At lunch yesterday, Lauren requested to play Rhyme Time. Another game she’s made up. It’s simple. We take turns saying words that rhyme. These are the words that Lauren provided when it was her turn.

Mommy: “Cat.”
Lauren: “Spat.”
Mommy: “Day.”
Lauren: “Spay.”
Mommy: “Door.”
Lauren: “Spoor.”

See where I’m going here???

Mommy: “Wall.”
Lauren: “Spall.”
Mommy: “Apple.”
Lauren: “Spapple.
Mommy: “Table.”
Lauren: “Bull.” (I had to laugh at that one…and yes I was expecting Spable.)
Mommy: “Hand.”
Lauren: “Spand.”
Mommy: “Late.”
Lauren: “Spate.”
Mommy: “Good”
Lauren: “Bood.”
Mommy: “What’s bood?”
Lauren: So matter-of-fact and without hesitation, “It’s a type of word, Mom.”

She’s fun! She’s funny!! And she’s going to be smarter than Ryan and me way before we’re ready!!!

Ryan and I haven’t been the only ones who’ve been busy getting the house ready to sale.  Over the past month, the words “What would I do without you?” have come out of my mouth countless times as Lauren is always willing to lend a helping hand.  She’s painted, cleaned, planted, played, packed, supervised, shopped, and been such a super good sport as our house went through a few transformations.  And now with the prospect of our lives changing if we are able to build a new home, Lauren is a little leery…understandable as I am too.  We’ve had to list out exactly what will go with us if we move; toys and Hailey go but the closet, walls and ceiling fans have to stay.  I know this is creating a little anxiety in her.  She told me the other night before drifting off to sleep that her ceiling fan wants to go with us to the new house because he will be lonely here.  She’s also super stoked about having a pool and playground, but just wants to “visit” the new house and then come back to this one because she “loves it here so much.”  I have to admit, a move will be bittersweet.  So many wonderful memories are in this house…Lauren’s very first home.  So many unforgettable stories that we will have to tell Lauren because I know it will be a time that she won’t remember when she gets older.  The long walks by the pond, fishing from our back yard, and the crazy critters that always appeared on our porch will all just be tales to her.  I hope I’ve taken enough pictures…just in case I better take a few more! 🙂  Check out Lauren lending a hand in getting the house ready to sale, click here.

Another trip to the zoo – this time it was just Lauren and me.  We had a wonderful time, as always.  We checked out some of her favorite animals, made a stop at the playground, road a camel (Lauren insisted on naming the camel since I didn’t ask its name while we were there), and ended our trip in the usual fashion with a ride on the carousel.  I, of course, took pictures!  To take a look at our morning at the zoo, click here.

Lauren darted towards, sneaked up on, chased after, almost jumped on, and finally happily caught the grasshopper that she was in pursuit of.  Check her out as she followed that grasshopper all over the yard, click here.

While eating lunch, Lauren asked for a pen and a piece of paper.  She started making a list, announcing with each scribble what item she was adding.  It went like this:

• Clothes
• Food
• Books
• Hailey
• Daddy
• Dr. Raley (her pediatrician)
• Dr. Pepper
• Beauty Shop
• Go outside and paint after my nap
• Lauren and Mommy together a lot…AWWW. I love you so much I end up crying. I say you’re beautiful at the end of the day.
• Done

Let’s see…she’s creative, fun, super observant and sure knows how to lay it on thick!  I love her!!

Lauren so enjoys her art class.  The theme is always the same but there are never any complaints on LP’s part as animals are one of her favorite subjects.  We get messy – paint and glue is everywhere – but we both have so much fun and I have a wonderful collection of the most colorful and abstract art.  And just because it’s fun doesn’t mean that Lauren takes her work any less seriously, sometimes refusing to answer a question…only pausing briefly to state, “I’m busy right now painting.”  Check out some recent pictures from an art class that Lauren shared with one of her buddies, Jasmine, click here.  In case you’re wondering, her creation is a dragonfly.

What should I note about the past month? Lauren is fascinated with fictional characters from mermaids to werewolves, unicorns to Bigfoot. She won’t let Ryan stop talking about them and actually invited Bigfoot over to enjoy our fireworks and cookout on the 4th. She’s learned to wink (hard to tell that both eyes aren’t closed, but if you look closely you’ll see one is barely open), thinks it’s hilarious that she can cross her eyes now, is relentless in her pursuit to one day touch her nose with her tongue like Mommy and Daddy and is so animated when she talks with wonderful facial expressions and hand movements. She’s singing more and makes up songs of her own that are always quite entertaining. She dances non-stop at home when listening to a CD or while watching “So You Think You Can Dance” as well as in the isle of any store that’s playing music with a beat. She’s even requested “to start ballerina lessons when I’m older…when I turn 3”. She’s such a little girl, using words that I’m amazed with like “actually”, “direction”, “refreshments” and “realize.” And I have to wonder how many other 34 month old kids know what a xenopes is??? I just found out and I’m 34 years old! That is just one of the many things she’s learned from reading her jillion books…which she really does read now in her own way. She goes letter by letter, announcing each out loud with great pride. She just loves her books and I know will be truly reading before long. You can ask her to find a particular book and she can locate it just from the writing on the spine…she does amaze me.

However, as much as she adores reading, this past month has brought about a new love – two little words that have become second nature for her, “Know what?” It starts off the majority of her sentences these days. Maybe she got it from me…maybe she got it from Ryan. At first it was so cute, like any new thing she says, but now it’s become a habit for her. I don’t think she even realizes that she’s saying it most of the time. However, she will continue to say it until you respond back to her with, “What?”

Lauren continues to make us laugh with all the things she says. This month has been crazy and I didn’t get a chance to jot many down, but here are a few LP quotes that made me smile:

While trying to get LP down for a nap, she was relying on her favorite stall tactic, talking nonstop. I finally threatened, “If you don’t stop talking like that, you won’t get to play in the sprinkler when you wake up.” Lauren responded wholeheartedly with, “How do I need to talk then, Mommy?”   7/8/09

After driving by a field full of equestrian jumps, Lauren shouted, “Mommy! I saw some toys for horses and a place for them to dance, run, jump and play!” How she knew this, I still have no clue.   7/11/09

Lauren so loved the beach and has been planning a trip back since we got home. After she decided that we should fly next time in order to get there faster, she also added, “Why don’t we go to the beach first…then to Africa. We can go from jungle to jungle to find Horton!”   7/14/09

Oh, life with Lauren is entertaining, fulfilling, enlightening, challenging, exhausting, and an immeasurable blessing. She knows how to bring a smile to my face, a tear to my eye, and has provided me with a whole life time of wonderful memories already. I simply can’t imagine life without her and know I’m better because of her. 34 months down…countless more to go!!!  Check out our photo shoot this month, click here.

Look closely…the left eye is slightly open.

WOW!  What a wonderful 4th of July!!  We relaxed. We played.  We ate.  We had a brief visit from Grandma & Grandpa and an imaginary visit from Bigfoot.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time together!  Lauren just couldn’t stand having the fireworks and not shooting them off so we had two fun filled days of snappers, confetti, sparklers, and a few fountains and bottle rockets.  Nothing loud was permitted, however.  Check out pictures from our festivities, click here.  And yes, the guy at the fireworks’ stand thought I was completely insane…but LP was so excited about helping Daddy pick them out this year, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to capture a few pictures of that too!