Merry Christmas!

Here is our last minute Christmas card. Hopefully you will be receiving one in the mail :). Let's just say Josh has excited eyes in every one. He can't decide if he's more excited for Christmas or his birthday (Dec. 27th). We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sam (10), Josh (7), Hannah (5)

Benjamin (2)

A new room just in time for Christmas

Here are the pictures I promised. This is the entry way.

Here is a close up of the pillows and couch.

Here is the the room from the entry. It turned out so great. Thank you Caitlin!

The pictures on Caitlin's blog are far superior. Check out her link, and yes, my kids did those self-portraits. It was very scary to let them have artistic license.

Things to Love

So I finally broke down and hired a decorator. Luckily, Caitlin is a friend of a friend. Anyway, she has been helping us with our front room. I totally love her! The best thing about Caitlin is that she has great taste and likes to save money. Many of our new pieces are second-hand. Check out her blog at http://www.ccinteriors.blogspot.com/

Our first decorator was our talented friend from St. George, Kristi. She decorated a room she had never seen and we have loved it. Thank you for the ottomans and pillows that are still in use! I will put up a link to Kristi's blog soon. I have to double check it.

Also, if you need an inspiring story in your life, check out my cousin's blog. She is one of the most amazing people I know. She is fighting a rare form of cancer right now with courage and grace. She is truly amazing. Check out her blog at http://www.jasandamrhodesfamily.blogspot.com
We would appreciate any prayers and good wishes in her behalf. Also, if you have any secret or crazy cures for cancer, please share.

Road Trip

So we decided that we needed a UEA get away! Needless to say, road trips with four young children are challenging, but this one made the books. We left Thursday at noon and drove to Jackson Hole, Teton Village actually. It was freezing cold, but we were happy to be there. The next day we went into Yellowstone. We anticipated a 45 min drive to Old Faithful, but thanks to road construction, we were in the car three hours each way. Who can honestly except a toddler to stay in a car seat for that long? We did have a great time seeing Old Faithful and the hot pots, but it was way too much car time for me and the kids. Once we got back to the hotel, Josh threw up and three of the six of us were sick with colds and coughs. Saturday we ventured into Jackson and then decided the kids had had enough of that, so we came home. On the way home we had two barfers and a 16 oz bottle of diet coke explode all over the car. Jordan says we aren't taking a trip for five years!

Boys and Girls

So sitting in Church today, Josh leans over and whispers, "Mom, for your birthday I'm getting you a rat, a DEAD rat." Hannah on the other hand says, "Mom, for your birthday I am getting you something beautiful and sparkly." My boys often accuse me of spoiling her. I wonder why I would want to do a thing like that.

New E-mail

After a long and very stressful attempt to switch from Comcast to Qwest, back to Comcast, I am pleased to say I have a new e-mail address. It is melissalarson34@gmail.com. Send me a note to see if I am up and running. PS, sorry if you sent me a note and I haven't responded!

Quote of the Day

"Excellence does not require perfection" - Henry James

House News!

As most of you know, we have thought about moving and even attempted to move several times! At last it looks like things are going to work out! The best part is we get to stay in the same schools and neighborhood, even the same Ward. We are excited to have more space. My absence in blogging is due to the fact that my every effort has been spent to keep this house clean! Anyway, we are under contract and close on both homes at the end of the month. We are happy that Hannah will have a room and a real bed in time to start kindergarten! Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Moab. We had a great time. Thankfully, my Mom stayed home with Ben so we could all enjoy the trip. Thanks Mom and Marianne!

I will include pictures of both houses in my next post!

Top Ten Kid

Sam turned ten yesterday. I honestly cannot believe it. It seems like just yesterday we were making forts together and decorating cookies. I decided that the days of motherhood are long but somehow the years go by fast. I am so sad to see how fast time is slipping away from me. Is it too late to put them all in a bottle? Anyway, Sam had such a busy day that we couldn't even fit in a party (thanks to excessive amounts of homework...seriously a subject for another post). We are officially celebrating on Saturday with his friends. We did a "top ten" list for his birthday invitation. I think it turned out kind of cute.

Top Ten Reasons to Come to Sam Larson's Birthday Party

1. Sam will be 10!

2. There will be pizza

3. There will be cake and ice cream

4. We are going to Nicklecade

5. We will play games

6. There will be prizes

7. There will be friends

8. There will be presents

9. There will be sugary beverages

10. There will be adult supervision!

Happy Birthday Sam! You are the best son a mother could ask for!

Unexpected Enlightenment

I was at my kids' elementary school to accompany Sam's class on a field trip. On my way downstairs, I read this quote. Seriously, I am finding the best stuff lately.

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

That one is a zinger for me lately. To any of you who thought it sounded familiar (like me). Yes, it is indeed Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Gotta love JK Rowlings!

Favorite Quote

I heard this one on the radio and ran home to right it down. I think I got it right, or am at least close: "Survey wide fields and cultivate small ones." - President Hinckley

A Boy After My Own Heart

Much to his dismay, the bag of chocolate chips was empty. Ben's favorite foods include chocolate, candy, and cookies. He is a very stubborn eater and now can climb to get anything he wants. I am very relieved that he is talking and walking more every day. His favorite word is "no" but it is adorable in his little voice. Anyway, things are looking up at the Larson home and February promises to be a better month than January. Does anyone else hate January?

Jordan has a new job and he is under much less stress. We should have health insurance again in March, so pray with us that nothing catastrophic happens, or we will be in the poor house. We are contemplating COBRA coverage, but it is a fat $1000 for our family per month. Luckily, if something does happen we can reinstate coverage by making the premium payment. I'm sure you were all wondering about that. Overall life is looking up. Attitude is everything, right?

January Sucks

Okay, so a friend of mine made me realize why I haven't been blogging lately.....Yes, I admit, I am addicted to the Twilight series. (Lara, I'm already reading Breaking Dawn, but I have to fight Jordan for it every night) Unfortunately, the real reason for the lapse is that Jordan lost his job last week. Construction is just so slow right now that his company made some major cut-backs. It is hopefully a temporary thing, but I'm pretty down and feel all around angry with the world right now.....Probably not something everyone wants to hear about. Anyway, when I can pull myself together I promise to put up pictures of Christmas. Right now we're just sort of in survival mode.