Botanical Center

Every year on Christmas Eve day we go to the botanical center.  For a couple of years we hardly had any kids so it just wasn't as fun.  This year was terrific.  There were five little ones and Jada and Lucas running around too!  So much fun ( :

Exploring

Playing in the sand with Grandma.

Look at the curiosity!

Ryan eating the gross sand covered frog.

Ryan and Jamie.  They obviously lost at our game of hide and seek.

This years group ( :

Next up: Christmas

P.S. Lahna now has a cast on her leg.  I'll post some pictures!

Birthday!

Finally the birthday post....better late than never! Lahna was not in our plans but God definitely knows what He's doing!  She is such a character.  She is so spunky and makes us laugh everyday.  Words can't express what an amazing blessing she is!

On her birthday Lahna ate pancakes for breakfast, spent time with Grandma Sue, and went swimming at the Y with Bryce and I.  It was a perfect day!

Birthday Girl!

Posing for the camera ( :

Loves being the center of attention!

Birthday sign made by Aunt Katie

Lahna has changed so much in the last year. 

You can see how much she's grown in this outfit.

Only a few days old

4 months

One year

Lahna got not one, but two birthday parties.  We had one in Omaha after Thanksgiving with Bryce's family. Bryce was working so we had another one with my family.  Both were tons of fun!  I don't have pictures of the birthday in Omaha because no one had a working camera and I don't know how to get the pictures off my phone.

Pink dessert!

Oreo balls

sugar cookies

pretzels

Lahna opening presents with Grandma.  She loves her Peek-a-who book! (Thanks Nancy)

She was thrilled when I told her she got her own birthday cake! Can't you tell?

She didn't dive right in like I thought she would.  She was actually very dainty about the whole thing, not sure where she got that trait.  Andrew decided to smash her hands into the frosting to see what she would do but she wasn't loving it.

Thanks Uncle Andrew

Get this off of my hands!

Finally starting to enjoy herself

Yum.

After a while she loved her cake and started making interesting(I think that's the best word) faces.

Growling at someone who got to close to her cake.

Another stunning pose.

"Look Mom...."

"...no hands!"

Tara and Katie bought her a motorized pink car...just for Lahna!  She was a little scared of it at first but she's finally getting the hang of it.  Now she can push the button and drive it all by herself, although she has a problem steering so the cats definitely know to avoid her!

And some videos for your enjoyment.  As a forewarning you can turn the sound down on the first video while we sing Happy Birthday.  Let's just say we never claimed to be great singers.

Halloween in January?

No we didn't celebrate Halloween in January or how we used to as kids in the middle of the summer.  We would dress up in costumes and parade around the neighborhood, knocking on doors where bewildered faces would meet our mob of children telling jokes for candy like it was a normal thing to do on a July afternoon.  No Halloween in January but I just found these pictures on my computer and realized I never posted them.

Happy pumpkin ( :

Two little kitties!

Kitty Kisses

We wanted to get pictures of all the cousins together but it just didn't happen.  Lahna didn't have her ears.  Ryan and Jackson were getting tired.  Blythe fell asleep.  We'll try again next year....

Jackson and Ryan

Jackson

Ryan

Blythe

We went to visit Grant, Rachael, and Zeke the monkey!

"What is that thing?"

"I don't think I like monkeys."

"Yep, definitely don't like monkeys.  I'm out of here!"

Emergency Room & Random

Poor baby girl was really sick a few months ago.  She had a temperature of 104.  Of course she didn't have a temperature until late at night, so we had to take her to the Emergency Room instead of being able to go to the doctors office.  They ran some tests (she screamed the whole time, even when they just walked in the room and looked at her) and took an x-ray of her chest.  They told us she had walking pneumonia, which I'm told is much better than regular pneumonia.  We were given a prescription and told to check back with our doctor the next day.  She was still running a 102 temperature when we went to the doctor so we were given a different antibiotic and told her temperature would go down.  That night when I went to check on Lahna she was burning up with a 104.6 temperature and breathing pretty heavy.  Bryce was working second shift so I kind of freaked (just a little) but I talked to a very nice doctor on the phone who calmed down my, this is my first child so I've never been through this before, hysteria. She's back to being her spunky, never slow down  self.

 

They tried to console her with toys.  It only worked when they weren't in the room.

Little hospital gown...too cute ( :

On a much lighter note....Bryce made me a chocolate covered pretzel Christmas tree. 

Chocolate in a creative design. 

He really gets me!

And another random picture.  Lahna trying to look like grandma.  I wonder if she's seen my mom make this face with the pouting lips and all...weird.

Bryce and Lahna looking at guns.  She seems to be aiming at something.  I'm pretty sure, actually I'm positive, they have a sign that says Under 18 years of age - do not touch guns.  Opps, I don't think we could pass Lahna for 18.