Yee Haw!
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- Erin says:
Oh my gosh. Those pictures are too much! Both of those costumes are priceless. I love that big smile!
Love, Erin
Lauren is now 4 months old and Josh and I are having so much fun watching her little personality develop- I can’t believe the changes in her during the past month. She is grabbing onto everything and has all of the exersaucer toys figured out… she loves to “sing” to us and looking at herself in the mirror. As active as she is, she also loves to be cuddled (and mom loves it, too)!
We are so happy with Lauren’s daycare… although it’s hard to be away from her all day, we know she is in the best care. They do art projects with her (she has finger-painted a leaf and a pumpkin) and she loves to go with on buggy rides with the other kids. Lauren has smiles for them every morning and all of the providers are so kind and caring. We are lucky to have found such a great place for her.
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- Opa Rob says:
Lauren I can’t believe how much you’ve changed since I saw you last about a month ago at the
lake. I am sure you are quite the charmer with that beautiful little smile and those sparkling eyes.
I am anxious to see you again soon. Has Koda recovered from our hunting trip yet? The picture of
you finger painting at daycare reminded me of the first time your Daddy had spaghetti and had it
smeared all over his face and the tray on his highchair. Looks like you are quite the little artist.
Hope to see you soon! Love, Opa Rob
It’s been a while since our last post! I could look at the exersaucer pictures forever, but thought it was time for an update. We were up at the cabin a couple weeks ago and celebrated Opa Rob’s birthday. The leaves were already changing there and it was fun to take Lauren out for walks while enjoying the beautiful fall colors. Last weekend my mom and dad were down and we had a great time with them as well… Lauren is really the only entertainment we need now- we all just sit around and wait for her to do something fun!
Lauren gave Josh and I her first big laughs the other night… granted, I was making some pretty crazy noises to get her to do it, but we were getting a kick out of her laugh and big smiles. Hopefully we can get it on video soon- unfortunately she clams up and stares at the camera whenever we try to get any video of her!
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- Allie Miller says:
She is so pretty Steph and Josh. I can’t wait to meet her and hold her someday. She is at that adorable chubby baby stage!! She has such a great smile and it is fun to look at your pictures and watch her grow….as you have learned already probably, they grow so very fast. Take care and call me if you ever come to Fargo or Grafton!! Love, Allie
Lauren is 3 months old today and we can’t believe how much she changes in just one week… she’s growing so fast and I had a hard time putting away her newborn outfits. She’s “talking” more and loves being in her exersaucer. She has also started paying more attention to Koda and is not quite sure what to think of him yet. Josh and I love watching her facial expressions as she plays and explores in her own little world!
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- Amy Johnson says:
Oh Lauren…you’re America’s Next Top Model!!!! TOO CUTE!!!! She IS changing so fast, Steph and Josh!!! Keep that camera within reach always!!!! It was so fun to see you guys yesterday…let’s try to do that more!!! Lauren is simple adorable!!! And that hair-do…too cute!!! Love ya all!! -amy
Lauren slept through the night twice this week! I panicked for a minute the first morning when I realized that my alarm woke me up instead of Lauren’s cries… and when she did wake at 6:30, we were all smiles- what a great way to start the day :) All the activity at daycare must be catching up to her. We’re hoping this is going to become a regular event, but even a couple nights a week of uninterrupted sleep is good enough for me!
Work was a bit overwhelming last week. It’s nice to be so busy but I’m struggling with the faster pace of life after being on “Lauren time” all summer. Getting out of the house in the morning is definitely a tag team effort and the nights seem to go too quickly after organizing everything again for the next day. I know it will get easier as we get used to the routine of it all… I’m just ready for another weekend!
Lauren’s lastest discovery is her hands- she’s either concentrating on their movement or she’s got one of them in her mouth!
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- Nana Jo says:
What wonderful news! I’m so happy for all THREE of you. The first time the kids slept through the night for a few consecutive nights I remember feeling like a new person — at least a rested mom:) Hope it continues. That is such a beautiful little angelic face with those big eyes and long eyelashes. She changes so much — it makes me want to drive down right now and hug that little babe. Is her hair getting lighter or just the camera and lighting?
We all went to the MN State Fair today! It was fun to take Lauren out and she was quite the trooper… Josh and I basically go for the food every year- corn on the cob, cheese curds, malts, and this year we tried bull bites and a deep fried Milky Way. Pretty tasty!
I survived my first day back to work yesterday- I didn’t shed too many tears but there was a lump in my throat until noon! Daycare said that Lauren had a good day, but I just wish there was a little camera so I could see for myself. Work is really busy so that keeps my mind occupied for the most part… but I sure hurried home to get my hands on her again! We’re just going to enjoy the weekend here by spending time with some family and friends.
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
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- Amy Johnson says:
Looks like a fun day!!! It sure was prefect for you guys outside…thought of you on my way home wishing I had been at the Fair all day too!!!! Enjoy your time as a family this weekend. I will say, leaving your baby at daycare never is easy (even when they don’t even kiss you goodbye anymore…) BUT you sure look forward to the weekends that much more when you don’t see them all day every day!!! Come on over on Monday afternoon if you want…I’d love to see you!!!! Hugs all ’round… – Amy
Oh my!! She is just the cutest!!! The ‘outtakes’ are just as cute as the photo you guys chose!! Looks like Lauren’s first Christmas was a memorable one…for EVERYONE!!! Christmas hugs to you all…and a big kiss on those sweet cheeks of that sweet girl!!!