The Lawrences

Autumn Tradition

We have a tradition that was started by accident in 2006. We take a hike up Camels Back this time of year as a family and play at the play ground for a bit. The first year we did this Thad and Ashton were exhausted by the time they got to the top. Thad thought he couldn't make it. With our encouragement he didn't give up and made it to the top. Once at the top you can see the triumph on their faces as they shouted "We did it!" So in keeping with this we have repeated the event every Autumn. Here are pictures of the boys over the last three Autumns. Man have they grown!

2006

2007

2008

Mom and Dad "Made it too!"

2006

2007

2008

Here are some fun shots from the park. You can't say we don't know how to play!

And lastly a video of Daddy being funny as can be! I love you, Steven!

Lucky the Mouse

So a few weeks back we discovered we had a small furry guest that had taken up residence in our kitchen! Ok, so when you see a mouse in it's natural habitat it looks sweet and kind of cute, but in your Kitchen, all you want to do is scream! So lucky for this mouse, hence the name we gave it, that we just wanted to get him back to his natural environment. We went clear to Meridian to find a live trap from D&B Supply. Who would have guessed they would be the only ones around with a decent live trap. Thanks to my friend Amrta, she discovered this last year when she had the same problem and shared this information with us.

Here are some shots from our catch and release mouse program.

Here he is in the live trap. It has a tunnel they walk through and as they get to the middle it spanks them into the chamber you see him in. It is really a great design.

Just before we released him way far away from our house!

Back in the wild like he should be. Now see doesn't he look kind of cute in his natural habitat?

Good luck, Lucky!

The Lawrences get Silly!

Many times we get silly and don't have any record of the laughter produced by these moments of comedy. On this occasion however, I was smart enough to get the camera and record it! Enjoy!

Thad has Ants in his Pants!

Here are some shots of our silly antics over the past few weeks.

Yes if you didn't know it Steven is the cookie monster!

Yes this is a cookie with ears!

The hat made us do it!

Ashton the speed bump!

Embracing the inner goof!

Hope you enjoyed all the silliness!

Trick or Treat!

We had a nice Halloween this year. The day was full of events both at school and at home. Ashton teamed up with me this year and we went as Little Miss Muffet and the spider that sat down beside her. Daddy was death, and Thaddaeus was Prince Caspian.

You can't say Death doesn't have a sense of humor!

Here are the highlights...

I had the pleasure of volunteering at Ashton's class in the morning. I got to help all the kids decorate their pumpkin muffins before snack time. It was fun to meet all of them and see all the different personalities they already have. I of course was the only adult to dress up in the primary school class, for those of you who know me that well, this is a classic Jen move! I accompanied the class with other volunteers and teachers for their Halloween field trip to a near by assisted living home. The residents loved seeing all the costumes and hearing the songs the class had been practicing for this event.

Ashton got to attend Grandma Shannie's annual work Halloween Party that afternoon. He had a lot of fun trick or treating there. We followed our tradition of going to the Caspers' house and trick or treating. They live in a nice gated community that offers a secure, low traffic experience. We met up with Grandma Shannie and Ashton at the Casper's house to finish getting Ashton ready and take him and Thad out.

Here is Ashton letting me put on his face paint to make him extra spookie! He is a black widow spider. He helped sow the hour glass on his costume and cut it out all by himself. We bought this cheap spider costume at the store and then really altered it to make it a scary spider.

Daddy let me put on his face paint to make him look dead. We think it turned out pretty good! Very spooky! As you can see Shannon was getting creaped out.

After everyone was ready we hit the road and started the rounds. We had lots of fun trick or treating. I even got a couple of videos of the boys at some of the houses! Too cute!

Next we went to my co-worker's annual Halloween party at their home. We went last year and had a great time. The Reynolds always do a nice job of offering a family party where both the kids and adults have a good time.

As you can see Brian looks like a mild mannored appraiser, but get him mad and the green monster comes out!

His wife Katie was Medusa and tied snakes in her hair! I loved it! What a power couple hu!

With the Renolds great garden/backyard at our disposal we took the opportunity to stage a few fun shots!

Here is the Reynold's oldest son Max, he was a Viking!

We want to thank the Caspers & Reynolds for opening their homes to us, as always we had a wonderful time at both parties! Thank you to Grandma Shannie and Papa Scott for inviting us! Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

People we have a fence!

To Steven and my great excitement we have a fence! We will still have to secure the spaces between the back fence to keep Bailey in the yard, but we are one step closer to having the yard the way we want it, not to mention it feels much more secure to have a fence on that side of the house to keep curious bodies out of our yard. Our neighbors have been pretty friendly, and frequent snooping in each others' yards is very common. Steven and I find it quite funny, but are glad we won't be getting those drop ins any longer.

Diwali ~ Celebration of Light!

On Tuesday we celebrated Diwali at our Temple. You may be asking what is Diwali? Diwali is the celebration of light and the beginning of the Hindu New Year. What is the significance of lighting a lamp? There is a logical answer to this question. It is through the light that the beauty of this world is revealed or experienced. Most civilizations of the world recognize the importance of light as a gift of God. It has always been a symbol of whatever is positive in our world of experience.

To Vaishnavas, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. Therefore, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc.

Here are the highlights from our celebration in Boise...

We each got to light a candle and it was placed on the altar. As you can see all the candle light was beautiful!

Here is Ian playing the Mrdanga. I love his playing he does an amazing job of getting everyone excited to sing and dance!

Here is Emily before her dance with her sister and the play.

Here is Laura before the dance and the play. They both look so beautiful! Wait till you see their dance!

Steven clapping along to the music.

My sweet boys as we waited for the dance to begin.

Emily and Laura did their first performance together! It was so nice to see them work together and pull off such a nice dance. Emily taught Laura the entire dance her self.

My best friend Amrta had a large roll in the play and did an amazing job! The play was about staying devoted to your husband even in hard times or seperation. The entire cast did an amazing job! This was the first dramatic play our Temple has put on. Normally the plays are comedies. Here are some candid shots of my wonderful friend!