Big Boy Food!

Look at those cheeks! He has his daddy's cheeks I think!
This is Briggs eating peas for the 1st time about a week ago. Since then he has begun eating 3 meals a day in addition to nursing. So, for breakfast he has baby rice cereal; lunch he has one veggie; and dinner he has 1-2 veggies and rice cereal. He is really doing well. He loves his 'homemade' peas better than the store bought baby food. So far, he has tried green beans, peas, and butternut squash. I'm going to get busy on the baby food making process this week and have a lot stored up in the freezer. I forgot how easy it is to make! And, in the next week or two he'll get to try fruit!

All Tuckered Out!

March For Babies!

It's that time of year again and I'm asking you to consider helping me raise some money for Team Laughlin in the annual March of Dimes Walk that we will be participating in on May 7th! This is the 2nd year for me to be involved and I'm so glad that I can be able to support our friends!

In 2009, my friend Mendy gave birth to her twin daughters, Renna and Regan, at 28 weeks premature. They are now healthy and happy little girls that are about to turn 2. We are walking in honor of them to help raise money to support programs and fund research that help moms have healthy full-term babies! If you would be interested in helping us please visit my page on the MOD website here! (the donation tool is located to the right of your screen) Or mail a check to my home address!

My goal is only $50 so if I can surpass that it would be awesome! The team goal is $2500!

You can visit Mendy's blog here!

Thanks for considering helping us out!

Piper's Funny Sayings

I know I've said a million times that Piper has been saying some funny stuff. I need to write a weekly post about her funny sayings but I don't have a catchy post title for it. Any ideas??

So here's the 2 funny things I heard today!

"Piper do you want sauce or parmesan cheese with your pasta?" "I want the farmer and cheese, please." "What did you call it?" "Farmer cheese. I want the farmer cheese." "Oh, right. Farmer cheese. Gotcha!" (she was so serious too as if she was saying parmesan correctly!)

"Piper, mommy is going to go lay Briggs down for a little nap. You stay down here." "Okay, Mommy. You be safe."

Sweet Cheeks

Happy Friday Everyone!

My Little Pups!

We went to a birthday party last month for a one year friend and it was a Puppy Party! That is Piper and her friend Connor dancing to the music that accompanied a short picture slide show of the birthday boy. They were hilarious to watch b/c they were definitely grooving! My friend made these adorable puppy ears for all the kids to take home. Isn't she creative!! Piper loves her ears! She had so much fun at this party b/c she got to help the birthday boy open his presents. I had to remind her as she was getting started that the toys were not for her to take home; they were his toys and she was only helping! Don't my kids look so cute! Piper Poodle and Boxer Briggs is what I call these 2 photos! Sommer Maytubby took all the pictures at the birthday party. She is the same photographer who took our family pictures after Briggs was born. I think Briggs' blue eyes are so beautiful in the photo!

And, the party ended with a sleepy little guy! I love pictures of sleeping babies, especially mine!

Bathtime Buddha!

I just switched Briggs from this inclined seat we have to this froggy bath seat we owned w/Piper and I LOVE IT!!!! It's the best and he really enjoys bath time. In the other seat, he was about to roll out of it and into the water. This keeps him in place and up higher where he can watch and smile at Piper.
Check out the thighs!!Obviously this pic below is not bath time. Just wanted to show you how he's constantly chewing on something! He can really grasp things now and has been reaching for my shirt, necklaces, and face as much as he can! I'm sad he's getting so big!!!

Sunday

Grammy & Papa John came for a last minute visit on Sat/Sunday. They were here for about 24 hours and then went home. It was nice to see them and Piper said, "Don't go!" Ha!

I loved the kid's outfits on Sunday so I'm showing them off! Chandra got Briggs this sweater vest and I love it. It is 12-18 months and I think he'll be able to wear it for Easter too! Yay!
Piper has her backpack on in this pic b/c we were about to leave for 'Big' church on Sunday night. It was her 2nd time to sit in service and she did great. I talked to her about whispering to us and not talking, etc. She kept saying on the way there, "I will whisper okay?!" Luckily, for her, it was the kids musical that night so she got to listen to music most of the time, which we all know she loves!
She was really into it...See this serious face! That is her picking at her lip, which has become a really bad habit of hers. I don't know how to break it. She's also started biting her nails to the nubbins...not good! She cracked us up at one point because we let her stand up and she did this real quick booty shake that was straight off of a J-Lo music video or something. Michael and I were trying to contain our laughter but it was hard! I don't know where she gets her moves but it's not from us!
Daddy surprised her with ice cream at Braum's for being so good during church and she hasn't gone a day without telling someone, "I was good at big church so I got ice cream!" Makes me smile! The Lord has really been showing me some great lessons lately with Piper. I can get really frustrated with her constant disobedience in a certain area and be thinking to myself, "Why does she keep doing that? How many times do I need to go over this? etc., etc. and then the Lord so gently whispers, "Shelly, how is that any different than what you are doing to me in this area (fill in the blank). Ohhhhh, (big sigh) He gives us children to teach us so many lessons and allows us an itty bitty glance into what our sin does to Him. I've got a lot to learn and a long way to go! But, praise Jesus that I don't have to carry that burden on my own!

Catching Up!

Our life continues to be crazy...can't you tell?? (I'm writing this after we had to deal w/a few flames in our oven tonight!! Crazy is just the beginning!)
We are enjoying our last few days of 'normal' around here. At the refinery where Michael works they have a scheduled Turnaround, which means that some of the units, if not all, are shut down and maintained. This particular turnaround is a long one....40 days give or take! So, Michael has the night shift and he'll be starting that later this week. He'll work 6 pm-6 am everyday 7 days a week. He'll get one night off after 14 or 15 days and then does that again for another 14 or 15 days straight. The good news is that he'll wake up in the afternoon around 2-3 pm so we'll get to see him in the middle of the day each day instead of at 6 pm. But, 40 days is a long time and he won't have the weekends off. Pray for us during this time if you think of it! Piper does not like it when her daddy is not here at bedtime...and neither does mama!
Briggs tried the swing outside for the first time last week. The occasion did not seem to phase him! He's soooo laid back!
He does love his sissy! Do you see that grin below as he looks at her. He lights up like that any time she gives him attention or even when she talks in his general direction! They both love each other a lot!
Piper is into "toe jamming" now. Gross I know! But, remember I'm documenting the 'memories'!!
Briggs can sit in the bumbo chair now. He always seems to find his feet while sitting in this chair! Piper's thighs can fit in this thing better than his!! Ha!
Daddy went skiing a couple of weeks ago in Angel Fire and brought Piper and I t-shirts back home.
Piper is now up to 30 lbs. She's gained 2 in the last month! She's eating like a horse and loves her meat most days! At Briggs' 4month checkup he weighed 19 lbs even! It is getting challenging lugging him around!

Weekend Trip

On the last weekend of March my best friend, Chandra, and I loaded up our kids and made the drive to Bentonville, AR to visit our friend Kari and her little girl Sarah Jane. We knew we were a bit crazy for loading up 4 kids 3 and under but we knew we could do it! We did it alright, and we're still tired! Ha! No, it was a good trip and good to see Kari. Chandra and I both agreed we were glad we did it but we don't want to do it again any time soon. Kari is pregnant with her 2nd baby girl so we helped her prepare some freezer meals and make a few decisions about the nursery. I think Kari and SJ were in shock over the increase in noise at their house while we were there. SJ is so quiet! But with a 2 and 3 year old it does not stay quiet long!! While Chandra and I were away, both of our hubbys were on a ski trip with 2 other guys from high school.The weather was chilly that weekend and we needed to get our big girls out of the house so we went to a mall with an indoor play area. While we were there, Chandra discovered an event going on so we took all the kids to see and it was a heart disease awareness event. They had lots of dancers and audience participation. Here's all 5 kids...don't mind the random woman looking into the camera!
Piper and Lilly got to dance with this group. These dancers were more 'natural' can we say but our girls had fun with them!
We stayed 2 nights and then made the drive back home on Sunday. On our way we stopped in Tulsa to visit our friend Lindsey. Here's the big kids on the front porch. James, Piper, Kinley, and Lilly. Lindsey's baby, Mallory, was sleeping and Briggs was being held at the moment. We stayed for 2 hours I think and these kids managed to drag almost every toy that they owned out into the living room it seemed!
We made it to Edmond and Chandra went home and I stayed one night at my sister's. While her kids went to school on Monday we ran some errands and ate yummy sushi. I think Piper enjoyed playing by herself for a few hours at Sheryl's. This is her being silly with the goggles!