Arkansas Trip

OK, as promised - what did Lauren and I do in Arkansas last month? Well, we went to visit my dad and his wife Donna, and also my step-sister Catherine and her family. Catherine has 3 sweet children, all of whom were so welcoming and happy to meet their cousin Lauren. My brother also drove down from Wisconsin to spend the weekend with us. It was a great time, and we have many, many beautiful pictures. Catherine took some great 18 month shots of Lauren that I cannot wait to frame, and also pictures of all the kids together. It was sweltering hot and humid, and Lauren is about as tolerant of the heat as her mommy- she would turn bright red and get a little sluggish, so the poor thing did better playing indoors. Grandma and Grandpa had a big wheel and barbie dolls- both are new playthings for Lauren and she loved them. The best part was playing with her cousins- the older two doted on Lauren and carried her around. Her 3 year old cousin called her "baby" and was very sweet as well. Lauren was a bit shy, but liked to watch and take it all in. On Saturday we went to a family cook-out for Catherine's daughter's birthday. They had 2 pools- a big one and a baby pool, a trampoline and fireworks at the end of the night. Whew- What a day! On sunday we went to their little church, and then home for more playing and a big family breakfast together. It made me so sad to leave, the one big thing we are missing in our lives is family nearby and it always makes me sad to get a taste of what we are missing out on.

Birthday Party