Catching Up

I am doing some catching up . . . mainly so our families can look at the pictures we've been taking of the girls. But, I am also doing some catch up so this blog can be more like a little journal of the crazy things my girls do on a day to day basis. I will still highlight the big, fun, and exciting times in our lives, but I think this space will serve me better if it is more of a day to day fun thing to post on than a chore! So, bear with me. Next week we will have a whole new blog :)

Maejae's Blessing

Maejae received a name and blessing from her Daddy in August. She was able to wear the same blessing dress that Natalie wore. It was a little big for her, but still looked adorable. We got this dress from Grandma Larson, and I still think it is one of the prettiest blessing dresses I've seen.

Maejae was blessed with health and strength to go throughout her life in happiness. She was blessed with the wisdom and strength necessary to withstand the adversary, and to come out as an example to others. She was also blessed with a desire to learn, to seek new knowledge, and to remember what is truly her purpose on Earth while studying. She was also blessed, as Natalie was, to live in the Gospel, and someday marry a worthy Priesthood holder. If they use their Daddy as an example, I'm sure they won't go astray on who they choose to be with.

My Mom was able to be here for the blessing, but we didn't have any other family here to participate in the blessing itself. So, we were grateful to all of our friends from school and our neighborhood that were able to share this special day with us. We love you all!

Grandma's Visit Continued . . .

When Grandma came to visit for Maejae's Blessing, we decided to take a trip to the Phoenix Zoo to see some animals. However, when we got there, most of the animals were inside, and we didn't see anything but the elephants up close. It was kind of disappointment, but who can blame the animals? When it's over 100 degrees out, who wants to bake in the sun while other gawk at you?

Luckily, Natalie enjoyed the carousel so much that she had to ride it twice. She got to ride the Tiger and the Lion with her Grammies and her Daddy. She even got Grandma to ride on the dog. Oh, and look at her face! It is so sun-burnt after walking around the zoo, but she sure had fun!

2 Weeks Old

Maejae's 2 Week Photos

* I know these are really late, but she is just so adorable in her photos that I had to share them.

Everyone should Garage-Sale!

My mother taught me the value of going to garage sales when I was a little girl. We'd all pile in the van and go "shopping" every Saturday in Oregon. Sometimes we wouldn't get anything . . . but a lot of the time we would come home with "new" toys, and other trinkets!

I still like getting up on Saturday to check out all the neighborhood garage sales - and so does my mom. So, when she came in August for Maejae's baby blessing, we decided to spend our Saturday morning driving around town looking for the best garage sales. Well, we didn't find too many - but we did come across an awesome project!

We bought a little chair for $2.00 (I didn't take any before pictures - dangit!) . . .

However, it had really nasty, soiled, all pink, fabric on it. So, we took it apart!

We cut up a bunch of fabric and re-upholstered the chair with Nathan's help!

(Please take note of my mom's bottom lip sticking out . . .

(And then my tongue sticking out - Like Mother/Like Daughter!)

And in the end, we made a beautiful chair to match Natalie's room!
She loves her new chair and reads in it every day for at least 30 minutes!

Thanks Grandma!!

Rain, Rain . . .

It rained a while ago . . .

We miss the rain . . .

Please come again . . .

Pretty Please!

I know . . .

I know . . . I am incredibly behind in my blogging once again. I was reminded by a friend in Oregon that Maejae is 4 months old and I don't have any new pictures of her on my blog. I was going to update that today during the girl's nap-time but got distracted.

Can you guess what I got distracted with???



Yes, my friends! I am a sucker for my sewing machine. It somehow seems more fun to me than sitting at the computer. For instance - I made Natalie a "Super Natalie" cape with a big "N" on it today. I gave it to her after her nap-time and she has been running around the house yelling:
"Super Natalie . . . to the rescue."

Now why would I blog when I could spend my time doing things that make my kids happy? Oh yeah . . . someday they won't be little kids anymore. And someday, I'll want to look back on my blogs and journals and remember what life was like with my girls.

So, I guess I am trying to say that I will get around to posting blogs sooner rather than later. For now, hold tight my Oregon friends (and Mom and Sis) . . . blogs will be coming!

Baby Larson #2

July 8th, 2009


At 9:30am on Wednesday, July 8th, we found ourselves at the hospital about to have our 2nd baby girl. Being that this was a planned c-section, I was quite comfortable and at ease knowing what to expect. (We had an emergency c-section with Natalie). Because Nathan is in Med school, our doctor allowed him to dress in scrubs, watch the entire procedure, take plenty of GROSS pictures of the surgery, and participate a lot more than he was allowed to with Natalie.

I am sorry that I will not be posting any of the pictures from the actual c-section, but take my word for it - there are a lot of organs showing, some muscle exposed, lots of tools, lots of nurses, the doctor, Nathan, and of course . . . a lot of blood!

But, regardless of how gross and somewhat nauseating the pictures are, we were BLESSED with a healthy, strong, active, and adorable little girl.

Maejae Christine Larson

July 8th, 2009

6 lbs 3 oz

19.5" long

She was quite alert and was already sucking her little thumb!

Here's my little family . . .

Nathan is such a proud father - and a very good one at that! I am constantly amazed at how much he does for our family, always striving to take care of us, make us laugh, and spend extra time with us even though he is so busy with school. Here, you can obviously see that he is admiring his new baby girl, who looks an awful lot like her daddy!

Natalie is such a good Big Sis! She loves her baby Maejae and always tells me when I need to feed the baby, hold her, or change her diaper. She is honestly a little mommy in training! It has been so much fun to see my girls together, and they bring so much joy into my life every day.

Jason and Lisa

Yep!! That's my big bro, Jason and his fiance, Lisa. They came to visit us here in Arizona the first week in July. We had so much fun while they were here, and wish they could have stayed longer. Although, I don't think Jason and Lisa enjoyed the hot weather we were having that week. It was over 105 degrees every day that they were here. They sure got a feel for the great Arizona summer heat!

We met Jason and Lisa at the Grand Canyon on their way down to our house. Lisa is a little scared of heights, so she was careful to stay away from the edges. We did make her get close to the railings for a cool picture.

Aren't they a cute couple!?!

My two best friends, Nathan and Jason

Then, to allow Jason and Lisa to escape the heat, we went swimming at the little aquatic center they have in Glendale. Natalie was showing off for her Uncle Jason and jumped in the deep end of the pool over an dover. Then she had to show Lisa how she could splash in the water! But, the real fun came from watching Jason and Nathan jumping off the diving board. They did flips, belly flops, dives, etc. Honestly, they were just being boys!

The top pic is Nathan doing a flip with his broken ankle. Probably not a good idea, but he had fun anyways! The middle pic is Jason doing on eof his multiple flips. I think he was trying to do 2 flips before hitting the water in this picture. And the last picture . . . that's my baby girl, Natalie. She's just chillin' with her Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jason! We had so much fun with them.

Can't wait to see you guys again soon - WE MISS YOU!

My Fairy Tale . . .

I used to feel like this . . .

"Some day my prince will come

Some day I'll find the one

And away to his castle we'll go

To be happy forever I know"

And THEN . . . I met HIM . . .

Nathan Larson . . . Isn't he handsome!?!

*I don't think I have ever met someone that I was so instantly attracted to in my entire life. *

And now, I feel like this . . .

One Song, I have but one song
One song, Only for you
One heart, Tenderly beating
Ever entreating, Constant and true

One love, That has possessed me
One love, Thrilling me through
One song, My heart keeps singing
Of one love, only for you


Happy Anniversary
I love you, my Prince Nathan

35 Weeks . . .

* Pregnancy *

A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.

-- Author Unknown

35 Weeks Pregnant with our 2nd Baby Girl!

Grand Canyon Adventures

Larson Family

Grand Canyon Adventure

For the last weekend of Nathan's summer break, we headed to the beautiful Grand Canyon! It was amazing to see, and such a fun adventure for our family. We couldn't do any major hiking as I am 8 1/2 months pregnant, but we still managed to hike the south rim of the Canyon (about a 4 hour hike). Natalie did awesome and had a complete blast. Daddy enjoyed taking lots of fun pictures, and I loved being outdoors with my family. Although, I must admit I was quite sore after our little hike. But, it was well worth it!!!








Natalie thought it was so much fun when Daddy ran while carrying her in the hiking pack. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy!