video post

With my new phone, I have a pretty decent video camera, and I figure I should go ahead and upload them, for everyone's viewing pleasure.

Lily watering Mo Mo's plants

The beach....

Playing ball with Porter....

An Old Time Summer Tradition

For as long as I can remember steamed crabs in the summer have been a part of my life. I was taught at a very young age to enjoy the sweet delicacies of the the sea. Especially now, during our oil spill crisis, this summer I have cherished the times of eating good clean seafood from our waters. I can't imagine how the gulf will hold up.

Make it stop!!!

So, this past weekend while visiting Christie and Jurgens in their new home we were very lucky to partake in some local Chesapeake Bay, super yummy flavored, with butter on the side for dipping, perfect sized male steamed crabs !!!!

Oh, and yes, Christie as always had the perfect tabletop flair in honor of Jurgens birthday and the 4th of July.

Oh, and yes, Jurgens complained about how wasteful it is to have all the stuff. You can tell he is proud though...it looked great!(Please note my grape juice....I would have much rather had a beer, it goes better with crabs!)

Christie and Jurgens now sport the perfect backyard for a crab feast! Their house boasts a ton of charm. It has a ton of space for visitors which we will plan to use!

It is nice to have a pregnant best friend by your side!

Christie, 24 weeks and growing......Lauren, 13 weeks and growing.

We are so happy for Christie and Jurgens and can't wait to welcome baby Elsie! Because our babies will only be two months apart, I am really hoping for a girl!!!......Mike is not

Although, not quite showing in this picture, Lily was not on her best behavior. She showed how well she can scream and cry when she doesn't get her way. And to top it off, she is teething. Yes, a little late to be truly teething, although the child didn't have more than 6 teeth up to about 3 weeks ago. Now, they are coming all at once to stage a coup upon her gums. Lily is trying to fight the battle, but alas the teeth will win and burst through. It was nice though...she cut their grass, nbd.

Maybe a brat for the day, but still super cute!

Lily 'idiams...

Yay we can get piggies in!!!

Oh Lily Lily Lily!

She continues to sprout into this toddler hood I continue to speak of. More talking, more movement, faster movement, more attitude/personality, and more independence.

Last night while gazing over my friend Kristin's baby, Kage, I was jealous of his younger age and remember the sweet times I had with my 8 month old...Quiet babbles, slow movement, if any, our Mother/Daughter bond when I still nursed....ahhh the good ol' days

But I quickly realized that throughout this certain stage I am still having sweet times with my 18 month old. Now, we are actually talking to each other. She walks with me, sometimes listens and holds my hand, but mostly she pulls her independence card and goes limp onto the pavement. Her sleeping habits are better, and I am coming to learn that she likes her sleep. 9:30 wake up calls I would say are quite late for a toddler, I try not to complain about it because sometimes she throws me for one when she still will wake up in the middle of the night begging for me to hold her. This I find hard to resist because one thing is for sure, she still fits in my arms, and I can still rock her like a baby. She still gazes in my eyes and looks for the comfort she needs to sleep. I love singing her the songs that my Mom once sang to me. What a beautiful cycle it will be when she one day sings to her daughter! So like I said, she talks.....

and she is loud...

and most of it I don't understand

and most of it no one would understand, but I do think there is a certain language that parents can catch onto from their children.

For instance, when Lily says 'waatty,' OF COURSE she is saying 'water' :)

When she says 'Marney' she is saying MARLEY

When pointing to your nose, she says 'no',

'juuuuu' means juice

'cici' means cereal, etc etc....

My translation isn't perfect, but I definitely find myself understand her wants, when the next person would think I was crazy to respond to such babble. :)

Any who, our summer has been busy, and she is learning a lot. She has had lots of time with 'Mo Mo' (my mom) and Grandma. She enjoys that special time very much. I am so grateful to have family so close by!

a beach world of wonders

Cast this picture into the future, and I see a bathing beauty BORN for the beach! And she was! Our family vacaction to my parents beach house in Nags Head, was more than I could have ever expected for Lily. She was a natural! No fear! The ocean welcomed her as she stepped forward into the water. The sand fit perfectly between her toes, and the sun shined perfectly onto her olive skin. My love for the water, the beach, the ocean has been genetically passed onto my darling daughter and it was a joy to see her there!

We were blessed with amazing weather, amazing food, amazing family and friends, and amazing pictures to prove it. I was so happy to be there with my parents! Not only was it great to share the beach experience with them, but it was also nice to be able to lay out, read my book, and relax a bit. They were quick to take Lily on a walk along the water, build a sand castle or even bring her back in for me. Mike and I took full advantage of the time alone, although I wish it was spent more together.

When we go to the beach I enjoy sweating until I MUST jump in the water. A book on the beach calms me, and just sitting in my chair is what I want to do alllll. day. long. Mike on the other hand is a typical boy/man (i guess hehe) and would rather be jumping around, playing raquet ball, boccee ball, playing in the water, or basically anything BUT sitting down for 30 min. So most of our time was spend apart :( We still managed to get away for a nice dinner with our friends. We have ONE pic to prove it :)

Oh to be back at that place! I did spend most of the week convincing Mike how amazing it would be to live by the water. It is something I have wanted for a while now, but moving doesn't really seem smart right now. I hope in our near future, a more simple life, beach life will be ours :)

Pediatric Update

Quick update! For as life seems to be passing before me way to quick!! Is this how it is? Parenthood? A blink of an eye??

Well that is how I feel, I am actually beginning to cry..stop Lauren.

Today Lily had her 18 month check up! Holy heck, where has the time gone? My little infant baby, is a toddler, a constant learner, listener, speaker, etc. I believe they use the word 'sponge' to describe the developing brain of a baby/child. She is forever learning something new. She is fascinating to watch, and I can instantly smile as I gaze over her shoulder while she plays on her own now. It's a true miracle!

My mom took her to her appointment today. I worked last night and knowing Lily was in the hands of my Mom made it easier to come to terms with the fact I was missing a tiny milestone. Well not really a milestone, but I felt guilty. None the less, Lily didn't care! She lovesssssss Mo Mo! Plus, she didn't have to get shots so it was an easy peasy morning.

Here are her stats:

Weight: 24lbs 14oz (50-75%)

Height: 32 in (75%)

Head Circumference...always a doosey: 19 in (90-95%)

The word's of Dr. Reilly (my Mom wrote them down so I could know what she said exactly)

"Lily has a perfect disposition. What she is now, is who she will be."

It makes me feel proud!

As always, the classic scale pic....

i'll make it quick

Ok, so before the summer actually begins with the kick off of Memorial Day Weekend, I have been wanting to write a post. Lately, my life has been hectic with a toddler, and I just haven't felt like what is going on is worth posting. It is just the Peterson's doing a little bit of this here and there and a little of that....

Quite frankly a little boring, a maybe something that my AVID blog followers would be too interested in ;)

Seriously do I have avid followers? Who am I kidding, I do want to be like Ree Drummond! A small dream of mine. I think I need to establish many more hobbies, be a better cook (still striving), take better pictures, have more kids and live in the country....

Anywhooooo, I will recap, to the best of my ability, my life as a mom and wife until today...BECAUSE, we leave for the beach tomorrow night and I will have a TON to post about once we get home.

The last I can remember...

Mother's Day...I did a 5k. Lily and Mike watched on the sidelines. The weather was much colder than expected but a great morning to run. The course was also quite difficult for a 5k with nice hills. PLUS, it was a loop, so after the first great hill, I had something to look forward to the next go round...that sucked.

My Mom and Aunt Debbie also joined me. The ran/walked it. I was so proud of them! It was a great start to our Mother's Day!Also for Mother's Day AND my Birthday, Mike has tackled a home project. Our back patio! Here is starting it for me.....he has made much more progress than the pictures shown, although it is not yet complete. The pavers have been laid, but the plan is to have two raised gardens on each side, plus a rock garden in the way back left for us to keep our trash cans, toys, etc...It looks great, Mike! Thank you!

The next weekend, I guess we laid low...Mike's brother and sister-in-law were in town and we all had a nice bbq at his brother's house. The whole family was together, and Alicia (my sister-in-law) announced she is expecting a third baby in the beginning of Dec :) I guess I won't be the one to have the fourth grandchild after all.... The bbq was great fun and it is always nice to see the cousins interact. I attempted a picture of the grandparents with their babies, although they never seem to want to look at me while I snap away. This is the best I could do....Despite their unenthusiasm (not a word I know) they love them dearly!Anyways, Sunday we went to the Ashburn Fire House open house. It wasn't geared very much to the younger ones, but we will happened to ride a fire truck :) It was super cool and Lily really enjoyed herself!


This past weekend was also eventful. After a very busy night of work on Friday, I came home Saturday morning, and my Mom and I left for Virginia Beach. My Aunts, Grandma, and cousins planned a night away while the men partook in a weekend of golf. It was Lily's first time this season at the beach and I treated it like a trial for this upcoming week at the beach.

SUCCESS!!!!

She loved it. She is a regular beach babe. All the more reason I keep telling Mike we need to move close to the water! She loves her sunglasses, and I had nothing but smiles. The weather was great, and the ocean was surprisingly warm for this time of year.

Sunday we came home and Craig was there from taking a weekend off from the trail. He ended on Saturday at route 7 near Leesburg and thought he should come home for the night. Well one night turned into two, and Monday morning Lily and I took him back to the trail. The plan was for Craig to take his dog, Porter, but my Mom called me last night as she was on her way to Harper's Ferry to pick him up from Craig. I think he realized having a dog on the trail is a bit much. Craig was happy to have the time with him, but he prefers to be alone on the trail. He continues to enjoy himself. I have noticed such a wonderful change in him. His attitude, his maturity, his appearance....He just seems so happy, and it is such a joy to be around him now!

Weekend Update

This past weekend we travelled to Lynchburg to spend some more time with the Reel's. Some of our closest friends, Andy and Liz, had invited us, actually forced us, to attend a Kentucky Derby party which Liz and the Junior League were hosting. Because Liz was the party chair, she wanted to make sure of a good attendance, and I am guessing she wanted us there to support her. It turned out to be a great party! The weather was awesome! The scenery was awesome! The food was awesome! The drinks, awesome, etc!

The party was held at this farm...this farm happened to be owned by the inventor of the workout machine Gazelle...ever heard of it? Well you should know what I am talking about, and needless to

say it was pretty damn puuurdy!You will most likely NEVER see Mike in a bow tie again, but he looked quite cute and it was mandatory for the Derby attire:) Atleast that is what I told him....

All the girls were sporting their Derby hats. Liz here is actually wearing a REAL Derby hat (whatever that means) for me, just a simple sun hat will do :)

Last week was also Walker's 2nd birthday and one of our gifts to him was a blow up pool. (Liz and Andy have a great front yard for one) Lily and Walker enjoyed the new pool over this HOT weekend!

Lily also enjoyed baby Carter! She LOVES these little ones.....he is getting so big!