Fun at the Beach - Vision Quest!

We had a really wonderful time hanging out with the VFC'ers at Vision Quest 2009! We were staying at a vacation home with the Kittrell's about 15 minutes away from the retreat center which made for a nice mix of vacation and conference. Here are some pictures from our time:

It looks like she is all alone! Gotta love the beauitful, clear Florida water!

Laurel eating sunglasses in the cafeteria while we enjoyed delicious lunch...I must say I have a weakness for that food! I was sad to leave it behind :-) On another note, look how huge Laurel's head looks and tiny her body looks. I didn't notice that before.
One of my favorite highlights from the trip was getting to spend the whole afternoon with Will on Wednesday! We left Laurel with some of her adoring fans and headed out for lunch after which we hit one of the local beaches and then went to Seaside for some ice cream. It reminded me of being on our honeymoon for some reason. I love, respect, and enjoy Will so much!

I think he is squinting, but I like to think he is winking at me :-)

Laurel was tired out from all that fun in the sun. I love it when she falls asleep when I am holding her. She does it less and less as she grows up!

Family picture (minus Uncles Dan and B) as we enjoy a famous Laguna Beach sunset!

One of Laurel's enjoyable pastimes...biting. Here she is taking a small chunk from Aunt Lauren's shoulder! Don't worry. She doesnt have any upper teeth so the damage and pain are minimal (also she isn't angry!).

I like the cute expression on Laurel's face. She loves her Aunt Lauren with good reason :-)

Will in his super cool dodgeball headband. His team made it to the championship but then lost.

You win some you lose some! (Also, I just noticed that I am wearing the exact same thing in almost every picture...I really did have other clothes that I wore!)

So the big question is, Did Laurel enjoy the beach? The answer:

no

and

yes!

She really enjoyed sitting in the sand and moving it through her fingers, etc. and she also loved being in the pool (I knew she would because she loves her baths). The only thing she didn't like was the water. I set her in the wet sand and let the waves come up to her, but I think it was just a little too cold and unfamiliar. I think she will enjoy it when we go in August and the water is warm.

Heated pool...hurray!

Laurel and one of her wonderful friends from Care Group...Uncle Hallerin!

Laurel and Grandfather! This screened porch made me want to have one of these at home.

Our 7 Month Old

I can't even begin to express how much of a joy our little Laurel is to Will and I! She is bursting with personality, fun, and happiness. Each month continues to get better and better. By now Laurel is a fairly proficient eater and enjoys rice cereal, veggies, and fruits. I haven't really noticed a preference for any one food over another. She seems to like everything. She loves reaching out and pulling the spoon into her mouth, getting food ALL OVER her hands and then rubbing her hands all over her tray and face! At this point, I am still really enjoying all that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got old after awhile :-) Laurel is "talking" a lot more these days, even saying her "first word", da-da. She says it all the time and it is very cute, but she isn't really referring to Will. We are trying to make the connection for her, but it hasn't happened yet! She whines da-da when she is sad, babbles it constantly when she is happy, and shrieks (I mean SHRIEKS!) it when she is excited. Her newest "trick" that I am really loving is holding out her hands to be picked up when she is sitting. I think it is just adorable!

Enjoy these pictures taken on her 7 month birthday last Friday!

The back of Laurel's head with her little sticking out ears and birthmark is one of my favorite things about her!

I think she looks a whole lot like Michael's baby pictures in this one.

What do you think Dad, Mom, Anne, and Mike?

I wanted to get a picture of Laurel's adorable face when she gets tickled and starts laughing really hard. I held my camera in one hand (big camera!) and tickled her with the other hand and hoped that she was in the frame. She was!

Mamma and Laurel :-) I love my girl!

I love how Laurel and Will are laughing in this one!

We are so enjoying the beautiful, Spring weather! Will and I played a board game in the back yard on Sunday and Laurel had a good time playing with toys and being outside!

Spring has Sprung?

Probably not yet, but we are enjoying some beautiful warm days in the beginning of March! Here is my tiny, little dewdrop looking like Spring itself...