Singing in the Tub

Singing in the Tub

Here Laura is singing "Happy Birthday" to Uncle Matt, "Wheels on the Bus" and her take on "One, Two, Buckle my Shoes..." Pay attention to 5,6 and 7,8!!!

2 Year Photos

Last year we hired Stacey to take Laura's one-year photos and she did a great job, so it was a no-brainer to hire her again.

How to best describe the photo session? Short. Lousy. Tantrums. Tears. Plug. Get the picture?!? Couldn't even bribe her with emmy nemas, candy or a plug. Now that should tell you something!

Laura started off OK but quickly descended into meltdown mode. Which is fine. Have to remember she is two years old. We were prepared for this since she hasn't cooperated with any picture taking from us for a long time.

I felt bad that Stacey drove from Minneapolis to Prior Lake for less than a 30-minute photoshoot. Good news...She will come back to finish the pictures in a couple of weeks.

Here is a link to some of the pictures from this session. I like 'em! http://staceylcordesphotos.blogspot.com/2011/04/calling-prior-lake-mn-child.html

Birthday Party Recap: The Emmy-Nemma Party

Laura's second birthday party bash was yesterday and we are in recovery mode today! Lots of our MN relatives/family were able to come and celebrate Laura turning two, and we celebrated by holding an "emmy-nemma" (M&M's) party in honor of Laura's favorite treat.

We were seriously doubting her ability to "party" at all when she woke up from her nap - she was a fussy, crying mess for a good 20 minutes before party time! Luckily Uncle Mike & Auntie Kaitlin arrived first and they were able to work her into a good mood. The weather was nice so people could spend time outside, and we had plenty of M&M's for everyone to snack on.

Grandma Nels & Papa George gave Laura a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe for her birthday and it is a big hit. In fact, she chose to sit in it during present opening time...luckily cousin Lilly was a great helper and would entice Laura out of the car to open a new gift every now and then. Once she saw a present she'd say "Oooh! Oh yeah, ok!" Lucky Laura opened up lots of fun gifts perfect for outside weather.

She is able to handle crowds much better now but still isn't quite sure about being the center of attention. Laura had a very serious face as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she blew out her "2" candle. Her birthday treat was an "ice keem" cake with "emmy-nemmas" on top - 2 of her favorites, can't get much better than that! To quote one of her fave shows, The Fresh Beat Band, "We had a great day!"

Laura's Birthday

Laura's second birthday has arrived! We cannot believe we have a "big girl" on our hands...not literally as she is still such a peanut, but 2 years means we really can't call her "baby Laura" anymore.

To celebrate the day, Mom & Dad took off of work and we had some fun outings! In the morning, we took Laura to the Minnesota Children's Museum. Even though we arrived pretty early, it was one wild and crazy place! Laura liked all the climbing and sliding in the Habitot room, and wanted to climb up and down all the flights of stairs in the museum. Right now she is very excited about "kool bus" (school buses) and was very happy to find a "kool bus" (technically a city bus) that she could ride in! She liked to sit in the seats while all the crazy kids ran around and it was hard to get her to get off the bus. We also found a room with water tables and bubbles that she liked quite a bit. We'll have to return on another day when it's a little calmer there - I was proud though that she could hold her own in the crowds and was not intimidated by all the bigger, noisier kids and all the action around her. (Thanks, daycare!)

After a non-existent nap, Mom had finally come to terms with the fact that Laura needed to get a haircut...it was so hard for me! I told Mike on the way there that I felt like I had to throw up; somehow the idea of cutting off that baby hair was kind of tough for me. So she had her first haircut on her birthday, just a trim as there really wasn't a lot to be cut. We expected her to be very fussy, but thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine and Dum-Dums, she did pretty well. In the end, her hair looked much better "cleaned up" and I do think she looks a little older.

Laura knew after the haircut was over...we were going for "ice keem!" We stopped by Dairy Queen on the way home to pick up one of Laura's favorite treats. At home, we shared a Blizzard and sang Happy Birthday to our very favorite two-year-old! We love her.