Lauren's First Prayer.......and other Lauren updates

Yesterday, (January 27th) Lauren said her first prayer. We were about to eat our lunch when I asked the kids who wanted to bless the food. I have asked Lauren a couple of times in the past but she always gets shy and shakes her head "no." Today when I asked her she actually said "yes." She gave the sweetest little prayer. I love the way she says, Heavenly Father (sounds more like "Fader") and thank you "tink ooh." She was quite pleased with herself and after the amen, "ahhhhh men," I ran to grab my camera to take a picture of this moment.

I've been meaning to write down some of the other cute things that she's been doing recently. Along with gathering some pictures to remember her at this age (28 months old).

Lauren recently made the switch out of her crib and into a regular bed. After family prayer and scriptures Aaron will put her to bed while I read a chapter to the boys in their room. For the first couple of months she would stay in her bed and go right to sleep but now that she has learned how to get down off her bed on her own AND open her bedroom door she will frequently sneak into the boys room while we're reading. She'll slowly open the door and peak around the corner with this guilty little face looking for approval to come in. If she's quiet I'll let her stay but lately when I go to put her back in her room (after the boys are tucked in) she reaches her arms out for her brothers and cries with little tears in her eyes "I wanna sleep in JoJo's bed"....(or Jacob or Ben-whoever she's feeling attached to that night).








So we started letting her take turns in the boys beds (because they were arguing-and sometimes crying over who got to sleep with her). At first she was sleeping in their room only once or twice a week but recently it has become almost every night. So (because Aaron said so-I don't really care) (; we started getting strict with her and this past week we've been making her sleep in her own bed at night. It's funny though because the last couple of nights after I've read to the boys and tucked them I'll go downstairs and a few minutes later I'll hear the pitter patter of little footsteps over to the boys room. When Aaron and I go up to check on the kids before we go to bed we usually find her asleep in one of their beds.



Lauren loves to wear a "Pitty Dresh" (pretty dress). She has started taking her clothes off and getting herself dressed in skirts and dresses several times throughout the day. Sometimes she'll even put on her see-through slip, (and nothing else)-she's started taking her diaper off and going on the potty but not putting it back on before I notice.



She also likes to wear all of her necklaces at the same time. Not just one. She will put on her shoes (or mine) and clomp around the house with her necklaces, shoes and sunglasses (or other unique combinations of accessories). It is pretty cute.











She also asks me to "make her pitty" which means she wants me to do her hair. Sometimes she will make herself pretty by getting the same squirt bottle that I use on her hair and taking the brush to her soaking wet sprayed hair.


Ben has also taken an interest in doing his little sister's hair. He went through a phase recently where he would ask her, "Lauren, do you want me to make your hair pretty?" I'd find them in the bathroom or on the floor somewhere with a brush in Ben's hand doing her hair. So sweet!



Before Lauren got her Baby stroller for Christmas she was known to push her babies around on a little kiddie car that we have. She would push them around the house proudly and (when they fell off the seat) she'd start crying in frustration, "Baby fall down, help Mama, baby fall down!"



Lauren has quite a sweet tooth. When I'm cooking or baking something she ALWAYS wants to be right up there with me helping. I think it's cute how she wants to help but when I'm making cookies or something sweet she is TERRIBLE at getting into the brown sugar or chocolate chips. It cracks me up to hear her say "shoogah" (brown sugar) and "chawk wet" (chocolate) and "tandees" (candy). One time I caught her in the bin of brown sugar with carmalized sugar on her "scooping hand" and her mouth, cheeks and lips completely covered in sugar. She will look up at me with a smile and say, "Mmmmmm, that's nummy!!!"


Lauren has also started hopping up and down any time she gets excited about something. Sometimes she'll even flap her little arms. For example if she asks me for some juice and I say yes, (which is rare) she will start hopping up and down happily the whole time I'm filling up her sippy cup.

She has also started enjoying cartoons of her own. I guess the only one she really watches is Blue's Clues (I have old VHS tapes from when the boys were little that I'll put on for her almost daily). She will frequently come up to me during the day and ask if she can watch a "Boos Coos." It's pretty cute.

A proud little girl after her first prayer.
(She's growing up so fast!) ):