Bowling Bums

We have gone bowling with once before, but that was when he couldn't even sit up. He kind of just sat in the stroller and watched. This time was a whole different story....

 

 We had a blast celebrating Papa's birthday!!

 

 

And of course Blaked LOVED being with his Aunt T.  The are seriously tight pals. Blake will do anything with her. 



 

 

As always, Blake is a great helper. Granny needed some "help" and Blake was right there for her! Haha.

 



The Larsen family had a blast bowling... it is in our blood! Or at least Ryan puts it there. LOL. Loving our life together in NC!



Snow Day

We have actually gotten some really winter weather in NC this month. Ok, maybe nothing to really get excited about, but at least we got to see some snow this year!
 
Ryan laughs at how we handle snow in NC. In Utah they have inches upon inches of snow all the time and they just continue about their daily routines. Here in NC, we cancel school before it begins to snow and we run to the store to get bread and milk. HAHA.
 
The snow started at night, so Ryan and I got to see the beautiful flakes....

 

 

The best part was waking up and showing Blake the snow (the very little bit of snow..haha). Ryan and I were WAY more excited than Blake was. He kind of just looked at us like 'Why do you have me out here in the freezing cold?!'. Still...we got the photo op and I guess that is all that counts at this age. :)

Kanki With Ojiisan

Ryan's dad served his mission in Japan, so it is only natural that we take him to Kanki while he is here visiting! Plus, who doesn't like to eat at Kanki?!?! 

Since Ryan has moved to NC, he is teaching Blake all kinds of new things... like sword fighting with chopsticks for instance! Haha.

The fun thing to notice is how these three Larsen boys are so alike. I mean, can't you see the similarities?!

Now, when you arrive at Kanki they always ask, 'Are you celebrating anything tonight?' How can you simply say no?! That's lame! So, we said that it was Tad's birthday. Always a safe bet. We kind of forgot we said this as a joke until they came out singing with ice cream and a candle! 

Happy Kanki birthday, Tad!!! :) Only a few more days with him here...and we are loving every second!

Moving Surprises

This has been the weekend that we have waited for!!! We are officially in our house (pics to come soon) and we are together again as a family. YEAH!!

Ryan made it to NC on Sunday afternoon and he brought a couple of extra things with him...

Grandpa Larsen came along all the way from Salt Lake City, UT! He came to help Ryan move and of course visit with us. He will be here for a week, so we will share all of that fun later.

Ryan also hid a surprise in the trailer...my Christmas present. Yep, I got a motorcycle. :) Ryan and I have talked about riding bikes together and how awesome that would be. Once again, he is making our dreams a reality. Now I just need some Ninja training wheels. Haha. 

And finally, Ryan couldn't actually bring this with him to NC, but he got to at least go to dinner in Georgia with.... Jake!! Elder Larsen is 4-5 months into his mission and Ryan got special permission to drop in and see him on his way home. What an awesome moment!

 

The past few days have been so overwhelming...overwhelmingly awesome. I think we have pushed ourselves to the max thinking that it will end soon. But the great thing is that there is no time limit on our time together now. Ryan is officially out of the Army and we are settling down into our little house in Rolesville, NC. Sigh. Great feeling!!

Moving Update

We are almost there!! Moving week is next weekend. Blake and I will move into our house next Saturday and we will be there and waiting for when Ryan (and Grandpa Larsen) get there on Sunday! Yay! We just have a couple of things left to do!

Moving To Do List:
Change mailing address
Paint living room, kitchen, hall, and Blake's room
Unpack  (Never thought that one would end)
Hang Curtains
Put Blake's furniture back together
Get DirectTV and Internet turned on
Switch electric into our name
Hang pictures and frames
Do the ultimate cleaning
Grocery shopping
Final move of odds and ins from my parents house to ours

Only a couple of things left to do this week!!! I couldn't have done this alone. Ryan and I had to figure out a new way of doing long distance team work. Luckily, we learn quickly. :) Also, a HUGE thanks to my parents who have taken turns with painting, moving, and baby-sitting shifts so that everything can get done. Team Work!!!

Just think, next week at this time, Blake and I will be waking up (6am according to Blake's busy schedule) in the comfort of our new house...and waiting anxiously until Ryan gets home. AAhh.... I love when our dreams become realities!!!

11 Months, Oh My

 

 

Our little boy is 11 months old, I can't believe I just wrote that. Perhaps that is why I am late writing this post... denial. Haha. It is so amazing to see how much he continues to grow. Here are the updates!

 

• He has learned to flush the toilet...and sneaks into the bathroom to do it. Let's just say we keep all the lids down now!
• He is done with baby food. He will try to eat any kind of table food - carrots, cheese puffs, bananas, green beans, pancakes, peas, sweet potatoes, and more!!
• He is mocking us when we say things like "yeah" and make noises. Such a cute copy cat.
• He can walk all over the house with his little walker.
• He will actually sit and watch TV shows now.
• Blake is very cautious when it comes to trying to walk... he is still working up the nerve to do it on his own.
• He can't stand his car seat facing backwards. Turning that thing around soon!
• He still loves skyping with his daddy...and cant wait to play with him in person next week.
• He LOVES playing with other kids. Our little social butterfly.

Ryan and I have already started planning Blake's first birthday party. Can't wait to share the theme and details with you. :)

 



Happy New Year

Happy New Year and Hello, 2013!! I love New Years. It gives such a "new beginnings" feeling. There are so many things for our family to look forward to this year. To begin with, we get to be together again in our "new" house in LESS than two weeks. Now that's an awesome way to start the new year!!!

Normally I like to list New Years resolutions and goals... and yes, we have plenty of them, but this year I think I want to list something else. I want to list our family bucket list. Our family was apart for 6 months last year, and we missed out on so much together, so this year we are going to make up for it all!!! :)

The :Larsen Family Bucket List:

• Go to the zoo
• Go to the beach
• Go on a couples vacation/get-away
• Weekly date nights (at least 3 out of 4 weeks a month)
• Go to Boone, NC
• Attend a concert
• Start family traditions
• Go to as many sporting events as possible (baseball, football, etc)
• Finish our basement - or at least apart of it (let's be realistic here)
• Take family opportunities to serve others
• Get bikes - including a carrier attachment for Blake
• Create many "firsts" for Blake to have as a 1year old

I think that is good enough to get started. It has been our dream to settle down as a family and really start living life in our home. This year we finally get to start doing that. Who knows what this year will bring to us, but whatever it is, we will face it together!!!