Such a Big Girl!

Laurel crawls towards the side of her bed...

and begins to pull herself up...
into a standing position!
She is so proud of herself!

When we got home from the beach today, we put Laurel in her crib to play while we unpacked her bags. She was thrilled to be out of her carseat, and played happily in her bed. At some point, she decided to try and pull herself up! Trey and I were amazed that she'd come back from the beach with this new trick, and she was so proud of herself! Of course, we had to take her crib apart and lower her mattress right then and there. With her standing up now, we didn't want to take any chances that she might fall out. Way to go, Laurel! You are such a big girl!

Roberts Family Beach Trip

Laurel is ready to hit the pool!

Trey and Laurel

Laurel loves her daddy! He's so funny!

Laurel and I hang out at the pool.

Uncle David and Aunt Michelle get a little hug from Laurel.

Laurel even sunbathed a bit.

Testing the water...

Trying out her new raft

Emma joined us for a little beach vacation.

Poppy loves feeding Laurel her breakfast bananas.

He quickly earned the nickname, "The Banana Man." Laurel loves her Poppy!

Gracie and Christopher played with Laurel and kept her entertained. They were all so sweet to each other.

The Pierson family: Jenny, Chris, Gracie and Christopher

Christopher, Gracie and Laurel pose for a beach photo.

Gracie and Laurel had matching outfits! (This was a total coincidence. Really.)

Bebe and Laurel on the beach

Gracie shows off her new shell collection.

Laurel loves watching the action, especially if Gracie and Christopher are around.

Emma and Laurel play together. Laurel just loves Em!

David and Ron

We can't wait to meet David and Michelle's little one. They are expecting in August. We're going to have a fun time with the little ones at the beach next year!

I loved having Emma join us at the beach. She was a big help, and a ton of fun, as usual!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we joined Trey's family for a little beach vacation. It was so much fun being with his whole family and we had such a great time together. Laurel had fun swimming in the pool, and didn't seem to mind the sand (although she didn't spend a lot of time on the beach). Gracie and Christopher loved playing with her, which was so much fun to watch. Every morning, Ron would feed Laurel a banana as part of her breakfast, and they both loved it.

Our biggest adventure happened on our third night, while we were watching a movie. All of a sudden, there was this loud, steady beating noise outside, and lights on the beach. We ran to the back porch in time to see a helicopter landing on the beach behind the house next to ours! There was some commotion going on next door, and then two ambulances arrived. Of course, Trey and Emma went to check things out. Apparently, a man next door had some chest pains and was air lifted to the nearest hospital. It was a little scary, but we found out the next day from his wife that he was doing okay. It was quite a night, to say the least!

We had such a great time with Trey's family. It was a relaxing vacation, and a great chance for us to catch up together. Thanks, Ron and Betsy, for such a wonderful time!

Uncle Dave and Laurel

Trey's brother, David, and his wife, Michelle, spent the night with us before we all loaded up the car and headed for the beach. David couldn't wait to play with Laurel, and wanted to feed her. Here he is giving Laurel her bottle. They were so sweet hanging out together! David and Michelle are expecting their first child in August. They are going to be great parents, and we can't wait to meet their little one!

All Smiles

Our sweet, happy Laurel. We love you!

More Exersaucer Fun

Trey and Laurel got a chance to play together on the patio today. Laurel discovered that her pacifier can be used to make noise and that it's really fun to throw it and watch Daddy pick it up again and again! Trey said she threw it and then just giggled...a new game! Here's her first attempt:

Emma's Graduation

A beautiful Emma pauses a moment before her graduation dinner, with a happy Aunt Robin in the background.
Ann, Momma, Noel and Granny arrive for Emma's graduation.

Ann, Will and Cary get "Flat Jimmy" situated in just the right spot before the ceremony starts.

"Flat Jimmy" insisted that he have a new sign for Emma's big night, and loved watching his graduate!

We were so excited to hear Emma's speech as valedictorian. She gave a great speech!

Em, Big Joe and Momma watch as Emma gives white roses to her supportive family.

Our beautiful graduate sends a message to Dad, who couldn't be there in person.

Emma and Aunt Robin are all smiles!

Momma and family friend Edine had to get a pic with "Flat Jimmy"!

Grandparents Em and Big Joe congratulate Emma on her big night.

(Almost) all of the Benton girls after the ceremony: Momma, Ann, Nancy, Cary and Emma. We missed you, Alyson!

We missed you too, Daddy!

Emma and "Flat Jimmy" celebrate her graduation!

"Flat Jimmy" had fun hanging out with most of his family: Cary, Will, Emma, Momma, Nancy and Ann.

Congratulations, Emma! On Friday night, my sister Emma graduated from high school and was named valedictorian. We are so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She gave a really great speech to an attentive audience, which included most of her family as well as our favorite cut-up, er, I mean cut-out, "Flat Jimmy." After the ceremony, "Flat Jimmy" made the rounds, even trying his hand at giving a speech behind the podium on stage! We really missed having Daddy there, but he was just as proud. You could hear him beaming through the phone when speaking with him that night. He was beyond excited and proud of his youngest child. Way to go, Emma! We love you!

Ann's in Town!

Ann and Laurel play on the floor.
Laurel shows off how well she sits up and plays with her toys.

Ann takes a turn feeding Laurel.

What a happy baby!

Cheese!

My sister, Ann, came in town from NYC, and we all loved seeing her. She couldn't believe how big Laurel had gotten since the last time she saw her...which was last August! Laurel played happily and loved having Ann give her a bottle. It was great catching up with her!