Thanks to my cute friend Heidi for helping with my new blog header (love it Heidi…you’re so sweet and talented!). I actually shouldn’t say “help”…she pretty much did it all while I watched in awe. Maybe I’ll attempt some of this digital scrapbooking on my own soon… 
Dinner with Heidi and ALMOST the rest of the Larson fam (we missed you Mel!). Love you guys! It isn’t a trip home without catching up with you!
Quick picture with my cute brother Austin before dinner…
Kenny’s little brother Logan got married last Saturday…Congratulations Logan! We love you and are so happy for you!!! We’re having a great time in Utah visiting family and enjoying the HOT weather. More pics to come soon!
So this last weekend was pretty fun! Friday night we met a group of friends at the beach – had a picnic and let the kids run around and play. It’s always so pretty watching the sun set over the ocean. I love this Friday night summer tradition! (Oh – and how is Addison’s cone head hair looking? I had a cute little pony tail with a bow and she tore it out before we even made it to the beach. Seriously…why do I keep trying???) Then on Saturday after Addison woke up from her nap, Kenny and I decided last minute to head to Sea World for a couple of hours…beauty of season passes! We had a fun afternoon with the kids. In this first picture we had just arrived at the park – Addison had been in the stroller for two minutes and was straining to get out. Ellie has been to Sea World so many times that she grabbed a map and was planning our itinerary. Goes without saying that Kenny was the only one I could get to smile for a picture. So typical!
So the only downer of the weekend was our movie selection. We watched 27 Dresses Friday night and can I just say that this was the LAMEST movie! I’m all for a good chick flick, but this was just stupid. Too fake and predictable. Kenny and I each had our laptops out after 15 minutes (I rank TV shows and movies by how long we watch them without pulling out the laptops). Saturday night’s movie Sense and Sensibility was a little bit better but not as good as last weekends movies, Becoming Jane or Pride and Prejudice (we’ve been on a bit of a Jane Austen kick lately – it’s definitely summer!). Hopefully next weekend we’ll do a little better in the DVD department! How was your weekend???
I’m so excited! The school kits I ordered arrived today! Thought I’d post them in case any of you are interested in them (although I don’t know if they are already sold out or not). I ordered these through Creating Keepsakes…it was their “kit of the month” awhile back. Ellie has been bringing home a lot of stuff I want to save from pre-school and I had been wondering how to organize my kids stuff throughout their school years (aside from their scrapbooks – stuff like awards and artwork, etc.). I was contemplating different binders and boxes when I saw these school kits for sale. Becky Higgins designed them (she’s my idol!) and they are so perfect! Each kit comes with a folder and several pre-designed scrapbook pages for each year. They have included everything…journaling prompts for your child (favorite subject, my teacher, etc.), a place for their 8×10 school picture, their report card and tons of other info. your child will want to remember. Each folder and page is punched on the side so you can add it to your traditional scrapbooks, or buy a binder just for “school day” stuff. I’m so in love with these! I’m all about having an organized system! :) You can read more info. about these kits on Becky’s blog (one I stalk daily!). Click here if you’re interested! Like I said I don’t know if they are all sold out or not, but even if they are, they may bring them back because I know they have been really popular with moms. I wanted one for each of my kids so I ordered four of them (not that I think I’ll have four kids…I’ll be lucky to get to three since Kenny thinks we’re done) just in case! :)
My baby turned two today. I should probably be sad that she isn’t a baby anymore, but I have to be honest and say…YES YES YES!!!! I’m so happy to be done with the baby stage! I LOVE the two’s! BRING ON THE TWO’S! Two’s aren’t terrible to me – they’re the best. I love this toddler stage for so many reasons. Aside from the obvious reason (more independent which means a little less dependent on me 24-7) I also love the communication. I love it when they start talking. Addison uses more words every day and hearing her talk is so dang cute! She is also starting to play really well with Ellie and it is so fun watching them “pretend” together. Addison is my curly headed firecracker and she has added so much to our family. She is a feisty little one and can be a bit stubborn at times, but is also extremely cuddly and sweet. She loves her blankie, hugs, reading books, climbing, dresses (she has to put one on the second she wakes up each morning and then it’s a fight to get her dressed in anything else) fruit snacks, pasta, “wa wa falls” (water falls) and playing with her sister “la la.” I don’t remember when she started calling Ellie “la la” but it stuck and she still calls her that even though I think she could pronounce the name correctly now. Every morning she wakes up and starts calling us all from her crib…”Mommy, Da Da, La La…Mommy, Da Da, La La.” Best alarm I’ve ever had.
Happy Birthday Addison – we love you so much!
What a fun mess the cake was! Her smile made all the mopping after worth it! I was just happy we ended up with a cake. When I went to pick it up at our local grocery store (sorry – NOT one of those moms who spends hours icing amazing homemade birthday cakes) I had both of the girls with me. I picked up the cake at the deli and put the box in the cart. The girls were standing next to the cart and as I turned to thank the lady who made the cake, they both hopped on the same side of the cart and tipped the whole shopping cart on top of them. Of course they both started BAWLING so I flipped up the cart and made sure they were ok. They were just scared – no bones broken. Then I see the cake. The once beautiful cake that is now smeared all over the place. Just as I was starting to count slowly in my head (a little something I do daily to keep from losing it with my lovely children) the cake lady came to my rescue – helped me clean up the mess and re-made the birthday cake. Funny thing is that this felt like a typical trip to the grocery store with my girls. We never make it out of that store without some sort of catastrophe!
Ellie and her cute friend Maddison…
So I thought I only had TWO kids at Chuck E. Cheese, but it turns out I had three…
Game on! Dads and toddlers in a mean game of air hockey…
(dads were taking this WAY too seriously!)
Today is my mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday mom! Hope you had a great day. Let the party begin and carry on throughout the summer! I love my mom so much – she is my best friend and I can’t even begin to imagine life without her. We talk every day, even if it is just for five minutes to share what we’ve been up to during the day. I love it. I love so many things about my mom. Here are just a few…
My mom is a total “YELLOW” personality. “Yellow” people believe that life is a party and they are hosting it! That is the best way to describe my mom! She is such a happy, upbeat, fun loving person. It is impossible to be mad or stressed when you are around my mom. She has a magical way of making everything fun or funny. She is a blast to be around.
My mom is ALWAYS there for me. I can’t even begin to count all the times she has gone above and beyond for me. This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom. It was taken in 1998. I had just finished getting my Elementary Education degree and was about to teach my first Elementary class. I was a total wreck! The classroom I was moving into was filthy and I had no clue what I was doing. I called her crying and told her I was staring at a blank plan book. She was there in minutes and we spent HOURS cleaning and decorating that room. Not only did she help, but she did what she always does…she made it fun! I went from tears and stress to laughter and excitement. Then she spent the next few days helping me plan and get ready for my first weeks of teaching. I would have been so lost without her!
This picture was taken during another time she totally came through for me. Having a newborn is stressful enough for me…adding a high maintenance two year old and a potty training deadline nearly put me over the edge! After I had Addison, I had one month to get Ellie potty trained because she was starting a little preschool a few days a week and she had to be potty trained to go there. My mom stepped right in. Potty trained Ellie, took shifts with Addison, made meals, cleaned my house and most importantly, calmed me down! I will forever be grateful to my mom for all she did for me during this time.
Family ALWAYS comes first with my mom. She is the happiest of all when all of her family is around. She always lets us all know how much she loves us and always puts our needs before her own. She has a great relationship with my dad and is simply the best mom ever. This is a picture of her when she opened the gift Car and I gave her for Mother’s Day (a picture of her three granddaughters). We knew she would love it…family means everything to her.
Another thing I love about my mom is what a great friend she is. She loves her friends so much! She would do anything for them. She is extremely giving and has always been a good example to me of how to be a good friend. (If you’re in the mood to laugh…just hang out with these four women. They will have you rolling in minutes!).
I always knew my mom would be a perfect grandma and let me tell you -she really is! She is so darling with my kids. She loves them like I do. She has such a special relationship with each of my girls. They absolutely adore her! My mom’s calling in life was definitely to be a grandma!
My mom is such an amazing woman. She enjoys and appreciates life each and every day. Sometimes I do or say something and Kenny teases me that I’m turning more and more into my mom. I can’t think of a better compliment. Love you always mom!
Oh I can’t believe it…my little brother just bought his first house! CONGRATS AUSTIN! It looks darling and has such a nice yard. I’m so excited for you! I can’t wait to hang out there and see it myself this summer. Nothing like your first home!
I’m having a bit of a hard time with this though because it means my little bro is growing up. Austin and I are seven years apart (he and Carly are five) so he has always been the baby of the family. It’s hard for me to picture him old enough to own his own home! I still remember him so well like this…how cute is this little guy!!??
Aside from getting a home, Austin is dating a darling girl named Dayna (another sign of his recent maturity!). It’s funny because when my mom first told Car and I that Austin was dating someone and really liking her, we were a little skeptical. We kept talking on the phone about it wondering if anyone could ever be good enough for our Austin. Then we met Dayna. What a doll! She is the sweetest girl! Smart, funny, beautiful and SO CUTE with Austin. We’ve completely flipped now and keep warning Austin that he better not screw this up because WE LOVE HER! What a cute couple!!!
I know I’ve been posting a lot of older pics lately (I’ve been trying to organize my childhood photos) but I came across this picture and couldn’t resist. This is one of my favorite memories. Carly, Austin and I loved to play “court” when we were little. The three of us played this all the time. Austin made an amazing judge pounding anything in sight with his gavel. Carly always wanted to type super fast so she played the role of the court reporter (using a calculator to record everything said). I of course was always the dramatic and slightly neurotic attorney/witness on the stand defending and protecting the very rights we all enjoy. Good times…
AND NOW…
I had a great Mothers Day today. We didn’t do anything too special – (celebrated last weekend on my girls trip :) but it was so fun because Ellie is finally old enough to understand this beloved holiday and she was so cute. Kept telling me “Happy Mothers Day” all day – giving me kisses – picking me flowers. Best present ever. This picture was on our way to church today…
Last night I enjoyed a “moms’ night out” with my cute neighborhood friends. Thanks for organizing this Kendra! It was so nice to visit uninterrupted without our little ones around. 
In April when Car and Shawn came to visit we planned a photo shoot so we could get a picture of our daughters together for my mom for Mothers Day (all three granddaughters). My cute friend Autumn took the pictures and did an amazing job! We framed this picture below and gave it to my mom last week in Salt Lake. She loved it! Pretty sweet girls. Mission accomplished. :)
I have to share some of the other “not so great pictures” during our photo shoot. As you all know, getting pictures taken with kids can be so frustrating! The pose our girls are in in the above picture lasted two seconds! We were so grateful Autumn caught it on film! The first four pictures below are as precious to me as the one above. Carly and I were shouting out so many orders “Ellie, hold Claire up – you’re dropping her!” “Addison, look at us.” “SMILE!” “Claire is falling again!”… These show how hard they were trying for us! 
Sure sign of Spring in San Diego…
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Oh I love summer! Sunshine, swimming pools, the beach, longer days, BBQ’s at the park and no more fighting with my girls each morning to get them out of dresses and into colder weather clothes. Life just got a little more fun and a whole lot easier!!!
