Speaking Larsen

This year at the fair, we gorged ourselves on good food and made sure to do all the things we wanted, because the farm is slated to be sold in December. The kids have worked so hard to help break the heifers to lead. We drove out to the farm twice a day for weeks and weeks to teach Mel B, Hazelnut, Cocoa, Paige Turner, Red Pepper, Dancer, and Lil Red to lead to water. We had extra help at the fair, too. Alex Chandler, a return missionary who served here in Idaho Falls, came back to the area to go to school but she had exactly two weeks where she we never was free to help us on the dairy and at the fair.

Landon's growing up and up on us. And I mean literally. His long legs kill me. He's ready to attend his first General Priesthood Session with his Grandpa Lynn, and Kyle. He's growing. UP.

Here is the mastermind behind Fablehaven, and now, Dragon Watch.  We were so excited about it we waited in line for 2 hours at the mall, with  Serene Heiner and her kids, to get our copy of it signed! It's really fun to meet authors the kids love!

The following photos weren't taken on January 31st, but that was the day Leena was born, so I'm back dating it a bit. Blaine and Paula welcomed Leena after months of waiting, and the whole family is excited to have another Pack baby in the family. Born after an 11 hour labor, Leena came into the world at 6 pounds and 15 ounces, and 20 inches long.

Landon has been really excited about participating in the Book of Mormon challenge that our young men and young women are doing. The other day he came home from school and asked if he could listen to a couple of chapters before he took off to go play with friends. He's a real keeper, I tell ya.

We made an impromptu trip to SLC and Provo right after Thanksgiving. We spent time with Chad and Courtney and kids, and they played while I helped Courtney decorate her Christmas tree! Then we met up with Janelle and walked around a cute area of town. We found this funny Santa costume piece and laughed and had a really great time kicking off our holiday season!

Today, this young man did something I've never been able to do! He solved his Rubik's cube! He's quite proud of himself, and rightly so. He spent hours and hours working it.

A little temple trip to do baptisms for the dead. When Brooklyn asked Landon to do her dress up, it was the cutest thing. When they decide to play on my bed by reading. When they steal my phone and take selfies Moments like these make this Momma's heart pound a little harder. You kids are good kids and so precious to us and as the days fly by, I hope you know how much we love you.

It's always a treat to have Grandma Betty in town. And today was no exception. We went out for Chinese and laughed and laughed. You cute grandkids sure make her happy.

Landon! Happy 11th birthday, bud! You're the best! Tonight we went to Applebees and ate our hearts out. The best part was they were doing free kid's face painting, and she sure painted you a fierce basketball. It was a nice day and we are so grateful you're a part of our family. A few days later, we got together again as a family and celebrated another accomplishment. You receieved your Arrow of Light! We are proud of you for working hard to fulfill all the required tasks to complete this difficult award but you did it! You and Dad worked very hard on it, and it warms my heart to think about how you two were neck deep into it. GOOD JOB! Also, you have the prettiest eyes. I know that boys aren't terribly fond of this, but we girls sure get jealous when you're blessed with such long lashes. You hate them, and I had to keep getting after you to STOP PICKING AT THEM. You were literally pulling your eyelashes out because you didn't like tha...

Landon's first basketball game of the 2016 season started out with a bang! Landon scored 14 points of  32. And they won! There is something pretty spectacular about watching your ten year old son play on the Bonneville Bees court. Something that draws the thoughts to the future with such bitter sweetness and uncertainty. You can't help but think: Maybe he'll play on this court when he's 16, too. Coming back to reality, you watch as they struggled and attempt to play as a team, and leave their days of bumblebee ball behind. This is just a few of the kids on Landon's team--I'll be sure to get a team shot soon! Also, on Friday night, he and I went shopping for a pair of basketball shoes. Should we have got them sooner, so he could break them in? Yes, but that just didn't happen. We finally found a pair he loved, at a price that didn't kill us, and they were blue. The best part is that he paid $25 dollars out of his own pocket for them. Anoth...

Landon's in 5th grade, which meant that he was assigned a historical figure, and Landon got John Cabot, the man who discovered Canada. Grandpa Lynn and Grandma Cindy came, too.  He worked hard to memorize his speech, and we scrambled to find something that would look historical enough for a costume.

After taking the horses up into the mountains for the Pack Family Reunion in July, we decided we really needed to do it more often with the kids. The stars aligned, allowing Grandpa Lynn and Lamont to have time to take up, Kyle to have a free Saturday, and BAM! We were on the road. Some fun tidbits: Kyle fell off his horse, when we were climbing up a mountain side. This was because Lamont had never tightened the cinch on the saddle. Landon and Jocelyn were very teary eyed for the first while. Just nerves, I think. Jocelyn rode in front with me at one point, and after a few minutes, announced: My balls are hurting. We laughed our heads off, and then she and I had a quick discussion on the difference of girl and boy body parts. Brooklyn rode with me most of the time. Catelyn rode like a pro, and for having been so scared back in July, was quite the champ this time. It was COLD!  Pepper loves to be in the mountains, and she and Shadow are a blast to take. ...

We are having a great Easter! While we are reflecting on the resurrection of Christ, we're also enjoying spending time together as a family! Chad and Courtney, and their children, along with Blaine, Paula, and Emery are here. On top of that, Grandma Betty is, too! We are all hanging out at Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Lynn's house. Last night, we had sweet and sour chicken while the kids spent over an hour playing Come to Court*, and the adults were making silly videos and laughing a lot. Today we had our own Easter egg hunt, and we'll spend the rest of the day hanging out, and nibbling on fruited chicken salad and croissants. And Easter candy! Tomorrow will spend some time watching the bi-annual LDS Conference, having ham and funeral potatoes, and more Easter candy! There's no school on Monday, so we'll get to spend that day together as well! *Come to Court is a game similar to hide and go seek. I think it's a game Chad and I made it up as chi...

Over the last few months, my kids have taken some funny photos, or I've caught something on camera, and it's time to share some of those. This one didn't want to watch Cate's tooth extraction. Love notes from Brooklyn. So gat! (great) The hoodie that just won't die. New pants. $8 So cute. Feb. 9, 2015. It was warm enough for t-shirts, shorts, and fudgesicles. Valentine's Party!  This one is IN LOVE with fake glass from the dollar store. She wears them everyday! Valentine's weekend--All the Pack Cousins! I am so glad that my kids feel this way. I think Jocelyn wrote this one.