2nd Grade Field Trip

For Makenna's second grade field, they went to the zoo. Makenna asked me to go and be a chaperone. I love that she wants me to go and be with her. She loves riding the school bus on her field trips. There were so many parent volunteers that I only had Makenna and her friend Lexi in my group. We teamed up with her friend, Kendall, and her mom to go through the zoo. It was a cool and rainy day. Luckily it only rained for a few minutes at the beginning of the field trip. The girls had fun running through the zoo and seeing a few of the animals. I love being able to go with Kenna and friends. It is fun to see her with the other kids.

Lately --

Makenna received her first report card for second grade and we are super proud. She is reading at a 4th grade level and excelling in other areas in school. She is expanding her food choices and learning to eat more school lunches. She has been playing goalie for her soccer team and doing really well at it. She has been doing a soccer clinic which has helped a lot. She almost has her back walk over in gymnastics. Once she has it down, she can move up a level and work more on her back handsprings.

Brynlee has been learning a lot in school. Pre-K does not do report cards. I do talk to the teacher a lot though and she says Bryn could practically teach the class. She is a good listener and very helpful at school. She has been doing the soccer clinic as well and has been progressing. She almost made a goal this past Saturday. She dribbled it all the way down the field and stumbled in front of the goal. Luckily her teammate was close and kicked it in. She did great. She is learning to hang from the bar at gymnastics and is becoming stronger.

Baby Brother is super active. He kicks me like crazy. He wants to make sure he gets attention I guess. His due date is in 58 days. I can't believe it. I'm eager to meet him. He makes sleeping difficult, but he's worth it.

Cheer Camp

Day 1 - Bryn

 Day 1- Kenna

Day 1- Red, White and Blue day

 Day 2 - Water day 

 Day 3 - Kenna

Day 3 - TuTu day

Day 3 - Bryn

 Bryn flying

 Kenna flying

Our Family

The girls had Cheer Camp back in July. Day 1 was red, white and blue day. Day 2 was water day and Day 3 was Tutu day. On day 3 the girls were able to do a performance of the cheer and dance they learned from camp. Bryn was so excited that she got to go this year. It's so fun to see the girls strutting their stuff!

Journal Pen Pals

I found this idea on pinterest about starting a journal with your kids. You write in a composition notebook and write letters back and forth. It can be about anything. The book is between you and one of your children. You tell the child they can write whatever they want in the book. When they are done they leave it on your bed. Then when you can write back, you do. The process repeats itself.  I thought it was a great way to talk between adults and kids. I did a book kinda of like that with a friend in high school and loved it. I sat down with Kenna the night before school started and talked the about the book. I wrote her a letter on the first page asking her if she would be my pen pal. I told her she can ask me questions, write stories, jokes, tell me about her day, anything she wanted. I told her if she was ever embarrassed to talk to me or ask me something she could write it in the book and I could talk to her about it. I told her that it was a special book between her and I and no one else. She seemed pretty excited. As I left her room, she said she had something she wanted to tell me and she would write it down. This morning I found the book on my bed. She told me a secret of hers. I was so excited. I wrote her back while she was school. While we were eating dinner, I told her I read what she wrote and she started smiling really big. She then said, ' I have wanted to tell you for a really long time, but i was too embarrassed.' I  was happy to know that this book helped her talk to me about something she wanted to tell me, but was too embarrassed to talk about. I hope that we can keep up this book as she gets older. I really hope she will continue to talk to me and be open and honest with me. I told her she can talk to me about anything. Even if she thinks she might get in trouble. I told her it is my job as a parent to discipline her and she still might get in trouble. But if I find out from someone else something bad that happened, she would be in much bigger trouble. Anyways....I think this book thing is a good idea for everyone. It also helps children work on their spelling, grammar and punctuation.

First Day of School

Today the girls started their 2013-2014 school year. Makenna started 2nd grade and Bryn started Pre-K. Ever since we applied for the Pre-K lottery, Bryn has been asking me if she can go. Both girls were super excited and ready for school. They woke up at 6am and were both dressed and wanting to go. Makenna was excited to buy lunch on her first day and Bryn was sad she is only half day and doesn't do lunch at school. I drove the girls to school and walked them in. Makenna was more than happy to leave and go sit with her class. Her friend Aliyah is in her class again this year. I walked Bryn to where she needs to go to meet her teacher in the morning. She seemed excited, but nervous. She kept asking if she could go see Kenna. I explained to her Kenna was in her own class and that they could see each other after school. Bryn's teacher had the kids hold hands and walk to class. This girl in her class seemed a lot older than her and took her hand. I had no idea that it would effect me so much. I just started crying. I guess I have worried about Bryn starting normal school. I was worried that the little girl would feel her hand and be scared of Bryn. The girl took Bryn by the hand and didn't even notice. She acted like her and Bryn were best buds. It was great. So yes, I didn't expect to cry, but I left very emotional.

I picked Bryn up from school and she was excited to see me. She got in the car and told the teacher we forgot her sister. Haha, Kenna doesn't get out of school until later. I reassured Bryn we did NOT forget Kenna and we would be back to get her. Then Bryn was super excited to show me the pencil the principal gave her and show me the folder she gets to bring home. She felt like such a BIG kid. Bryn kept asking me if we could go get Kenna. Haha, she doesn't like her when she is around, but when she isn't, she loves her to death. I asked Bryn if she made any friends. She said, ' yea, Lauren. Not my best friend Lauren, but another Lauren.' Bryn had a best friend named Lauren at her school last year.  I then asked Bryn what she looked like. She said, 'she had a black face.' I about died laughing. Made me laugh to hear how she described this little girl. She doesn't understand a difference in color or any of that. To her it's no big deal. It made me laugh pretty hard. Then at dinner she sat cross legged and said, ' apple cross, applesauce.' It was cute. I said where did you learn that. She said, ' my teacher, she is my best friend.' I told her the saying was criss cross applesauce. She couldn't quite get it.

Makenna came home super excited. She loved her lunch at school. In her words, ' I even ate the vegetables mom!' She was excited to have her friend Aliyah in class. She loves all the kids that sit at her table. Her teacher will be the best 2nd grade teacher for her, she says. She said Mrs. M was perfect for 1st grade, but Miss B. will be perfect for 2nd. Glad she approves. 

Both girls had great days and we celebrated by getting ice cream at Braums and coming home and riding bikes. Such a fun day!

Baby #3 is a.....

 Baby #3 is a BOY!!!!! We have broken the girl streak in the Larsen family. We are adding a boy to the crazy mix of diva girls. He sure is in for it. :) We are excited to start a new adventure in our family.

 his foot

 kind of creep view but its his face.

Announcing...

The Arrival of another Larsen on Dec. 24, 2013!!!

We are so excited to announce that our family is adding a new member. The girls are so excited and have named the baby, baby peanut. We find out the sex on July 24.

For those of you still scratching your head...

Unfortunately, I miscarried baby #3. We announced in our Christmas cards that we were expecting and a few short weeks later, the day after Christmas (dec 2012), we found out I miscarried. Luckily, a few short months later, I was able to get pregnant again. I am now 14 weeks along and the dr. says the baby looks good. The heartbeat is strong and we are very hopeful!! I have been very sick and am hoping it will pass soon!! 

Girls Last Day of School

 Connor, Alexis, Makenna and Alyssa

 Kenna and some classmates

 Silly faces with Emmalee

 Makenna and Grecia

 Makenna and her first grade teacher, Mrs, McIntyre

 Bryn and her teacher Mrs. Carol

Bryn and her teacher Mrs. Deborah

The girls last day of school was on May 22. I think they were both ready for summer, but sad to say bye to all their friends. I helped out at Makenna's end of the year party. 

Daddy/Daughter Sleepovers

Tyler started having sleepovers with the girls in the family room. He picks a Friday night, they get to stay up and watch movies and eat popcorn, then he takes them to donuts in the morning. The girls get so excited!! They love their daddy sleepovers!!

The First Dance Recital

 Bryn and her spunky attitude

The girls had their first dance recital on May 19, 2013. It was on a Sunday afternoon at the local high school. The girls were so excited to wear make-up and put on their costumes. Unfortunately, May brings us bad weather. Their recital was at 2pm, when bad weather usually starts. We got to the recital and made sure we kept our phones handy to watch the weather. The girls were in the second half of the show. Intermission started at about 3:10. At about 3:30 the show started again. Makenna was the second routine and just as her performance started, I received a text from a friend saying bad weather was headed our way. Bryn was going on shortly too. But Bryn had 2 dances. Tyler and I went back and forth on what to do. Right before Bryn performed I ran to the dressing rooms to warn the mom's of bad weather. Bryn was next to go on stage. She performed her tap routine. Tyler and I then made the decision to pull Bryn from her second dance and go home to get out of the bad weather. As we left the recital a funnel cloud was coming down. It quickly sucked back in to the sky and we made it home. We watched the storm from the west, spin over our house and a few minutes later it dropped a tornado just 2 miles East of us. It was a crazy. The girls did so good in their dances. Tyler and I were very proud of them.