Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Hula Birthday Sophie!

My sweet-as-sugar Sophie turned six this week. Here are the highlights of her day:
Breakfast. That's an "S" and a "6" - Gary's the master of French Toast Carving. And of Cake Decorating (but hey, I baked them, made the frosting, and stuck in the candles!):
The Luau birthday party: I decked out the studio with luau stuff and even enlisted the aid of my awesome blossom neighbor Dawn to help me create three six-foot palm trees out of duct tape and card board. (she's the best!) It was an atypical Martha Stewart touch for me, but they were really cool! Attendees were welcomed at the door by Maggie and her bud Rachel with leis and directed to the snack table or the coloring table where pictures of hula girls and parrots awaited
. Games: musical chairs, ring toss over the alligator's nose, the Limbo stick dance, grab the fish relay, Hula Hula Coconut (duck duck goose) and of course the traditional crazy dance party with the disco lights. I have to admit, having a dance studio really makes party-throwing a breeze! My house didn't even get trashed, although we had 18 kids there at one point, and the studio cleans up in a snap!
Opening presents with the friends. Over all a very successful, fairly easy festivity! Luckily 6 year-olds are quite easy to please!

Things I love about my Sophie:
*that her first instincts are good. When she lets herself, she helps before being asked, is naturally kind and loving, and is a happy child (as her constant singing to herself testifies!) I pray for her all the time that she will keep and nourish this trait!
*that she says the sweetest, sometimes nonsensical but always endearing things: "please bless that daddy will get home safely because I love him so very much." "Mother, watch me cuh-tsy!"
*That she's soft all the way around, from her little dimpled fingers to her "sophie slump" to her tender little feelings
*that she loves little things (dolls, littlest pet shops, tea sets, etc), just like I did when young
*her giggle!!!!!
*how she loves her daddy best. Really, I think this is so sweet! She's a daddy's girl. (It's okay, Maggie likes us both, depending on who's temporarily the most indulgent, but I get Spen! Of course, today Spen told me that he loves daddy best...and my mole. Well, at least he loves part of me!)

Autumn in Idaho

This may not be the most generally pleasing landscape in the world, but to me, Idaho in the fall is inexplicably charming. I have so many memories of Thanksgiving at my Nanny's house in Lewisville (population 451) that being here this time of year swoops me back to childhood holiday highlights. The shorn fields remind me of 4-wheeler rides down the fields behind Nanny's house; the sparsely decked trees evoke games of hide and seek in the riverbottoms; gray skies and the omnipresent wind remind me of curling up in Nanny's uber-cosy house shielded from the storm outside by brick walls, homemade fudge, waldorf jello and carrot pudding. It may be blah to the unconnected viewer, but I love Idaho in October.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Snapshots

Here are some of the most recent snapshots of Life with the Larsens:Our ward is doing a 90-day Book of Mormon challenge, so we read every night on our reading sofa downstairs. We're all really enjoying this, except for Bella, who gets wriggly when forced to sit and listen for too long...

...and for Spencer, who tends to fall asleep (preferably in full pirate regalia) as we read. Notice: he still loves my mole!

Over conference weekend we got to go to the zoo while down in Utah at Nana and Papa's house. Even though I've probably been there 200 times, I still LOVE Hogle Zoo! I could watch the bird show weekly all year long and still get a kick out of it. Luckily for us, Nana and Papa only live about 4 blocks away so we go there often.
By far our new favorite dining experience is eating at Tepanyaki restaurants. Luckily for the ol' wallet, there are none within a 30 mile radius of us up in Rexburg, but there's a lovely one right by Costco in Salt Lake where the kids beg to go every time. We all enjoy the dinner-and-a-show ambience, and nothing makes it more fun than being with Nana and Papa! Maggie had a particularly special weekend; Papa got her and Gary tickets to Conference from President Monson and they got to go to the conference center, park in the First Presidency's lot, and sit right up front. She loved it! Then she, through other private means, got to meet the Prophet himself, and sit and chat with him for a minute. She was one thrilled little 9 year-old!

Back home: who's the boss here, the dog or the cat? Meow!