The Laffans

Big Brother

2011-03-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

I am 21 weeks pregnant today. We are over half way! This pregnancy is going by so fast. I am starting to feel really large, so it might start to go by a little bit slower.

Jonas is excited most of the time about becoming a big brother. He will kiss my belly sometimes and then other days he says he does not want to share his toys with the baby.

We are not set on a name quite yet, but at least we know this baby is a boy.

Mexico

2010-11-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Jonas loved going to Mexico with his daddy a few weekends ago. Of course he hugged all the little girls. He knew that we built a home for all those girls he was loving on all day, so I think he is starting to understand why we do what we do. This of course makes my heart happy.

Today...........

2010-06-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my dear husband! We love you!!!

Picnic

2010-05-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Mother's day in the Laffan house was great. Our little man brought his mother breakfast in bed (a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit). Then he crawled in bed with me got under the covers and shared the biscuit with me. I love that kid. We all took naps. I went on a walk and then we went to Leos for dinner. The day was perfect. I love my family!

Here Goes..........

2010-04-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have launched my own online business. Selling cloth diapers......... of course. Let me know what y'all think and become a fan too. Go to the Cloth Bottom site We have committed to give 10% of all our profits to help fight child poverty. This means Jason and I will eventually be able to give a family a home through Casas por Cristo. We wanted to be more than just a business that sells diapers, but a business with a greater purpose, to be able to bring Him glory.

Jason

2010-04-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Jason had his tonsils taken out, adenoids chopped on, uvula taken out, and some other nose stuff done. He is feeling very miserable as I write this. I feel so sorry for him, but luckily the doctor prescribed some pain meds. Jonas keeps telling everyone that his daddy had surgery on his nose and throat, but of course he doesn't understand why his daddy can't read to him. If you get grossed out easily sorry about the after surgery picture.

Local News

2010-03-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.ktsm.com/news/violence-in-juarez-doesnt-stop-casas-por-cristo

Mexico

2010-03-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Jason picked Jonas and I up on Wednesday night and we went straight to Mexico for the house dedication. A very kind women named Maria was given a house for her growing family. Spending the night in Mexico did not quite go as planned since Jonas did not sleep majority of the night. Other than that Jonas loved playing with 90 college kids and he danced around a little during praise and worshipped (pictured above).
Most of all, Jason and I were glad Jonas was able to see Mexico again. He understands that daddy builds houses in Mexico and says, "Casas house" on a regular basis. We want to raise our little guy knowing that he can help others with acts of selflessness. I feel that there is no better way than by showing Jonas why we serve Him in Juarez, Mexico. He needs to grow up seeing the faces of the Mexican people and see the poverty across the border so that he can understand how to serve and why we serve God and why He wants us to serve Him. We just want to raise Jonas to be a man of God that is for sure.

Family Voting Day

2010-03-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

As always voting day is important in the Laffan house. I always explain to Jonas the significance of voting and why we are voting for our candidates. He really just likes the, "I Voted" sticker. However, I will continue to push my conservative values and beliefs on him so that when he turns 18 he can make a informed decision at the polls (Republican..........of course).

True Story

2010-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

Dressed by his daddy this morning.

My Baby Is 2

2010-02-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Jonas turned two. It made me sad, but he was obviously happy spending his birthday eating chicken. He also got a Thomas the train cake only because Target did not have any tractors.

And The Winner Is............

2010-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

My husband!!! He will be embarrassed by this post , but I am so proud of him. For the past three months majority of the Casas staff has been in the biggest loser competition. Jason and his partner Mikell lost the highest percentage of body weight. I must say that my husband is looking very good.

El Paso

2010-01-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have no real news to report. I know, boring, but y'all just want to see the kid any way.

Lately.........

2010-01-10T19:55:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am guilty of never putting the finishing touches on our ginger bread house. Also I should throw it away soon. So maybe the top picture is a little gross if you look closely, but here is the proof that I did actually allow my child to have a cookie and I think he might have loved it.

Oh Jonas

2010-01-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

I love this little man!

Can Y'all Believe All This Snow?

2009-12-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

We were actually in El Paso for the 3rd snow in four weeks. It really wasn't even that cold, so shortly after we finished playing at the park (in El Paso this means a large area of grass) the snow started to melt. I still had Jonas in about four layers of clothing and this includes his footy pajamas he was also wearing. Jason didn't have any warm clothes with him because he met us at the park on his way home from the gym, so this his why he looks so hot sporting my scarf. Maybe one day it will snow again, but we had fun watching Jonas play.

9 More Days

2009-12-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe how Christmas is almost here. We are ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday here in El Paso. I am going to attempt to make a homemade red velvet cake for Jesus' birthday cake. This a tradition we are starting this year to try to show Jonas what Christmas is truly about.

Jonas got to decorate his own tree in his own room with a few of his favorite things which were of course tractors, cars, and trains. He also enjoyed putting up the family tree.

Back From The South

2009-12-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

So Thankful

2009-11-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

So thankful today and everyday for these two boys.

My Life As The Wife Of A Missionary

2009-11-05T19:09:00.001-08:00

The two people that read this are probably thinking you are a missionary too, Amy and I do know this. However my "role" is on my mind tonight because it is after eight and I am sitting at home alone. Well my sweet boy is up stairs sleeping, of course. No I am not having a pity party, but I do miss my honey as I always do when we are apart. He is in Mexico building a women and her two small children a home today. I know my husband has no idea just how proud I am of him. He looks forward to building in Mexico. It is a reminder of why our family does what we do and why we serve him and live in this weird city. We can't wait until our little man gets older so we can all be together giving homes to families. Since I have become a mother I have not been able to actually do the physical labor that I did pre-baby and build a family a home. Taking Jonas over to Mexico for any thing other than the dedication of the home is not so much an option at his age. I miss Mexico and serving beside Jason that is for sure, but I also love my role as a wife and now a mother and I would not change a thing. Jonas and I were able to run some errands in Juarez with Jason this morning. It was good for me to see the neighborhoods and the extreme inadequate housing that so many people live in. The reminder is what I needed. As Jonas grows up Jason and I look forward to teaching him why we live in this weird city away from our family. We look forward to teaching him to serve God with his hands. I can't wait to see my two guys working side by side. Jason and I pray for Jonas every night and every night we pray the same thing :that he will love Jesus all the days of his life, but most importantly learn to be a servant for Him all the days of his life.

Lack Of Pumpkins & A Christmas Gift Already

2009-10-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

My parents visited us recently and bought Jonas his Christmas gift. The battery operated 4 wheeler doesn't go very fast, so it doesn't freak me out to much, but I still think we should purchase a helmet. Jonas has had a really good time riding the 4 wheeler. It was so funny at first because he was not so confident with his riding abilities, but Jonas enjoyed all the attention from my parents.

Yesterday I took Jonas to a pumpkin patch. However, there was a small problem because there was a lack of pumpkins. I guess I should have taken him before the last Thursday before Halloween. Really I just wanted to get some pictures of my little man. It was so cold and so windy , but Jonas loved playing with the pumpkins and did not want to go home unlike his mother.

My Bread

2009-10-23T11:23:00.001-07:00

I bought a bread maker a while back and I must say I have been enjoying making bread. The machine even has a delay timer on it, so when you get up in the morning you can have delicious homemade bread for breakfast. I know you all are thinking how domestic I am, but really you just dump the ingredients in and push start. It is so easy! If any El P friends want bread any time let me know. Really! This loaf was made for dinner with some friends the other night and it was so yummy. Of course I made honey butter to go on the already sweet honey oat wheat bread.

A Few Of My Favorites

2009-10-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded some pictures. Okay I am guilty of not downloading any pictures of my family in a very long time, but I do blame this on Jason because I had no idea where the cord was.

Any way my parents are in town for a few days. Jonas is so excited to get all of this attention. I just wanted to share these pictures of the cutest little boy ever!!

Oh How I Do Love The Chickfila

2009-10-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo

Really those of you that have a appreciation for Chickfila will laugh out loud when you watch this video. Those of you that know me know that I really could eat at Chickfila seven times a day. I do admit I have a problem and am somewhat addicted. Considering my son moos like a cow when we pull up to the restaurant I think we might go there a bit much.

We Are Still Alive

2009-10-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

This picture is recent, but not the most recent because they are still in our camera. I can't find the cord to down load them. Any way I wanted to let the few people that look at our blog know we are still here and doing well. Jason is in Acuna with his home church so when he gets back I will get him to find that cord.
As for the update on our little man: he is such a talker. I don't think he ever stops except for when he his sleeping, which is still a blissful 15 hours a day. Lately he is really into tractors. There is a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood, so on every walk he yells out, "yellow" (that means tractor) and he is starting to say tractor more and more too. He really is the cutest kid ever.
Jason is so busy this month. He has three builds this month, but it's a good busy to have more homes being built. I am just enjoying my family everyday and watching Jonas become such a little boy right before my eyes.

Our Cutie

2009-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is Jonas' new do. He looks like such a little boy with it so short, but I know it will grow back. He is relaxing in this picture after a dip with his dad in our friends pool. The problem is that Jonas thinks he is a Olympic swimmer because he tries to swim out of our arms and take off every time we swim. He gets frustrated that he is not on his own in the pool. We can't believe our little man is 17 months old. The little guy never stops all day and runs every where but we are enjoying every second with him.

15 1/2 months

2009-05-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

As you can see in the third picture from the top Jonas now has two and a half teeth. Jason and I took Jonas to his fifteenth month check-up last week. Jonas took a big growth spurt in height, but only gained one and half pounds. We were very surprised when Jonas was weighed because the kid is a eating machine. I mean really he will eat more than me at meal time and we don't know where he is packing it away.

Lately, Jonas loves reading books, especially with his dad. His favorite are the ones with flaps lift that he lifts up. Jason had been busy at work as always and I have been enjoying staying at home with my little man. Life is good and as always we are so blessed.

Summer Is Here

2009-05-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

Jonas has enjoyed swimming with Eden his cousin/friend over the past two weeks. It is already in the high 90's in El Paso and I really want to get in that baby pool with them. Jonas is officially walking, so we have many more activities to choose from now. Jason and I are looking forward to a relaxing summer with our little man.

Our Sweet Boy

2009-04-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

There have been so many changes with our little guy since the last post. Jonas has been walking the past two weeks. At thirteen and a half months he finally got his first tooth and he looks like such a big boy now. Bailey is still his best buddy and Jonas is always concerned about her so much so he yells her name when he can't find her. One bit of news is not pleasant because I was the lucky parent that had the privilege of experiencing Jonas' first temper tantrum. Despite the tantrum we still love him more than ever and I still love my job.

The First Hair Cut

2009-03-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

Jonas was admiring his new hair cut. Really he just liked the mirror then we had to leave and he kind of freaked out when he could not take it home with us.This is Stephanie the hair dresser. She cut my hair too.

This picture is of his long locks before the first cut. Jonas' hair was getting a little to shaggy for our taste, so I guess it was time.

Jonas Is One Year Old!!!

2009-02-25T19:09:00.001-08:00

Jason and I can hardly believe our little boy has had his first birthday. We don't know where the past year has gone. I found it so annoying when people told me right after Jonas was born that they grow up so fast, but those people were right. Seriously, it feels like just yesterday Jason and I brought home our five pound little Jonas from the hospital.

We had a birthday party for Jonas at our house this past weekend. Mom and dad were able to visit for a week to spend time with Jonas of course and I guess Jason and me too. Jonas loves it when they visit and all of us had a really good time. It was also really nice to have Donna here to help with the party preparation.

Our First Chuckie Cheese Experience

2009-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a birthday party at Chuckie Cheese last Friday. Jonas enjoyed the rides and he even got quite upset when we had to take him off the Barney ride. The whole experience really grossed me out because right when we walked in the smell of dirty sweaty children mixed with the aroma of pee hit us. Also I was thinking the whole time if they ever really sanitized the rides. Probably not, I know I am a germ freak, but I am kind of working on it for the sake of my marriage (my fear of germs really gets on Jason's nerves).

All is great in El Paso and the weather has been in the 80's. Our board approved a expansion to Del Rio/Acuna, so we are really excited to see Casas serve in the future at other border towns.

Exteme Home Makeover In El Paso

2009-01-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Tye was in El Paso today to start the construction on a new home for the Ruiz family. Jesus Ruiz is actually one of the pastors on our board for the ministry. We are so excited for them. Today all of the Casas staff went to see the house be demolished and of course be on T.V. Jason will be making his big appearance soon and he has the blue shirt to prove it. I also posted a few pictures of our little guy. He is the sweetest baby ever and is cruising everywhere. We can't believe Jonas will be one year next month. All is well with us and we hope y'all are doing great.

Some More Of Georgia

2009-01-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

The first picture captures Jonas' first ride on the Pink Pig in Atlanta. I don't really understand all the hype about the pig because I'm from Columbus. Jason rode it when he was little and my dad did too, so I guess it was important for Jonas to experience the pig. We also went the Varsity while were in Atlanta. Jonas did not get to taste the fatty greasy food of course, but maybe next trip.

Santa's Helper

2008-12-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

We busted baby Jonas trying to get into his gifts before the big day.

Georgia

2008-12-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a trip to Georgia a few weeks ago. These pictures are just a few of the many I will be posting soon. Jonas is wearing his Santa suit with his Aunt Casie and Uncle Tim in the picture below.

This is my dear friend Wendi and her new baby girl, Emmie.

Our Little Pumkin

2008-11-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

Jonas only had his Halloween costume on for a few minutes. He is not used to be being in a bag and the weather was really warm, so we made the photo shoot really quick. His legs were also a little bit to long for the outfit and this made things difficult for Jonas while sitting up. Cousin Eden was dressed as Cinderella and looked so pretty! I'm sure they will be great friends as soon as Jonas can run around with her.

5 Days To Election Day

2008-10-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

As usual we voted together as a family. Jason and I normally vote early in the morning the day of the election and then go get a chicken biscuit. This election we decided it would be easier to vote early. We were in and out in less than ten minutes because no one really votes in El Paso. Jonas has now been to the polls twice in his 8 1/2 months of life. He was only a few weeks old when the primaries took place and our nominee didn't win then and we don't think our candidate will be elected this time around either.

I just took this picture a few days ago. Jason and I can't believe how big Jonas is getting. It is crazy to think that in two weeks our little guy will be 9 months old. He has only been crawling for a few weeks now, but he has learned quickly to to get around really fast. The days are long gone when I could put Jonas on the floor and he would stay in one place.

Aunt Allison visited us (well, really Jonas) the weekend before last. She was only here two nights, but she was able to spend a lot of time with Jonas.

A Little Update

2008-10-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I think this is the first time Jonas had sweet potatoes. He didn't like them at first, but now he eats them up.

We brought Jason lunch to his office a while back. Jonas had a good time playing with all the junk on his dad's desk. This picture is of Jason and me at Casas por Cristo's annual fundraising Gala. I thought my husband looked quite handsome in his tux. I haven't seen him that dressed up since our wedding almost seven years ago.

Uncle Greg came to visit and fed Jonas his first taste of eggplant and Jonas loved it.

Another first at Krispy Kreme with Aunt Cassie and Uncle Greg. They visited a few weekends ago and we had a great time.

A Visit From The Grandparents

2008-09-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

We have had my parents visit and then Jason's parents visit us in the past month. Jonas entertained them and he also loved the attention. Our parents enjoyed the visit as well and we were able to show them our new home, which we have been living in over a month. Jason and I are glad our parents visited because Jonas is growing up so fast and we want him to know he has grandparents that love him. It is sad at times because we live so far away from family, but we know God has placed our family here to serve Him and we hope to teach Jonas this as he gets older.

First Solids

2008-08-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

Jonas really did not know what to think about his first rice cereal last Thursday. We are still working on him actually eating what is put in his mouth. Soon enough he will catch on and become a pro so we can move on to veggies.

6 Months Old

2008-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

As of August 12th Jonas is 6 months old. Jason and I can't believe how big he is getting. Jonas has been talking more than ever lately and he loves to roll around. At his 6 month check up the doctor said he is doing great and is still tall and skinny.

I'm Taking Over!

2008-07-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

I (Amy) am taking over our family blog. Jason is busy most of the time so he has handed the blog over to me. Jonas is doing great. He is really started to get his own personality. Lately, Jonas likes to stand up and read books.

Jonas and Bailey

2008-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

We had to make Bailey pose for this picture. She thought she was getting in trouble since I don't let her touch him. However, Jonas has really been noticing her lately and on Saturday for the first time he decided to pet her on the head several times.

A Season Like No Other

2008-06-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

It is summer time on the mission field and people are going all over the world to serve. The ministry that I work for, Casas Por Cristo, is right at the beginning of the most impactful season of every year. Needless to say that once our ministry set the course to be debt free, expand to other border towns, and basically to set a new path like no other Murphy (Murphy's law) has shown up and is trying to move in the spare bedroom. As every media outlet has reported the Drug Cartels are in the middle of a territory war that is bringing more fear than at any time in our ministries history.

The last month has been stressful for our leadership since we have had 10% (20 homes) of our homes scheduled to be built this summer end up being canceled because of teams fearing for their safety. Unfortunately, a thirty second news clip can slant the real story and cause fear to set in to other. When if the real story was reported it would be another story. For example, almost all violence has happened in the night and we are not out at night, almost all violence has happened in the wealthy area and downtown and we do not build or drive through those areas, all violence has been targeted between rival cartels and corrupt police and of course Christians are hopefully not one of those two, all violence has been happening on the weekend and we are only building during the week.

The definite call is to pray for our city and pray for our ministry. Fear is the tactic that has been an arrow in the quiver of evil for thousands of years. But we are not called to have a spirit of fear and I hope that in the face of adversity believers will stand up and want to serve a God who is still trying to connect with those who do not know him!

First Trip to Mamma Grand and Grand D's House

2008-05-11T20:29:00.001-07:00

Jonas with Momma Grand and Grand D at his first baseball game. Braves verse Padres and be Braves won 5-4.
Just to show that we were all here at Turner Field.
This is the mark of the first trip to the Laffan Grandparents house in College Park.

Aunt Allison with her first Nephew.

Our New Home

2008-05-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the color stucco, roof and stone that we choose. Of course it is not our floor plan but we really liked the way this one looked when it was finished.
This is what you see when you walk in the front door. To the left is the sitting room and dining room and to the right is the den.

Front side of the house. The big trailer is loaded up with our material because it will get stolen if it is not locked down.
Garage and the two bedrooms over the garage.
This is the view from te back wall.
Check out that big back yard! No seriously that is a big back yard for El Paso.

Here are some shots of our new home and it is going up quick. We left two weeks ago and there was no slab and we came back to the framing almost completly finished! There are pictures from every angle. I know for the non construction folks it might be a little hard to understand but it does make perfect sense to me.

First Trip to Grandma & Grandpa's House

2008-05-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting weekend as we started on our first plane ride togther as a family. Then our first trip to Georgia as a family, with many more to follow I am sure. Then first trip to the Harbin Grandparents house, with many more to follow as well. Oh yea and I think we left his schedule in Texas because with all the running around nothing seems to work like it is supposed. But one good thing is that the last 3 nights have been at least 6.5 hours of solid sleep. Amy is loving every minute of it to.

I think he is smiling because of Grandpa's shirt (Casas Por Cristo t-shirt)!
There he is laying on his dad's big belly his first plane ride.
Grandmomma is showing him all the green trees that he has never seen before.

This is his first time with his Great Grandmother.

Two Months Old

2008-04-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest shots of Jonas and Amy and then Jonas sitting up with a little help from his boppie and a little help from his Dad.

At the Grandparents Request

2008-03-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I think for sure the hair is getting redder by the day. As well as the hair changing the little guy is just having a rough time at night with his stomach. Who knows it could be because of what mom ate, being a month early, or who knows what is making him fussy. He is growing really fast. So fast that when I left on Monday to build in Mexico by the time I got back on Friday he looked like he grew 25%! Maybe he did that would only be like 2 pounds.

A few more photos

2008-03-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Our Favorite Picture
Just sitting on the bed.

The most important first trip to Chic-fil-a. . . millions more to come.

Some more Photos

2008-02-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

Amy after two hours of pushing 3 times every minute.
Jonas and I on the couch.
All the offical stats for the baby.

Even the preme diaper is falling off the little guy! But he is so awsome.

Jonas Thomas Laffan has arrived.

2008-02-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Dr. Lyn is holding Jonas. FYI she is the best doctor in the entire world. She went above and beyond any doctor in the world. We loved her and she will be there for all our children.
Here he is getting ready to take his first ride in the car.
Sitting on the couch with Mommy and Daddy.
Arriving home for the first time right before he came in.

It was the biggest day of our lives this morning as Amy brought our son into the world. He took after his mother since he was on the lighter side of 6 pounds and 2 ounces. He was 19.8 inches long. But he did take after me because he was a month early, he does not like to wait! This morning his weight was down to 5 pounds 13 ounces which is normal to loose weight the first day.

Amy and Jonas are doing great and we are at our home in our house tonight. So without furture ado here are the picutures.