So Cute...

My cousin, Hillary, hand-makes these adorable clips and headbands for her Etsy shop. She sent me some for Lauren and they are so cute and so different from anything else I have seen out there. If you're looking for a fun gift, take a peek at her shop. You won't be disappointed! You can find her shop at billiebrand.etsy.com

Lil' Lo

Things have been going good here in the Crofts' household lately...we are certainly adjusting to life with three children. This, in turn, has severely limited my ability to go pretty much anywhere during the day. But, thanks to my sweet in-laws who came and took Kate and Taylor a couple of times this week, I was able to resume some sort of normalcy for a few hours at a time...I went shopping, saw a movie, and went to dinner with Brian...ah, life with one child is is so kick-back! We do love being parents of three though- totally worth it.

Kate said something funny this morning while I was feeding Lauren...
"Mom, isn't it so exciting that we have a baby now and we get to keep her? Its just so exciting that we get to keep our baby all the time. If YOU don't have one, then ask your mom".
I love getting all the credit! ;)

Here are some pictures of Lauren at 2 1/2 months old- she is such a sweetheart. A good sleeper, good eater, and pretty easy when she is awake. She is "adding value" (as Brian puts it) by occasionally smiling...so cute. Love, love, love this girl.

Visit to Temple Square

Temple Square ... such a beautiful place. We were excited to show the girls where mommy and daddy got married! Unfortunately, it was very cold and windy--we literally ran from one building to another only taking a few pictures.

We also got to visit the Draper Temple open house earlier that day and share with the girls what the inside of a temple looks like.

Sundance 2009

Okay, brace yourselves ... here comes a ton of pictures ...
























We had so much fun at Sundance this year. First of all, we drove twenty hours from Dallas to Utah so we were aptly motivated to make this trip worth every minute and I think we pulled it off. We stopped in Albuquerque (the halfway point) and squeezed in a very fun stop at the Bells' house there for two nights. I love seeing my sister, Rebecca, and her family. She is due to have baby #2 this week...so exciting. Rebecca whipped up some much-needed and amazing home-cooked food for us and in true Christian style, we had some thought-provoking conversations as well.

Off to Sundance- we arrived Monday night and stocked up for the week long stay. It was unusually warm when we arrived, so the snow was a bit icy around our cabin- not a good sign. But, before too long, we got a fresh new coat of powder and all of us hit the hills for some sledding. Brian built a small sledding hill right by our cabin and the girls (minus Lauren, of course!) sledded to their heart's content.

Of course we had to hit up some of our favorite Provo eateries while we we there. On Tuesday night, we met up with Julie and Beau and their "significant others" at the Pizza Factory for some yummy food. We had such a good time with my family and they were so sweet to put their busy school schedules aside to make time for our little family while we were there. Good times.

Later that week Brian and Kate squeezed in some skiing ... Kate went to ski school for a couple of hours in the "never, ever" group and learned some great stuff. Then, Brian picked her up and they went skiing together for the rest of the day. Brian was one proud daddy to see his little girl ski all by herself and in fact, Kate told Brian that next year she wanted to try "the board"- like the one he rides! Kate sure does know the way to her Daddy's heart!

That night, our good friends, the Dardanos arrived...perfect timing. They brought their three year old son, Pierce, for the festivities. The girls loved playing with him at the cabin and they all went straight to some sledding with their Daddies right after they got there. As promised, we all went out to Cafe Rio that night (this was only Brian and Rachel's third trip this vacation:) ). Afterwards, we played some hilarious Phase 10 with Beau and Amy up at the cabin. Then, we made some time for possibly the most fun part of the trip- snow tubing at Soldier Hollow. Everyone loved it, even the little kids. :) The tubes flew down the hill and we all held on to each other's ropes so we could stick together. Seriously, so much fun.

What's the cherry on top, you ask? Well, we asked Kate and Taylor what their favorite part of the trip was...Taylor said her favorite part was going to the mall and Kate said she most enjoyed the drive home! Thanks girls, we'll keep that in mind for next time.

A big thanks to my parents for letting us stay in the cabin- we would love to make this an annual trip! And, a big thanks to Julie for cutting some cute bangs for me and for watching all 4 kids while the parents went out to dinner. We can't wait to do it again!

This is our second annual trip ... I think we'll do this every year for sure! Here's a look back to last year's trip ... always good times:

Let's Go Bowling ...

Can you see the fear?



The girls and I (Brian) went bowling on Saturday ... haven't been in years. My valentine dates and I went to Main Event while Rachel picked up her mother (in town for Lauren's baby blessing). We had a great time, but it's probably safe to say Kate & Taylor should stick to ballerinas and barbies. Form was good--especially Taylor's, but it seemed difficult for her to stay in our lane ... she'd walk up, get ready to throw, and then step side-ways to our neighbor's lane, then throw. Definitely some confusion going on. Then Kate--she'd get a foul for stepping over the line, lose a turn, then complain about Taylor getting "two throws." Again, lots of confusion. We also did a "movie roller-coaster ride" which freaked both of them out ... I guess it felt pretty real.

Love these girls!

Brian

Our Little One-Month-Old ...

Lauren is one month old- boy, time has flown by in the last four weeks. Lauren has brought such a sweet spirit into our home and has really let us know how fresh from heaven these little ones come. Mommy is so much more relaxed with baby #3 and so is much more able to enjoy every single day with our little Lauren Mae. Despite being more tired than I ever remember being, we are loving our increasingly legitimate family! :)

Kate and Taylor are still loving their little sister- smothering her with kisses and plenty of baby talk. They help out as much as they can- bringing me diapers and wipes, letting me know immediately when Lauren has spit up or might be uncomfortable, and supplying lots of motherly advice. Thanks girls- we love you!

Tay Po

We will post some more pictures of Lauren Mae as soon as we can! For now, enjoy some of our little Tay Po...

We spent the morning walking around Highland Park and then took the girls to lunch. Daddy was buying the sandwiches while Kate and Taylor kept asking what they were going to eat. I told them they were having a grilled cheese to which they replied, "and a boy cheese?".

Allred Kids

My sister, Claire, and her two kids, Lincoln and Ella came to stay with us for a few days after Lauren was born. My mom and sister, Julie, came as well. It was so much fun to have them all around- I miss them already! Ella, Kate, and Taylor had a ton of fun playing- their favorite thing to do was wear their tutus all around the house at all times...so cute. I wish we could have gotten a picture of that.

We didn't do much while they were here because I was still recovering and well, I admit, there just isn't much to do in Dallas. So, the usual occurred...shopping and eating out....my two favorite things! :) Mostly, I enjoyed just sitting around, relaxing, and chatting with family that I don't get to see often enough. The only downside was that they didn't stay long enough! They drove (yes, DROVE the 13+ hours from Atlanta) all the way here and I know it was a big sacrifice, so thanks a ton and I hope its not too long before it happens again!