Lauren's new favorite game

Lauren's new favorite game is to run down the hall and slam the door behind her. She'll then hold the door closed and not let me in. I find it kinda funny now, but something tells me that this game will get real old, real quick! Ha.

Wildly stubborn; and therefore, ridiculously messy

This child of ours is wildly independent and stubborn. Even though she has not mastered the use of a fork or spoon, she is insistent on having one every time she eats. If I try to feed her, she rips the utensil from my hand and will feed herself. Here's to hoping her aim gets a lot better, real soon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Pinch, pinch, pinch if you are reading this and not wearing green!

In to everything?

It's funny when parents knowingly talk to each other about understanding the phases kids are going through. Whenever anyone asks how old Lauren is and I tell them "16 months," the most common response is, "Is she in to everything?" My typical response, "Um, yah....and then some." Here's a little bit of proof:

(Yes, those are Cheerios covering the floor of the pantry. And there were a lot more before I finally got the photo taken. The dogs are starting to think that Lauren's pretty cool now).

Happy Birthday, daddy!

Scott is traveling today and we won't get to see him until tomorrow, but Lauren and I had fun making him some birthday cards to give him when he gets home. Happy Birthday, daddy!

Austin Zoo

After going to the Nature & Science Center, I figured it was time to finally check out the Austin Zoo. It was a beautiful, 70 degree, sunny day, so Lauren and I took off to check it out. Little did I know that it was just 15 minutes from my house! When we got there, I purchased a bag of food, and we headed off to feed the sheep, goats, and llamas. I thought Lauren might be a little nervous at first, but she dove head first in to feeding everything. She grabbed the little bag of food and just went from animal to animal. She rubbed their noses, laughed when they licked her hand, and she even wanted to kiss them. I think we could have stayed there all day.

Come & Get 'em!

When Lauren was a few months younger, whenever she would see a baby doll, or a picture of a baby, or even herself in a mirror, she would kiss it. After a while, I bought her a play baby bottle for her baby dolls, and she started feeding them--one by one. Well, today she had put two of her dolls in her high chair, gave them her real bottle of milk, and started feeding them with her real spoon. So cute!

Don't hug the wildlife

It was nice outside today, so Lauren and I decided to finally take a trip to Austin's Nature & Science Center. It's this free park that has some animals, birds, fish, and even an area for kids to "dig up dinosaur bones." It was nice to get outside, and well, Lauren really wanted to give this coyote a hug: