The Backyard Project!

Our backyard has been our summer long project and we are finally finished! We never knew putting in a small backyard could be so much work. We have gone about it step by step and done much of the labor ourselves to save money. We started back in May with hiring out to get our patio put in. We then decided to get the boys a playscape. When we purchased our playscape we got a big box of wood, pieces to the swings and slides, and a set of instructions. Needless to say, it took many hours to put it together.

My parents were then kind enough to come and visit at the end of July. They helped us put in the sprinkler system in the backyard. We finished in one long day! We all worked very hard and appreciate all of their knowledge and help to get it finished.


Once the sprinklers were in it was time to level the yard. We also needed to bring rocks in for the side of the house because there are restrictions in Colorado about putting grass within five feet of the foundation. Many people in the Elders quorum came and helped us knock out this project quickly. We served some breakfast burritos, doughnuts, and juice and they continued hard at work laying 14 cubic yards of dirt and 6 tons of rock in our backyard. They worked so quickly that we were done by noon! This would have been a project that would have taken Lamont and I several weeks.

The last step was to lay the sod. Our hometeacher and another friend came and helped us finish up the yard a couple weeks ago. Once again the work was finished quickly with many hands. We can now walk on the grass and I keep looking out in the backyard to check and see if our yard is really completed. We are so excited to finally have a yard for the boys to run around in, and appreciate all the help we had in making it happen. The only thing left is just to add some trees and shrubs and eventually a box garden, but I think that will have to wait until next spring.

Catching Up-

It seems like there has been so much going on lately and a lack of time for blogging. Where do I even start? I guess our time has been spent on a combination of things: the demands of Carter's new school, trying to get a grasp on my new calling, soccer season is back, McKay has begun his pre-school co-op, and on top of all that a new addicting manuscript from Stephenie Meyer (Midnight Sun). Where does all the time go? Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

McKay on his first day of preschool


The soccer team
McKay getting in a little practice of his own

Labor Day Weekend

For labor day weekend we headed down to Angel Fire, New Mexico with some of Lamont's cousins to his aunt and uncle's cabin. It had been quite a while since we had spent some time together, and it was great for second cousins to get to know each other. Angel Fire was just beautiful and I was surprised at how mountainous it was. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend with family playing LOTS of games and having a BBQ. The boys tried to do a little fishing, and we even took the four wheelers out for a spin! Thanks Janene, Alicia and families for the fun!!

BYU 28 - Washington 27

Wow, check out that blocked kick!! Although the score ended up close, BYU clearly outplayed Washington and but for a goal line fumble, would've had another touchdown. Washington sure had luck and the referees on their side - except for the last two plays!! This was the first time BYU has blocked at PAT since Dec. 5th, 1998 vs. Air Force. But check out how the Washington player has a hold of Jan Jorgenson's jersey (#84) - one of about a dozen holding calls that should've been called against Washington.

FINALLY...

This is a blog posting that has been a long time in coming...after some struggles we are very excited to announce the upcoming birth of Baby Larsen #3 due on March 6. We are very excited and so far everything seems to be going well with the baby and pregnancy. We had a sonnogram last week and the baby was happily kicking away. I am doing well and am just having some normal fatigue and stomach aches. The boys are both very excited, and when we told them the news Carter immediately went downstairs to make sure there would be room for the baby at the dinner table. It looks like as the time draws closer we'll have to discuss what newborn babies can and can't do!