meet our family

We'd love to introduce you to our whole family so that you can get to know us a little better!

This is me, Laura.

I love to learn, read, drink champagne (when I'm not pregnant, duh), hang out with the hubby, play with our pups, talk politics, and am pretty obsessed with our son. I work in Public Health and am crazy passionate about maternal and child health. If it matters to mamas and babies, it matters to me! I really enjoy sleeping, eating great food, and decorating. Nick teases me because I would like to give every beautiful vintage chair I meet a new home in our house. I hate honey and licorice but couldn't live without cheese or chocolate. I am incredibly thankful for my husband, my family and for the general sense of wonderful-ness that comes with being a part of this world and this earth. I also get really, really sad when people chop down trees. I am very attached to elephants.



This is my husband, Nicholas.

Nick loves science, politics, technology, and gadgets (along with me, our dogs, his family and all the other usual stuff). He is a PhD student in Microbiology and does research in a Genetics lab where he concerns himself with RNA and E. coli all day. He is my resident handyman and is an excellent cook (seriously, I partially married him because of his Chicken Marsala). He has a little mini-me in our son but swears that he doesn't really see his features in Alden's face (I don't know how- the kid looks JUST like him...) He is half-Danish and has a serious appreciation for béarnaise sauce and all of the Danish licorice that I won't eat. He is a bleed-blue-and-orange Florida Gators fan and fell in love with Leonardo's Pizza when he was in undergrad in Gainesville. He drinks his coffee without milk and enjoys craft beers, especially in the fall when there's pumpkin and spices involved. His favorite part of October is when we buy a cinnamon broom for the house and he makes me laugh every day. He is an amazing husband, son and, in my opinion, is a rock-your-socks-off Dad. He enjoys getting our vegetable garden going every summer and is a pretty impressive amateur photographer.


This is our amazing little man, Alden.

He's new here so he's still figuring things out but, so far, he is pretty fantastic. He eats like a horse, isn't phased in the slightest by our very loud dogs, L.O.V.E.S. to stare at lights and ceiling fans and has recently started giving us his first real smiles :) He sleeps well at night but hates being bothered with naps when the sun is up and he can't stand it when his arms are wrapped up in a swaddle.

We think he hung the moon and are so excited to see the person he grows to be!

  

This is Buster, our beagle.
AKA Goobs, Busty, Busty Goobs or any other combination thereof

He is obsessed with his frisbee and will, literally, cuddle with it when he's scared. He bays at EVERYTHING and has a problem containing himself when he catches the scent of cats or deer in our backyard. He is an amazing snuggler and he adores his Dad. He used to be pretty ambivalent about my existence but since I started growing a baby, he's been very interested and loving with me. He's pretty much an awesome pup and he's convinced me that we should always have a Beagle around.

This is Brinkley, our Jack Russell- Dachshund mix.
AKA Brinks, Fuzz Face, Binkey, Binks, etc.

Brinkley probably has more personality than any other dog in the world. We swear that he's just minutes away from speaking English on a daily basis and his facial expressions are weirdly human. He is Jack Russell territorial so once he decides that something belongs to him, there is little we can do to convince him otherwise. He is a pretty independent pup and tends to spend his days hanging out by himself but it just makes it that much sweeter when he comes over and asks to cuddle :) He can jump about 4 feet in the air from a standing position and is terrified of storms.


This is Schnitzle, our almost 16 year old Miniature Dachshund.
AKA Schnitzy Bug, Bug, Buggy, Schnitz-meister, etc.

Schnitzle has been my puppy since I was 12 years old and he is a loyal and loving little guy. He bounces in the air when he really wants something and has absolutely no patience when he's hungry. He has no fear of big, giant dogs and can make a pretty impressive bed out of any blanket he comes across. He loves to chase down lizards in the backyard and can dismantle a stuffed animal in mere minutes. He digs in the sheets every night before he'll lay down and is the only dog in the house that's allowed to sleep in the bed with us (mostly because he's old and stubborn). He is the first dog that was really mine and he has been excited to see me every time I've come home since the day we brought him home.

We said goodbye to him in late 2012 but he will forever be a part of our family and I miss him every day.



This is Maverick, our Chihuahua-Rat Terrier mix.
AKA Mavy, Mavy Face, Little Butt, Bat Face, etc.

Maverick is a little crazy but we forgive him because he was abused as a puppy and we're just so happy we could save him :) He's a tiny little guy but I don't think he realizes it. He goes INSANE for a piece of banana and could probably eat through the entire fruit section at the grocery store if we'd let him. He is very attached to me and loves to make cocoons in laundry baskets full of clean sheets. When they get out of their crates in the morning, he runs as fast as possible down the hall so that he can spend as much time under the covers in our bed as possible before we leave for the day. It took him a long time to learn how to play but now he runs and play fights with Buster as often as possible. He has an insatiable appetite and will do his best to get all the other dogs riled up when he's restless for some playtime.