Swim Lessons!

This is how both Mommy and Larkin felt about swim lessons the first week. We were so excited to start our lessons last week and then were SO disappointed once we got there. Unfortunately our swim teacher did not understand that she was actually supposed to TEACH us anything. We went to three of our four lessons last week and the instructor did not even talk to anyone. No instructions, guidance, hellos, or anything. However....

This is how we felt about swim lessons this week! We had a new instructor and he was GREAT!!!! We learned how to blow bubbles, float on our tummies and backs, kick, and jump off the side. We also learned some CPR and some other great tips. This week was much better and Mommy was MUCH happier!

Larkin did have lots of fun hanging out with her two favorite fellas for the past two weeks, Brody and Liam. Brody's mom works with Mommy and Liam goes to the same daycare.

Larkin and her swim buddies posing for a picture

And they are walking

And they are off. Notice how they all decide to go in separate directions, us Mommies think they planned this escape!

Getting ready to make a splash!

After all that hard work at the pool Larkin was ready for a nap. Too bad she couldn't make it through a meal first!



I Can Do It All By Myself!

Larkin is getting quite the personality. She wants to do more and more things by herself. Right now she is trying to master how to use a spoon to feed herself. She is definitely still "mastering" this. Until that actually happens we are going to buy stock in stain remover. I am pretty sure we can keep them in business by ourselves!

What We Do All Day

These days Larkin is a pro at walking and even getting back up on her own. She keeps us busy chasing her all over the house.

Mommy's little helper. This is Larkin's attempt at putting away laundry.

It is reading time. Right now we are a fan of Sesame Street books from like 30 years ago.

Larkin and Her Daddy Pre- Father's Day

Larkin and Daddy before his big roadtrip

Obviously she already has him by the collar!

Father's Day Getaway

This year Shaun had a little getaway over Father's Day weekend. His good friend Doug is getting married next month and so Shaun and about ten other guys headed to San Diego for a little bachelor party weekend. Of course I sent the camera with him so that he could capture everyone at their best, and yet it came back with NO pictures on it. He did attempt to show me a picture or two caught on his cell phone that were supposedly a baseball game (they saw the San Diego Padres play) and then some NFL players they hung out with one evening out on the town. Those pictures were pretty much a blur so I am just taking his word on what Chargers they really were. Overall he came back in once piece and had a great time with his buddies!!!! This was the only picture I could come up with for that weekend.

It Is Summer Time!

Well summer vacation is here and we are loving every minute of it! Thought I would finally take a moment to fill you in on our last month. School was out right before Memorial Day and Larkin and I have been hanging out ever since. Unfortunately, Shaun is working on a lovely job in Vegas and pretty much is gone every weekend until I go back to work. How is that for timing! You would think working in Vegas would sound like a lot of fun, but pretty much he works non-stop and a lot of times it is in the middle of the night since they are working on a hospital that is full of patients. He has gotten lucky enough to enjoy a suite or two at his hotel/casino since he is there pretty much every week, but the only gambling he seems to be doing is a little poker on the cell phone. At least you can't lose money that way! Meanwhile here is what we have been up to....

PJs....
We like to spend most of the morning in our pjs these days! Actually we keep busy playing, running errands, going to story time at the library, and practicing our walking. Larkin is doing a great job WALKING these days. Next week we start swimming lessons so that should be fun.


Aren't I Cute!
Larkin sporting a new hair-do. We thought she looked a bit like Boo from Monster's Inc. especially when she chases the cats around the house saying "Kitty".



One Year Portraits
We finally made it to have some one year portraits taken. We caught a smile or two, but she can be tricky! Here are a few of our favorites.

This was how our portrait session started! Larkin likes to look at the back of cameras so she can see the pics (thanks Lisa for teaching her that one) and was not happy about having to sit in front of one.

Going to the Doctor

You would think the world had ended. Last week I had to take Larkin to get some blood drawn. Guess they do this for all one year olds to test for anemia and things like that. Well I asked Heather about this since Noah, who is the same age as Larkin, had already gotten this done and she said no worries. Her doctor only poked Noah in the foot and took a few drops of blood. So that was what I was expecting. I need her doctor! Instead...... I take her to the lab and they proceed to have me sit in a regular blood-drawing chair and tell me to hold her down. They go on to take blood just like they do for adults. So of course by now she is screaming. They tighten the wrap around her arm, find a vein, and then tell me they are going to take 2 full size vials of blood. Of course she misses the vein the first few times and then it takes FOREVER. I was NOT happy and if I had known this I would have made Shaun take her. It is definitely his turn next time. At least everything came back normal, but here is her unhappy face and bandage. You might recognize it.

Cell phones: not sure if I should talk on them or eat them!

Larkin has gotten very good at saying hi and waving. Unfortunately she doesn't understand why she hears Daddy through the phone but can't see him waving!

Grandma came for a visit at the end of May!

We had lots of fun together playing, climbing, and even helping make some new curtains. I think we wore Grandma out with all of our stair climbing!!!!!

How many people does it take to give Larkin a bath??????

Larkin and Hailey are the best of friends. Why shouldn't they be when Larkin feeds her non-stop. Her motto is one for my mouth one for the doggy. Our dog will never be hungry again! Here she is working on petting the doggy "nicely". We haven't mastered this yet.

A play date with Brody

Larkin and Brody, who are just a few months apart spent the day hanging out while his mommy went to a training. They had lots of fun!

A race up the stairs

Lunch time!

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Gary come visit!

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Gary came to visit the weekend after Larkin's birthday. We had a wonderful time catching up, playing, and checking out some other parts of Phoenix. Can't wait to see them again soon!!!!!

Larkin sharing her baby that she got from Aunt Jackie.

Larkin and Uncle Gary having a little coffee break. I think Uncle Gary is more of a morning person than Larkin!

A little side trip to Krispy Kreme in honor of Uncle Mark. Unfortunately they must think that no one wants a doughnut at 3 in the afternoon because it was closed. So sad!

Larkin on the Move

Hope all is well with everyone. Another snippet from the Larkin archives.

Larkin Turns 1!

Larkin sure has grown over the past year, but....

she still has a ways to go. Here is Larkin checking out our new entertainment center otherwise known as the finger print magnet. At her 12 month check up she is now 30 in tall and just over 18 pounds.

Larkin celebrated her first birthday on Sunday! She had tons of fun opening all sorts of goodies.

To celebrate Shaun made her a Jack birthday cake from her favorite show "Jack's Big Music Show"

Not quite sure which one is better!

Cruising!

Well little Larkin is becoming quite the traveler! We just returned from our cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with some of Shaun's family. It was highlighted by pretty much relaxing, eating, and hanging out with family and friends. Not to mention a massage or two for mom and dad!

Time with the family!

Larkin and Aunt Paula playing with jewelry!

Larkin and Aunt Lynn waiting for Uncle Gary to wow us at the karoke finals. He did a great job!

Here are Larkin and Cousin Jeff playing one of Larkin's all time favorite games "horsie"

Larkin and Cousin Reid posing for a picture.

Larkin and Cousin Lisa quickly became friends!

We also had a wonderful time with Cousin's Christine and Todd, and Uncle Gary and Uncle Jeff; unfortunately Mommy misplaced some of her pictures. Oh well!

While on vacation Larkin also spent plenty of time working on standing, cruising, and climbing. However, she is still perfecting those packing skills. She must take after her mommy.

Here was a typical lazy morning looking out at the view of the ocean. As you might notice Larkin did not rush to fix her hair first thing in the morning.

What we liked best was that on a boat in the middle of the ocean Daddy's cell phone didn't work at all (and just in case Larkin may have accidently broken it before we got on board for good measure). This meant no calls, emails, or messages for more than a week! Shaun had so much free time he even began coaching Larkin as to what teams she should one day route for.

Finally, after a week in the Caribbean it was time to head home. Unfortunately we had to get off the boat by 8:30am and our flight wasn't until 5pm. This made for a long day at the super exciting Fort Lauderdale airport. Larkin and Shaun managed to pass the time!

Fun in Florida!

We headed down to Florida over spring break to be a part of Abby and Aaron's big day. It was great to relax at the beach and catch up with old friends!
Here is our day at the beach which included napping, tanning, chatting and some sand volleyball. Shaun and I quickly realized we are not in the same shape we used to be in! Still we had a blast.








That night Larkin and Noah got to practice their escape from the highchairs while we enjoyed the rehearsal dinner. So far they have not perfected their escape!

Larkin was all smiles as she got to know her honorary Aunts and family.

Aaron and Abby's beach front wedding was absolutely beautiful! What a perfect day.

Here is Larkin letting us know what she thinks of little boys so far. Mommy and Daddy are quite happy!









Shaun found his best date ever! They even shared their first "official" Father-Daughter dance.

We even managed to hit the dance floor once the little ones crashed. What a fun reception!