Family Christmas Card

Instead of sending out Christmas cards this year, we decided to do it electronically. Here's our update of the year:

2009 has truly been a blessed year for our family. We have had many opportunities for learning, serving, and enjoying time together as a family. We thank our Heavenly Father for all our many blessings, and especially for the gift of His Son.

Our family loves to play together. We went to Disneyland for the first time, and it truly was magical. Every minute was perfect, even the 2 hours in line to meet the Princesses! We also did a few quick trips to Zion and Idaho. The girls love spending time outside in the mountains going for hikes, boating with Pappy, or just looking for adventure. They also love the thrill of sleeping in a tent. Easy to please!

Travis continues to enjoy working for the firm. In November he started managing a branch of the firm in Spanish Fork. This has been such a great opportunity for him both in his career and in his home life. We love that his office is only 3 minutes away! Trav continues to serve with the Young Men in our ward and even survived a few camping episodes with them over the summer. He is the greatest dad in the world, and his daughters love wrestling and playing tag with him.

Laurie loves being a stay at home mother. Three little girls has been challenging but well worth the efforts put in. I have developed a "crafty" bug and have created a blog to record my projects. I work with the Sunbeams in the ward and laugh at the funny things they say every week.

Anna is the greatest big sister anyone could ask for. She and Kate are partners in crime; hardly a minute goes by that they don't have some game of pretend going on. Anna is learning to read and loves her preschool. Her favorite part of preschool is the carpool with her little friends. She is such a social girl! Anna also took a dance class this summer and was amazing. She loves performing for a crowd.

Kate started preschool this year as well. She loves the chance to make crafts and spend time with friends. She surprises all the time with things that she has learned as we have been trying to teach Anna. Kate and Mom did swim lessons this summer and loved the unlimited water slides on the last day. Kate has the sunniest personality and we love having her in our family.

Eve is one year old now. She keeps us busy as she pulls books off shelves, socks out of drawers, pans out of cupboards, etc. She can take a few steps on her own, but mostly prefers to crawl around still. We love watching her learn new things and see her personality develop.

We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas.

Baby Eve

I pray that I will never forget the sweetness of this little babe. That I will remember her pudgy little fingers that tighten around my shirt while she nurses. That I will remember her baby-chick flyaway hair. And the softness of her cheek against mine. That I will not forget her delight as she learns new things and the pride you can see in her eyes. Oh, those dark eyes! How I love them! This little one absolutely melts me, and she has from the beginning.

Is there anything better than holding a newborn? Seriously?

Eve has a very special relationship with Anna. Anna tries to mother her a little too much, but Eve loves Anna and gets excited by all the little things that Anna does to make her laugh. She also appreciates that Anna helps her to walk around the house so much, something that I often find myself too busy to do.

Eve loves having big sisters. She wants to do anything that they are doing, and is not afraid to crawl over and take toys right out of their hands. She may be the only one year old who plays with Barbies.

This baby has more personality than I can handle. It seems she has an opinion about everything! She lets you know if she likes something with big smiles, head bobs, or cries of "moa." If she doesn't like it, she pushes it away, cries, or throws it as hard as she can. We better watch out.

Eve loves to eat. Right now she is insatiable. As soon as we walk into the kitchen she starts saying "moa" (more). Her favorite foods include yogurt, puffs, raisins, and clementines. She is no longer interested in baby foods.

Love the tummy hanging out over the pants. Our little muffin top :)

s

Now that Eve can get around on her own, she is out of control. I find her everywhere, and it always seems like she is making a mess. She got stuck under Kate's bed one morning, then another morning discovered the toilet paper in the bathroom. Every day while I get ready she unloads all the drawers in my bathroom. So busy!

You cannot tell me that Baby Legs are not the cutest thing ever.

Happy Birthday little Eve! I am so glad that you came to be in our family. You are just what we needed!

Let's Pretend

Let's pretend that you've lived in your house for 2 years. Let's pretend that you've worked here and there to get your house to look like you want it to, but there's still so much left to do. Let's pretend that you just got some money for your birthday to be used on the house. How do you spend it?

1. Master bath-- needs paint, a full length mirror, new towels, shower curtain, and rug. And something for the walls.

2. Master bedroom-- needs paint, new bedspread, and art for the walls.

3. Front room-- needs art for the walls. Looks quite naked with NOTHING there.

4. Family room-- needs curtains, maybe some pillows for the couches.

5. Kitchen-- needs different curtains (who knows why I chose silk curtains for my kitchen. The baby is constantly flinging food at them), cute-sy stuff for above the cabinets.

6. Kids' bathroom-- needs paint, new towels, new rug.

7. Blow it all on more Christmas decorations. Tis the season


It's a tricky deal, because I want to do our master bed/bath, but the funds are limited. So I wonder if I should actually finish one of my other projects just to get it done, then do the master later. On one hand, no one ever sees the master suite but us, but on the other hand.... isn't that the reason it should be my favorite room in the house?

Please comment and let me know your vote!

Santa's Little Helper

Last week I got a coupon in the mail for $10 off at Shopko. So I took all three girls to the store with me, hoping to get some Christmas shopping done. Let me tell you, there was no holiday cheer on this trip. It was more like me yelling at the kids "I don't CARE if your dad lets you hang off the cart like a hooligan, you're not doing it with me. You are TIPPING THE CART OVER!!!!"

and so on....

I realized something on that trip. Why am I putting myself through all this? Why am I allowing myself to be Monster Mama? It was an epiphany of sorts. And so I have become an online shopper.
But let me tell you about the great deal I found: go to www.ebates.com. Register and use me as the person who referred you (laurielarsen2000@yahoo.com). We both get some sweet moolah back just for you signing up. But the best thing about ebates is that they have all these coupon codes for stores you already shop online, AND they give you cash back.
For example: Today I went to oldnavy.com. They have a bunch of cute stuff for super cheap, especially for little girls (like $6 or less). Then there was a coupon code for 20% off all of your online order (ONSAVE20). Then, because I went through ebates.com, I will get another 10% cash back on my order. Plus, orders of $50 or more have free shipping (I HATE paying for shipping, I will only shop online if the shipping is free.)
So, see how I saved 30% (almost) on my orders of $6? How great is that?
Go register now. You'll thank me. Promise.

One Thing You Gotta Know About Eve

is that she loves babies!

Thanksgiving Blessings

I came down with swine flu Thanksgiving morning. It's changed my gratitude list a bit this year. I am thankful for:
-a nice soft bed to lie in for days at a time
-a fuzzy blanket (that someone technically gave to Travis but he has graciously donated to me) that kept me warm through all my fever/chills episodes
-a humidifier that made breathing so much easier
-medications. Seriously, have you ever tried Nyquil? That stuff knocked me out for 14 hours!
-a kind husband who attended to me ever-so-lovingly, and took care of kids, and did all the chores. He's a keeper!
-3 little girls who did not get sick. And one husband who did not get sick
-my parents for taking my big girls for 2 days while I was the worst off
-masks that made it so I could still hold/nurse my baby
-my sweet little baby who loves her mama. T said she would crawl to my closed bedroom door, point at it, and say "ma". This has been hardest on Eve.
-priesthood blessings with wonderful promises
-smoothies
-comfy pajamas
-Kleenex
-good books to read in bed. I know, I asked for it in a post a while back-- to have a day to just lie in bed all day and read. Well, I got it!

Mostly I am grateful that everyone is pretty much healthy and happy. I'm still recovering, but I would so much rather it be me that was sick than any of these precious ones that I love. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. And, I'm grateful, that maybe by Tuesday I'll be able to go outside again.

Glimpses

Life is good, life is great, life is wonderful. We don't have any news to report, but we're hangin' in and loving life. Here are some glimpses into our day-to-day....


A tells me that 5 year olds don't need naps. Most days, she doesn't take one, but sometimes she gets really worn out. The other night while T was at Scouts I asked her to brush her teeth while I put E to bed. This is what I found when I came out. One sleepy little girl!!
We are having fun with how much A is learning right now. Almost every day at lunch she wants to do math, so I ask her questions like "What's 2 plus 2?" and she almost always gets them right. We even did it in Spanish once! She also LOVES to play hangman.

I don't know if you've seen my ottoman slipcover on my craft blog, but I did mention that it has turned into a mini trampoline at our house. Don't you sometimes just wish that you could be the kid instead of the grown up?

K has an uncanny ability to make a mess out of anything and everything. This was her last Sunday after T made us crepes for dinner. (Have I mentioned how AWESOME my husband is? I love that he can cook; every Sunday is his turn for dinner.) Look how gross K's teeth are!
K is a ray of sunshine in our family. She has the sunniest disposition and makes me remember how precious these little ones are!

E is getting so big. She crawls all over the place and will walk if we are assisting her. Yesterday I found her underneath K's bed. She wants to be wherever her sisters are, and crawls over and takes Barbies or crayons for herself. A and K are fairly tolerant, but sometimes I hear "Get this baby out of here!"

E has spent a lot of time bonding with Daddy lately. He's really good at doing silly things that make her laugh. Last night he was going through some old receipts and she giggled every time he tore one in half. Funny how kids are amused by the littlest things.

I spent the week feeling sick, not swine flu but a head cold. T was an amazing husband and took care me and the kids. And the kids, well, they watched a lot of movies. They were troopers.

Weekends

I live for the weekend. Seriously, all week long as I struggle with the drudgery of housework and raising kids, I think of the weekend and how I plan to do fun things like go to the zoo or ditch my kids with T for a while and go shopping. I fantasize about sleeping in and breakfast in bed, about staying in PJs and watching cartoons with my kids, about reading and relaxing all day. Or maybe the fantasy is that I will be able to work on some of my stuff while Trav entertains all three children at once.
Then the weekend comes. And guess what? It's no break at all! Eve still wakes up 2-3 times during the night. Kate still demands breakfast at 6:30 am, weekend or no. Then we get busy doing chores, running errands, working on projects. Kids need to be fed, diapers need to be changed, laundry needs to be done (or no one is wearing clean underwear to church tomorrow). Add to that the "weekend project" of installing shelves in the garage, and sheesh, things get out of control.
Suddenly it's Saturday at 11 pm and I'm sitting in my messy house thinking of all the things I thought I'd get done today that didn't happen: finish my bookshelf, mop my floor, clean the kitchen sink, go grocery shopping, hang up some pictures on the wall, take the kids to the park to enjoy the weather....
Sigh. Maybe next weekend.

It's Official

Trav has officially moved into his new office! We've spent some time cleaning it up and hanging pictures on the walls, and now he is all set. He's been there for a week now and we love having him home more. It seems like it's the first time in the last 2 months that he has been home before 7 pm! He even came home for lunch today, which was such a fun treat for me and the kids.

Anna and Kate love to spin in his chair. They also love to explore the building and were kept busy for about an hour with me telling them things like "Go find something purple" or "Go find a rectangle". Cuties!

Eve inspecting the carpet for her dad.

Halloween

Halloween is so fun. This year we went to a trunk or treat for T's coworker, my college roommate Halloween fest, 2 preschool Halloween parties, a neighbor's party, and the annual party/trick or treat with T's family. We have candy coming out our ears and we couldn't be happier!

Here's the story with our costumes: The girls wanted to be princesses again. I was against it since that is what they were last year, plus they dress up like princesses pretty much every day. Luckily Kate got a pair of cowboy boots in a bag of hand-me-downs from my cousin, and the quest to be cowgirls was born. I made Anna's skirt and Kate's vest, found the hats at the dollar store, and after much searching found Anna's cowgirl boots at Target (have I mentioned how I love that store?). I found a cow costume for Eve and borrowed a hat for me, and we were set!

Here's the story with the costumes of T's family: The Leatherwoods were The Incredibles and Ethan made the perfect Dash. Amy and Josh were WonderWoman and IronMan, and Tina and Rhett were Exercise Girl and Nacho Libre. Yes, Nacho Libre. He even showed his amazing eagle powers!

We Like to Party

It's kind of hard explaining to a kid exactly when their birthday is. Because, in Anna's case, she had 3 birthday parties (with another one coming up this Sunday).

First, she had her Pixie Party with her little girl friends the Saturday before her bday. We played Fairy Freeze Tag, Flower Ring Toss, Animal Charades, and the highlight of it all was when the kids threw water balloons at the spider web attached to the garage, like Silvermist does on the Tinkerbell movie to make dew. It was awesome because the web wouldn't stay up, so T held it for them..... which meant they just decided to throw water balloons at him. What a dad!

On Anna's actual birthday, she wanted to go for a hike in the mountains. T's mom Gma Nancy joined us for a picnic and a walk to Bridal Veil Falls. Anna loves hiking. Grandma Nancy brought donuts for our treat, so we put a candle in one and let Anna blow it out.

Then, the Sunday after her birthday we had a family party for all October birthdays on T's side. We had a Halloween theme, and I made a spider cake with raspberry jam in the middle like icky blood. Cool, huh?

Anna loved every minute of her many birthday parties. She can't wait for her big day to come again. Thanks to all the friends and family who love her and made it a great day(s)!

5 years and 2 days ago

Sorry to Anna that this is a little late.





Five years ago this little angel came into our lives. She rocked our world!





Anna loves the temple. She loves to visit temple grounds, to look at pictures of the temple, etc. When I told her that she might be old enough to attend the dedication of the new Brigham City temple when it's completed, she was elated.







Anna is the best big sister in the world. She plays well with Kate and helps care for Eve. They both look to her as their example of how to do things in this world.

Anna loves her daddy. They have always shared a close bond. She used to cry if he had to go pass the sacrament. Last night she chased after him when he went to leave for Mutual. It brings her great joy to do things with her dad.





Anna is so smart! She has an amazing memory and can remember things we talked about months ago. She is constantly questioning things, asking about the world around her. If only I knew what makes things appear black, why ants don't freeze in the winter, and where Heavenly Father lives.

(photo by Michele Reyes)
Anna loves maps. She loves to know exactly where she is at, and where others are at. She can identify about 10 states and 3-4 countries on a map. Whenever we drive somewhere, she asks "What city are we in? What street are we driving on?"

Anna is so friendly. She can make friends with all the little girls she meets. It's funny to see her interact with her little friends-- she acts a little wild and crazy and they all laugh at her.


Anna loves to say the prayer. Her prayers are so sweet and meaningful. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father hears her.
Anna loves the outdoors. She loves camping, hiking, boating, and just playing outside.

Anna is growing right up. She is turning into more of my little friend and I genuinely enjoy doing things with her. She tries so hard to do the right thing and to make me happy. I love her so much!!!

The Truth

1. I have not been called as Primary Chorister. Thanks to all who thought I'd do a good job at that. Apparently you don't realize that I am completely tone deaf and I ain't got rhythym (or a dictionary if that word is misspelled). I have actually been released from my calling in the Nursery to teach...... Sunbeams! It was really fun on Sunday. The kids are so stinkin' cute. We were talking about how we could pray for someone if they were sick, and one little girl said, "Or you could just give her 7-up." I think she has a future as a physician!

2. T is going to be working in SF!!! It's a blissful 3 minute commute from our house!!! His firm in Provo is actually acquiring another law office here in town and he is coming down to manage it. It's a big promotion for him, so we're excited. It does mean a lot more work, though, and I know it will require some sacrifices from all of us to make it successful. We are so happy to have him working close by, and so happy to be able to stay here in South Utah County. We really love it here.

3. E is walking. Kind of. Like the kind of walking where she holds onto your fingers and takes off all over the house. It won't be long before it's the real deal. Yikes! And, yes, in true form to the girls in our family, she still can't crawl. If she is alone and wants to get somewhere, she army scoots-- quite quickly too. The others only figured out how to really crawl about a week before they started walking. I'm sure she'll follow suit.
Anyone know of a good baby gate? I need something my older girls can't knock over. Then I will deviously lock all the children upstairs while I sit in the kitchen eating bonbons. (maniacal laugh)

Two Truths and A Lie

My friend did this on her blog a few months ago. I thought it was so clever. You know the game Two Truths and A Lie? Well, guess which of the following is true for us....

1. I have received the calling I feared most in the world: Primary Chorister.

2. T is saying goodbye to his office in Provo and setting up shop in Spanish Fork.

3. E is walking.

Small and Simple

I've decided to start a blog of my projects, since some people who read this blog to keep up with our family might not actually care what color I painted my table or that I learned to make fabric flowers. Your loss. :)
It's called Small and Simple, because I feel like the best things in life really are small and simple (especially my cute little girls!) I am so much enjoying being creative. And I love to make a game of decorating for as little money as possible, so everything I do is pretty cheap! Check it out, and let me know what you think!

September to Remember

I'm such a blog slacker. Actually, I'm such an Everything slacker. I just downloaded my photos off my camera for the month and there were more taken by the kids than of the kids. You know what that means-- more pictures of my laundry basket than my three favorite people. Four if you count Trav.

Here are some highlights of our month:

Our Stewart Falls hike over Labor Day. We have a picture like this of each one of our girls at about this age. Still small enough to fall asleep in a backpack. So sweet!

Our good friends moved back to Utah from Texas. As you can see, Anna and Gwen are happy to be reunited. We loved hanging out at the cabin and doing the swing and the zipline with them.

We got a sweet hookup on some BYU season tickets this year, so Trav took Kate to the CSU game last weekend. She was thrilled to spend time with her dad. Trav's firm sponsors BYU athletics, so they get wristbands to get into this special tent during the game. The tent is a place for shmoozing, so it's full of yummy foods and big screen TVs. That's where Kate and Dad spent most of the game. Kate got home and told me she ate a hot dog, cookie, chocolate fruit (chocolate fountain), a meat sandwich, and popcorn. She also drank a chocolate milk, a Sprite, and an orange soda. They didn't even stay for the whole game, but they had a blast together. At the end of it all, Kate looked up at her daddy and said, "Dad, it's been a great day."
Anna, Eve, and I stayed home and watched the Hannah Montana movie. We had a great time too, and I was so happy to do something a little more grown up with her. (Since this movie had real people instead of cartoons, it was a little more grown up.) She is fast leaving toddlerhood behind and is turning into a person-- with likes and dislikes and an interest in "grown up girl bonding."

Anna got stitches. She fell off the Spider Web at the park. It looks like she is going in for some major surgery, but really, it was just 6 stitches on her chin. She just got really nervous when the nurse came in with the needle and booked it out of there, almost to the parking lot. So.... they sedated her. After that, it was smooth sailin'. She is doing great now and can't wait till Friday, when she gets her stitches out AND it's her turn to go the football game with her dad.

I did lots of sewing projects this month, including a slipcover for an ottoman I bought at a garage sale. Maybe that's the reason I didn't do much with my blog....

Roots

My husband and I both grew up in West Valley, a suburb of Salt Lake. Salt Lake is not a big city compared to Rio or New York, but it's a pretty good size, and West Valley is just sort of an extension of it. While there were some big-city type problems (gangs, drugs, etc.), we both enjoyed our growing up years and planned on settling down there when Trav was done with school. It has both of our families, a good public transportation system, and fun museums.
But recently Trav and I have been talking about life decisions, including where we want to live. Not that we're ready to move right now, but just talking about the kind of place we want to raise our family. You ready for the answer? Right here in Spanish Fork. (or maybe Salem if he really does want a farm someday). It's a little ironic because in the past I have viewed SF with a bit of disdain-- a deer huntin', rodeo ridin' little hick town. My dad grew up here and every time we'd come to visit I felt like I was on Old McDonald's Farm
That was before I lived here. Now Spanish Fork means something to me. It means volunteers out in the spring planting flowers along Main Street. It means an Arts program for children that doesn't cost much but provides a great introduction to some of life's beauties. It means Harvest Moon Hurrah and Farmer's Markets. It means trips to the library where my kids eagerly line up to get their hands stamped by super sweet librarians. It means a great ward with friends who are going through the same things we are, and friends who are not. It means a neighborhood yard sale that raised enough money to help one of our own make their house payment. It means parks close enough to ride our bikes to, along a beautiful river trail. It means always having the same waitress at Pizza Factory. It means great neighbors who have a "The Answer is Always Yes" policy when I need a babysitter. It means sweet ladies in the ward who have taught me to sew, and to garden, and to budget, and to prepare my family. In short, it just means life as I know it. And it's a good one. I don't want to leave.

Labor Day

The thing you've got to understand about kids is that it doesn't take much to please them. T and I had discussed going out of town for the holiday weekend, but never really got around to making actual plans, so we just stayed here. We still had a great time though!
Here's a little of what we did, sorry I wasn't smart enough to take pictures.

1. Went to Spanish Fork Wind Fest. Okay, I thought we could go to Wind Fest, but as we drove around looking for it I saw a billboard and realized it was last week! Ooops! We went to the park instead, and made a train of our entire family going down the super twisty slide. Much giggling.

2. Camped out in the backyard. The girls love the tent. I love camping/acting like a goofball singing campsongs, but I wasn't about to do that in view of my neighbors. So, we sang songs and acted goofy inside ("Can You Iggle, Can You Wiggle?) and then went outside when it was time to sleep. The girls were hilarious trying to tell bedtime stories to their parents. Every story went the exact same: "Once there was a girl who was walking through the forest and came upon a monster who went RRRRRRR. She ran back to her house and he couldn't fit, so she was safe." My new strategy of protection is a tiny house!

3. Ward breakfast/giant sandbox for kids. Our ward is putting a volleyball pit in, and at the breakfast all the kids got to play in the sand with dump trucks and shovels. I saw Anna get buried up to her shoulders!

4. Hike to Stewart Falls. We had a cute little picnic then attempted hiking to Stewart Falls. Kate's legs wore out pretty quickly, so we had to cut it short. But Anna loved it and just before bed she said, "I hope I can go for a hike for my birthday." T and I are thinking we might get a babysitter for the little ones and do a two-on-one hike with her on her big day.

5. Movie night! We stopped at the store and got donuts and tried to agree on a Red Box, which didn't happen. We ended up just watching one we own, but the donuts were good and the kids were happy.

6. Bike ride with Daddy. T has started taking the girls on bike rides. They love going down the big hill (not really very big, but enough for them). Much squealing!

Preschool

Anna started preschool 2 weeks ago. She's going to one here in the neighborhood, which is SO convenient. So far she really likes it, although she did tell me that they don't have recess at this preschool. I told her to talk to Miss Heather about it, and she said she would. Gotta love the if-it's-what-I-want-then-I'll-get-it attitude of kids.

The freaky thing is how big Anna is getting. We got her some new back to school clothes and I had to shop in the girls section, not the toddlers! She seems more and more like a kid to me now, and less like my little girl. She comes home from preschool while the others are napping and we have a little mom-daughter chat over a snack and then she wants to go outside to play with her friends. Already too cool for me!

Kate started preschool this last week. A few other moms in the ward and I are doing a co-op preschool for kids her age. There are 5 kids, 4 moms, and we decided we will each take a month and teach the entire month. My turn isn't till January, so right now it's great!

But I digress. Miss Kate loves preschool. She loves being big enough to go, she loves having her own little friends, and she loves the activities and games they play. She was in no way hesitant on the first day. In fact, after I picked her up on the first day, she asked "You missed me, Mom?"

"Yes, honey, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

"No."

Feelin' the love.

Is she not so cute?

Good Idea

I feel a HUGE sense of relief this week. For the past six months, I have been part of an FHE group. Each month we'd create a complete FHE (lesson, activities, treat recipes, etc.) and make 10 copies of it. Then we'd get together and share them. I now possess 50 ready-to-go FHE kits, and they have been really helpful in making quality family home evening happen for our little brood. But man, it's been a lot of cutting and laminating, and I am ready for a little break.
However, I wanted to pass this idea along because it is a good one. I truly believe in the importance of family home evening, and see it as a great opportunity to teach our children the Gospel in our home. I have been amazed at their ability to retain the information. And, the great thing about these kits is that nearly every single one has a flannel board story. My kids have loved retelling the story with the flannel board after FHE is over. I probably never would have done it on my own just for us, but it's so nice to have these.
The beauty of the internet is that there are so many helps out there. Other people have already created a lot of lessons and you can just copy them! So, even if you don't form a group of your own, here are some of my favorite sites. Maybe you can just make a couple for your own family.

http://family-home-evening.blogspot.com
http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/(has a huge collection of Flannel Board Stories)
http://ivinsfirstwardenrichment.blogspot.com/
http://www.sugardoodle.net
http://fheinasnap.blogspot.com/

Here is my attempt at documenting Eve's first teeth:

Eve: Wait, you've got that shiny camera thing out again. Uh oh.

Eve: How about you just give it to me? As you can see from the massive amount of drool on my face, I am a person to trust with expensive equipment.

Good idea. Stand above me so I can't reach it. For that, no teeth for you!I can see you're not giving up. Okay, here they are. The better to bite you with, my dearie.
This is exhausting.