Nails, Pets and Flowers

I have been realizing latly just how fast Lauren is growing up. I have been wanting to do speacial things with her that is just "our thing". Anyone who know our little Laruen knows just how girly she is. So I thought that it would be fun for us to get our nails done together and then it could end up being our thing, because it is something that she might enjoy as she gets even older then she is now. She loved it! She noticed while we were there that people were coming in for pedicures too. When we were done, she asked me if we could get our toes done. I think I might take her next week to do that. I just miss my little girl while I am at work. I know some people might think she is to young for all of this primping and stuff, but it isn't about the whole "getting nails done" thing. For me, and for her, it is all about the one on one time we get to have together.

You can totally see how pail I am. Lauren loves her nails and wouldn't let me hold her hand for a while because she didn't want to mess up her "pretty nails". One of the things I love so much about Lauren is her diverse intrests. She is very girly and just loves all of the disney pricesses, but she loves Coraline and 9 just as much. She is really loving the show Stardust right now, but will ask to watch Willie Wonka (the one with Johny Depp) right after it.

She loves cuddly furry bunnies, but she also will adopt a snail from our back yard and carry it around all day long. When Chad and I realize just how much she loves these slimy little creatures, we thought that she would also love a hermit crab. So when Chad got off of work, Lauren and I went down to Pets'mart to "look" at the animals. I didn't want to tell her what we were doing. I wanted to surprise her. And plus, I wanted to see how she reacted to the hermit crabs to determine weather or not we would actually get one for her.

Here we are before leaving. All she knows is that we are going to go hang out at the mall together. Just us girls, as she put it. No boys allowed. When we got to pets'mart, she fell in love with the crabs. She also wanted a lizard and a frog. I told her just one creepy pet at a time.


(talking on the phone to daddy, trying to decide wich one she loved the most. She told Chad on the phone that she will be the "manager" of her crab.)
Lauren picked out a biggest one and named it "Shiney". Evan got a kicked out of it too, although he is not allowed to touch it. I am certin that Evan will survive a hermit crab pinch, but I am not so sure that a hermit crab will survive a nice little squeeze from Evan.


We went to Cafe Rio after to pick up some dinner. I can not pass up the call for a barbracoa pork burrito-enchalada style. I am a slave to Cafe Rio. Lauren had to carry Shiney with her everywhere.

(Lauren holding Shiney)



(Checking out Shiney and Shiney's new home)



Shiney entertained us for a good hour or so. After we set her up in Lauren's room and started to eat our dinner from Cafe Rio, we got a call from Kari (Chad's sister). Chad's mom, sisters and brother were going over to the cemetary to put flowers on Chad's grandparents grave.

(Chad and Evan)

(Kari and Lincoln)

(Shari, Lauren, D.J and Evan)

(Lauren and D.J decorating their grave with pine cones and wild flowers)
When I was pregnate with Lauren, we didn't even know if we were having a little girl or a little boy yet. We went to Chad's grandpa's grave to put flowers on it. I had been thinking for a while that I would love to name our baby after family members so that they could have a name that has a speacial meaning, and not just something that we picked out of a baby names book. As I was standing next to Chad with his arms around me, I felt very sure that our first born little boy should have the name of Evan after Chad's grandpa ( James Evan Sphar). I told that to Chad and he agreed. We soon found out after that we were having a little girl and not a boy, but from that day in the cemetary, our son was named. When saw on the sonagram that Evan was a boy, the first thing I said was "Hi Evan." He name was and always has been Evan. And I think that he wears that name that has so much love and meaning, very well.



Weather we are putting flowers on a long gone loved ones grave, or buying a creepy crawling pet, or getting our nails done..the most important central thing is family. As long as I have my family around me, I am rich beyond measure.