I love the Thanksgiving holiday. I have so many fond memories of this day.
I remember that Thanksgiving when my brother got his lips stuck in the empty sparling cider bottle, and I'm thankful for laughter.
I remember the Thanksgiving weekend when I had my first date with Doug, during a blizzard, and ended up having to stay the entire night at his parents' house. I'm so grateful for my loving husband.
I remember the Thanksgiving I spent uncomfortable with the signs of early labor, and I think about how tremendously grateful I am to be a mother.
I remember the first Thanksgiving feast I prepared on my own, inviting two of Doug's college-age brothers to our house for the holiday. I slaved away in the kitchen for two full days, giving my china dishes their first chance ever to be used. And then Doug and his brothers came home from playing football, and sat down to my fancy spread in their sweaty, muddy attire. And still, I think I'm grateful for my great big extended family. (Plus, it makes me grateful to have a few daughters who can appreciate life's dressy moments.)
I will never forget the Thanksgiving we spent with my generous uncle and aunt, and how just as we were leaving their home that night, two-year-old Katelyn knocked over a display table, breaking some precious collectibles. I'm so grateful for the divine gift of forgiveness, and for those who offer it!
I remember having most of my family come to spend Thanksgiving with us in Washington. We staged our own Turkey Trot, and the little ones made pipe cleaner hats and accessories for us to wear. I had no idea then that we would be leaving Washington the next year. I'm grateful for the period of our life we spent in that place, and I'm also grateful to live closer to family again.
I remember several years of browsing ads and waking up in the middle of the night to hunt down a door buster deal, sometimes with family and good friends. I love shopping, and I love a bargain, but deeper down, I'm so thankful for the huge blessing I have known all my life of financial stability. I'm so grateful for Doug's job, as demanding as it may be sometimes, and I'm humbled to have been supported by hard working men all my life.
In this dark and cold season, when I'm prone to whine and wish away the present, I'm so glad there's this holiday season that encourages me to remember and count my blessings, and to just plain be happy!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
T.B.
The girls have no school and Doug has no work for the rest of the week. Our Thanksgiving Break began last night, and so far it has been wonderful!
Doug and I kicked things off with a little dinner date. The weathermen were forecasting a huge blizzard to arrive at any time, so we stuck close to home and just grabbed a quick bite of dinner, and talked. Wow, why has it been so long since we've done that?!
Then we came home just ahead of the blizzard (Turns out it blew a lot, but didn't drop a lot of snow. Now it's just freezing cold!), and Doug watched movies with the girls while I browsed sale ads online and wondered if I want to do any shopping this Friday. I'm still undecided.
This morning, Doug and I went to the temple and snuck in another meal for two, before heading home to pick up the girls and rush off to the first showtime of "Tangled." My review: I loved it! It made me laugh out loud, and it almost made me cry. Almost. (Hey, put yourself in my shoes: I have five daughters, and I was watching a show about a baby girl who is kidnapped and hidden from her parents for her entire childhood. It gets to me.) Anyway, I think it was well worth the matinee theater price, and I will definitely buy the DVD when it's released. Meanwhile, I'm going to download the soundtrack. I loved it!
After soup and sandwiches for lunch, everyone is relaxing (napping, playing, watching dumb t.v. shows). I'm spending a little time relaxing, too, before I start my marathon in the kitchen. We'll be hosting a feast for 22 Larsons tomorrow. It's going to be exciting, for sure!
Doug and I kicked things off with a little dinner date. The weathermen were forecasting a huge blizzard to arrive at any time, so we stuck close to home and just grabbed a quick bite of dinner, and talked. Wow, why has it been so long since we've done that?!
Then we came home just ahead of the blizzard (Turns out it blew a lot, but didn't drop a lot of snow. Now it's just freezing cold!), and Doug watched movies with the girls while I browsed sale ads online and wondered if I want to do any shopping this Friday. I'm still undecided.
This morning, Doug and I went to the temple and snuck in another meal for two, before heading home to pick up the girls and rush off to the first showtime of "Tangled." My review: I loved it! It made me laugh out loud, and it almost made me cry. Almost. (Hey, put yourself in my shoes: I have five daughters, and I was watching a show about a baby girl who is kidnapped and hidden from her parents for her entire childhood. It gets to me.) Anyway, I think it was well worth the matinee theater price, and I will definitely buy the DVD when it's released. Meanwhile, I'm going to download the soundtrack. I loved it!
After soup and sandwiches for lunch, everyone is relaxing (napping, playing, watching dumb t.v. shows). I'm spending a little time relaxing, too, before I start my marathon in the kitchen. We'll be hosting a feast for 22 Larsons tomorrow. It's going to be exciting, for sure!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
November
September was splendidly sunny.
October was autumn's epitome.
SCREEECH!
November is nippy.
Not nice.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
One of these things is not like the others...
Sing it with me, Sesame Street Fans!
(I took some liberty with the lyrics.)
"One of these things is not like the others!
One of these things does not belong!
Can you guess which one is not like the others?
Have I done something wrong?...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Big Day
We've been anticipating this day for a while, and now I can't believe it's already here!
We've decorated
and baked
and bought
and even though it's sort of frightening, it's mostly very fun
to have a fourteen year old in the house!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Trick or Treat?
Trick.
Or, in the words of Emily, "This is like the Nightmare Before Christmas!"
Mother Nature, I give you three days to make like the Wicked Witch of the West, and MELT!
Snow puts a damper on our Halloween fun!
Mother Nature, I give you three days to make like the Wicked Witch of the West, and MELT!
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Finish Line
I finished the 5K.
I must admit that I enjoyed it just a little bit. But it takes some motivation to get me moving.
And I haven't jogged at all in the nine days since then.
I miss my friend more than I miss the running. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with her! (Thanks a million to my awesome husband, who carried my load on the homefront that weekend.)
I must admit that I enjoyed it just a little bit. But it takes some motivation to get me moving.
And I haven't jogged at all in the nine days since then.
I miss my friend more than I miss the running. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with her! (Thanks a million to my awesome husband, who carried my load on the homefront that weekend.)
![]() |
| After the Run |
| We went to Park City and rode the Zip Line (which was alright) and then the Coaster (which was crazy fun!) |
Friday, October 22, 2010
Don't Be Fooled...
...by the sparkly shoes and twirly skirts. Olivia may dress like a dainty little girl, but she's actually a "rough&tumble" kinda kid.
Today, her tumble was a bit too rough, and resulted in this:
A visit to her pediatrician's office and two staples to close the wound.
Poor baby!
Q&A
Q: What happened?!
A: Nobody saw, but from what Hannah and I can guess, Olivia was climbing on the table, fell off, and hit her head on the chair.
Q: Was she really wearing sparkly shoes and a twirly skirt?
A: Yes. And a brand new, never before worn, pink shirt. Good news: the blood washed out nicely! So she can wear it again. Bad news: It's going to be tough to wash the blood out of her hair when we're not supposed to get that area wet for two days.
Q: Does that picture make you sick?
A: Me? No. Hannah? Yes. She had a hard time with the blood. (Takes after her Daddy!) You? Probably. Sorry!
Today, her tumble was a bit too rough, and resulted in this:
A visit to her pediatrician's office and two staples to close the wound.
Poor baby!
Q&A
Q: What happened?!
A: Nobody saw, but from what Hannah and I can guess, Olivia was climbing on the table, fell off, and hit her head on the chair.
Q: Was she really wearing sparkly shoes and a twirly skirt?
A: Yes. And a brand new, never before worn, pink shirt. Good news: the blood washed out nicely! So she can wear it again. Bad news: It's going to be tough to wash the blood out of her hair when we're not supposed to get that area wet for two days.
Q: Does that picture make you sick?
A: Me? No. Hannah? Yes. She had a hard time with the blood. (Takes after her Daddy!) You? Probably. Sorry!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
About Me & Hannah
While running around the room, Hannah suddenly stopped and cried out, "Ah, I think I pulled a gut!" That's a good way to describe how I felt when I started running a couple of weeks ago.
Earlier this week, I said to Doug, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I mean, I'm not going to keep running after this 5K!"
But yesterday, as Doug and I finished our 2.7 mile jog, I suggested to him (since I could still talk!) that maybe we should host another family Turkey Trot this year, like the Sar-Run-Dippity-Doo-Dah, and I'll just have to keep running for another month or so. Sometimes I surprise even myself.
Hannah, on the other hand, likes to run. She considers it one of her "talents." Yesterday morning, before Hannah's soccer game, Doug told her that she has "fast twitch muscles", that make her speedy quick. She listened, thought about it, and then nodded her head, and said, "Oh, so that's why when we're running around the house, I'm always in front. My sisters must have 'slow twitch muscles'." Then, on Hannah's way out the door to her soccer game, I smacked her on the bum (I know enough about sports) and said, "Fast Twitch!"
And that little pep talk must have worked, because Hannah made two goals in her game! The first one was actually into the wrong net--oops!--but after the second goal, Hannah's face was priceless!
Earlier this week, I said to Doug, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I mean, I'm not going to keep running after this 5K!"
But yesterday, as Doug and I finished our 2.7 mile jog, I suggested to him (since I could still talk!) that maybe we should host another family Turkey Trot this year, like the Sar-Run-Dippity-Doo-Dah, and I'll just have to keep running for another month or so. Sometimes I surprise even myself.
Hannah, on the other hand, likes to run. She considers it one of her "talents." Yesterday morning, before Hannah's soccer game, Doug told her that she has "fast twitch muscles", that make her speedy quick. She listened, thought about it, and then nodded her head, and said, "Oh, so that's why when we're running around the house, I'm always in front. My sisters must have 'slow twitch muscles'." Then, on Hannah's way out the door to her soccer game, I smacked her on the bum (I know enough about sports) and said, "Fast Twitch!"
And that little pep talk must have worked, because Hannah made two goals in her game! The first one was actually into the wrong net--oops!--but after the second goal, Hannah's face was priceless!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Couldn't Be
I am in a state of denial. How can it be October? I refused to believe that summer was really ending (already over?) until this past week, when I realized September had already passed me by. I haven't even visited the canyons to admire the fall leaves, because I couldn't believe it was time for that yet. In reality, it seems they are already past their prime.
Yesterday, on the last day of September, I at least felt happy that it hadn't snowed...yet.
Then, after I feel asleep in my bed last night, with my windows open, I had a dream. I dreamed that it was snowing outside. And of course, in my mind, it was still (barely) September. How irritating!
Good news, though: I woke up, and even though I cannot deny that it is in fact October now, the snow was only in my (bad) dream. Today, we're going to the park and soaking in the lingering sun.
Yesterday, on the last day of September, I at least felt happy that it hadn't snowed...yet.
Then, after I feel asleep in my bed last night, with my windows open, I had a dream. I dreamed that it was snowing outside. And of course, in my mind, it was still (barely) September. How irritating!
Good news, though: I woke up, and even though I cannot deny that it is in fact October now, the snow was only in my (bad) dream. Today, we're going to the park and soaking in the lingering sun.
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