L.O.A.

Friends,

I have been neglecting my blog due to lack of time, and I'm sorry. I don't see me having much more time between taxes, photography, church, motherhood and there is always some unforeseen things that pop up. So until after the 15th of April, so I'm taking a short leave of absence. If there is a night that is open I'll try to post an update or two... but until then, much love to you and yours.

Great Toy Idea

So it's been a long day, and Ty's outside with friends and Tanner's napping and I feel like doing nothing, so I've been surfing the internet. This is one of my favorite things to do:) But I came across this awesome idea. I guess it use to be a big thing way back when, but this gal made it herself and totally customized it.

She wanted a place to keep her daughter's barnyard toys, so she created a bag turned play-mat turned backdrop for the animals. When it was open, it was a round piece of denim with cord weaving in and out of grommets along the edge, thus making a drawstring around the circumference. Not only does it solve the storage issue, but it also provides an imaginative play world. I LOVE IT! Now will I ever make one, who knows, but I think it's a great idea.

What a Wonderful Man

Do you ever have one of those days where you sit back and think, "Wow, I've got a great guy." Well, I've found myself doing that a lot lately. Eric is an amazing dad to the boys. He loves to play in the backyard with them, or take them out to ice cream. They have a great time together. If his goodness stopped there I would be a happy gal, but it doesn't. Eric is so awesome when it comes to me. I meant it. This man is constantly asking, is there anything else I can get for you.... or if I'm tired he is quick to suggest I take a nap, even though he knows that it means he'll be stuck with the current state of the house, or kids, or what ever is going on at that moment. Okay, side note.... it's not like I'm on a silk pillow all day while Eric serves me, although that would be nice, lets get real here. I'm am just pointing out that 90% actually more like 96% of the time he is so attentive to my needs, and I can't thank him enough. And after being married for 6 years, two dogs and two kids later I can honestly say that I've never loved him more. Here's to you E-man. Thanks for being you, I sure am a lucky girl.

My New Sweet Tooth

So, many of you know I'm not a fan of chocolate, wired I know. But I also am not a huge fan of sweets period. I'd much rather have a big bowl of chips and salsa. Salt over sugar any day for me please. But something has happened this week and my salty side must be hiding cause I really want cookies, lots and lots of cookies. I found this recipe online sometime ago, but never got around to making them. I figured if I posted them today, it would put more pressure on me to make them and let you know if they taste good or not:) Dang, guess I'll have to go make a batch now.... ummmm I can smell them already. Enjoy!

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Squares

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup raspberry jam
1 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup sliced almonds

Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add in the egg and extract and mix well. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture and press the rest into a 9X13 pan, slightly greased. Spread the jam over that layer. Mix the chocolate chips and almonds in with the reserved crumb mixture, then sprinkle over the jam layer until covered. Bake @ 350F for about 35 minutes.

Yummy Cattlemen's

Last night Eric and I went to dinner with my parents and a old family friend. We went Cattlemen's in Roseville. I hadn't been there in a long time, and while I'm not a huge fan of steak, once in a while it sounds so good. Last night, it sounded so good! Everything was really fresh and yummy. Eric really wanted a hamburger, but they only had one on the menu. It was called the motherload. He order that and was so surprised at what actually came out. The comments around the tables mainly consisted of how only my mouth could actually fit around something that big. (If you haven't seen the true size of my mouth, well, it's a great sight to see) Eric did his best to eat his hamburger, but I couldn't resist taking a picture... he did a pretty good job of getting his mouth around it too. So dinner was good, isn't it always though when you don't have to make it? The company was refreshing and the live entertainment of Eric and his burger was unstoppable! What a fun night!

What a week.

Oh my goodness it was a crazy week. It started with me virtually having insomnia Monday night. That's never a good way to start the week. And on top of that, it was for no good reason. Then Tuesday afternoon, after being totally wiped out from the night before, I did what any exhausted mom would do and I put a movie on for the kids. They were very content to sit and watch. I waited for about 20 min. into the movie to make sure they were going to sit through it, and when I saw no immediate signs of boredom I took my chance to close my eyes for a min. Not 30 seconds later did a hard object hit me right below my eye. I was in shock. I opened my eyes to see a toy helicopter (the hot wheels kind) lying next to me and Tanner standing less then two feet from me with that look of, "oh no, are you hurt, am I in trouble, what's going to happen next..." on his face. I didn't know how to react. It hurt so bad, and I was trying to determine exactly where the point of contact was. It was close to my eye, but I was pretty sure it didn't hit my eye. I went to the bathroom to see if I had a battle wound in the mirror. I was able to conclude that it was going to be a big mark on my face just below the eye and there was no blood, so I was happy about that. Little did I know with in the hours to come a huge bruise would form giving me my first official black eye, or as close as you can get to the eye without being on the eye. The looks I've gotten this week have been numerous to say the least, and I've done my best to not run any unnecessary trips to avoid the curious glances. I wish I could wear a sign on my forehead that says, 'My two year old did it...' but I don't know if that's better or not.

That was Tuesday. On Thursday afternoon the boys and I had a play date at a friends house. This is a new group of friends from Ty's preschool. I know two of the mom's and the rest of the group have know each other since their oldest were born. Great group of women, and our kids have a great time together.

But on Thursday, it was being held at one of the mom's house that I was just getting to know and the other two mom's that I am friends with were unable to make it. Normally this would be no big deal, until the incident. Tyler was in the back of the yard with his friends and Tanner was playing on the patio where I was. I can't remember if he was on a bike or a skateboard at this particular moment, but something happened and he lost is balance horribly and fell, face first onto her concrete. For those of you who have had this happen you can probably recall that horrible noise that a head makes as it makes contact with the ground. I couldn't believe how loud it was. I rushed to pick him up as the screams started from Tanner. There was blood, a lot, and he wouldn't let go of my neck, so it made it pretty hard to clean him up or see what the damage was. Our hostess was kind enough to clean up the blood and get us some ice.

Somewhere in the middle of the crying and the blood I had a thought of, great, this is the first time we're at this friends house, frankly I don't know her that well, and this happens... Silly thing to think, I know, but I did. Tanner's crying started to calm down a bit as we walked out the door. I was able to see that it was mainly his lip that had been cut, and it was now the size of a dime. But then I noticed his front teeth had chipped a little. Then my really vain thoughts came out. Dang, my beautiful boy is going to look ridiculous until his teeth fall out. Great! I took Tanner to Eric's work where he helped me see if there where any more cuts. He looked okay, and we figured there wasn't much we could do until we went to the dentist the next day to make sure his teeth were okay.

Eric's comment as we left the bank was, " well great, now people are going to think that I gave you a black eye and Tanner a fat lip, what is going to happen to Tyler to make it a family affair?" Poor Eric, sorry we look like such a mess.

Final conclusion to the story is, Tanner is totally fine. The dentist said his teeth are fine and will be a little uneven, but they should naturally take care it. After almost 4 years of motherhood this is the very first moment of blood. Not too bad for a first timer. It's now several days later and my eye is much better. It just kind of looks like my mascara is smeared really badly under my eye.
By next week we should look like a normal family again.... if nothing else happens:)

Too much fun

So the park in Rocklin is amazing. We had so much fun, and it's huge.

Tanner spent the first 30 min. on the swings. I couldn't believe that he actually said weeeee, for all 30 min. Then we joined Tyler on the play ground. I learned something new about my son yesterday too. I knew that Ty wasn't the most fearless kid on the block. He's always been a little more cautious than his brother.


Tyler has been a fan of Eric throwing him high in the air since day one. He laughs and asks for it again and again, where Tanner hates it. Even if it's a little throw, no thank you. When he gets back in your arms he holds on to your neck as tight as he can and wont let go. But, when it comes to climbing, Tyler's not been as courageous at that, where as Tanner is always on top of anything he can climb on, with no fear. Weird isn't it.

Well at the park, I learned Tyler's cautiousness is actually a true fear of heights. I noticed as he climbed a stairway to a slide that he would only crawl from one platform to the next. I thought it was a little strange, but didn't do anything about it. Then when we climbed a ladder together Tyler stopped about 2 feet from the top frozen in fear. He wouldn't move. I had to pull him up onto the platform where he hugged me tightly and wouldn't let go. I never knew that Tyler was so truly scared of heights. Well, now I know and each time we are at that park, we'll work on it little by little. Funny how you discover somethings about your kids.

Ahhhh I hate Asthma!

Poor little Tyler. When he was 1 he was diagnosed with asthma. It typically comes on with a cold. But regardless of when or how long it's here, it sucks!

Eric and I have never had asthma, gratefully. I remember when Ty had his first attach, I had no idea what was happening, it was so scary. Even now, almost 3 years later, I still feel like there is much to learn about his condition. My only hope is that he out grows this nasty thing and can enjoy these beautiful spring days like today without any trouble.

If he's feeling better tomorrow we are going to try out this new park in Rocklin. It's new, and it's the biggest play structure in the nation. Apparently it's three stories tall and there is a great place for little kids too. I'll post pictures tomorrow if we make it, and if you want to come... give me a call:) I've heard it's a blast! Hopefully the boys don't get all the way to the top, and can't get down. I better wear clothes I can climb in too!

I Love Family

This weekend my Grandma was in town. I love her! Unfortunately since I've had kids I've come to the sad realization that she is not here to see me any more. In fact, at times I am lucky to get a hello within the first 10 minutes of her arrival. Only after the excitement has calmed down a bit from the Great-Grandkids do I then get my greetings. But truthfully, it's this way from my mom too, so I'm pretty use to it.

I wanted to just talk quickly about my love for my family. I have been blessed with wonderful immediate and extended family. While it's easier for me to keep in touch with my relatively small family, compared to Eric's 10 sibling, two remarried parents and who knows how many Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins, I've really appreciated being involved in each other's lives. The closeness primarily extends from my dad's side of the family with his mother and sister. Auntie Ann lives in KS with Uncle George and my cousin Carter, and Grandma, also know as G.G. (Great-Grandma) to the boys lives in So. Cal. We get together at least once yearly, always at Thanksgiving, and sometimes at various occasions as we can through out the year. And every other year we have our Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's aunt, her 3 children and their families. Unfortunately as children get older and have families of their own, it's harder and harder to continue this extended tradition, but I think it's on for this year. I can't wait! My favorite part of Thanksgiving is our annual game of spoons around the dinner table. There have been years that the game has become pretty intense... and yes, I've heard one year there was blood shed after the kids went to bed:) Crazy family.

It's memories like these I hold dear to my heart and treasure the times I get to see my family. Even weekends like these when my Grandma is here for just a few days are so joyful. Catching up on stories from the last time we were together, laughing at the kids, and just enjoying each other's company... who can ask for anything more. Thank you Grandma for a great weekend!

In my lesson I taught to the Young Women today at church their was a scripture in Alma 37 which states "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass". I loved this in reference to families. And to finish my weekend I have to talk about my parents.

I am so grateful they live so close and are so involved in my families life. To top of my perfect weekend, we always join my parents for Sunday dinner. This week they came over to my house. It was nice hearing the boys laugh with joy as they played with Grandpa in the back yard, while my Mom, Eric and I finished getting dinner ready. After dinner we finished off the evening sitting on the couch and letting the kids entertain us with their simple fascination and joy in blowing up a balloon, only to let it go flying as we let all the air out, over and over and over and over.....

Needless to say, my family made my weekend. Thanks guys.

Picture of the Day

I'm just in love with this picture. I added it to the bottom of my page, but just in case you don't make it all the way down, I thought I'd be nice and let everyone see without over working your fingers trying to scroll to the bottom of the page. Plus, I like it so much I thought I'd post it twice. I know he's mine, but he is so dang cute:)

The potty experience

Quick blog tonight. As many of you know I'm working tax season this year again with my dad and normally I go in to work at night when Eric gets home. Typically by the time I get home, the kids are asleep, or at least in bed. Tonight, Tyler waited in his bed from me to get home. Luckily it wasn't too late of a night at the office, so I was able to come home and kiss him goodnight. At 9:19 Ty called out for dad because he had to go poop poop. Eric got him into the bathroom. Unfortunately, this is becoming a little bit of a routine with Ty, needing to go potty after he's in bed. That's annoying, and we're working on it. Eric then came out and chatted with me a bit and we got really involved in our conversation. As we were in getting finished doing a project on the computer I hear Tyler calling from the other room. Just then Eric jumps up and says "oh my gosh, I forgot about Ty... he's still in the bathroom!" The time was 9:43. He had been in there for 20 min. and not said a word. Eric rushed in and said, "Hi buddy, have you been in here forever? I'm so sorry." He quickly wiped Ty's bottom and got him off to bed. I couldn't help to giggle at Eric's experience tonight. Next time I'll help him keep track of the time. Poor Tyler. Maybe this is what he needed to brake his new bad habit:)

Just for fun!

Found this online and I had to try.

You Are An Orange Girl

You live in the fast lane. You love action, risk, and competition. You're spontaneous, enthusiastic, and persuasive. But you're also easily bored - and love to rebel against structures. You resent rules ... as well as people's attempts to control you!

What Color Girl Are You?

Oh no, it's back!

The craziness rises again. But this time, it's all centered around one thing... my boys!


So to start off I'd like to say that I have always described my boys as balls, big balls of energy. And they are always moving full speed ahead, always. We've had our ups and downs, as I'm sure all parents do, and I know there will always be those, so bring them on. But when it comes to basic behavior and respect issues, I feel those are fundamental, and the kids need to learn to obey no matter what the situation is. This past winter Eric and I hunkered down with the minding issue my boys where having. Nothing that we tried was working. Timeouts - useless, counting - I was not a fan, spanking - just not an option for my family, basic reasoning - ha. Luckily a good friend of mine recommend this book, 123 magic which combines counting with timeouts, and it saved us! It truly is amazing, and I highly recommend it. Eric and I were awesome at it until the boys got that horrible flu that went around and we lightened up, a lot. Who wants to discipline sick, dying kids? Getting back into has been slow, but still there. This week we will definitely be back on 100%.

But the next great issue is their behavior, mainly in public. At home or at friend's homes it's never too bad. But once we are out in a store, watch out for those Lawrence boys. A simple trip to the grocery store for a loaf of fresh bread - that's it one loaf - turns into a half hour long excursion full of chasing boys through isles, restocking shelfs that my boys have rearranged, dragging one, sometimes two kids by their shirt collars to the check out stand with them pleading for something, and it usually ends with tears, sometimes from all of us. Well, what I wrote and that might seem a little dramatic, but it's always a dreaded chore.

I just recently got off the phone with my Mom. Thank goodness for mom's. She always has an answer for everything and this time she was brilliant. We'll be trying a new game, a quiet game of sorts, and get gold stars or something as we go. I haven't totally perfected the game plan, but hopefully it will teach my high energy boys how to contain that energy for any given amounts of time. I'm not asking that they sit perfectly still while I gab with my girlfriend for a 1/2 hour, but if I could swipe my card as I check out of the grocery line, or fill out paper work with out one kid spinning circles in the middle of the isle, knocking everything over, while the other one screams to get down to do something in the opposite direction... I think I would have accomplished my goal. Wish me luck, and please, if you more experienced mom's have anything to add... any and all input is welcome. Here's to motherhood!

One last side note: I have super cute pics and movies that the boys have been doing recently. I'll post those shortly, when I'm not so stressed with them. They sure are cute though.

So who doesn't love a great sexy pair of high heals. I always feel so confiendt when I have an awesome pair of shoes on. But when you are as tall as I am, adding any hight to myself makes me... well, super tall. Summer is a great time to kick off those heals and take it easy - and it's a great time to spend in some hot flats. Jhona said it perfectly, "just because a shoe is low on heel, doesn't mean it can't be high on style."
So at least for this summer, I'll be sporting the look of fun, frilly, fashionable flats. Care to join me?

6 Years and counting

This past Thursday Eric and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It's been a wonderful 6 years. After our horribly long 9 month engagement, we were married in the Oakland Temple on the 28th. I had dreamed up this winter wonderland wedding and had everything to match the theme, all the way up to the dress. I has a strapless dress altered into a beautiful long sleeve wedding dress, and it was my dream dress. Who would of thought that it would be 70+ degrees in Oakland in February? Well, it was and I was so hot all day. Other than that the day went fairly flawless up until my reception. As I was preparing for my "grand entrance" I walked out of the dressing room and hear a loud splitting noise. "No way," I thought. See when I purchased my dress back in November of the previous year, I was recovering from a 4 month episode of mono, which has caused me to drop about 20 pounds. I had since regained my weight, and it was just enough apparently to split my dress. Panic. But luckily my families good friend Gail Adair was a quick thinker and a better fixer and pulled to zipper back together and all was fine, I just didn't breath for the rest of the night. It was also my parent's 20th wedding anniversary that night, so we were able to give a tribute to them during our reception, and it was probably the most memorable part of the whole night. Happy 26th mom and dad.

Since that night Eric and I have had a lot of fun turns in our road of life. We went back to Utah after our honeymoon in Tahoe. Oh, P.S., do not try to learn how to snowboard on your honeymoon. It makes for a very painful and sore rest of the weekend. In Utah, Eric continued going to school and we worked together as AMAZING sales persons at a small reading program company. Amazing like we were constantly the top two sales people in the company. Well Eric was number one, until I got hired... then I became #1 and we were able to say we were 1 and 2 in the company:) No Eric, I'll never let you live that fact down. But to Eric's credit, he did train me.

About 8 months later, we had the opportunity to move to California. I wasn't a huge fan of Utah, but I do miss the mountains, and we weren't moving to Wyoming, which is where Eric was from. I had brought Eric out to California on many occasions while we were dating. He had never seen the ocean before, and once I brought him out here, he fell in love. So it wasn't much of a debate. We moved to a cute duplex in Citrus Heights where Eric worked for various companies and then moved into the finical field, which he had a real knack for. I worked as a florist, and eventually opened my own company. Then I moved into running my own dance and fitness studio. Eric and I had Tyler in '04 and we where so excited to start a new page in our life. Parenthood. I left the studio and stayed at home, to shortly find myself needing more. I moved into photography and Eric moved to Wells Fargo, where he still is today and is leading his market in investments. Nice job babe. We then had Tanner in '06 and moved to Roseville. Life has been moving full speed ahead since then and it's been so much fun.

It's amazing to see our little ones grow and develop every day. It's fun to see how different their personalities are. Even though I never would have imagined my life to be what it is now... 6 years of marriage, two dogs, two kids, and my own business, I wouldn't change a single part of it, ever! I can't wait for what the future holds...

Here's to 6 years and counting.