The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well my friends, my mom and dad have had me all over the East Coast over the last week or so.  A day in New York, a few days in Concord, a quick jaunt to Vermont, and a dash to Harrisburg.  It's been a lot of driving, and boy am I tired of sitting in my car seat!  On the plus side, I have been allowed as many graham crackers as I would like.  I particularly enjoy wiping the crumbs on my bunny blankies!

I'm sure you would love to see pictures from our adventures.  So would I!  My mom hasn't had a chance to get the pictures off the camera for me.  Hopefully she'll have a few minutes tomorrow when we finally arrive back home.  Hope you have had a joyous Christmas!  Happy New Year's Eve-Eve!

Bad Bash 2010

Who doesn't like a party?  I know I love them!  That's why I hosted one this weekend.

My parents always had a Christmas party every year before I was around.  I decided to keep the tradition alive.  I got my mom to decorate the house while I sent out the invites.  I got all dressed up for the occasion too, in a new red dress.  I think I looked quite fetching!  My good buddies Jackson and Danny stopped by, and a new friend, Emma, came to play too!  We had a great time, and really enjoyed the graham crackers and milk our moms gave us.

Save the date!  Bad Bash 2011 will be held on December 10th next year!

Pajama Day!

On Saturday, my mom declared it "Pajama Day."  We hung out in our jammies all day.  I like jammies.  They are comfy and flattering to my figure.  Dad had to work on Saturday, but Mom and I had fun without him.  We played this new game where Mom got all my toys all tidy in one corner, and then I went over and threw them around the room again.  We played it over and over!  What fun! 

But has anyone seen my Duplos this morning?  They seem to have gone missing after the last time I covered the carpet with every Duplo I could find.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

I'm not exactly sure what is going on, but my parents seem to be losing their marbles (what few they had left)!  Yesterday, they took me to a strange house and had me sit on the lap of a strange man.  He seemed jovial enough, but I wasn't too sure.  Santa asked if I wanted teeth for Christmas.  I smiled and showed him the eight I already have.  He said I probably don't need anymore, for Christmas at least!  I did get a cookie though, so if this "Santa" guy  keeps giving me treats, then I guess he's ok!  Plus, my parents just seemed so excited to see me with him.



 My parents got even sillier after meeting Santa, if you can believe it!  They took me out into the freezing, blustery wind to look at trees.  Then they pointed to one and some guys starting shoving it in the trunk of my mom's tiny car.  It gets better.  They brought the tree into the house.  My toys are completely displaced and confused.  I'm confused too!  Why is there a tree in the house??

Everyone has gone mad.  But you know what?  It's pretty fun.  Merry Christmas!

Gobble! Gobble!

Last week was a big deal. It was my first Thanksgiving! My mom, dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Liz, Uncle Vin, Aunt Maria, Uncle Andy, Uncle Andy's friend and I all piled into an RV and drove to Nashville TN for some good old southern turkey. I am a very good navigator, so they were glad to have me along.

Aunt Jen had a special parking space just for us! I'm not sure who Eddie Griswold is though; I'm not sure he showed up.

Aunt Maria and me checking out the RV

Before eating massive amounts of Turkey, I made sure everyone got their exercise: a rousing game of football! I was the referee.  

Flag! Illegal contact on the offense!

My mom tried to get me to eat some turkey, but I wasn't a fan. Give me squash and cranberry sauce any day! Yum!

I like to eat in style.

The next day (after everyone woke up from their turkey naps) we went to the Nashville zoo! A lot of the animals were asleep becuase it was so cold, but we had a good time anyway. There was a fantastic jungle gym at the zoo that we explored for almost an hour. I didn't really like the big slide, but held it together far better than my mom. I don't think she'll be going down that slide again! We did get to see some animals, including some really neat fish!

This lizard thing kept sticking his tongue out at me! What a flirt!

After the zoo, my mom and dad went out with a bunch of the others on something called a party bus. I don't know. I had way more fun staying at home with my cousin Jameson and my Uncle Russell. Apparently, though, my crazy parents went to a bar (whatever that is) and rode a mechanical bull.

Dad didn't stay on the bull for long, but Mom was on for 1:09!

Even more shocking, I hear there were poles on the party bus. And those poles are meant for dancing! I prefer to hold onto a chair or table for my dancing, but I guess my mom enjoys a pole. She gets her best moves from me though. I am queen of the wiggle.

Um. Mom?

We all had a lot of fun in Tennessee. My cousin Jameson has some other awesome cousins, Laken and Lakota, who I enjoyed playing with very much. I hope to see all our family again very soon. But I might stay away from RV's for a while!

Christmas Cards!

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Hi ho! Hi Ho!

It's off to work we go!

Grammy and I went to work with Mommy yesterday.  We are seasoned commuters, and knew everything about riding the train.  When we got to work, Grammy and I did a little paperwork.  Those hippos go absolutely berserk if you don't read them now and then.  I have to keep them in line.

After we got the paperwork out of the way, it was time to file.  I am an organizational genius.

All that filing was exhausting, so I took some inspiration from my good friend, George Costanza, and took a nap under a desk.  It was very restful.

After a lovely nap and some lunch, I took Mom and Grammy over to the National Gallery to see the current exhibition of Arcimboldo paintings.  Anyone who plays with their food in the name of art is pretty awesome in my book.  Arcimboldo was the 16th century master of playing with food!  We worked up an apetite walking through the beautiful exhibit, so I treated Mom and Grammy to some gelato.  I had a few bites too, but I'm trying to watch my girlish figure.

After our trip to the Gallery, it was time to head back home.  This is a picture of me riding the rails.  I'm really good at this work stuff!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Laura helped Nate celebrate his birthday Friday night with a trip to Bare Bones Restaurant for some ribs. Laura and her friend Jackson didn't get to enjoy the ribs, but Nate definitely enjoyed his - and so did his parents, sister, brother and our good friends, Chris and Anita! We were a big, loud group, and had a lot of fun.

My friend, Mandy, came down from NYC Saturday morning for some Maryland wine and fine dining. We had dinner at Cinghiale - one of Cindy Wolf's fabulous restaurants. We both highly recommend the cauliflower soup! It was great seeing Mandy, Laura's newest BFF. Sadly, we didn't get any pictures to document our great weekend!

Cousins!

I got to meet my second-cousin, Jameson, this weekend! He's pretty cool, with his cowboy boots and rock star hair. We played really nicely together at Auntie Liz's house in Philadelphia, while everyone else watched football and ate an early Thanksgiving dinner. I even got a few bites of green bean casserole! Yum!

Jameson and I were pretty tired after all that playing and eating, so he let me share his crib.

We had so much fun together, that my mom and dad are going to let me drive down to Tennessee to see Jameson again very soon! I can't wait!

Voting!

Laura learned all about voting today! She votes "yes" on Cheerios and toys, and "no" on naps and teething.
Unfortunately for Laura, Mommy reigns supreme at home! Laura, Daddy and Ries vote "no" on baby gates, but Mommy votes "yes" on safety!

Happy Halloween!!

Grr! I'm a fearsome tiger! This is my pet, the Cowardly Lion. She lets me play with her toys, because she knows I bite!

Even scary tigers have a mommy and daddy. Mine are pretty cool.

9 Months!

I can't believe Laura has been with us for 9 whole months. She has now been outside just as long as she was inside - and we have loved every minute! Laura is full of beans, getting into everything, and even standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time. She's a better dancer than either her mommy or daddy, which isn't hard! She loves her puppy, Riesling, and couldn't be a happier baby.

Phish

Nate flew up to New England with friends this weekend for a mini Phish tour, seeing shows in Providence, RI and Amherst, MA. I hear the concerts were fantastic, and the misadventures with Koshy, Chris and Brett were as hilarious as ever! Meanwhile, Laura spent the weekend with her grandparents in PA, while I went to a concert of my own Saturday night with some coworker friends. Guster, my favorite, just released a new album and kicked off their new tour in DC!

Family Weekend

Nate, Laura and I drove way up into New York State this weekend to visit Auntie Torie at school. What a gorgeous fall weekend! Laura enjoyed looking at college from Torie's dorm room window. And really, what a view! Torie showed us all around campus, and even gave us a little tour of the art studios she is lucky enough to have classes in. Her school has a special book making studio, with spider presses and everything!

We are so glad we got to see Torie at her new school. Go Thoroughbreds!

Pumpkins!

Hi friends!
This weekend, I got to go to a farm with some of my friends! There were lots of goats for me to feed. They liked me and my parents a lot, since we kept bringing them handfuls of food.This sheep was interested in a snack too.

The farm had lots of pumpkins. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, where we each got to pick our own pumpkin. Jackson, Lucas, Danny and I all had a great time.

Dr. Teeth

Laura is working on her 5th tooth this week! She now has the two center top teeth, and three of her center bottoms. I can't believe how quickly her little mouth is filling up!

8 Months!

Can you believe it? Laura is 8 months old today! EIGHT WHOLE MONTH! I have no idea how much she weighs or anything, except that she's still in size 3 diapers and is rocking her 9 month wardrobe. She has the biggest, most wonderful personality. I just love seeing her face light up at the silliest things!

Laura's Grammy (my mom) came for a visit this weekend. Grammy and Laura hung out Thursday and Friday while Nate and I were at work. Grammy kept us all very well fed! We loved having her around, even though we missed seeing Grampy. We'll see Grammy and Grampy - along with Aunt Torie, Uncle Parke and Aunt Sarah - again very soon! Can't wait!

Grr Says the Tiger!

I got to see a LOT of fun animals this weekend when I visited my Grammy and Grampy in Massachusetts!

This is Pippi. Pippi says "Ruff! Ruff!" She was very interested in my toys, as I was in hers. She was less interested in how I pulled her fur. This is a horse that my mom and I fed! The horse says "Neigh! Neigh!" Her nose was as soft as velvet. Maybe someday when I'm bigger I can go for a ride a horse!

This is the rooster at Kimball's, where we went for yummy ice cream. Well, I think it's yummy. I can't quite decide. It's so cold! But then so sweet! The rooster says, "Cockadoodle-doo! Share your ice cream with me!"

This is me, Laura the Tiger, sitting with some pumpkins at Verrill Farm. I say "Grr... I'm a fierce tiger!" Pumpkins make great toys for little tigers to play with!

Let's Go O's!

My mom and dad took me to a baseball game on Saturday. I've been wanting to go all season, but just couldn't find time in my busy, almost-8-month-old schedule. Imagine my delight in finally getting to a game! Against the yankees no less! This picture is a little blurry, but fairly accurately depicts my glee:
My mom was pretty excited to have me at the game too. I'm not much for PDA, but what could I do? She's bigger than me!
It was a very fun night, even if those Darn Yankees won the game. I probably won't make it to any more games this season, but I'm excited for next year!

Arrrgh!

Ahoy there! Cap'n Lucky Laura here!I took my mom and dad to my first Pirate Party this weekend. I really enjoyed dressing up and hunting for treasure. Look at these awesome jewels I found! I didn't really want to share my treasure, so I tried to eat it instead.

I also got to see some of me mateys this weekend!

Our moms and dads all met at (or through, in my mom's case) Goucher. They kept saying that we are the Goucher class of 2032, but I'm not sure what that means. I am looking forward to years of adventures on the high seas with all my friends!

Crazy Week!

This family has been busy the past week! Nate earned a spot on New York Life's Executive Council this year, which meant we got to go on an exotic vacation - to Washington, DC! So we drove down to the Gaylord National Harbor (a very fancy hotel) Sunday afternoon, our car packed to the gills with toys, clothes and food for Laura. And thus began our crazy week.

New York Life had events planned all week, with a kick-off dinner Sunday night. The food was great - which was impressive for a buffet serving over 3,000 people! Nate, Laura and I enjoyed the party and made some new friends. I swear, the entire (enormous) hotel was filled to capacity solely with New York Life families.

Laura and I spent Monday by the pool, while Nate was in meetings. He joined us that afternoon. Laura just LOVED the fountains they had for the children to play in. It was seriously so cute watching her in the water!
Monday evening, Laura went off on her own adventure in DC - she stayed with my friend for the evening while Nate and I attended the New York Life awards dinner. It was a very fancy seated dinner for 3,500 people. Not quite as lively an evening as Sunday, but still quite nice.

We spent Tuesday as a family, before I packed Laura up for a brief stay at home. I went to work on Wednesday, after leaving Laura with her Grampa. Laura and Ries went up to PA for the remainder of the week, and I went BACK to the hotel after work for the final New York Life dinner - a carnival!

Seriously. A carnival. Complete with cotton candy, games, prizes, and fireworks!! It was a LOT of fun. Nate and I wandered, popcorn in hand, with friends old and new. It was truly an enjoyable evening, and I can't wait for Council next year in St. Louis!

But that wasn't the end of our busy week. Nate and I rejoined our girls in PA after work on Friday, so we could be in town for our dear family friend's wedding. Stacee and Brent were married on Saturday in a lovely ceremony - with a very fun reception following! The highlight of the wedding was a photo booth. Everyone piled in to have their pictures taken. It was so much fun seeing all the wacky poses people thought of!

We're finally home, and back at work. I think I need a vacation to recover from our vacation!

7 Months!

I'm 7 months old today! And what a great 7 months it's been! So here are some of the fun things I've been up to:

• I'm eating all sorts of Stage 2 foods
• I especially love pears
• I'm almost crawling - and am a speedy scoocher!
• I have two teeth, right on the bottom
• I'm in size 3 diapers and size 9 months for clothes
• I really love my exersaucer and new swing
• Sometimes I wave when people come in the room
• I'm really close to clapping
• I still wake up some nights (much to my mom and dad's dismay)
• I can sit on my own for a pretty long time
• I can go from sitting to my tummy to start scooching towards whatever toy I have my eye on
• Riesling is my best friend!
• I'm a very happy little girl

Our Summer Vacation

Hi Guys! My mom has been remiss in updating the blog this past month, so I'm here to tell you what we've been up to in a pictorial essay.
In August, I started scooching my way around. I love being able to follow Riesling all over the family room!

I watched my buddy, Jackson, become baptized into the Catholic Church. I had my baptism a few weeks before his, so I knew what to expect.

In the middle of August, Mom and Dad strapped me and Ries in the car and drove all the way up to the Cape. I really enjoyed the lovely sunrises each morning.

We went to the beach.

I hung out with my Grammy and Grampy.

We went to the Band Concert. I enjoyed the lively music, but loved my glow stick even more.

I ate some sand. I hear it's good for the digestion.

I went on a boat ride too!

It has been a great summer. I loved seeing all my grandparents, great-grandmothers, aunts and uncles, and playing with all sorts of dogs and stuffed animals. Sand is my favorite. Swimming in the pool is also my favorite. Swimming in the ocean is NOT my favorite! That water is too cold! Maybe I will like it more next year.