Too bad, Ox bought you the loveseat.

I don't know why that kept going through my mind in the middle of the night as I lost dinner, lunch, and then breakfast to the porcelain god.

Looks like I wasn't lucky after all.

Merry Christmas y'alls!

Only in Alabama do you have the windows propped open with fans blowing on Christmas Eve. Last year it was freezing at Thanksgiving, but this year it feels like a summer in Seattle. Just misty, muggy, and warm. I didn't even need to bring jackets for us. So here's our play by play of the week:

Christmas Eve:
We woke up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready and be at the airport by 6:30 a.m. Our flight was at 8:00 a.m. We barely survived the plane ride and Abby fell fast asleep on the ride from Nashville to Huntsville (thank goodness!)

Christmas Day:
Woke up at 6:00 a.m. (which was 5:00 a.m. for us!). Even Abby got up because she woke up when I went back into the room to get my comfort jacket. The Larsens have an amazing capability to make unwrapping presents last for four hours. The children were remarkably patient. Jesse's big present was a rock climbing harness and I got a running pack with a running shirt. Our biggest gifts were plane tickets. Otherwise there was no way we could get out here! Thanks Dave and Cathy! The day was fun. We ate a lot, slept a lot, played a lot.

Next day: Spent five hours returning gifts that didn't fit or broke. FIVE HOURS! But it was just me and the girls so it was a blast! And I hit an amazing after-Christmas sale at Maurices and found two pairs of pants and a cute white shirt to go with my pencil skirt. Then we played games with the whole family and laughed until we could barely breathe.

Saturday: Slept in and then went to the church for some crazy intense volleyball and soccer. I learned a lot about volleyball and my team totally lost! I'm pretty sure it was my fault.

This is where our week turned sour: by Saturday night, Kenzie and Cole were throwing up. At 1:30 a.m., I heard Abby spitting and I turned on the lamp to find throw up all over her pajamas and blankets. At 3:00 a.m. Kelsey began throwing up. In the middle of sacrament meeting, Jesse began throwing up. So. We were all looking forward to Sunday so we could wear our new Christmas clothes and feel beautiful. Instead, the girls (minus Shelby) were feeling crummy and I was nursing my baby and sweet husband back to health. Apparently Shelby had it last weekend and Cathy had it on Sunday. It's supposedly a 24-hour flu so I'm really praying that Jesse and Abby are okay by tomorrow. It's just a matter of time before I get it... though I'm trying to be careful.

Well, that's basically my week so far. I'm posting this for my family's sake. They think I've died or something because my phone has disappeared amongst the ridiculous mess of luggage in our room.

I love you all and I'm way sad that I missed the Thompson Christmas party! Mom, have a fabulous New Years and sing some crazy karaoke for me!! Love you!

Larsens do the disco

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

GIRLS NIGHT!

Okay, we're having a girls night this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.-ish. We're just gonna gab and eat cookies! And hopefully watch While You Were Sleeping. So please, girls, come if you want!

Girls night anyone?

So Carolyn and I have decided that we need to have a girls night. A night where we can chill without toting adorable babies and to have a bit of a break. So I'm proposing a girls night next week on Tuesday or Wednesday around 8:30 at my house. I suggested watching While You Were Sleeping, but I'm totally up for other options. Also, I figured a big pan of brownies or cookies need to be around. Or ice cream. So, this is the question I need you to answer:

Tuesday or Wednesday?

Which movie?

Okay, so that was two questions. Let me know!! It'll be fun to party!

Lover's Quarrel

Lauren (thinking about her potential new Christmas dress): So did you like it?

Jesse (thinking about his recently eaten dinner): yeah, hun, it was great.

Lauren: But you didn't love it?

Jesse (relatively exasperated): I liked it.

Lauren (frustrated): But you didn't love it.

Jesse (confused as to why Lauren is getting angry about how he liked dinner): It wasn't the best, but it was still good.

Lauren (saddened): Why didn't you like it?

Jesse (ultra-exasperated): Why does it matter??

Lauren: Because I want you to like it! I want you to be excited about it!

Jesse: You wanted me to be excited about it? WHY?

Lauren: Because! How can I be excited about it if you're not! I'll just feel stupid!

Jesse (in raised voice): You'll feel stupid? Lauren, I said I liked it. Okay? It was good for a dinner, okay? It wasn't the best, but it was still good.

Lauren: (Stupor of thought)

Jesse: What?

Lauren: I was talking about the dress! Not dinner! What made you think we were talking about dinner?!


The End
I believe this is proof that men have a one-track mind.




vs.

I'm grateful for...

Random acts of kindness.
I should have taken pictures. I really should have. We had THIRTEEN huge stuffed bags of leaves on our front lawn today. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get them all gathered up and into bags. We've been gone for the last several weekends and Jesse's life has been too crazy to help me, but today we decided that they had to be done. When we had almost finished, we were staring at the overflowing black marshmallows of leaves when a guy who was cleaning up the leaves at his father's house next door came over. Well, rather he backed up his truck and said, "Hey, why don't you just throw those bags in! We're on our way to the compost site. Just throw them in and I'll take them." I was shocked. Fortunately, and yet unfortuately, this is the one of the first acts of kindness we've received from anyone in the neighborhood (we're STUDENTS, therefore we're shunned). After we threw the bags in, I ran in to check on Abby and came back out to find the guy cleaning up the rest of the leaves/rosebush clippings on the side of my house. I asked what we could do to pay him back and he just waved his hand and with a big smile said, "Nothing." I'm so grateful that he was willing to help us. He probably has no idea how much it helped us. Thank you to that man. And thank you to anyone who has the bravery to help a stranger!

Abby the daredevil

These two pictures are part of our family picture fun, but if you look at them it looks like she's jumping off the bowery! I promise no photoshop was done. They're hilarious!

Some family pics

We tried to get family pictures taken the other day... but Abby was SUPER cranky and her hair was absolutely out of control. I didn't love mine either that day, but Jesse says I'm just being super critical of myself and that I looked great anyway. I didn't put the pictures on that I didn't like of my hair. But here's the first batch of pictures. I hope we get more soon! (The last picture isn't the best quality, but it was super funny of Abby)

For Twilight lovers and haters alike

I am a fan of Twilight. I admit it. Mock me if you will, but I enjoy it. I'm excited for the movie to come out though my expectations for it are not high at all. Even though I am a fan of it, I could not help but laugh at this beautiful website:

Twilight: the movie
http://movies.msn.com/movies/galleryfeature/lost-twilight-script/?photoidx=1

Hopefully you can copy and paste the website. Yes it mocks Twilight, but it does such a fabulous job at it that you can help but love it. Enjoy!





Sneak peek of the mockery accompanying this picture:

'Twilight': The Lost Script

BELLA: I like this jacket a lot better.

EDWARD: I will burn the other and sprinkle the ashes in the four corners of the Earth, so that it never offends you again.

BELLA: You're amazing.

EDWARD: You're amazing.

BELLA: No, you are.

EDWARD: I said it first.

BELLA: No,
... more actually, I did. Just look at the transcript.

EDWARD: You're right, my alabaster fairy. Would you mind scooting away from the waterfall? You're making me nervous.

BELLA: So are you saying I'm clumsy? I knew it. You couldn't possibly love me. You are like a god and I am an adolescent head case.

EDWARD: Shh, love. Don't talk. Let me carry you on my back as though you were either a toddler or a sack of potatoes. Then we will ride in my Volvo and not engage in any carnal activities whatsoever.

BELLA: You're amazing.

EDWARD: No, you are. (Repeat...)

How I met my Jesse...

How did you meet your significant other? Answer all the questions HONESTLY and re post as "How I met _____"

1.Where did you meet?
Honestly, I met Jesse while “dating” his best friend. I know I hung out with him a few times before, but I don’t remember him from those times. The time I remember him was when we went on a double date to the Christmas Devotional at the Conference Center—but I didn’t go with Jesse. I went with his best friend.

2.What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
“Oh, that’s [his] friend from Brigham City. He’s kind of goofy.”

3.Do you remember what he/she was wearing?
Since it was to the Christmas Devotional, he was wearing his church clothes—black slacks and white shirt. But he was wearing his black, leather Nascar jacket from his Grandma. I remember him telling me that he used a Sharpie marker to block out the Nascar logo. He still has that jacket. And I remember that he smelled good.

4.When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?
April 26ish, 2003. The friend I broke up with called me to help with a photo shoot advertising senior photos. He brought Jesse with him. Jesse and I flirted a lot that day and then we started emailing each other. I do know that Jesse was wearing a gray button-up (down?) shirt and jeans that day. And once again he smelled good.

5.Where was the first time you kissed this person?
Jesse first kissed me on the pitcher’s mound at the baseball field where he hit his first homerun. Jesse was a baseball player in high school.

6.Where did you go for your first date?
Some Chinese place in Brigham City. And then we went to his house and watched The Best Two Years and played volleyball.

7.How long did you know this person before you became a couple?
I met Jesse in December 2002 and we started dating in May 2003.

8.How did he/she ask you out?
I don’t remember at all. I just know that he suggested I drive up to Brigham City, but I didn’t feel comfortable driving by myself (I’d had my license less than a year). So he drove down to pick me up.

9.Has this person ever proposed to you?
Ha! I didn’t let him! Well at least not with the ring. Maybe I should now… I went with him to pick up the ring and the guy told me to try it on to make sure it fit. I refused to take it off after. Technically he did ask before at his grandma’s. It was 2:00 a.m. and I was laying on the couch crying. I think I just had a fight with my parents or something. Jesse left and came back 10 minutes later and asked if I would marry him. I was shocked, but said yes.

10.Do you and this person have kids together?
We have an almost 15 month-old daughter. She’s hilarious and beautiful!

11.Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Everyday. But why would I tell you? You could turn me in!

12.Do you get along with his/her family?
I’m trying! I think I do better now than before.

13.Do you trust this person?
Oh heavens yes.
14.Do you see her/him as your partner in your future?
I sure hope so. His contract is for eternity.

15.What is the best gift she/he gave you?
Love and affection. And a heart-shaped ruby necklace for Christmas 2003.

16.What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves?
Sometimes I think he makes as many or more messes than Abby and he forgets to clean them up.

17.Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
I see us living in California. Jesse will be working as a character designer for Pixar and we’ll have 6 kids and we’ll be unbelievably happy!

18.What causes the most arguments?
The messy house. Or just simply my emotional roller coaster.

19.How long have you been together?
Um, since April 2003. So 5 years and 7 months. But we’ve only been married for 2 years and 10 months.

20.Are you Married?
Huzzah, yes!

21. Who Do you Tag?
Anybody. KELSEY! Only if you have time, Kels. If you’ve got a homework, don’t worry about it. Love you!

Dinner idea

We found these recipes for pizza off Allrecipes.com a while ago and we've loved them! We've made a pizza every week since we found them. So if you haven't thought of what you want to make for dinner tonight, here's a thought:

Pizza Crust:
1 c. warm water
1 Tbls. white sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add olive oil and salt. Stir in flour. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Shape into pan for pizza. Can sprinkle with basil, thyme, or other seasoning (we like thyme).


Pizza Sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
6 fl. oz. warm water (isn't that 3/4 cup?)
3 Tbls grated parmesan
2 Tbls honey
1 tsp minced onion
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Best to let sit 20-30 minutes to let ingredients mix together, but we never do. We just spread it on the dough!

Add your toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Jesse likes us to put butter and garlic salt on the crust edges before we bake it. It makes it taste like garlic bread to him.
Probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but it sure is good. Enjoy!

Someone stole all of our Halloween candy...

I was so excited to eat a Butterfinger... I was craving that buttery taste and the crunchy texture when Jesse came back inside saying, "Someone took the bucket!"
We really did have it in for ourselves though, to be honest. We wanted to watch a movie uninterrupted so we left the candy outside (and I was worried about Abby waking up to the doorbell) and left a sign inviting children to take a piece. I've done that the last three years because we've been at parties and nothing has ever happened. This year we didn't make it to our party because I've got a nasty cold and I feel like garbage... so we stayed home and were robbed of our candy. Lame. At least I can't eat it. So here's our Halloween in pictures:

Abby in her cute Halloween pajamas. We had a huge breakfast of pumpkin pancakes and hot chocolate. We decided we needed to walk Jesse to campus after that because we were so full of warm, steamy goodness.

I was doing dishes and I heard Abby playing in the drawers. I thought she was playing in the normal spatula and such drawer, but when I turned around, this is where I found her! The goober.

Abby the puppy.

The Larsen family. Gracious we're odd. In this other picture, Abby kept throwing herself backwards saying, "Fly!"

So that is the end of Halloween 2008 for the Larsens. Happy Halloween!
Quite honestly, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween!

Part One: Mother's Group party

Mother's group is a group in our ward for moms to meet every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. We get together with our babes to give our babes a chance to play with others, and for the mom to receive some adult social interaction! So I volunteered for the party to be at my place. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the moms, but we did get some of the babes. However, my camera was retarded and only took one decent one.

Food... yum! Orange-flavored popcorn balls, sugar cookies (under the foiled plates), mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, candy bars,candy corn, and apple juice. Talk about sugar rush! Also, you can kind of see Jesse's pumpkin in the background. It's a sweet pumpkin!

Here are the babes. I think the group of moms with flashing cameras sort of overwhelmed them all because none of them would smile. And there's a cute ladybug named Laney that's missing from the picture too. But look how cute they are!

Tomorrow we'll add Part Two after the Ward Halloween party when Jesse and I dress up too!

14 months, 8 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes later...

Also included in that title should be: a grilled cheese sandwich, half dozen sugar cookies, two apple cinnamon muffins, and hot chocolate later... I decided to blog. The title obviously refers to Abigail. The addition refers to my abundant consumption of garbage due to a grumpy mood. I'm hoping that by blogging about babe that my mood will lighten considerably.

This was our adventure to the Botany Pond. We tried again to release Galya, but she just won't hear of it. That's Galya behind Abby in the second picture. Abby is showing you how to appropriately quack like a duck.

Abigail's new quirk is that she likes to transfer items from one place to another. For example, she transferred all of the swimsuits today from the swimsuit bag to the toilet. Yay. I didn't catch that one, but I did catch the transferring of food storage to the couch yesterday.

She lined them up so neatly.

Dad and Abby pulling faces on the way to Centerville to see Grandpa Larsen.

Just as I was about to take a cute smile pose of Abby, Jesse jumped in and startled her. We were walking to the park. Abby knows how to get there herself. I'm positive that if she ever winds up missing, I'll find her at the park.

Abby likes to get a good read in before our morning walk.

Yay for cute babes! There's a brief update on her life. One of these days I might actually put a picture of myself on here--not likely, but you just never know.

Hey Thompsons!

Hey Thompson clan, you'll be getting this email soon. And hopefully a call too. It's just been too long since we've seen each other! It won't be anything amazing, but just something fun.
Let me know if you have questions!

The Girl Who Invented Romance

I've been "teenage-sitting" my sister for the last couple days. My parents flew to Chicago and so I came to stay with my amazingly brilliant and beautiful younger sister, Maryn. We have had some ultimate girls nights. Tonight we played a game called "Romance". It's a board game from a book called The Girl Who Invented Romance by Caroline B. Cooney. You are to pick six random boy names and then throughout the game you randomly get traits for each guy and you randomly pick dates to go on. At the end of the game, you roll to see who you end up with. By that point each guy has 5-6 traits and you've been on at least 2 dates with guy. I just thought Jesse would like to see who I ended up with:

Barney
Traits:
1. fixes car motors
2. reads everything he gets his hands on
3. Has a great family
4. His car is filled with CDs, tapes, and library books.
5. Has not learned his multiplication tables
6. Enjoys going to the orthodontist

Dates:
1. Took me to an Egyptian museum
2. Watched a sad movie at his mom's house

I'm not going to lie: Barney was my LAST choice. I was hoping for Caleb. He took me to the beach.

Maryn ended up with her absolute worst choice as well.
Franklin:
Traits:
1. Wears boring shirts with collars
2. When watching TV, he only watches golf.
3. Never puts you down
4. Takes his mother's money
5. Listens to country music
6. Sings in his church choir
7. Takes her bowling with his family

Dates:
1. Pizza with the guys
2. Hot air balloon

He doesn't sound bad, but he really paled in comparison to some of the others. This game was really funny. I recommend it to anyone! Especially Jenna Worwood. ;)

Here Lies Igor/Balrog/No Name

Today, on this cold Sunday, Igor/Balrog/No Name Larsen passed away. He/She was truly a happy fish. He/she enjoyed the beauties of nature (a plastic tree and rocks) and a good hearty meal of dried flakes. Unfortunately, it was his/her love of food that brought about his/her untimely death. Igor/Balrog/No Name, we'll miss you. Thanks for being a great fish for 36 hours.

(I really have no idea why it died. I just walked out into the kitchen to find it floating.)

A FABulously eventful day!

Well, Jesse is generally home on Saturdays, but he had to work the BYU game which meant he would be gone from 12-8. I knew there was no way I would make it through another day by myself, so I decided today would be a day of adventures.

First:


I bought a dog! Totally kidding. To my knowledge, you can't buy dogs at PetSmart. But there were tons of people there with dogs and Abby loved it! Instead, we bought the first family 26 cent goldfish. Huzzah! As of right now, he/she has no name. I suppose his/her gender will be determined upon our decision of his/her name. Right now he/she has been called everything from Igor to Balrog. Poor no name fish. Just like Holly's no name cat. So sad.

Well, literally 15 minutes after getting home and getting Igor/Balrog/No Name settled into his/her home, Abby and I took off for our first visit ever to ...



Ah, Sarah you'd be so proud of us. My super amazing parents and diva younger sister, Maryn, met us there for four hours of showrooms and Ikea dinner! Woot woot! We bought a blue mesh hanging toy organizer, a wooden push/rolling toy for Abby for Christmas, 10 jungle finger puppets, 10 sea animal finger puppets, heart ice cube makers, an red apple corer thing, and a 49 cent pink hippo that was supposed to entertain the babe while we were there (didn't work). That is a marvelous store. I could easily buy everything.
We didn't get home until 7:45 pm so I just put Abby in her pj's and then put her to sleep. She missed her afternoon nap so she was dreadfully tired. Once she was asleep, I set out for my new adventure: painting my rocking chair while watching Funny Face . I found this child's rocking chair at DI for $5.00. It called my name the moment I saw it! It was white with gold stenciling on the top, but I have repainted it andI have yet to add some personal touches.



Ta-dah! It's actually a peachy color. I haven't decided what I'm going to do to it yet. Abby LOVES it though. She climbs up in it with three blankets and rocks out with a huge grin. Finally something her size!
And that about sums up our day! It was crazy fun and kept me busy until my amazing husband came home. Here's a picture of me and Abby just for fun:

Love you all!

My adorable family

My friend threw this together fast for me today during our babe's playdate. I thought it was kind of fun.

Conference thoughts

I've started reading over the talk given at General Conference. Today I read the talks by Elder Perry and by Elder Wirthlin. These are the statements that stood out the most to me today:

Elder L. Tom Perry:
"Those of us who have been around a while—and Elder Wirthlin and I have been around for a long time—have recognized certain patterns in life’s test. There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic.... We can’t predict all the struggles and storms in life, not even the ones just around the next corner, but as persons of faith and hope, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:
"But the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt.

The first thing we can do is learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim? There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh."

I feel like I'm just pulling out of a period of stress and anxiety. It's awesome to know that I can now potentially go through a period of joy. It's reassuring to know that we all go through hard times and that it's for our learning and growth and that we will come out on top. I love the title of Elder Wirthlin's talk: "Come what may, and Love it." Just love life as it comes to you. Anyway, just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Frozen Yogurt and a Salamander

Last night Jesse took me on the most amazing date. We first went to Yogurt Stop--a hip, new frozen yogurt place in Bountiful. You fill up your own cup with however much frozen yogurt you want and you can have as many flavors as you want and then you put any and all of the toppings you want on it. You pay by the weight. It's absolutely brilliant. So I enjoyed my pistaccio, cheesecake, and raspberry frozen yogurts with granola, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (all for $3. 26) and then we went up to the Bountiful Temple to walk around. We walked around it three times to make a mile. The best part, however, was when we walked around the second time and Jesse noticed a salamander crawling through the street. It was beautiful! It almost had a camou pattern of black and yellow. We picked it up from the road and placed it in the bushes to the side of the street. And we continued walking. On our third round around the temple, we saw the salamander again. I scolded the suicidal creature for being in the road and again picked it up and put it in the bushes... but then I noticed that it was a good 100 ft. in front of where we had last placed it... and I realized it wasn't the same salamander at all. As we continued walking, we found and saved six more salamanders in the middle of Bountiful Blvd. all heading north. Unfortunately we noticed several more popped salamanders along the road. It was truly a bizarre, yet awesome, phenomena of nature. I assumed that they were out because of the rain, but why would they all be out on the Boulevard? Maybe they're adolescent salamanders and have noticed the trend of human adolescents to wander the Boulevard. Maybe they were proving their bravery for the female salamanders by crossing the treacherous street. I'll never know. But I feel good that we saved several from their untimely deaths.

Tragic endings

Sometimes there is absolutely nothing better than curling up on an old comfy chair surrounded by smothering blankets in your rattiest pajama pants watching an ultra-emotional chick flick. Generally the scenario would also need to include a bowl of ice cream, muesli, and/or cereal. I thrive off these wonderful nights. However, the last three movies have been absolutely fabulous and yet incredibly disappointing at the same time. In my opinion, the guy and the girl should ALWAYS end up together. It is always completely predictable, but the exciting part is watching the journey to that point. You know there's always going to be anger, heartache, betrayal, the old boyfriend, or what have you--you know there will be--but it's still so addicting to watch! But like I said, the last three movies have been incredibly fabulous and disappointing at the same time. I still think Laurie is a scoundrel for preying upon Amy when he was clearly in love with Jo. And Jo should have been with him! Who was this German man? I had zero emotional attachment to him. He wasn't good enough for Jo. And nobody told Princess Ann that she couldn't be with Mr. Bradley. I think she should have come back at the last moment as Mr. Bradley was walking away and they would have walked hand-in-hand back to wherever she was going. And it's utterly tragic that Jane didn't stay with Tom. Don't you think they could have worked something out? I know that story is supposed to be based on true events, but it's heartbreaking that the best romance novelist did not have a romance herself. Truly, my favorite chick flicks are those based on her novels (yes, I've read the books too). So there you have it. The beginning of my list of fabulous chick flicks that didn't end the way they should have.

1. Little Women
2. Roman Holiday
3. Becoming Jane

I welcome all to add to my list. Please do. It will give me more movies to watch. Or you could give me movies that work out wonderfully. Either way works.

Abby's 1st birthday! Huzzah!

Abby wrapped up in her ducky quilt. The fabrics have different rubber ducky pictures. Thanks Sarah!



Abby in her pink sunglasses. She was so proud of herself for having sunglasses. It was fabulous.



The cake! It was a ducky cake. She struggled to get past the frosting and she was way tired so she started rubbing the frosting in her eyes (as she rubbed her eyes). To be honest, I don't know if the cake was ever eaten.



A tub of duckies. The babes loved it. I don't know if Kaitlin was very happy with Luke and Abby though. They kept taking the ducks out and forgetting to put them back! ;)


One in each hand! Wahoo!

I've been tagged.

Wow. My first time being tagged. Thank you, Kelsey. I will always remember this moment. Though, to be honest, I'm not quite sure how this whole tag thing works. Nor can I think of any fabulous responses. So I did my best and here it goes:

(Intro)
Link the person who tagged you.*Mention the rules on your blog.*Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.*Tag fellow bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged!

I'm linking Kelsey.

Okay, folks, you got it? Six quirks of mine. Ready... go:

1. I have a million, perhaps a billion faces that I subconsciously pull as I laugh, tell jokes, speak in public, speak in private, cry, scream, sarcastically fight, etc. etc.; however, it's usually just when I'm talking to someone and I'm telling them a story or responding to a comment (which I guess is almost always?). My boss used to laugh at me every five minutes because he'd claim that I just pulled a new face. I can always tell when I've pulled a weird face because Jesse will get this funny smile on his face. I don't do it on purpose. It just kind of happens.

2. I live and die by my lists---and my planner. It was more emphatic when I was in school and working, and now that I'm a mom the lists have changed. Instead of "write essay for Soc W 405", they became "wash dishes, eat lunch, do laundry, finish wiping down kitchen table". One time I even found myself scheduling time to go to the bathroom. Ridiculous. I check my planner 2,200 times a day to make sure I know exactly what I have today, tomorrow, and the next three weeks to come. Lately though I can never seem to remember what day of the week it is. All I know is that today was "Park day" and tomorrow is "Library day" and then "Mother's Group day". So odd being a mother....

3. Like Kelsey, I hate crumbs. I really hate crumbs on my kitchen floor. I think I sweep my kitchen floor at least 6 times a day, if not more. Abby is really good at giving me stuff to sweep up.

4. If I'm going to start a project, I like to get it done all in one day. I don't know how to space it out. When I made a quilt for Jesse the week he got home from his mission, I completed it in either one or two days. It should have taken me at least a week. When I start a book, I prefer to finish it in 1-2 days. Case in point: I finished The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets all this past weekend. One for each day. Much was neglected in my house. I decorated my magnet board in one night. You get the idea.

5. I don't know how to shop. I don't like to spend a lot of time in one store looking through stuff. If I don't immediately see what I want, then I leave. Part of my problem is that I can't separate one item from another to see how it would look on it's own. Like a piece of jewelry or shoes or a shirt. I see it with all the other items on the display rack and it overwhelms me so I leave. I'm embarrassed to say that my mother still does a lot of my shopping---and I am ever so grateful for that. One day I'll figure it out.

6. My idea of a midnight snack is usually a bowl of oatmeal or nine-grain. Though I will admit to the occasional bowl of vanilla ice cream.


So I'm done. I tag... Sarah. Yeah, you editor-girl. And just for fun, I also tag Jesse. BAH!

HELP! Calling for the aid of moms!!!

So I know many of you who read this are moms so I'm begging for help--mainly because my own mother isn't answering her phone at the minute. I need some help being a young mom. Here's the problem:

Abigail won't eat. She didn't want breakfast and now she didn't want lunch. It's been three days since she's had a substantial meal. Every time we sit down to eat she swats the food away and signs to me "all done"--before we've even started. She has been sick this week so I know she probably didn't have much of an appetite, but she's much better now. I've tried giving her her favorite foods: yogurt, rice cereal, cheese sticks, etc. But she's just not even interested.

So what do I do?! Do I just not worry about it and hope she'll eat later? I obviously can't force her to eat. Okay, Moms with wisdom (or even if you're not a mom, but you have wisdom), please shed some light on this hopeless situation for me. Give me suggestions or words of comfort to ease my panic. If you can't comment on the blog because you're not a blogger yourself, email me at laurencallista@hotmail.com. Thank you!




You'd think I'd learn by now...



Playing with dad in Bama.




And more playing. Just with multiple duckies.

Brilliant Babe

I'm not kidding. I think my babe is super brilliant. We've been signing to her (simple signs) since she was six months old, but she's never signed anything back--until about two weeks ago. While we were in Alabama, her signing just took off. She nows signs: "more", "eat", "sleep", "ball" (her favorite), "please", "thank you", and "baby". She also responds to the commands: "wave hi! (bye)", "shrug", "clap hands", "what does an elephant say", "dance", etc. And then today, Stephen started singing Raffi's "Brush Your Teeth" and Abby put her finger to her mouth to brush her teeth! I've never done that with her finger. She's only ever watched me! I know there's so much more, but I just can't think of it all right now. Ah, my brilliant babe. I love it.

And I love that she just found, crushed, and spread crackers all across my kitchen floor.

Love it.

Quote of the Moment

This quote is on my friend's blog. I think it's absolutely, marvelously true (even more so when you become a stay-at-home mom):

"A house does not have to be perfect to be a home of joy, a child does not have to behave perfectly to love and be loved, and every moment of life does not have to be perfect to be of value. Too often, I realize, we fail to see the glorious reality of the simple joy that abounds in the seemingly mundane routine of day-to-day living. Instead, we tend to idolize the past, idealize the future, and devalue the present....

What better way to show our appreciation to Heavenly Father for what we have than to embrace our lives, albeit 'ordinary' and 'unexciting,' with joy?"

--Winnie Dalley

We're home!!

Stephen and Ashton




Larsen Family



Jesse, me and Abigail

Abigail and I have finally arrived home after a long two weeks of crazy summer events. Jesse was with us, but he got to be home for a few of the days during that time.
We started off the two weeks with a family reunion in Park City. We stayed at the Marriott Mountainside Resort for a couple nights/days. We went to the Olympic Park to watch the freestyle skiers practice into the pool. It was pretty awesome. And then we mainly played in the pools. Jesse's birthday was during that time on Sunday. We had a Wall-E birthday party for him (it's his favorite movie right now). I spent hours trying to locate Wall-E toys, but they were gone everywhere! I called the Disney store every morning and checked out Toys R Us, but no one had them. My mom managed to find a bakery that made a 5" cake that had Wall-E toys on top. That's the best we could find. Then while we were singing happy birthday, my dad and my sister Sarah pulled out a Wall-E figurine and an Interactive Wall-E toy. Sarah and my dad drove to Salt Lake and West Valley, respectively, looking for the toys. It was awesome! And I made a cheesecake. Huzzah. So then we hung out in Park City for a couple days and then it was Stephen's wedding!
Stephen got married to Ashton Brooke Scott in the Bountiful temple on July 31. We had a luncheon at the Eldredge Manor in Bountiful and the reception at this amazing house in Provo. Way fun. Galya the duck was even there. Ashton is super cute. She's from Orem, UT, and graduated from Timpview in 2004. She is studying Social Work at UVU (yay social work!) and she loves Jane Austen (specifically Emma) and Audrey Hepburn. She's an amazing interior designer too. She made their apartment looking incredible. So the wedding was fun. We were in brown skirts and cream cardigans with varying tops. I had awesome 4" brown stilettos on. Mmm. They were fabulous. Then from Bountiful we flew out to Alabama!
Jesse's family moved to Alabama last September. We hadn't seen the whole family since last November. It was such a blast!!! We went boating in the Tennessee River on Saturday with Kelsey and Jared, and Kenzie and Aaron. It was Aaron's fam's boat. The water was so unbelievably warm! We went to tubing and the girls totally dominated. We lasted WAY longer than the boys. It was awesome! Later in the week we went to Gibson's BBQ. They have the best ribs in all of northern Alabama. We about died. So good. Basically it was an awesome week of fun with the family, the music of Journey, and the game of Spoons. Fabulous. We got home from that on Thursday night.
On Friday, we had a wedding and three receptions to attend. Aaron Gusa and Amber Leary got married in the Bountiful temple and then that night Jesse split to West (or South?) Jordan for their reception and I stuck around for Cody Gunnell's reception as well as Mike Curtis' reception. It was way fun to see so many people.
So that was all up north. Except 'Bama in the South. Super fun, but super crazy. Like I said, I just got home this morning. I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep and my own bed. Huzzah.