What's in a name

So ever since I found out that I am having a boy I have been struggling with finding the right name for him. When we were naming Lauren I felt it was pretty easy deciding on her name. We both just seemed to love it. Well this time around has been different. We can't come up with a good name at all. I can't sleep some nights because I can't think of the right name. Well today I think we might have found it. I'm hoping that my pregnancy emotions don't make me change my mind again in a few weeks. But, I'm not going to tell you the name just incase I do change my mind AGAIN. But I think this one is the keeper!! Stay tuned!

Apple picking at Carter Mountain

So I have been craving just off the tree apples ever since my neighbor gave us some a few weeks ago. We decided that on Lauren's birthday we'd take the trip to Carter mountain in C'ville and get more of those delicious apples. Well a few things we didn't think about was apple season. Apparently if we would have gone a few weeks prior we would have had our choice of apples to pick. We had to head out into the mountain and through rows and rows of apple trees to find our apples. It was really quite fun. Lauren loves apples. I think every one we found (which was few and far between) we'd give to Lauren and say put it in the bag. Before the apples made it to the bag she always took a bite out of them. Naturally, because Brian and I are so smart after about the 6th apple we stopped trusting her not to take a bite! (We really should have known better because this is the same girl that in every grocery store some how manages to find an apple and take a bite out of it before we can stop her. You have no idea how many single apple purchases I have made.) Anyway, back to apple picking. Once we filled our bags we decided to head back. What we didn't realize was that our whole walk to pick apples had been mainly downhill and with out apples in our bags. As we started to make our way back Lauren decided she could no longer walk. I decided that I was really pregnant and could hardly walk or carry apples. Good thing we have a good daddy/husband. Explaining the picture above! He carried Lauren and the 20 lbs of apples back to flat land. I was able to walk slowly behind. I just couldn't help thinking how funny we must look to the other people around us. We have great pictures on the photo album link of our apple picking day.

3rd Birthday

This year for Lauren's birthday we decided to have just a family birthday party and it turned out great. My parents and K,B,J,T and Brian's parent's and Matt, Anika, Maya, and Alexis all came. One lesson I did learn was that you shouldn't have the party start so late in the day. Lauren just kept asking when they were going to get here. I also let Lauren decide on what cake she wanted...chocolate with chocolate. It was really cute. I didn't even know she liked chocolate...but I guess who doesn't. Her party was also princess themed. We had the princess balloons and decorations. It was wonderful. Also, this year because Lauren is in preschool two days a week we were able to take in donuts for her to share with her class. I was so excited and nervous about this. I have never had a child in class before and she was the first child to have a birthday so I wanted it to go over smoothly. We had decided to do Halloween decorated donuts for her to take to class. I had Brian get the donuts that morning on his way home from the gym. When he brought home the donuts they were not what I thought they were going to be. Now I don't know if it was because I was pregnant or not but I almost started to cry. I was really taking this school celebration very serious! Luckily he told me to just run back to the store and pick out what I wanted. As crazy as I thought that would be...I still hopped in my car and went and got anohter dozen donuts. After the donut crisis we headed to school. I was excited, however nervous that just the few days before I had potty trained Lauren and I was so worried that on her birthday day at school she would have an accident. Well after all the worrying I got a call from preschool. The teacher said she fell and hit her head and was pretty upset. I heard hit her head and I think my car and I made it to the school in about 2 seconds. When I arrived she was sitting on her teachers lap with red eyes. It broke my heart. They had made her a paper crown hat with the # 3 on it and she couldn't even wear it because she was so upset. Well because she was upset she had a runny nose and started coughing so the teachers felt she could be sick. So from preschool we went to the doctors office. After sitting around in all the germs we waited for the strep test and all the results were negative. The doctor felt she was ok just had a cold. That was a relief. But what wasn't a relief was while we were waiting and I was trying so hard not to let her touch anything for fear she would pick up the flu- I turned my back for one second and catch her licking the bench where all the sick kids had been sitting. I didn't know what to do. By that point, I was just hoping we could make it home! (Check out the photo album link for pictures from her birthday.)

End of Summer pictures

We had a great summer this year. Here are some of the last pictures left on our camera. There are some from Lewis Ginter, Children's Museum, candy corn shopping, and the Folk Festival.