Picture fest is OVER . . .

Finally!  I have posted all the pictures from our month long trip to Oregon/Idaho, and I can return to normal blogging life.  But, I’m not really in the mood to do a fancy blog right now, so here’s what’s going on at the Larson house:

1) The girls are growing up too fast – yet not fast enough!  Natalie is doing great, running, dancing, talking, learning, etc.  But, she gets a little stubborn sometimes, and has talked back to me a few times.  We have a new time-out chair that seems to be working!  Maejae is growing like a weed!  She is seriously about 3 inches taller than her 12-16 month old friends.  Not sure where she gets the height, but she gets her tiny little petite bones and chicken legs from me!  But, she is not, I repeat, NOT walking yet.  And she is 15 months.  Hmmmm.  I’m getting impatient, but I am learning very early on to NEVER compare my children, which is a lot harder than you might think.  Natalie started walking at 10 months, Maejae is still not walking.  So, there you have it.  But, I’ve learned that Maejae is on her own time-frame and is a more creative girl than Natalie.  Natalie is very stubborn, to the point, and energetic.  She is me!  Maejae is calculative, observant, and sly.  Yep – she knows how to get what she wants already!  And I think she gets that from her Daddy :)

2) Nathan is amazing!  He’s pretty much the ROCK of our family, laying atop our foundation of the Lord.  He works hard in school, with his website business, in his callings, and in his role as a husband and father.  He has finished his academic portion of medical school, passed his boards, and is now moving on to the clinical portion of his schooling.  But – he needed some kind of challenge to go along with his new exciting adventures in the clinic.  So, he decided to jump out of the van and tear the ligaments in his ankle.  I’m pretty sure it’s broken, but he thinks the black around his ankle is pretty cool so we’re sticking with that!

3) I am officially a Mom!  We bought a mini van.  Granted, we did get a Honda Odyssey so it’s not as bad as a true mini van - cause ours is kind of cool.  But, when I drive it, I feel like a mom.  A real mom!  Who would have thought?!?

4) I have another large ovarian cyst.  I have a lot on my ovaries, but they never bother me.  The only time they bother me is when they get large.  Well, the right side of my abdomen is in quite a bit of pain, and I will be watching what I do so it doesn’t burst like the one did when I was pregnant with Maejae.  Cause a ruptured cyst is painful, and not very fun!  And yes, I know – totally TMI, but this is my blog so I’ll say what I want!

5) My poor sister has experienced another heart-ache.  It is hers, and therefore, not my story to tell.  But, please keep her in your prayers if you know her!

6) Mike said he felt like he was dying during his last chemo treatment.  He then proceeded to vomit, shake, have pains, and lose A LOT of weight.  So, he decided that he was done with chemo.  Which – his doctors agreed with because his kidneys were suffering.  He now goes in every day for IV’s.  But, he is still going to finish the last 3 weeks of radiation to make sure they get all the cancer cells.  Mom is doing great – all things considered – and has been taking care of Mike as much as she can after work.

7) My grandma suffered some kind of heart attack.  Her caregiver found her unresponsive and started CPR on her until paramedics arrived.  She went to the hospital, where they couldn’t find exactly what had happened.  But, it just brings me to tears knowing that if she passes any time soon, I may not be able to see her due to my adoption/citizenship stuff.  For now, we’re saying extra prayers for Grandma so she can heal and continue to smile.  She’s the most stubborn of us all – so I know she’ll be ok.

8) I spent a week with my sister in Utah!  She’s pretty much amazing, and we had so much fun together.  We went swimming, shopping, to the zoo, to the library, etc.  My brother-in-law, Russ, was there too.  But, he likes the Saints, and doesn’t like Peyton Manning so we don’t talk to him!  Hahahaha!  Got ya, Russ :)

9) We took another trip to Utah to celebrate Nathan’s grandma’s 90th birthday! It was so fun to see most of the Larson clan together, and we had a lot of fun hanging out, eating, playing, etc.  And, Alison took us to feed the ducks, which was a lot of fun.  But, I think one of the ducks had a broken neck because it was totally bent and he couldn’t straighten it.  Sad!

10) A dear sister in our ward passed away last week during our crazy weather storm.  She passed away in her sleep.  On our way to the funeral, we were explaining to Natalie that Sis. Waite was in heaven with Jesus and Heavenly Father.  Natalie said, “But mom – do Heavenly Father and Jesus have a big bed for my friend?”  It was so sweet, and reminded me that yes, there will be comfort, and love, and peace waiting for us when our time comes to join our Heavenly Father.

11) We’re back in Arizona, and staying here for the holidays.  We are most excited about Christmas, and have started singing Christmas carols and thinking about our Christmas traditions.  But, for now, we’re looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We’re going to be Disney’s Royal family this year.  Nathan is our Prince Charming, I’m Snow White, Natalie is Cinderelli, and Maejae is Tinkerbell.  I’m quite excited, but still have to finish making our costumes.

 

So – there’s the happenings of the Larson family in a nutshell.  Now it’s off to sew with Natalie while Maejae naps!!