Easter Eggstravaganza

So Eggstravaganza may be a bit of a strong word for dying a few eggs and decorating a couple cookies, but whatever, you get the idea. It was an attempt to complete the mandatory Easter festivities. Is it just me, or did this holiday creep up on everyone else too? The cookies...

Rolling out/eating the cookie dough

Getting serious about dying eggs

Londyn

Skylar...this picture is funny to me because I was actually taking a picture of Londyn, and I noticed her posing for the picture. I guess that's what happens when you frequently have a camera in your face.

Posing together while Londyn breaks into one of the eggs.

My friend Kendra and her cute bunny cookie

The boys hanging out. They weren't too keen on the Easter activities of the evening.

I hope you're enjoying a "Springy" week and are eagerly anticipating the the weekend!

Sunday Morning

I thougth Lincoln looked all grown up with his little polo style shirt on for church Sunday morning so we snapped a couple of pics with him. Londyn had ridden with Kevin to the airport to drop off his sister, so Skylar and I filled our time by posing with Lincoln. These girls adore their brother, and I believe the feeling is mutual.

He looks a bit like the marshmallow man in this pic, but Skylar gets a little offended when I don't publish her photography to the blog:)

In Good Company

So, who knew trying to get five kids between the ages of 6 months and 6 years to all be still, look at a camera and smile would be a near impossible feat?!? Nonetheless, the kids all had a great time hanging out with their Lawrence cousins that they rarely get to see. Kevin's brother's family from Oregon and Kevin's sister and her daughter from Florida all came to visit last week. It was the first time they had seen Lincoln, and unfortunately he ended up being sick most of the week. (Thanks for taking such good care of him, probably not the most fun way to spend a vacation.) It was great to get to see everyone, and fun to watch all the kids play together. We're looking forward to seeing them all again at Christmas! Left to right: Lilly, Skylar, Jade, Londyn, and Lincoln

JoY

This post is sort of out of the ordinary, so let me explain a little; our congregation has recently started life-groups and we are currently studying the fruits of the spririt. Our study this month was about joy. The main idea we discussed was that we are commanded to "be joyful", that it's a choice, not a feeling or emotion, that even in the most difficult of circumstances when we are sad and/or grieving we can also be joyful. I've been thinking about that a lot lately, for several reasons, probably primarily because I'm not always that joyful. I don't like to think of myself as a pessimist, but more of a realist:) I may have actually tried to convince myself that I'm joyful even though I don't always act like it. Hmm.. a little contradictory I think. Anyway, in our discussion, we talked about people that we thought were examples of joy, and I'm not a great on-the-spot thinker. But tonight as I was taking a bath, unwinding from a pretty rough weekend, this topic permeated my mind once again, and I kept thinking about Skylar. When I think of the most joyful person I know, it would have to be her. Maybe she is not necessarily choosing joy, I don't know, but either way she is definitely an example of what I think a joyful person should be, and her joyfulness is infectious. I know she is only six, and she hasn't had a lot of hardship to overcome, but this girl is happy to her core. I have never heard her say a negative thing about anybody or anything, she rarely gets upset, and she can always see the bright side of any situation. (Disclaimer: I obviously don't hear everything she says or see everything she does, so this is to the best of my knowledge, and feel free to burst my bubble if necessary.)

For example:
One Monday morning as we were rushing out the door, running late AGAIN, I'm muttering under my breath, throwing my bag in the car, she hops in, buckles her seat belt and beams "Mom, don't you just love Mondays!"

A few weeks ago, after we had been teased with a nice day or two, and were on our way out the door, Kevin made some comment about how dreary and rainy it was, and Skylar says "Well, maybe we'll see a rainbow."

When we have our talk time in the evening, and we ask her about any bad part of her day, she always struggles to think of something, and most of the time she just passes that one.

When I asked her the other night what a good part of her day was, she told me "You let me clean with you all day!"

Those were just a couple of things that came to the forefront of my mind. I think as parents, we try to be good examples and model traits that we would like for our children to possess. However, I think our children often have a lot to teach us. I must say that I could take a few lessons from this bundle of joy!

Well, now I guess I need to work on being a little more joyful. I'm sure you are already "being joyful", but if not, maybe we can be more joyful together.

6 Months

In some ways it's hard to believe it's already been six months, in other ways, it's hard to remember life without this little guy. He is still an easy going baby, and for the most part, isn't too demanding. Although, when you're the third child, I'm not sure you have a choice. He LOVES his sisters, and really enjoys someone to be talking to him all the time. I think we have Londyn to thank for that. He loves to watch Baby Einstein, be talked to, read to and kissed. He is doing the typical six month sorts of things; experimenting with food, almost sitting up, rolling all over the place, grasping and playing with toys, etc. At his last check up, he weighed in at 16.5 lbs which was the around the 35th perecentile. He was 26 inches long, and that was the 44th percentile. From a mother's perspective, he's just perfect! We couldn't love him more and are so glad that we have been blessed with him in our lives. Happy six months baby boy!

On another note, I thought I would be a lot smaller by the time the he was six months old. So much for that! If I could shrink as quickly as he is growing I'd be in good shape. Maybe by the time he's one?!?

Happy Spring Break Kids!

Yep, that's my two girls sitting in a box eating skittles. That was pretty much the Lawrence house Spring Break finale! Thank goodness we enjoyed the beautiful weather Thursday, because little did I know we would spend the rest of the weekend quarantined from the rest of the world. It all started with Skylar getting sick on Friday morning, Londyn got it Friday night, I got it Saturday morning, and by Saturday evening Kevin had it too. Thank goodness it was only a 24 hour thing, but it's taken until this evening to get almost everyone back to health. Saturday afternoon and evening the girls pretty much had to fend for themselves as well as entertain Lincoln. I'm not sure we even fed them other than the skittles Kevin brought them when he went out to get me something to drink early Saturday. It's all a blur.. Anyway, they seemed to be just fine, and when I woke up from one of my naps, I found them both sitting in this box giggling and skittle munching as happy as could be.

I Know Better...

Really, I do. I know that when something is advertised as Incredible Kids Day, Super Kids Day, Kid Fest, it is in my best interest to just stay away. I'm not a fan of crowds, long lines, or any unnecessary hassle. I'm all about convenience. I know what causes me stress and anxiety, and I do my best to avoid those things. Well, apparently today was Incredible Kids Day in Tulsa, and the zoo was on the list of discounted venues. It was seriously only a $2.00 discount off of a child's ticket. I didn't think that was enough of a deal to lure in the massive crowd. However, I suppose that combined with it being a beautiful day the week of spring break made it an irresistible day to head to the Tulsa Zoo. As soon as we turned in to Mohawk park, I knew it was going to be bad. The lines were out to the street, and we had to park forever away from the actual zoo entrance. At that point, it's not like you can really say "Hey kids, never mind, we are NOT going to the zoo", so we decided to make the most of it. Despite the enormous amount of people and the lack of food available for purchase, we had a pretty good day. It was absolutley gorgeous outside, we got to hang out with our friends and managed to get some excercise. I tried to snap a few pictures, but it's getting more difficult as I'm still adjusting to outings with a baby and no free hands. Lincoln and his best bud Brody hanging out during lunch.

An attempt of my three together, Lincoln hoping for mercy

The elephant encounter above, and the turtle below. It always amazes me that of the variety of animals found at the zoo, the ducks, turtles, etc. never get old and always seem to fascinate my kids.

Waiting in line....

I don't know what they were all looking at through this telescope thing, but they all had to have a turn.

Hope you are enjoying your spring break, and this fabulous weather.

Top O' The Morning

Yes, I know that St. Patrick's Day was yesterday, but you're still feeling a little green, aren't you? I'm not sure at what point St. Patrick's Day became a celebrated holiday around the Lawrence house, but this year, it definitely got some recognition. I was pinched before I even got out of bed, and hard. I rolled over to see Skylar already dressed in her shamrock shirt and on a mission to find anyone not sporting the color of the day. She and Londyn then concocted a plan to request green eggs for breakfast. I happily obliged, and while we were playing with the food coloring, I figured we might as well enjoy a little green milk as well. Mmmm... tasty don't you think? I think if I colored all the food I contemplated putting in my mouth I may actually be able to lose a little weight. They on the other hand, ate every bite... I may be onto something here.

It's All About Me

Malachi Jax Fredendall

We traveled to Missouri this weekend to meet the newest Fredendall, Malachi Jax. He was born March 2nd at around 11:45PM weighing in at 6lbs 2oz. He is, of course, absolutely adorable. This is an attempt to get a picture of my mom and dad with all five grandkids.

Me and my first nephew, a little nervous to hold such a tiny little thing

Uncle Trent with my kids, and Mr. Malachi

It's hard to believe that my baby brother has his own baby now, but I know he's going to be a great dad!

Congratulations Trent adn Kesha! We are so happy to have another little one in the family, and Lincoln is especially excited to have a boy another boy in the family.

On the Farm...Again

Of course, everytime we head to MO, the girls can't wait to get to the farm to see the cows, take a hayride, and on an occasional visit, drive the tractor. Thankfully, on our brief visit to meet the newest addition to the family, the weather was amazing, and we were all able to enjoy a little fresh air. The girls are pretty happy campers in general, but their faces definitely beam when they get to go to the farm!

Bunnies and Cupcakes

We went to pick up the girls this afternoon after they stayed with my parents for the weekend, and they couldn't wait to show us the cool stuff they made while they were there. They are quite the bakers, and love crafts, especially Skylar. They came home with these cute little bunnies made out of socks, and were so proud of themselves. They also made these farm animal cupcakes which were equally adorable.

Thanks mom for not only keeping them for the weekend, but planning such fun things for them to do with you while they are there!

Freedom

Just picture me singing that song at the top of my lungs, you know the one....Actually, don't picture it, that would be horrifying. Anyway, let me begin by saying I ADORE my children, I thing they are AMAZING, and they bring me great JOY! Let me finish by saying that I've thoroughly enjoyed a little bit of freedom this weekend. Friday night, Kevin drove the kids to Mt. Vernon to meet my parents for the weekend. I was in my house ALONE for five hours or so, that NEVER happens. For the first time since I can remember, every room in my house was clean, minus a few closets. We had a baby shower here this morning, and then Kevin and I were able to hang out the rest of the day. A little shopping, a dinner out, and some relaxing at home. I miss my children, and will be thrilled to see them tomorrow. However, I actually feel relaxed and rejuvenated and almost ready for a new week.

Happy 5 Months

The little guy is 5 months old today! The time is flying, and he's getting more fun all the time. He LOVES his sisters, and it's a good thing because they are always in his face. He's a pretty mellow fellow, and for the most part is all smiles. He's almost sitting alone, becoming interested in his toys, and enjoys lots of attention. Of course, who can resist giving attention to someone who listens intently and always responds with smiles and giggles. He doesn't appear to have any teeth coming in, but he drools constantly. (although I'm sure you've noticed that in his pics) He's tried a few food items, but doesn't really seem all that interested yet. Although considering his current size, I'd say he's doing just fine on his formula diet. I'm sure he'll change his mind about that soon. It's amazing to me how babies change and grow, and that in a matter of weeks, they can become so much more interactive.

When he first grabbed his puppy, their heads were nestled together and he had a big grin on his face. I missed that picture and got this look instead.

Sitting Up...Almost

I really like sitting in this chair Mommy! I'm sorry I spit up on my shirt when you went to get your camera to take a picture of me looking so handsome. Just for you, I'm going to try sitting up on my own. It won't be easy, but I it's worth a try.

I think I'm doing it, but are you sure this is safe?

Please don't let me fall, please don't let me fall....

Now this is more like it!

(Please be sure to keep your attention focused on the smiley little boy and not on his old looking mother who really needs to avoid close up face shots, put on some make-up and do something with that hair.)