I'm Back! :)

I know, I know...it's been a while since we've posted anything. Ok....a LONG while! I thought I'd get everyone up to speed on what we've been up to the past few months, so I'm going to do four or five different posts in the next week (or two...or three) highlighting the last several months of our lives. Then hopefully after that I will be better at posting more consistently.

I will start with May & June.

We went to a couple of weddings in May. One of those was our college babysitter, Ashley. She's watched Brenna during our weekly connection group (couples Bible study) for two and half years....basically since Brenna was a newborn. She is an awesome babysitter and has become a great friend to Brenna and the rest of our family. Brenna was so excited to go to her wedding and she even got to dance with her!

Lauren was dedicated at our church in May. As Lauren's parents we dedicated her to the Lord and promised to teach her the truths of Scripture and raise her in godly home. Below is a picture of the group of parents and their kids....if you look close you can see Lauren's picture on the screen.

The girls and I took a road trip to Burlington to visit my parents

and also attend a bachelorette party for my friend Mindy...we've been friends ever since we met in kindergarten! It was fun to see some friends from high school and to catch up with Mindy. I am so happy for her and her new husband Matt!

While we were gone, Jared had spent a lot of time doing landscaping in our yard and also building a trellis. Didn't he do an awesome job? He is so handy!

At the end of May we went to Bree's birthday party. This is Brenna's best friend. They are only four months a part and love to spend time together. It will be fun to watch them grow up together.

Below are a couple of random pics.

Happy Birthday, Lydia!

We love you and can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!!

Sweet Lauren is Six Months

Our sweet Lauren turned six months today! I can't believe it. She has been such a good baby and we love her to pieces!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mommy, you are awesome. Thanks so much for all you do for me and our family. Thanks for playing with me, reading books to me, taking me to the park, taking me to mommy and me music, making me meals every day, washing my clothes, changing my diapers, teaching me God's truths and being my best friend. You are the best mom I could ever have!

I love you this much....BrennaMommy, I think you are the best too! Thank you so much for the last 5 months of meeting my every need. Thank you for all the time you've spent nursing me, even when I am difficult. You are so good to me and I appreciate all your hard work. Thank you for changing my diapers, for feeding me, for clipping my toe nails and finger nails, thanks for washing my clothes and my burp cloths :), thanks for being willing to get up in the wee hours of the night to care for me. You are an awesome mom and I am so grateful for you.

I love you....LaurenSteph, thanks for being an outstanding mom to our daugthers. You are so good at your job and I appreciate you every day. Thanks for the love and support you give our daughters and for all the patience and kindness you show them. You are a Proverbs 31 wife and mom and I thank God for your gifts and abilities to raise our family to know, love, and obey God. Keep up the great work and thank you again for all you do.

I love you....Jared

Bohlen Family Weekend

My parents, brother, and sister-in-law came to visit us last weekend. We had a great time together as usual. Our weekend included garage sales, taking walks, celebrating my mom's birthday, church, DQ (a family tradition), and jumping on our neighbors trampoline.

I LOVE this picture of Brenna that Dana took.



Our neighbors are building a deck and Brenna is pretending that the pile of wood is a stage. She was showing off her moves and her pipes...and practicing her D6 songs. She had a pretty captive audience too.

Trampoline fun!

Fun is always had when Uncle Ryan is around!

Dana cuddling with sweet Lauren.

Lauren is getting so big! She's already 4 1/2 months old.

Can you say static!?!

Brenna helping Aunt Dana make cupcakes for Grandma Bohlen's birthday. They were delicious!

Brenna had a lot of good quality time with her grandma. They took my mom's dogs on a lot of walks. During one of their walks, my mom taught her what a fire hydrant was and how to say it. So now she looks for them whenever we are on a walk or driving around town. It's so cute to hear a 2 year old say "fire hydrant". :)

Thanks for coming to visit Bohlen's! Come back soon!

Easter Dinner at Van Cleave's

We had dinner and an egg hunt at Jared's parents on Easter day. We had a lot of fun together.

Brenna & Easton having fun playing outside together.
Marlee looking cute in her blue and green dress!

The egg hunt begins....Brenna loved looking for all the eggs.

Is this a pose or what! :) Showing off her treasures.

Checking out all of their finds.

Family picture...not that great of Lauren, but it's HARD to get all four of us smiling without blinking at the same time.

Happy Lauren

I can't believe our baby Lauren is already 3 1/2 months old. She is such a great baby and brings so much joy to our family. The last few weeks have been full of smiles from her. You barely have to look at her and she will smile at you. It is so cute. She usually only gets fussy if she's hungry or tired. Lately, she's been enjoying the bumbo seat and her play mat and loves when her big sister comes and chats with her. If I had to guess, I'm assuming Lauren will be an extrovert.

The picture below was taken a few months ago, but thought I'd still post it!

Brenna Loves Her Baby Lauren

A question I've been asked a lot since having Lauren is, "How is Brenna doing with the new baby?" Brenna loves her "baby wuaren", as Brenna would say.....she has a hard time saying her "l's" :) She is always giving her hugs and kisses and loves to hold her...

take pictures with her...

lay with her under her playmat....
read to her...
take baths with her...

She also likes to talk to her and sing to her when Lauren is in her bouncy seat. It's a blessing that she loves her sister so much, but I have to keep an eye on Brenna constantly so she doesn't smother her! :) She doesn't realize when she's leaning on her too much or bouncing the seat too high, etc. That's actually been one of the harder things for me to deal with the past few months. But I try to remember that it's only for a season and that I should be thankful that they love each other so much already. Brenna is able to get Lauren smiling the easiest. It's fun to see thier sisterly bond already.

Some Pics of the Inside of the House

Here are some interior pictures of our home. The remodeling is coming along nicely. Some nice interior decorating courtesy of Jenni Sabino. Getting somewhere now. We'll have to post some of the bedrooms and bathroom some other time. Enjoy.

On the verge of smiling