Big milestone this week – since Lauren is now three, she’s graduated to the next level at swim class. Which means that she goes in the pool by herself. Or, in other words, DADDY NO LONGER HAS TO GO IN THE POOL!
Yes, I’ll miss swimming with Lauren, but I will NOT miss getting into the pool every week 🙂
Notice something? That's right no Daddy in the pool!
Lauren did fantastic during her first solo lesson. No tears at all and she seems to really like her teacher. And Daddy stayed dry. Amazing.
And now we are 3.
Today is Lauren’s third birthday(!) Yes, our little girl is three.
A year ago I wrote that Lauren was in her “I do it” phase – looking for independence wherever she could find it. As she turns three, that search has been successful and she has carved out her own place in our family. More than Maile ever did, she loves playing with her dolls – she mimics all the things she sees her Mommy, sister and teachers doing with her with her own little mini family. She’s gone from following Maile, to stepping up and demanding her own turns and her own way (often much to Maile’s chagrin). Don’t worry, she still worships her bigger sister – she just wants to make sure she knows there are two little girls around here 🙂
Lauren is also our climber, our adventurer, our fearless one. She runs, jumps, rides, falls and gets back up.
She yells. She wants. She demands. Often unreasonably so. She gets frustrated. She frustrates.
But then the laughter and smiles. Indeed! Like her sister, she’s very outgoing and friendly. She has her shy moments to be sure, but typically she finds her comfort zone quickly and lights up the room with her smiles, laughter and joking. Yes, she’s a joker. She cracks Christine and I up constantly.
And, of course, our birthday girl loves her bubble baths…
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
Still lots to cover from our time in Hawaii, but I thought for my first post of the new year, I’d share the girls’ school pictures.
First, we need to cover Lauren’s very first school picture.
Lauren, Coconut Tree Class (2.5 years old)
A truly epic school picture. When Christine and I saw this picture we almost died laughing. In many ways its the perfect Lauren pose. She is such a character. I got the feeling that the school photographer had already done 100 portraits that day and when Lauren wouldn’t put her hand down, he just said “ah, screw it…”
And then we have our first grader, Ms. Maile Girl. She always knows how to light up the room with her smile.
Maile, First Grade (6 years old)
And for comparison to Lauren above, here is Maile for her first school picture (a bit younger than Lauren pictured above)…
Maile's First School Picture (2011)
