Flashback!

So I just saw this picture, and well, I love it! It was taken this past June, but Nate looks about 2 years younger than he does now. This was his first time to stay up late enough to catch lightning bugs. It was when cousin Isaac was here. Look at the expression on his face! It tells it all. :)

Big Boys

The other day I was talking to Graham and Nate about something, and I was trying to explain that they couldn't go somewhere with mommy and daddy. So I ended up saying that it was not something for little boys. You could just see the wheels in Graham's head spinning and he looked at me and said, "what about big boys?"

7 months

Well, it's hard to believe, but this tiny girl is now over half a year old! She is closer to 1 than she is to 0! At the beginning of the year we went in for her 6 month check up, and she weighed in at a hefty 13 lb 14 oz. Yup, she's my 7 month old who is the size of a 4 month old. She loves to sit up and play now. I love it when they get to that point, so much easier to keep them happy. And she really is a happy baby. Well, not right now, she has her first real cold right now, and so life can get quite sad these days. But usually, she is so smiley, and she wins over everyone she sees. She still does that super cute shaking her head no thing, and she thinks she's so clever when she does that. She has also figured out that if she stretches out her arms that someone is likely to pick her up. And if she reaches to someone who is not holding her, then she will be transferred to that person. She has decided that mommy is her favorite person in the world, and she will still put up with being held by other people, but if mommy leaves the room, then she should probably cry. She enjoys her time with mommy so much, that she doesn't like to have it end just because it's the middle of the night. The past week when she was getting sick, she wanted to spend time with mommy during the middle of the night as often as 4 to 5 times each night. But mommy loves her anyway. All she has to do is smile, and usually all is forgiven.

20 pounds

OK, so eventually I will get beyond the Night before Christmas, but first, some other exciting news. I have dropped 20 pounds!
Here is chubby Lauren in September. Here is less chubby Lauren in December. (Never mind the crazy look on my face.)

Now, I have never made a final weight loss goal for myself. Do I want to get to the upper limit of what is considered "healthy" for my height? Do I want to try to just lose for as long as I can? Just keep going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny?

I have finally figured it out.

My final weight loss goal?

To be as svelte as a jungle cat.

'Twas the night before Christmas

... and right before I was able to take a picture of the kids in their matching jammies that Grandma made them, Olivia got kneed in the head, and would not be happy for any of the pictures.

Temple Lights

The Sunday before Christmas we went down to the Washington DC LDS Temple grounds to see the lights. It was freezing cold, and every other person in the Tri-State area was there as well, but it was nice to take the kids down. We didn't make it down last year because of all of the snow that we got in December, so we enjoyed being able to go this year.

Our Christmas Picture

How difficult is it to get a 5 year old, 3 year old and 6 month old all looking and smiling at the camera at the same time? Not difficult at all- it's actually impossible.

Merry Christmas anyway!