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!

Carter's First Day of School

Today was finally Carter's first day of school. It seems like his school started later than a lot of the others - especially the year round schools. Carter has been very anxious to start. We bought his school supplies weeks ago and he has literally been counting down the days.

He had a good day today and immediately told me that they had Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk come and visit them because he lost his beans and needed help finding them. He is also very excited that Friday is pizza day for lunch and has already memorized his lunch number so that he doesn't "miss out" on pizza day. He also told me that it should be an even more exciting day than today because he would get to do math, art, music, and centers tomorrow. It was hard to feel sad at all this morning when I dropped him off because he was SO excited to finally be in school.

Take me out to the ballgame... and the Natural History and Science Museum

For some end of the summer fun we went to the Rockies baseball game on Saturday. It was "Rockies Rookies" night so the kids got to make a loop around the baseball field before the game started. The stadium is pretty large, so it was fun to get close and personal. Afterwards, the boys were extremely excited to meet the mascot Dinger the Dinosaur (first and last time- that line was nuts!). We then enjoyed the game with some hot dogs and peanuts. McKay especially loves the seventh inning stretch and sings as loud as he can. It was a fun way to spend our last Saturday evening before school gets started.


Previously, I also took the boys the the Natural History and Science museum. It was a cool museum and we all enjoyed ourselves there. That is one of the things that I really enjoy about Denver, there are so many museums and cool things to do pretty close to us. I am just beginning to learn about all of the fun places to take the boys.

Are you sure?!

This past Sunday I was sustained as our Ward Young Women President. To say the least, this is a very overwhelming calling for me. I have never served in the YW organization before and my only YW experience is my own. I couldn't help but wondering if the bishop was really sure about this. I know how things work in the Relief Society, but not the Young Women's. Once the bishop assured me that he was positive, I knew that I needed to accept. Last night was the first mutual night and I did survive. I do not even know any of the girls and none of them even knew who I was - I heard the teenage honesty of, "I wondered, 'who is that?' when you stood on Sunday." I guess it is just going to take some time for me to get organized and get to know all of the girls. Any advice out there from past or present YW leaders on what you found works well, activities you have liked, or balancing time with a very busy husband???

Ward Family Campout

Last weekend we headed to a beautiful area in the Colorado mountains for a little family campout with the ward. It has been a long time since we have camped together as a family. In fact, McKay has not been since he was a baby. We headed up last Friday after work only to move into a very heavy rainstorm. In my opinion, camping and rain don't mix. We ended up making a little pit stop to Wendy's so we would not have to roast our hot dogs in the rain. By the time we got to the campout it was just perfect because the rain had just stopped. The turnout at the camp was small, but those of us who were there had a great time and the rain even decided to stay away. The boys both slept well through the night, after I repositioned them in their sleeping bags several times.


In the morning we enjoyed some delicious breakfast burritos and pancakes. Afterwards we had some fun relay competitions with the other ward in the next campsite over. Lamont and I even participated in a couple of relays and a tug-of-war. The boys had a blast and are still talking about how much fun the campout was and wondering when we can go again. I guess we may have to hit the mountains one more time before the cool fall weather comes.

Swimming Lessons

Carter just finished a session of swimming lessons last week. It was four days a week for three weeks in lessons. This was great because Carter was able to have the consistency that he needed to really learn to start swimming. I noticed great improvements that he made over the course of three weeks. He was so proud when the session ended and he was advanced to the next level.




*McKay cannot do swimming lessons until he is three. He definitely has a fear of the water. There was a baby pool next to the big one where he was able to "play in" while Carter was in lessons. Actually, I was doing good just to get him to step all the way into the pool. So, I guess his lesson this summer was to overcome the fear of the water. I am not sure if he advanced to the next level, however. Oh well, there's always next summer!

Summer Fun!

We have done a lot of fun things this summer. But, now that we are finished with all of our trips, we are enjoying the summer here at home. We have spent a lot of time at neighboring parks with friends, several even have a splashpark. It took McKay a little while to warm up to running in the water, but now it is the perfect activity for a hot summer day. We also joined the summer reading programs at the library and Barnes and Noble. Carter received a free book from each and the boys also received various prizes. We always look forward to the summer reading program.


Recently my parents were in town to help us put in a sprinkler system (more to come on the backyard project later) and we took the boys bowling. They are still talking about this outing and both LOVED it! The smallest bowling shoes were a little too big for McKay, but he didn't seem to care and insisted upon wearing them anyway. It was so fun to watch the boys get such a kick out of bowling. I guess that is something that we will need to do again soon.

...6 Random things...

In answer to a tag from Amber, I thought it would be fun to share six random things about myself that maybe a lot of people don't know. So, here it goes...

1. I have lived in four cities in 7 years of marriage (Provo, UT; Austin, TX; Corpus Christi, TX; and Aurora, CO).

2. I am very good at hula hooping and can keep the hoop up for a VERY long time! I know, what talent!

3. I used to assist in Lasik eye surgery and have had it done myself - I would highly recommend it!

4. One of my favorite movies is and always has been Mary Poppins.

5. I used to debate in high school and always wanted to go to law school. (I am not sure anymore since I put Lamont through law school).

6. I think blogging is thereputic for me -it is my time to unwind while the boys are down for naps.

Snowmass Village - Aspen

I had a two day conference this past week in Snowmass Village - a small ski resort village just outside of Aspen (tough assignment, I know). Melissa and the boys came along and had a great time soaking up the scenery and checking out all the shops and fun activities. We met up during my lunch breaks and one day took the ski lift to the top of the mountain. Snowmass was very pretty and the houses there were unbelievable. We had our heart set on one, but it was just a little pricey - $58 million. On our way home, we stopped and had dinner in Aspen, paid $5.12/gallon for gas, saw an abandoned mining town, and took an incredible scenic route over the Continental Divide, complete with hairpin curves and deer running across the highway. It was a quick trip, but a lot of fun.

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Larsen Reunion - Pigeon Forge, TN

Over the week of the 4th of July we had our first Larsen reunion. It has become a lot harder for us to get together with Lamont's parents, siblings and their families, so this was a great way for us all to spend some quality time together. We flew into Nashville and then drove a couple hours to Pigeon Forge where the Smoky Mountains are located. They were very green and beautiful. I did not know that mountains could look like that in the central U.S. We had a wonderful time enjoying one another's company and seeing the sights in the area. Here are some pictures from our week:

While in town...

With the funeral being in Utah, the boys and I decided that we might as well make it an extended stay. We had planned on visiting later in the month, but our visit ended up being longer and earlier than originally planned. It was truly a relaxing trip and some quality family time. We spent some time shopping (it always seems like there's good shopping in Utah), took two trips to the zoo, ate at some great restraunts including Cafe Rio, and went to a Bees baseball game, just to mention a few. The boys were spoiled with attention and we all had a great time. I was not great with taking pictures on the trip, but here are a few...

Riding the carousel at the zoo

Aunt Michelle reading stories

Lunch with Juice Grandma

A highlight for McKay was playing with the cats and dog

In Memory of Alice Earl Packard

My grandmother passed away on June 5, 2008. Even though she had been in the hospital for awhile, it still seemed to come suddenly. She was only 75. But she lived a good life, stayed true to the end, and left a great legacy. We made a quick trip to Utah for the funeral and it was good to see so much extended family there. Below is a collection of pictures my brother Kimball took, as well as my grandmother's obituary from the Deseret News.

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Alice Earl Packard 1932 ~ 2008 Alice Earl Packard passed away peacefully surrounded by her husband and children on June 5, 2008. Alice was born July 9, 1932 to Kenneth Owen Earl and Vertie Ann Leavitt Earl in Bunkerville, NV. She married Floyd L. Packard on Feb 8, 1951 in the Idaho Falls Temple, thus beginning their eternal journey together. Alice dedicated her life to her husband, her 14 children, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and her husband settled in Carlsbad, California for 49 years where they raised all their children. She loved her country and was influential in all five of her sons earning their Eagle Scout Award. Alice loved music and passed this love on to her family. Her compassion and determination helped her successfully raise her large family. She possessed a beautiful smile and refreshing laugh, which always brought a twinkle to her eyes. She was a quiet pillar of strength and support to her husband as he served in many positions in the Church. Together, she and her husband presided over the Florida Tallahassee Mission from 1984-1987, served as the first president and matron of the San Diego, CA Temple from 1993-1995, and served a couples' mission to the Washington D.C. Visitor Center from 2001-2003. Floyd and Alice recently moved to Highland, Utah where she continued to strengthen her family. Alice is survived by her husband of 57 years; her 14 children; her 101 grandchildren; 41 great-grand children; and many friends. She will be deeply missed!