Laverty Family

February updates

2012-02-12T17:19:00.005-05:00

This month has been a bit crazy. Bailey was in the Hospital for two days this week. She had a cold that turned into pneumonia. I took her to the doctor's on Tuesday and they sent us striaght to the ER due to a really low oxygen level. We spent two days there and are happy to be home now with a more energetic Bailey!

Bailey was quite the trooper through it all.

On another note- I spray painted these letters above our stove and it makes me smile.

Lauren joined a basketball team and has been enjoying learning the game. She is lucky #13.

Bailey and Lilly created what they call "Lego Land" where they have lots of fun with their imaginations.

Touch down!! We had fun watching the Super Bowl.

New York City Girl's Weekend

2012-02-12T16:43:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of January Alison and I went with our good friends and neighbors to New York City for a fun filled weekend. We were there to celebrate Alison's friend Sarah's birthday. We took the train into the city and headed first thing to the mecca for girls- that's right- American Girl store. The girls had their dolls get their hair done and we looked at all the fun outfits for dolls. What was great was the city still had Christmas decorations up so we got to see the big tree at Rockefeller plaza. My camera died so we used Lindsay's. I still need to get more pictures of our trip from her. However, we stayed busy going to the MET, ice skating in central park, Serendipity's, F.A.O Schwartz, and going to a play. We had a terrific time!

Dance time

2012-01-22T16:45:00.002-05:00

Bailey and Lilly and their friend Matthew had a great time dancing to a game on the Wii.

They were so cute. They did this for over an hour.

Lauren's Birthday

2012-01-22T16:27:00.004-05:00

For Lauren's 7th Birthday she had some of her friends come over for a 'Make your own pizza party'. At the party I made a little sweet shop table so the girls could fill their candy bags with all sorts of treats. They loved the treats, but also had a great time making their own small pizzas.

Look how grown up she's looking!

We love you Lauren! Happy Birthday!

more Christmas 2011

2012-01-22T15:44:00.005-05:00

We first went to Levert, MA to visit Granpa King, the Downey family, and Grandma Muriel and Omar. We had a wonderful dinner there with all of them and had a good time with the Downey cousins.

Then we went to stay at my parent's home for Christmas. We had fun visiting with cousins and Aunties and Uncles. We missed Amy and her family but had a great time Skyping with them.

Trisha with new baby Elise Ruby- what a beauty!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-22T15:25:00.006-05:00

We had a great Christmas season. Before we left for my parent's house we hosted our annual neighborhood Christmas party. We also had our girls open a couple of gifts that we didn't want to pack with us in the car. After bath night (hence all the wet heads in this picture) they all had fun opening up this new doll bunk bed that I had found at an antique store. I then gave it a pop of color by spray painting it a bright pink. There were many squeals of delight!

Here are some pictures of what our home looked like for Chirstmas-

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

2012-01-22T15:03:00.009-05:00

Steve did yet another great job on a project- framing our bathroom mirrors.

We have a standard contractor-grade mirror, but we were ready for an updated look. We did some research and found on this blog a good tutorial, but there are many good ones out there.

Steve removed the bar light and did some sheet rock repair. Then he added new sconces. We also painted the whole bathroom.

So here is the before:

and this is how it looks now:

Next up- new faucets.

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-04T23:04:00.004-05:00

Have you been on Pintrest yet? I love this site where you can find many inspiring ideas like how to make a book wreath. Yes, you got that right- a wreath with pages from a book that you just tear out and hot glue onto the back of cardboard. Cheap and cool looking. I got my inspiration from this blog. Oh and if you're on Pintrest you can follow me here.

I love getting ready for Christmas and this year we are making some crafts. Alison and I are going to make some small felt purses for her friends. I've also been busy making ornaments.

Family Pictures for 2011

2011-12-04T22:25:00.007-05:00

For our family pictures this year we had our friend Ashley take them. She did a great job and we all had fun. We took them at her in-laws beautiful horse farm (which is not far from us). They also have a gorgeous Victorian farm home on the property that dates back to the Civil War.

Tea time!

Lauren

Alison

Lilly

Bailey

November happenings

2011-12-04T21:56:00.004-05:00

We had a great November. Our Thanksgiving was wonderful to be around the Sample family. The girls had fun visiting with their cousins and even performed a musical number for all the adults after our visit with Mama Jean. We had great food and a beautiful day.

The kids were especially hungry for dessert. Thanks AJ and Leon for your hospitality.

Aubrey and Charlotte came to stay for almost a week to visit in November. We had fun with them, but poor Charlotte had a fever for a couple of days so we did some hang out time at home. The girls had so much fun playing with her. Of course, Aubrey (mini me) and I had a great time talking and even got out one tiny night out (tiny- meaning: we dropped Alison off at Activity days and went to Ann Taylor Loft for half an hour and then came home).

I've been teaching a gymnastics class again in our basement. We had fun learning ballet, working on the balance beam and learning a routine to perform. All these girls live close by and are Alison and Lauren's friends so it was a blast when we got together for class.

Steve and Lauren went to a daddy- daughter dance in November. Lauren was thrilled to have her dad all to herself. Steve even got her a pretty corsage.

We Have Our Ironing Board Back!

2011-11-09T21:28:00.009-05:00

We have wanted a console table for our living room for quite some time. Up to now, our console table has been our ironing board! We found some styles we liked on the Internet but none were close to the dimensions we wanted. Therefore, I decided to build one. I have had this goal to learn more about woodworking and this project fit right in. We used white maple for the tabletop, apron and legs and used dark walnut for pegs. Here are pictures I took along the way. It was a great learning experience and it has gotten me more excited about building more pieces.

The tabletop was built using 3/4" thick 2x6 boards with splines between the boards. Using splines may have been overkill but I wanted a solid tabletop that could support a lot of weight.

Here is the table top after it was glued up. I was a bit worried about cupping so I added breadboards to each end of the tabletop. This was something new to me. A breadboard end is a piece of wood that is joined to the end of a larger panel. The purpose is to support and maintain the rigidity of the tabletop, while allowing the tabletop to shrink or expand (due to humidity) across the grain. I cut slots in the tongue of the tabletop and used dark walnut pegs to hold it in place. Also, the breadboards hide the end grain of the tabletop. This feature took a long time but it added a neat detail to the finished table.

The apron and legs were connected with mortise and tenon joints. The mortises were made by drilling and then cutting out the rest with chisels. The tenons were made on the table saw and finished with chisels.

Here is the table base fit-up. The groves along the outer edges of the apron were made using a router with a triple fluted bit. This added a lot of detail to the apron.

In order to connect the tabletop to the base, I used buttons. These allow the tabletop to expand and contract somewhat with humidity.

Here is the completed table!

I really like the look of white maple. The completed table had a lot of wavy grain patterns showing and I wanted to highlight that with the finish. I learned a lot about finishing furniture during this project. The biggest thing I learned is that it is a LOT more involved than I thought. For example, white maple is a difficult wood to stain (should have figured this out before making the table, hey?). Finishing this piece ended up taking just as much time as building it. I sanded the table for a long time and then applied two coats of walnut stain and then five coats of clear polyurethane.

Here is the finished table in its new home. The table turned out great and I am looking forward to building more furniture in the future. The ironing board is now happily back where it belongs and is used as an ironing board just as much as it was when it was a console table.

Halloween

2011-11-01T20:58:00.002-04:00

This year the girls dressed up as Wizard of Oz characters. Alison was Dorothy, Bailey and Lilly- the munchkins, and Lauren was Glenda.

We also did our annual visit to the pumpkin patch and lots of other Fall things like making caramel apples, Booing people, and going to some fun parties.

Happy Halloween! (Lilly)

The Beast that turned into a Beauty

2011-10-13T15:37:00.007-04:00

This entertainment center was something we bought when we first were married and we loved it. However, over the past eleven years of bliss, it has taken on some bumps and bruises and it was a bit dated. I actually wanted to paint it last year, but Steve kept saying he didn't want me to- he liked it just fine. A few weeks ago we reached a compromise- he could stain the console table that he was making (more on this later) if I could paint the entertainment center. Done. It took a week and a 1/2 to finish this project with some long nights involved. I read several blogs on how to paint laminate. You can read here how we painted it. Our house was under construction during this process- its good to have it back to normal and less clutter.

Here's the before shot in all its cardboard- backed beauty.

Now we have a bead board backing that we painted with a mix of colors from our paint supply store in the basement.

Another improvement we made was to hide all the wires and access holes. No more wires!

Some crafty days

2011-10-13T15:12:00.003-04:00

I saw this framed fern idea on another blog and being the copycat that I am I snagged it. This summer I collected some ferns on M.V and pressed them in a big book. Then, I used some modge podge to really glue it all down and now I love how it looks. I made two, but its so easy I think I'll be making more- good gift ideas?

Our gallery wall looks better now that I made our button L for Laverty. However, I think I'll continually be adding to this wall.

the china cabinet

2011-10-13T14:57:00.002-04:00

I found this beauty at a local antique store that was on a major sale! Yippee! I had been looking for a china cabinet like this one on Craigslist hoping for this look with the broken arch up top. We have been in need of more storage as of late since I keep finding paper clutter everywhere. The cabinet needed a little TLC so of course I painted it (Steve helped too). We used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's not chalkboard paint, but a special paint that distresses easy and you don't need to sand or prime. I really liked using this paint because there is no major prep work, and it only needed one coat.

Our house has been looking like this lately with all the projects we're doing. But we had to take all the pieces apart to get by all the glass.

Here's the before

and here she is now! We are very happy to have a place to hide some craft clutter and display books.

Back to School

2011-09-05T21:43:00.002-04:00

This week the girls were back in school. Alison is now a 3rd grader and Lauren in 1st.

They were both excited to go and see their friends and meet their new teachers.

Of course Bailey and Lilly wanted to get in on all the action too. So they posed for their first day of not having their older sisters at home with them in awhile. At this stage its easier having twins because they play so well together. It's also a little hard to break up fights and help them share my lap for story time, but overall they are quite the cute pair.

the Summer wrap-up

2011-09-05T21:27:00.002-04:00

Arrrr mateys! We've had a great summer visiting with lots of family and friends. After we left MV we had a nice stay at Grandma and Papa's house where we visited:

The Jones family! We will miss you guys. Good luck in your move to Washington.

Visits with sisters. Our girls are lucky to have some amazing Aunties.

We visited with my friend Mara and her adorable girls.

My BFF from grade school and high school- Mara Gleason (now Powers). Its always a blessing to catch up with a dear friend.

Steve's brother, Joe and his family came to visit us. We took them into D.C to visit the Zoo, the American History museum and the Natural History museum. Ahh, I just love museums!

visiting the Ape House

Downey and Laverty girls

Summer Art Camp

2011-09-04T16:08:00.004-04:00

My friend Elinn and I did another Summer Art Camp for our children and their friends. We had a great time doing art projects like painting rocks, perspective drawing, working with watercolors, and collage art. We also did artistic snacks like decorating cupcakes and working with fruit. Everyone was so creative- can't wait for next summer!

a sampling of collage art

Lauren with her painted rocks

owl and cookie monster

On another note, for my birthday this year the girls worked on a "big card" which I think looks more like a patchwork quilt. They were so cute to write little messages to me and draw some pictures. They kept it a big secret working on it for awhile. I love it.

Also this summer we found a great pool nearby and were happy to spend

some of August at the pool with friends.

Family Furniture Part II

2011-08-27T12:05:00.003-04:00

Here are the side tables I painted for our master bedroom. Originally I wanted to go with a French blue, but when I painted one and put it in my room I knew I already had enough of the blue and white and needed a punch of color. My sister Aubrey suggested a coral color and I think this looks great with my light blues and beige. This room is still a work in process, however, I love how these tables turned out.

Here's the sad before shot of the two side tables.

And look at them now- they're positively radiant!

Alison's Baptism

2011-08-18T00:21:00.002-04:00

Sweet Alison got baptized on Martha's Vineyard this summer. Many family members were there and so was the branch on the island. What a special day. She got baptized in the Great West Tisbury pond on a beautiful sunny day. You can see the pond in the picture below. We are so happy for Alison and her decision to be baptized. She is a very happy girl with many talents and is such a great sister and daughter.

Laverty family

grandparents with Alison

Alison wore a jumper dress that my mom made years ago and it went through all of my sisters and now it is passed on to the next generation. How cool is that?

Family Furniture

2011-08-18T00:09:00.003-04:00

This past Easter when we went to visit Steve's mom she said we could take some old furniture that they had just sitting in an old barn. Hello goldmine! I was thrilled. We took a few pieces back with us since we couldn't fit too much more in the car with kids and luggage. This picture is the rocker that I spray painted a creamy white. Then Steve and I reupholstered the seat. The girls love it since its their size. What I also love about these pieces are that they have a history connected to Steve's side of the family and now it has new life and a new home.

Here's the before: I sanded these babies down and discovered good solid wood for the side tables. Steve helped me strengthen them and cut the legs down a little since we want them to be side tables by our bed. I painted them a coral color. The after shot for the tables will be coming soon.

8 is Great!

2011-08-17T23:53:00.004-04:00

Alison's Birthday party this year was special since most of her family was with her to celebrate. We had a cookout and had all the cousins play. There was a photo booth, a boat ride and sparklers to entertain everyone. What a fun evening.

This table is one of the projects I worked on. Its a beautiful old writer's desk that needed some update. I painted it an off white and it got a new glass knob. We used this to hand out bubbles at the end of the party for everyone to take home.

Martha's Vineyard

2011-08-07T23:37:00.003-04:00

We had a terrific time with our family on Martha's Vineyard this year. Our girls loved playing with their cousins. We went to the South beach often, went to our local farmer's market, got a lot of ice cream, played cards in the evening, painted some furniture, Steve and boys went fishing and overall it was a blast. We miss it there already.

D.C and Heather's Wedding

2011-08-07T21:09:00.006-04:00

The beginning of July we met up with my family for a reunion in D.C and for my cousin Heather's wedding. We had a great time with cousins, Aunts and Uncles, Grandma and Papa in the city. Alison and Lauren were the flower girls for the wedding and looked so pretty. We stayed at a hotel with a pool (which was a highlight for the kids) and we went to the Natural History Museum where we went into the butterfly observatory. What a magical place to have all these butterflies around. After our trip to D.C we went straight to Martha's Vineyard. More pictures to come.

During the ceremony the twins took a nap and we laid them on the pews at the end when everyone left.

Heather and husband Pat and family. It was a beautiful wedding and reception.

Bailey had a huge butterfly on her head. She had mixed feelings about this- some scared but mostly delighted.

School is out

2011-06-26T22:13:00.003-04:00

Yes, Summer time is here! I made my first ever French lemon tart for Father's Day. I was so happy because not only does it look similar to the ones at the Wegman's bakery it tasted so delicious. I got the lemon filling from here and for the topping I took berries and sliced peaches mixed it with a little lemon juice and sugar over the stove and it made a syrupy glaze. What a treat!

Next up- I made these Summer Popsicles from here and we all enjoyed them. However, I have to agree with my sister Aubrey- they taste better if you mix the pureed strawberries in with the yogurt.

Alison and Lauren on the last day of school and yes Bailey is wearing a tutu and a blue cape to the bus stop.

Lauren won an award at school for being a "kid of character." She loved kindergarten and cried the last day of school because she said she will miss her teacher. What a sweet girl!

Alison had a piano recital recently and one of the songs she played was a

duet with her good friend Emma. Alison has done a great job learning the piano this year.

More Backyard Birthday

2011-06-03T22:38:00.004-04:00

The big change around here is that Bailey and Lilly now have different haircuts. Bailey has a bob and loves saying "Bailey Bob" and Lilly has the longer hair now. So its easier to spot who is who and their first initial goes with their corresponding haircuts. These two are so funny when they play together and they love to get into mischief . They sing a little song from Wonder Pets-"Lets go to work- Teamwork!" and that's when you better watch out because their working on making a mess or trying to get that snack or treat they know they shouldn't get into. Besides all that they are truly sweet. Bailey recently had pneumonia and had to have some shots and a nebulizer treatment at the doctors. While we were there Lilly was trying to make Bailey laugh and kept doing all sorts of cute things to get her to smile- when she did she would say- "Yea- I made Bailey laugh!" Oh, as a mother your heart melts when you hear your children getting along and being kind.

On another note- here is a closer shot of the decorations I made for their party. I made these zig zag streamers in rainbow colors- you can find them here. I also made these star medallions that I stamped in the middle to say SISTERS. Then I made a triangle banner that I stamped on it BIRTHDAY. I think all the decorations gave it a festive feel.

I made these easy chocolate-dipped marshmallow lollipops and the kids went wild for them.

Lastly, I decided to make two birthday cakes this year. Steve helped me make a banana cake with a chocolate frosting.

A Backyard Birthday Party

2011-06-03T22:19:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day was also Bailey and Lilly's Birthday. We celebrated with neighbors coming over for some grilled food and some backyard fun.

Steve made the shark out of watermelon (inspiration via Stuart).

Throw in a slip and slide and everyone is happy!

Bubbles make any party more fun.

Happy Birthday Bailey and Lilly!

Gallery Wall

2011-06-03T17:34:00.002-04:00

I went with mom to Ikea and got myself a bunch of white frames so I could make a gallery wall of art prints and family pictures. I also spray painted some of the frames I already had white so that they could all match. Before we put all the pictures up we used different papers we had around the house to match up with the frames and tape them up so we could decide on a configuration that we liked.

Then- ta da!

A close up. You can see I have one last frame to fill. I'm still working on what I'll put in that one.

I love the shells that I hot glued in this one shadow box. The quote is something I typed up that says, "Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work"- Pres. Gordon B. Hinkley.

I love that all the frames are white and I could add more pictures when I'm ready. This was a fun project. I'll post later some of my inspirational images that I used for this wall.

1/2 Marathon and Mother's Day Weekend

2011-06-02T09:43:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful weekend we had when mom, dad, Jen and Conrad came for a visit for a race and Mother's day. We had beautiful sunny days and packed a lot in.

Alison had a play at school that weekend too and did a great job as a bunny in: The Bear went over the Mountain.

Mother's day breakfast- the guys made a feast for us. They treated us very well.

My partner in crime- Elinn and I are running buddies-we're part of a small running club in our neighborhood.

Steve and I ran our first race together. We had a good time training together, but when it came to the actual race we didn't talk as much as I thought I would since we were running at a good pace. We finished in 1:53! Yea- under 2 hours!!!

more running friends!

Dad, Steve, me, Conrad and Jen- happy to be done with the race. Great job everyone!

Easter, Part II

2011-06-01T22:50:00.002-04:00

After our visit in Amherst we went to visit my parents in Northboro. We had a few days with family there. First we went into Boston and visited the Science Museum with Aubrey, Charlotte and mom. Tons of fun.

Trisha was still not feeling great but she helped us make the bunny cake with the girls.

Grandma and girls make a coconut bunny cake- so cute.

On Easter Sunday it turned out to be a beautiful day and the kids played outside for awhile before church.

Easter baskets! We loved spending time with everyone!

Easter, Part I

2011-06-01T22:40:00.002-04:00

We had a great Easter! We went up to Amherst, MA first to visit Grandma Muriel and Omar. They spoiled us with good food and company- even a jelly bean cake. We went through Grandpa King's old barn and we found some major treasures in there. We were given a few pieces of furniture that I'm fixing up (more on that later).

Alison and Lauren by the brook.

Steve and his mom

Thanks for a great time!

messy rooms and forts

2011-06-01T22:28:00.002-04:00

Nap time has become code for disaster area for Bailey and Lilly's room. I'm thinking it might be a better idea to take everything out because I usually can't open the door when I try to come in since they've taken out all their books and clothes from their closet. This is picture is tame compared to some other days.

Lilly finally crashed.

The girls love making forts and playing hide-and-seek lately. Of course, a pile of blankets is a must in the fort along with all the dollies and stuffed animals.

Before and After

2011-06-01T22:22:00.002-04:00

This little baby is something I've wanted to paint for awhile to brighten this corner. I sanded it first then primed it and then mixed a couple of colors together to get my French inspired distressed table to look like this:

This color makes me so happy! And, yes, Aubrey- there's a 'bird on it!' Ha.

Another project and ice skating

2011-02-21T21:22:00.002-05:00

This is the little reading nook in Alison and Lauren's room that wasn't really working anymore. We were finding it constantly cluttered in their room and we have a good deal of books for such a small shelf.

Here is a free book shelf we got- so I spruced it up with a little bit of paint and now it looks like this:

Ahh! Much better.

On another note- today, I took the girls ice skating. At first they were a bit nervous holding onto the sides, but it didn't take them long until they were on their own skating. They both fell down and wobbled quite a bit, but we had a great time.

Valentines Day-get ready!

2011-02-12T17:03:00.008-05:00

I love this Valentine idea from Eat Drink Chic. A cozy picnic for two sounds like bliss. However, you could alter this idea for a family Valentine picnic.

In the spirit of Valentines day I wanted to share a couple chocolate recipes that I love (Valentines day= chocolate).

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 stick butter

3 squares Baker's semi-sweet chocolate

Combine in a small pot and stir until melted on low heat.

Then add 1 can sweetened condensed milk

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Lia and I could just eat the whole thing!

Brownie Pudding

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cooks- Ina Garten. It's rich and a perfect crusty top with a molten chocolate middle. You can find the recipe here.

The Twin's Room

2011-02-02T15:13:00.003-05:00

Bailey and Lilly have recently advanced to "big girl" beds. They finally discovered in December how to climb in and out of their cribs- hence the need for change. I spray painted their beds originally white and then changed my mind so now they're pink. My mom sewed their adorable quilts. My inspiration for their bedding was from here. They love their room and their new beds.

My newest project was taking these frames (which I spray painted white) and stapling fabric on the back and then hot gluing their letter onto the fabric. I think it creates a nice pop of color and modernizes the space. When my sisters were here they gave me the idea. Thanks!

Lilly

Bailey

We're all getting excited for Valentine's day- which means our table is covered with a plethora of paper crafting.

Lauren's Ice Cream Parlour Party

2011-01-28T16:20:00.003-05:00

For Lauren's 6th Birthday we found a great inspirational idea for a party here. We decided to go all out with ice cream and toppings. The girls had fun playing a couple of games and creating their very own ice cream masterpieces. Happy Birthday Lauren- we love you!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-28T15:37:00.003-05:00

We were fortunate to stay home for Christmas. My parents came to us and we had a great time with them. They picked up Alison first and flew to Nebraska where my sister Amy and her family just moved to and went to our nephew's baptism. Alison loved traveling and had a great time. Thanks mom and dad! This picture shows just how popular grandparents are when they have an Ipad.

Alison with her doll Ruthie and her new outfit.

The twins loved Christmas day with wearing princess shoes and painting.

We went over to my cousin David's house for Christmas Eve where we all had a great time together and celebrated cousin Heather's engagement to Pat and their upcoming summer wedding.

Lauren was so excited to get a harp from Santa. She loves to play it.

The Chair

2011-01-28T15:18:00.002-05:00

O.k folks I know I have been absent for some time now from blog land and I am sorry. To make it up I thought I would send out a crazy amount of pictures of our life and all the Laverty happenings. So here we go-

This is the before shot of my $20 chair. I bought it knowing it needed to be reupholstered and updated. Steve helped me tremendously with strengthening the chair and upholstering.
After shot- I painted it a creamy white and found a grayish fabric for the chair. We love it! Not too bad for our first reupholstering job.
Here it is next to our Christmas tree.

Steve's 1/2 Marathon

2010-11-15T00:00:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we took a short trip up to Bird in Hand, PA for Steve's 1/2 marathon and a tour of Amish country. We had a great time. We toured the Amish Village where the girls went in the old school house and had fun playing "school."

We were also happy Grandma and Papa could come with us on the trip. We saw a lot of these black buggys in the area since this is one of the modes of transportation for the Amish.

Here we all are waiting for our athlete to run through the finish.

Yeah! There he is- not the one in pink. Official time: 1:56:02

We are so proud of you Steve! Great job on the race.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T15:48:00.002-04:00

We had a witch, an angel and two hula dancers ready for trick or treating.

Lilly and Baily are becoming quite independent and wanted to walk the neighborhood just like their big sisters.

Pumpkin Time

2010-10-26T11:46:00.002-04:00

We all had a great time on a beautiful fall day at the pumpkin patch to collect some pumpkins before Halloween.

Hay ride

Bailey

At the pumpkin patch we also got to visit all sorts of farm animals like horses, sheep, and goats. The girls loved it.

October happenings

2010-10-26T11:36:00.002-04:00

I've been a little behind in updating our blog.

Here are a few things that have been happening.

General Conference looked like this for lunch and President Monson's talk

then it looked like this:

Yes- we're working on reverence.

Alison working on homework and Lauren coloring

We had a great visit with Steve's mom- Grandma Muriel and Omar. Thanks for your delicious apple pie!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-08T23:20:00.003-04:00

This weekend we went to D.C for a museum day. We had lunch at the sculpture garden and enjoyed the fountains.

National Gallery of Art (my favorite).

We also went to the American History Museum. We loved seeing Julia Child's kitchen and all her pots and pans.

The Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz- the girls were very excited.

We also ran the annual Potomac Street mile race. Alison and Lauren ran it together coming in under 10 minutes. Steve ran it in 6:47 (not bad for someone who is recovered from recent knee surgery) and Tracy 6:55. We all had a great time.

Alison and Lauren coming into the finish.

last of the MV pictures

2010-08-30T22:13:00.005-04:00

Steve and Lilly on our sail boat ride.

Bailey and Lilly loved helping the cars get all clean again.

Our love for walking down the lane is two fold: 1. Find blueberries 2. Find huckleberries
Charlotte and the twins had fun hanging out this summer.

More MV

2010-08-30T21:50:00.002-04:00

For my birthday we had dinner at the beach- it was great. My sister Trisha was there for a good week with us.

Uncle Stuart with the cabbage patch kids in sand.

My dad, me, Aubs, Stuart and Leon ran the Chilmark Road Race. Leon came in first in his age category!

Aubrey and cute Charlotte at the Edgartown lighthouse.

Me and the all our girls.

Summer on MV

2010-08-30T21:19:00.002-04:00

Lilly all decked out for the beach.

Papa took all the big kids down to the South beach one night to catch some crabs.

We were so happy Amy and her boys were able to stay for awhile. All the cousins had a great time.

Flying Horses

The Plumbers- Steve and Stuart did many summer projects this year. One of which was installing a new hot water heater.

Beach Days

2010-07-27T20:56:00.002-04:00

We're on Martha's Vineyard for our annual summer fun with family and beach days. Here are some of our pictures so far.

Our kids are all loving the tree house.

Cousin Charlotte and Lilly

Stormy day at the South beach. We had to book it back home before a huge storm came by. We made it back in the nick of time.

more later...

Alison's Lemonade Birthday Party

2010-07-14T23:04:00.006-04:00

For Alison's 7th Birthday this year we went with a lemonade themed party. I got this idea from a great party blog here. I made homemade lemonade, and a pink lemonade cake- yum! The girls loved drinking out of mason jars with fabric swatches tied around them. I had a lot of fun putting this together.

The girls all painted a craft during the party.

A little game of horse-shoes.

Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you.

One finished project and some fourth of July

2010-07-14T22:52:00.001-04:00

This little bench has been on the to-do list for a long time. I've wanted to recover it and paint it white for awhile. I wish I had a before- shot, but since I don't you can just enjoy how it goes with the flow of our room now. Thanks to Grandma Muriel for giving us this beautiful antique bench.
Our friends the Burgraffs put on a great show for the fourth of July.

Lilly loved the sound of the fireworks. She kept covering up her mouth and squealing with delight.

All the girls loved the show too while trying to stay hydrated. Oh- the heat!

Art Camp

2010-07-14T22:28:00.004-04:00

For two weeks my friend Elinn and I put on an Art Camp for our children and a group of their friends. They did all sorts of projects and at the end of class they could help make an artistic edible snack. Here, they all helped make dirt cups with worms (pudding, crushed-up oreos, gummy worms). Elinn and I had a great time putting this together and everyone had fun.
Collage Art

Icecream cones filled with a mix of snacks.

Pointillism day

Pop Art

more edible snacks.

Summer is here

2010-06-20T22:18:00.005-04:00

Lauren lost her first tooth last week and was thrilled the tooth fairy would be coming to her house.
We've started swim lessons for Alison and Lauren and we all love going frequently to the pool.

Lilly

We went to Steve's family work party where we went on a boat ride around a beautiful pond.
What a hot day!

Happy Father's Day! We love you!

Two girls turning two

2010-06-08T22:21:00.005-04:00

Lilly and Bailey turned two at the end of May. We had a little family birthday party complete with cupcakes (our favorite birthday dessert).

Bailey ready to devour the cupcakes.

"Excited" says Lilly

The big unveiling of their gift- a red wagon

Bailey and Lilly are so funny to watch as they play together and help each other. If one of them is not in the room with us they will say, "Where Bailey go?" or "Where Lilly go?" They are enjoying playing playdough together, going for wagon rides, copying each other, singing, dancing, and stealing silly bands from their sisters. We love them and we are so happy they are in our family.

Steve and Tracy in NYC

2010-05-18T21:30:00.010-04:00

Steve and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary by going on a trip to NYC. This is the first trip we've taken together since Alison came along. Mom and dad stayed with the girls for which we will be eternally greatful! Thanks mom and dad!

Here are a few pictures of our trip to the Big Apple...

Here we are at Times Square

We walked a ton the first day. This is me needing a break.

At the top of the Empire State Building

We went to the play Wicked. What a tremedously awesome show!

We went running in central park and fell in love with this amazing place. There were so many people out running, biking or walking their dogs.

This is one museum that I really wanted to visit- Frank Loyd Wright's design for the Guggenheim Museum.

Serendipity's- we got full on their frozen hot chocolate even before our meal came, but it was worth it.

The Brooklyn Bridge. This was one of Steve's favorite places. He read books and studied the design a coupld of years ago (Nerd) so this was a dream come true for him.

I love my mummy! Steve looking fierce in the Egyptian section.

Here we are at the MET. We stayed here for a long time. This place is a monster museum to tackle. (Lenny Kravits would be proud)

We went on the Circle Line night cruise around the harbor. We enjoyed just sitting for a couple of hours after all of that walking and enjoying the views of the city at night.

Gum gum for Dum Dum. We went to the Natural History Museum along with a throng of other school children.

We came home safely and mom said everyone was "still alive". This was her main goal while we were gone. Actually, they were in complete bliss with Grandma and Papa here. We came back and celebrated mom's birthday with some cupcakes from a NYC bakery. Thanks mom and dad!

Happy Anniversary

2010-05-10T22:08:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Tracy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. It is amazing to reminisce over the past 10 years. We have known each other since Primary. Who could have guessed then what we would become?

Our little “us” has changed quite a bit since the beginning. First it was “us” just hanging out when we were kids. Then it was “us” on our first date, “us” in high school, then in college. Then it was “us” getting married. Then it was “us” in our first apartment in Provo, Utah. Then, in a blink of an eye, our “us” grew by one, then by one more, then by another two.

I love how our story has grown. It is such a blessing for me to have had the past ten years with my dear wife. Happy anniversary Tracy!

Love,

Steve

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T15:18:00.001-04:00

mommy and Bailey

mommy and Lilly

All the Laverty girls

Tracy's 1/2 Marathon

2010-05-02T21:46:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was able to accomplish a goal- a 1/2 marathon at Towson University. It was a great race especially since I was able to run it with some good friends. The course was a trail run that was fairly flat.

This picture was taken about 7 miles into it. The race was a out and back type of race.

Elinn and her husband ran it together and they made a great team. This year, Elinn and I have been helping each other by watching each others' children while we run. What a dear friend she is and I'm glad we could accomplish our goals.

The whole gang- Steven, Elinn, Jody and Tracy. At the end we were all a little dehydrated. What a hot day- it was in the mid 80's when we ran. I ran it in 2 hrs. 7 min. Now I think I will rest awhile and eat a well-deserved chocolate cookie that the girl's and I made.

Alison's Spring Concert

2010-05-02T21:32:00.003-04:00

Alison and her first grade class performed a Spring concert for all the parents this week. What a cute program. Alison had a solo in one of the songs- she did a great job. We are so happy for her.

You can see the video at http://www.vimeo.com/11407678

Easter

2010-04-06T14:46:00.003-04:00

Alison and Lauren with cousin Scott.

What a beautiful Easter day we had in Virginia with cousins and family. We went to Jeannine and Leon's church to hear them sing in their choir and then we went over to Mama Jean's place for a luncheon. After lunch the children had a great time at the egg hunt. Then we went to Jeannine and Leon's house to celebrate Sarah's Birthday.

Bailey, Alison and Lauren looking cute in their Easter dresses.

All our girls.

We celebrated cousin Sarah's 12th Birthday with cake and icecream.

Nadine, A. Jeannine, Leon, David, and Ned all in front of the Sample home.

The girls all played with their new bubbles they got in their Easter baskets.

You Pig!

2010-03-13T10:49:00.006-05:00

Dad, Mike, Dave, Dave and I all got to go on a boar hunting trip in Gonzales, Texas last week. We called it our Red Neck Adventure. This was the first time we have been together in a very long time. We all had a great time and we all got to fill up our freezers at the same time. I even got to shoot my first boar with a bow.

Here is a picture of the last hog I shot. I shot it at 150 yards while it was at a dead run.

We also got to see some buffalo, elk, oryx, deer and even a zebra. Here is a picture of two elk that we were able to get really close to. It was a really fun trip and it was great seeing everyone.

If anyone would like to come over for some pig, let me know! We have a lot of it!

more hot cocoa please

2010-02-09T00:57:00.003-05:00

Here are some images of our latest and largest snowfall in Maryland. We got about 3 feet and there is another storm on its way. We've all been having a great time sledding, playing on the "mountain" right in front of our house, drinking cocoa and playing games.
Our deck looked like the Sahara desert, but with loads of snow instead of sand.

This is what we opened our door up to on Saturday morning.

Steve with the girls reading by the fire.

Alison, Lauren and friend Kailyn playing in the snow.

Steve, Lilly and Bailey went for a little sled ride (this picture was before the storm).

I have been very neglectful for not putting Lauren's 5th Birthday party pictures up. So, here you go- Princess dress up party with lots of pink + sugar + friends = Positvely Perfect Party

The girls all decorated and frosted their own princess sugar cookies.

Lauren is such a sweet girl. She is a little mother to Bailey and Lilly. She has many friends and her best friend is Alison. She loves anything fancy- just like her favorite character Fancy Nancy. Her favorite colors are pink, purple and white. Painting and working with glitter glue are her mediums of choice. We are a blessed family to have such a Lauren girl in our home. We love you Lauren.

Disney World!

2010-02-02T21:55:00.005-05:00

This January we went to Disney World and met up with Grandma,Papa and the Moe family. We had a great time despite the cold weather. Here are a few pictures of our adventures with Mickey!

Our family at the castle

The girls in a tea cup

The four cousins. Taima, Sai, Alison and Lauren

Hanging out with Cinderella. The girls were so excited to meet her! They all dressed up in princess regalia. Lilly loves to point at this picture and say "Lalalala" (Translation: Cinderella. In baby babble)

The castle at night. It really was a magical place

We got to meet quite a few Disney characters. Here we are with Woody and Jessie.

We gave the girls each some money to spend at Disney World. This was Lauren's must-have purchace. She looked very cute.

Becuase of the cold weather, the crowds weren't that big and we got to go on a lot of rides.

Grandma and Papa with the Disney grand kids.

Here's Lilly looking cool on our drive home from Orlando

Lauren enjoying her lollypop on the drive home.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-21T00:05:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas.

This is one of the pictures from our winter snow storm. Supposedly it was the worst storm since 1919. Steve got stranded in Atlanta during the storm and ended up driving all the way back home in the snow storm. He made it back safely and even got and interesting journal entry out of it!

We had our neighborhood Christmas party at our house. Its such a blessing to have great neighbors.

Here's another picture of our neighborhood Christmas party.

We drove up to Massachusetts to spend Christmas with my parents. We even got some sledding in with papa and cousins.

We went to the Boston Aquarium. It was freezing cold outside but everyone did really well. There are seals behind this glass that you can watch swim around. Both Steve and I remember going here as kids and coming here with our kids brought back memories.

Our family at the Aquarium

Alison with a starfish.

Bailey and Steve hanging out with a turtle

Girls night out with sisters and mom

The cousins listening to a Christmas story before bed on Christmas Eve

Cousins- Alison, Sai, Lauren

Uncle Stuart and Christmas Charlotte

Bailey and Lilly on Christmas morning. They found their Santa Gifts right away and immediately took their dollies out for a spin.

Grandma and Papa with all their grandchildren in their new pajamas. Thanks Grandma!

Update!

2010-01-17T17:13:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple of cute pictures from Christmas time...

Alison lost her two front theeth! Her two eye teeth are loose and I kinda hope she looses all four. That would look awesome!

Here is a really cute picture of the twins playing dress-up.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

2009-12-20T13:43:00.004-05:00

Stockings hung with little jingle bell tags made by Tracy.

Decorating the tree is always an adventure with toddlers.

Steve and the girls playing in the first snow storm of the season. More snow day pictures to come.

Lauren and Tracy went to a Christmas play with her pre-school class.

Alison had a wonderful Christmas progam at school this year. She was one of the narrators.

For the Christmas card this year I directed you all to our family blog, partly because I'm lazy and thought this might be easier. However, you will get to see more pictures of all of us. Lucky you! We have had a great year.

Steve- is enjoying his job as a contractor for NOAA. He also is now the Young Men's President in our ward.
Tracy- had a great time with her friend Elinn teaching a group of children the Sound of Music play. I am loving being a mother of four beautiful girls.
Alison- is enjoying first grade. She is reading very well and loves playing the piano and doing gymnastics.
Lauren- is "love, love, loving" pre-school and all her new friends. She also loves being my Mother's Little Helper by helping with the twins.
Bailey- (18 months) loves her sisters and jumping. She watches closely what her sisters are doing now and is even folding her arms when its time for prayers. She loves hugging Lilly and saying "yaya" when she is excited about something.
Lilly- (18 months) loves climbing on the kitchen table and dancing. She also just discovered the joy of swishing her hand in the toliet and loves to watch my reaction as I catch her in the act. Yuck- but she sure is cute!

We are grateful for this time of year to reflect on the past year and perpare for the new one. How wonderful it is to celebrate the Savior's birth and his life. We hope you all have a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LOVE, THE LAVERTYS

Sound of Music

2009-11-30T23:28:00.003-05:00

My good friend Elinn and I started a class where we taught our children and other children from church and our neighborhood the music from the play the Sound of Music. For three months we practiced this mini-play, where they learned choreography, memorizing lines and a handful of songs. They all did such a great job! We had two performances. What fun it was for me to help with scenery, costumes and put it all together. Here's a clip of the Brunswick Singers performing "Do Rei Me."

You can see the video here

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T14:21:00.002-05:00

We had a great crowd here for Thanksgiving. My grandmother, Aunt Jeannine, Uncle Leon, Heather, her boyfriend Pat, Ned, my parents, Aubs, Stuart, and baby Charlotte were the ones in attendance. Everyone pitched in to help with the feast and we all left feeling full. We felt so happy to have our home brimming with people we love and good food. We feel truly blessed. Here are some pictures to document the day. This first one is of the babies smothering poor Charlotte. They were loving being around her.
Pat, Heather, Jeannine and Ned at our pumpkin themed table. Mom, Aubs and Charlotte at the other little table we set up.

Me with the big spread. Let's dig in!

Mama Jean with all her grandchildren.

contributing to the family

2009-11-22T14:54:00.004-05:00

I found a great chore chart for my girls. What I love about this chart is how the designer labeled it "how I contribute to my family." My girls have been on board with this from the get-go. They are feeling really accomplished at the end of the day when I say, "look how many checks you have! Thank you for contributing to our family."

You can download this free snazzy chart at:

http://www.modecokids.com/index.php/2009/10/21/free-printable-chore-chart-for-kids/

Halloween

2009-11-04T22:27:00.005-05:00

Tracy made Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes for the twins and I dressed as the cat in the hat. The twins looked really cute.

This is a rare picture of the twins with their wigs. Tracy spent hours making these costumes and the twins absolutely hated waring the wigs.

All of the girls helped with the pumpkin. We had to keep Lilly from eating the seeds. We weren't too successful.

Lauren was Tinkerbell and Alison was our cute witch.

I decided to use a different method for carving pumpkins this year. My side of the family has somewhat of a tradition of combining fresh produce and power tools. It's a long story... but my dad would be proud!

Work It

2009-10-14T23:28:00.005-04:00

The girls were little models again for our photographer friend Jen Anderson http://www.photographybyjennifer.net/. Here is a sampling of the pictures she took. She is amazing! These two baby pictures are of Bailey. Unfortunately, Lilly was not cooperating.

Half Marathon

2009-10-11T09:38:00.006-04:00

I finished my first half Marathon yesterday. I was part of a 4-person marathon relay team, each person taking a quarter. I started with the first leg and continued on the second leg with one of my teammates. I finished in 1hr 50 something-minutes. There were around 20,000 runners on this day. Here are some pictures to prove that it actually happened!

Here's a shot of the crowd

Here we are passing mile 10-ish. At this point I had finished the first leg and was about halfway through the second leg.

There were a couple of crazy people (A relative term) who ran the marathon. Another ran in a farmer's outfit and another juggled 6 balls while running the marathon.

After the first half of the marathon, we hung out until the others were getting close to the finish line. Then we jumped in and crossed together.

The four of us after the race.

Auntie Aubrey Helps Out

2009-10-10T14:22:00.003-04:00

Auntie Aubrey came to visit and help me while Steve was away on business. She brought along her cute little Charlotte. Not only did she help me with the girls, but she also was my personal organizer. Our master closet and desk look a ton better. I threw out three bags of trash and donated four huge bags to Good will. I will take the before and after pictures for all of you. Thank you Aubrey- we love you!!
Aubs and Charlotte

Mom came for a short visit in September. We had so much fun with her.

Bailey and Lilly with cousin Charlotte in the crib.

Here's a video of the Twins playing with the screen door.

School Begins

2009-09-13T15:28:00.002-04:00

Our garden this summer was not the greatest in harvesting tomatoes that we had planted, but Alison's sunflower did grow beautifully tall.
Alison's first day of first grade. We walked her to the bus stop. She is loving school.

Alison looking cute.

Bailey and our little photo shoot.

Lilly with her bright blue eyes.

On The Run

2009-09-06T15:31:00.007-04:00

This weekend we all decided to run the Brunswick Potomac Street Mile. This was Alison's second mile race and it was Lauren's first. We all had a great time. Here are some pictures from the day.

Our family before the race

Lauren and Tracy at the starting line

Alsion and some of her friends at the starting line. Notice one of her friends has her own I-Pod!

Alison finished the mile in about 9:20

Lauren and Tracy coming down the home stretch.

Lauren finsihed in about 12:00

My goal was to finish in less than 6:00. I haven't run a mile in less than 6:00 since BYU. My official time... 5:55!

Art Project

2009-08-19T23:04:00.003-04:00

I worked on a little art project for the girl's room. I found this idea from a magazine and thought- I could totally make that! I spray painted canvases and made paper flowers. I used my friend's Cricket machine to cut out some of the shapes like the bird and the scollop edging. Ok, I LOVE the Cricket machine- it was so easy and you can do every shape imaginable. I painted the tree branch, and painted the cardboard letters. I loved doing this project. The girls like having bunk beds in their room now and I love it because it gives them more room and room for wall art.

Bailey wanted to put a barrett in her hair the other day. They are getting so big!

2009-08-17T23:01:00.002-04:00

The girls and I at Edgartown Lighthouse.
Bailey and Lilly got such a kick spending some time with their cousin baby Charlotte.

Steve and Lauren

Alison and Lauren- beach buddies!

Auntie Trisha was so fun to hang out with one the island. She was so helpful to me while Steve was away for a few weeks. What would we have done if she wasn't there?

2009-08-17T22:51:00.002-04:00

We had a great visit with our friends the Shipley's this summer on the Vineyard. We had a great time showing them the towns, going to the beach, fishing and boating with them. They are a great family!
Lindsay and Tracy at a gingerbread house in Oak Bluffs.

Kevin and Lindsay made us some great meals!

Lilly just kills me when she wears this sun hat.

What is summer without icecream? We had a blast spending time with Grandma and Papa!

More MV pictures

2009-08-17T22:40:00.003-04:00

Papa and the girls go for a boat ride. Lauren is holding her doll, Emily Elisabeth. This doll went everywhere with us this summer.
Christy Jones and her girls came for a visit for a couple of days. We had a great time with them.
This summer we had to say 'good-bye' to our family dog, Maddie. She spent her last days on the island with us, and we buried her on the property. Now, when we take walks down the lane we put flowers on her grave. We miss her, she was a great dog.

All of us on the beach.

We spent a lot of fun time with Aunt Aubrey and baby Charlotte. Aubrey is such a great mother and Charlotte is such a happy, content baby. All the girls loved being around her.

Hiers Reunion

2009-08-16T22:23:00.002-04:00

The last part of our MV trip was a Family Reunion on the Hiers side. Here are some pictures...
Here are the six of us sporting the Cobb's Hill Family Reunion shirts.

What a great looking crowd. All of the cousins had a great time playing and running around.

We had a talent show one night. Despite all of my efforts of destroying all photographic evidence of the skits I was involved it, this picture made it through the cracks. Man did this bring back memories...

The horseshoe tournament. Tracy and I were on a team and we got crushed. Last year I came in second to Mama Jean! I'll be ready for next year!

Here is a picture of a game we played. Stuart threw water balloons up in the air and you had to work as a team to catch them with your towel. Alison was my team mate and we had a lot of fun.

What would a reunion be without eating? What do you think Lilly is thinking in the bottom right corner?

Trip to Martha's Vineyard (Part I)

2009-08-16T22:10:00.002-04:00

It is like coming home when we come to the Island. Here are a few pictures of some things we did.

Here we are on the ferry.

Bailey looking too cool for school. Both Bailey and Lilly had a pair of sunglasses and they loved strutting their stuff around the house.

Reading time.

Here we are at the beach. Bailey and Lilly loved to play in the sand and in the water.

Walks on the lane.

Trip to Martha's Vineyard (Part II)

2009-08-16T21:55:00.003-04:00

And more pictures...

Alison, Lauren and I practicing. Despite what Stuart says, we did catch fish!

Alison and Stuart working hard.

Here we are at Squibnocket. The twins loved playing in the waves. Tracy and I had to stand between them and the ocean at all times. They were crazy and tried to run past us all the time.

Alison swimming.

Bailey and Lilly weren't too happy being left inside. I thought this picture was cute.

Boston

2009-08-16T21:43:00.004-04:00

After visiting New Hampshire, we went into Boston to visit Aubrey and Stuart.

We went to lunch at this incredible Hamburger place called Bartley's. The names of their burgers were... "interesting" but man, did they taste good.

We went into Boston Commons and fed the ducks. If the twins weren't restrained, they would have jumped in and swam after them.

We took a trip on the Swan Boats

Bailey with a duck. She was pretty disappointed after she found out she couldn't eat them.

Here we are with the ducks.

Visiting the Downeys

2009-08-16T21:36:00.003-04:00

Our summer trip began with a visit to my brother Joe in New Hampshire. It was great spending a day with them and catching up. Joe and I played two games of cribbage but don't ask him who won both games. Here are a few pictures.

Joe helping the girls make pizza for lunch

The two dads outnumbered and loving it.

All of the ladies

Random Cuteness

2009-06-26T00:43:00.004-04:00

Bailey and Lilly love pushing each other on their little bike. Lilly is in pink, Bailey is in purple.

Now that school is out for Alison we've had some good playdates. The girls played tea party and dress up with their friend Mari. Bailey and Lilly are stylin their new outfits from Aunt Lia.

The flowers in the middle are from our garden. We planted tomatoes, naustriums, basil, chives, peppers, straberries, and sun flowers. We are loving the naustrium flowers that also are protecting our tomatoes from bugs.

Alison has been taking gymnastics this year. We are so happy for her to be learning new things.

Birthday Babies

2009-05-31T23:18:00.003-04:00

The babies had fun learning how to open up presents at their party. Alison and Lauren went "shopping" in our basement and found some great toys to wrap for the babies. They loved it.

Our little one year olds.

We are the culprits to the destructive kitchen.

Destruction- this is the phase the twins are in now. This is what the kitchen looks like when I'm trying to cook dinner. I tell Steve that its a miracle dinner is pretty much ready when he gets home.

Here's an example of what the twins like to do. It's like the tag-team; Lilly will take the drawers while Bailey takes the dishwasher. There is no stopping them!

Lilly on her Birthday. Bailey's picture will be posted later.

Happy Birthday Babies

2009-05-31T22:44:00.003-04:00

We had a small group of friends come over for Birthday cupcakes and ice cream. Bailey and Lilly loved their first Birthday party. Wow- a year goes by so quickly. Lilly is taking a few steps and Bailey will be on her way soon.

Practicing Walking

2009-05-16T12:47:00.002-04:00

Jazz Night at the Laverty's

2009-05-16T12:19:00.003-04:00

Alison's Sping Concert

2009-05-16T11:47:00.003-04:00

Alison did a great job in her school musical performance. She is the one in yellow with white bows.

Mother's Day and Anniversary

2009-05-16T11:18:00.003-04:00

Steve and I celebrated nine years of marriage on May 9, 2009. "Do I hear a niner in there?" What a great nine years it has been. How lucky am I to have a great husband who still loves me even through I can be a bit crazy sometimes, but I guess that comes with the territory now that he is in the land of all women in his life.

We had a great date night while mom and dad, who came for a wonderful mother's day visit,had their hands full. We went out to Georgetown for dinner and then went to the Kennedy Center for a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra. The performance was a bit interesting, since it was contemporary week at the Kennedy. I thought it would be your normal classical performance, but this one could be compared to modern or contemporary art- there is more theory behind it than meets the eye (or, in this case, the ear).

Mother's day was beautiful and dad and Steve did a wonderful job making us feel pampered. They cooked a great breakfast and dinner.

Tracy with the babies.

Classic dad- asleep while the girls watch a movie on Papa's computer.

Mom with Lilly.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T21:45:00.002-04:00

Bailey with a big smile.

Alison and Lauren helped make a bunny cake with me.

The Easter egg hunt at Jeannine & Leon's church.

Lilly having a ball!

Baby Races

2009-04-12T21:08:00.004-04:00

Here is a video of a game we have started to play with the twins. We're teaching our children the finer art of track racing.

Peek a boo

2009-04-06T22:03:00.002-04:00

March Madness

2009-03-22T21:28:00.004-04:00

It appears that March Madness is living up to it's name in our house. The twins are now mobile and love to cause a ruckus. Here are a few pictures that capture our life.

Our basement got a makeover this week. Things are a bit more organized and all four girls love playing there. Of course, about 30 seconds after this picture was taken, half the things were thrown off the shelf.

Bailey and Lilly can now pull themselves up with the aid of furniture or anything else they can grab. Nothing is safe. Here they are looking out the window- a new favorite past time. It's fun for Steve to come home and see two bald heads peaking over the window sill.

We tried for a group shot and this is the best we got... lots of fidgeting.

Here they are right after a bath. We put them down for 10 seconds and they are off with a trail of towels behind them.

Lilly looking cute

Brownie Bakers

2009-02-23T22:14:00.003-05:00

Alison and Lauren starred in their own cooking show. This is a three part series but the other parts are too big to show on a blog. Lauren loves to watch the Food Network with mommy. In fact, we were at the store the other day and Lauren said, "isn't that Ina Garten?" speaking about about a woman who was.... well, looked similar to Ina. Very cute!

the tooth fairy and the crawlers

2009-02-23T21:47:00.002-05:00

Bailey is the crawler and Lilly is the jumper. Bailey has discovered life beyond the rug and likes to scoot behind the couch to where Alison and Lauren have their play kitchen and their creative corner. Now nothing is safe from their curious little hands and mouths.

The tooth fairy came this week for Alison's first tooth. She had been wiggling her tooth for a few days and out it came one morning with a little help from mom.

This is our typical scene three times a day.

Watch out here we come!

Aruba Baby!

2009-02-02T21:04:00.003-05:00

My mom, my sisters and I ditched all our husbands for a week of R&R in Aruba! We have been planning this trip for a year and saving our pennies. We had an unforgetable time. Thanks to mom for being grandma of the year as she traveled with me, Bailey and Lilly to the island. It was not the easiest trip- we got off the plane and she was covered with baby biscuit mess all over her shirt! However, we had such a great time at the beach, watching chic flicks and playing cards. Trish and I went tubing and screamed and laughed the whole time. It was the best and worst 15 minutes of our lives. Steve did a good job holding down the fort with Alison and Lauren. Also, thanks to all our friends and Papa for helping with Alison and Lauren so mom could go on a vacation. I love you mom, Amy, Jen, Trisha, and Aubs- thanks for the memories. Bailey and Lilly get ready for the sun.

Amy, Aubrey and baby Matai.

Tracy and the babies arrive at the beach.

Under our cabana.

mom and I with the babies in the little pool. Bailey and Lilly loved it!

Beach babes!

Trish and I with Lilly and Bailey. The water was so warm.

This was our view from our room. Nice!

Deer oh deer

2009-01-21T13:37:00.002-05:00

Deer have been hanging out in our back yard lately. Recently, the deer have been getting closer and closer. I used my grill as a deer blind (why spend $100s at Cabellas when you can use a grill, right?) while I took this picture with Alison.

Tracy commented afterword, "You see nature and beauty. All I see is Lyme Disease". I think Tracy hurt Bambi's feelings

Pinkalicious

2009-01-18T20:51:00.002-05:00

Pink Pink Pink- We had a pink themed party for Birthday girl Lauren who turned four.

Since the theme was pink all her little friends came dressed in pink and we ate a pluthera

of pink food. My sister Trisha would be proud.

Here was the spread of pink foods.

Here I am reading to the girls the Pinkalicious story. Its a classic story about a girl who eats
too many pink cupcakes and then turns pink.

Pink-a-boo!

Happy Birthday Lauren. We love you.