Larsen's Loop

Slow down and Enjoy your Kids

2011-11-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Source: carianthony.blogspot.com via Tracy on Pinterest

Presenting Oak Hollow's Star Student of the Week

2011-10-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Miss Mimi was presented with this fabulous award along with 2 other kids in her class. They even had an assembly in honor of her!!! Her award states. This award is presented to Mikayla Larsen because she is a sweet girl with a quiet disposition. She always raises her hand and lets others share their thoughts and ideas. CONGRATULATIONS! We are so proud of our girl. Great Job!

Tayler's Official Engagement Story

2011-10-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't normally steal Tayler's thunder, but since she may never get around to recording her sweet proposal story, she gave me permission to do so along with some great pictures and a real live video (if I can ever get it downloaded to my blog).

Let me begin by saying Tayler and Jared have known each other for over 2 and 1/2 years and their relationship took a serious turn in August when they began talking about marriage. We knew this was going to happen. Jared had even came to our house the night before this took place to ask for our blessing, which is a very classy thing for him to have done (scored big brownie points with the parents)!!!

Anyway he had dreamed up a great way to propose that was very personal and romantically sweet for Tayler. Better yet he kept it so secret that no one but his sister in Dallas knew for sure where or when this was all going to happen. Tayler and her friends Kajsia and Ashley had all left for a 5 day trip to Disneyland. (Let me pause here and say that I have never met a person who loves Disney more than our Tay. From the time she was a little girl we would visit the Disney Store each year before Halloween because that is what she always wanted to be ...a Disney Princess. Belle, Cinderella etc.) So she and her friends had been planning a Disney trip all summer long and happened to be on their last day at the park. All of a sudden that morning she gets a picture text and it's from Jared. It was simply a picture of Disneylands Main Street. She looks at it and thinks, "I wonder where Jared found that?" Then a few minutes later another picture text arrives this time of "The Tiki Room". By this time she and her friends start putting it together, so Tayler texts back and says, "Jared are you here?" He responds back, "If you think I am come find me."

She and her friends were stuck on the Alice in Wonderland ride at this point and it had broken down momentarily. So they all began screaming with excitement because they needed to go and find Jared. The last picture Jared sent was of the Disney Land Castle. On their way to find him they thought quick to snag a Disney Land photograher while Tay's friend Kajsia took video on her camera. As Tayler is walking up Jared is standing in the archway of the castle. He takes Tayler by the hands and tells her some sweet things, then he got down on one knee and asks if she'll marry him. She immediatley says yes as everyone claps and cheers around them. An engagement fitting for a princess and her prince charming indeed!!! So This is Love!

Garage Sale Anyone?

2011-10-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

My friends have truly addicted me to the new hobby of yard saleing. At first I couldn't imagine myself rummaging through someone elses junk. But as my friends have proven time and again. If you know where to shop most peoples junk can still be like just like new and for a steal of a deal. I being a true frugal shopper have a couple of self imposed rule I like to follow. First I usually go out with no more than a $20 bill in my pocket, this way I'm not tempted to spend anymore. And it allows me to decide if I really want something bad enough and if so to talk myself a deal with the seller. I try always to come home with a dollar or two left in my pocket. I also generally don't go more than once a month, unless I'm really searching for something...like my cherrywood night stand I snagged this summer for $12. Here's an example of what I found last week:

Hi-Ho Cherry-O game
5 like new books for my day care
Toss Across Game
Indoor Golf Game
Brain Quest
2 stuffed animals
Bird Puppet that sings
2 Healthy Cookbooks
Heelies
Comfy Clogs

All of these items were in like new condition. Shoes had never even been worn for $1 a pair. My total for the day $17. What a Steal!!!

Tayler and Jared's Engagement Party

2011-08-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

So the really great news is . . . our Tayler is engaged! Here's the cute couple above and below.... Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Jared and Tayler Palfreyman. WOW! Their engagement story is very romantic. I will post it here soon. We can't believe by Spring time next year our Tayler will be married. We are very happy for them both they make a truly adorable and very much in love couple. To celebrate we had an engagemetn party and invited the whole extended family over. Congratulations to you both.

Tayler and Jared

Amber, Mackenzie, Suzy, Grandma Davis, Heather, Me and Tayler.

Engagement Party continued

2011-08-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Nan and Pop came to celebrate the happy news along with many others. . .

Brad

Brent, Brian and Grandpa Davis

Matt, me and Colton. We are all so happy for Tayler and wish them the very best!!!

Shakespeare Anyone?

2011-08-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

Each year the season always passes and I once again have missed my chance to go to the Shakepeare Festival in Cedar City. But this year my sweet hubby surprised me for my birthday with two tickets to go and see a play there. He chose "A Midsummer Nights Dream". Which was very fun and light hearted. We were able to watch it in the Adams outdoor theater which was a great setting for this particular play. I loved being in the theater and also the green show just before where we bought tarts and sat on the lawn enjoying some great performers. It was a wonderful retreat for me. We went for three days to St. George and spent our last night in Cedar City. I'm now rejuvinated and ready to take on the world or at least my kids and household.

Our Missionary

2011-08-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

We are really missing our Caleb. But are all so proud of his successes as a missionary. This is one of his first baptisms. He is now serving in his second area up in Rome. We pray for his success there as well! We really do love him and are proud of the work he is involved in.

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Miguel and Mikayla were ready to start out the new school year. They both couldn't wait to meet their teachers and I was ready for us all to be back in the routine of school! They really had a great week and are both enjoying their new teachers too.

Night at the Park with Friends

2011-06-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last night some of my dearest friends met up at the Park. We started our lives out in the same neighborhood in Draper together and now after some 14 years or more many have moved to different places. It is so fun to get together and catch up on each others lives and share a few laughs. A funny thing happened, while we were still visiting someone noticed Elder Christofferson sitting at the picnic table next to us with some of his family. He was gracious enough to come over and shake hands with each of us and visit a bit. He was very nice and personable. I think meeting an apostle as a Mormon is a little like meeting a celebrity in our little world! ha ha. We had such a great time, everyone's families have grown up so much now. Three of us now have sons on missions (soon to be four when Michelles son Dallin leaves in November ) and Our friend Marilyn brought her daughter Ashley along with her beautiful new grandaughter! So Cute! Time marches on but I'm glad that our good friendships still remain in tact!

My First Blog Book

2011-05-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Yes-It's finally complete! After editing and arranging my pictures just like I wanted them, I had the first two years of my blog turned into a book and it turned out beautifully. I published it through Blurb. Their software was so easy to use. I just pushed a button and it did most of the work for me. Downloading each Post from my blog into pages of a book. I just set up the fonts that I wanted and chose how I liked the pictures to be displayed on each page. This part probably took the longest, but it's so worth getting it exactly like you want it before ordering. Luckily because the software was downloaded right to my desktop, I could work on a few pages at a time. I used to scrapbook but never again. I can order as many of these books as I would like and for a fraction of the cost it takes to put together a scrapbook the old fashioned way. I think with shipping and a coupon it cost around $54.00 for a book that was 133 pages. Plus it takes up so much less space on my bookshelves than a big bulky scrapbook and looks a lot more professional. LOVE IT!!!!!

A Night at the Louvre

2011-05-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our elementary school hosted an art show called "A Night at the Louvre". They featured all of the children's art work and had different displays featuring three international artists. One from France another from Mexico and one from China. It was a really fun night and as you can see the kids really liked showing off their creations! Above and below Miguel points out is works of art. Both were very impressive!

Mikayla is a real natural at art and is becoming quite good at it. Here is the works that she displayed, (her picture below is the bird painted on blue paper- sorry it was hanging high on the wall and a tough angle to shoot from).

Just Dance

2011-05-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

So Tayler came home the other night with Wii's Just Dance 2. And we all had a riot trying to keep up with the moves. It's a fun interactive game that our whole family really likes. And even the people watching can sing along because the words to the songs are on the screen. So it can be a mixture of dancing and karaoke! We had a lot of good laughs with this one. Especially when Miguel performed "It's raining Men" with Tayler.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt 2011

2011-05-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

It's Easter again.... which means it's time for our Easter Egg Hunt. The weather held out for us and we all went to Grandpas property to look for the treasured grand prize eggs.

Everyone young and old alike seek the coveted eggs. The other great incentive is that everyone comes home with a prize. The rules go like this: everyone who participates brings a prize and we number the eggs 1-however many prizes and people we have. If you find the 1 you are lucky because you get to pick first out of all of the prize loot. then the numbers to select proceed from there on up. My Dad and his brother both furnish the Adult cash prize of $50 and this year 2 kids cash eggs, both worth $25 a piece.

Matt after much seeking near the wood pile found the adult grand prize, and Miguel won one of the kid prizes! Happy Easter!!!

Anyone Know What Time it is in Rome?

2011-05-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Okay the strangest thing just happened yesterday. Something you had to see to believe. I'm sitting in my office working on cub scout things and writing a letter on "Dear Elder" to my son Caleb, who is in the MTC waiting to go to Italy in about 2 weeks. All of a sudden my atomic clock starts to sync itself, moving ahead several hours. I look up and think daylight savings time is passed. . . .hmm, maybe we're just low on batteries. So this morning I get looking at it and wondering what time it had reset itself to. I pull up Caleb's blog just to see what time it happens to be in Rome (I put a little widget with Rome Time on his blog). Sure enough my clock had automatically reset itself to Rome time. Strange I know but I took a picture to send Dub at the MTC. just so he doesn't think I'm pulling his leg. Above are our clocks in the family room showing Utah time. And below is our Atomic clock from the office and the world time clock from Caleb's mission blog. UNBELIEVABLE! Matt said maybe we should leave it and see if it resets itself back to Utah time again in two years when Caleb gets home. This is to funny!

Wrestling Mania

2011-04-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Colton's wrestling banquet was held in March. It was great getting to see him wrestle this year and be a part of a team that has worked so hard together.

It's Colton's second year wrestling. He weighed in at 130 or 132 lbs. but decided to wrestle in the 140 lb. category so it would help him get stronger for his Varsity year. Wrestling is an intensely disciplined sport. This year Colton placed 4th in regions. We are very proud of all of his hard work this year. Great job Colt!

Missionary Training Center

2011-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today was the big day. Caleb has been getting ready for the past three months and now it has finally arrived. He entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo today and will be there for 8 weeks and then fly to Rome, Italy where he will serve his mission for the next 2 years. He was very composed and excited about this new part of his life. We gave Caleb the choice of where he wanted his last meal to be before heading out. He chose J. Dawgs on BYU campus. Definitley not fancy but Caleb loves them and I must admit they were really very good hot dogs. I will miss hugging Caleb everyday and having him tell us he loves us. I'll miss his helpful attitude and the way he is a good big brother and example to us all. But I must say although we all shed a few tears, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. We wish Caleb the very best and our prayers will be with him everyday!

Just a side note: anyone wishing to keep up on Calebs mission or contact him may follow the blog I have set up for him at eldercaleblarsen.blogspot.com I will post parts from his letters, pictures and how you can contact him.

More MTC photos

2011-03-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Tayler, Caleb and Colton

Caleb with his buddy Miguel

Caleb is an Official Missionary

2011-03-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Caleb was set apart as a missionary for our church. He will leave for the MTC tomorrow where he will begin his journey. Colton his brother will leave in about 18 months, which means they will not see each other for almost 4 years. Colton is sad about that but says that watching Caleb prepare for his mission has just made it that much more of a commitment for him to serve also. They are close and will miss sharing so many times together. They are both great boys that we can be proud of.

Our Stake President gave Caleb a very special blessing when he set him apart. The spirit was very strong and we all felt at peace.

Tayler and Caleb are close too. They will miss going places together and all the things they love to talk about.

We all ate at Caleb's favorite restaraunt for wings, Wing Coop. We were joined by some of our aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.

Caleb's Mission Photos

2011-03-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Our sweet son Caleb is about to leave on a two year mission for our church. We are all so proud of his decision to go, which has totally been his. He will be a great servant of the Lord because he loves others so much and has strong convictions about his beliefs in the gospel. We love him very much, he will be missed!

more mission pics

2011-03-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Temple Day

2011-03-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day we had going through the temple with our son Caleb. It was a very special moment to walk through the temple doors with our child and know that he is where he should be. The spirit was felt by us and all of our family members who came to show their support of Caleb. We are so happy he has made the decision to serve a mission for the Lord.

Matt, Caleb and me

Brian, Caleb and Heather

Family Pics 2011

2011-03-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

It has been a really long time since we've had our family pictures taken (7 years to be exact). So with Caleb about to leave for the mission field we decided these pictures were a must. We had them taken at a local photo shop and I must say I really love how they turned out. Here are a few of our favorites! Above are Caleb, Me, Matt, Tayler, Colton, Miguel and Mikayla are below.

More pics

2011-03-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Tayler Graduates from Paul Mitchell

2011-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Oh happy day. In January Tayler graduated from hair school. So I officially have a hair dresser in the family! We are so proud of her and all the hard work she's put into achieving this great goal of hers. Great joy Tayler!

Hugs for Nan

2010-12-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

This year on Christmas Eve before anyone could open their gifts, we each had to share what our favorite Christmas gift we ever received was. Some had memories of a favorite toy or high tech gadget they had received. Some were sentimental about being together with family each Christmas. Nan's favorite gift to get are the hugs her grandchildren always give to her. So immediatley without prompting they all lined up to give big hugs to Nan. She is definitely amongst one of our favorite people to hug. We love Nan and Pop and the wonderful love that they always have for each of us!!!!!

2010-12-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

Cute cousins celebrated Christmas Eve at Nan and Pop's like we always do. We had soup this year then all opened gifts from each other. The kids always love getting matching "Jamms" from Nan.

Melinda, Lana and Tayler.

The whole Larsen crew!

Christmas Day Breakfast

2010-12-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

One of Matt's favorite traditions is to cook his family Christmas morning Breakfast. Here are a few fun clips of some of our family this year. Always adorable and oh-so photogenic, Lindsay and Travis above.

Colton and his friend Audrey.

Sammy, Copeland and Zach (the cousins).

Photo op for Caleb's last Christmas with us all for a couple of years- Travis, Lindsay, Caleb and Brad.

Rome Italy Mission

2010-12-29T20:43:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all who participated in helping guess where Caleb might get called on his mission a couple of weeks ago. We had about 20-25 people guessing. Each chose a location in the United States and also made one foreign guess. The winners were my daughter Tayler and Matt's sis Lindsay- Both chose Italy which was the correct guess. Still so excited for him....I keep having all these Mom's tell me how sad it is to send your kids out on a mission. Maybe it's the adrenalin kicking in or maybe there is something not quite right with me (most likely the later). But I can feel nothing right now but pure joy and excitement for this new chapter in Caleb's life. What a wonderful thing to experience for 2 years of your life!!!!! Best of luck my boy!

Caleb's Mission Call

2010-12-10T23:12:00.000-08:00

One Last Star Boost

2010-12-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

So the other night as we were decorating the tree and it looked complete, we began to think about what next Christmas might feel like without our Caleb. It will be really different not having him here with us while he serves a mission for two consecutive years. Mimi our youngest started to get really sentimental and sad and when Matt went to pick up Caleb late from work she said, "Mom could we take the star off so Caleb can lift me up one last time?" I thought this was a sweet request and so we did it. Caleb gave Mikayla that last boost to the top of the tree for awhile. He hugged her when it was done and she proceeded to sob into his shoulder for the next 5 minutes or so. What a cute big brother he has been to her....we'll all truly miss him while he's away!

Stair Case Update

2010-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Okay after our wood floor makeover project, I decided our oak railings could also use an update. Let's face it after being in a house for over 13 years, you need some kind of a face lift.

I used a hand sander and a product called TSP to take off the shiny finish ... this took the most time. I had to do a little at a time so I didn't get to overwhelmed. The white spindles didn't need a complete strip. I just lightly sanded where I could and then wiped it down good again with the TSP.

I love the end results. We used the same Ebony colored stain we used on our floors for the newell posts and hand rail (it's made by a company called Bona) and 2-3 coats of high gloss white paint for the spindles. I am so happy with our new look, it paid to do it myself, it just took sticking with it.

Birthday Fun

2010-11-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

This year Mimi invited 12 friends over for a party. We had pizza and went swimming at a great indoor pool.

Miguel had a great idea for decorating with balloons. When we yelled "Happy Birthday" he had a string he pulled and all the balloons came tumbling down. (Miguel is quite ingenius!)

Here our birthday girl begins to open her pile of presents. It was a fun night.

Baptism Day

2010-11-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

Our little Mikayla got baptized last week on her birthday. This made it an extra special day for her. We are proud of her decisoun to get baptized. She loves reading her new scriptures and has a beautiful voice when singing all the primary songs for us. Love you Mimi!

Our families all came to show their support of her. We love you all!

A Great Week

2010-11-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

Matt came home last week carrying an armful of roses and declaring his love for me (love letter and all)! I am a very blessed girl. Married happily to my Matt for 22 years! What could be better?

Also my sister Dede was in town for a visit. I felt lucky to get to spend some time with her while she was out. She is a great sister and we all love to see her as much as we can!

Miguel's Night

2010-11-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

For Miguel's 9th birthday he decided to go to FAT CATS with our family. We bowled and had yummy pizza. It was a very fun night celebrating a wonderful boy in our lives. WE LOVE YOU MIGUEL!

A Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last night we celebrated Halloween at our ward trunk or treat. The kids had a blast and Matt and I got to sneak our favorite treats from their treat sacks!

Fall Girls Trip

2010-10-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

A few friends and I planned a trip to St. George. It is a rare occasion when we all can arrange for sitters and time off from our busy schedules but somehow we pulled it off. The weather did not disappoint. It was absolutely beautiful this time of year. Above is a picture of Ann and Lisa taking the bus into Zions Canyon.

We enjoyed two hikes. One was the Riverwalk and the other Emerald Pools.

The sights were specatacular, I love Zions.

My cute friends left to right: Ann, Pam, Me, Lisa and Michelle.

Girls Trip (continued)

2010-10-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

On Monday we hiked Snow Canyon. The views were breathtaking. It was so much fun catching up with each other and our friend Lisa Aurich, who drove all the way up from Mesa. We all started out in the same neighborhood over 10 years ago or more. It has been nice to have such good solid friendships. Even after all these years and during such busy seasons of our lives, we still can pick up right where we left off last time we saw each other. Thanks girls for taking the time to road trip together!

Michelle, Me and Pam

Beautiful Snow Canyon views.

Me, Ann, Michelle and Pam enjoying the view from the top of Snow canyon.

Ready for Homecoming!

2010-10-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

Colton and his friends K.J. and Dillon get dressed up to take their dates to Alta's homecoming dance.

Tayler and Ashley

2010-10-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

I loved this photo taken of my daughter Tayler and her best friend Ashley. They were at the wedding of a friend from our ward in August.

Hike and Picnic with our cousins

2010-09-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Mikayla and Lexi set out on our hiking adventure that lasted all of less than 10 minutes.

Landri stops to pose.

The clouds started to gather and by the time we got just a little ways up the trail we began to see big lightning strikes near us.

Matt checking out the impending storm.

Picnic at the Park

2010-09-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

We all made our way to a park with a covered pavillion for our picnic. Uncle Ty gave Zack and Sam a spin on the playground.

DIZZY!

Brad, Matt, Amber and Ty

Lana, Zack and Caleb

Re-Vamping my Cedar Chest

2010-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

This cedar chest was given to me from my parents upon graduating from High School. I decided to see if I could make it a little more appealing for my entryway with a new coat of paint in an heirloom white and spray painted the hardware a brushed nickel. I love the results.

Fiesta Days Parade Pics

2010-09-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

In July the Nelson' came out for an extended vaction. We love having them here from Ohio for a few weeks in the summer. This year we went to the parade in Spanish Fork, stayed at the Westgate Resort in Park City, visited Thanksgiving Point and attended a Buzz baseball game. Fun Times.

Fiona and Aspen

Dad and Mom

Caleb holding Izzie

More parade photos

2010-09-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Scott and Diane

Aspen and Mckell show off their new puppy Izzie.

Park City

2010-09-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point

2010-09-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Buzz

2010-09-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Kids: Jake, Miguel, McCoy, Mecedes, Mikayla, Sam and Justin

Scott and Dede

Me and my Sis

80's Night

2010-08-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Tayler and her friends love to go 80's dancing. Who can blame her, the 80's produced some of the best music to dance to. Here she is with her friends Ashley and Kajsia. Takes me back to the day when my friends and I used to hit The Palace, Xenon and The Bay any time that we could. Fun times!!!!!

Hardwood Refinished (check)

2010-08-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

After 13 years in our home our hardwood floors were looking pretty ugly to say the least. Scratches and wear and tear over time had taken its toll. So we decided to jump in and sand, stain and polyurethane them ourselves. The sanding process took the longest. We rented a commercial sander from home depot for around 80 dollars- it took about 8 - 10 hours sanding to bring them back to the original bare wood. Matt did most of this along with the boys help. We also had to hand sand some of the hard to reach areas.

By the time we finished with the stain and poly, we were very pleased with the results. Even though we used a color called Ebony made by Bona the results on oak turned out to be this beautiful rich walnut color. I absolutely love them. Next project for September- painting our kitchen cabinets and adding new hardware!

Mischievous Maneuvers

2010-08-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

A few Sunday's ago I was approached by a boy in my son's primary class "The Informant". He likes to keep me updated on Miguel's latest shenanigans. This week may have topped them all-
"Ummm, Mrs. Larsen. . . Miguel has a frog in his scriptures today."
I look at him immediatley. Surely I must not be hearing "the informant" correctly...
"Wait, did you say a frog?"
"Yeah it's a frog and it's in his scripture case."
I stop for a moment trying to wrap my head around this one, then in my best nonchalant reply. . .
"Oh a frog huh? (pause) a pretend one right?"
The informant is just about to burst at the seams as he shares this last juicy tidbit with me.
"No, IT"S A REAL LIVE ONE and it's in a bag of water that he showed to the whole class in primary today."

After thanking my source, my mind quickly flashes back to a booth I had seen the day before during Draper Days.
The large sign read -FROGS $1 Each-
Upon our arrival to the car we confiscated Miguel's scriptures and yes indeedy there he was squished up in his tiny little ziploc bag with no light and very little chance for air. "Swimmy" is his name (cleverly chosen by my son).

As for me and his Dad we're truly just much to tired to even care anymore.
As time goes on we're learning to roll with these things.
So here's to "Swimmy".

Draper Days

2010-08-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Summer fun at Draper Days. An annual small town celebration. We began the day with a parade where the kids collected more candy than they can practically carry. In the afternoon we returned to the park for fun bands, games and kid activities. Later that night we were joined by our cousins for the spectacular fireworks show. Fun filled day for all.

Ava and Miguel

Cousins

Me and my kiddos

Draper Days Continued

2010-08-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Amber and Lexi

Tyler, Brad and Mimi

Travis, Tristian, Lindsay and Ava

Real

2010-07-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

We lucked out and had gifted to us some of my Sis-in-Law Lindsay's 4 tickets to the Real Soccer game. It was my first time at the stadium and I was so impressed. Fun family night out if you're ever looking for a place to go.

Me and my Honey enjoying our night out on the town!

You can see by the look on the kids faces that they both had a blast!

The crowd went wild with each goal scored I think we won 5- 0!

Thanks for sharing your tickets with us Lindz and Trav we love you!

Cupcake Day

2010-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Wednesday which means we got to make something in the kitchen together. At the beginning of each summer we create a list of activities we would like to do. This summer has just flown by and although we haven't been able to do everything, at least we have ideas - which beats summer time boredom. Here's our summer activity list!

Today was"Cupcake Day". The kids made them from scratch and they were "oh -so good". We used one of our favorite cookbooks called Kitchen for Kids . . . and the result were these yummy bits of delight you see here, which we then in turn shared with all of our cute neighborhood friends.

Patience in all Things

2010-06-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

"Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea he trieth their patience and their faith."

"Nevertheless whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day . . ."

-Mosiah 23:21-22

I must learn to be more patient in my afflictions. So many times I want a problem to be solved immediately. I don't want to have to go through the excruciating tutoring and training process. Sometimes it is for our own good that we must take things day by day and learn to savor what we are learning along the way.

Lazy Dog Days of Summer

2010-06-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Coco's favorite place to sit on a lazy sumer morning is anywhere that the sun is shining brightly. Today he found just the right spot near our living room sofa.

More Coco Cuteness. . .

Cool Treats

2010-06-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Mimi and her best friend Jaden sharing popsicles last summer. They have loved playing together ever since I can remember.

Beautiful Bear Lake

2010-06-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day we spent the entire weekend at Bear Lake. Our brother in Law's family has a vacation home there. And we were lucky enough to score an invite. They were the perfect hosts. We went 4-wheeling on ATV's and their Rhino, grilled yummy pizzas, and spent lots of time playing at the Lake in the sun. Our boys even got to hone their shooting skills with Uncle Travis. Great times were had by us all. Thanks Lindsay and Travis for a wonderful weekend we love you and your cute family!

Mimi and Me

The boys on the ATV's

Our Family (except Tayler).

Bear Lake Fun

2010-06-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Clockwise from top: Copeland, Colton, Caleb, Tristian and Miguel

Caleb

My cute Sis-in-Law Lindsay

Mikayla

More of Bear Lake

2010-06-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Our darling niece Ava

Caleb working on his already tan body

Tayler soaking up the sun

Mimi's seashell collection

More Bear Lake Pics

2010-06-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Tay's swimsuit pose

Colton

Matt and his friend Diet Coke

Our Family Garden

2010-06-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

We may have found a new Memorial Day tradition. The past three or four years our extended family has gotten together to plant a family garden on my Grandpa Davis's property. My Dad has headed up this idea and tries to include us all in the planting, upkeep and best yet harvesting . I loved watching even the kids be so involved in the process....It takes me back to when I was a little girl. Each year as far back as I can remember, Grandpa would plant a garden here. He started early in the season with seeds and spent the rest of it watering and tending his beautiful gardens. As kids he loved to bring us down each little row and proudly show us what he was growing. Most often we would end up taking home a sack full of produce we helped him pick. Up until the day he died my Grandpa was preparing the soil for the spring planting. He sat down on a chair to take a rest and passed away peacefully there in his garden. I can think of no sweeter passing than knowing he died doing that which he loved most.

McCoy and Matt working the soil

Aspen and Suzy planting the seeds

Fiona and Scott plant some tomatoes

More Family Garden Photos

2010-06-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

Miguel loved digging

Suzy and Matt

Fiona loves to help Grandpa with watering chores

whenever he comes over to work on the garden.

My Grandpa sharing his garden with Colton, Tay and Mackenzie

(his Great Grandchildern) back in 1996.

Change your Questions Change your Life

2010-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have to tell everyone I know how much I have absolutely loved reading this book. I bought it at Deseret Book and immediatley fell in love with its interesting text and pictures. It is a beautiful book just to look at, but even better yet are the powerful insights Sister Nelson offers. Each page is filled with ideas on how to better make your way through this life, by asking yourself as well as the Lord thought provoking questions. A book like this is meant to be savored a little at a time. I have enjoyed trying out some of the things she suggests. One of my favorites is her "Take a Daily Question to the Scriptures for 30 Days Experiment". I tried this and loved what I learned so much it will now become a habit in my regular scripture study. This book is so powerful I feel that it is a must have for anyone trying to effectively navigate their way through this life. It truly has changed me for the better and given me a new perspective as I look at my life and each new challenge I am given.

Memories of our Boy

2010-06-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

With Caleb being gone on his Senior trip this week, I'm feeling a little sentimental about him. I'm happy that he's growing up...but realizing the time is coming all to quickly when he could be miles away from me for a very long time. I hope I don't embarass him too much. But a mother must be allowed to dote a bit.

Caleb's Graduation

2010-06-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Caleb graduated from both Alta High School and Seminary this past week. What a great accomplishment...one that will propel him into many more successes in the future.

One of the things I love most about Caleb is his affectionate nature. He has never been embarrassed or acted to cool to stop and give you a hug.

And when Caleb hugs you, you really feel his love.

During high school he has made alot of good friends who share his enthusiasm for both sports and girls.

Left to right are: Connor Hall, Jansen Sears, Tanner Lund, Conrad, Josh Skousen and Caleb.

We are all so proud that he is highly motivated about his future goals of a mission and achieving a higher education in college. He is a great young man and we look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in his future.

A Flash from the Past

2010-06-03T00:47:00.000-07:00

So I was going through some old photos tonight and came across this bit of Father/Daughter cuteness. It was taken when Mimi was probably 20 months old and Matt was trying to get her attention, while sitting under a tree during Draper Days. She has always been a daddy's girl and loves the attention of her big brothers too! I think she's such a little dolly! We can never seem to get enough of our baby girl.

First Grade Field Trip

2010-05-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was so lucky this week to get to join Mimi on her first grade field trip. We began by going to Harmon's grocery store. We were treated to a full tour and enjoyed samples of their yummy delicious food like shrimp, cookies, bread and even some frog eye salad. (Note to Tour Guide: maybe you should clarify what exactly goes into making frog eye salad- a boy in my group was loving the fruit, whipped cream and marshmallows, but then nearly threw up when he thought he'd bitten into some frog eyes. Thank goodness for napkins). Next stop was the park where we dined on our sack lunches together.

Final destination was Farm country at Thanksgiving Point. It was a beautiful day,

and as you can see we saw all kinds of farm animals,

including this adorable baby goat born just a week ago.

The kids were all mesmerized when we noticed an egg start to hatch. It was in this warm little incubator which sported a sign that read, "Chicks coming soon". We literally watched as this egg went from rocking gently back and forth, to seeing a small little hole being made in the top by what appeared to be a tiny little beak. By the time we had to leave the chick had worked so hard, he'd cracked the entire top of the egg and we could hear him chirping. To bad we missed his complete arrival but the anticipation was truly half the fun.

Miss Mimi had a fabulous time and I loved that she was so excited for both Tayler and I to be there. She's a dolly. We just love our little Mimi!!!!

Ward Photos

2010-05-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

So a friend in our ward just started her own business called Red Door Photography. Kim is adorable and very ambitious. Her family is raised now and she has an incredible talent for taking a great picture. These are some that she did for a camp fundraiser. I loved how they turned out. So I thought I'd share them here.

This Guy is Calienta!

2010-05-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is Juan Pedro Valdez (aka. Caleb). He's available for hire for your next Fiesta. He's affluent in French and does a mean Macarena. So give him a call!

Tulip Festival

2010-05-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

A must see for us each year, is Thanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival. Maybe we just have spring fever (since it's taking so long for warm weather to get here this year). But we so enjoy the smell of the hyacinths and the beauty of all the spring bulbs bursting with color this time of year.

Desperately Seeking Wind

2010-05-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

My little ones wanted so badly to try out their new kites. They set out in our cold temperatures in hopes that the wind would be strong enough to launch their kites skyward.....No such luck. I will give them credit however for determination. They were outside running for well over an hour with those kites, when even a small gust blew through our neighborhood.

Easter Egg Hunt 2010

2010-04-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

This years egg hunt was held in Salem after we had a
yummy barbecue at my parents house. Here Dad gives
instructions and boundaries for this years hunt.

The Fun begins.....

Aunt Jackie with her sweet dog.

My cute niece Mackenzie.

More Easter Fun!

2010-04-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Fiona is pretty apprehensive when any of the boys try to
hold her. The only enthusiasm she shows towards them
is when she says Bye-Bye!!!

My brother Scott, always the clown, gives Suzy a face plant
in our Spring time Snow bank.

Fiona loves for Easter

2010-04-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

All of the kids love their little cousin Fiona, she's my brother Scott's daughter. And cute as a button. Here Tayler loved taking her hunting for eggs!

Top Winners of Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Larsen brothers got extremely lucky this year. Miguel got the #1 child's egg. Colton was the kids grand prize winner worth $25 and Caleb took home the Adult Grand Prize Egg worth $50. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Davis who make this a fun tradition each year.

South to St. George

2010-04-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

We drove into Mesquite and had some crab at a buffet there.

We went South for some much needed R&R and to get away from the frigid temperatures in our area. St. George is quickly becoming our new favorite destination. First because we have a house available for us to borrow when we would like to visit (thanks to Matt's parents) and also because I am finding myself more attracted to the beautiful red rock and the much warmer weather we get to experience when we take a retreat.
This particular weekend we took my parents and my sister Suzanne and her husband Brent. We even got the chance to meet up with my brother Brian's family and watch our cute niece McKell dance in a competition. We then all hiked a bit in Zion's and drove back into St. George for some of our favorite food at Cafe Rio. It was a lot of fun and a very restful getaway!

Prom Date

2010-03-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of Caleb's night out

His date Ali looked beautiful. He had a great time.

Night out on the Town

2010-03-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Just last weekend, Caleb got all dressed up to take his
date Ali to Alta High's Prom. We had to snap a few photos
before he left. We all thought he looked rather dashing!
Hopefully we can soon get a picture of the pair of them
they really made a cute couple. And Caleb had a good time.

She's all grown up!

2010-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Our Tayler turned 20 yesterday. We are so happy to
see her growing and experiencing great things in life.
She truly is a joy to have as a daughter we love her so much.

Nan and Pop joined us for dinner. Tayler chose
the menu: Steak and Shrimp, twice baked potatoes,
cheese fondue and bread to dip and French Silk Pie.

Jared and Tayler

Caleb gives his Sis a hug.

Visit from Dede

2010-03-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

In January we were so happy to get an impromptu visit from my sister Dede. She always keeps us all laughing and is so much fun to be around! The only downside is that once we get to have her here, none of us want her to leave back to Ohio. We love you Dede!

Pinewood Derby

2010-03-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

This was Miguels first Pinewood Derby. He was so excited to build his car with Matt, and much to his delight he finished 3rd place overall in the race. Way to go Miguel!!!!

Our Sweet Dog

2010-03-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Every so often I must include a cute picture of our little dog Coco. He is still one of our most loyal little friends. Everyone in the family just loves him.

Eagle Project

2010-03-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Caleb finished his eagle project earlier this month. He finished the week of his 18th birthday (whew)! He chose to collect books for the Worlwide Book Project. They distribute books to prisons, rural communites, a recycling center that employs the blind and many other people in need of books throughout the world. He worked very hard and was able to donate about 900 books. We are very proud of his accomplishment and are looking forward to all the good he will continue to do in the way of service in his future. We love you Caleb!

Christmas Time

2010-02-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

By far one of our favorite holidays of the year. Christmas morning at our house always begins with reading the story of the birth of the Savior from the Bible. We then unwrap our gifts one at a time, so that everyone gets a chance to see what everyone else got and to stop and express gratitude for each gift given. It truly is the the most wonderful time of the year.

Miguel"s Hats

2010-02-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

Always needing to find a new project to keep this little boy busy Miguel decided to learn to knit and completed this hat all by himself on a loom. I think he did a pretty good job! The second was given to him by our nice neighbor Joyce for helping to watch her elderly father, while she was out.

Easton the Elf

2010-02-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

We had and elf named Easton come and visit us this
year along with a letter explaining why Santa had sent
him to our house from the North Pole.

Miguel and Mikayal both loved waking up each morning to
see what Easton had been up to while they were asleep.
They tried to be especially good so that Easton would give
a good report to Santa when he went back to visit.
As Mimi put it on Christmas morning when she saw all the
gifts..." I must have had 49 naughties and 54 nices."
(The nices just barely won by a small margin)

One morning he dove into a box of cheerios. He also was found
reading a Christmas book, hanging from the chandelier and
swinging from our ceiling fan one day just for fun.
The kids loved him so much they hope he'll come back next year.

Our Thanksgiving

2010-02-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

This year Matt and I got to host Thanksgiving dinner.
Matt took charge of the turkey and I handled some of
the other dishes. Our favorite is Sweet Potato Pie, YUM!

Dad and Mom joined us on a walk afterwards

Heather and Brian

Aspen, Mckell and Mikayla all posing pretty.

More pics of Thanksgiving

2010-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

Me and my Mom

Mimi and Uncle Brian

Miguel being very silly!

Alta's Senior Night

2010-02-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

This was Caleb's last year playing for the Hawks.
They honored all of the Seniors and we felt really sentimental
about our Caleb. He's a great kid!

Brad, Pop and Nan came to practically every game
this year, which gave Caleb his own little instant fan base.

Here are the Hawks at Rice Eccles Stadium before the
playoff for the finals.

Halloween Dance

2010-02-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Caleb and Colton both got asked to Alta's Halloween Dance
Above Colton is with his date Taylor, it was his first date.

Caleb's date bought a gladiator costume for him so he loved
hamming it up for the camera. He had a hard time keeping a straight face.

Birthday at Boondocks

2010-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Miguel celebrated his eighth birthday at Boondocks fun center.
He is a wonderful son who keeps us on our toes. He is full of energy
and always has some new idea on how he can keep busy.
We love having him in our family.

Our Family at Thanksgiving Point Gardens

2010-02-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

This is truly one of our favorite places to hang out once it is warm enough. We always buy a season pass. It is so relaxing to walk through these beautiful gardens and see how they change during each new season. It also gives us all the chance to just talk and enjoy each others company.

Matt and I

Our cute brood!

More Thanksgiving Point Pics

2010-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful nieces Aspen and Mckell.

Mikayla and Mckell taking a break.

Tayler's Kitty

2010-02-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Tayler and her friend Ashley saw some people giving away kittens and decided it would be a great idea to adopt little "Studly". The thing they failed to think through was the fact that both Tayler's and Ashley's Dads are allergic to cats. Ashley tried to hide him for awhile in her room but he was soon detected by her parents. This was a short lived cat parenting venture!

Pics from the Bees Game

2010-02-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Family Night at the Bees Game

2010-02-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

We all had a fun night out at the bees game with the Larsen Family. We sat out on the lawn where the kids could run wild and free.

School Pics

2010-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

First day of school it was fun for Miguel and Mikayla to be starting 1st and 2nd Grade. Cutie Pies!