School's out for the summer

McKay finished his last day of our preschool co-op. He loved every minute of it! He made such good little friends and learned so much. Every Sunday night he would exictedly ask, "Whose house is preschool at tomorrow?" To celebrate the end of school year he received a certificate for improving his name writing. The preschool had a carnival to celebrate with fun little carnival games and face painting. It was definitely a hit and enjoyed by all three boys.



Carter finsihed his last day of school on June 4. He had a great year and I was so impressed with his teacher and school. He also enjoyed every moment. He received a certificate for completion of first grade and also for perfect attendance! Luckily, since his school has 1st/2nd grade grouping, he will have the same teacher for second grade as well. After the last day continuation program, he enjoyed some year book signing and was especially excited that he even got his own Sharpie with his name on it to do all of his signing. Carter with his favorite teacher's aid, Miss Amy

Gone Fishin'

For memorial day we headed down south and did a little shopping at the outlets and then headed up into the mountains for a picnic and some fishing. Lamont has been wanting to take Carter and McKay fishing for a while. They have only been once and did not catch any fish. This time however, we were in luck and Carter, with Lamont's help, reeled in a 12 inch Rainbow Trout. We had already been out there about an hour and the novelty of fishing was beginning to wear off, so the catch came at just the right time. I was helping Tanner get some lunch in the car when Carter came running up very excited to tell me about their catch. The boys liked watching the fish swim around in the bucket that we brought. However, when it was time to go it was also time to gut the fish. Lamont took it down by the water. This ended up being a fairly traumtic experience for the boys. They both exclaimed in disgust that they could see blood. Carter continued to say, "I don't really want to see his digestive system." McKay on the other hand thought about it and said, "I miss him already!" At this point I thought they would not want anymore to do with the fish, but proudly took it to show the neighbor when we got home.

That night when reading in the New Testament picture book, animal sacrifices were described. McKay suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, that's what we did today. We killed an animal!" At least we know that he was listening to the scripture reader.

The next day we cooked up the trout with some garlic, lemon, and butter and had it for dinner. The boys were not sure at first, and McKay wondered where his head went, but both decided that they liked it and wanted second helpings. I think they will now know what do expect on the next fishing trip.

BYU Baseball Game

Yesterday we went with some friends to Colorado Springs to see the BYU baseball team play Air Force. We had a great time even though BYU lost. The best part was being able to high-five all the players after the game. One player even gave Carter and McKay each a baseball and we got several players to autograph it.

Annual flower planting at the temple

Carter told me that this was his very favorite primary activity of the year. We all go to the temple and plant flowers. The grounds are so beautiful and it is fun to be a part of that. We then go to the park across the street for a pizza dinner with the ward. It is always one of the best attended ward activities of the year. As we left the activity McKay said, "Mom, this was a great day!"

Soccer - Spring 2010

This soccer season was plagued by rain, snow, and many cancelled games. So needless to say we are happy that soccer season is over. It was very difficult to reschedule games because the default was always Sunday when we didn't want to play. So, after many make-up games and extending the season for a week we ended with two team parties to CiCi's pizza. Carter and McKay both had great seasons and were able to continue to improve their games. The most imporant part is that they love to play.

Carter with Coach Oxnam. He received the Defensive Dragon Award and trophy
Lamont coached McKay's team and he received the Soccer Superstar Award and trophy

All about Tanner

Tanner (aka: Little T, Tans, Boo Bear or Boo Boo) is 14 months old right now and as busy as he can possibly be. He weighs about 24 1/2 pounds and is an average height for his age. His favorite foods include graham crackers, bananas, strawberries, grapes, and most other fruits cut up. One of his favorite activities is to swing outside on his swing -it doesn't really matter how cold or windy it is outside. He loves watching Baby Einstein, and gets so excited when it is time to put "his" show on. He is quite attached to two blankies and his pacifier. He also loves to dance. This little boy has got the rhythm. Put on any music and he is bouncing up and down and nodding his head back and forth. There is just a small sampling in the clip below. However, I wasn't able to catch him for long because he has an obsession with the camera and gets quite worked up once he sees the camera and until he can hold it. The same goes for the telephone, which is why it is now very hard to talk on when he is around. He follows me around crying until he can push the buttons on the phone. So, if you call me and hear a crying baby in the background this is probably what is happening.

Tanner has also given us some concern recently with his severe eczema. From the day he was born he has had sensitive skin and the past two months it has flared up quite a bit. His feet became totally red, cracked, and blistered. It actually got so bad that we found out that he had a staph infection. We have since been to several doctors, his dresser is filled with ointments and creams, and we had to put him in wet p.j.'s and now wet socks (with dry ones over) when he goes to bed. He is also on antihistamines and more steriod ointments. The frustrating thing is that we finally get one spot under control and then it is another spot flaring up. This is new for me because neither Carter or McKay had any of these issues. Despite all the itching and irritation, Tanner is a happy and content little boy.

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Nothing like a good nap...

Being 4 years old is so exhausting!!!

Carter is 7!!!

Last week Carter turned 7 years old. He was on the count down until 6:20pm because that is the time when he was born, and he felt like it wouldn't be official until that time. We celebrated with ribs and twice baked potatoes, which are Carter's favorite. However, the excitement of the presents was so great that I think he finished dinner in about five minutes. Presents and cake came soon enough. He was excited to receive games, books,a recorder, and clothes. Thanks to all the grandpas, grandmas, aunts, and uncles who made his day special. We were also able to celebrate on the weekend with a dinner to Red Robin -Carter's choice of course.

Carter is such a sweet and sensitive boy. He loves learning and really enjoys school. His favorite subjects are math and art. He enjoys playing soccer and is learning to play the piano. He is a great example and big brother. In fact, McKay said of Carter, "He is one of my best brothers and loves to play with me." Happy Birthday, we love you Carter!

Happy Easter

Well, the Bunny came and the egg hunts were held, and the Larsen family had a fabulous Easter. The boys were so excited for Easter morning to come. Carter left out some carrots and wrote a note to the Easter Bunny that said, "Dear Easter Bunny, Refreshments are on us! You do not have to pay for ANYTHING. Love, Carter, McKay...." Easter morning they happily hunted around the kitchen and family room for candy, even Tanner got in on the action and loved the Robin Eggs.




My sisters planned an Easter egg hunt for the boys in the backyard. To say that it was a hit would be an understatement. All three of them couldn't get enough of it. The eggs were filled with candy, small toys, and coins. Carter quickly calculated how much money he received and McKay promptly went to work on eating his candy.



We had a nice Easter ham dinner with my family. It was so fun to have them in town and to be able to spend the holiday together. We were able to relax and watch General Conference. It was great to listen and be able to reflect upon the true reason for Easter - the life and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

A Great Spring Break

Last week was spring break for us and it was filled with lots of family. We had a very busy and very fun week. The boys were in heaven that they were able to see both grandparents in the same week. Lamont's parents came in on Monday for a couple of days while his dad had a work conference. We were able to spend a nice evening and dinner with them on Monday. On Tuesday the boys and I got to hang out with Grandma Larsen. We went to the Molly Brown house (the titanic survivor)which was very interesting had many cool artifacts and pictures from the time. We met Lamont for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then hit Hammond's Candy Factory, which the boys always love.


On Wednesday, we headed up to Golden and went to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave. Carter and McKay love dressing up as cowboys - boots, chaps, et al. We had a nice picnic lunch and then it was time to say good-bye to grandma. It was a short but fun visit.


My parents and sisters arrived late Thursday night after braving a Wyoming snowstorm. We had a fun Friday at the Denver Zoo and at Maggiano's for the best Italian food that evening. My family was able to attend the broadway production of Mary Poppins afterwards. We had already seen it - it is such a fun musical.


We started Saturday morning bright and early with Carter and McKay each having a soccer game. They both played well, and McKay let everyone know that he scored 9 goals (although, I think he claimed two of another player - either way he did a great job.) After an afternoon of General Conference we hit the bowling alley. McKay always plans on a bowling trip when Grandpa and Grandma Moreton come to visit.


Saturday night all the final preparations for Easter were made, including coloring easter eggs. Tanner attempted to color an egg, but once it was colored he just wanted to eat it shell and all. His egg coloring didn't last long. Carter and McKay loved every minute of it and dyed some lovely eggs as well as their fingers.

Tanner's walking!

Shortly after Tanner's first birthday he started walking around everywhere. He feels so proud now and tries to walk around all the time. Once he gets tripped up he will quickly crawl to where he can pull up on something and start walking again. What a big boy! Here he is showing off his skills when he first got going.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy 1st Birthday Tanner!

It is hard to believe that Tanner is already one year old! We had a lot of fun celebrating his birthday on Sunday. He took a small nap after church so that he could later enjoy the festivities and so that I could get dinner ready. After dinner it was time for the present opening. It was so fun to watch him open all of his presents. Well, we had to help him open his presents, which his brothers were very anxious about. He would squeal with delight at each new toy and would not want to move on to any additional presents. When he would open clothes, they were quickly thrown to the side in search of the last toy that he opened. However, it's a tough call who liked the toys better, Tanner or McKay.


In Tanner's mind the evening only got better as it was time for cake and ice cream. Tanner was not too sure about the frosting on the cake, but he could not get enough of the ice cream..

Tanner is such a sweet addition to our family. Today he went to the doctor and we found out that he is in the 50th percentile in weight, height, and head. What can I say, he is a well proportioned baby! It is now time to move to whole milk, sippy cups, and a front facing car seat. My little baby will be a toddler before I know it. In fact, there should be a walking post shortly.