To every thing there is a season...

Josh and Dad - 2011

 Sometimes you can just be living your life, going through the routine of everything, stressing over the unimportant details.  And then you receive a phone call that is life changing.  Your husband’s father has passed away in a shocking, unexpected way.  Time seems to stop and speed up in that moment.  You know things will never be the same.   You have to tell your husband the news, the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to do.  You don’t know how your family will ever move past it.  You worry for your husband and your entire in-law family who you love like your own.  You are amazed at the amount of tears a person can cry and wonder if you will ever stop.  You wish you had listened to the prompting you had to write your father-in-law an email those last couple of weeks telling him how much you loved and appreciated him, but kept pushing if off thinking you’d do it later because you were too busy.  Then you cry some more.

I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of my sweet father-in-law and remembering his life before we traveled to California for the funeral.  The boys and I remembered fun times.  I'm going to let them pick whatever pictures they like and make them each their own photo albums to keep.  I'm glad I insisted on taking a lot of photos even though he hated having his picture taken!

Papa Big Dog and Samuel - 2007

Papa Big Dog and J.J. - 2011

Papa Big Dog and Trey - 2006

Bruce and JoAnn

There's something healing about attending the funeral of a loved one with all of your family and friends.  I don't think I really understood that until now.  

 

It was kind of like attending a big family reunion with one very important family member missing.  

My amazing MIL and her 8 children - May 9th, 2012

The Larsen Family - May 9th, 2012

Still though, we had some fun times together.  Trey actually celebrated his 7th birthday while we were there, and all of the cousins had a lot of fun together.  

Trey opening presents (yes, that's a Christmas gift bag!)

Larsen grandchildren - May 11th, 2012

We talked, ate, laughed, and wished we all lived closer to one another.  I just love this family.  They are amazing.  I couldn't ask for better in-laws.

I hope I can teach my boys to be the kind of man their "Papa Big Dog" was.  Kind, generous almost to a fault, with a true love of the scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He didn't just talk the talk, he truly tried to help other people and never sought recognition for it.  I will truly miss him and I am so grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever.   For now, I know that he is being taken care of. 

Are you there readers? It's me. Christy.

I haven't blogged in a really long time.  I don't even recognize blogger anymore.  Everything looks different and weird.  It's not that I don't have anything to blog about, I do.  I keep meaning to blog but it just doesn't happen.  Maybe I should do something about that...

Maybe I will.  We'll see. 

A Man's Man

Yesterday I volunteered in J.J.'s class and was filing these short stories in a filing cabinet that his class had written.  The topic was something like "What I would do if I went to a ball" or something to that effect.  The girls all had these elaborate stories including what color their dresses would be, how a prince would come pick them up, take them out to dinner, they would dance all night, etc.  A few of the boys even had details like being picked up in a limo, and having a fancy dinner or whatnot.  It was actually quite impressive!

The majority of the boys however had stories like my boy.  And when I got to his, I had to take a picture.  If I was smart and knew how to operate my dumb phone (and it is literally a dumb phone) I could post this pic.  Instead I will write his story out for your reading pleasure.  Don't worry, it won't take me long.

"First I would get a suit and throw it on me.  Next I would go to the party.  Then I would eat dinner and go to bed."

Yup, definitely a man's man.

The funny thing was that the next story I had to file was a Halloween story and he filled the entire page with details about bloody zombies and graves and skeletons and the like.  At least I know he has writing skills when the subject interests him!

Honesty...it's such a lonely word.

Wow.  It's been so long since I posted that I didn't even recognize the new look that blogger has and it took me a minute to figure out how to write a new post!  Oops.  I don't even have time to write a full update.  I've increased my workload for my work-at-home job, at the most inconvenient time ever:  right before Fall Break when my kids are out of school for a week.  Yup, I'm an idiot.  But hey, when you need more money you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm on here because Trey always says and does some really funny/weird stuff and I decided I need to start writing these things down so I don't forget them.

At 6:30 this morning I hear running feet down the hallway.  Not unusual at my house because my children awaken at the crack of dawn.  I do not understand this and never will.  But we do have a rule at my house, and that is that they don't come out of their room until 7:00 A.M.  This rule is ALWAYS being broken.  Anyway, I go to investigate the sound of running feet in the hall at 6:30 A.M. and I find Trey fully dressed in jeans, T-shirt, socks and shoes.  What the what?

me - "Trey, what are you doing?"
Trey - "Oh!  Me and Bubba had an idea.  We're going to sneak out of the house, and go steal stuff."

And...another day begins in the Larsen household.

Am I Insane?

Maybe. In 2 days my oldest child will turn 8 years old. Yes yes, I can't believe it either. But what I can't believe EVEN MORE is that I was crazy enough to convince him to have his very first "friend" birthday party. Yes, you read that right. He's never had a friend birthday party, and I had to CONVINCE him to have one. He didn't want to do it and I made him do it. Of course now he's excited, the invited have been sent out, the RSVP's (sort of ) RSVP-ed, and there's no backing out! I am stressed to the max! The party is tomorrow.

I just have to keep reminding myself:

1. I have planned for every possible scenario (seriously, every possible one. It's a little ridiculous.)

2. It's only 1 1/2 hours long.

3. It WILL be fun.

4. I'm doing this for my son, so he can have fun with his friends.

5. And lastly, I have my supply of migraine meds waiting for me at home when the party is over.

Bye Sari!

My little sis Sari is headed off to the big bad world of college! So we decided to have one last sisters' night before she left. You know, a farewell to Mesa since she won't be back until...next weekend. Let's face it, she has a car and she's only 2.5 hours away so she will be back frequently! But still, it won't be the same. She's a grown up (kind of) now!

We started off by going out to dinner. We forced her to pick the place. And by forced, I literally mean forced. She is so indecisive! It was baby steps with this girl.

Me - "Sari, where do you want to eat?"

Sari - "I don't know, wherever."

Me - "No Sari, you have to pick! It's YOUR night! You have to pick your favorite place!"

Sari - "I don't have a favorite place."

Me - "Okay well where is a place you like then?"

Sari - "I don't know, wherever."

Me - "OH MY HECK! Okay...what kind of food do you like?"

Sari - "Um...Mexican?"

Me - "Okay! Mexican! Are we talking Taco Bell? Filiberto's? On the Border? Chili's? Serrano's?"

Sari - "I don't know..."

Me - "AUGH!"

Sari - "Okay okay...Costa Vida?"

And that is how we finally had a place to go! Here we are all ready to go. Correction, here we are where I am all ready to go and my sisters are making fun of me for being too overdressed compared to them. I can't help it, I don't get out much so when I do get a chance to go out in public, I actually do my hair (kind of) and makeup and put on jeans and a shirt without stains on it. :)

My boys wanted in on a picture too. Well, they all did until the last second and then Samuel tried to bolt but I forced him and then we got this:

Then since she had actually been up in Flagstaff the previous week getting to know her roommates and the "lay of the land", we made her dish up the details. Here she is ready to dish it up:

And here Nikki is ready to hear the good stuff:

And here I am with my giant scary eyeballs totally enraptured by tales of having to write your name on laundry detergent and food, splitting the cost of toilet paper, and weird roommate decoration choices:

We ate our delicious food and then left, and my crazy little sisters got in the fountain outside.

I didn't because I'm old and they said it was cold. Also I was wearing jeans and someone had to take the picture right? And then I saw a cricket almost crawl into my bag and I freaked out. I made Nikki carry my bag and empty the whole thing and make sure there were no other crickets that snuck in there. Have I mentioned my irrational fear of bugs?

Anyway, we got ice cream, came back to my place and watched a movie, talked, and had a grand ole time. I hope Sari has as much fun at college as I did! They really were some of the best years of my life. As I recently read in an awesome book I'm reading, Sari has "started a journey from which she will never really return."

Aw yeah...

You know what this pictures means right?

It means BACK TO SCHOOL! Today was the day I have been counting down for all summer long. Trey had his first day of full day Kindergarten and J.J. started 2nd grade. They were VERY excited to finally be in the same school together and ride the bus together! Usually I take them to school on the first day but they weren't having any of that. They waited long enough for this day and wanted to ride the bus NOW! So I decided to follow in my car and let them have their fun. Aren't they just adorable?

Trey can hardly contain himself.

The difference in personalities between J.J. and Trey sometimes cracks me up. Remember J.J.'s first day of school? Yeah, this was nothing like that. Trey literally ran off the bus.

He was the first one in his classroom.

After "Meet The Teacher" yesterday all Trey could talk about was how he gets his very own desk! Here he is, sitting at the famed desk!

J.J. was such a sweetheart, he didn't even want to run off and play with his friends he's missed all summer. He wanted to be with Trey on his first morning of Kindergarten! Here they are, still not embarrassed to be seen together. How long will this last I wonder? I hope it never ends!

And before I left I had to snap a quick picture of the big 2nd grader going into class for the day. Luckily he's not too cool to wave bye to Mom.

Well...here's hoping we have a great school year! Samuel starts preschool next week. Then I'll FINALLY get to clean this house! And trust me, it needs it.