people are far too kind to pregnant women.
but really I only say that from my own personal observations as a prego
do you know how many people told me I "glowed" at this point?
mercy.
(and let me tell you.....this was still about 2 months shy of Char's birth)
and yes.  yes I did edit the photo on picnik
 to erase 1 of my 3 chins

but I was a happy prego
and if you may indulge me in my reminiscing for just a moment...
(well, actually this whole post)
I need to take a little trip down memory lane
because tomorrow.
well, let's not even talk about tomorrow today
because you don't really want to see me breakdown and cry do you?!

today I celebrate my baby girl
and the time she spent in my womb
and the many chocolate bars we ate together
well, actually my nightly craving of an orange with a glass of chocolate milk
(I had no idea how gross that was until after she was born, k?)
I also indulged in an insane amount of Smoothie King
at the end of my pregnancy
having read on the internet that pineapple juice may bring on labor
yeah right.
I bake my kiddos right up until the end
(which, I know, is a blessing.  but still.  an uncomfortable one)
lesson:  don't believe everything you read on the internet

do you want to know about the day I found out I was having a baby
GIRL?!
that was such a fun day.
it was the first ultrasound (ever)
that Justin wasn't able to come with me (boo)
and I was going in for an unscheduled ultrasound
we had already talked about finding out baby #4's gender
if the ultrasound tech could tell
YEAH WE WANTED TO KNOW!!
I remember her asking me if I could tell
for all the times I thought a brain was a heart on one of those....
but I had 3 ultrasounds before this where there was a part
and it did seem to be missing on this screen
but I wasn't going to say it
so I made her
and then I made her swear upon her firstborn child that she was positive
(do you understand that I have 3 little boys at home?!)
I'm kidding about the firstborn kid thing, people
but she told me she was positive
I had a GIRL in there....

Justin had asked me to call him and let him know
everything was good on the ultrasound
before my half hour drive home
so I did
and after almost 10 years of marriage
I knew
i just knew
that even though I told him I was going to wait
until I got home to tell him
that he was going to ask me and ask me again
to tell him over the phone
tell him over the phone that we were going to have a girl
and miss the expression on his face?!
not in a million years.

and the look on his face
and the instant joy I saw
were absolutely, totally, and completely
priceless

and that's all for now.....
cause my little girl just woke up
and I'm pretty sure she's calling for me

have a SUPER springy tuesday!

love, Laurie for the fam

smoothie is the word.

I just can't go another moment
without letting you in on the magic that is found in this bullet machine
---our fam is in LOVE with it---
info-mercial schminfo-mercial
we bought it and then watched the online infoUNmercial

Caleb is all about the green smoothie
spinach leaves give the drink the disturbing hue
and I think it's great that my 5 year old wakes up and asks
if he can have spinach for breakfast...
as a mom, how can I deny my son?!

Jon can get behind a smoothie some mornings, too
but Matthias is just not a fan
(he's an instant oatmeal kinda guy)

however...
everyone is a fan of the milkshakes that can be made
in this tiny-yet-powerful wonder of a machine
known as the magic bullet


some recipes that have become James fam favs:

Laurie's Frapp
1/2 cup coffee
1/2 cup skim milk
ice (to fill cup)
1-2 Tbsp choc syrup


Caleb's Green Smoothie
8-10  spinach leaves
1/2 banana
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
handful of ice


Justin's Breakfast Blend
3 frozen strawberries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
1/4 apple
1/2 cup OJ or crystal light
2 small scoops rainbow sherbert


did you know you can easily make your own hummus?!
can of chickpeas
chicken broth
red pepper flakes and garlic

drain chickpeas, add broth to correct consistency
sprinkle in flakes and garlic to taste
blend it up
serve with snap peas
oh my.

have a SUPER monday!

love, Laurie for the fam

to you

have an absolutely

super weekend

as super as

Charity thinks these MumMums are

love, laurie for the fam

splashin it up and a word about incredible pizza



I will say this about the pool at the Embassy in Schaumburg:
not the biggest I've ever seen
but that did not stop my boys from having
TONS of fun
Justin was in ultimate dad mode:
catching Matthias on the deep end when he jumped in
(our NO FEAR boy had to be reminded...more than once.... to wait til Daddy was ready!)
and then catching Caleb on the shallow end when he (mostly, kinda) jumped in
(our cautious guy. every fam with 4 little kids needs one)

Jon was all about busting new jump-in moves each time
--he's gotten to be quite the fish--
do I get Mom Points for capturing that wild jump-in shot or what?!
I should--because a camera was not all I was holding....




the first picture represents approx 2 1/2 moments in time
just long enough for Justin to capture a pic
(props to him for the good angle)
the middle picture is how we spent most of the pool time
and I just had to get a picture of her in her adorable swimsuit
but that pose didn't last long either...
she was not a fan of all the unruly splashing going on around her



since today is all about embracing the camera
here's some pics at the end of our vacay
we started out tropical
and ended with a taste of the west coast
I love the California Pizza Kitchen
it made me feel closer to my brother and his fam
who are currently on vacation in Cali for 10 days
I'm not jealous.  Not anymore.
After all, I was practically there.  In their very pizza kitchen.
Enjoying the sun shining with the beautiful 52 degree Schaumburg, IL weather

my fav moment in the Pizza Kitchen
was when Jon asked me if this was fast food
....we had only been waiting for 3 minutes
I want to be 8 again and think McDonalds is the ultimate dining experience
on equal par with CPK
because, don't you know, I get plenty of McD's in my life...

but I'll  say this:
I'd give my last jar of Nutella
for another piece of the incredible BBQ Chicken Pizza
I enjoyed
now that's sayin something.
I love weekend getaways

Honey, if you're reading this....
can we do that again?!
tomorrow?
please?
(insert look I give you to try to get what I want...)
I love you.

--to all the rest of you checkin the blog today--
I'm linking to emily's embrace the camera
and I'd like to wish you all a SUPER thursday!

love, laurie for the fam



eat with your mouth.

happy (GIVEAWAY) wednesday, all!
 a delivery on my blog promise:
that I would post this yummy recipe
and today felt like the day to do it
so here you go......

look at all the good stuff that goes into this soup:
3 cans black beans
1 container chicken broth (4 cups)
1 taco seasoning packet
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen veggies (I used California style)

aside from rinsing the cans of black beans
the only other prep work I did
was thaw veggies in the microwave
and then cut them up a little smaller with kitchen shears
(not sure if this step is needed....
but it made me feel ultra kitchen cool)

Rock that Crock, you guys
low and slow 6-8 hrs
(you could prob do 3-4 hrs on high
but that's a completely untested theory)
***can you smell the soup in this pic?
I know.....a-mazing, right?!

here's the (slightly) annoying step
but please don't give up--you've come so far!
you need to get out the blender and blend it up
if you don't happen to own a blender,
take a couple eggs to a neighbor in exchange for borrowing hers

NOTE:
as soon as I blended up my soup
the phone rang
my exact words to Justin, who was on his way home from work:
"Babe, tonight you need to eat with your mouth and not with your eyes"

..so this soup is not the prettiest thing ever
but have I mentioned how wonderful it smells?
have you taken note of all the good stuff that is in here?!

garnish it up, my friends:
a dallop of sour cream
a sprinkling of shredded cheddar
a handful of crushed tortilla chips
it all helps...

as you can clearly see from Matthias' enthusiastic face

he enjoyed the soup

and his brothers ate it up, too

really. 

I've made it twice now and it's gone over well both times

original inspiration from the crockpot365 blog....this soup needs a name

any suggestions?!

have a SUPER day, everyone!

love, laurie for the fam





we went tropical to start the vacay
Jon thought the huge fish were awesome

Caleb was pretty stoked about the adventure of it all

Matthias was all about the froggy cup full of rainbow slushee
Charity was just glad to be out of her car seat


little did our kiddos know that was not the end of our surprise...

Justin and I are pretty much hooked on Embassy Suites
I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit the #1 reason
is the amazing breakfast
but they also have nice rooms
especially for fams who are blessed with quadruple offspring
like yours truly

and yes.  we let our kids jump on hotel beds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't even begin to describe the nostalgia in my heart
that occurs in Schaumburg, il

newlywed memories sharing a rootbeer at A & W
Justin buying me a sapphire ring for college graduation
Ikea.....oh, Ikea
after-church lunches at Olive Garden and Chevys
especially the 3 Sundays in a row when we celebrated our "last time just the 2 of us"....
it was only amusing the first 2 Sundays when I wasn't overdue.
...and then taking my baby Jonathan to Woodfield mall in a cozy front carrier
and getting his 3 month pics
such.wonderful.memories.

 it was so much fun creating new memories

I'll  leave you with this adorable boy pic
to give you just one more reason to smile on this tuesday

have a SUPER one!

love, Laurie for the fam

and that's how it's done

"my God 
will meet all your needs
according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus"
Philippians 4:19


the james fam had a little adventure this weekend.
and it was a perfect time to tell our kids how God provides.


because, for us,
helping our kids understand that everything
EVERYTHING
comes from God.....
is totally important.

and let me tell you.....
we know how to have fun
and we had lots of it this weekend

but more on that later.
when I  (and the piled-up laundry)
recover from all the weekend fun!

have a SUPER monday--I mean it.

love, Laurie for the fam

the debate is over.

sometimes you just need to clean out your fridge
sometimes you just need a friend
sometimes you just need a good friend to come help you clean out your fridge
know what I'm saying?!

a big THANK YOU to Sarah
who has put up with me loved me since the 7th grade
and who, when she asked me,
"what can I do for you today?"
and my answer was
"help me clean out my fridge"
came over and helped me clean out my fridge
and showed up with popcorn and chocolate chips
holla

ever have a task that just doesn't seem to get done
in the crazyness known as life?!
grab a friend and just
get. it. done.
we seriously laughed our way through my sticky fridge
with the rotten onions

love you, Sarah!
and (hint, hint) I'm looking forward
to returning the favor...

before Sarah and I attacked my fridge
we lunched.
we had this soup that I made the other night
and it's a-mazing
but I'm going to leave you all hangin'
til I pump out a Rock the Crock post
next week. sometime...
I'm bad at making blogging promises
(anyone wondering where the parenting tips from Chip are?!
I need to find my wet parenting book, people....
please be patient with me, k?)

I'm not sure
but I'm thinking if this easter debate was LIVE
we'd have had some fists thrown
you all get pretty heated when it comes to your Easter candy
I can't blame you one bit
I'm pretty passionate about my Reeses Peanut Butter eggs
I may or may not have eaten an entire 6-pack
in a 24 hour period.
once.
when I was younger and less mature
(and had a better metabolism)
but I digress.....
you just want to know the winner and so I tell you
Andrea
you are the winner of a package of Peeps
because that is your Easter delight of choice
YAY for you!
(shoot me an email and let me know where to send em!)


James fam and the Easter candy debate:
3 votes Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs
2 votes Peeps
1 vote undecided

no family is perfect.

have a SUPER friday, and a SUPER weekend.....we plan to!

love, Laurie for the fam

embracing it



(after about 9 attempts of a decent pic with Char and Matt.....)
how's that for embracing the camera?!
(click on the words to check out the anderson fam's newest addition. awwww)



(1 year ago. 3.31.10  but God is faithful)

this verse has found a special place in my heart

recently

and today is a day when I need those words

especially

do you, by chance, need these words, too?!

------------------------------------------------------------

have a SUPER thursday, all!

have you checked out the great Easter debate of 2011?!

check out the post below to enter the

GIVEAWAY

if you've never played along before

won't you consider today?!

come and have some fun with me......

love, Laurie for the fam

giveaway wednesday.....on thursday

so if all you could have this Easter
is the joy of your Risen Savior
and the goodness of one traditional treat
which would it be?

Note: the author of this blog is not suggesting your salvation
depends on answering this question correctly
only that there is one right answer
and therefore one wrong one


to enter this great Easter giveaway
 (GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY on Thursday)
leave me a comment telling me
which Easter treat better be in the basket this year,
who'll get hurt if it's not there
and if you plan on sharing


check back in tomorrow
to see what the vote is in the James fam 
 and to see if you've got some goodies coming your way!


love, Laurie for the fam

giveaway wednesday

tomorrow

check back in, k?
its edible and thats all you need to know for now

have a super wednesday!

love, laurie for the fam

can you guess
who got his hands on my camera?!

grace that is greater



just a few moments to myself
with a computer
 a Bible
an iced coffee
and a book called bittersweet


'Grace isn't about netting out on the right side of things.
Grace is smashing the calculator,
and using all the broken buttons and pieces to make a mosaic.
Grace isn't about having a second chance;
grace is having so many chances
that you could use them through all eternity
and never come up empty....
Grace is when you finally stop keeping score and
when you realize God never was,
that His game is a different one entirely....
Grace is an even better gift,
because it allows me to do more than just erase.....
It's forgiveness without forgetting,
which is much sweeter than amnesia.'

(p83 bittersweet by shauna niequist)

amen?!

have a SUPER tuesday
giving and receiving GRACE


love, Laurie for the fam



Jesus eesh ahwibe!

when this song comes on the radio
in our van
I am sure to hear this from the backseat "JESUS EESH AHWIBE!"
That's right, Matthias,
 Jesus IS alive!
And those big brown eyes filled with excitement are  pretty much contagious....

have a SUPER Monday!

love, Laurie for the fam
p.s. make sure you crank up the volume on your computer for this song-- cause if you (somehow) have missed it......it's crank-up-the-volume worthy

making Matthias (and oreos) better

my littlest guy was all smiles by the end of the day
well, maybe not ALL smiles
'cause he pretty much wanted to eat anything and everything
 he saw or could think of.
and after all the (ahem) episodes last night
I just wasn't wishing a repeat of that on anyone...
so I had to say "no" to the yogurt. and the cheese balls. and the pizza.
try explaining to a 3 year old that
"even though his tummy isn't making noise anymore"
he still can't have the food he's asking for
is like putting Who Let the Dogs Out on your MP3
and pushing repeat
it's not even amusing the first time
and it's exhausting by the 4th round of play
mercy.

so here's your mission for the weekend:
make a cake mix
dip some oreos in it
place in greased cupcake tins
(I sprinkled mine up for an extra fun look)
bake @350 for 8ish minutes
wow.
and....no kidding.....I don't even like oreos
what's up with that?!
well, in my defense it is not nearly as offensive as what
Julie says about brownies in her last post
you can read about it HERE
and then you can go HERE
and make those, too!

God has a wonderful plan for your life...and so do I.
3 words:
cake. covered. oreos.

seriously.  have a SUPER weekend, All!

love, laurie for the fam

so you had a bad day

I love to watch the boys
hanging out together
it's especially precious when Jon is reading to his bro's



he had "one of those days"
at school yesterday
but it didn't take much to cheer him up
he's a pretty chipper guy


really.....it was just kinda "one of those days"
I mean, who wants freezing rain and snow in March anyways?!

and Matthias was up all night. sick.
he loved the idea of getting up with me
and cuddling in front of the Disney channel
until he realized that even Special Agent Oso wasn't going
to make his rumbly tummy go away
poor guy


have a SUPER thursday, All!
just be glad I embraced the camera yesterday with Jon
and not this morning with Matt
we both look a little.....crusty and tired this morning!



bloggerizing

Dear Blogger B's,

Today I'm sitting down to write a post I've really wanted to write for awhile. 

It's real, it's honest, and it's probably going to be much longer than most of my other posts...

(Just a guess)

This post is going to answer a FAQ about my blogging... The #1 question I get asked when people come across my blog who know me in "real life"....
Why do you have a blog?

It's not a simple answer, really, because there are about a million answers to that question

and there is a different one, depending on when you ask
I actually began this blog back in a time when the "Justin and Laurie Story" was going through
"a rough season."
Justin and Laurie were going strong together, but life around them was......chaotic (to put it mildly)
and so. I needed.  a place.  to write and express things.
thus began the blog, but it was a mysterious one that no one knew about.
blogging was therapeautic and at this time I was mostly a blog reader
(check out HERE and HERE and HERE for blogs I read during that time and still read today for inspiration, encouragement, and LOL's.)



Caleb enjoys reading "Scaredy Squirrel" books. 
Up close.

in the fall of last year I decided to give blogging a real try, in hopes to bring some enlightenment to people when they checked out my blog
as I had been by being a blog reader myself
so I went and erased all my previous posts that were just a little too real for the public eye,
and started what I called a "Blogging Experiment,"  (click HERE to see original post)
my faithful blog reading sister-in-law, Becky, being my original and faithful reader.....
and I had no idea what was to become of it, really
At that time my wonderful hubby was in the midst of a 3rd shift job and that meant some pretty quiet
um...lonely....nights for me at home. 
perfect blogging set up and it was a great outlet for me.
I worked hard to get my blog "out there" and read by people,
and I dove into some pretty crafty endeavors
to match things that I was seeing out in blogland
And I learned pretty quickly that I do not, actually, enjoy the process of crafting....
L to the O to the capitol L
I really admire artsy things and I really enjoy some aspects of the craft world
but I got so caught up in trying to be a crafter that I lost sight of the fact that
it's not really me.
hmph.  maybe someday. 
(for now I'll just have to spend wisely on etsy and let others 'get their craft on' for me!)
but I discovered I do enjoy sharing my recipes with you all....
and the unexpected thrill of rocking the crock
as I now have a hubby who gets in the door @ 6PM every night....
AND--
what I've realized most recently is that I do enjoy blogging
and I plan on continuing it for a long time.  I think.
I'm a busy mommy
and I wish my blog could reflect the deep thoughts that go on in my heart and mind
but the truth is I'm lucky to have more than 15 moments to myself on most days
at the end of the day, this blog is about my family and for my family--
it's to give them a glimpse into the everyday life we have
because it's a good one, and a blessed one



Jon plays a "Minute-To-Win-It" game
at his 8th birthday party

 it's to share with you that Jesus is a part of our everyday life
whether I include a Bible verse in the post or not (but really I'd like to get better at that!)
and I'm really glad you read my posts.  (please don't stop!)
it's also a place for me to record precious family memories
that I'd otherwise lose track of in the midst of the everyday life
I'm portraying on this blog
It truly amazes me how I can go back and read a blog post from november
and honestly say, "I forgot about that!"
that's a gift from blogging that was unexpected and I'm grateful for
(perfect reason to begin to blog, anyone?!)
blogging has also allowed me to meet some amazing women I only know through blogland
my fav encourager online is HERE and she writes some great posts
about faith and family:   a constant source of encouragement and spurring on for me...
and I've also discovered that I love to write comments on peoples blogs.
I love encouraging people when they share their heart and what's important to them
sometimes I even discover an unexpected gift (check it out HERE)


Matthias always asks that I tuck him in at rest time
and this is how he likes the covers.  snug.

 so there you have it. 
I love to say, "I don't take myself or my blog too seriously."

but thanks for checking out my blog
I really do enjoy hearing from friends that they "secretly" check out my blog
(and I have no idea until they confess tell me!)
I enjoy when people leave me comments letting me know they've stopped by
but, if you noticed, I took off the button that said "comments fuel this blog"
because, ultimately, they don't.....

so have you thought about blogging, my blogger b's who are not yet bloggerized?!

well.....this far surpasses my 15 moments of the day.
it's time to fill a sippy cup with milk for Charity
text my friend back
change a diaper
dust the tv stand
figure out what's for dinner
switch a load of laundry
and all the many things we do without even realizing it
cause that's just what we do, right?!

have a SUPER day doing what God has created you to do!

love, laurie for the fam

Lent-Approved...Rock that Crock

some of you, my blogger b's
need a fresh take on fish for your friday nights
I am not a participater in Lent
but I enjoy the idea of giving something up
to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus
=====================================================
so here's a little Rock the Crock, with a fishy twist
(pardon me for that, I couldn't help myself)
I'm telling you, forget the Friday Night Fish Fry
you are going to LOVE this easy way to make some healthy and delicious
FISH
in 3 ingredients

for each piece of fish you are going to make
you need a piece of foil to fully wrap the fish in a packet
place the fish on the foil square
and place a spoonful of pesto on top

sprinkle parmesan cheese on top
til your hearts content
keep in mind when looking at my picture
that I'm a Wisconsin girl
we go a little overboard when it comes to the cheese
sometimes

seal up your packets of foil by folding securely
and place into crock (no water)
Rock it on LOW for 3 HOURS
check to see if fish flakes easily and if not, add more time
(mine was ready @ 3 hrs)



 

the first question Justin always asks when I'm serving fish is
"do we have some tarter sauce to go with this?"
gulp 
I always forget the tartar sauce.
but when we were done, he said
"this fish was so tasty it didn't need any sauce"
phew
so there you have it:
fish so good it can remain tartar-sauce-less

Caleb's helping Justin hang a picture on the wall

Is there anything sweeter than watching your son
take after his Daddy?!
if I think of something
I'll let you all know.....
but I wouldn't count on it!


have a SUPER (tutorial!) Tuesday, all!

love, laurie for the fam

 grocery list:
*bag of frozen tilapia
*jar of pesto
*parmesan cheese

I'm linking up HERE today for Tasty Tuesdays on
33 Shades of Green.
Need some recipe ideas?!  check it out!



organize shmorganize





Organizing and I have a LOVE/HATE relationship
when I get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done,
I take a look at the room that needs a major re-haul
and I focus on moving from one side of the room to the other
for instance, my kitchen was organized from the cupboards on the left
all the way around the room
until I got to the panty to the far right
all I have left is the fridge
mercy
that one is a doozy
=====================================================================
There's just something about little boys closets....
they can turn into chaos overnight.
Sadly, though, that was not the case here.
Nope. 
My boys' closets have been chaotic pretty much all winter.
But when the Mom of the house decides enough is enough......
watch out
the great spring clean-out has begun

The first step of organization has got to be
(there is absolutely NO way around this in my opinion.....)
complete and total emptying of space.
Start with a clean slate, people
***it's got to get worse before it gets better
(sidenote:  many times when I clean out a drawer,
I will dump all contents on my bed.
hmmmm.....
if that contents are all over my bed,
you had better believe
there is some motivation there to get the stuff
trashed, organized, and put away nicely!)

then, organize all items by category
in Jon's closet we found:
DS and accessories
mighty beanz
shells and rocks
silly bands
tech decks



containers are key in keeping things looking good
but don't think you need to wipe out your budget with Rubbermaid
it's about re-using containers you already have:
small tins
lunch meat containers
boxes from shoes
etc
anything that holds anything will work!



now doesn't Jon's closet look so much better?!
he's 8.
I'm not holding my breath this is going to last long
but it was 45 minutes of together time with my oldest son
teaching him the value of keeping his stuff nice.
His excitement over his newly organized closet was priceless--
it was the first thing he just had to show his dad when Justin walked in the door from work
and now he's enjoying the stuff he can (magically!) find!

speaking of Jon...
he has lost yet another tooth
and this time the tooth fairy even remembered to come and leave a buck
he tells me this is his last tooth to lose and all he's got left are "incisors"
I have no idea exactly what that means and if it's accurate
but it cr-acks me up everytime he says it
~I love that kid~


have a SUPER(organizing?!) monday to all who read this blog!

love, Laurie for the fam

http://thehousecreative.com/search/label/meetup%20monday