Fact: It's been almost two months since I last posted.

Also a fact: We move to Washington in just over a week. Actually, Jesse leaves on Monday. I leave on the 10th with the girls.

I'm sorry I haven't posted. Life has been so stressful. I'm trying to handle it well, but it's definitely been a ride. Jesse graduated this month. The movers/packers showed up to haul away our stuff. We cleaned the house. Two days later we hopped on a plane for a week and a half in Alabama. We leave for Utah tomorrow.

And then in a week I leave for Washington.

I'm exhilarated. Exhausted. Terrified. And then somewhere after the peanut butter chocolate cheesecake we swing back to excited.

So here are some of the family pictures we did with Jesse's family during the Christmas break. Unfortunately, this was the fifth picture session for Abby in three months. Oh my. She was NOT happy. After about ten minutes of pictures, she literally broke down sobbing... so I didn't get any of just her or with her and Claire or with her anywhere. I tried. So hard. I tried to be patient, but it was awful.

Anyway.








I love my little family. I'm SO proud of Jesse for graduating and landing a stellar job. He's an incredible man and I love him so so much. He's worked incredibly hard and he rarely complains. He deserves the best. He seriously has the most pure heart in the world. Pure, caring, loving, respectful. And handsome. I know this sounds cheesy, but really he's a knight in spectacularly inked armor. Not his skin--his armor. No tattoos for skin.

Love you babe. Thanks for being the best.

P.S. Did you know my five year anniversary is coming up? I won't even spend it with Jesse. He'll be drowned in 100 boxes of our stuff in an otherwise empty house in Bellevue.... and I'll probably be eating ice cream and watching some BBC in Bountiful. Bah.

I'm excited for the New Year. 2010 was one of the most difficult years of my life. Here's to a redeeming 2011, yeah?

Loves.

A house! And Christmas pics!

We potentially found a house in Washington to rent! Huzzah!

Kind of cute, right? We obviously haven't seen it for real, but from the pictures and the location, we LOVE it. It's right around the corner from the church building we went to this past summer. It's also super close to several of our friends. We're so stoked! So hopefully it will go through in the next couple of weeks.

So our next dilemma is finding furniture to actually furnish this cute house. There's my call for help. If you have unwanted furniture, let me know. We may be able to take if off your hands. ;)

And of course I have to post cute pictures of my girls and Sambo. A couple weeks ago my mom and dad had their picture taken with the grandkids with Busath. After that session, we went to Ashton's to take a few more pictures of the kids. Awesomely cute children.

800 days of pictures.

There's not THAT many pictures. Only like.... 5. But here are the Halloween pictures I promised. Admit it. We are AWESOME.

Dr. Seuss, Sam I Am, and the Cat in the Hat.

Our lovely Belle. Grandma Larsen made the dress. Isn't it killer?!

ramblings of a stolen pumpkin

You know those wicked brilliant pumpkins we posted about last time?

They were stolen last night. Last year our bowl of candy (literally the bowl AND the candy) that we set out was stolen (we were at the ward party). And this year it was our pumpkins. So as I stated on facebook, next year I'm putting out chocolate laxatives. We'll see how they like THAT! ...except that I won't be in this house anymore....

Anyway... I had another thought.

Tonight we put our overly exhausted girls to bed and Jesse and I parted ways to do whatever it is we do at night. Jesse started working on homework, the senior film, personal projects, etc. And with my hands on my hips, I stared at my kitchen wishing the dishes would do themselves and gagging at the sight of all the cookies, treats, candy, etc. we accumulated over the past three days of Halloween celebrations. I refused to deal with any of it. So I skipped into the dark living room, picked up the laptop with a wavering determination to read scriptures and conference talks online. But first I had to check my email. And then facebook. It's just a couple places, right? Oh, and my friends' blogs. And then msnbc.com for news. And then suddenly I found myself watching Taylor Swift music videos and Will Ferrell singing Celine Dion on the Tonight Show. When did that happen? I watched Taylor's beautiful hair, listened to her sing, and desperately wished I wasn't a mom cleaning up baby toys and toddler messes. I wanted to be famous and sing like Taylor Swift and be funny and confident like Will Ferrell and ... my shining life as a mom and wife suddenly grew dimmer and dimmer and dimmer... I even stood up and announced to Jesse that I wanted to be famous. I was secretly resenting my life. I stomped to the bathroom, blew my nose, and came back to Taylor's music videos again.

Something inside me told me to turn them off.
But I wanted to watch... just one more...

It's ridiculous that I even had that battle. I hurriedly got into lds.org to watch the latest Mormon Messages video and then found my spot to start reading in Helaman. I'm starting 3 Nephi tonight! I'm totally geeking out about that. I LOVE 3 Nephi. Anyway. Back to my story. There was a total shift in my spirit as I started watching the church videos and reading my scriptures. Suddenly, the life of glamour and celebrity was ridiculous and ... I was ashamed of my previous thoughts. I felt the calming peace and assurity that I'm living the right life. I'm doing the right thing. I was shocked at the almost tangible difference from the confusing unhappiness I felt watching the music videos to the peace and happiness I felt watching and reading on lds.org. I'm not saying that watching music videos is bad. Grief, I do it all of the time. But at this instant, it was a negative influence in my life. I'm grateful for the Spirit that can help me recognize when Satan is using a seemingly harmless activity to make me confused and want to run away from what I know is true. I know he does it all of the time. He uses daily things to try to break us down. Do what you can in your life to have the spirit with you at all times. I know that it feels like a lot sometimes--scriptures with family, scriptures alone, family prayer, couple prayer, individual prayer, FHE, temple--and more. It feel like A LOT. But it invites the spirit into our lives. And that's what helps me make it through every day. The Spirit helps me recognize when Satan is attacking. I need the strength of the Spirit to help me survive.

I went to the temple this week. Ahh.... it's the only place I can breathe for two hours without anxiety and outside concerns....

I love the temple.

So like I said, it feels like a lot, but it's worth it. And really, what else are we spending our time doing? Blogging, emails, people.com, facebook, staring at the wall....
I love the way the Spirit feels in our home. I love the genuine happiness it brings to my heart. Keep it with you so you can recognize those promptings too.

Next time I'll post Halloween pictures, I promise. :) Love you!

This is how we do pumpkins.

Okay, so it's not the traditional carve your pumpkin act, but I still thought it was fun. And SO much less messy. When she's older, we'll worry about carving pumpkins like all of the other families. But I thought this was perfect for now.

Is it odd that I'm jealous of my toddler's pumpkin? Her pumpkin turned out way better than mine.

Another one.

I'm sorry, and I'm not sorry, for what this blog has turned into the last couple weeks. But I typically read my scriptures, conference talks, etc. right after the girls go down... and then my mind swirls with thoughts that I have to get out. And typing into a blog is a million times faster than writing it in my journal. And then I can easily print it and paste it in there.

So my thought for today?

I've been thinking a lot about what's going on in the world today and how so many people are making ridiculous decisions. I came across this scripture in Helaman 7:16:

"Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?"

Can you just imagine him saying that? How could you? Especially when you know the results of following Satan. How could you?

At the time, Nephi, son of the Helaman, has just returned from trying to preach the gospel in the super wicked north. The people rejected him, so he came home. But home was just as wicked. In just a few short years from the time Moroni and his righteous armies defended the Nephites, the Gadianton robbers have swooped in and corrupted the whole nation. It was wicked everywhere (except for the Lamanites. Such an interesting twist). So you can imagine Nephi's sorrow when he exclaims these words "in the agony of his soul" atop a tower:

"Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land....
"Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.
"But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren."

There are so many days when I think, I wish that these weren't my days. I'm petrified of the things my girls will face. And then I'm filled with sorrow. Each day it seems that the world is getting more and more wicked. The church members are faced with more decisions. We can no longer be fence-sitters. We need to decide if we're going to join ourselves with Jesus Christ and his gospel, or to unite with the world and Satan, the author of lies. I know it's easier said than done. I know it seems difficult to be the different ones. But then it seems it's always been difficult. The Nephites were slaughtered for their righteousness. The pioneers were "exterminated" and driven west. And, thank goodness for our laws, we only have church buildings in Everett, WA, burned to the ground right now, otherwise who knows what would be happening. But whatever days we're in, we have to be strong. And we have to remember, remember our God who has delivered us time and time again.

I think of the many people I love, who grew up in the church, but have since then left it and are now fighting it. I think of Nephi when he says, "How could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?" When there is a God with all glory and power, who loves us and will do anything to help us, why would someone choose to follow Satan, who has stirred up the hearts of so many to wickedness?

It's so black and white to me. And I guess reading Nephi's words has just made me resolve even more to stand strong and to remember my God, even and especially when it's "unpopular" or "close-minded" or "not with the times."

So that is my thought.

Playgroup beauties

We have playgroup every Tuesday in my ward. We love it! We thrive on it. So here are a few pictures of my girls at the park.


This is one of Abby's favorite friends, Maddie. They were blowing the hoary dandelion together. I had several sequence shots of them blowing, but then I realized snot was running down Abigail's face in most of them. How did I not see that? In the picture above, Abby got the flower too close to her mouth and the seeds stuck to her lips. Mmm, tasty.

And Claire was hard at work eating her toys. She's such a hilarious baby.

Oh my girls. How I love them.
Happy Fall. :)

Too many voices.

I will admit that I have been shocked by several of my friends' responses to the world these days. Many believe that the church is "old-fashioned" or not "open-minded" enough. They are angry with statements made by general authorities or they feel like somehow the church is wrong. There are so many voices telling us what to believe, what to think, what to feel. Some of the hardest trials for me have been understanding my role as a mother. For years I harbored the attitude of the world that women in the church were relatively "oppressed," and we should be able to have careers if we want. Or to not have families if we want. But this was an attitude I learned from the world, not from the gospel. And it was only when I recognized the truth that I felt peace. Now there are other ideals coming out more strongly--you know what I mean--that threaten the church. But I guess they don't really threaten the church. Just the members and their testimonies. The church will always move forward, but some of its members may not.

I've been reading Alma in the Book of Mormon this week. It seems to me that almost every major battle between the Lamanites and the Nephites is started by Nephite dissenters. The dissenters get bitter with the church, for whatever reason, and stir up the Lamanites against the Nephites. Doesn't that seem how it is today? So many people get angry and leave the church. And somehow they believe that they can destroy the church if they get the world involved to beat us down. It's rather comical to me how unoriginal that idea is. Heavens, it was going on years before Christ. Why would it work now?

I found this video on Mormon Messages. I've watched it many times, but today it felt even more pertinent. What voices are we listening to? It's sad how difficult it is to block out the voices of the world. But it's so so important that we understand the truth of the gospel and the voice of the Spirit vs. the ugly lies that Satan has made so popular in the world today.

Today is Friday.

Oh my heavens.

Abby took a nap during Saturday afternoon conference...

And hasn't had one since.

Can I tell you how utterly exhausted I am?

I just didn't have the patience to handle Abby today. I needed her to stop for thirty seconds so I could reboot. I read in an article one time that a woman would lock herself in the bathroom for five minutes to get some "me" time and then she'd feel more ready to conquer the world (or her children). So I tried that today. I came out feeling slightly better... until I realized Abby wasn't eating lunch where she was supposed to be... and it was too quiet. I wish I had pictures. I found her in the living room, behind her easel, "painting her toenails" with a marker. Seriously? In five minutes? She now has wonderfully gross looking toes and toenails. I about lost it again. So I threw the girls in my heaven-sent stroller and went for a walk. Ran into friend. Talked for ten minutes before I realized I had never done my bra up again after nursing Claire... Awkward. How does one not notice that?! But it sure is visible from the front! I think I just never looked at a mirror before we left on the walk. It was a frumpy day. I didn't want to see myself. That was an overshare. Sorry, Sarah and Maryn and the few men who read this blog. But I died of humiliation. I was on the sidewalk. Where am I supposed to stop to fix that?? I dropped behind my stroller. Got home and was in such a funk STILL that we ate mac n' cheese and donuts for dinner. And even after hours of attempted cleaning, my house looks like an F5 tornado went through.

I love being a mom.

To be fair, we have discovered the joys of preschool this week to help. I wasn't planning on preschool until next year, but when an opening came up in this woman's preschool down the street, I plugged Abigail in. So really I get a break Tu and Th from 1-3. I can actually get something done without Abby destroying another room in the house simultaneously. It helps, but holy cannoli this "no nap" phase is going to be a big adjustment. I'm used to a break at least every other day.

And now for pictures. What do you do when your cousin is a wonderful photographer? Abuse her. My sister was in town from Chicago so this was part of our fun!

I love love love these pictures. And I love love love my girls. Even when I feel like my head might explode from chasing Abbs non-stop. Again these are only a fraction of the awesomeness that my cousin produces. And Lisa, I may harass you one more time before we move... if that's okay. Love to all!

She is so not my daughter. ;)

Yes, but a very cute moose

I'm so watching this movie this weekend. A mindless pleasure. :)

This is what's in my head. And it's a lot.

You have been warned.

This post is about what's floating in my head. And there's a lot.

I think I've been super lame to just post pictures and such lately. While pictures are wonderful, sometimes you actually want something to read.... right? So how about an update on our life?

We'll start with Jesse. Can I just tell you I have the best husband in the world? I dropped my favorite earring down the air vent in my bathroom. It was gone, folks. To me, it was gone. I slumped to the floor of the kitchen (it had been a long day) and tried to cry, but I was too exhausted for tears. So after dinner Jesse invaded the basement, worked some handyman magic, and VOILA... he had my earring. My orange flower earring. Props to my awesome husband.
Jesse is a TA in the Animation labs every day for x amount of hours and he only has one class to attend. So we get to spend a lot of mornings with him. He goes running and we go walking. Usually at some point we meet up on the route and he walks the rest of the way with us. And then he helps me get the girls ready for the day while I take my sweet time showering. Ah...

Have I told you how much I LOVE my husband?
I'm sorry, but he's totally better than your husband.

Jesse is also pushing to get the senior film done. To be honest, I have no idea how it's going. He doesn't tell me much. But I DO know that in January, we're moving to Washington for a real grown-up job with Microsoft Games Studio. Did you know that? For reals. Permanent. Settling. Never coming back.

I just might cry.

Abigail is ... so Abigail. Super active, talkative, mischievous, beautiful, hilarious, INDEPENDENT, active, mischievous... oh wait.. I mentioned those already. They deserve a double mention.

Me (singing while driving): "One step at a time... one hope than another.."
Abby: Mom, are you talking to yourself?
Me: .... yes...
Abby (SO sassy-like): Um, why?

At TJMaxx
Abby: Mom! Oh my goodness! Look at these shoes! They're fifty-hundred dollars!
Me: Crazy! We really can't afford those then.
Abby: No we definitely can't.

Today Abby jumped on her bed, fell, and smashed her face on her headboard. Her cheek is currently blue.

Claire is my angel. My sweet creamy-skinned joy. Though she discovered her voice this week and often sounds a bit like a pterodactyl. Or a velociraptor. Take your pick. I can't get enough of this baby though. She is ALWAYS happy and smiling. I can't emphasize the ALWAYS. ...unless there is a camera out. I am so in love with my baby.

And my double jogging stroller.

And that's bring us to

ME.

I went to Washington under the assumption that it was only for Jesse. That I was just there to support him and endure the summer. I learned more about myself in that one summer than in the 24 years I've been myself. I learned about the importance of friends. And how to make friends. How to be more generous. How much I've needed good girlfriends and I've just never known it. How much I LOVE my Washington friends. How much I LOVE my new and old friends in Provo.

Is there a theme here?

How much I truly need to appreciate and live the gospel EVERY DAY. I am truly sorry that it took my daughter falling out of window for me to truly, truly understand this. After that experience, I can never, NEVER deny that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are ALWAYS with us. They are ALWAYS aware of us: our actions, thoughts, words, tempers, laughter, etc.
They were with me at the accident. They were with me in the hospital. They helped me walk back in my apartment when I thought I never could step foot in there again.
They were with me today as I cleaned my house to general conference talks.

Can I emphasize to you how important it is that we are righteous in this life? So that we can have happiness in the next life? So that we are not bound to misery after this life?

Jesus Christ lives. He's not an imaginary being. He is real. And He's coming again.

I only pray that I can get myself in line so that when He comes I will be ready. At the moment, we have a LONG way to go... but I'm trying.

I love my girls. I love my husband. I love that I've been richly blessed in this life. I love that the gospel gives me the power to endure trials and fight them with hope. If you ever have a moment when you begin to doubt the power of the gospel, the power of Jesus Christ, the power of the priesthood---then call me. And I'll help you remember.

And that's about it as far as the thoughts go in my head. How about some pictures, YES?

Claire in the London dress from Sarah. Yes, from London.

Abby in the Chicago tutu from Sarah. And with raspberry on her face.

Luke and Abigail at Zac Freeman's wedding. The bow dress is from my mom (I can't give Sarah clothing credit and not my mom. It wouldn't be fair.)

Our first family picture since Claire was born. What took us so long? But aren't we HOT?! I thought so. ;) Love you!

Abigail and Claire

I had my cousin take some pictures of my girls a week ago. These don't even begin to scrape the surface of the amazing cute pictures she took. But I had to share some of them. They are Abby and Claire as I see them everyday. Love love love these pictures.

And yes, Sarah, more will be emailed to you later.

This just makes me want to have more kids... so I can have super cute pictures taken of them.

Gracious, I need help.

Oh my lands.

How are you, blogger friends?

It's definitely been a while.

Let me update you on Larsen activity since our last post.

We moved home from Washington on August 14th. Or 15th. Take your pick. We left at 11 p.m. and drove through the night. It was a LONG night.... And I SUPER miss Washington. I miss the green, the overcast skies, the hilarious friends... ahh.. We made it to my parent's home in Bountiful and stayed there for a couple days to recover. Thank you mom, dad, and quack-quack for helping me remain sane after those 17 hours in car.

On August 17, Abby turned THREE. Can you believe it? She definitely sasses like she's three.

Birthday three rocked with a minor setback.

The story goes like this. Abby and Maryn (quack-quack) were out in the backyard playing. They were looking for ladybugs, patient the snail, butterflies, etc. My mom and I were in the kitchen getting hamburgers, salads, desserts, etc. ready for Abby's b-day party. Just then I heard a piercing scream from Abby... and somehow I knew what had happened. She had been stung. Oh, but not by ONE yellow jacket. Abby sat on yellow jacket nest and was stung FIVE times. One on each thigh, the back of one leg, her left arm, and the back of her head. She was screaming in pain for what seemed liked forever. And later we found the stinger in the back-of-her-head one. Maryn was stung once on the back of her ankle in attempt to rescue Abby. Jesse was stung once on the ear, inside the house, by a yellow jacket that was still on Abby when he picked her up inside.

Enough stinging, right?

Maryn's sting actually developed cellulitis--a staph infection. She was on a major meds and it's still red almost 12 days later. Holy cow.

After applying ice packs to the stings, taking a bath, and downing tylenol and benadryl, we attempted to have a birthday party.

Impressive that she's smiling. She was a benadryl-zombie most of the night.

Jesse was also a benadryl-zombie. He tried to stay awake after taking it, but I think he crashed at nine that night. That NEVER happens in the history of Jesse. He was hilarious to try to keep awake. He was falling asleep during dinner, present opening, everything.
Benadryl may be my new weapon against him. Hahaha...

Oh my chubby, lovely Claire. She's always in such good spirits. :)

On August 22, Claire was finally blessed by her papa bear! We partied at my mom's after.

This is my older sister.

PSYCH.

It's my mom. But would you guess? She's so beautiful and young-looking! When I grow up, I want to look just like her.

No, this is not her blessing dress. It was her after party dress.

Since then we've just tried to get settled in. Life is crazy. School starts tomorrow for Jesse.

One more semester.

Then Microsoft, here we come.