Lainey How To: Sugar Cookies

Here's another Lainey How To...

First, mix the dough.

Second, taste the dough.

Third, scrutinize the dough.

Fourth, share the dough.

A Lainey Don't...

Never touch the on switch!

Mama's Loaded

This is what I found in the corner.

Apparently Lainey thought mom needed some help dealing with the kids.

Lainey's Favorites

We got back home a little late tonight after our overnight stay in Mattawa and return visit to Grandma Erickson's to visit with more cousins. As we unloaded the car and put things away, the kids played with their new toys.

Here's Lainey on her new rocking horse, holding her new baby doll, and watching her favorite movie, Rio. It just cracked me up.

Lain-er Faces

I love little baby/toddler faces. Lainey makes a lot of good ones for us.
She got a hold of a bag of chocolate chips and didn't want me to take them away.

Lainey in a box

Lainey loves these boxes.
She takes things out, puts toys in, sits on them...
Her latest fun with my boxes is to sit inside them. Silly Girl!

And doesn't it look like you're first choice of a comfy spot to sit and read?

Miss America Princess

Miss America came to Tri-Cities
and Jason got to be her security detail for the day.

She visited the new pediatrics wing at Kadlec.

Jason and I even got to attend a fancy benefit dinner later in the evening
that they held to honor members of the community and Miss America's visit.

Jason brought home some Miss America Princess sashes for the girls.

Claire is modeling the sash and holding
a picture of Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan.

Doesn't Lainey look so pleased with her sash?
We laughed so hard looking at this one.

Here she's performing her talent - God Bless America.

Here's she's giving one of her signature looks.

"Apple!"

We were at Grandma Erickson's one night for dinner. Lainey took the tomato from the table and said, "Apple!" She then took several bites and kept saying apple. It was so funny and she thought it tasted great. I remember picking tomatoes right from the plant and chomping into them like that when I was younger.

This is the way we pout

Here's how Lainey acts when we say no. She hangs her head in such a dramatic fashion and slumps over like all her strength has left her. Right now, it's funny.

"Lainey, Pray!"

Lainey has learned to strike a praying pose.
We love to say, "Lainey, Pray!" and watch her
fold her arms and bow her head. Such a cute, fun age.

Sound Reading

This looks like a great choice of leisurely reading, right?

But it must be, she's so intent.

You have to look at it from every angle. It's better that way.

Playing in the tree box

We got the tree out early. I know - shame! shame!

I just couldn't help myself this year.


Needless to say, the box was the favorite thing to play in.

A little pampering

Lainey decided that she needed a little pampering. So she sent herself to the couch to rest. She pulled up a pillow and had me spread her blanket out over her. It's funny because she will still move her torso in dance to any music that plays when she's laying down like this.

Life's a Mess....

...sometimes.

She makes me think that she'll follow in her brother's footsteps.
This reminds me of Benjamin at her age, getting into trouble.

Sometimes you don't want to face it...

...other times you embrace it.

Fly like an Airplane

We just couldn't stay away. We went over to the park, because the toys are almost done, and played a little...on the grass even. :)

We walked.

We ran.

We danced and laughed.

We flew like airplanes,

and walked the far reaches of the park.

We admired the grass once again.

Oh what fun to play at the park!

Orange Library Card

We went to a new library branch.
Fun for the kids, not so much for me.
I will be requesting ALL my books through the internet and
then just picking them at the reserve center.
I will go again...without Lainey...until she's older!

Found Pockets

Lainey has found her pockets!

It was so cute to see her stick her hands in her pockets and then walk around.

She looked like she was just taking a nice afternoon stroll.

Sucker Stealer

Lainey is quick when it comes to taking candy from the other kids, especially suckers.

She whipped that sucker right out of Ben's mouth before he really even knew what had happened.
Naturally, he wasn't too thrilled. Then of course he tackled her to get it back.

Happy Money Girl

Lainey loves to find our money, grab some, and run.
I guess she already has the system down. Haha!

I love how her head is back and she has a huge smile.
That's the epitome of money right there.
Only Ben's head got in the way of this perfect shot.

Munching on Markers

Just from the title of this post you'd think I was talking about Benjamin because he used to be my resident trouble finder-maker. Well, it's not. This is Lainey's new favorite thing to do. Any marker left within her reach gets the tip chomped off. If the other kids see Lainey with a marker, they sound the alarm. "Marker! Marker! Lainey has a marker!" And then we all go running to save the marker, Lainey, and whatever else she might touch. She even did it before church one time and we left with a purple mouthed baby (they say washable, but it doesn't all come out the first time).

Lainey in the Drawer

This is the latest development with Lainey and her love of drawers.
Might as well get in!