Tagging

Warning: It takes a long time to do this. But it's pretty fun to reminisce.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just started my sophomore year. I remember the early days of sophomore year being full of drama-- who likes who, what are they going to do about it, etc. Unfortunately for me, I liked the guy my best friend had liked all through junior high, and he liked me back. Luckily she forgave me for being a traitor and hooking up with him.... And ten years later she's still my best friend and I haven't spoken to him in years.
I did regular high school stuff-- dance, yearbook staff, football games, etc. The greatest trial of my life was that I was a full year younger than all my friends--- which meant that I couldn't "date" for another year. (notice my earlier comments to see that I pretty much disregarded this notion. Bad Laur!) Anyway, can't remember too much about the sophomore year. It's my junior year that I treasure.

.What were you doing 5 years ago?
Travis and I had been married for about 3 months and were living in a cute little basement apartment on Bryan Ave in Sugarhouse. We were both finishing up at Westminster and working full time. I was working at a wedding video company, a job I really loved, but anyone that I ever referred to them was treated horribly. Go figure.
The last year of college was pretty unimpressive, I guess because I was just trying to get done quickly. I did a great internship at the Children's Center (for abused and neglected kids) that really influenced my life. It helped me to see what I wanted to do with life, and also the importance of good parents. So many sweet kids are hurt by mean parents and they can't do anything about it! They need good people to come in and show them a better way. ... but I digress.
One thing I really remember about that time in life was that Travis and I loved our ward. It was full of all these old people who had lived on our street since 1950, and then young couples like us who lived in their basements. I met so many inspiring people whose examples have changed my life for the better. I hope to one day be as sweet as Ruby Plouzek.

One Year Ago. . .
I was adjusting to life with two kids. Kate was about 2 months old and was the sweetest baby anyone could imagine. Anna was sweet most of the time, but seemed insulted that I'd had this baby and would rarely let me do anything for her. We spent lots of time hanging out with Kris and Gwen-- going on morning walks, to the duck pond, or just chilling in our pajamas all morning. Can I just say that Kristi is the best friend/neighbor anyone could ask for? How many times did she watch my kids so I could catch up on sleep? How many times would I see her car leaving the parking lot and shout something crazy out my door like "Can you bring me a gallon of milk when you get back?" No way did I repay her for all that she did for me that year--- and now you live in Texas and all I can do to help with your new baby is pray for you! Sorry dude.
Trav was finishing up his last year of law school and we were anxious to hear where he would be working after graduation. That news did not come for a long time.... like June of this year. Whatever, we're happy now.



Yesterday. . .
Morning: woke up to sweet little Kate lying next to me in our tent (we went camping, more about that another time). We got up, ate breakfast, went for a nature hike, and came home just as the rain started to fall.
Late Morning: Still in my pj's, trying to give my girls a bath. My dad shows up to see if he can help fix our car (for some reason the trunk won't open... I'm sad about it). Anna invites him to lunch, he says "What are you having for lunch?" She says "Probably a meat sandwich" So that's what we do.
Afternoon: Trav goes to the temple (I went last week, so it's his turn). I get the girls down for a much needed nap (not a lot of sleep in the tent last night) and I take a nap myself. THEN I shower, at about 2:30 pm, and get ready to go to the Relief Society Broadcast.
Evening: Drove my buddies Jen and Kara to the broadcast in Salt Lake. We had sweet tickets that were on the plaza (bottom level). Jen and Kara had to get out of the car on State St. and walk because traffic was a nightmare. I barely made it, but serendipity placed Kara right in my line of sight at the right moment so she could lead me to our seats. Perfect! The broadcast was wonderful, and I felt again inspired to be a better mother and wife. I love my family.
Later Evening: The traffic had drained my car of gas, so we knew we couldn't join the mass of women leaving the parking garage at the same time or else we'd end up out of fuel with only women in high heels to help us. So, we did what any 3 hot chicks would do in Salt Lake on a Saturday night--- went to the Lion House for treats! (my eclair was like heaven today, Kara. Thanks!) I don't know if it's because I'm starved for time away from my kids or what, but this was one of the funnest nights I've had in a long time. Yea for friends in the ward!
Night: I was too tired after our galavanting to clean up the house, so I just went to bed. Poor Travis stayed up late working on his lesson for Sunday school today. Probably if I was a better wife I would have made more time for him to work on it during the week..... guilt, guilt, guilt.

(I'm noticing my post about yesterday was much longer than my other posts.... I guess it's just a memory thing.)


5 snacks that I enjoy. . .
1. I eat tons of cereal. Yes, Jen, the sugar kind. My favorite right now is Cocoa Pebbles.
2. Ice cream
3. Apples with caramel dip
4. Nachos
5. I've been into muffins since I bought a new muffin pan that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. The best part of it all is that I sold my prevoius Pampered Chef (AKA not dishwasher friendly) muffin pan on craigslist. I love craigslist.

Five things I would do with a million dollars
This is going to sound ver Trav-like, but a million dollars is really not that much money. I would do boring things with it, like pay for our house, pay off our student loans, buy a Toyota Highlander, and invest. I'd try to have enough left over for a shopping spree for all of us Larsens, as we are living in hand-me-downs. Don't get me started about how every dress I own is one I bought in high school..... maybe if there was anything left we'd go on vacation (first to Austin, then to Paris!)
Five places I would run away to.
1. New York
2. Switzerland
3. Hobble Creek Canyon (super pretty this time of year)
4. San Francisco
5. Some clean tropical island with amenities like drinkable water... maybe Fiji?

Five TV shows I like
I never watch TV. Anna is into Super Readers and Dragon Tales these days, so I hear them while I'm getting ready in the morning, but that's it. I used to be into the West Wing, but it got cancelled.

Five things I hate doing
1. Changing diapers.
2. Wiping Anna. She is potty trained, but still won't wipe. I'm thinking, what's the use of being potty trained if I am still doing this for you?
3. Cleaning the kitchen floor.
4. Not getting enough sleep.
5. Ironing. This is unfortunate as my husband is an attorney. Maybe if he ever makes it big, we'll send all his shirts to the cleaner (only $1.25 a shirt, surely my sanity is worth that!)

Five people that I tag
1. Kaytie
2. Annie
3. Kira
4. Lanae
5. Jaclyn

Things I'm Proud of Lately

Two weeks ago Travis and I hiked Timp. It was super hard and I was exhausted afterward, but it was amazingly beautiful. Everyone should get up at 4 am and hike 16 miles.
I do regret to say that I did not make it to the top. Don't think I'm lazy, because that is not it! We got all the way up to the saddle, which is like 11, 000 feet, and I got so dizzy! I couldn't even enjoy the beautiful views because I felt like I was going to fall off the mountain. The wind was blowing really hard and I just hid behind a little outcropping of rock. Every time I looked at the path that continued up to the top, I got so anxious I almost threw up. I have never been so scared in my life. I literally thought I was going to die. (Now I can relate better to your thing with airplanes, Kris.) Obviously I didn't die, but coming down was so difficult for me.... it took longer than going up. And, yes, tears were shed. T was super supportive though and helped me through it all. Notice that in the picture with the amazing view, I was too scared to get close enough to edge for a picture, so it's only Trav.

Another thing....More than a year ago I started on this quilt. It was a little Relief Society project and we all worked on our own, but together. I managed to keep up with the group until the very last session or two.... anyway, the quilt has been sitting in our storage unit for a year now. I finally unearthed it (remembering my Education Week advice to get rid of stuff you're not using) so that I could finish it up and give it to a friend who just had a baby. I literally finished it 6 hours before I gave it away, so this picture is all I have left of my hard work!

Lot 709

They have started on our house! These pictures were actually taken last weekend. They had dug our hole and poured our foundation then. We went back today and they have cleared away the dirt to get ready to pour our driveway. Looks like our move-in date is December 1st.... if there isn't significant weather delay!
We are so happy to be moving to Spanish Fork. We are finding out about all these ancestors we have who helped to settle the city. We also found a little parkway trail that connects to the back of our neighborhood (like a 2 minute walk from our house). I don't know how far it goes, but it follows a river and is really nice. We did see today that it connects to the elementary school and the super cool park. Plus, we have beautiful mountain views, really nice with the fall colors up!

Kitchen Floor

Everyone has their one chore they hate doing, and therefore often neglect to do it. Mine is cleaning the kitchen floor. Ugh! I hate it!! My own mother uses a mop, and her floors look alright. But I could never get mine to look very good with a mop (probably a combination of the yucky apartments we've lived in and my lack of ability), so I asked my mother-in-law who cleans for a living what she does. Hands and knees!!!! What is this, the 1700s?
I tried it, and yes, the floor does look better. But, thereafter, I hated cleaning the floor even more.
Which is the reason that it has been over a month since my floor's been cleaned. For those of you without kids, that may not seem like a big deal at all. But when you have a preschooler who likes making juice "all by myself" and a toddler who lets you know the meal is over by throwing her food madly off her tray.... well, let's just say you should clean your floor more often.
I was motivated to clean my floor today because we are having playgroup with our neighbors this afternoon, and another playgroup with some old friends tomorrow. And, my in-laws will likely stop by this evening. So, time to bust out the rag and get to work.
Luckily, it didn't take long. )Why do I always put it off when it takes like a half an hour?) There was still time to eat a bowl of CocoRoos and do some blogging when I finished. :)

Preschool

At the beginning of September, I was in a quandary over preschool. Should Anna be starting? A couple of her little friends were. I called around and basically decided that this wasn't the year for her to start preschool. I am embarrassed to admit that this decision was mostly reached because we couldn't afford it and we had missed most registration deadlines.
Anyway, then my SUPER AWESOME :) friend Jaclyn sent me this link to preschoolwithconnorandmommy.blogspot.com. This woman had set up her own preschool with her son. They did letter weeks, with one letter per week. AND, most importantly, she posted all of her information and lesson plans.
I decided that I'd basically just copy her. At first I thought it would be so much work, but it really is NOT stressful. Our "school" only lasts 30 minutes or so a day, but Anna loves it. We do things with the computer, read books, do little word cards and a poem (which amazingly, Anna mostly memorizes by the end of the week), dancing time, and some activity.
The best part for sure is dancing time. Both Anna and Kate love it when I turn up the music and we dance around the living room like lunatics. It usually lasts for at least 3 songs, and I am usually sweating by the time we're done.
Doing this preschool has been so enriching for me personally. First, I feel like I'm actually putting some effort in-- like I'm a working mom too! I really feel like I am putting my kids ahead of other things (like cleaning or blogging) when I take time to teach them, or just spend time having fun with them. One of my friends (SUPER AWESOME Stefanie) told me that if you spend one hour of quality playing time with your kids each day, they are more likely to be good to you and let you get your other stuff (laundry, cooking, etc) done the rest of the day. I feel like this preschool has made that happen for me. Of course, Anna is learning ABCs (she pointed out the A's in our hymns at church today), but that is really the least of my worries. Mostly I want to create positive interactions between me and the girls, and create a positive attitude about school.
I'm posting this to encourage all mothers to try spending quality time with their kids, whether through school or just quality time at home with toy babies. Kids need us so much!
Also, every Friday is Field Trip day in our preschool. (for A week we went to see the animals at Petsmart, for B week we went to the bakery). One of my goals for Anna is to have her learn how to be good in social situations, so if anyone wants to join us for upcoming field trips, let me know. So far, I'm thinking C for Creamery (Sept. 21), D for Dinosaur Museum (Sept. 28), E.... (I don't know, I'm working on it.), F for Fire station, G for grocery store, H for Halloween (like a pumpkin patch), etc.
Anyway, if anyone is interested in joining us, please let me know. Some, like the fire station and the grocery store, will do tours, but I have to schedule in advance and I have to let them know how many kids.

Rejoice

We have great news! Travis passed the bar!!!
I'm sure that everyone already assumed he would, but it's still great news to us. It's like he graduated all over again! Now we know for sure that he will never have to take the bar again, and that is a relief. Studying and taking the bar is basically agony.
Rejoice for us.

The reason I didn't accomplish anything on Thursday

Many people already know that I love to read. Since my second baby was born and I am a stay at home mom, my love for reading has intensified because I have more time to do it.

Still, I have no idea how I managed (or justified) reading an entire 500 page book in 24 hours. Like there was nothing else that really needed to get done....

If you haven't read it, read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. SO compelling. But don't recommend it to your husband because it's a chick book. And don't even talk about it with your husband, because he'll want to know details without having patience for the romance part of the story. And definitely don't talk about it with your husband in front of your 3 year old. Anna has now added the word "vampire" to her vocabulary.

PS-- Thanks to Kara (and her friend) for letting me borrow the book. And, if anyone has a copy of the sequels, please send them my way!

L A G O O N - Fun Starts Here!

L A G O O N - Fun Starts Here!
Travis and I finally had a chance to celebrate his taking the bar yesterday. We went to Lagoon all day with no kids! We had a great time, although we know that we're getting old because we had to take breaks a lot.... somehow as a teenager I could go from The Screamer to the Colossus to the White Roller Coaster to the Magic Carpet without a breath, but yesterday when we got off the Colossus we needed to sit down for about 20 minutes!
The highlight of our day was this new ride, Wicked. The line was super long, so we only went on it 3 times, but it was awesome. It shoots you straight up in the air like 200 feet, then immediately you go straight down. I hope the link works so you can see the picture.
Lagoon has a lot more to offer than I remember. This is probably because I only go once every three years now-- what with nursing, being pregnant, and being poor. Speaking of which, we were astounded to see families with lots of kids there.... Entrance to the park is $37 per person (unless you find a coupon online like we did), so if Travis and I were to take 4 kids with us (one day), it would cost over $200 for the family! And then, I'm sure one of the little rascals would want to eat something. Add another $30 to feed the family. Sheesh. Lagoon may be the only vacation we ever get to take!
As a sidenote, my girls were not sad that they couldn't come. They had a fun day at the zoo with Grandma Alice and Pappy, followed by 2 hours in the pool! I missed them though, and actually made us leave a little early so we could get back to them. When we returned, they barely noticed. It's hard to compete with grandparents....

Miracles

Tonight Anna had a fever (usually happens if she spends too much time in the sun which she did today), so we gave her some Tylenol, a popsicle, prayed for her, and put her to bed. Trav just checked on her and she is cooled down and sleeping soundly. I can't help but be grateful for this little miracle. It may sound strange, but as I sit here tonight, I truly feel that it is a miracle. Lately I've been thinking about how ordinary things in life are truly gifts from our Heavenly Father, little miracles if you will. Maybe it was just the Tylenol that took her fever away, but isn't it a miracle that men/women are blessed with the intelligence to create medicine to cure us?
I think of the miracles of life that I see around me-- just being here in my comfortable home, with a stomach that is full, and a soft bed calling my name. I don't have to worry (too much) for the safety of myself or my family. I don't have to boil my water before drinking it. I don't have to suffer with some incurable disease. Even though my life is nothing if not ordinary, there are miracles all around.
What a miracle it is to have a sweet, healthy little baby come into this world, to hold her in your arms for the first time, and to feel the softness of her baby hair against your cheek. I envy those of my friends who are expecting babies soon! It is a miracle to meet this new little person for the first time.
Of course there are great miracles influencing my life daily as well. How incedible, how miraculous that when Joseph Smith offered up that prayer, that God the Father and Jesus Christ truly appeared to him? I cannot imagine what that would be like, and it is a miracle that affects me every day. It is similarly miraculous that we have a living mouthpeice of the Lord on the earth today.
I know that "God does not play dice with the universe" (Einstein, I think). I know that He knows us each individually and that He takes care of us. He does not cease to be a God of miracles!