THE LARSEN'S

Jacey's Baptism Day

2011-05-20T18:58:00.000-06:00

Jacey was baptized on September 4, 2010. She had the opportunity to get baptized with her cousin Jenna, who was born only a few weeks before Jacey. They have been good buds ever since they were born, so it was fun for them to share their special day together. My brother Michael and my parents made the trip up from California, and we had many other family members there for it as well. Jacey is such a sweet and tender-hearted girl, and I am glad that she made the decision to be baptized.

Jacey was baptized in the same dress I wore for my baptism--25 years ago!

Jacey and Jenna

Jacey with California Grandma and Grandpa

Jacey, Brooklyn and Jenna sang "I Think He Smiles" during the service--

I think that Brookie sang the loudest!

Jacey with Red Grandma and Grandpa Broken Legs

Jacey's Photo Shoot

2011-05-20T17:38:00.000-06:00

I decided to have a friend take some pictures of Jacey for her baptism. Jacey loved the whole process of getting all gussied up and having someone pose her and take her pictures. Maybe a modeling career in her future?

This last one is my favorite. It shows so much personality!

Jacey's 8th Birthday

2011-05-20T17:26:00.000-06:00

Jacey turned 8 on September 1. It's hard to believe that she is growing up so fast! Since it was a big birthday, I let her choose what she wanted to do for a party. She decided to that she wanted to go swimming at the rec center pool, and then come home to open presents and have pizza, cake and ice cream. We had to have her party a few days early because we were going to be gone up north for her baptism over the Labor Day weekend. She invited 5 friends to come and they had a blast!

My lovely peace sign cake!

Landon is already a ladies' man!

We had a family birthday party a few days later on her actual birthday. Check out the play-by-play when she opened the iPod shuffle that she had been "dreaming of". The reaction is classic! She even got her name engraved on it, courtesy of the Apple store.

Guess she had a good birthday!

First Day of School 2010

2011-02-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Jacey started school again in mid-August. I decided to start a new tradition this year of taking the kids out on a little mommy-daughter date the night before school starts. Jacey and I went to the movies to see "Despicable Me" and had a lot of fun.

Jacey is in 3rd grade this year and her teacher is Mrs. Zeigler. She loves school and does so well there both scholastically as well as socially. Here are a couple of pictures from her first day, unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of her in her classroom because she said she was "too embarrassed" to let me take pictures of her there. Sigh. (btw, she got some new, stylish glasses right before school started and picked out this outfit by herself at the store)

Brooklyn didn't start school until a couple of weeks after Jacey. She started kindergarten this year and is in the morning class with most of her friends. Her teacher is Mrs. Ross, who we love and was also Jacey's kindergarten teacher. Since she is not embarrassed by her Mom yet, she let me take pictures of her in her classroom and with her teacher.

Rounding Out the Summer

2011-02-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of days before school began in August we met up with some friends and headed out to explore the new reservoir that they opened by our house. It was kind of a fun place for the kids although I wish that they would have brought in real sand for the "beach" instead of the gross, gravelly stuff. Sand or no sand, the kids still attempted to make sand castles and do other "beachy" activities.

We also started another year of AYSO in August. Jacey missed the age cutoff by only a month to play with her school friends and actually had to play on a team with 1st and 2nd graders. Although she didn't have any friends on her team, she seized the opportunity to become her team's star player and scored most of their goals. Her team only lost a couple of games all season. Unfortunately, Brooklyn's team had a tough season but she still had fun and also scored quite a few goals. Here are a few pics of them in all their soccer glory:

And finally, you know it's time for kids to go back to school when they are so bored that they start dressing up their little brother. Poor Landon.

Beautiful Bryce Canyon

2011-02-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a little trip to Bryce Canyon one weekend at the end of July. It was fun to explore another national park that happens to be right in our own backyard! The kids had a great time and especially loved staying in the hotel. It's funny, because it doesn't seem to matter whether our hotel is nice or not (it wasn't that great) or where we are, our kids LOVE staying in hotels! When we first got to Bryce we checked in, got changed into our swimsuits, and went swimming:

After swimming we went back to our room to clean up and then went to eat at the Ruby's Inn buffet:


I'm not usually a big fan of buffets, but this one was actually one of the better one's I've ever been to.

Finally, we headed into the park to check out the spectacular hoodoos:

We followed a long trail of switchbacks down into the bottom of the canyon

Some neat trees that grew up from the bottom of the canyon

Cool balancing rock

Landon loved riding around in the backpack!


Sun setting over the amphitheater

Before retiring for the night we checked out some of the neat little shops and got our cowboy on!

The next day we headed out again to explore Bryce. Here are some of the things we saw/did:

More pics of the amphitheater

Petted a dog visiting from New York

Walked through cool archways on the trail

The "Queen Victoria" Hoo-Doo (quite a hike to get there, but very worthwhile. Notice the dragon-head hoodoo behind the Queen.

We found this cool waterfall outside the park with a neat little wading pool

We did so much driving this trip, that Landon had time to discover the "art" of picking his nose!

We had a great time and I can't believe how well the kids did with all of the hiking around. They rarely complained. We will definitely go back in a couple of years when Landon can do his own walking and doesn't have to be carried around in the backpack!

We've Been Workin' on the Basement, All the Live-Long Year!

2011-02-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

We began to work on finishing the basement last January. Since we are not handy people, we hired contractors to do the plumbing, HVAC, framing and sheetrock. All of this progressed really fast, and by March the basement was ready to be painted. I figured that painting would be easy enough to do on our own, but trying to find time to paint with 3 small kids proved to be challenging, so it sat, and sat, and sat until July when we finally decided to get cracking on it. We bought the primer and most of the paint, borrowed a paint sprayer from a friend, and got to work. Unfortunately, the sprayer kept jamming and wouldn't work, so we started to do it the old-fashioned way (by hand). The girls wanted to help too, which was cute, but the work moved VERY slowly. About 3 hours later, and with only 1/4 of the family room primed (with 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, hallways, closets and ceiling still to do), we resigned ourselves to the fact that it was just too much work for us to do on our own and decided it would be worth it to hire someone to finish it for us. As of this posting, we have still not gotten anyone out to paint, but we are hoping to get it done soon (along with all of the finish work so we can actually enjoy the basement!) Here's hoping that some pictures of the nice, completed basement will be posted soon!

Landon's First Haircut

2011-02-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of July I began to think that Landon's hair was getting a bit too long for my taste, and I wasn't digging the comb-over look anymore. We sat the poor boy down in his highchair so he couldn't escape, and tortured him with the clippers. The result: well, you can see for yourself:

Before Pics: (he didn't know what was coming. . .)

He hated the clippers and basically cried the whole time!

Final Product: A Happy, Handsome Little BOY (not a baby anymore:( )

June 2010--More Summer Fun

2011-01-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

It is so nice when it gets to be summertime and we can enjoy being outside again. We have such long winters and get cabin fever from being holed up inside the house 8 months out of the year, so we try to enjoy it while we can. We got out our inflatable water slide a few times during the summer and the kids invited friends over to go sliding with them, although what they like to do most is just lounge in the pool at the bottom of the slide!

June 2010--Larsen Mini Reunion in St. George

2011-01-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

June proved to be the month of family get-togethers. We got a chance to meet up in St. George for a weekend in June with most of Jon's family and spent some time together hiking up in the red cliffs, going out to dinner and ice cream and swimming at the pool. It was a fun weekend!

June 2010--Jon turns 3_?

2011-01-19T16:32:00.001-07:00

We had one more birthday party while we were out in California, this time for Jon. Since we had to drive back home on his actual birthday the next day, we celebrated it a day early. He doesn't like cake, so this time we had pie. I am so grateful for this man--he works hard and is a good dad to the kids.

June 2010--Best Buddies and Good Times With the Fam

2011-01-19T16:22:00.001-07:00

It was fun to get Landon and his cousin Austin together during our trip last June. They are almost 6 months apart and Landon mostly tormented Austin while we were there by poking him in the face and head, but I know he loves him and hope that they will be best buds in the years to come.

We also engaged in another Mitchell Family game of croquet while we were out there. Good family, good times!

June 2010--Brooklyn's 5th Birthday

2011-01-19T15:54:00.007-07:00

Brooklyn celebrated her 5th birthday while we were out in California in June. We spent the first part of the day at the beach, and then we had a fun family "surprise party" for her that evening. Before her birthday Brooklyn told me that she wanted to have a surprise party and told me all of the elements that were needed for it: Balloons, streamers, party hats, presents, pizza, soda and cake. Grandpa and Jacey took care of the decorating, I made her a soccer ball cake, and the guys went out to get the pizza and soda. As you can see, she got lots of fun presents and loved being able to spend her birthday with Grandma and Grandpa, Michael, Jeff, Amy and Austin. She is such a fun and precocious girl and we love having her in our family! Happy Birthday to our Brookie-Tookie!

Cute birthday girl at the beach!

She loved playing with Uncle Jeff in the waves!

Landon absolutely hated the beach! (he must get it from California Grandma)

Meanwhile, cousin Austin was absolutely content.

Jacey and Grandpa did a great job with the decorating.

Way too many presents

I am actually quite proud of my cake decorating skills here!

Landon's ready for the party!

Surprise!

Queen of the party!

Priceless reactions to opening Grandma, Grandpa and Michael's gift!

So happy to have Super Mario Bros. for the Wii!

Making a wish. . .

Hoping it will come true!

Blowing so hard she is cross-eyed!

California!

2010-09-10T23:35:00.019-06:00

WARNING: Prepare yourself for a really long post!

So we decided to take our annual trip to California in June this year, right after Jacey got out of school. The kids really wanted to go to Disneyland and California Adventure this time, and I went on eBay a week or so before we left and scored some awesome, cheap tickets (like $45 for two-day park-hoppers). Jacey seemed to be over her illness, and so the Saturday before Memorial Day we left to drive down to my parent's house in SoCal. We were making pretty good time and the kids were doing well, so we drove pretty much straight through to Barstow before stopping for dinner at the oh-so-lovely McDonald's there. When we were nearly done with our meal we noticed that Landon was making some weird gagging noises that he had never made before, and before we knew it he was urping up everywhere. Jon and I literally just watched him bewildered that such a small kid could possibly have so much in his stomach to unload (sorry for the graphic detail). I ran to get a teenaged worker to help us clean up, and sheepishly apologized to all the green patrons around us. Jon took Landon into the restroom for a bath in their sink, and after getting cleaned up as best as we could we high-tailed it out of there!

Based on how bad Jacey got the bug the couple of weeks prior to this I dreaded the week ahead and feared the worst. Amazingly, Landon seemed totally fine and normal by the time we reached my parent's house. On Sunday we stayed home from church just in case, and Sunday evening we ventured out to one of the kid's favorite places, the Castle Park:

Does this look like a boy who is sick? I think not!

(unfortunately the "bug" took a day break, and came back full force on Monday.)

On Monday we were all planning to go swimming at the newly reopened pool by my parent's house, but Landon woke up with the runs that day, so in the name of cryptosporidium, he and I stayed behind while Jon went swimming with the girls, Michael and my Dad. That night Jon wanted to take me out to a fancy restaurant since we never get a chance to go anywhere, and we got all dressed up and went to Mastro's while my parents watched the kids for us. Mastro's was very nice and expensive (one sign of an expensive restaurant is required valet parking, even though the parking lot was literally 20 feet away from the restaurant), but we had a good time and it was nice to have a "real" date for the first time in a long time. Thanks to my parents for watching the kids that night, and to my mom for being brave enough to change Landon's dirty diaper while we were gone.

Tuesday was Disneyland/California Adventure day! Landon seemed to once again be feeling better, so we stuck to our plans to go to Disney that day. Michael and my dad joined us for the whole day, and my mom came around lunchtime as well. The kids had a great time and Jacey surprised us with her bravery by going on every single ride with the exception of Tower of Terror. She even rode California Screamin', the big roller coaster at California Adventure. Here are some pics of our day:

Tuesday was a great day, but Landon started having stomach issues again in the late afternoon and my mom and I decided to cut out early so I could take him home. Wednesday we decided just to stay close to home to let him finish recovering, and Thursday we headed back to Disneyland again with my dad and Michael. Thursday was much more relaxed, and since Landon was finally feeling better, even he was in a good mood that day. Since we had saved so much on the tickets, I let the girls pick out cute hats for souvenirs. Brookie also got to wear a special "Happy Birthday" button since her birthday was the next day, and she felt so special when anybody wished her a happy birthday!

These girls are wishing that we can go back to Disneyland real soon!

Jacey's Last Days of 2nd Grade

2010-08-27T23:54:00.007-06:00

Jacey missed quite a bit of school in May due to a recurring stomach bug. I felt so bad for her when she had to miss a lot of the end-of-year events such as field day, parties and assemblies. At least she was able to make it to her 2nd grade "Bugz" Musical that she was in, and she also got to participate in the annual dance festival on her last day of school.

Brookie's Preschool Graduation (sort of)

2010-08-27T23:38:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn finished up her last year of preschool in May. Instead of doing a graduation for the kids, her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Clark, had a last-day-of-school swim party instead in her backyard. The kids went down the water slide, swam in her hot tub, and ate ice cream to their heart's content. It was a little bittersweet for me to think about my little Brookie going on to real school next year. Yeah, I'm still in denial even though the big day is now only a few days away!

Brookie and her buddy/boyfriend Ethan
Landon just loved riding around the backyard in the little cars!

Good Ol' Uncle Michael!

2010-08-27T23:23:00.002-06:00

My kids love their Uncle Michael! He has visited us many times over the past year, and he is a good sport about playing with them when he comes (particularly with Brooklyn, who could play Super Mario Bros. on the Wii with him for hours). These are some pictures of when he came to visit for Landon's birthday, and I am happy to report that he has since cut his hair! I hope he doesn't hate me for posting these!

You gotta love this picture of Brookie picking her nose!

This was so funny! Michael was so tired one morning and Brookie jumped on him to try to wake him up, but ended up snuggling him instead. Since she didn't get the job done, Landon started ramming into them both over and over again with his toy walker.

Another Vegas Vacation

2010-08-27T22:22:00.005-06:00

This is kind of posted out of order, but Jon, the kids and I went to Las Vegas in April for a little vacation while Jon attended a conference down there. The kids and I killed time while Jon was gone during the days by going swimming, doing a little shopping and sightseeing, and we went to the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay. I was a little stressed about watching out for all three kids by myself everyday (particularly in the swimming pool), but I was surprised at how well we all did. The kids were very obedient and cooperative, and Landon did quite well also despite the fact that he had burnt his hand quite badly just a couple of days earlier on a space heater. Here are some pictures of what we did:

Not the best picture here, but I wanted to show one of Landon's poor bandaged hand (which he kept sucking on to the point that the bandages kept falling off). Brooklyn was having a tantrum here as I recall.

You can't go to Vegas without seeing the Bellagio fountain show!

The kids in front of a fake garden area at a shopping center (no lie, the grass was turf, and the plants and flowers were all fake. Why would you need to do this in Vegas?)

The kids loved Loved LOVED swimming in the pool! Especially Landon!

The kids enjoyed the Shark Reef Aquarium

The Bellagio Gardens:

And possibly the highlight of the trip for the girls: A shopping spree at Justice!

Happy First Birthday Landon!

2010-07-24T01:46:00.015-06:00

From this:
To this!

I can't believe that my baby is 1! Where has the last year gone? We had fun celebrating Landon's birthday on May 7. My brother Michael was kind enough to drive all the way up from So. California for the occasion since we have no family close by. I tried (note the word tried) to make a special "1" cake for Landon, and we had a fairly low key, little family party to celebrate after Jon got home from work. Landon got lots of fun presents and "boy toys", but I am not sure whether he or his sisters had more fun opening and playing with them? We love this little guy more than words can express and are so glad that Heavenly Father saw fit to send him to our family. He is so fun and full of life. I love to see the world through his eyes. Happy Birthday Buddy Boy!

My pathetic excuse for a cake. Don't look too close at it!

This little cake took about 1/20th of the time to make as the one above but looked way cuter

The loot

Trying to rip off the paper!

"Hmm, where do I start?"

One of his favorite presents, the blue buggy!

Helpful sisters keeping his little hands away from the burning candle!

Testing the waters. . .

"Am I dreaming? Because this is too good to be true!"

KICKS Soccer!

2010-07-24T01:29:00.009-06:00

I signed my girls up for the spring soccer league (KICKS) this year. It was quite a bit different than our experience with the fall league (AYSO), but they still enjoyed it, cold weather, disorganization and all! Brooklyn brooded about being on a team with all boys, but she actually ended up being about the best player on the team and scored many of the goals! Jacey also scored a goal or two for her team and also proved to be one of the better players. Now it's countdown to fall soccer!

That's my girl! (Look at her school all those boys!)
You maybe can't see it here, but Brookie always sticks out her tongue while she dribbles the ball!

Jacey is a really fast runner and always hustles to the ball.

Happy Easter!

2010-07-24T01:06:00.007-06:00

This year Easter was a somewhat quiet affair, since it was General Conference and we didn't have to rush off to church. We did the usual, kids woke us up early to find their Easter baskets, and then we all indulged in some treats before breakfast. The kids were quite pleased with what the Easter Bunny left this year, lots of good candy, video games, and books for Jacey and Brooklyn, and some Gerber treats, new binkies, and a little toy car for Landon.
We did invite some friends over for Easter dinner, and attempted to do an Easter Egg Hunt with the kids despite the cold weather. We settled on a combination indoor/outdoor egg hunt, and while the kids were occupied outside Landon crawled around and found many of the indoor eggs. He was so intent on getting to the treats that he didn't waste time unwrapping them before popping the candy into his mouth!

Odd Fashion Sense

2010-07-24T01:02:00.003-06:00

One of Jacey and Brooklyn's favorite pastimes is dressing up. Usually Jacey is the fashionista and dictates the style, but one day Brooklyn went rogue and came up with her own sense of, er, style? I thought that this choice was especially interesting, something like G.I. Joe meets Tinkerbell.

April Fool's?

2010-07-24T00:49:00.005-06:00

On April 1st, we woke up to this:
About 6 inches of snow fell in what was thought to be a "spring storm". Unfortunately, we seemed to miss spring altogether this year as we had many more snow storms after this one and had fairly cool weather clear up until June. I took some pictures of the kids in the middle of April trying to fly their kite at the park while standing on icy, sloshy grass and freezing their rears off!

Their poor legs and toes were about frozen off by the end. . .

but nothing was going to stop us from flying this kite!

Landon managed to stay snug and warm in his stroller as he took in the action!

This Boy Takes After His Dad!

2010-07-24T00:39:00.004-06:00

What is it about men that they can fall asleep anywhere? Is it in their DNA? Landon definitely seems to be following in his dad's footsteps!

He's Definitely All Boy!

2010-07-24T00:28:00.007-06:00

One thing that has amazed me as I have watched Landon grow is how different boys are than girls. Landon is constantly eating and getting into everything! He especially loves to get into the dishwasher. Once he hears the door open and the plates and silverware clanking, he sprints for the dishwasher to see what treasures abound there. It is always a race to try to load up the dishwasher before he can unload it!

Dumping out his "puffs" all over the floor!

Hurrying to shovel them into his mouth before we take them away!

Maybe he has a future in dishwashing?

Waiting patiently to make his move. . .

Now go for it!

Green Eggs and. . .Pancakes?

2010-07-24T00:23:00.002-06:00

For St. Patrick's Day this year I decided to make a dinner of green eggs and pancakes for the kids. They had a little trouble at first deciding that it looked palatable enough to eat, but once they got past the color thing they enjoyed every last bite!

While Dad's Away, The Kids Will Play!

2010-07-23T23:52:00.003-06:00

I forgot to mention before that while Jon was in Europe, Jon's mom was nice enough to come down for a few days to help out and visit us. It was a nice reprieve for me to have some help. We shopped a little, went out to lunch together, went to a couple of parks with the kids, and even met Jacey at school one day to have lunch with her. Since Jon took our camera to Europe I didn't get any pictures of her visit, but we had a great time with "Red Grandma" and were glad that she made the effort to come!

Jon's Europe Trip

2010-05-15T00:24:00.020-06:00

As he has done twice before, Jon had the opportunity to go once again to Europe with the kids from his school this past March. Although he goes in a "supervisory role", in the past his Europe trips have been about 80% vacation and 20% work. This year though, the students made him work for the trip, and he came home exhausted. At least he was able to visit Italy this time and see some new sites that he has never been to before. He took literally hundreds of pictures, but I decided to post only the best of the best here.

Inside the Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

Basilique du Sacre Coeur at night, ParisInside the Palace of Versailles, France

Standing outside of the Louvre, Paris
Neuschwanstein Castle (aka "Cinderella's Castle), Germany
Schloss Hohenschwangau, GermanyDachau Concentration Camp, Germany
Canals of VeniceSome Cathedral in Venice
Another Cathedral (I think!), VeniceThe Colosseum, RomeInside the Colosseum, RomeStanding outside the Pantheon, Rome
Trevi Fountain, Rome
Sistine Chapel, Rome
The Vatican, Rome

P.S. Anyone who wants to volunteer to babysit my kids next year so I can go with him, please raise your hand!

Getting So Big!

2010-05-14T23:37:00.011-06:00

It is amazing how big Landon has gotten over the past six months! It is crazy to think that he was barely sitting up on his own around Thanksgiving time, and in those six months he learned how to go from sitting, to standing, to cruising, to walking (as well as cut 7 teeth)! He is so much fun and so interactive and loves to play hide and seek and peek-a-boo.

In an effort to keep my postings going in a sequential order, here are some older pics that I never got around to posting earlier. I will get more current pictures posted ASAP, including those from Landon's first birthday.

November 2009--Notice how he is propped up by all those pillows!
December 2009--One month later, he is a pro at sitting!January 2010--Sitting up well in the tub!
Jan 2010--Reading all by himself!
February 2010--Showing off his pearly whites (two on bottom. . .)
March 2010--And 4 more teeth on the top!

Oh, I love this boy so much! Will someone please make him stop growing up so fast?!?

Gee, Do You Think it is Time For an Update?

2010-04-12T22:54:00.003-06:00

As painful as it was, I decided today that it was time for me to return from my blogging vacation. It feels as though I have been staring at that sink-full of dishes for the past few months, knowing that I needed to get cracking on it but dreading the task ahead. And while I am not yet caught up, my hopes are high that I will be up to date soon enough. Check back here again soon--I might surprise you! But in the meantime, enjoy the new posts, as redundant as they might be!

Snow Days!

2010-04-12T22:33:00.009-06:00

It has been one snowy winter this year! Although it has not been quite as cold as the deep freeze of winter '07, I think that we have gotten more snow this winter than almost any other since we have lived here. It has made for some good sledding weather for the kids, and we took advantage of it when we could!

Grandpa's Funeral

2010-04-12T18:46:00.009-06:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, my Grandpa Crosbie passed away at the end of December, and so we took an unexpected trip up to Logan for his funeral, which was held on Jan. 2. Grandpa's service was probably one of the neatest I have ever been to as was buried with full military honors and even had a bagpiper there playing to honor his Scottish heritage. I see funerals as a mixed blessing. While I never look forward to them, it was a great opportunity to see and reconnect with cousins, aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in years. It was an added bonus to see my sister Stefani and my brother Jeff again.

Christmas 2009

2010-04-12T17:45:00.019-06:00

For Christmas we decided to keep with the theme of "Please come to us, because we can't come to you!" and my mom, dad and brother Michael came to spend the holidays with us. I have to work Saturdays at the bank and since Christmas fell on a Friday last year, I knew I would never be able to get anyone to work for me that weekend. We had a great time with my family and it was an especially fun year with the kids now that both the girls are old enough to anticipate Santa coming. Speaking of Santa, he spoiled us again this year and brought the family a Wii (because nothing spells good times like W-i-i) and he also brought me an awesome new camera so that I could finally take some good pictures of my kids! Santa also brought the girls new sleds (which we have made good use of this winter), games for their DS and Leapster, and many other assorted goodies. Landon was also a good boy and got some fun new toys, including his most favorite toy ever--the Playschool Ball Popper! Jon surprised me with what will surely be my most favorite gift ever--a day of pampering at an awesome spa! I have not been able to use it yet, but I am eagerly anticipating the day when I can leave all my troubles behind! Anyone want to join me?

Have you ever seen a cuter Santa Baby?

The girls had fun making Christmas Cookies with Grandpa

Jacey meticulously frosted her cookies. . .

while Brooklyn went about it with her usual, carefree attitude.
(don't worry, we said a blessing over these cookies!)

The kids all got brand new Christmas pj's!

The stash of gifts under the tree. . .

and the stash of gifts that Santa left behind.

The kiddos all lined up on Christmas morning!

The looks on their faces is the best part of Christmas!

The whole fam-damily! But where is Landon you ask?

Hiding by the couch, playing with his Christmas loot!

I didn't get many pictures of Grandma, Grandpa and Michael,
but here they are, looking uh, bored?

The awesome quilt that my mom made Landon, a la "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

The aftermath of Christmas

These three kids are definitely looking forward to next Christmas!
(Don't worry, it's only 8 months away now!)

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-04-12T17:32:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of our actual Thanksgiving, but we had Jon's mom and dad visit us for a few days. We also hosted Jon's sister Kristen's in-laws, Kent and Carol, who were down in our area visiting and were just going to go to a restaurant for dinner! We couldn't have that, so we convinced them to join us. It was a fun visit and of course we all ate way too much food! I did snap this cute picture of Brooklyn wearing her "Pilgrim Bonnet" that she had made in preschool. Does that count? I must get better at taking pictures!

Goodbye Grandpa, We'll Miss You

2009-12-29T23:09:00.007-07:00

I got some unexpected news today: my one living Grandpa has passed away. He lived a great 87 (almost 88) years. Thankfully my parents happened to be up at their house from California when Grandpa suddenly fell ill. I am so glad that my mom had one last chance to be with him, and that she is able to be there to lend support to my Grandma, who surely needs it right now.

I am also so grateful that I had a chance to see Grandpa a few months ago at Landon's blessing. He looked great and still had his witty sense of humor, despite his physical limitations. We got a couple of pictures of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa, which I will always cherish.

I have five memories that stand out with Grandpa:
1. Going out into the backyard to see his "pheasant house"
2. Going down into the basement with Grandpa, where there always seemed to be an extensive collection of ice cream to choose from. He always let me have whatever flavor I wanted.
3. Grandpa would teach me to go around the yard and pick all of the snails off of the plants in the garden. Sounds gross but I remember having so much fun doing it!
4. Grandpa always seemed to be reading the Wall Street Journal and was always up to speed on how the market was doing. He loved to give a tutorial to anyone who had a listening ear!
5. Grandpa's collection of "Dickies" that he wore to work out in the yard. He seemed to have one in every color!

Grandpa, we love you and will miss you!

Family Pictures

2009-12-02T20:34:00.010-07:00

We recently got some family pictures taken (our first ones ever!). There were especially some cute ones of the kids. Here are some of my favorites:

Our Halloween Weekend

2009-11-07T00:03:00.013-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year! We were able to kind of stretch things out a bit and even got a few wears out of each of their costumes! This year Jacey decided to be a queen, Brooklyn was a black cat, and Landon went as a little tiger.

The weekend before Halloween I took the kids to a little Halloween party they were holding at a local craft store and the girls won lots of cool prizes and did some fun crafts. The day before Halloween, both Brooklyn and Jacey had their Halloween parties at school. Unfortunately, Jacey's school doesn't allow them to dress up, but Brookie was able to wear her costume to school and she had a blast trick-or-treating around her teacher's neighborhood with all of her preschool buddies! Here is a picture of Brookie with her favorite buddy Ethan (or "Ephan", as she calls him)

That night we went to a Halloween carnival at Jacey's school, where they were allowed to dress up. The kids had a lot of fun there and both Jacey and Brooklyn won cakes in the cake walk (which basically went to waste--who wants more sugar on Halloween?) The pictures I took at the carnival didn't turn out very well, but here are some before shots:

After the carnival, we dropped in at Jon's work for their Halloween party, where Landon won the prize for best costume!

The next day was Halloween. We hurried to get our pumpkins carved at the last minute (okay, actually Jon and the girls cleaned out the pumpkins, and then left me solo to do the carving.) I always dread carving the pumpkins, but it was actually kind of fun this year and I was quite pleased with the results:

Kind of a blurry picture, but from left to right is Landon's "Clown" pumpkin, Brooklyn's "Cat" pumpkin, and Jacey's "Cackling Witch" pumpkin

We rushed off to the trunk-or-treat in the afternoon, where Brooklyn was kind of onery and groggy from a nap at the beginning but finally came around in the end. Jacey had a great time being a big girl and running off on her own with her friends. Landon just hung out and looked cute for everyone:

Yes, even I dressed up!

After the trunk-or-treat we crammed dinner down the kids throats, and then the girls and I were off with some friends to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood. We were beat by the time we finally got home, but the kids had so much fun. They made a haul with their candy too, and now we have enough to last us until next Halloween! Anyone who needs a sugar fix, please stop by our house and take some away!

Oh, and did I mention that Landon looked super cute in his costume?!?

Happy Fall Y'All!

2009-11-06T23:16:00.018-07:00

We had such a fun and busy October. We went up to visit Jon's family during the kid's fall break from school and the kids had a great time with their cousins. The first item on the agenda was a trip to Hee Haw's, a family farm where they have lots of fun kids activities, including a corn maze.

Both girls loved going down the "slide" over and over and over again!

The "train" ride was less than thrilling. . .

then they recovered a little thrill on the swings!

They had a ball playing in the corn. . .

and then fell apart in the corn maze! (actually, mainly Brooklyn did, although all of us except Shay ended up just throwing the towel in and walked out of the entrance!)

The day after Hee Haw's we had a family barbecue over at Jon's brother Loran's house. While there, I got a couple of cute pictures of Landon with his Grandpa:

After spending those few days with Jon's family, we headed home and then had company of our own--my dad and brother Michael came up for a visit from California! They stayed with us for 5 days and helped me out a lot while Jon went out of town on business. They played with the kids, helped me out with the baby, and my dad even helped me to tackle a couple of projects around the house that I never seemed to have time to do. Thanks Dad! Here are some pictures from their visit here:

We spent some time playing at our favorite park. . .

visited a pumpkin patch. . .

and ate at Pirate Pizza! (kind of like a Chuck-E-Cheese's)

The night before Grandpa and Michael had to leave, Michael made up and sent the kids on a treasure hunt, which they loved. The "treasure" at the end was a trip to Maggie Moo's to get ice cream cones! What a cool uncle! The kids had a lot of fun with Grandpa and Uncle Michael and were sad to see them go! Hopefully we can see them again soon.

Soccer Girls!

2009-11-06T22:17:00.011-07:00

This fall my girls decided to forgo taking dance classes in favor of trying their hand on the soccer field. Although both did great with dance, I thought that it would be fun to try something new. I figured that something athletic like soccer would be right up Brooklyn's alley, but I wasn't so sure that Jacey would take to it. I was extremely surprised when Jacey not only liked playing, but was actually one of the stand-out players on her team! She played goalie and forward and scored quite a few times. Brooklyn was also a very good player and kicked a lot of goals too. The girls both said they don't care if they dance anymore, but want to know when they can play soccer again! I am looking at signing them up for the spring city league so they can continue to hone in on their new-found talents. I love that I have finally brought out the tomboy in them both!

Mommy Wow! I'm a Big Kid Now!

2009-10-14T12:56:00.017-06:00

Landon turned 5 months old a week ago today. I can't believe that he is already almost 1/2 a year old! The past 5 months have flown by faster than I remember them going by with the girls, partly because the days and nights sometime blend together with the lack of sleep, and partly because life has taken on more of a frantic pace with three kids schedules to tend to. He is getting to be such a big boy and has already cut his first tooth and started to roll over (although I have discovered that he often lacks the motivation to roll because he hates being on his stomach!) It has been fun to see Landon's personality emerge and to see him become more engaging and interactive. He always wants to be right in the middle of all the action and gets upset if he is left alone for too long. Or maybe he gets upset because he is afraid to be left alone with Brooklyn, who loves Landon a little too much sometimes. We love this little guy a lot, and since I have not been very good at posting pictures of Landon as he has grown, here is a smorgasbord sure to incite baby hunger!

Hard to believe he started out this small!

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

3 1/2 months--Getting to be a big boy!

3 1/2 months old--Playing in the walker

4 months old--Getting to be so happy!

4 months

4 1/2 months--Feeling big in the Bumbo seat

Almost 5 months--Getting "decorated" with flowers by those darn sisters!
(and producing enough drool to make them grow!)

Working on cutting that pesky tooth! (almost 5 months)

Jumping to the point of exhaustion! (almost 5 months)

5 months old, and already reading!

5 months--Such a big, handsome boy!

Brooklyn's "New Preschool"

2009-09-19T22:41:00.005-06:00

Brookie's First Day

Brooklyn started her second year of preschool on September 1st. She is going to a new school this year, the same one that Jacey went to as a 4-year-old, and is now going 3 days a week instead of 2. I LOVE her teacher and the set-up that she has at her house (converted garage with classroom, playroom, and pint-sized bathroom), as well as her awesome backyard with tons of playground equipment and ride-on toys. Brooklyn is in heaven there and loves it, which makes the long drive to get there worthwhile (it is about 15 minutes away). She is always asking each morning if she gets to go to "New Preschool" that day. She also loves her little buddy Ethan who is in her class and drives in our carpool with us.

Since starting "New Preschool", I have also begun to panic as I realize that Brooklyn is only 1 year away from starting kindergarten! How can that be? As smart as she is, I have discovered that Brooklyn needs a lot of help when it comes to learning to write her letters. The poor girl doesn't even know how to hold her pencil the right way! Since Jacey picked up a crayon and started coloring and writing virtually on her own at a very young age, I guess that this kind of caught me by surprise. Brookie would much rather be playing cars and trains than be bothered with the tedious work of printing letters and coloring in the lines. It is so interesting how my two girls have such different personalities!

Riding the trike in the backyard!

Packing it up for another day!

Jacey's 7th Birthday!

2009-09-10T23:43:00.013-06:00

How do you go from this:

to this:

in just 7 short years?

Jacey turned 7 years old on September 1st. It is hard to believe that my little baby girl is growing up so fast! If the years aren't proof of that, her sassy attitude and love of clothing and all things GIRL are. Some days she seems to be 7 going on 17. I am not quite sure how she got this way given the fact that I am more of a tomboy and not into all the girly-girl things. But I digress.

The big celebration started the Saturday before her actual birthday with her friend party. Since it is still quite warm outside we decided to have a water-themed party, with a little Hannah Montana thrown in (more about that later).

We got out the big water slide. . .

and played some games using water balloons.

A couple of girls even got the brilliant idea to use water balloons in some more creative ways!

The girls made visors. . .

Jacey opened up her presents, which were mostly make-up items (ugh!). . .

and then we had cupcakes, ice cream and punch!
(Jacey wanted a Hannah Montana party, but the only things that were "Hannah" were the cups and napkins.)

She definitely felt like the "Queen of the Party!"

A couple of days later was her actual birthday. I took some goodies into her classroom and her teacher spotlighted her while I was there. That night we went out to eat at Applebee's (her choice) and then we came home and opened up her presents and had ice cream. As you can see, she got quite spoiled! She got a big sticker book from her "Red Grandma", some books and Justice shirts from California Grandma, and a shirt, DS game, headband, necklace, AND a new bike (training wheel-less) and bike helmet from us. We have already been out a few times teaching her how to ride her new wheels, and she is doing great!

Jacey is such a sweet and sensitive girl. She is always quick to give hugs and kisses and also quick to forgive. She is the ultimate first child in every way, and is very responsible and helpful around the house as well as with her brother and sister. I am so grateful that our family has been blessed with this sweet little girl! Happy birthday Jacey!

Wal-Mart--Always Poor Customer Service. Always!

2009-09-03T16:11:00.004-06:00

I have a million more important things that I need to blog about, such as Jacey's birthday, Brooklyn's first day of pre-school, soccer games, etc., but I just could not resist posting a rant about Wal-Mart's sub-par customer service. I have come to expect that when I go to Wal-Mart I am going to get a better deal on my groceries and such, but that I should not go there if I am in a big hurry (10 customers in line for every cashier) or have any questions about where to find something ("Huh? We carry that?"). I often get a rude response or at best a blank stare from the robots who work there if I request even the slightest thing. Today was no exception.

As the cashier checked out my groceries today, I noticed that she scanned a large can of banana chips that I had bought for food storage twice. I asked her about it, and she said,"Well you did get two cans of banana chips, right?" Yes, that was true, but the problem was that the other can had already been bagged so I was convinced that she had also scanned that one earlier. I said "Oh, so you must have not scanned the other one earlier then?", to which I got the "Hmm mmm." Okalee dokalee. I was in a hurry to get Brooklyn from preschool and knew that if this lady messed up I was not going to have time to go to Customer Service to get my money back, because at Wal-Mart you do not get to see your receipt to check such things until after you have already paid and the cashier cannot do anything to fix it. I think that may be part of their strategy for making their huge profits. I can't tell you how many times they have wrung up something for the wrong price and I have not had the time or the guts to go stand in line to get my 50 cents back. But at $5.99 a can, I was not going to let this one go!

After she finished checking my things, I uncomfortably asked "Um, before I pay would you mind just checking the receipt to make sure that you only scanned those bananas twice?" Sigh. Hiss. How dare you ask me to do that!!! The cashier curtly pushed the magic button on her register to print out the receipt so I could see it. Mind you I only bought 17 items, so they weren't hard to find. She took her pen and checked them off "Here's one here. Here's one there. And, uh. . .oh there's another one there." No apologies, or "I was wrong", just an angry yanking of one of those cans out of my bag to void the entry. As I paid I said "Thank you for checking on that for me" to which she replied, if you can believe it, a robotic "You're welcome." I felt redeemed, validated, but also somewhat perplexed at how Wal-Mart keeps these awesome employees when so many people are looking for jobs right now. And maybe a little more perplexed at why, despite the numerous times I have had these kind of encounters there, I will still go back again and again.

My Little 2nd Grader!

2009-08-25T21:49:00.007-06:00

So Jacey started school again last Thursday. Poor Brooklyn woke up so sad that morning and wore the biggest frown as Jacey got ready. I asked her what was wrong and she said "Jacey is going to school and this day is going to be boring!" Thankfully Brooklyn starts preschool next week and will have something of her own to look forward to!

This year seemed a little surreal, as if it wasn't really time to start up again yet, but when I looked at the school calendar from last year it showed that we were actually starting school a week later this year than last. The first day of school Jacey was excited yet nervous to go, saying "What if the kids or the teacher don't like me?", etc. But when I dropped her off at school she was right back into her element, hugging all of her school friends and seeming quite the confident little cookie. She was also very excited because I got her a new shirt that she really wanted, along with a matching silver headband. Add to that the silver sandals we bought recently and this girl was all about the bling! She apparently also had quite the sassy attitude to match that day. She told me that when she walked by a group of boys in the hall that she knew their mouths dropped open when they saw her (her version of events!) She said that she stuck her tongue out at them, and then flashed them a big "L" (for loser--where does she learn this stuff?). In other events, she also said that she resumed her favorite recess pastime--chasing boys. Here's to another year of growing up!

Standing outside her classroom
Sitting at her desk

Looking studious already with those cute glasses!

End of Summer Fun!

2009-08-19T23:04:00.031-06:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that summer is already wrapping up. Didn't it just barely start? Although I thought that we were going to have a long, boring summer this year due to the baby just being born, it ended up being anything but. We took more trips than we normally do, going on quick day jaunts to Zions, Cedar Breaks, and Kanarraville Falls, along with week-long trips to see both sides of our family. We also tackled swim lessons, started soccer, played with friends, broke out the water slide a few times, and just seemed to keep busy constantly! I am not ready for the fun, lazy days of summer to end! Here is a wrap-up of the end of our summer:

At the end of July Brooklyn and Jacey took swim lessons and did great! They are both improving so much and getting really comfortable in the water.

All done for this year!

The day that we finished with swimming lessons, we packed up the car and headed out for our yearly summer vacation to Southern California to see my family. We had a lot of fun there and enjoyed being able to spend more time with "California Grandpa" than we usually get. Here are some pictures of our adventures there:

On our first night there we got as close to Disneyland as we were going to get this trip--we went to check out Downtown Disney and watched the fireworks!
The girls had fun trying on the Minnie Mouse ears
Grandma made sure that Landon didn't feel left out!

On Sunday we went to church with my family, and then after Sunday dinner we engaged in a Mitchell Family tradition--a game of croquet in the backyard!Hey, the boy has to learn how to play sooner or later!

On Monday we ventured out to Irvine Park to ride the train through the park (Brooklyn loves trains!) and to play on the playground. It was a hot, muggy day, but we did have a lot of fun.

Uncle Michael is hiding in this picture, apparently too embarrassed to be caught riding the "Kiddie Train"!
The girls with Grandpa! Brooklyn with her favorite Uncle Michael!

Swinging so high! Landon fell fast asleep in the swing, just like at home!

On Tuesday it was on to: Wait, you guys have the wrong family!

Brooklyn and Jacey rode their first big roller coaster there!

Brookie's favorite ride--the "galloping" horses
Jon's favorite ride--the pirate ship where you could spray water guns and soak unsuspecting people!
The kids LOVED getting soaked in the splash zone
Jacey with some creepy old man!

In Mini-Land USA, a LEGO rendering of the Obama inauguration

Also in Mini-Land, a LEGO Vegas Strip!

On Wednesday and Thursday, we were so tired from the previous days that we kind of went low-key and just did some shopping and hung out around the house. My parents did give Jon and I a date night one of those nights and took the girls to McDonald's while Jon and I went out to dinner. As always, it was hard to say goodbye when we had to leave. Thanks for the fun week Grandma, Grandpa and Michael! Let's do it again next summer!Oh and P.S.: Grandpa, you have won over the heart of another grandkid!

Our Weekend With the Pendy's

2009-08-12T22:49:00.020-06:00

In the middle of July Jon's sister Arryn and her family (the Pendleton's) came down to visit us for a weekend. We had a blast with them and even ventured out to a couple of places in So. Utah we had never been before, namely Cedar Breaks National Monument and Kanarraville Falls. I guess it takes someone with an adventurous spirit to drag us homebodies out into new territory!

On Friday, we broke out the waterslide for the kids since it was broiling hot that day. The kids had a lot of fun squirting at each other and trying treacherous tricks down the slide. Here are a few pics of the action:

On Saturday, we went out to Cedar Breaks where we stood in awe of the beautiful scenery and hiked around a little bit. Thankfully, we also managed to keep the kids safe despite some "too-close-for-comfort" encounters with steep cliff dropoffs. After hiking around a bit we went to a campground area for a "picnic dinner", and then Jon and I headed home with Brooklyn and Landon while Jacey stayed behind with Mike & Arryn and her cousins for the ranger's program and star gazing. She had a lot of fun and it was amazing how much she learned about planets and constellations there. Here are some pics of our day at Cedar Breaks:

The "Amphitheater"There were beautiful wildflowers everywhere

Cute Girl Cousins!

Jenna and Jacey taking in the spectacular view!

Jon fell off the side of the cliff and needed to be rescued!
(Okay, not really, but it made for a really cool picture!)

Standing in front of the 1,000+ year-old tree

Baby Landon just goes where we go!

On Sunday, Landon and I stayed home while Jon and the girls and Arryn's family set out to do what we thought was a short hike to Kanarraville Falls. About 4 1/2 hours later, the extremely weary crew returned after hiking for hours through slot canyons to the falls. They had a lot of fun but were exhausted! Apparently we tempted fate again that day because I heard afterward that there are usually a bunch of rattlesnakes on that trail! Luckily they stayed far away that day and no one got hurt! Here are some pics of their adventures to the falls:

Thanks Mike, Arryn and kids for making the effort to come see us! We had a great weekend and look forward to your next visit!

Landon's Blessing

2009-07-22T13:35:00.009-06:00

Our Handsome Boy!

We capped off our fun 4th of July weekend with Landon's blessing on Sunday, July 5. We decided to do a private family blessing this time instead of doing it in our ward because most of our family was already up in the SLC/Provo area, and it was easier for us to come to them rather then having them all come down to us. I was a little bit worried about having it be less formal this time and not feeling like an actual baby blessing, but it ended up being very special. We were able to arrange to do the blessing at Jon's parent's church after the block ended on Sunday, and it was nice not having to sit through an hour meeting afterward. It was made even more special by the fact that we had so many of our family there to participate. We were lucky to have all of Jon and I's surviving grandparents there (we only have three left between the two of us). After the blessing we all went over to Jon's brother Loran's house and enjoyed some tasty grub in their backyard. It was a great day and we are so appreciative to everyone who made the effort to come!

Family Pics

"California" Grandma and Grandpa

Kids with Great Grandpa and Grandma Crosbie (Nicole's grandparents)

Kids with Great Grandma Christensen (Jon's grandma)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-15T17:49:00.012-06:00

It was fun to be able to spend the 4th this year with family. Since all of my family were staying at different places and we had no common place to be all together, Stef and Mike came up with the idea to go to Park City for the day. We had a great time there doing a little shopping at the outlets, having lunch together, and then heading over to Park City Mountain Resort to ride the new Alpine Coaster and the older, more classic Alpine Slide. Jon had gone on the Alpine Slide a long time ago, but it was the first time the kids and I have ever done the Slide, and the first time any of us have ever done the Coaster. We had a blast! Brooklyn was so sad when the rides were all over and threw a fit when I told her that we couldn't ride again for awhile (we blew $70 in a few short minutes for us all to ride the the slide and coaster--not cheap!) We did promise to take the kids back again someday though. After we were done in Park City, we headed back to Stefani's in-laws house, where they graciously hosted the whole Mitchell clan for dinner, and then we headed over to Sugarhouse Park to watch the fireworks. It was a great day, and the baby did amazingly well being toted around all day away from home!

Ascending the mountain on the Alpine Coaster

The Alpine Slide
Riding the chairlift up the mountain!Brooklyn and I raced against. . .
Jacey and Jon! (Gee, I wonder who won?)

Brookie and Megan eagerly anticipating the fireworks!
Cute cousins!
Time to call it a night! California Grandma's getting a little tipsy!

Northern Utah Visit

2009-07-15T17:12:00.011-06:00

Landon giving his most handsome smiles to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Amy

(**Note to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Amy--Do not be deceived. Babies aren't always THIS good!)

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I took off to Northern Utah for a little mini-vacation to Jon's parent's house. While we were there we had the opportunity to see most of both sides of our family, and we incorporated this visit with Landon's blessing at the end of the week. It was the first time most people in our extended family were able to see Landon, and it was fun to be able to spend time with each of them. My sister Stefani and her family were visiting from Arkansas, and it was the first time we have seen them in a year. Also Jon's sister Kristen and her kids were visiting from Colorado, so it was great to see them again as well. The kids had a good time playing with their cousins, and it was nice to be able to have the extra arms to hold Landon. He did surprisingly well considering that he was loved and passed around by so many new people. I think that he loves being the center of attention already! As usual, I didn't take enough pictures, but here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Loves from cousin Megan
Loves from cousin Noah
and lovin Aunt Steffy!
Brooklyn at Jump On It!Jacey was doing front flips on the trampolines--so brave!
Jacey and Brooklyn with cousins Adam and Jenna on the inflatables

Having a great time with the cousins!

Day at Zion National Park

2009-07-10T23:02:00.013-06:00

For my birthday we decided to spend the day visiting Zion National Park. The kids and I had never been before, and it also happened to be free admission that day, so we were able to take advantage of going on the cheap. Although we didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked there (it rained off and on that day and we had a 6-week-old in tow), we did take the bus tour through the park and also did a couple of quick hikes with the kids. (On a side note, Jon got quite a few funny looks from people that day while he was carrying little Landon around in the baby carrier. Did they think it was cute or unmasculine for him to be wearing one of those?) All in all, we had a fun day and we would love to return there sometime soon. It is amazing that we have such spectacular surroundings right in our own backyard!Pooped!

Learning to Smile

2009-07-10T22:48:00.003-06:00

Landon's First Smiles--5 weeks old

When Landon was about 5 weeks old I started to play that parent game of "Is this normal?" I couldn't remember when babies were supposed to make start making eye contact and smiling, but he wasn't yet and so I started to research the internet to make sure that nothing was wrong. I felt reassured when I read that it was usually around 2-3 months that babies started to do this. Landon must have felt my anxiety because lo and behold, just a couple of days later he began to finally look at us and even started to smile, well ahead of schedule. Now he is an old pro and has a ready smile first thing in the morning and after eating a satisfying meal. He has even started to "track" our movements, and is always on the lookout for Brooklyn so that he can prepare himself for her pounces!

Playing Catch-up/Visits with Grandparents!

2009-07-10T22:14:00.008-06:00

Wow, I have been such a slacker at this blog thing lately. So much has happened in the past couple of months that I would like to post about, yet I struggle to even get the more basic things accomplished in life right now (like getting in a shower!). Taking care of the new baby and trying to entertain two girls who are perpetually bored is time consuming!

Working backwards a little, we were lucky to have my mom and brother Michael come out to visit at the end of May. The kids always enjoy seeing their "California Grandma" and playing with Uncle Michael, who is an uber-good sport and indulges them by playing the same games over and over and OVER again! They stayed for about 5 days and we had a lot of fun with them:

"California Grandma" and Landon

Landon with Uncle Michael
Saying goodbye!

About two weeks later Jon's mom was able to visit for a couple of days along with Jon's brother Loran and his wife Merilee. Their trip was short but sweet and the kids enjoyed seeing their "Red Grandma" as well.

"Red Grandma", the ultimate multi-tasker

This is really working backwards, but my parents and Michael also came to visit us a couple of weeks before Landon was born (they were passing through on their way back from my brother Jeff's college graduation). I love this picture of my parents with Brooklyn:

Even though we live further away from our family than we like, I'm glad that we still live close enough to see them from time to time. I am especially glad that my kids have been able to develop close relationships with their grandparents and extended family. They love each of you so much!

Happy Birthday and Father's Day to my Husband!

2009-06-19T23:14:00.010-06:00

Okay, so this is ridiculously late, but I am just getting around to posting about Jon's birthday, which was on June 7. Since it was Sunday we couldn't do a whole lot other than go to church, but I did make him one of his favorite desserts--Fruit Pizza! I also surprised him with an iPod, one of the many gadgets that we are just finally getting around to getting (I know, we have to be about the last family in America to finally get one!). We also celebrated the day before his birthday with dinner at Texas Roadhouse and ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Thankfully they had Jon's favorite kind in stock--Pink Bubblegum!

Since it is also almost Father's Day, I also wanted to acknowledge Jon and the wonderful husband and father that he is. He works so hard to support our family and we love him a lot! I found a few pictures of Jon with the kids that I thought were cute:April 2003 - Reading to Jacey

June 2004 - Swimming with Jacey
October 2005 - Reading with the kids
December 2007 - Sledding with Brooklyn
June 2009 - Snuggling Landon

Brooklyn Turns 4!

2009-06-08T11:39:00.019-06:00

In our family, June is birthday month! I counted the other day and between our little family and Jon and I's immediate families there are 9 birthdays in June! Add Father's Day to the mix and it is one very busy (and expensive) month!

Brooklyn turned 4 on June 4. She seemed to have a good day even though it ended up being a bit chaotic. Jacey woke up sick that morning and we spent half the day running back and forth to the auto mechanic to get Jon's car fixed. I had good intentions to make her a special birthday "train" cake, but unfortunately between all of the running around and taking care of the baby I was never able to find the time to do it. Brooklyn didn't quite get the concept that her birthday lasted the whole day, and kept asking throughout the day "Is it my birthday yet?" Probably an indication that the day started a little bit slow and unexciting! We did finally get the ball rolling that evening when we took her to Winger's (Weiner's, as she calls it) for dinner. That is her favorite restaurant because they give you popcorn before dinner and then they give fruit snacks with the kids meals (two of her favorite snacks!) After eating at Winger's we came home and did a little family birthday party complete with balloons, streamers, presents and birthday cake (from Albertson's). Brooklyn got some Thomas the Train toys, a couple of books and puzzles, Play-Doh, a bubble blowing gun, and the grand finale--a big inflatable water slide for summer, which we haven't been able to use yet because it has been cool and very windy ever since her birthday! She has been begging for one of these water slides for a long time and we can't wait to break it out!

For some reason this birthday was a little bittersweet for me. I guess it is a combination of realizing that Brooklyn may be our last girl and that she is growing up way too fast for my liking. I loved the 3-year-old age so much with her and had such a good time with her over this last year. This year has also been a great one for her because it marked the end (hopefully!) of her kidney issues and all of the tests and medical procedures that have plagued her since birth. Brooklyn is such a sweet and funny girl and has been such a blessing to our family. She keeps us all laughing and helps to lighten up the mood in our house. We love you Brooklyn!

3 weeks old

4 months
8 months
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years old!
Her big present!
Loving every minute of her birthday!

Jekyll & Hyde (a.k.a. Landon's first few weeks of life!)

2009-05-28T22:41:00.004-06:00

It's hard to believe that today Landon is 3 weeks old! The time has gone by fast and it feels as though he has always been a part of our family. Right after Landon's birth he was very calm and just laid there in my arms contently for the longest time, seemingly oblivious to any trauma he may have experienced at birth. I remember commenting to Jon in the hospital that he was such a calm baby and how fortunate that was given that we have two other kids at home to take care of. Landon has continued to be, for the most part, a very sweet and good-natured baby, but this sweetness mostly coincides with being held. He loves, LOVES to be held, and for some reason no matter how deep of sleep he may be in, he seems to wake right up when we put him down. If I do put him down, under no circumstances should I walk away or leave him alone in a room because then he turns very angry! I have tried the "cry it out" approach, but he is definitely a determined little boy and does not give up easily!

Fortunately there have been a few days where Landon lets me put him down for short naps, and overall he is learning to get used to being okay on his own. He also is really a good little sleeper at nights, going 3-4 hours between feedings, and we have made the transition from him sleeping in bed with us, to sleeping in the carseat, to finally sleeping on his own in the bassinet (most of the time!) We're definitely making "baby steps" in the right direction!

Landon is growing up so fast already and the clothes that seemed to drown him just a few weeks ago are now fitting just right. At his two week appointment he was already up to 9 1/2 lbs. and had grown 3/4 of an inch. Every day I wish that I could just freeze him at this age and not have him get any bigger! Here are some pics from his first few weeks of life:

Kyle's Wedding

2009-05-27T16:21:00.008-06:00

I am posting this a little out of order, but I wanted to post some pictures from Jon's brother Kyle's wedding. He got married May 2, and since it was only a week before my due date and 3 hours away, we were not expecting to be there for it. At the very last minute we decided to go up because that weekend my doctor was unavailable to deliver me anyways, so we took our chances and made the trek up there for the wedding. We were glad to be able to be there since all of Jon's family was in town, and it was fun to be able to see everyone. All in all it was a great weekend!

Kyle and Kaylee

Beautiful flowers at the temple

Family Picture

Jacey and I

Jacey with her cousins

Brooklyn sneaking a drink!

He's Finally Here!!!

2009-05-13T11:54:00.002-06:00

Landon Jon Larsen made his debut last Thursday, May 7 at 5:30 pm. He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21 inches long, and he was even born 3 days early! I ended up having an unexpected induction after going into my doctor's appointment Thursday morning. I mentioned to her that the baby seemed to not be moving around quite as much and she decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery for a non-stress test to monitor the baby. After being on the monitor for 30 minutes or so, the nurse noted that he had a couple of heart decelerations following contractions that concerned her. After consulting with my doctor, they decided that it was best to just to induce me and get the baby here. Unfortunately, Brooklyn was due to be picked up from preschool right about that time, and Jon was in the middle of meetings at work. I asked if I could go pick up Brooklyn at school and run her over to a friend's house and also get my stuff from home, and they told me to hurry back. I also had to stop back by my doctor's office on my way out so she could strip my membranes to try to get labor started (by the way, I am not sure I recommend this unless you are really desperate to go into labor--very painful!)

After getting Brooklyn taken care of and getting my stuff, I met Jon back at the hospital. They got me prepped and the doctor broke my water at 1:30pm. We walked around to help labor get going, and then after a couple of hours I decided to try the bathtub since the nurse said this sometimes helps labor to progress faster. I was in there maybe 30-45 minutes and started having major contractions and feeling like I needed to push. They hurried and got me back to my bed and checked me, but I was only dilated to a 7 (this has happened with my other kids as well). The doctor helped me through several contractions trying to help me to dilate. Finally I was fully dilated and could fully push. The doctor thought that it would only take a couple of pushes to get him out since it was my third baby, but I was having a hard time getting him out. The doctor couldn't understand why he wasn't coming and thought that maybe the cord was wrapped around him. In the meantime his heart rate was going down, and the doctor was a little concerned. Finally, FINALLY he came out, and we discovered the real reason he wouldn't come out easily--he was just huge! The doctor and nurse thought that they heard a crack as he came out and thought that maybe he had broken his collarbone, but the pediatrician checked him out and said he looked fine. Thank goodness!

Landon is a very sweet and calm baby as long as he has a full belly and is being held or is in his swing. He doesn't like to be left alone and unfortunately won't sleep in his crib or bassinet. The first few nights we just brought him in bed with us, and then I figured out that he actually sleeps pretty well in his car seat, so the past couple nights that's where he has slept! He actually slept a 4 hour stint last night without getting up to eat, and I feel like a new woman today! We already love this sweet boy and are so glad that he is a member of our family! The girls especially love him, sometimes too much!

Here are some pics from his first few days of life. Unfortunately, some of the hospital pics are a little grainy. We are determined to get a new camera ASAP.

Finally getting around to Easter. . .

2009-04-27T21:43:00.003-06:00

Easter this year was fun but very busy. We got home late Friday night from our Vegas trip with Easter weekend to tackle. Unfortunately we left the house so fast to go on our trip that I didn't even get a chance to clean or pick up beforehand, and then of course we dumped all of our bags in the living room when we got back. I spent Saturday morning working at the bank, went grocery shopping in the afternoon, and then cleaned up the house Saturday night. I was ready to get the kids to bed that night when Jacey reminded me that we hadn't yet dyed our Easter eggs--why oh why did I have to buy that darn Easter egg dye? After finally getting the kids settled down I was so exhausted that I almost forgot to put out our Easter baskets for the Easter bunny to come fill and hide. That would have been a really bad "Mom Moment" to have the kids wake up on Easter and not have any baskets to find!

Of course Jacey was up at the crack of dawn on Easter morning ready to find her basket. The rest of us couldn't pull ourselves out of bed so early so off she went to find it on her own--and she ended up finding all of our baskets for us! The kids loved their candy, mini cereal boxes, and other surprises that they found in their baskets. After church we had some friends and their kids over for Easter dinner and an egg hunt. Then Sunday night it was back to cleaning up the house all over again! All in all, it was a really fun weekend but it wiped me out! Could it be because I am also 9 months pregnant?

Vegas Vacation!

2009-04-23T21:41:00.003-06:00

For whatever reason, our kids love Las Vegas. I think that the main reason is because they love to stay in hotels, and that is about the only place that we ever seem to stay in one. The kids had the 3 days off from school prior to Easter for spring break, and we literally decided at the last minute that we should take advantage of that time to have one last family vacation before the baby comes. We went on Hotwire and scored some great rates for a 5-star hotel, and ended up staying at the Venetian. We stayed for 3 days, 2 nights, and had a great time with the kids going swimming, shopping, seeing some of the sights along the strip (the family-friendly ones, that is), and eating some good food! On our last day there we decided to check out the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, which is one of those hands-on, learning museums. The kids had a blast and didn't want to come back home, but unfortunately reality had to set in at some point!

Moving on. . .

2009-04-23T21:35:00.002-06:00

Okay, so after dreading the amount of time it was going to take to upload Europe pics from Jon's trip and thus never getting around to posting them, I decided that most of the people who cared to see them anyways have either already seen them or you can check them out on his Facebook account if you haven't already (I think most of his close friends and family are his Facebook "friends" anyways.) He took quite a few good pics, so check them out when you get a minute.

We survived!

2009-04-06T17:30:00.002-06:00

Jon had the opportunity to go to Europe a couple of weeks ago as part of a "knowledge trek" with kids and fellow co-workers from the school he works at. He did a similar trip a couple of years ago with the school, only this time they added Germany onto the end of their trip (where he served his mission). Although I knew it was a great opportunity for him (all expenses paid!), I was dreading the trip because he was going to be gone for 12 days. Not only did I know that I would miss him, but the idea of being on my own at 8 months pregnant with two other kids to take care of for that long made me a little nervous!

Thankfully, my brother Michael saved the day by volunteering to come up from California to help me out while Jon was gone. He stayed here for a good portion of Jon's time away and was AWESOME with the kids! They wore him out with puzzles, games, hide and seek, etc. which gave me a chance to get a break from time to time to cook, clean and do some work. I even tackled painting to kids bathroom while he was here, something I have been wanting to do for a long time. Michael, thanks for making the trip and helping me out. The kids love their Uncle Michael!

Jon made it back safe and sound (albeit very worn out) late last Monday and had a great time, of course! He got some great pictures that I will post soon. On a side note, he was very sweet to make up for missing our anniversary (March 28) by arranging beforehand to have flowers sent to me at work that morning. I wish I could have taken a picture of them because they were so pretty, but unfortunately Jon had the camera in Europe!

What a difference a year makes!

2009-04-03T09:45:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago Jacey lost her third tooth, another one on the bottom. It has been almost a full year since she lost her first tooth. and some of you may remember from one of my first blog posts that her experience with the first lost tooth was nothing short of traumatic for her. When she found out that this tooth was wiggly she got a little anxious about it and I was dreading another repeat of last year. One morning before school I noticed that her tooth was getting pretty loose and she started worrying about the possibility of it falling out at school (or swallowing it while eating lunch). I told her what to do if either of those scenarios happened, but told her it would probably be another couple of days till it came out. That afternoon when I picked her up at the bus stop she came running to the car, plastic baggy in hand. She had indeed lost it at school, but the amazing thing is that she had actually pulled it out at school herself (something that was unthinkable last year)! Now she has three more loose teeth, so more money and visits from the tooth fairy are imminent!

Now onto the next hurdle: we had a mouth appliance put on Jacey a couple of weeks ago for her thumb sucking. I hated to do it but she wasn't showing any inclination of giving it up on her own. It seems to be helping but we have caught her a few times with her thumb in her mouth still. If this doesn't work then we have to have the more barbaric, "pokey" appliance put in. Hopefully we can get her to stop soon as I forsee a lot of orthodontic bills in our future!

Brooklyn finally crosses the finish line!

2009-03-09T09:07:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn post-surgery at Primary Children's-Aug. 2007

We received some very good news this past week, in fact I feel as though it is a miracle. For those who are unfamiliar with Brooklyn's medical history, it was discovered that she had something wrong with her kidneys when I had my first prenatal ultrasound at 20 weeks. They sent us to a perinatalogist for a follow-up ultrasound, who confirmed that her kidneys (in particular, her right one) were larger than they should be for a baby in utero. Of course, the news was both frightening and concerning for us, and until she was born we couldn't find out what the cause or prognosis was. We were told that her condition, known as hydronephrosis, often resolved itself after birth, with only 5-7% of cases actually requiring surgery. At only 7 weeks old Brooklyn underwent her first series of tests to pinpoint what was causing the swelling in her kidneys, including an ultrasound, renal scan and VCUG. They were able to determine that she had blockages in both of her ureters (the left one a mild case and the right one severe) which was causing everything to back up into her kidneys, however her urologist was hopeful that with time she might outgrow it.

We followed up with renal scans at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, and things unfortunately did not improve. The urologist recommended surgery to repair her right ureter, and in August 2007 we went up to Primary Children's in Salt Lake for her surgery. She did amazingly well and was in the hospital for 2 days. Two months after her surgery we had a follow-up ultrasound in which the ultrasound technician errantly told us that her kidneys were looking really bad and that she couldn't believe that Brooklyn had already had surgery (in reality they looked exactly how they were supposed to look post-surgery). I think that this unprofessional "mistake" took 10 years off my life! Three months post-surgery, it was back to Primary Children's for another renal scan to check up on how her kidneys were functioning and to consult with the urologist. He said that she was doing great and that her kidneys seemed to be functioning well. He recommended one last renal scan to be done the next year, which we did last October. Once again, we suffered another setback when the results came back. It appeared as though her right kidney was digressing in function. The doctor said that she might have some scar tissue built up in her ureter causing blockages once again, or there was a slight chance that maybe she was just having an off day. He recommended yet another renal scan in 4 more months (February).

We have prayed, fasted and given numerous blessings to Brooklyn over the course of her nearly 4 years of life, but I must admit that I felt fairly unoptimistic about the chance that the test results from October were just a fluke. We headed back up to Primary Children's AGAIN for her 7th renal scan and another ultrasound 2 weeks ago, and had to wait until last Wednesday to consult with the urologist about the results. I about fell over when her doctor looked at the test results and said that her kidney swelling had gone down "enormously," and that her functioning on both sides was excellent. In fact, the results looked so good that he pronounced her kidneys "all better," and said she didn't need any more tests or surgeries. I am still having a little bit of a hard time accepting that it is really all over, and obviously we still need to be watchful to make sure that she doesn't have any further problems, but the prognosis seems favorable. My heart is so full of gratitute to Heavenly Father for seeing us through all of this, and especially for our little girl who is stronger and tougher than I think I could have ever been. She has been stuck with more needles, IV tubes, and catheters in her short life than I hope I ever have to be, and yet she has such a sunny and infectious personality and keeps us laughing. Since the urologist pronounced her healed, she has been saying "Kidneys are all better! No more pokes, no more surgery, no more hospital!" Amen!

Awful Clips

2009-02-27T15:37:00.004-07:00

After working on Jacey for a couple of months I finally convinced her to get a haircut a few weeks ago. I loved her long, gorgeous, thick hair, but her hair was getting too long and starting to cover up her cute little face. I left the final decision up to her, and one day she told me that she was ready to get her haircut. Given the lack of quality beauty salons in town, I made the unfortunate decision to take her to Great Clips for her haircut. We had gone there before for a trim, but this time we were taking off 3-4 inches. What proceeded was possibly the worst haircut I have ever seen done in my life. I don't know where the lady who cut her hair went to school, but she literally wet down her hair and cut her hair from one side to the other, not taking into account that Jacey's hair was too thick to cut in one fell swoop across with the scissors. I noticed that it didn't quite look even before we left, but I honestly didn't have confidence that the lady would even know how to even it out so I begrudingly paid my money and left. When we got home, I did my best to fix it, and even though I am no beautician her hair is at least even now and she looks cute. I should have saved my $10!

The "after" picture:
(you can see how long her hair was before in prior posts)

Getting Ready for Baby Brother, Part 2

2009-02-27T15:15:00.006-07:00

I have discovered that having a different-gendered child is basically like having a baby for the first time again. Most everything I bought for the girls is either too feminine for a boy or worn out after the first two. I have recently invested in a new travel system (infant seat and stroller), new crib bedding and related accessories for a more "boyish room", and of course, boy clothes, socks, blankets, towels, etc. I found a pretty good deal on the travel system through Target.com (the style was being cleared out), but of course after shipping it was almost as much as buying one in the store. Oh well, I liked the pattern better than any other I had seen. When we finally received the car seat a few weeks ago, Brooklyn immediately went and got her doll to put in it and I was amazed to see that she pretty well knew how to buckle it up! Then she and Jacey had fun pretending that it was their baby and carried it around the house. Too bad when the real baby comes he is going to be too heavy for them to tote around, although knowing Brooklyn she will probably try anyways. . .

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-02-27T15:08:00.003-07:00

Lately I have been trying to come up with little chores for the girls to do around the house to help me. This has proved to be more challenging for me than for them, as I have had to adjust my expectations a little and accept the fact that every job is going to take them as least 2-3 times longer than it takes me. That being said, it's good to catch them at an age when they are at least somewhat eager to help!

Getting Ready for a Baby Brother

2009-02-06T16:25:00.004-07:00

Jacey and Brooklyn loving their cousin Evan

So as most of you already know, baby #3 is going to be a boy (unless there is some other appendage growing from the baby's body!). Jacey and Brooklyn are getting excited for the baby to come, and I am starting to panic as I realize I still have a lot that I want to get done before the baby arrives! We have about three months left now before the baby is due to arrive, but I know that the time will go by fast!

At the beginning of January, Jon's brother Tres came to visit us along with his wife Alaina and their cute baby boy Evan. It was the first time that we got to see this new nephew and the girls loved their new little cousin. They took turns holding him and trying to get him to smile. It was fun to see the girls interact with the baby and it was good practice for when our new baby comes. We are glad that Tres, Alaina and Evan made the effort to come down and see us, even if it was only for a day!

Our Christmas--Finally!

2009-02-02T14:11:00.003-07:00

We had a really nice Christmas down in Southern California with my family. My brother Jeff and his wife Amy rode down with us, and we invaded my parent's house for a little over a week. Since most of our time down there was before Christmas, we spent quite a bit of the trip doing the pre-Christmas preparations, i.e. last-minute shopping, wrapping and cooking. We did try to balance it out with a few fun activities for the kids, such as taking them to the park, going to the mall to ride the carousel and train, and going to the Discovery Kid's Museum. Aunt Amy was even kind enough to let Jacey and Brooklyn help her out with making and decorating sugar cookies for Santa!

Of course, the highlight of the trip was Christmas itself, and for once Santa seemed to get it right this year as the kids seemed thrilled by pretty much everything they got! Jacey loved her new pink D.S. and Brooklyn was entertained for hours playing with her new GeoTrax. Jon and I didn't make out too bad ourselves, and Santa even brought a couple of things for baby brother. We all had a good time and the weather was, as usual, awesome. Thanks to Mom and Dad for putting up with us for the week--the holidays are always much more fun when you get to spend them with family!

The Girl's Dance Recital

2009-01-29T16:28:00.003-07:00

In mid-December the girls had their Christmas Dance Recital. Jacey has been through many of these before, but I was a little nervous about whether Brooklyn would actually stay up on the stage and do her dances. I remembered back to when Jacey was her age and at her first recital she just stood up there on the stage like a deer in the headlights. I was surprised when Brooklyn not only stayed up on the stage, but she was actually one of the best ones in her class. She loved every minute of being in the spotlight, and after her dances were over she said she wanted to go back up on the stage again. Both girls did a really great job. Thanks to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Amy for coming and watching the girls--it was fun to have them there with us! Here are some pics from the recital, although many did not turn out great. Probably a combination of the weird lighting and our crappy camera!

Christmas Parade

2009-01-29T16:12:00.002-07:00

At the beginning of December the kids and I went with my friend Sarah and her boys to the city's Children's Christmas parade. Somehow, Jon manages to escape going every year with us, probably because it usually coincides with a BYU football game. The weather was awesome and unseasonably warm (unlike past year's where we are half-frozen by the end). Most importantly, the kids had a great time!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-01-26T14:37:00.003-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with Jon's family and had a nice time. We had a really yummy dinner, with everyone bringing their "best dish" to share. Uncle Kyle gave the kids rides on the scooter, we played games, and we even took the kids on the Trax up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. Brooklyn loved her first-ever ride on a "train" and insisted on sitting in a seat all by herself. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Little Reader

2009-01-26T14:27:00.004-07:00

Jacey has really become an advanced reader this year, and she loves to read books to Brooklyn. One night they were playing in their room, and after not seeing them for quite awhile I decided to check up on what they were doing. Here is what I found:I left them alone for a few minutes to finish reading their books, and came back to check on them again a little bit later. So sweet! As you can see, Brooklyn can fall asleep almost anywhere (kind of like her Dad!)

Sleeping on the Job!

2009-01-26T14:04:00.004-07:00

Okay, so for everybody wondering if we were EVER going to update our blog, I am going to attempt to over the next couple of days. Sorry I have been so slow in posting, it seems like both December and January have been crazy with the holidays and post-holiday stuff to catch up on. My house has finally been cleaned, Christmas stuff has been put away, work stuff caught up with, and I feel like I have finally somewhat caught up on sleep. So buckle your seat belt, here are the last couple of months worth of activities and happenings for the Larsen's. . .

It's Definitely Fall!

2008-11-21T14:34:00.010-07:00

It has been such a beautiful autumn this year. One thing I have really learned to love about living here is watching the changing of the seasons, especially from summer to fall. A few weekends ago we were feeling cooped up in the house and decided to take the kids to a nearby park that is by the mouth of the canyon. We spent a little time playing at the park and then took a little hike up a trail that leads into the canyon. The kids took bags with them to collect all of their "treasures" from the hike, i.e lots of rocks and leaves. It really was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun. It made me realize how little we get out and take advantage of all the outdoor opportunities that we live by. We really need to learn to be more adventurous!

Looking for cool leaves. . .

and rocks too!

Cute picture of Jon and Brooklyn

If this were a picture of all boys I might wonder what they were doing

Sweet sisters!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T15:56:00.003-07:00

We had a pretty fun Halloween this year. The kids really seem to be "getting it" more as they get older, and were counting down the days until they could go out trick-or-treating. Brooklyn had her little Halloween party at preschool on Thursday morning and had a good time. Jacey, unfortunately, came down with a fever early Friday morning and had to miss a good part of school that day, but thanks to the miracle of medicine, we were able to at least get her to her Halloween party in the afternoon and she was able to make it through the last few hours of her school day. It is kind of a bummer because her elementary school principal does not allow the children to dress up on Halloween, so no traditional costume parade, but I guess that she at least lets them have the party.

On Halloween night we went to the ward Halloween party at the church, and then afterwards they had the truck-or-treat in the parking lot. Jacey was kind of feeling under the weather again at the party and was a little bit out of it, but Brooklyn loved going from car to car saying "Trunk-or-treat!" Afterwards we came back to our neighborhood and went around to a few friends and neighbor's houses, and then the kids were pooped so we came home. Now we are up to our ears in candy, but the kids loved it and can't wait until next year!

P.S. As you can see in the pictures below, Jacey was a "nice witch" and Brooklyn was Sleeping Beauty. I must also say that I am quite proud of myself this year with my pumpkin carving abilities!

And Baby Makes 5!

2008-10-15T08:45:00.010-06:00

This may not come as a big surprise to many of you, but it's time to officially spill the beans! We are adding one more to our brood sometime around May 10, 2009. Jon and I went to my first prenatal appointment yesterday and were able to hear the heartbeat and even catch a quick glimpse of the baby via ultrasound (picture above), which was neat since I've never seen any of my babies at that early in the pregnancy.

We told the kids last night, and got a pretty funny reaction from Jacey that we should have recorded on video. When we told her that she was going to get a new brother or sister, she said,"Oh no! You're going to have a baby?!?", and then proceeded to bawl. We probably didn't pick the most opportune time to tell her because she was already upset about something else, but I didn't expect that reaction! She didn't really tell us why the news upset her at first, she just said that she didn't expect it. When we showed her the picture of the baby and explained things a little more to her, she got more and more excited and now seems excited at the prospect of having another sibling. Brooklyn is still oblivious to what is going on, although she did come with me to have my blood drawn yesterday and told the nurse "Thank you for fixing my mom!" Pretty cute.

On a side note to all family members who are groaning at the prospect of another baby born so close to June, all I can say is that we tried our best to avoid it! I actually miscarried back in July when I was about 5 1/2 weeks pregnant; that baby would have been born in March. It was a good testimony builder for me to trust in the Lord and know that my timetable isn't always his. We are grateful to have another chance for a hopefully healthy, happy baby, which, based on past results, will likely be another girl!

Brooklyn starts Preschool and Dance!

2008-09-22T09:53:00.005-06:00

I'm a little bit slow in posting this, but a couple of weeks ago Brooklyn started her little Preschool class and she loves it! The first day that I took her to school she told me that I couldn't stay there and that I needed to leave! It would have been nice if she would have shown just a little apprehension about me leaving, but I'm glad that she at least has fun and feels comfortable there. Her teacher is "Mrs. Whoa-sey" (Mrs. Woolsey, I just love to hear Brookie say her name), and she goes two mornings a week for 2 1/2 hours each, so it is just enough time for me to run a few errands before I go back to get her!

I also decided a couple of weeks ago to have Brooklyn try out a dance class at the same studio that Jacey goes to. I wasn't sure about her interest level or attention span at first, but after a couple of weeks she has quickly gotten the hang of things and seems to have fun.

GO BYU!!!

2008-09-22T09:47:00.002-06:00

There's no doubt that if you live in this house you'd better be a die-hard BYU fan. I'm just glad that at least this year BYU is giving us a lot to cheer about (things are a lot less tense on Saturdays when they are winning their games convincingly).

Last week Brooklyn found Jon's BYU hat on the counter and put it on. She looked so cute I had to post a picture!

Jacey's 6th Birthday!

2008-09-01T23:39:00.004-06:00

Jacey had a great 6th birthday today (actually, it was more of a birthday weekend!) "Red Grandma" and "Grandpa Broken Legs" came down to visit us over the weekend and brought down Tara and Jenna, two of Jacey's cousins. The kids had a ball and played all weekend. Since they had to leave to go home earlier today, we had a little family party on Sunday. I made Jacey a cool butterfly cake and we opened up her presents. Her favorite present was definitely a big Disney princess dollhouse (she has been wanting a dollhouse for a long time). After G & G and the cousins left today, we went out shopping to buy Jacey some school clothes, and then we took the kids to a new rec center to go swimming. The kids had a blast there and especially loved going down the water slides. We topped off the day by going out to eat at Golden Corral for dinner (Jon and Jacey's choice, not mine). Jacey had a great birthday weekend and kept saying "Thanks Mom and Dad! This is the best birthday!" Those are the best words a parent can hear, but I hope that we haven't set too high of a standard for next year! Thanks to Cathy and Mike for making the effort to come down and for bringing to cousins with you. It sure made Jacey's day more special!

P.S. I decided to copy Stef's idea of doing baby and old birthday photos as well as the new birthday pics for this year. It's quite touching and amazing to see how fast my little girl has grown up!

7 Things You Will Never Hear From Us. . .

2008-08-22T14:33:00.005-06:00

So, awhile ago Amy tagged us to come up with 7 things you would never hear us say. I did mine right away and kept pestering Jon to get on and come up with his 7 things, but he never did so I just did his for him. Here they finally are!

7 Things Nicole would never say:

1. Bedtime is my least favorite time of the day.
2. Sure Jacey and Brooklyn, I would LOVE to play Polly's (or Barbie's) with you!
3. Let's get together at my house for scrapbooking night!
4. No thanks. I'm skipping dessert tonight.
5. It's Conference weekend! Let's go to Ladies Night at Deseret Book!
6. Jon, could we please watch college football all day?
7. Let's go adopt a cat at the animal shelter.

7 Things Jon would never say (from Nicole's perspective):

1. I will not be watching the next BYU football game.
2. Teenagers give me great hope for the next generation.
3. I love early mornings.
4. I am not really sure who BYU is playing this year.
5. I would love to accompany you on your next shopping trip!
6. No, you really don't need to rub my legs tonight.
7. I hate ice cream.

1st Grade Girl!

2008-08-15T17:12:00.013-06:00

It's hard to believe, but the summer is already over and school is once again upon us! Jacey started 1st grade yesterday and I am trying to get used to the idea of my sweet girl being gone all day. Since kindergarten was only a few hours a day last year, it just felt like an extension of preschool to me, and now it feels like Jacey is officially growing up. I thought that she might struggle with being gone for such a long day (8:30am-4pm), but she really seems to be enjoying it thus far and says that the day seems to go by fast. Brooklyn is feeling kind of lonely without her "best sister", but preschool starts up in a few weeks so that will give her something of her own to do!

California Adventure

2008-08-13T15:08:00.003-06:00

We took our annual family summer vacation down to Southern California at the end of July and had a great time with my family! It was fun to be able to be down there while my sister Stefani and her family were there, and the kids had tons of fun with their cousins. I just wish that we were able to see them more often! We played at the "castle park", took cousin's pictures, rode the go-carts at the family fun center, went to Wild Rivers Water Park, went to the O.C. Fair, went swimming, and shopped. Jacey was also able to go up to L.A. to the American Girl store, and California Grandma spoiled her with a couple of new outfits for her doll. Jon and I even snuck away one night to go to Knott's Berry Farm, and I discovered that while I still love roller coasters and thrill rides, I am not quite as young as I used to be! The weather was great while we were there and I miss living in a place where there is so much to do! All in all, it was a great trip and the kids can't wait to go back to Grandma's house!

Summertime Fun!

2008-07-13T13:38:00.004-06:00

Since I am just now getting around to posting our 4th of July pics, I just decided to add a few more to the mix from the past few weeks. We had a fairly uneventful 4th this year, which is why I am just now garnering up the motivation to post anything. All of our friends either went out of town or have other family in town that they spent the 4th with, so we were on our own. We made the most of it and did do a few fun activities with our own little family. In the morning we took the kids to the city parade down Main Street. Of course, their favorite part of that was all the candy that was thrown to them! Afterwards we went to a little carnival at the park and let them play on the inflatables. When we came home the kids swam in their little pool and ran around in the sprinklers. That night, we barbecued and did our own little fireworks display in front of our house, and then watched the city fireworks from our front yard. Pretty traditional, not too exciting, but the kids seemed to have a good time.

We have also been keeping quite busy with swim lessons this summer. Jacey took two sessions of lessons and has become quite the little swimmer. I am amazed at how much she has improved and am proud of her for having the courage to conquer her fears in the water.

Lastly, the not-so-fun summertime activity that has plagued us lately has been the yard work. Every day we go out there is a whole new crop of weeds that need pulling. And we haven't even started our backyard yet! Although it is a pain, there is something strangely therapeutic about going out and weeding the yard. The kids have been trying to help us out too, and they especially like to help Jon push the lawn mower around. Hey, if we can't have any boys, we may as well teach our girls to work outside!

Goin' Fishin'!

2008-07-10T11:36:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday the YW 2nd Counselor and I took the Beehive class from our ward up the canyon to Woods Ranch to the Kid's Fishing Pond. It has become an annual tradition for us to take the girls up there for a summer picnic and fishing trip, and they love it! Last year we caught quite a few fish, but sadly, this year we didn't catch any. My kids love it too because they get to come along! Jacey and Brooklyn loved to hold the fishing poles and the Beehives were very cute and helpful with them. Here are a few pics of our time there:

Some things about me. . .

2008-07-08T14:15:00.003-06:00

After reading Jeff's blog I thought that this would be fun to try:

10 years ago:
I was living the relatively easy, carefree life of a newlywed. We were living in a circa-1950's cinderblock-walled apartment in downtown Provo and I was working two jobs while we were off school for the summer, one of which was a telemarketing job that I absolutely hated. Oh, and I was enjoying my 21-year old body.

5 years ago:
I was working part-time at the bank and staying at home with 10-month old Jacey. I'm pretty sure that I thought that life was busy back then.

5 months ago:
Not so much different from 5 years ago, besides the fact that now I have two kids. Starting the soccer mom phase of being 30, owning a minivan, and taking kids to their various activities.

5 things on my to-do list:
1. Catch up with my bank work.
2. Mop my awful kitchen floor.
3. Tackle the major catastrophe that is my basement.
4. Weed the yard.
5. Get the millions of pictures off my hard drive, print them up, and scrapbook them.

5 snacks:
1. Apple-cinnamon Flat Earth chips
2. Cashews
3. String cheese
4. Cool Ranch Doritos
5. Crackers and Easy Cheese (a shout-out to my bro Jeff)

5 billionaire things:
1. A Gulfstream jet
2. Vacation homes
3. A garage that it bigger than most people's houses, filled up with vintage cars
4. Having a rare, miniature dog that sits in your purse and wears designer clothes
5. To will your estate to your pets

5 places I have lived:
1. Everyone who knows me knows where I live now
2. St. George, UT
3. Auburn, AL
4. Provo, UT
5. Tustin, CA

5 things you may not know about me:
1. I am left-handed and double-jointed.
2. I was a major tomboy growing up.
3. I used to model for Nordstrom's.
4. I used to work at In-N-Out Burger.
5. I played tennis and soccer in high school, but was never really that good at either.

5 pet peeves:
1. Gas prices that keep going up with no end in sight.
2. Congress, Pres. Bush, environmentalists, or whoever is responsible for the fact that we are sitting on billions of barrels of oil but can't drill any of it, thus feeding the terrorist countries that we are trying to fight.
3. Ignorance
4. Nepotism
5. Parents who are clueless when it comes to raising (and disciplining) their children.

Play Ball!

2008-07-02T11:57:00.002-06:00

Jon has been playing on a co-ed city league softball team over the past couple of months with several of his co-workers and a couple of kids from his school. Unlike the past couple of years when his team hasn't done so well, this year the team was really good and they actually won every regular season game and finished in first place! The past couple of weeks they have been in the tournament, and they played 5 games in only two nights last weekend. The kids and I went out to support the team, but unfortunately they lost the last game in a heartbreaker. I forgot the camera so I couldn't get any pictures to put up. Jon has really enjoyed getting back out on the field to play and is reliving his "glory days" as a baseball player.

On a side note, during one of the games last week the kids were getting quite bored and restless so I took them over to a little park by the softball fields to play. Jacey made quick friends with a couple of little boys at the park and started chasing them around. I watched her run around and was quite amused at their interactions. At one point Jacey stopped chasing them, put her hands on her hips, and called out "Hey Boys! You can run but you can't hide!" A sign of things to come? Oh, I hope not!

Brooklyn Turns 3!

2008-06-18T22:57:00.002-06:00

Okay, so Brooklyn's birthday was really 2 weeks ago now (June 4), but I am just now finally getting around to posting the pictures from her little party that we had for her, which also happened to be late (we were in Cancun on her actual birthday--isn't that mean? Thankfully she isn't old enough to know any better!)

Brooklyn loved her little party, which was complete with balloons, party games that Jacey made up, presents, and a Starburst cake. Her big presents were a little Dora bike and a Dora scooter, so now she can keep up with big sister Jacey! It was fun to have California Grandma and Grandpa, as well as Uncle Michael at her party.

It's hard to believe that our baby girl has now turned into a little girl, complete with her own personality. She loves to sing songs, play outside, and has somehow already mastered the computer and the internet--she loves to play nickjr.com! Brooklyn is full of life and energy and is always making us laugh. We love her a lot and she is such a great part of our family!

Vacaciones de Cancun!

2008-06-13T15:51:00.006-06:00

As many of you already know, Jon and I had the opportunity to take a "real" trip (i.e. one that involves flying in a plane and DOES NOT involve taking the kids) to Cancun, Mexico last week. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary earlier this year and decided that we had better commemorate the occasion in proper fashion. Up to this point, we had never really left the kids overnight before, and I had never been outside the U.S., so it was a pretty exciting event.

Jon and I decided to splurge and stayed at a beautiful, new 5-star resort on Playa Mujeres, just north of Cancun. It was an all-inclusive resort right on the beach with 8 restaurants and beautiful gardens and pools all over the place. We ate like kings (we even tried sushi for the first time), ordered virgin drinks in everything, laid in the hammocks over the pool, played tennis, ping-pong, water polo and pool volleyball, and, of course, relaxed on the beach. It was awesome! The service was amazing with people always getting you drinks and 24-hour room service, all included! The only regret we had was in not trying out the amazing on-site spa that they had there. It was expensive but we heard from many people that it was well worth it. Below are some pics of the resort:

The highlight of our trip was probably the "Jungle Tour" we went on, which was an excursion where we rode a waverunner-type of boat out across a lagoon to a live coral reef, and then went snorkeling. It was amazing and there were tons of tropical fish and sea life at the reef. We took pictures with an underwater camera, if we got some good pics I will post them later.

To sum up the trip, we spent a wonderful, relaxing 6 days mostly in paradise, with the exception of one day when we ventured out to Tulum and Chichen Itza (one of the new 7 Wonders of the World) to see the Mayan ruins. While the ruins were awesome to see, it was a lot of driving, very hot, and probably one of the longest days of my life. We definitely felt like we were in Mexico that day as we drove through all of the little Mexican villages on a little two lane road, complete with random dogs running all over and trash lining the roadways. Here are some pics of our day there:

Lastly, thanks to all of our family who helped us out with the kids while we were gone! Mom and Dad, Michael, Jeff and Amy, Cathy, Arryn and fam--we could not have gone without your help! The kids had a great time with all of you!

Jacey's Kindergarten Graduation and Dance Recital

2008-05-25T13:57:00.003-06:00

Okay, so after being a big slacker over the past few weeks I am finally posting an update! Things have been pretty busy around here lately so I will try to catch everyone up without boring you all too much.

The biggest news as of late is that Jacey finished up her first year of school this past Thursday. It is weird to think that our little girl is growing up so fast! I think that the whole school thing will really hit home next year when she is gone all day instead of just a few hours. Jacey had a fun week that started out on Monday with her kindergarten graduation program. She did great with her parts and afterwards we went out to dinner with her good friend and their family. Tuesday was her "Field Day" where the kids participated in various outdoor activities. On Wednesday they had a "pajama day" where the kids could (you guessed it!) wear their pajamas to school. Thursday was her last day of school and they had a little end-of-year party. Jacey brought home her journal that they worked on in class throughout the year and here is one of my favorite entries:

"Maddrs day is kumen up. I am gonig to get my mom sum flawrs
win mudrs day is kumen up!"

Here are some pictures of her graduation program and field day:

Jacey's spring dance recital was the Friday before her graduation and she did great there too! She definitely has the "performer" gene in her blood. Unfortunately Jon was out of town during that weekend so I left Brooklyn with a babysitter and went to see it by myself (I did get video of it so at least daddy could watch it later!) Jacey has given me a guilt trip many times in the past about not bringing her flowers for her dance recitals, so this time I repented and got her some roses. Below are yet more pics of Jacey:

After Jacey's recital we got Brooklyn and I took the girls to McDonald's for dinner--yum yum! Since Jon was still out of town, the next day the girls came with me to work at the bank for a few hours, and then we went to a little kids carnival in town afterwards. The kids had a great time there sliding down and jumping on the inflatables, and eating hot dogs and cotton candy. My "mom moment" of the weekend was when Brooklyn was jumping in the bounce house and refused to get out when her time was up. I sent Jacey in to get her out and Brooklyn kept getting away when Jacey would get her close to the front where I could reach her. With millions of kids and parents watching, I had to crawl through the tiny hole to get into the bounce house, and then crawl around it trying to grab Brooklyn as she shrieked and laughed and ran around like it was all fun and games. The crowning moment was when I finally got her out and all the parents and kids started clapping for me! It was a relief when Jon got home that night, ready to help me with the kids again.