7 kids and counting!!!

I can't believe it. My how times have changed. Gone are the days where each Halloween, I would look forward to the annual Lawrence Halloween party. What would J.P be dressed as? Would Jason be showing any private parts? How drunk would Jeff get? Who would be making out with who by the end of the night? Who would announce a wedding? And then who would annouce a baby? No longer are the adults dressing up, but now it is time for the kids to dress up. The 1st annual, little kids party was this year at the Wenger's and it was sureal to say the least. So many kids...7 to be exact and one more little Lawrence on the way, joining the chaos in December. Here are the kids, from left to right we have Charlie the golfer holding his little bro Alex on his first Halloween, then we have Ms. Betsy Estill as a pink butterfly/fairy holding her little sister Megan, the monkey, who is hiding in fright at the thought that THESE are her friends for life. Then we have little Ms. Molly as the pumpkin, following in her cousin Charlie's foot steps as he was the same pumpkin for his first Halloween. Then we have Emma "crazy Claire" Lawrence as a giraffe. And last but not least, we have Aidan. Don't let that cute face and those big blue eyes fool you....he can hold his own to a Betsy hug any day!

So that was our night. Lots of "Emma, NO!", and "Charlie, we do not play baseball in other people's houses" and "Betsy, that cake is not yours and you had 5 pieces already" and "Aidan, get our finger out of the baby's eye" and "Molly, please stop whining". It was music to my ears:)

P.S. Not pictured, but who most definetly deserve a shout out are the Bertrand children. Matt's friend John is married to Dana's cousin and Carrie's best friend, Shannon. Their three kids were there, Jake who is 14, Jordan who is 6 (who you can kind of see dressed as a witch in this picture and Max who was Thomas the Train).

Pumpkin Picking with our "Pumpkin"

The last two days have been filled with fun fall activities! A trip over to Humboldt Park provided us with a beautiful backdrop for great fall foliage pictures. Then, on our annual "fall foliage"trip, Molly visited her first pumpkin patch and thought it was oh so cool! She loved the tractor and hay ride too, just like her daddy:) She spent more time trying to eat the dirt and pumkin stalks than pose for pictues, but we managed to snap a few good ones here. Enjoy!

Molly Enjoys the Fall!

Home with Mom

Having a few days off has reminded me how much I like staying home with Molly. But, I am sure by Sunday, I will be ready to go back to work:) Today, Molly and I went for a hike. It was a beautiful fall day and, despite being kind of tired, I think Molly had a great time. I borrowed Jeff and Dana's back pack carrier, threw Molly on my back and off we went. Here is a picture of how cute she looked as a little outdoor girl. The other picture is from the other night. I put Molly in her crib so she could stand and jump. She LOVES jumping therefore she LOVED standing in her crib like this. Thankfully, she doesn't know how to do this by herself yet....but once she does, I fear naptime is going to become very difficult!!

Hey Mom.....don't show everyone my privates!!!!
Eating the keys...getting ready to go to the Brewer's rally. Go Brew Crew!!!
Snuggling with my stuffed dog, Biscuit, whom mommy and daddy got for me from IKEA. They say it's a Christmas present, but I get to play with it now. I think daddy likes it more than me:)

What's with babies and keys??

Molly has been SUPER crabby the last couple days. Not sure if she has a cold or is teething, but she has reverted back to newborn status where she is sleeping every two hours, has a runny nose, NEEDS to be held, and is just all around cranky. BUT....I was able to pacify her for about 1/2 hour with my keys. Not sure why she loves them so much, but give that girl keys or the remote and you could get just about anything done. The other picture is of her, pre-crankiness, sitting on the rocker her great-grandpa made and playing with her teady from Gma....just being cute.

Welcome Cousin Alex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alexander Cotter Bodendein

Born September 10, 2008 at 7:54 am

Weight: 5 pounds 8 ounces

Length: 18 inches

Enjoy being a big brother Charlie!

You're going to be awesome!

Up...and down.

Swingin' in the Park

It was a beautiful day to go swinging in the park and for a stroll along the lake. Can't wait to try the big swings!

Molly Visits Connecticut, Again

Molly and her Daddy went to Connecticut this week. Mommy stayed home because her new job started on Tuesday. From the looks of it, Molly had a great time. I am sure Grandma and Grandpa Smoko had a great time too!!

Cute girl...Cute friends!!!

Molly had a friend over to play the other night....her friend Lucia. Lucia is almost 4 months and is cuter than ever. She is a GREAT baby!!! She just sits there nice and quiet....unlike her compadre Molly. The girls had fun together but not as much fun as their parents had sitting back, enjoying some pizza, beer and good conversation.

Molly and Her Remote

Hmmmm....how does this thing work?

Oh who cares...I'll just eat it.

Either way, I think I am pretty cool for sitting on the couch and playing with this thing like I see mom and dad do every day!!!

Morning Routine

Now that Molly wakes up between 5 and 5:30 every morning, we have a new routine when daddy is gone...come play in Mommy and Daddy's bed while Mommy pretends to close her eyes and get a few more winks of sleep. Molly usually doesn't let that happen and even if she did, I couldn't sleep anyway... she just looks so darn cute in our bed, sitting there like a big girl.

Molly lounges in the pool.

Molly's new pool.

Molly tried out her new pool today. Splashing and lounging were both big hits. Nice topless speedo Molly. Please...this is a family neighborhood!

Like mother...like daughter.

Molly and Alli can't resist watching the finale of So You Think You Can Dance together. Need some popcorn ladies?

Where's the car?

Here Molly models her new big girl car seat. Pretty soon Molly.

Lots of new stuff for Molly...

Molly has been doing lots of fun things lately. She has been enjoying her time in her new big girl stroller. She loves the fact that she can face forward and eat the straps. She also has been sitting up more and more. Still a little wobbly, but she is getting the hang of it. So much so that she sat in a high chair for the first time out at a restaurant. She looked SO cute. No, we did not get a dog. That would be suicide! This is Stewie, Keith and Cindy's dog who is absolutely adorable but trouble, trouble, trouble! We are just dog sitting for the night while they enjoy their 2nd wedding anniversary up in Door County. All in all, Molly has been having a great summer and is getting so big. We just can't believe how every day it seems she learns something new, including how to cry when her mom walks out of the room. Not fun for mommy, but she'll get over it eventually!!

Rainy Days

This is what happens when Daddy is gone and Mommy and Molly are left home...alone...on a rainy day...and someone wont sleep! Mommy goes a little bonkers and starts playing dress up with Molly. Shortly after this photo shoot, Mommy, yet again, dropped and broke the camera. This makes Matt and I tied for breaking cameras since the last one we broke was a mutual drop. I do believe Fisher Price makes a children's camera that is made out of rubber or something, don't they?!?! Oh and yes, in case you were wondering, that IS her newborn hat from the hospital.

So you think YOU can dance?!

I LOVE my tu-tu! Look out Twitchington, here comes Molly!!

What a Difference a Day Makes...

The most recent post shows Molly in such a peaceful, enjoyable, precious moment. Here...not so much. What intended on being a very relaxing walk around the lakefront ended up being a frustrating, stressful and very unenjoyable time. Molly's look sums up how everyone felt.

How I Like Molly Best...

We are always documenting Molly laughing, crying, smiling, eating, sitting, and playing. But I thought I would take this moment to document how I like Mollybest...SLEEPING!!! Notice her feet are crossed....looking back at pictures, she has done this since she was born. And funny side note, while I was taking these pictures, Molly let out a little gas! I had to run from the room to keep from laughing and waking her.