What Fruit is It?

If you've talked to us lately you know we try to get Laurel to talk to all of you. She's usually too shy when people are around so we're posting her talking here. In this clip we are identifying the fruits on our kitchen poster.

You know you're an adult when...

You ask for laundry shelves for your birthday. Washers and dryers in Florida are generally found in the garages of the homes. I thought it was strange when I first moved to Florida (but I guess we don't have to worry about our dryers heating our already hot/humid dwellings that we pay megabucks to keep cool). I told Weston that we could purchase our home if he would agree to build me laundry shelves. He agreed..... and now I finally have them. With our crazy lives it has only taken 2.5 years! For the past 4 months we have been fighting the ants in our garage. They are horrible. I think they are lured in by the food that is sometimes found on Laurel's clothes. They seem to have eaten numerous holes in our clothing. It drives me crazy. We started using the shelves Nov. 22 and we are ant free!!! The laundry shelves may be a solution to our problem, but with time we may find there is another cause (washer defect?). Those ants have really been bothering me, so when Weston asked me what I wanted for my birthday I was already prepared with my answer. He spent the weekend of my birthday working on them. He did the finishing touches during the Thanksgiving break. I am so proud of my handy, intelligent husband who knows how smart it is to listen to my qualifications and then create my vision. Thanks Weston!!!

Laurel's "pretty" dress

I caught a sewing bug and decided to sew this little dress for Laurel. I found the fabric for $2 a yard, the pattern for .99 and figured I couldn't go wrong. It was a fun project. Laurel has enjoyed wearing it and says "preetty" when she has it on.

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! We are only 2 months behind on blogging, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to blog about Halloween. It was fun this year to take our little "tiger" trick or treating for her first time. We always enjoy dressing up with a family theme for Halloween to attend the ward trunk or treat. We were zoo keepers this year. It surprised me how many people thought Laurel was Tigger. I purposely put a pink bow in her hair because I knew she would be called a boy by those who didn't know her, and she was. I found costumes last year for under 5 dollars so had the choice of a tiger costume or a monkey. She absolutely cried when I put a monkey costume on her in September however, she enjoyed wearing the tiger costume and would say "rah" when we asked her what the tiger said. We're in trouble if her opinions are that strong at such a young age.

Laurel had a great time obtaining candy and relished in the fact that she had a whole bucket full. She took piece by piece of candy out of her pumpkin bucket saying "num num num num". She then handed each one to me and said "tenk tu" (thank you). Good thing I'm not an older brother or sister and that I give candy back.

Universal Studios

Weston's work had a party at Universal Studios in October. We had a great time. We hope you enjoy these pictures. Laurel waiting for Daddy to get off the Simpson's ride. Parent swap is a nice convenience however, I felt like a selfish parent as Laurel waited. We tried to limit the parent swap rides.
Laurel loved the Curious George water park. We didn't hit it until the end of the day so she didn't get much time to play there. I was concerned about her getting too cold. I wished I would have let her play there longer.

Laurel's all time favorite of the day was meeting Barney. She doesn't watch his show very often, but she couldn't get enough of him that day. I can't quite figure out why her shirt was pulled up in every picture we took of her with Barney. It really isn't a short shirt on her. We may need to teach Barney a lesson on modesty. Maybe next time.

Mommy, you're really frustrating me...

Lemon Meringue...Soup?

It seems only fitting that a food scientist has a blog with a recipe or two on it especially one containing citrus (since Weston works for Minute Maid). We tried this recipe per a co-worker's suggestion and enjoyed the interesting flavor combination it contained. It was so simple to make, refreshing, and addicting (and maybe a little weird, too) that we wanted to share it with all of you. Hope you will try it and enjoy it like we did. Let us know what you think!

Lemon Soup
1 ( 48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta (Weston says you may use cooked rice for the orzo pasta. I used really tiny star pasta. The key is something that is small and that will cook rapidly.)
Directions:
1. Pour chicken broth into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add orzo pasta, and simmer for 10 minutes, until tender.
2. In a medium glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites to medium stiff peaks. Stir in egg yolks and lemon juice. When the pasta has finished cooking, gradually ladle about 1 cup of the soup into the egg mixture while stirring gently. This will heat up the eggs so they will not be shocked by the boiling liquid. Pour the egg mixture into the soup pot, and stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
This recipe was found on http://Allrecipes.com

Laurel's first recital

Laurel has taken interest in our piano and climbs up on the bench to play daily. I came home from Young Women one Wednesday night and when I asked how the night went, Weston told me he had given Laurel her first piano lesson. I was curious to know how that had"played out". He said he had taught her to focus on playing just one note at a time. I chuckled to myself when the next day she was back to playing her multi-note pounding music. She loves to pound out a few notes (more than we would prefer to hear together) then gracefully (thus far) turns the page of the Children's songbook to a new song. I must say that in this picture she looks like a natural at the piano and maybe someday she will be. Her Grandma Johnson would be proud! Thanks Mom for the beautiful piano which enables us to enjoy the gift of music in our home.

The fourth picture is....

Okay, so my sister-in-law did the following on her blog: Open your pictures file, go to the fourth folder, and then the fourth picture. Post the picture and write a little bit about what was going on! She did it and came up with a picture of her little boy Jace and my daugher Laurel. When I did it, it was a picture of her son Jace and me. I don't know much about this picture or the story behind it, except that I can guess that it was probably taken during the holiday season after Jace was born. I debated whether I should even post this picture because of how anticlimactic it is but because of the coincidence that my fourth picture is tied to her I will post it.

Clearwater Beach

This last week we took our second annual trip to Clearwater Beach so Weston could attend the International Citrus and Beverage Conference. We stayed on the beach at the Sheraton. As you can see Laurel loved the beach. She hadn't been to the ocean since she was 3 months old and this was the first time for her to experience the water.

Just a little about me....

I saw this on my sister-in-laws blog and thought it would be fun to do....
A. Attached or Single? Attached
B. Best Friend? My husband
C. Cake or Pie? Cake, but I love peach pie
D. Day of choice? Friday
E. Essential Item? Dishwasher
F. Favorite Color? Maroon, Navy Blue, and Forest Green
G. Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears
H. Hometown? Payson
I. Indulgence? Brownies
J. January or July? January, it's too hot in July
K. Kids? one girl, Laurel.
L. Life is not complete without? My loved ones and the ability to contact them
M. Marriage Date? Dec. 14, 2002
N. Number of brothers & sisters? 4 Brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges, of course!
P. Phobias? Ambulances, needles
Q. Quotes? "With God anything is possible"
R. Reasons to Smile? I have so many blessings
S. Season of Choice? Fall
T. Tag some Peeps! I always hate this question.....anyone.
U. Unknown Fact about Me? I get goofy at night when I'm tired.
V. Vegetable? Green Beans
W. Worst Habits? Getting Angry
X. X-Ray or Ultrasound--X-Ray. Yay for swallow studies as long as I'm not drinking the Barium! Y. Your Favorite Food? Pizza Pockets
Z. Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

Tropical Storm Fay

There's always a lot of hype when a storm comes through. They closed the schools and work for some people. Kind of like snow days in Nebraska. It was indeed a storm--rain and 30 mph winds. I guess it would be a hardship if you were looking for C batteries at Wal-Mart. At least it cooled off a little. There's been an eerie calm and the sky turned orange/gray yesterday evening. We tried to capture it with our camera but it didn't do justice. We do take it seriously, though, because of the tornado risks and the thought that the big one could be coming. We are grateful to be safe and well.

Green Meadows Farm

After spending too many weeks doing the same things over and over we decided to visit a petting zoo. Laurel loved it and Mommy and Daddy did too. She was able to get in the pens with the turkeys, ducks, pigs, chickens, and goats. She rode on a horse, train, and hay wagon. We all took turns milking the cow. I'm not sure if that makes us country folk or city folk, but it was great fun.

"Mommy, what kind of animal is she?"

"This is for the baby calf and you too." "Just who do you think you are?"

Splash! Splash!

We finally did it... and I'm not just talking about updating this blog. We took the advice from many of you and finally bought Laurel a pool to splash in on our back patio. She enjoys swimming and is quite the confident little girl in the pool (a little too confident for Mommy's liking). She follows me to the garage, finds her dirty swimming suit and carries it into the house. It's as if she feels there may be a chance to swim again if I see her suit. Hey I guess you do what you can when communication is limited, right?

Laurel's 1st Birthday!

What's a party without balloons? Friday afternoon Weston and I decorated the house with streamers and balloons. I wanted Laurel to have at least one helium balloon. So we got her a mylar balloon. She loved playing with it as we walked in the store and then all the way home in the car. The store was in such a hurry with another order that they didn't take the time to curl the ribbon on the balloon. What's one balloon?! On the way home I tried to curl the ribbon with my nails, but it just wasn't working. I got the scissors out to curl the riboon when we got home and you guessed it, mommy ruined Laurel's new friend. I felt so bad. Laurel dragged the popped balloon all over the house while Daddy went and got Laurel a new one. Surprisingly, she wasn't too interested in the new balloon. Moral to the story, don't worry about appearances.

Laurel didn't quite know what to do with her presents at first. She needed a little (lot) of help to get the idea. The kids were so funny, they said "pretend it is Christmas". Kids are so funny. I know Laurel loved having them over. She was so excited to see everyone that came through the door. We were blessed to have many friends come to celebrate with us.
Laurel really enjoyed her cake. She was cautious at first, but really dug in once she tasted it.

Proof that Laurel has hair

I put Laurel in the tub and couldn't resist the urge to make her hair stand up. This is for all of you who have said our baby doesn't have hair... it's there.

Our latest project

Weston has been working really hard to finish the shelves in our closet. It has been so nice to have more organization. No more metal Florida closets!!! I'm glad I married a useful man!

Laurel is walking!!!

Laurel started walking at the beginning of the month. I love having a walker. She is pretty good to follow me when I say come on. I think she just doesn't want to be left alone.

"Dada? Dada?"

I have cracked up this week watching Laurel chat on the "telephone". She rarely gets to push buttons on the real phone (for fear she may really call someone). When she does find the phone she is delighted and wants to push all the buttons, of course. Thankfully I hear them beeping before she's called China. She gets extremely upset when mommy doesn't let her complete the call and use her jibberish. I finally got tired of hearing her scream after taking the phone away so I substituted it with the DVD remote. She immediately held it up to her ear and said "Dada? Dada?" I said, "say hi to Dada"--she waved her little hand. I'm glad to see she is using her imagination already. If it can be held up to her ear, she is currently using it as a phone and begins chatting...I'm sure she has observed me chat on the phone....Monkey see...Monkey do.

Anyone for a swim?

Laurel got ready to go for her 1st swim at our neighbor's pool.
We lathered her up with sunscreen and put her coverlet on.
She doesn't like to wear her sunglasses...not a big surprise :). She likes to play with them, though.
We went to the pool and it was cold. We were in just long enough to take these pictures before Laurel started to shiver. We will go back another day when it is warmer. Our neighbor had turned the solar panels on, but the pool still needed some time to warm up. Better luck next time. We might go again this weekend.

Happy Easter!

We were able to go to Tallahassee for Easter. Weston had Good Friday off so we decided to see the state. We camped at a KOA and had an enjoyable time. These are some of the pictures from our trip.

Indian Mounds, Governor's Mansions and Museums

Laurel enjoyed taking some time out of her stroller to push it herself. She is close to walking, but not there, yet.

A Tin Can Trailer. This was interesting to see. It is like an old fashioned RV. We saw this at the Florida State History Museum.
Florida State Football Stadium. It looks like a castle. This is for you Brian!

We saw the Indian Mounds in Tallahassee. It was interesting because I always thought they were burial grounds. That is not always the case, only some of the mounds were buial grounds. When we were driving to the burial grounds, we started to laugh because there was a sign that said "Burial Ground Drive" and below it another sign that said "Dead End". It cracked us up.
The Florida Governor's mansion. It wasn't open for tours on that day. I think Governor Crist is out following Presidential canidate John McCain. He is always in the background when McCain is speaking somewhere.
Laurel and Weston looking at a Gristmill in the Florida State History Museum.