CONGRATULATIONS JUDE!

I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate Jude for doing so well this past semester. Jude took 18 credits and worked so hard to learn the material and make good grades these past few months. His efforts definitely paid off...he made five A's and one B! I am so proud of him =). Way to go, babe! I love you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The school semester has ended so I get to experience all sorts of wonderful things with my girls. Lisi was just informed that she was on the naughty list and would not be getting anything from Santa this year. She didn't take it very well. Afterwards I spoke to the big guy and told him there must have been some sort of mix-up because Lisi has been a perfect angel all year long. So he double checked and sure enough he was wrong. It was actually Ashley that was on the naughty list. I guess I will just have to get her something since Santa will not be bringing anything for her down the chimney that we do not have.
- Jude Collins

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This month has been a fun one. On the 16th Jude and I took the girls to Bridge Street Town Centre to see the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. We really enjoyed it. The Christmas tree was 50 feet tall! It was very beautiful. There were carolers singing and people were standing on the rooftops sprinkling snow down on us. I think we might make it an annual tradition. My dad, my stepmom Jeanne and my stepbrother Jon were there as well. Afterwards I took Evie on the carousel. She had so much fun. She was giggling with pleasure the entire time. She didn't like it when I took her down though. And wouldn't you know that Jude and I forgot to bring our camera!

Jude and I set up our Christmas tree last Sunday (yes, I know it was a bit early, but we were in the holiday spirit...plus the girls were down for a nap!) Our living room is so much more cozy now, especially thanks to Jared and Debbie who gave us their old entertainment center. We love it. The girls really like the tree. Evie has been pulling down the ball ornaments and putting them up to her ear like earrings. We've been having to put the ornaments higher and higher on the tree so she can't reach them. It looks pretty funny. Evie also likes to sing Jingle Bells and she has become obsessed with the holiday stuffed animals and toys we brought down when we were decorating.

The Thanksgiving holidays were a lot of fun. Jude let me spend the entire day away on Wednesday. I went over to my dad's and hung out. I am making Jude's Christmas present (we'll see if I get it done by then), so I worked on that a little and then I gave myself a manicure and pedicure. It was a nice and relaxing day for me. I hadn't been away from the girls in so long. I love my babies, but I needed the break! On Thursday my brothers came up for the day. We ate tons of food and played some Trivial Pursuit. I made the cornbread dressing and cranberry relish. My dad made 15 pies! Everything was yummy. On Friday my sister and other brother and their families came up. Once again we ate tons of food and we played Catch Phrase. It was so nice spending time with my family. I wish everyone lived closer so we could see them more often. I am already looking forward to Christmas!

TRICK-OR- TREAT

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls all dressed up for Halloween. Our church had a chili cook off-which I won by the way =)-and a trunk or treat. Evie was supposed to be a cat. Had it not been for the whiskers I drew on her face she probably would have looked more like a bat! She was still cute. Liese was a pumpkin. I made the costume for Evie last year. Lucky for us it fit Liese. Evie absolutely loved trick or treating. She thought it was the coolest thing to carry her little bag filled with candy and got very upset with us when we had to take it away from her later that night. We had a lot of fun and look forward to Halloween next year when they are both a little bit older.

UPDATE...

Well, I figured it was time for an update since I haven't posted anything in almost a month. Jude is halfway through his semester and he is doing great!!! My husband is such smart guy. I am really proud of him. He works really hard to do well in school. And even though at times he feels completely swamped with homework he always makes time for us girls and he even watches the girls so I can have some "Ashley" time. What a sweetie!!! He spoke with his adviser last week and he is on schedule to graduate next August. Yippee!!! We are both really excited. Only 10 more months!
So far I have had 8 sign language classes. I am learning tons of stuff. Last Friday I went to a deaf social. I signed with three deaf people. Let's just say I have a lot of room for improvement =). I am excited to attend more socials though and improve my signing.
Evie and Anneliese are as cute as ever. I love my little girls so much. Evie is starting to talk more than ever. Her personality is showing more and more each day. We went to story time at the library this morning and she was so good!!! I say this because every other time I've gone she's had tantrums. Anneliese is crawling everywhere and has started pulling up on furniture to stand. Her and Evie are interacting with each other more now. It is so funny...In the morning Jude and I wake up to find Evie in Anneliese's crib. This morning they were both standing up against the railing and Evie was just laughing as she pounded on the wall.

ASHLEY'S DANCE PARTY 2007

Well, Tuesday was Ashley's birthday "party." The only thing that really made it a party were the balloons, the pudding cake, and the "dancing." I don't really compare to Napoleon Dynamite, but I have some pretty "sweet moves." The music was dj'd by the demo button on my daughter's toy piano. Hope it gives you a laugh. Oh, and Happy Birthday Ashley.
Add a happy birthday Luke and Joseph on to this also.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!!

I've been tagged!

Rules: 1.You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

L-Loving
A-Alabamian
U-U is for one of the letters my daughter recognizes
R-Really wanting something sweet right now
E-Ethical (yeah...its the only word I could think of)
N-Nice...at least most of the time =)


1. Do you like cheese? Yes.
2. Have you ever been arrested? Nope.
3. Have you ever shot a gun? Yes, once over at Jeff H's house. It was a huge gun and it left a bruise on my shoulder!
4. Your favorite song? Hmmm...it depends on the genre. I love Celtic music, especially Connie Dover.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? It depends on what kind of doctor it is and what I am there for.
6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs? Macaroni and cheese. I remember eating them together when I was little.
7. What's your favorite Christmas song? What Shall We Give to the Babe in the Manger
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I'm a big fan of Instant Carnation Breakfast..milk chocolate flavor
9. Can you do push ups? Don't know...haven't tried to in a long time.
10. Is your bathroom clean? Umm...it isn't gross.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I love to wear rings. I really like my turquoise ring and my starfish/Hawaiian flower ring ( I don't know what it is). It has little rubies in it (not sure if they are rubies either, but I like to think they are. Both belonged to my grandma.)
12. Favorite Hobby? I like to read good books when I have the time. I also like to sew.
13. What are you listening to right now? The air conditioning. It is really loud at our house.
14. What is the last thing you ate? A foil dinner. It was very good.
15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? I can be really negative. I am also too hard on myself.
16. Middle Name? Lauren
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I'd really like some yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies (hint, hint...anyone reading this), I can't wait for it to be Autumn, I wish I knew what happened to my little pictures of Jesus so that I can make the frame for "The Living Christ."
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. Groceries, a few clothes for Evie for the Fall, food from Olive Garden
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Water, milk...I don't think there is a third.
20. Current worry right now? How to be a good mom and wife!
21. Current hate? my weight
2. Favorite place to be? Outside in cool weather looking at the stars.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? I can't remember...must not have been too exciting.
24. What is your quirkiest habit? I can't go to bed when the house is messy.
25. Name three people who will complete this and return? Hopefully, everyone I tag will do it.
26. How many siblings do you have? 4 brothers, 1 sister, 2 stepbrothers, 1 stepsister
27. Do you own slippers? Yes
28. What shirt are you wearing? The shirt Jude made me for Mother's Day. It has a picture of me and the girls and it says "# 1 MOM, WE LOVE YOU."
29. What shampoo do you use? Kirkland's shampoo.
30. Favorite colors? Depends. Every color looks best for something or another.
31. Would you like to be a pirate? No
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Usually I end up singing whatever Jude was last singing.
33. Favorite female name? Evie, Anneliese, Amelia
34. Favorite male name? Jude, Seth, Liam
.35. What's in your pockets right now? no pockets
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Jude and I were laughing about a commercial we saw on T.V.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I remember having Tinkerbell sheets. I think I liked them.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Hmmm...I haven't had any...knock on wood.
39. When's your birthday? Sept 18
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
41. Who is your loudest friend? I don't think any of my friends are exceptionally loud.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? Jude =)
44. Do you wish on shooting stars? Yes, when I see them.
45.What is your favorite book? Harry Potter series, The Hiding Place, Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
46.What is your favorite age? I loved being 17...It was a magical time.
47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? I can't even remember what music we had at our reception. Don't know what I would have liked played...Some nice peaceful music probably.
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Wondrous Love (There are ten million different versions of this song, but I love Connie Dover's lyrics the best)
49. What were you doing at 12 am this morning? Sleeping!
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Anneliese didn't get up once!

I am going to tag Megan and Nan. They are the only ones I know who haven't been tagged yet!

EVIE'S FIRST SIGN

This morning Evie signed her first word! She was asking me where "Dada" was and I told her that he was at school. Then she turns to me and says school while she is signing it. It was the cutest thing. Now she is all excited about it, too. Tonight she also signed milk and book. We'll see if she remembers those tomorrow =).

ANNELIESE

Anneliese has started crawling! She just started a few days ago and is getting better everyday! It is amazing how stuff like this is still exciting with the second baby. Here is a video of her crawling towards "baby Jude".

EVIE

Evie cracks me up. Lately she has been using Anneliese as her chair. At first it freaked me out because I thought she would crush Anneliese, but as you can see it doesn't phase her a bit. Lately Evie has also been trying to dress herself, hence, Anneliese's sleeper on her head.

I'm a little concerned with her choice of reading material, however. In our bedroom we have a bookshelf with close to 30 books on it. Everytime, without failing, Evie grabs this one- The Communist Manifesto-a little advanced for her age I think...and a little disturbing.

IT'S A BOY!!!

Congratulations to Drew and Tara who are having a boy. We are so excited for you guys! It will be fun for Jack to have a little brother to play with! Let us know if we can do anything for you.

For those of you who saw the title of this post and thought that I was pregnant yet again...shame on you! =)

FIRST DAY OF CLASS

Today was not only Jude's first day back to class, but mine as well. This semester I am taking an American Sign Language class through the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. I am totally psyched! We learned the alphabet, numbers, and the signs for name, my, you, who is?, Where is?, What is?, same, different, goodness I have already forgotten the rest! Sign Language has been something that has interested me for some time now, but I never chose to do anything about it until now. It feels good to be back in a classroom learning. I love it!

WHY I LOVE BEING A MOM

Here are some recent pictures of the girls. Some of them are sweet. Some of them are funny. And some of them are just plain messy!!!

MY BUDDIES

These are my buddies! I must admit that Evie is probably my best friend, second only to Ashley. I seem to have lost myself somewhere between family/church/school/work responsibilities and any hope of social communion with people of similar age and quirkiness. Hanging out with Evie rocks though because our mental development is at about the same stage and she does not yet realize how weird I sometimes am. She always wants to follow me around and loves to pick up my tools and mimick doing with them what she sees me doing with them, namely: tearing apart old junk that I find on the side of the road as we go for our daily walks in the scorching heat. Yes, Ashley does not approve, but that is why I let her sleep in in the mornings. She also helps me weed my grass, although she does not distinguish grass from weeds. Nor does she distinguish mud and sunscreen from food. So maybe I am slightly more mentally advanced in that area. I would love to have pictures of her eating sunscreen and mud on here, but rather than taking the appropriate parental action of grabbing the camera, I choose to wipe her mouth out to avoid possible injury or death. I also think that Evie is one of only two people who is always excited to see me. Whenever I come home and she hears my key in the door, she comes galloping around the corner just giggling. It melts my heart. I suppose I dread the day when she is older and it is no longer cool to be buddies with dad. Lisi, on the other hand is not yet sure of who I really am. She knows that I am not the milk machine and that seems to be the most important desire in her life at the moment. We do have our giggle fest together though as we chase Evie around the house. I hold Lisi under her arms and swing her like a monkey as we run after Evie. Her and Evie both just look at each other and giggle. It is interesting to see them together. Evie has never been jealous of Lisi, but on the contrary she has always shown her "tuff" love. I say "tuff" love because sometimes Evie does not understand that head-slam kisses hurt. But overall Evie just smiles and hugs and kisses Lisi, while Lisi just smiles in return. Sometimes, if you are in another room you will hear them giggling and when you check to see what is so funny they are just looking at each other laughing as if they are sharing some inside joke.
I love my girls.

BREAK TIME!!!

Well, Jude's summer semester is finally over! This summer has been a killer. He will have a two week break and then he starts back for the fall semester. He is signed up to take 18 credits! Rediculous, I know. But he only has 37 credits left! We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully he will graduate next August. However, if he remains with the company that he co-ops for he will not graduate until May of 2009. Like I mentioned in our previous post, Jude has become interested in power production especially by renewable means. We are hoping that he can find a job where he can get involved in this field.

I am especially happy that Jude has a break from school and soon he will have a break from work as well. A break for him means a break for me! I have been enjoying our girls. It is amazing how fast they grow. Anneliese is rolly-polly and is such a happy baby. Evie is as sassy as ever. Her favorite word right now is "NO!"...nice. But she makes up for it with all her kisses. Lately she has started kissing me if she wants something I've told her she can't have. Smart girl.

Jude's sister Casey had her baby on Thursday, August 2. They named her Abigail Laine. Isn't she a pretty baby?!? We also found out not too long ago that my brother Drew's wife Tara is expecting. They will find out at her next appointment if it's a boy or girl. Exciting!

Abigail Laine ----------->

WIND ENERGY

When my dad and I drove out to Utah a few years ago I saw this windfarm in Rock River Wyoming and fell in love with wind mills. Since then Jude has become fascinated by them as well...So, he decided to build one himself =).

EVIE AND ANNELIESE

Aren't they precious!!! Evie loves her little sister and is always giving her kisses. She keeps Anneliese entertained and giggling.

HARRY POTTER

Here is a picture of Jude and I before we saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Both of us love the books so we were excited about the movie. Plus, we got to get out on a date which doesn't happen often enough!