Lauren is pretty cool.  She leaves tons of toys lying around on the floor (Richard says we need a larger house for all her stuff), and as everybody knows, anything on the floor is fair game as a chew toy.  She’s also very good about sharing tasty tidbits.  We worship religiously at the foot of her highchair.  Hunter and I have developed a passion for Cheerios.  Charlene kisses her so much you’d think the skin on those chubby cheeks would have worn off by now.  But, she sure has a fit when Hunter or I want to kiss/slurp her face.  Lauren is an extremely inquisitive, happy baby, lots of smiles and giggles.  While she sleeps well at night, we wish she’d take longer naps during the day so we four-legged children could get more of the exclusive attention we were used to.  Still, Lauren loves her books, and it’s sort of fun to have her read to us.  She already enjoys “talking” - wonder where she inherited that from?!?

We should have bought stock in the one hour photo developer and Gymboree.  Our house is now a photo shrine to Lauren modeling her varied outfits.  Charlene finds it far more fun to buy things for Lauren than her own post-pregnancy body.  With no money and no energy left over, Richard and Charlene didn’t take off to any warm, tropical locales this year.  For meetings,  funerals, a wedding, and visits to the grandparents, they made four trips to California; extra luggage, car seat, stroller, and diaper bag in tow.  In September, Hunter and I were invited along when the family rented a 28' RV (Rich found it quite a switch from driving his little convertible) and motored down to Ashland, Oregon and then up along the beautiful Oregon coast.  I think I see an RV in our future - a great trip for kids and dogs!  Richard’s entire family visited Portland in July.  In one quick week, they (12 adults and 8 kids) spent three nights at Cannon beach, hiked up Multnomah Falls, shopped, cruised the Columbia River, toured Fort Stevens, charming Astoria, the Seaside aquarium, the Tillamook cheese factory, and the Portland zoo, and sampled Pizza, the Spaghetti Factory, Mexican, Thai, and Lebanese cuisine.    

Six weeks post-partum, Charlene and Lauren joined a New Mother’s support group.  It’s been Charlene’s lifeline to comparing notes with others experiencing the same things, picking up helpful tips, and assuring herself that she’s normal - i.e. no one’s home will ever look the same, cold cereal can be considered a meal option three times a day, sleep is always more important than checking your mail or paying bills, if it’s not machine washable, don’t wear it, pleasure trips to the mall are no longer for the adult, they’re for buying a developmental toy or an adorable outfit for the baby, and trustworthy babysitters are worth their weight in gold.  The New Mommy group meets weekly at each other’s homes, the mall, the zoo, the swimming pool, the park, etc.  Also, each week, Lauren meets her friends at the library to blow bubbles, sing songs, and hear stories read .  She’s also just started a sign language class.

While Richard enjoyed eight weeks off this year, he continues to work long hours, averaging 1200 (over 1800 one month!) units a month.  He still managed to get in two hunting trips; a wild boar hunt in central California in May and his annual November trek to South Dakota for pheasant.  He’s also picked up his radio-control car hobby again.

It’s been an eventful year in our family and in our world.  We’ve appreciated the friendship and fellowship of family and friends.  Let’s keep up the calls, e-mails, postcards, photo exchanges, dinners out and relaxed visits in our homes!  In this holiday season and the coming New Year, may you savor God’s richest blessings of peace, safety, contentment, warm hugs, the company of family and friends, and the angelic sound of a child’s laughter.