Santa Came...and Went...Does anyone have any extra room at their house to store some of the stuff he left?Santa brought Lane a Little Tikes dollhouse, stamps, bath toy, and pop-up book.

My mom and sister celebrated Christmas with us two days before the 25th and Meme got Lane her first baby doll (mommy approved) and stroller...the picture below says it all, she strolled that baby all over the place.

Another special treat...Memaw and Gepaw took Lane to Build A Bear after Christmas and she got to pick out her very own stuffed animal...she picked, a bear. I wanted her to pick the owl, because it was so cute, but this is the one she loved. It was love at first sight, and there was no persuading her otherwise.

So we accessorized this bear to look like a superstar...and Lane loves it.

And of course there was plenty of Lane and Hudson play time. They are so cute together. It is a lot of fun to watch them play together.

We had a great Christmas and Lane got lots of clothes, books, and toys. We now have to reorganize her play storage. Oh, well I guess that is a good problem to have. We are really blessed. I hope you had a great holiday too. Now on to New Year's...and back to UNT for me. Keep me in your prayers, as I head back to finish my Ph.D. and write my dissertation.

Happy Birthday Lane!!!

Can you believe this kid is 2 years old today! She had her two year check-up this morning and here are her stats: weight 29 lbs 14 oz. and height 36.5 inches. Doctor says she looks good and that she is tall for her age (no kidding :P )

'Tis the Season

This past Wednesday we went to the light park in Grand Prairie with our BFFs, The Barkers. It was the perfect end to a truly awful day (clients throwing up in session, placing a heroin addict in detox, and clients crying so hard they were shaking, etc...enough said about that). So needless to say I needed some fun. Brandon made us dinner, we stopped and got hot chocolate and cider on the way. It was one of the places that you drive through, but there was also a place to stop and do some activities. Here we are riding the free ride, the carousel. It was pretty funny, it went faster than any carousel ride I have ever been on, but the girls loved it. Thanks Sarah for having this brilliant idea!

Lane's Birthday Bash

On Saturday we had Lane's 2nd birthday party. Here real birthday is on the 17th but it is always difficult to schedule things that close to Christmas. It was Sesame Street themed and she and the other kids had lots of fun. We had hotdogs, mac-n-cheese, and cupcakes. The kids also played put the nose on Elmo...Claire T. was the winner, but all the kids seemed to like the game.

Below: Playing put the nose on Elmo

In the middle of opening presents, Lane sat down and began reading a new book that she got from her day sitter, Ms. Vicky.

Below is a picture of Luke, being a huge helper and picking up all of the wrapping paper.

Above: one of the big hits, was this music set that included a drum, tambourine, and whistle.


Below: I got a circle cutter a while back and used it to make these cupcake toppers.

Above: Lane blowing out her birthday cupcake.

Blake enjoying her cupcake.

Lane playing with her new digital camera that her Aunt Meagan gave her.

Claire and Lane playing before opening presents.

The other Claire and Lane playing together.

Claire riding the lion

And in the midst of all of the birthday activities, I totally forgot to give Lane her gift from us...a new (or new to her) tricycle. So we gave it to her after her nap...she didn't like the helmet that much.

Watching TV with Memaw and Gepaw

Gingerbread House

I got up (along with my MIL and SIL) early Friday morning to get a few things at Kohl's. We got Lane this tent/tunnel combo just for fun. We also decorated a gingerbread house. Lane had a good time.

Lane discovered that the gingerbread man was edible and had a good time eating him right up.

Weekend Photos

At one point this weekend, Lane walked into the laundry room, walked out with a pair of Brandon's socks, proceeded to not only put them on but also folded the tops down.

Brandon's cousin, Cassie, took this photo for us in our wedding clothes (thanks Cassie!) I was a bridesmaid, Lane was a flower girl, and Brandon was a bridesmaid (don't worry, he didn't have to wear a dress).


These are some photos of Lane that Brandon's cousin, Clarice took this past weekend. The above face is a new one of Lane's and she keeps doing it over and over and over. She even made it while I was showing her this picture.

Here she is watching TV...that's right, she has become a TV hog! She only wants to watch "The Fresh Beats" on Nickelodeon (for parents who haven't discovered this show...DVR it, you won't be disappointed with how excited your kids gets to dance to music), Elmo, or her "Baby Can Read" dvds.

Lane makes this noise with her mouth...I have been trying to capture it on camera for awhile, and finally did! I also caught her saying "Melmo" (aka. Elmo), "Two," and "I love you." Sorry it is so dark.

Trick or Treat and Dress-up

We went to our friend's house, The Barkers, for dinner and trick or treating last night. Sarah made potato soup, cornbread, and pumpkin pie...yummy! Our friends, The Turners, also came over to join in the fun. The kids handed out candy, then we all went to a few houses in the neighborhood.

Claire (princess), Luke (Iron Man), & Lane (lady bug).

Blake as a bumble bee

The two bugs together

Blake and Lane coloring after trick or treating.

Yesterday, I hit the mother-load in dress-up outfits for Lane's dress-up box. I got three outfits for $20 at Marshall's on their Halloween clearance rack --Score! Here is Lane modeling her new play clothes.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch in Flower Mound this morning.

And this is a picture from last week. Lane was walking around in her Elmo shoes and carrying her colors around. She not really into coloring yet, but she likes to take the colors out and put them back in the box.