My Little Monkey Turns 2

 Hey Little Monkey,

Today you turn 2 and I am having a hard time believing it.  You are such a good little boy. You take naps and go to sleep at night like a champ.  You give hugs and kisses and wave night-night.  You now like to be rocked a byed and I just wish I could record the way you say it.  I think I am the only one that knows what you are saying.  You have to be sitting in a certain position and your blanket has to be just right.  I only get to rock you for about 3.3 seconds before you want down or before one of your siblings needs me but I cherish everyone of those 3.3 seconds.  Some times though when Kynlee and Krayden are both at school you will let me rock you for as long as I want.  I like to think you know it's our time and no one can interrupt.  You still have a sippy of milk (warmed) before you go to bed and you call it "bone".  We have no idea where this came from but you now have the whole family calling milk bone.

You are learning how to tease and to tease in style.  I guess I should say you know how to tease.  You can tease with the best of them.  In fact you and Krayden tease each other all day.  You love to tease and play with your dad.  I think you ask me every 20 minutes where dad is.  I say work and you say "oh" then you ask where Kynlee is and I say school and you say "oh"  This conversation goes on all day.  You have no fear, when you play with dad you will dive off couches and beds.  I am the one that is afraid for you.

Trevin you are one cool dude! Some times when dad is home we put the other two to bed and you get to stay up.  You love this time (dad and I love this time too) we get to see you be you.  We love it!!  You are so fun.  We just play with you and you laugh and run and laugh some more.

I love you so much!!! I am so proud that I get to say that I am your mom.  I am truly blessed to have you as my son.  Have a happy happy birthday!!

Love,

Mom

bottom pictures by Sara Coral Photography



"Krayden Are You Cute?"

"NO I'm SMOKIN' HOT!!!"

This is what he says when asked if he's cute.

I agree 100%

"Holy Smokes...It's HOT!!!"

What happens when you pull out the slip in slide with three babies under the age of two?  A whole lot of this....

We have been having a BLAST with Chad and Katie this summer.  From dinner and water baloons to the splash park and more dinner to the slip and slide to more dinner. 

Our Family's Favorite Sunday Activity

Summer days filled with playing in the water, jumping on the trampoline, staying up late and CHERRIES.

It wouldn't be a complete Sunday afternoon if the Larsen household didn't venture out to the back porch and down a container full of cherries.  We each pick out a chair and line it up along the side of the porch and dig in.  It's a good thing that church is early and we don't have anywhere to be with faces like this...

or hands like these

Jon trying to see how far he can spit the seed

Trevin spitting out the seed or trying to...he mainly spits out the whole thing.

"It's My Birthday, and I AM in Charge"

Kynlee Babe,

It is YOUR birthday, and so far YOU have been in charge.  You went to bed five and you woke up SIX.  How in the heck did that happen? 

You have blessed my life everyday for six years and I am so glad that I get to be your mom.  You make me laugh everyday, you are so smart and the things you say I have no idea where you come up with your ideas. 

So far for your birthday we have gone to the "steak/fire place", gone to get shaved ice and then to Chili's for your favorite cake ever...yes it's the molten lava cake, and it was super good.  Oh and I almost forgot your request for dinner on your actual birthday was purple pancakes and red eggs. You are having a friend birthday party this year and I think it might be the death of me.  You keep tellilng me differnt things you want to do for your party and who you want to invite.  You have been waiting for this party for two whole years and have been counting down the days since there were 16 left.  You have so many friends I don't know how you keep them all straight!!  It was fun to make the list of who you were going to invite, you chose all your friends from the neighborhood, 12 in all.  Some couldn't come and you wanted to know if you could hold off the party so they all could be there so their feelings wouldn't be hurt.  You are always thinking of others.  You know when I am sad or frustrated and you have just the right way to make it better. 

I am so proud of you.  You are always the first one to remind us to pray at meal times, you remind us to pray at bed time, you bring me the Book of Mormon for family scripture study after you get your pjs on (without me asking), and saving the best for last you are the BEST BIG SISTER EVER!!!  When Krayden gets in trouble you offer to go and talk to him, you play with him just like he is your best friend, you still let him tag along with you where ever you go, and you two laugh a ton together.  With Trevin you make sure he is having fun too, you can get him out of bed for me and you never complain when I ask you to get me a diaper, and my favorite thing is you still treat him like a new born.  You get supper excited when you see him when he wakes up, when you get home from school and when you get done playing with friends.

I still sing songs to you every night before you can go to bed.  Your favorite ones now are Army of Heleman and I am a Child of God (still) and You Are My Sunshine.  You are so funny at bed time.  If we stray from the routine it causes a little bit of a fuss but soon you set us back straight.  I have to at least sing 5 songs ending with I Am A Child Of God then I hug and kiss you good night, then you tell me to remind Dad that you love him and to brush his teeth and to come and check on you in 5 minutes.  Then as I am leaving you tell me like 10 times good night and that you love me.  I am half way down the stairs and we are still doing the loud whisper of I love you's.

Kynlee Babe YOU are my sunshine.  I love you so, so, so, so much. 

Love,
Mom

Went to bed 5 and woke up 6

Sport'n the Birthday Girl crown

Her birthday present from Mom and Dad

Well I guess mainly Dad

(Had to follow tradition)

The CAKE, "I've been planning that for years"

(name that movie)

Emma getting in on the painting.  We did freezer paper shirts and decorated purses for the take home bag.

The gang

Kynlee I love you to infinity and beyond!!!

Mid Life Crisis

What happened when Jon hit 30?

Hint #1

Hint #2

Hint #3

Hint #4

He went SKYDIVING

and LOVED every minute.

I gave Jon a gift card for sky diving two years ago and he finally cashed it in.  I guess he had to hit his mid life crisis before he could finally do it.  We drove up to Boise on Friday night and spent the night in a hotel.  On the way there the kids asked a lot of questions...

Krayden:  "Dad, are you going to turn into a rocket?"

"Dad can I jump out of an air plane too?"

"Oh, when I'm big like you I can jump out of the air plane too, huh Dad?"

"Why are you going to jump out of an air plane?"

Kynlee: "Mom are you going to jump out of an air plane too?" (No I'm not Crazy)

"Dad are you going to die? It's really far down?"

"When I'm eighteen can you take me to jump out of an air plane too Dad?"

Needless to say the whole experience led us to some interesting conversation.

Here he is after watching a video stating that he could die or be seriously injured and signing the form stating that if he did die or get hurt that he or his heirs could not sue the company.  And then he got five minutes of instruction on what he was about to do.  They took him up to 10,000 feet in an cessna 182.  (At this point I really couldn't believe that he was really going to do it. I mean his dad owns that same kind of plane and to think of jumping out of it is a little scary.)

Once the plane took off the manager guy said lets go we have about five minutes to get to the landing sight if you want to see him jump.  So off we went.

Just aim for the flag

And here we all are after he safely returned to the ground. 

I wonder what will happen when he turns 40?

Building huts...DAD STYLE

This is the mess of all messes the hut of all huts.  Let me just tell what this hut consists of.  11 blankets, all the kitchen table chairs but one, one couch, and 5 heavy duty clamps.  Forget the the clothes pins folks we need wood working clamps.  And the final thing used is

FUN!!!  The kids had a blast and mom even got to play a role.  I allowed the kids to sleep in this "hotel" on a SCHOOL night times 2.  And I allowed it to stay in my front room for two nights and three days.  Remember how this thing was constructed?  I needed my kitchen table chairs back.  

Give me a kiss

Oh my word, I am 100% smitten.  With those blue eyes and that pucker he gets me everytime.  Every night the whole family gets one of these.  He won't leave anyone out and he won't break the pucker until everyone has had the "kiss."

Keep those kisses coming baby boy!!!

" I Can Do That When I'm FOUR"

Photos by Jen Herem

Dear Kray Boy,

Today is your birthday (finally), you have been counting down forever.  I wonder if now you can touch the ceiling?  I have to admit I will miss you telling people you are three and a HALF everytime they ask you how old you are.  Most will ask then before you can answer they will guess three and then you have to correct them and tell them how old you really are. 

You are such a sweet boy, but you are a boy and you love to tease your sister and your brother to no end.  The bigger the reaction you get from them the more fun you have and the more you keep at it.  Once you make them cry you hurry and say sorry thinking that will get you out of trouble.  Most of the time you're right.  I try to put you in time out just for alittle bit but you keep reminding me that you said sorry.  You know the rules really well and are using them against me (the rule being you have to say sorry to get out of time out).  Dad has found a new place for your timeout since the stairs really don't work for you anymore.  It's above the fireplace where the TV is supposed to go.  We don't have a TV there anymore just some decorations and you can't get out.  You aren't very fond of it up there but it gets the job done.  You are spending less and less time there but as we speak you are fake punching your brother and he is running to me for help.  You get close enough and he hits you then you kindly remind him that we don't hit and I kindly remind you that we don't tease.  You just gave me the biggest smile (the one I love and melts my heart every time.  Your eyes, oh Krayden your eyes.  Then you run away)

You make my day everyday.  You still like me to hold and cuddle you.  Whenever you get really tired, fustrated, or just need a moment you say "I want you, I want you, I want you to hold me" then you curl up into my lap so tight and just sit.  Some times it can be for one minute and others it's more like twenty.  I love that you still like to sit on my lap, but you hate it when I tickle your back while you are "resting".  You tell me it feels like I am scratching you.  But you do like if I just rub your back, and you tell me to often. 

Krayden I am so proud of you.  You try so hard everyday to be a big boy.  You wish you were as old as Kynlee, and I wish you would stop growing.  Your favorite thing to tell me is "I'm trying" I tell you to put on your shoes and you tell me "I'm trying" I tell you to brush your teeth and you tell me "I'm trying" I tell you to put on your jammies and you tell me "I'm trying" all while just standing there.  I think it is so funny.  Then I start to help you and you tell me no, that you can do it.  It takes us FOREVER to get ready in the mornings.  I mean everything I tell you to do you tell me you are trying.  

You have taught Trevin how to "fly".  You still flap your arms when you get exited and now so does Trevin.  Krayden I want you to know how much Trevin looks up to you.  He tries to copy your every move.  You are very protective of him and you let EVERYONE know that he is YOUR brother.  Please remember that you are an older brother and be an example.  So far you are teaching him great things, you are teaching him to share (even though sometimes you HATE it), you are teaching him that you are his friend, you are teaching him how to play, and you are teaching him what big brothers are all about they can tease you and beat up on you but in the end they will always have your back.

Krayden you LOVE to play computer games.  If I would let you I bet you would spend ALL day on the computer.  You are good at them too, you amaze me how you can turn on, load a game and then figure out what you are supposed to do.  Right now your favorite games is the pirates.  You can get bigger weapons and a bigger boat with how many points you have and you love it.  Your favorite part is when you shoot a missle and it knocks one of the "bad" pirates off is boat. You also love BOXING.  I have no idea where this came from but you love to PUNCH.  Your favorite punching bag is your dad's tummy.  I tried it once and you can really throw a good one.  I don't volunteer any more. 

You would rather eat anything but cereal for breakfast.  You like mac and cheese and long noodles (ramen).  When I don't make something you like you threaten me with the words of El Bandito "do you want me cut you like a stinky burrito?" And you can drink a gallon of juice a day.  I swear you are constantly thirsty.

Kray Boy, I love you so much.  I am so glad that you are in our family.  I am blessed everyday because I get to be your mom.  Today you chose to eat at "the music kids meal" aka McDonalds.  So that is where we are off too.  I love to see you run and play and have fun.  You make my heart swell.  Happy Birthday big boy, and just so you know I'm happy you can't touch the ceiling quite yet. 

Love,

Mom

Trevin Got Tubes...

and HATED every minute of it!!

Seriously, every minute.  I would get him distracted with a toy and a new person in scrubs would walk by and he would scream and run to me.  I guess with all the doctor appointment recently he has figured out that those who wear scrubs often inflict pain.  We got to the point with medicine that we had to start giving shots.  That was a pain, we had to go once a day for three days to get the shot at the doctor's office and it was pure awfulness. 

The procedure took about ten minutes but the recovery was long and painful, long for him and painful more me.  The surgery actually left his ears feeling better with  having to go under and then coming around again was not so fun.  We couldn't leave until he had some juice or slush and he was super stubborn on both.  Just f.y.i primary childrens has the best slushies ever, I ended up eating it and enjoyed every bite.  So anyways about 45 minutes later he finally drank his juice and we were able to go home.  He cried the whole way out in the wagon.  He was a trooper though and now we very happy to be hopefully done with ear infections!! 

All for the LOVE

of CHURCH basketball

This was pretty much right after it happened.  It got bigger and then turned some different shades of purple but don't worry a week and a half later it's now just some lovely shades of green and yellow and just a medium size growth on my leg.

I admit I might take church basketball a little too SERIOUSLY.  I DON'T want to lose, I don't LIKE to lose but who does? We were down by 5 with a little over 4 minutes to play (we had just been tied like three minutes before).  Our stake does stop the clock for ANYTHING (this really bugs me) I mean anything, not timeouts, not free throws, who name it the clock runs.  Half the time the clock starts before we even jump.  So any way I knew that time was RUNNING out.  I had already spent half the game on the floor, I was either fouled really hard or I was going for loose balls.  For some reason I can't just let a ball go out of bounds if I am near by.  My head just doesn't work that way.  Some times I wish it did it would save  me a lot of pain.  I think about it after the fact, like after I have a floor burn the size of Texas, or a jammed finger because I slipped on someone's jacket and slid into a chair (don't worry the wall stopped any further progress), or finger nail claw marks running from my elbow to my wrist (why for all that is holy do they not clip their nails before playing.  I'm just sayin') or bruises from trying to defend someone three times my size, (the tallest member of my team might be 5'7) I come in at 5'5.  Anyways the ball was about to go out of bounds and I couldn't have that so I started running I could see that I was going to be the first one to make it to the ball then time slowed down...I started falling and my hands flew to my ankle.  Pain shot up my leg and water came eyes fast.  I couldn't cry, I was laying on the floor and nine other women and two men refs were all staring at me.  Jon came to my rescue for the second time that night.  The first was when he got there to watch the kids.  Since he has school every night I take the kids and hope that he gets out a little early.  Any way he scoops me up and carries me off the floor.  (Yep he is super buff and didn't even mind that I was super dooper sweaty).  After that I kept saying to myself and Jon why was I so dumb?  Why can't I just let a ball go?  Why do I have to chase every loose ball?  Why? Why? Why?

The answer(s)...I LOVE the sport and I am VERY competitive.  It makes me HAPPY.  I have realized once I stop playing the way I do I need to stop playing the game.  I don't think I would enjoy playing any other way.  As with anything I do in life I don't want to give it anything else but all I have.

i HEART this kid

The bottom picture on the right is my all time favorite.  He wants to give me a kiss and how could I say no?  You know what it's like when you have your first baby, and then every baby after that, and all you do everyday, all day is look at them?  You just can't help yourself.  You wonder why this little baby is so interesting and all they do is sleep?  They don't really make eye contact they don't smile back but still you just sit and your eyes never leave that little bundle? For some reason I still can't keep my eyes off Trevin.  I could watch him all day, he hasn't lost that newborn wonder yet.  Jon probably gets sick of me saying "don't you think he's so cute?" I say it on average about 11 times a day.  He has the best personality, he could and does play all day long his favorite playmate is his daddy and again I could watch them play all day. Today we were at the office and Trevin fell asleep on Jon's lap and again I just sat and watched.  He was so cute and peacefull nestled into the crook of Jon's arm and I thought how blessed we are that we are able to see Jon while at work.  While he slept I kept billing but progress was slow since I had to keep stealing glances.  Trevin I LOVE you!!!

Happy Birthday Jo

We had a little birthday party for Jolene at our house this year. It's a blessing that we get to live by Jer and Hill and the friendships that we have. We filled our balloons and wrote our notes then we sent them off to heaven. Kynlee wanted to say the blessing on the food and her prayer included "please help that our balloons and ours notes will make it to Jo Jo" the simple faith of a five year old renews the faith of a 29 year old. It amazes me how strong their testimonies are. Kynlee KNOWS that we will be together again. I am so thankful for all she teaches me and helps me be a stronger.

Hey Dad You in There?

I finally grabbed my camera for this.  Everytime someone goes into the bathroom Trevin will assume this position and hold it until he hears the toliet flush.  Most of the time talking to you the whole time.

We LOVE St. George