Morning Service at St. James

Today, we braved our first morning church service at St. James. Laurel was really good and slept through most of the service, not the least bit bothered by the organ music.

Laurel woke up hungry as we were coming home from church. She was in a really happy mood.

Here's the cute bib she wore during her lunchtime meal.

What do you think about Laurel's first wink? Pretty good, huh?

Trey, Laurel and I went to our first morning service at St. James. It took us all morning to get ready to go, and we still barely made it on time. I now understand the expression that many parents lose their religion trying to get their families to church on time! Hopefully with practice, this will get easier! Because Laurel was perfect during the service and slept most of the time, I think we'll go back!

Finding Thumbkin

Laurel has been working on finding her thumb for awhile, but today she was really focused.

Not quite sure which finger it is...

Finding Thumbkin takes hard work and determination...
Jackpot!

Laurel has found her hands and fingers, and has them in her mouth whenever she can. Trey and I are not sure how we feel about her sucking her thumb vs. the pacifier. She can find her own fingers when she needs to soothe herself, but the thumb's attached. A pacifier can always be taken away. For now, we're just letting her figure things out on her own. It is really fascinating to watch her discover new things, and her hands are just the beginning!

Just Hanging Out

Laying in my lap, Laurel is intrigued with the camera.

Trey often comes home for lunch with his family and makes a beeline to see Laurel. Here they are playing on the floor together. Laurel poses for a pretty picture.

Trey and Laurel take a little rest together. Don't they look alike?

I finally caught her not looking at the camera, and I love this picture of her.

The Piersons Come to Visit!

Gracie and Christopher took turns holding little Laurel.Aunt Jenny got a turn to bond with Laurel, too.
We went to see Mike the Tiger at LSU, who was sleeping again. It was a gorgeous day and Gracie loved pushing Laurel in her stroller around Mike's cage.

Christopher finally got his turn to push the stroller, and was adamant that he do it himself!

Laurel followed in Mike's footsteps by snoozing through our visit again!

Christopher got a close-up look into this tiger's mouth, with a little help from his Uncle Trey!

Jenny brought Gracie and Christopher over on a Sunday afternoon for a visit. Gracie and Christopher were so excited to see Laurel and took turns holding her. Since it was such a pretty day, we decided to check on LSU's Mike the Tiger again. He's been a big hit with his visitors, jumping in his pool and playing with a ball. But when we got there, Mike was sleeping in the shade again!

Gracie and Christopher took turns pushing Laurel's stroller around Mike's cage, and did a great job. Laurel slept through most of our visit. After the Piersons left, Trey and I walked around the LSU campus with Laurel and got to sneak a peek at the new LSU Academic Center for Student Athletes. (I don't think it's open to the public, but it was really cool)

A Visit to Mike the Tiger

Bebe, Poppy, Uncle David and Aunt Michelle came to see Laurel during LSU's game against Virginia Tech.
We went to see LSU's new mascot, Mike VI, aka "Rosco." Rumor has it that Mike is a very active tiger, but on our visit, he snoozed in the shade. Meanwhile, Laurel snoozed in her stroller.
Poppy gets a rare turn pushing Laurel in her stroller!
Back at home, Laurel finally noticed the rabbit hanging above her head.
After all that playing, Laurel took a big nap. This is her favorite sleeping position, which we call "The Touchdown."

Betsy, Ron, David and Michelle came to stay with us for the weekend of LSU's game against Virginia Tech. Since Laurel was so little, and the game would be too long, I stayed home with Betsy, who helped me with Laurel. Ron took my ticket to the game and sat with Trey. Although he usually has seats in the Tiger Terrace, he commented that he liked sitting "with the people!" Everyone had fun watching LSU beat VT, 48 to 7. Go Tigers!

Labor Day

In Shreveport for Labor Day, Wiley Cotter and Laurel met for the first time.

Trey and Laurel visit with Jim and Wiley Cotter.

Kathryn takes a turn holding a sleepy Laurel.

Elores wanted her photo with Laurel autographed!

Laurel got to meet Woo Woo for the first time, and happily sat in her lap.

We stopped by to visit Gran, who held Laurel the entire time we were there. Laurel even got to listen to some of Gran's favorite music from New Orleans.

Laurel wore her first LSU gear out at the lake. She loved being outside!

Ready for bedtime, Laurel snuggled in Poppy's lap.

Laurel got to meet the Meldrums and the Varnadores at the lake, including sweet Ethan!

Laurel loved being with Bebe and Poppy at the lake, and can't wait to go back!

We took our first trip to Shreveport over the Labor Day weekend. It was full of firsts for Laurel, including meeting her great-grandmother, Gran. Trey proudly introduced Laurel to Elores and Woo Woo, too. We watched the first game of LSU's football season with lots of friends. We even took Laurel out to lunch for the first time, to Trey's favorite eatery, Straun's. She loved it...or at least she slept peacefully through lunch!

We went to the Roberts' camp for the weekend and had a great time relaxing. Laurel loved being outside, and I know she'll just love being at the camp as she grows up. Thanks for having us, Bebe and Poppy! We can't wait to visit again. And thanks to Betsy for all of your help with Laurel and for making it so easy for me!