Snowmobiling

As you may have read below, we got the chance to go snowmobiling with Lauren's dad. It was a really cool experience for Lauren, who had never been on a snowmobile before, and it reminded Bob how much fun snowmobiling can be. Here's Lauren all bundled up on her snowmobile.

Walt, Bob, and Lauren posing for a pic halfway through the tour.

Bob & Lauren

Walt & Lauren

It was a blast! We also got the chance to go skiing with Walt, Chris, Rene, and Kate; but, we didn't get any pictures. Bob opted not to go since he didn't have a very good first-timers experience the last time he went. It was Kate's first time to go skiing, and she did really well. Chris spent the day teaching Kate while Lauren got the chance to hit the slopes with her dad and Rene. She even decided to hit a couple extra runs solo. It's amazing how nice it is to ski on good snow, and Keystone is a great place to go. We hope everyone else had a safe and happy Christmas!

Christmas Trip

We spent Christmas in Dillon, Colorado with Grandma, Gramps, Uncle Chris, Aunt Katie, Craig & Rene (Lauren's uncle & aunt) and their two children (Lauren's cousins), Kate & Paige. On the trip down, we spent the night in Cheyenne, WY. Thank goodness...both Bob and Lauren were ready for the break after having to deal with snowy/icy roads in the dark. The drive into Dillon was much better though. The house that we stayed at was absolutely wonderful, and it even had a Christmas tree!

We had a really nice visit, and Santa even stopped by to fill the kids' stockings. Lauren's mom brought the famous holiday Chex Mix, and we even got our "Grandpa Bags" - a Kramer Christmas tradition (Lauren's mom's side of the family). Grandma, Kate, and Paige helped Blake empty her stocking.

Look at Blake's stash!!!

Here's Blake posing with Kate & Paige.

Grandma and Gramps were very helpful in taking care of Blake. Lauren and Bob got a chance to get away from the little one to go shopping, skiing, and snowmobiling. THANKS!!! I'm sure all of you who have kids remember how nice it is to get a chance to get away every once in a while. We don't have the luxury of having family very close, so it was REALLY nice to be able to get away without having to worry about Blake. Unfortunately, Blake is a northerner; so sharing a house with Oklahomans/Texans was a little warmer than what she is used to. She isn't wearing pants in almost every picture we have from the week...too funny! Here's a picture of our baby hangin' with her grandparents.

And, here's a picture of just Blake & Gramps.

Blake got the cutest Christmas jammies. Here's a pic of her showing off her jammies with Grandma.Blake didn't really sleep very well while we were in Colorado, so Lauren and Bob ended up swapping time sleeping with her on the living room floor in the wee hours of the morning so the other one could sleep; but, overall, it was a wonderful vacation.We have also enjoyed all of the nice Christmas cards and letters that we recieved this holiday season. We are so blessed to have such caring family and friends! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

Little Santa

Poor little Blake had to be dressed up for a cute Christmas picture...we just couldn't resist. Thank you to Grandma and Tudy for picking out the most adorable little Santa suit!

Older Video

Here's the video we last promised. Lauren forgot to post it before we left town for Christmas...OOPS! So, these are some of Blake's older noises; but, they are still cute!

Cold, Cold, Cold...

Well, it hasn't really warmed up much; so, we've spent most of our time indoors...and the little bit we do spend outdoors requires us to bundle up. Here's a picture of our baby all warm and cozy in her car seat.

Being indoors has given Blake plenty of time to play in her new toy. She has even started to grab and hold some of the toys. Here's a cute picture of her showing off her new ability.We've also had time to cuddle, play peek-a-boo, practice trying to roll, and all sorts of other fun stuff. So, of course, we had to get pictures.We also got some video footage, so I'll post that later on this weekend some time. Hopefully, everyone is staying warm and is looking forward to a wonderful holiday season.

Tummy Time

Blake got some quality "tummy time" this weekend. She doesn't really like being on her tummy, but she does okay for a couple minutes before she starts getting ticked off. So, Lauren caught the pleasant part on film for you to see. We also filmed one of her half-rolls. She constantly rolls over on her side, but she doesn't quite make it all the way over all the time. There is also some more footage of her playing in her bouncer. She just started leaning on the piano keys that cause the music to play. She doesn't quite understand that you are supposed to push them...she usually just accidentally leans on them and then gets excited when the music and lights start up. Well, this should be the last post for the weekend...it's back to the daily grind tomorrow. The temperature is already back down to -14 degrees. Let's just hope the pickup starts up without too much trouble in the morning.

Lazy Day

It was -14 degrees this morning, so we decided to just hang out inside again today. When we let Copa out this morning, she didn't even make it to the grass...she stopped to pee right in the middle of the driveway (which was covered with snow) and then ran right back inside. It was hilarious! Lauren was pretty bored, so she got some pictures of the dogs. Here's Copa...

...and here's Maddie.

It did actually warm up to -3 degrees later in the afternoon, so Lauren shoveled the drive and the side walks. Copa loves to jump at and chase the snow that gets kicked up when you shovel, so she joined Lauren for about 5 minutes. She almost immediately started favoring one paw and then another (her feet were just getting too cold), so Lauren made her watch the "fun" through the sliding glass door. Maddie does not like being cooped up in the house. She would much prefer running around in the back yard, but she finally got comfortable on the couch. She kept taking really deep breaths and sighing...like it was so rough to have to stay inside.

Blake got plenty of attention, and she got to spend quite a bit of time playing with her new toy. She really gets to bouncing and squealing...it's pretty funny. She also really keeps an eye on the dogs as they walk by.

Blizzard Warning

Well, if it was just "freezing cold" Lauren would be happy. It is currently 8 degrees and the wind chill is somewhere around -10. There is a blizzard warning for our area, so we're staying inside today and lounging. Our high for tomorrow is -5; Monday's is -9; and we're finally up to 4 degrees by Tuesday. And, YES, you read that correctly...those are our HIGHS. The wind chills are supposed to be around -20 and -30 degrees. The expected wind chills up on the high line (near Canada) are in the -60's. So, it could be worse :) It was 34 degrees at 5 a.m. this morning when Lauren let the dogs out, and it was 23 degrees around 10 a.m. when they last went out. It's funny that neither one of them has asked to go outside since...though you can't blame 'em. These are the days that Lauren wishes she was back in Oklahoma...but, it sounds like it's getting pretty cold there too. Here's a picture of Blake getting ready for a nap on the spare bed.

Lauren rigged Blake's car seat to hold the mirror and made a barrier of pillows to keep our little kiddo on the bed. She's really been fighting sleep during the day, so Lauren has had to turn the lights down and play soft Christmas music for our little stinker to take naps. But, whatever works, right?! Hope all is well with everyone, and we hope everyone is staying warm and safe.

Blake's New Toy

Chris, Blake's cartaker, found that Blake really enjoys playing in any type of jumper/bouncer whatever you want to call them. So, we got her one for the house. She really gets a kick out of playing with all of the toys and jumping. Lauren also found that the toy entertains two for the price of one. There is a mirror on one of the little playstations and for any of you who know Copa know that she goes crazy over reflections. So, when Blake gets to bouncing the mirror reflects light onto the wall nearby. This sends Copa into her light chasing mode. What's even funnier is that when Copa starts pacing (part of her light chasing routine) she walks by the bouncer and her tail hits one of the toys that is hanging off of it...keeping Blake interested. You'll see in the video...it's quite entertaining. In other news, Blake rolled over for the first time on the 10th. She hasn't done a whole lot of rolling since, but she has spent most of her time at home sitting in her Bumbo or bouncing in her new toy...when she's not in Mom or Dad's arms.

I Can Do It...All By Myself

For those of you who remember Lauren as a child, you may know that her favorite book was I Can Do It Myself. Bob recently discovered that Blake will hold the bottle by herself. So, even though she looks a lot like her daddy; she may have a few of her mom's personality traits...scary!
Holding that heavy bottle up sure takes a lot out of our little stinker.

New Outfits & Doctor's Appointments

Here are a couple pictures of Blake in some of her new 6 month clothes. She is just too cute...of course we are a little biased.In case you were wondering, the Bumbo did not change colors...nor do we have two of them. We just got tired of seeing that same old light green in all of her pictures, so Lauren used a photo editing tool to change it to bring out the blue in Blake's outfit.
Our poor little girl had to get her 4 month vaccinations yesterday :( Here is a picture of her sporting her Tazmanian Devil band-aids.
And here's our little girl getting ready for a nap on her comfy star quilt.

November/December Highlight Video

This is the day of the video posts. We'll try to get some pictures posted tomorrow, but the videos are pretty cute. Lauren found that when you run a burp rag/blanket over Blake's face, she gasps if you leave it over her face for a second...you'll see in the video. And, we finally got some footage of Blake starting to laugh. She tends to laugh whenever you take her clothes off. I know, it's scary! Lastly, you'll see the cutest singing bear that JoAnn gave us. Blake usually smiles and squeals at it, but she didn't when we busted the video camera out. In other news, Little Miss Blakers had her 4 month doctor's appointment today. She weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces...it's just amazing how big (and loud) she is getting. The poor little girl had to get her vaccinations, so she was a little fussy/tired the rest of the day. Otherwise, things here are going pretty well. We are just trying to get through the next couple weeks...and then we'll get to visit with Grandma & Grandpa Brune, Uncle Chris & Aunt Katie, and Rene, Craig, & the girls around Christmas time. Hope all is well with everyone!

A Video of the Pups

Well, we can't forget our other "babies"...so here's a little video of them playing. When Copa was a puppy, we used to growl at her when we were playing; so, that's how she plays now.

Kisses

Our little Blakers just LOVES getting her kisses. Here's another video...ENJOY!!!