Highlights from Lauren

Lauren had a wonderful Christmas. I do believe she got all that she wanted. She wrote to Santa asking for a Ballet Barre (it came) and the Edward Tulane book...She wanted me to read that book so her and daddy bought it for me for Christmas. I read it, it was cute! Thanks Lauren.

She has also been asking for a fish for many months...and we got her the items needed for a fish and we will go pick out said fish after we return to Denver next week. Lauren loves American Girl Dolls and anything that she has to use her brain to do...so some of her favorite gifts were her Ball of Whacks from Aunt Anna and Uncle Brad, and her Snap Circuits from Grandma Mary.

She also received some very special gifts like her Big Sister Golden Bear from Grams and Gramps (more on this later) and her Samantha Doll from us.

All during December Lauren saw commercials for the SNUGGIE - you know the ones...where you can use your arms while still bundled in a blankie...She wanted one so bad and we knew darn well it would be junk but when we saw them at Walgreens for a mere $15 we just had to do it...It is WAY to big, very shotty fabric, and ultimately a ridiculous design but the look on her face was priceless...she loved getting the Snuggie

Today I highlighted Lauren - our wonderful, wise beyond her years, 8 year old, who if given the chance would take weeks to open her gifts - she would prefer to take her time, open 1 gift, fully explore it and all it has to offer before moving on...Daddy and I don't have the patience for that - therefore we often ask her to pick up the pace...Hence no Holiday would be complete without at least one meltdown from dear Lauren. If we would have let her, she would have read that whole book you see before moving on to her next gift and her little sister would have been done opening all her gifts and throwing her own tantrum because she had run out and Lauren still had many more...

Sorry dear Lauren, but you have plenty of time to explore your gifts when your done opening them! The meltdown was short lived, she picked up the pace and we were done with the opening before New Years Eve!

Here are a couple more pictures of Lauren and some of her goodies that I really enjoyed.

Tomorrow - (time permitting of course) I will highlight little Hailey's Christmas. Should be fun!

We are still in the mountains and it is super cold her! The girls have been wanting to go ice skating but with Hailey and her chest of full of frogs it just hasn't been possible. Maybe today. Yesterday we went bowling (I bowled a 180, I think all the Wii bowling has helped my game) and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with family at Mirabels. The girls got to wear their fancy dresses and sat like angels through a two hour dinner. I couldn't ask for more! I took some pictures but my camera battery died and I had to switch to Grandpa's camera...and I don't have that with me this morning so those photos will have to wait!