the laurie fam

2012-01-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

My kids, mostly Jude, keep hogging my Kindle Fire. Every time I pick it up he asks if he can play with my toy.

Christmas Day

2011-12-27T17:54:00.002-08:00

Jude is eager to get started.

This was a gift to Claire for her doll, but she sits in it more than her doll. This is where she opened most of her presents from.

My favorite gift, a Kindle Fire.

Breakfast

Jude was too busy playing with his new toys to eat.

New play tent.
This was one happy boy Christmas day.

My Christmas socks.

Claire is going through a phase in which she doesn't like to wear clothes. We're even having trouble keeping her diaper on. She enjoys stripping down and running through the house naked.

Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa Laurie.

Claire loves her new stuffed animal.

Claire stuck a flashlight down her diaper. Then she noticed her diaper glowing so she decided to take it off:)

2011-12-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

This picture reminds me of my dad. He also has the ability to sleep sitting up.

Winter

2011-12-27T17:47:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:15:00.001-08:00

We hope you have a very merry Christmas this year!

Thanksgiving in Knoxville

2011-11-28T09:55:00.001-08:00

The Falk Family

Waiting patiently for dinner

Lincoln entertains himself

Dad reads from the Bible before we eat.

There was lots of good food.

lots of cute babies to hold and cuddle.

and lots of games

Vitali shows off his missing tooth.

Zachary Falk, my brother Daniel's newest.

It's not often I can get Jude to look at the camera and smile. His yummy breakfast must have put him in a generous mood.

You'd never think Claire was such a big eater as much as she weighs, but here she is stuffing her face with egg casserole.

These are the days you question why you wanted kids:)

2011-11-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

"Aren't I pretty mommy?"

When all else fails.....

2011-11-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Fall Party

2011-10-30T18:18:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin cupcakes, yummy!

John and I were Dr. Seuss' Thing 1 and Thing 2, but I just realized John and I are out of order in this picture. We should have switched signs or switched places. The kids were Care bears.

Me and my Claire bear:)

Our costume winner this year was Ashley Castle as "Annie".

Jude enjoys a caramel apple.

We took two group pics since some came late and some left early. This way we were sure to get everyone in a picture.

Jude's cut

2011-10-26T11:07:00.001-07:00

A picture frame fell off the wall and onto Jude leaving a pretty deep cut on his forehead. I had to keep it pinched together while my friend ran to the store to get some butterfly bandages. I didn't want to take him to the ER for stitches if I could avoid it. Meanwhile Claire destroyed my kitchen. I guess she could tell that I was a bit preoccupied because she got into the pantry cupboard and dumped out cereal, flour, goldfish and oats all over the floor. Ugh, is was not a good morning.

Just some random pics of the kids

2011-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

A big kiss from little sister.

Jude in his dinosaur pajamas with his two dinosaurs. He's been kind of on a dinosaur kick lately.

Claire's first ponytail. It's not much, but it's taken 17 months to be able to do even this, so I'm happy:)

Claire with Jude's T-Rex. It's almost as big as she is.

Jude and Claire enjoy watching cartoons from the ottoman.

This is how Claire wears backpacks. They're more of a neck pack:)

Claire and Jude watching Daddy play Angry Birds. Jude loves to watch people play it even more than he enjoys playing it himself.

Peek a boo

New Backsplash

2011-10-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

Here was my solution to the problem of my stand mixer not matching. I put up a backsplash so the greens aren't right next to each other. Now the difference in color is not very noticeable. The best part of it is that it only took me a few hours to put up and only cost me $17. I used peel and stick floor tiles. It's been something I've been thinking about doing anyway so the mixer was a good excuse to finally get it done. I think it turned out really well and I love the way it makes my kitchen look.

KitchenAid Mixer

2011-10-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

John got me a new KitchenAid mixer! I love it. The green was not quite what I expected. Online it looked like it matched my kitchen perfectly, but as you can see, it does not. Oh well, it still works great. The stipulation with John getting this for me was that I had to make whatever he wanted with it. His request was whoopie pies or pumpkin roll. Since I don't have a jelly roll pan, I chose the whoopie pies. These aren't just any whoopie pies however, they're sugar free and low-carb. You'd never know it though. They're made with xylitol and stevia extract instead of sugar and are wheat free. The cake is made with BLACK BEANS! I know, it sounds gross, but you really can't taste the beans and the result is a very moist chocolate cake. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever make a regular cake again. This recipe is much better. The original recipe is for chocolate cake not whoopie pies, so I had to modify it a bit to meet my whoopie pie needs. The frosting recipe I made up myself. I've had a lot of trouble making frosting using xylitol because too much xylitol will give it a crazy cool aftertaste that I'm not fond of, but I finally did it!

My taste tester:)

A Beautiful Fall Day

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jude, being silly as usual.

My little diva:)

Jude is watching a DVD while Daddy cuts up a downed tree we found on craigslist. We wanted the wood for our fireplace.

Claire

2011-09-30T08:40:00.001-07:00

Claire is getting so big. Well, big for her, she's still pretty small, but she is walking and acting less like a baby and more like a toddler. She's still not talking much. She's plenty noisy, just nothing intelligible. She can say hi, mama and dada, but she hardly ever says them.
Is it just me or does she look a little bit like cousin Lincoln in this picture?

Lately Ruby is her favorite place to sit. Luckily, Ruby doesn't seem to mind.

Awana

2011-09-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Jude started Awana this year. He loves it. I don't know why he looks so weird in this picture. I couldn't get him to give me a good smile.

The Zoo

2011-08-28T11:44:00.001-07:00

Claire learning to go down the stairs

2011-08-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love this picture aren't they so sweet? :)

The Splash Pad

2011-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

My friend and I took our kids to play at this local park. The kids love it, and the best part is, it's free.

Having fun in the sun

Claire doesn't really care for the sprinklers much so she just hangs out near the edge and watches.
Jude, Josiah and Hannah

Camping

2011-07-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

Jude wanted to go camping but it has been very hot this week. So we set up the tent in the playroom. John slept in it with him the first night and then I slept in it the second night. He had so much fun. We had marshmallows, watched cartoons, red books with a flashlight and made shadow puppets on the wall.

The kiddos

2011-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Those lips are some of the most kissable lips ever! In fact, just looking at this picture is giving me the urge to go kiss her.

Oh, how I love this boy.

Claire loves to crawl on, under and into things. I find her on chairs, under chairs and in drawers. She's funny.

Jude with his bunny. He does really well with her and she is a very well-tempered bunny so they get along great with each other.

Jude watching Loony Toons or "Ooney Coons" as he calls it.

My new haircut

2011-07-09T17:48:00.001-07:00

It's not a very clear picture because it was from my cell phone.

4th of July

2011-07-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Big girl. I expect her to start walking soon.

Caught red-handed

Jude loves dessert.

Trevor and Ashley came to celebrate with us.

Jude and Lola

2011-07-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

We got a Jude a pet bunny. She's just a baby and is very laid back. We're litter training her and so far she's doing excellent. Jude loves her and is always petting and holding her.

Homemade Ice Cream

2011-06-15T16:03:00.001-07:00

Since I got my new ice cream maker our freezer is constantly stocked with at least one flavor. This is just boring old vanilla. I'm not a vanilla fan on its own, but it's good with other desserts or toppings. In this case it was made to go with John's carrot cake. I mean, mint chocolate chip and carrot cake are not the best combo. Since I'm not a big fan of it, it's nice to use it up on the kiddos who will eat anything as long as it's sweet.

John turns 30!

2011-06-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Just as handsome as ever:)

The kids are eagerly awaiting some carrot cake.

Our friends Becca and Jeremy came to celebrate with us.

Swimming in the new pool

2011-06-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

6th Anniversary

2011-06-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Pics from Pa

2011-05-21T17:05:00.001-07:00

Jude turned 3 while we were up north visiting John's family. We had a little birthday party for him with birthday hats which he requested.

Mother's Day

2011-05-18T10:40:00.001-07:00

Me and my kiddos. They weren't all that happy about posing for a picture with me. It sure is difficult to get two cranky kids to look at the camera and especially at the same time. This was the best I could do. I tried to explain to them that it was Mother's day and they needed to show their appreciation to me by sitting for a nice picture, but it didn't work:)

Jude Turns 3!

2011-05-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is 3! He's getting so big and is so much fun to have around. He's such a funny, easy-going kid. He never fails to fill our days with laughter. We love this little guy.

Claire Turns 1 Year Old!!!

2011-05-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Claire was getting sleepy and cranky so I gave her her doll. She loves this doll. She takes it to bed with her every night and cuddles it just like this while sucking her fingers.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we had a cookout and Easter egg hunt at my sister's.

My sister's 2 month old baby, Grayson.

Claire getting a ride on her Uncle Steve's shoulders.

Grandma reading Three Little Pigs to Jude. His hands are on his face because she's getting to the scary part with the wolf.

The Falk Family - minus one brother and his family.

My friend Ashley make these monogrammed Easter baskets for the kids. They're so cute. Jude was so proud of his basket.

I don't get in pictures very often. It's nice that my husband thought to take a pic of me.

Claire was fascinated with Grayson's ears. She kept sticking her finger in it.

Nothing sweeter than a mother and child.

Grayson will soon be as big as Claire. He's a big boy. I think they already have the same size head and feet:)

Tea Party with Grandma

Girls, bring dolls to tea parties, but boys bring airplanes:)

Claire....again.

2011-04-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I take too many pictures of my kids, but Claire wanted to show off her new teeth.

and her tongue...not new, but still cute:)

Handsome Boy

2011-04-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Playing in the playroom

2011-04-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

"Let me out!"

Jude and Claire have really started to play with each other more. Claire is finally getting big enough. They play tag all the time. Although, Claire is the one that's always it and chases Jude around. Jude will run and hide around the corner and as Claire approaches, jump out and yell "boo" then run off again with Claire crawling after laughing. It's really cute. They also fight a lot. Jude gets mad when Claire tramples his train track and Claire get's mad when Jude takes his cars away from her, but all in all they do quite well together and it's fun to watch them interact.

New Mantel

2011-04-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

After

BeforeThis was our mantel before. Pretty boring and it made the TV very high. By getting the new mantel we were able to lower the TV by about a foot. I like it SO much better, and it's so much better looking. It really dresses up the fireplace a lot.

Ruby

2011-04-14T15:18:00.001-07:00

Can't forget our four-legged member of the family. Isn't she a pretty dog? She always gets comments on what a good lookin dog she is.

Silly Jude

2011-04-14T15:05:00.001-07:00

Thumbs up! Jude asked me to take a pic of his thumb for some reason.

Jude loves his dart gun. He thinks it's hilarious to shoot mommy and daddy.

I just had to take a pic of this. His shorts are a bit big and sometimes show a bit too much:)

Claire 11 Months

2011-04-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

"Like my new teeth?" She's got two coming in on the top too.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-04-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

I made corned beef and cabbage. It was pretty delicious if I do say so myself:)

Is it time for dessert yet?

Spring

2011-03-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

I love Spring. I wish it could last all year. I love the view outside my kitchen window. I have two of these Bradford Pears and a bright yellow forsythia bush. It's so beautiful.

Fun Outside

2011-03-25T08:16:00.001-07:00

Jude LOVES to play in his sandbox. Every time the weather is nice he will spend hours outside playing in it.

"Let me out!"

Enjoying a cold yogurt popsicle on a hot day.

I gave Claire and myself a pedicure:)

2011-03-25T06:09:00.001-07:00

It was so nice out the other day. We spent pretty much all day outside playing. Claire got to wear her summer clothes for the first time. Isn't she cute in her little tank top and shorts? :)

Jude's New Fish

2011-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

After watching Max and Ruby the other day, where Ruby wins a fish at the fair, Jude has been asking for a fish. We thought it might be kind of fun for him to go pick out a fish.

Thomas (we named after Thomas the Tank Engine)

Jude giving Thomas a kiss through the glass.

Signs of Spring

2011-02-28T14:18:00.001-08:00

I love how early spring comes in Tennessee. Of course, there's still a chance that a frost could come along and kill everything, but let's hope not.

New Nephew

2011-02-26T14:37:00.001-08:00

I went to Knoxville this past week to visit my new nephew Grayson Payne Eimers.

Misha

Toothless Ivy with her new little brother.

Silly Jude

Jude loves to play with Grandma's toy trains.

My Grandpa has an amazing ability to put babies to sleep.

Grandpa turned 92 while we were there.

Grandpa in his Snuggie:)

Claire's not sure what to think of her new cousin

Enjoying the nice weather......

2011-02-19T18:21:00.001-08:00

The boots are from Grandma Laurie. He LOVES them.

Just chillin'

Giving Ruby a drink.

My favorite pic:)

Jude and His Cars

2011-02-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Woodpecker

2011-02-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

This little fella was pecking away at our tree off our deck. Jude wondered what that noise was and I said it sounds like a woodpecker so we went outside and saw this guy. He used to come around a lot more but I haven't seen him in a few months. This tree is littered with bugs so I'm sure he got quite the banquet.

Claire 9 Months

2011-02-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 9 months old already! Part of it is that she's so small she doesn't look 9 months. She always looks about 2 months younger than she really is. She weighs 15-16lbs. I'm not sure which because my scale is not the most accurate. Sometimes it says she's a little over 15lb and sometimes it says 16lb. She's crawling, sitting and pulling up. She will also walk with a little bit of help from one of us or a walker. She loves music and loves to be sung to. She's a bit of a mama's girl right now, which I love and hate at the same time. She still doesn't have any teeth yet, though it seems like she's been teething since she was born:) Her eyes are green and I REALLY hope they stay that way. She has a great smile and I love her little dimples. She's a sweetie and get's tons of attention wherever we go. We sure love this little girl a lot!

Jude Dancing

2011-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

If you watch the guy on the TV you'll see that Jude is doing the moves pretty well.

Dinner and Dance Central with Friends

2011-02-09T06:50:00.001-08:00

Look at that tongue! Boxers are known for their long tongues.

Daddy's little girl

At one point in the evening we couldn't find Claire anywhere. We looked in the kitchen, our bedroom, bathroom behind furniture, nowhere. John checked upstairs but said she wasn't there either. I started to get really worried. I decided to go upstairs and look myself. I found her. She was in her room with the door closed, which is why John didn't see her or think to look in that room since the door was closed. She's never climbed the stairs before and here she went all the way up without any of us noticing. We are VERY lucky she didn't fall. I guess we're going to have to put up a baby gate or something now.

Best of Friends

2011-02-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I had to take these pictures through my glass door which highlights how dirty they are. How embarrassing. Oh well, it was too cute to let a little dirt get in my way:)
In this pic Melvin is grooming Ruby.

Jude

2011-02-06T11:00:00.001-08:00

Lately, the only way I can get Jude to pose for the camera is if he's making of funny face. All others have to be candid shots when he doesn't realize his picture is being taken.

Claire

2011-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

Claire likes to carry things around in her mouth. She especially loves Jude's darts.

Chubby Cheeks

More Snow

2011-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

This has been our snowiest winter since we've lived in Nashville. I LOVED it!

Our snow girl.

I love how everything looks after a snowfall. Every branch is covered in white.

Warming up with a cup of hot cocoa. Actually, in Jude's case it's just warm cocoa.

Christmas Party

2011-01-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

We had a Christmas party last month and I'm just now posting the pics from it because a friend of mine had my memory card until recently.

We had a good game of Bandu. Unfortunately, my tower was the first to fall:(

The winner! Congratulations Michelle.

My 26th Birthday

2011-01-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

John helped me take some pictures of myself. I've done it before using the tripod, but it takes a lot longer to get everything set up and make sure you're in the right spot, so I told John I'd get everything set up if he'd just point and shoot. They turned out pretty well I think. I don't have many pictures of myself since I'm always the one behind the camera. It's nice to have a day where I can get some self portraits.

Jude and John Playing Dance Central on the Kinect

2011-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

This is a video clip of John and Jude on Christmas Day trying out the new Dance Central game on the Xbox. Jude just jumped right on in while John was playing and he still asks to play the dance game everytime we turn the Xbox on.

Pics from Pennsylvania

2011-01-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ashley. My newest niece.

Jude loved playing with Chloe. They were so cute together. Jude kept giving her hugs and kisses.

Like my outfit? It's a little mismatched, but it kept me warm.

Sledding down the driveway

Jude doesn't have any boots since there isn't a huge need for them here in TN. So instead of buying new boots to wear for only a day, he used his cousin Chloe's rain boots and we duct taped the top to keep the snow out. It worked, but we felt a little redneck:)

Papa John hitching a ride on the back of the tractor

Jude loved going for rides on the tractor with Daddy

Jude getting eggs with Grandma

Sassy the horse.

The kiddos playing with their new toys.

Jude and Claire with Great, Great Aunt Kay. We make sure to visit her every time we're up that way. She's getting very old. Jude's face is because he's afraid of a stuffed chicken that sings the chicken dance and moves around. Claire's face is because she's afraid of Aunt Kay. Such brave children I have.

Ohio Pics

2010-12-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

We stopped in Cincinnati to stay with my brother on the way to Pennsylvania

Lefse
Cousin Alex

Lincoln's Birthday Party

Claire wanted to help Lincoln unwrap the presents.

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T06:03:00.001-08:00

We woke up to a white Christmas! The first here in Nashville in 17 years. I was so excited! It snowed on and off all day. I prayed for a white Christmas:) I miss snow so much around this time of year.

Eagerly waiting to open presents:)

Can't forget the Christmas socks

My stocking stuff:)

Jude's first PEZ

Jude got a lot of Thomas the Tank Engine trains and tracks.

Xbox Kinect

An external flash for my camera

John posing so I can try out my new flash

Trying out the kinect...

This year's ornament

Claire's 1st Christmas Ornament

Twas The Night Before Christmas....

2010-12-25T19:24:00.001-08:00

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Peek-a-boo

Jude's cookie.

My cookie before
My cookie just a few second after

New Camera!

2010-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

So as a Christmas gift this year my WONDERFUL husband got me a new camera that I've been wanting, a Nikon D90. It's actually a Christmas/birthday/Valentine's Day present since it was a bit expensive. I've only had it for a day now, but I already love it and have a lot to learn about it since it has so many more features than my old one. Here are a few pics I took with it today.

This picture of Claire looks so much like my baby pictures in this pic. I wish I had the photo of me on this computer so I could post them side by side.

I find this squirrel perched on our deck railing every morning eating his breakfast, which are the nuts from the tree that grows right beside our deck. Unfortunately, sometimes they wake me up at dawn with the sound of the nuts dropping onto our deck roof and our patio table.

Going to bed. Notice the misty eyes. Sometimes it's so hard to say goodnight. I just want to pick her back up and snuggle her all night.

Jude and Ruby

2010-12-20T15:23:00.001-08:00

We let Jude open a couple gifts early to get him excited about Christmas. He got a Thomas train and pajamas. It worked because now he keeps asking for more presents.

Our good dog Ruby

Random Pics

2010-12-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

Our cat Melvin perching on our deck railing to escape the snow.

Claire loves to pull up on things. She always gets so proud of herself every time.

The Anderson tongue-out-the-side-of-the-mouth:)

The Drool Monster!

Snow Day

2010-12-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

2010-12-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

Jude is going through his goofy stage. It's hard to get a picture of him with a real smile.

Ready For Winter

2010-12-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

My Big Baby

2010-12-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

Tree Time!

2010-12-07T14:30:00.001-08:00

The putting on of the first ornament

Tis the season for Egg Nog!

7 Months

2010-12-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

So many expressions...

"Psst.......are you awake?"

Jude loves his little sister:)

Cars in a row

2010-12-07T14:20:00.001-08:00

Jude loves to line things up. I'm always finding rows of cars on my bookshelf, couch, table and sometimes even in my bed:)

Sitting Up!

2010-12-02T07:21:00.001-08:00

I took Claire to the chiropractor yesterday because my sister Melissa told me that a doctor told her that when a baby has bad in-toeing like Claire does, it can also mean that their hips are misaligned and it's a good idea to take them to a chiropractor. So she went yesterday and the doctor said she was out of place in several spots including hips and lumbar. He said that it was probably why she doesn't seem to like to sit up. I showed him how when I try to put her in the sitting position she immediately stiffens up. Well, today I put her in the sitting position and she stayed like that. She has NEVER done that. I have to force her to be in that position and as soon as I take my hands off of her she stiffens up and falls. We go back tomorrow for a follow-up visit. He seems to think it might help the in-toeing a bit as well, since it's not just her feet that turn in, but her legs as well.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T13:55:00.001-08:00

My favorite part of the dinner:)

Who needs a turkey leg when you can just eat your own?

Sweet little Lincoln

Jude put Ruby's choke collar on and we couldn't get it off. We ended up having to get bolt cutters:)

Harrison and Claire. They are almost exactly 3 months apart, but they look like they're about 6 months apart. Harry is so big and Claire is so small:)

Fall Party 2010

2010-11-07T12:08:00.001-08:00

Extreme Makeover

2010-11-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

FYI: the air date for Extreme Makeover and Lighthouse has moved to Sunday, November 14th. Normal time. I had told a few of you that it was a 2 hour special, but apparently that's only for the Nashville area. They are doing a behind the scenes for the first hour and then the second is the normal show. I believe the show airs at 8/7c.

6 Months Old

2010-11-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Claire turns 6 months this Saturday. She is such a blessing. I can't wait to watch her personality develop. It seems like she is always smiling. She has the most kissable face! I can't help but kiss her every time I pick her up.

These pictures are for Melissa, who loves putting babies in things:)

Halloween

2010-11-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

Jude's friend Bryson

Where's Waldo?

The loot!

Country Sunday

2010-11-01T06:43:00.001-07:00

Every year our church has a fall celebration called "Country Sunday". We have country music and a barbecue after church.

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our pumpkin

Knoxville

2010-10-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

We went to visit my parents in Knoxville last weekend with a couple of friends of ours. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Tea Party with Grandma

Claire really enjoyed sucking on the bottle of sparkling cider. It was pretty funny to watch.

On the move...

2010-10-18T18:20:00.001-07:00

Claire crawled for the first time tonight! Before tonight she'd just been doing something that resembled an inch worm. She'd get on her elbows and walk with her feet until her rear was up in the air and then she'd slide forward. But tonight she just started going! One hand in front of the other. She crawls on all fives though, hands, knees and forehead. She uses her forehead for balance. She's already got a bit of a brush burn on it:) We tried to get some video of it, but of course once the camera came out she refused to budge.

Jude

2010-10-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

What a handsome little guy:)

Jude looking at me through his hand binoculars. I don't know where he learned this, but he's been doing to a lot lately:)

Claire

2010-10-14T20:45:00.001-07:00

She loves to stick her tongue out. It's very long and pointy too, like Grandma Falk's:)

I love taking pictures of Claire. This girl can't take a bad pictures. I wish I were as photogenic. She is so sweet. I can't look at her and not smile.

My Babies

2010-10-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

I had a very difficult time getting Jude to cooperate for these pictures. He doesn't sit very well for pictures anymore. I got several pictures of him crying:( I did finally succeed somewhat by putting on a cartoon for him to watch. He's not smiling, but at least he's not crying.

S'more Bars

2010-10-14T20:16:00.001-07:00

With the coming of cool weather I've had a hankering for a bonfire and S'mores. I haven't gotten my bonfire yet, but I did make these yummy S'more bars. They were very easy and quite good. Jude enjoyed helping me. Actually, I think he mostly enjoyed sneaking marshmallows:)

Recipe:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
7.5oz graham crackers (broken into pieces)

Prepare 9x9 pan by lining it with foil. Spray foil with oil.
Heat cream until it starts to boil on the side. Remove heat and stir in chocolate chips til melted. In large mixing bowl have marshmallows and graham cracker pieces ready. Pour chocolate over marshmallows and crackers and mix until well coated. Pour into pan and cool for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars.

Claire and Jude

2010-10-01T11:32:00.001-07:00

The Nashville Zoo

2010-09-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to the zoo this week. It was such a nice day! Sunny in the mid 70's. Perfect weather for walking around the zoo. The first animal Jude wanted to see was the giraffe.

Jude's trying to put his sunglasses on John. Apparently, he thinks John's mouth needs some sun protection:)

Jude's face after one of the birds landed on him. His face stayed like that for a couple of minutes.

Checkin' out the tigers.

Taking a nap in the stroller. Notice the fingers-always in her mouth:)

Jude always puts his sunglasses on upside down:)

Family Update

2010-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give everyone an update on what's going on with the Lauries.

John: Got a promotion a few weeks ago to Lead Mechanic. This comes with a lot more responsibility, but also a pay raise so that is nice. He's enjoying it, but often comes home mentally and physically exhausted. He loves spending time with Jude and will always try to make time in the evenings to play with him. Jude get's so excited when daddy comes home to play with him. John is a very good father and Jude adores him. John is also the leader of our small group from church. We meet every Thursday, shuffling among the members homes. We really enjoy our small group. We are like a family. Right now we're going through Hebrews.

Beth: I'm still at home with the kids. I love it so much. Don't get me wrong, some days I want to give them away, but then they go and do something that reminds me why I do what I do. The other day Claire was fussing so Jude asked to hold her. I put her on his lap and he started to comfort her by rubbing her cheek and saying "it's ok Claire, shhh, it's ok" just like he sees his mommy do. It melted my heart. I've also started spending a couple hours a day making phone calls for Joann (mom's old cleaning lady). She and her husband own an auto repair shop and I call to thank the customers for coming in and to make sure they were satisfied. It's nice to make some extra money, but it's definitely hard to find 2 hours of peace and quiet around here.

Jude: Or should I say Mr. Personality. He's so much fun! He's constantly making us laugh. He's really into cars and trucks. He also loves to be outside and plays in his sandbox a lot. I'm glad that we have a fenced in yard. He's getting so independent and one day I couldn't find him and realized he had gone out back to play without telling me. He's all boy and always comes back dirty from head to toe. His favorite TV programs right now are Max & Ruby and Team Umizoomi. Luckily, Dora has moved down the list of favorites:) He also like's Franklin a lot, but we don't get that channel anymore so we got him the movie "Franklin and the Green Knight". He now goes around the house using the wand attachment to the vacuum as a sword and saying "green knight to the rescue" or he pretends to be a pirate in search of treasure (learned that from his Dora movie).

Claire: What a sweet baby she is! She started out so fussy and high maintenance, but now she is such a good, happy baby. She's very content most of the time and smiles every time you look at her. I love her smile with those dimples. She's getting up on her elbows and knees and rocking back and forth. She can roll onto her back, but still can't get back onto her belly. She can't seem to figure out how to get her arm out of the way. Actually, I think it's that she wont take it out of her mouth long enough to move it. She always has her hands in her mouth. She enjoys sucking two fingers. She sucks her thumb occasionally, but seems to prefer the fingers. It's usually the middle two, but sometime she sticks all four in there:) She's fascinated with John and will just stare at him whenever he's near her. John thinks it's because he's so good lookin':)

Well, that's our family and now you're up to date:)

Back Interior

2010-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is an online photo, but it looks exactly like our interior. I love that the interior is in just about perfect condition.

Interior

2010-09-24T06:54:00.001-07:00

2007 Chrysler Pacifica

2010-09-24T06:35:00.001-07:00

The van was having transmission issues and the cost wouldn't have been worth it for that van so we decided to trade it in for something else. We went with a Chrysler Pacifica. It was a great deal and a really nice suv/crossover, whatever you want to call it. It's a 4.0 liter V6 seats 6 and has 49k miles and get's the same gas mileage as the van. It drives great! Has way more get up and go than the van. So far we like it a lot. Jude cried when we left the old van behind. He kept saying "van", "van":( I think it was just because the van has a dvd player:) We kept telling him we would put one in this car too, but he didn't seem to get it.

2010-09-24T06:33:00.001-07:00

Me with Ty Pennington and my friend Courtney

2010-09-16T14:40:00.001-07:00

Shoes in a row

2010-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Jude spent the morning taking every shoe out of the closet and lining them up. I don't know why we buy him toys.

Chair

2010-09-15T06:59:00.001-07:00

I reupholstered this chair last weekend. Should have had a before pic too:(

2010-09-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

VIP Tent. This is the tent where Lighthouse members and workers can come, eat and relax. It looks over the work site.