What are you allergic to?

So I have a monster canker sore. I almost always have at least one. Actually, a canker sore is responsible for my angriest moment in probably the last decade...

[I brought home cookies from seminar for Eric and I, and as I walked in house I bit my canker sore for 15th time that day. I got so frustrated I spiked my cookie on the floor! Eric just looked at me, laughed, and then ate the pieces of cookie off the front rug...]

I know why I get canker sores: nuts. Well, walnuts really. But if I eat too many nuts I get canker sores. If I have even a fraction of walnut, I'll get a canker sore. If I already have a canker sore, any kind of nut will make it worse, or give me more.

Seems easy, right? Just don't eat walnuts! Most of the time I'm good about it, but occasionally I knowingly decide that I have to have the brownie...sometimes I don't realize it has nuts, and other times I figure it's worth it.

ANYWAY, this canker sore has made me realize that almost everyone is allergic to something odd.

Meg--walnuts, insect bites (if I get one mosquito bite on my hand, I lose all mobility. If I get more than five, I break out in hives!)

My brother, Andrew--all antiobiotics. we weren't allowed to get strep throat growing up.

My mom--eyeshadow (makes her eyes swell shut), and neosporin.

Eric--not really any allergies, but he can't touch suede or velvet, he says it makes his mouth dry. He won't even sit on a suede couch! If he does by accident, he has to go get a drink and then sit somewhere else...

So let's hear it. What are you allergic to?

A world of adventure...

well I brought my camera to Colorado and am taking some wonderful pictures and video...but don't have my camera cord so no pictures here until we're back in Utah.

The past week has been filled with traditional Larsen activities: NCAA football video games for the boys, a LAN party playing Command & Conquer Generals, a billion games of NERTS (I was crowned "NERTS wizard" a few days ago and am considering retirement to preserve my sash), intense games of Acquire (Eric would like the world to know that he beat dad, Reed, and Meg all at the same time--complete victory that may never again be repeated....;o), and lots of chasing boys around and eating junkfood.

We've also crammed quite a few outings into the week already. We took our nephews ice skating for the first time, saw the lights at the Chatfield Aboretum, went to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo, watched the Avalanche beat the Red Wings in a shootout, saw a few good college football games, did a family temple session, took a girls shopping trip, and watched the first three episodes of the John Adams documentary special, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the Nativity Story, Robin Hood, Get Smart, Hoodwinked, and lots of Judge Judy.

We even got a few hours of sleep here and there.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas and a *SAFE* new year.

Christmas doesn't feel so merry...

Why is it that when it rains, it pours, and when it pours, it's a full-on blizzard?

I really want to have a peaceful, relaxing break but I keep getting lots of bad news. My brother lost his job, my dad's best friend was killed while out biking with him this weekend, we just spent $557 getting our car fixed so we're not permanently stuck in Colorado...

At least my sweet Scotty always makes me smile :o)

Anyone have any good thoughts and prayers they can send this way?

Christmas crafts.

So I got all creative the past week or so and decided I needed to make something. I modge-podged a wooden "Believe" sign from the dollar store, thinking that would work it out of my system. It didn't. So i decided to finish Scotty's quiet book for christmas--which is a huge task because I hadn't done a thing since Janae moved! I doubt I'll finish it in time but i've made progress and so far it's really cute, I think :o) not spiritual, but occupying.



I used Janae's idea for a tent with a zipper. When I proudly displayed my first completed page to Eric, he asked me what was inside the tent. WHAT? inside? I asked him what *should* be inside the tent...and he calmly replies "a bear." Guess i'm never going camping with him again!






But hey--ask and ye shall receive. One bear in the tent coming right up.







This page didn't turn out as cute, but hopefully it's entertaining. I designed it so each flap could velcro down, and when you lift it up...







...it says "CSOTT" . Perfect!







Before Janae left, i copied her idea of making a cute face...but then realized that I probably shouldn't give Scotty long hair to braid. So I had to find something else to do with the cute face I had worked so hard on. The page on the right has three pockets...





Presenting, Scotty the Clown! I put magnets behind the face in certain spots, and made funny felt pieces to magnet on...how clever I am!







I think maybe I had a little to much fun doing this.








Here he is imitating his uncle Andrew!









And little Scottette...so sweet!






I also made this cute button shirt. You'll notice the buttons form a traffic light, so we can teach Scotty early about daddy's crazy driving... ;o) love you, Eric!




I still need at least 3 more ideas to fill the pages i have before I can put it together. Ideas, please?

THEN, Martha mentioned that it would be fun to make advent calendars, even though it was already the first week of december. i got hooked on the idea, got some free fabric from freecycling, designed an advent calendar, and put the whole thing together. Yes, it's the 16th of December, but the extra candy didn't go to waste because i ate it while i sewed!

It's all fabric and the days are pockets for candy and notes.

We've made a family rule that in order to get you have to give--whenever you can take something out you have to replace it with a paper saying something nice you did for someone else, something you accomplished, a cool scripture you read that day, compliments about how amazingly fabulous your wife is, etc. Eric's pretty motivated by candy :o)


P.S. I posted a ton of pictures in the next post, so keep scrolling down!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from our recent adventures.

Last Friday, Eric's brother watched Scotty for us while we headed to Salt Lake with the Birk's for the MoTab Christmas concert. A real date! Hours away from our child! We even got to dress up! Unfortunately traffic was insane and we didn't get in, but we had a good time checking out the lights and eating ice cream. This spot holds a special place in my heart: it was the first time I was ever kissed in the snow! It was even with Eric ;o) Aah, freshman year...Next time, Eric will bring a coat.

Since we're in a student ward, almost everyone heads home for the holidays. So this past Sunday was our Christmas program (my voice came back just for the day so I could sing in the choir). We got Scotty dressed all spiffy, and he matched Madsen. These boys are so fun to watch together--they're 3 days apart and have been creating chaos since day one.

Fast forward 17 years and they'll be dressed the same, only headed for Prom.
Eric tried to get some family pictures of Scotty all spiffy and my new red shoes...that was an adventure because Scotty got yet another tooth breaking through on Sunday! Still, a few cute ones.
Aren't those hot red shoes? Too bad you can't see the side--they're actually VERY tall heels.




It's been snowing, here in Provo, and let me tell you--our cottage looks MUCH better hidden under a blanket of white! Course once it starts melting and mixes with road slush, we'll have sunk to an all new low. Still, I figured I owed to Scotty to let him actually try the snow out before we move to Phoenix and never have to live in it again.

My Own Abominable/Adorable Snowman

He loved it. Unless he fell down, he happily sang and played for almost an hour. Though he didn't like the Scotty angel I made much...

Getting out for the first time...

Shoveling the path (a la Fred Flintstone)

Christmas Tag!

Christmas Tag!

Thanks Sam, for inspiring me to add yet another list of Me to this blog :o)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? if I have time i love paper--and scotty can actually open them! but i often opt for bags because i don't have time
2. Real tree or Artificial? i'm starting to turn to the dark side here, but i love the smell of a REAL tree...*sigh* the ficus just isn't doing it for me this year. Actually, my family has a tradition of hunting down a live tree and then planting it in the backyard after new year's...
3. When do you put up the tree? depends. it's not much fun by myself, so i'd rather wait until family can help out!
4. When do you take the tree down? when it becomes a fire hazard...?
5. Do you like eggnog? i'm Switzerland on this, but Eric is a fanatic. I actually have pictures of him and his brother Stephen doing Egg nog shots (alcohol free, of course!) at our wedding...
6. Favorite gift received as a child? the miniature house my mom and i put together. i still collect pieces for it!
7. Hardest person to buy for? my dad. i always end up picking a movie out of HIS movie box and giving him $10 for it...
8. Easiest person to buy for? myself? ;o) probably my mom, because i always see things that are "her"
9. Do you have a nativity scene? kind of, i have an ornament with the scene on it. i'm holding out for my mom's amazing handpainted nativity puzzles!!!!

isn't that amazing?? they made it for Enrichment one year because a man in the ward owned his own woodworking shop....JEALOUS.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, though the cute cards i ordered didn't come with envelopes!!! so unless i find some for cheap i guess i can't mail them...
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? um, a hardcore blizzard? i'm not opposed to SNOW, i just don't like living in it.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Nativity Story (if you want to borrow this let me know, it's wonderful!) or A Christmas Carol. Speaking of, I just entered a giveaway to win a few of these! (here's to hoping my luck continues... i won $10 to cafe rio and another coupon packet this morning!)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I start getting ideas for people and have time. i'm famous for finding all sorts of presents i bought throughout the year when it's time to start wrapping!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? don't think so...though i did share one set of the snowman dishes i got for my wedding with the Birks :o) anyone want to throw a snowman themed party?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? peppermint anything, chocolate covered pretzels, and hot chocolate
16. Lights on the tree? no, there are no lights on the plastic ficus, but i'm happy with either white or colored.
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Breath of Heaven or "O come, o come, immanuel"
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? i'd rather stay home, but i'd miss seeing family!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Randolph (the bow-legged cowboy)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? both! we always got PJ's or slippers on Christmas eve growing up, and Eric and I continue that, as well as my aunt's tradition of giving everyone a book to keep them occupied when they can't sleep :o)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? not having central heating.
23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? i decorate with memories more than any theme, though i think color coordinated trees are very visually pleasing :o)
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? ham. and lots of dessert.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? my only request was for the Wicked soundtrack, as i lost mine sometime this year!!
I tag: Janae, April, and anyone else who wants to share!

100 Things and more!

Merry (almost) Christmas, everyone!

There have been a few funs things in Larsenland this week...

First, Eric finished classes for the semester! Only a few finals left and we're taking a good two weeks in Colorado.

Second, Scotty got three new teeth this week! He's finally starting to seem happy again, so we're grateful.

Third, he was ridiculously adorable at church today. It's been a frustrating few months trying to get through church with an adventurous monkey and come home feeling like it was worth the trip, but the past few weeks have been a lot better. I guess he's finally old enough to somewhat entertain himself, and he thinks passing bread around and sharing a snack is brilliant! He claps everytime... Today during sacrament meeting everytime there was a prayer he would fold his arms :o) makes me feel like at least i'm doing one thing right as a parent, though it's probably a fluke. When he started getting a little ansy i leaned over and told him that sacrament is when we sit quietly and think about Jesus. I didn't expect that to sink in or mean anything, but he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, "Je-jus?" SO DANG CUTE!

Fourth, I got some amazing Christmas shoes--red high heels (yes April, I totally found them!) Eric tells me it's the best $15 i've ever spent. Pictures to come!

I saw this on a blog I visited: 100 Things

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

The blue is Eric, the green is Meg, and the red is both (i know blue and green don't make red, but whatever!)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train (does an overnight ferry count?)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (mom called them "mental health days")
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (the cheap "one crossing" type!)
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (does Wii baseball count?)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox (twice) (eric had shingles a few times)
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Christmas Spirit

So I find myself wishing that I had a house that deserved a display like this...



Amazing, isn't it?

For those of you thinking about joining the giveaway fun, I won three move giveaways this week :o) I'll post pictures of my new loot when it arrives! Has anyone else had any success with giveaways, product tests, surveys, etc.? Let me know!

***GIVEAWAY*** Inspirational Music CD!

I'm hosting a giveaway of my own on Meg's Magic this week, so make sure to check it out and spread the word!



Good luck :o)

Answers to Larsen Movie Trivia

Congrats to Trevor for being our winner! We'll cook you up an apple pie or some cookies or something. Here are the answers to the Larsen Movie Trivia:

1. "Steve, you're married? Congratulations" "no, but we will be soon" "Ah, condolences."

Answer: What's Up, Doc?

2. "May I take your trident, sir?"..."Can I go to the bathroom before I eat?....Thank you."

Answer: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

3. "Yeah, well people like blood sausage. People are morons."

Answer: Groundhog Day

4. "It's like the cardiac arrest: if I fake it, then I don't have it."

Answer: What About Bob?

5. "You suicidal?" "Only in the morning."

Answer: Ocean's 11

6. "Who's gonna clean up this mess? "I'll tell you who's gonna clean up this mess. You're gonna clean up this mess because you are a garbage man."

Answer: The 'Burbs

7. "Would you tell Picasso to sell his guitars?"

Answer: School of Rock

8. "A what?! A writer! I write. You know, with ink and parchment....?"

Answer: A Knight's Tale

9. "He really tanked. But he did it with flair."

Answer: Hitch

10. "You really did it? You robbed that store?" "No, but I did take a Slurpee and I didn't even pay for it!"

Answer: Fun with Dick and Jane

11. "You let our love fern die!"

Answer: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

12. "Some people call me...Tim."

Answer: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

13. "Can I get you some more eggnog? Something to eat? Take you out in the desert and leave you for dead?"

Answer: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

14. "The boy must grow to be a warrior. Who better to teach him than macho man Randy Savage in the cage of death?"

Answer: Liar Liar

15. "You could take me for a walk and kiss me on the veranda..." "Lips would be fine."

Answer: The Three Amigos

16. "Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!"

Answer: O Brother Where Art Thou?

Escalante Thanksgiving!

***Don't forget to enter the Larsen Movie Trivia contest for a homemade apple pie! The current leader is Taylor with 6 (one is wrong cute cousin!) but she's in Seattle and I don't think pie ships well, so come on Provites!***

I got to spend TG with my mom's family out in the boonies of Escalante National Monument, and it was a great vacation!. We had hiking, food, snow, NERTS, and family!

Why I love my family: my uncle Roark agreed to pay his son $5 to jump into the freezing water...it started snowing 10 minutes later! Of course, we all egged him on.

Eric was such a good sport about hauling Scotty around--even straight up! This is the entrance to Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon.

Check out the amazing slideshow below.

First, my list of simple blessings:

Cough drops and mucinex. the adorable smile Scotty gets when he runs to give me hugs. peanut m&m's for adding protein to my junk food diet. hearing sweet singing over the baby monitor. crock-pot food that makes me feel domestic. Christmas decorations! FM 100 for playing non-stop Christmas music since Halloween. the dollar store, for letting me satisfy my shopping craving on a budget. all of my pregnant friends, for letting me live vicariously in your excitement without the sickness! online giveaways and spider solitaire, for distracting me from doing school work. pajama pants. my super-helpful and supportive husband. my SAHM neighbors for preserving my sanity. 2 weeks off meds without an emotional breakdown and genuinely feeling NORMAL again! people who update their blogs frequently. digital cameras because I'm not a scrapbooker and I never print anything. toddler cds from the library for making me feel less silly singing nursery rhymes (scotty just stares at me....and then claps). having my own piano. good book recommendations. All of you reading this!

Larsen Movie Trivia

Well, in honor of this being the 100th post here in Larsenland (now Scottland)...we decided to create a little Larsen movie trivia for all of our lovely readers. Here's how it works: we'll list quotes from some of our favorite movies. Put your guesses (no cheating and looking things up!) in a comment and in a week from now, we'll add up the number of correct answers to determine the winner. Winner gets a totally rad larsen prize, like cookies or a pie or a big hug or something. :o) Have fun! Feel free to submit your favorite quotes and see if you can stump us....

in no particular order of preference or difficultly, here is it:

LARSENLAND MOVIE TRIVIA

1. "Steve, you're married? Congratulations" "no, but we will be soon" "Ah, condolences."

2. "May I take your trident, sir?"..."Can I go to the bathroom before I eat?....Thank you."

3. "Yeah, well people like blood sausage. People are morons."

4. "It's like the cardiac arrest: if I fake it, then I don't have it."

5. "You suicidal?" "Only in the morning."

6. "Who's gonna clean up this mess? "I'll tell you who's gonna clean up this mess. You're gonna clean up this mess because you are a garbage man."

7. "Would you tell Picasso to sell his guitars?"

8. "A what?! A writer! I write. You know, with ink and parchment....?"

9. "He really tanked. But he did it with flair."

10. "You really did it? You robbed that store?" "No, but I did take a Slurpee and I didn't even pay for it!"

11. "You let our love fern die!"

12. "Some people call me...Tim."

13. "Can I get you some more eggnog? Something to eat? Take you out in the desert and leave you for dead?"

14. "The boy must grow to be a warrior. Who better to teach him than macho man Randy Savage in the cage of death?"

15. "You could take me for a walk and kiss me on the veranda..." "Lips would be fine."

16. "Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!"

More prizes...

I just got an email telling me I won a $50 giftcard to WalMart! Yay! Now the big decision: should i be responsible and buy food and groceries, or be fun and use it for Christmas?

Eric says we should have me play the lottery....

Good luck to all of you!

Fun things...

My two favorite boys:Aren't they so cute?! Eric took Scotty to church on Sunday because I was sick and they happened to dress the same... (Scotty's also showing off his new shoes--check the bottom of this post) So, overall it was a really fun weekend for the Larsens. (we'll ignore the frustration of a certain Saturday event).

Friday for date night we used a 2 for 1 coupon for a BYU hockey game and brought Scotty--and he loved it! For all the drama we've had with football this season it was anyone's guess, but he did great. He found the stairs to be perfect sized Scotty chairs, so he sat on his own most of the game and stomped his feet, yelled, threw his arms in the air, danced to the music, flirted with the girls on the next bench.... He's starting to learn the "Rah-rah-rah-rah-rah" end of the cougar fight song which is hilarious. I'll have to catch it on video one of these days...

Saturday we went to this amazing cabin up Provo canyon to watch the game with our ward. This place was HUGE and gorgeous, with a home theater and lots of stairs to keep Scotty entertained.


He was pretty content to play with toys and get tons of attention, but occasionally he would wander off and we would have to go searching--his favorite place to hide was the walk-in shower in one of the MANY bathrooms... The game was frustrating, but hey, we couldn't have picked a better place to watch it!
For once I remembered to both bring my camera AND take pictures, so welcome friends!

This was an intense round of boxing as a halftime workout. The best part of this was Christine laughing at me everytime I swung the bat in baseball--but I won so I don't know why she found it so amusing ;o)Some of my favorite girls! I realized that I have like 2 pictures of my Provo friends...LAME.

In other exciting news, I've been entering giveaways the past few weeks. I got the idea from Deanna, who recommended a few sites. I have the buttons on the side bar of my Meg Magic blog if you're interested.

Anyway, I won these adorable baby shoes!

Who would have guessed that baby shoes would cost $40, but they were free so hey, Scotty is livin' it up in style now!

Blue and White Week

So, if any of you are around in Provo during the day and looking for something to do, head up to campus! From 12-1om every day this week BYUSA is sponsoring Blue and White week in honor of the football game on Saturday...

So far this week Scotty and I have gotten blue gushers, popcorn, blue cotton candy, blue powerade... Scotty got a little help from me and Cosmo to throw a football through the backdrop hole and win a shirt for me :o) He also got his picture taken with Cosmo and the cheerleaders. Talk about a lucky little boy!

Hope to see you all there. Scotty gets a lot of attention cuz he's so cute and little. And a total flirt...you should have seen him with the cheerleaders today!

What a weekend!

After a recruiting dinner (and an Italian Soda buffet!) on Thursday night, we headed out early Friday morning for Colorado. As Scotty only took one nap the entire week, I thought for sure he would crash in the car. WOW was I wrong...he slept for maybe 15 minutes, and only because uncle Stephen was petting his head! Still, we all managed pretty well for four adults crammed into a small car around a car seat. Scotty was determined to defend his space, and kept pushing aunt Bekah out of the way and yelling "no!" at her for encroachment.

Friday night we hung out with Eric's parents, watched 27 dresses, watched the latest episodes of The Office, and ate a ton of food. Saturday we slept in a bit and then headed out to Reed and April's. We left Scotty with his three cousins and drove out to the Air Force Academy for a great football game. We had fabulous seats, only met very polite fans (though I'm sure we drove them nuts with our yelling and chanting "Unga unga unga chunga"...it was our last football game as students!). You may notice that there are absolutely no pictures in this post! That's because I forgot to pack our camera. Lame, I know.

After the game (and napping in the car on the way home) we played games with family and ate some amazing food with Reed, April, and the boys then tried to get some sleep before our drive home on Sunday.

Driving in a car for 16 hours in one weekend tells you a lot about your kid. I for one, learned that Scotty thinks pig noises are hilarious. Even for hours. I also learned that hysterical giggles are always better than whining, and yelling is particularly loud in a confined space like the backseat of a car. I also learned that I am extremely grateful for McDonald's play places, and that fairly gross food is worth it if it keeps your kid entertained.

Monday morning adventures...

Well, we all knew this day would come, though I didn't know today would be it: a trip to Urgent Care.

Scotty woke up this morning and decided he no longer wanted to use his left arm. We gave him a graham cracker. He looked at it a few times, twitched his fingers, then reached over with his right arm to bring it to his mouth. We did patty-cake, and he only went "up in the oven" with his right arm. Something is DEFINITELY wrong here!

We took him to urgent care just after 8, saw a great pediatrician that I would love to see again, and with just a little adjustment (and a tiny cry) the doctor popped the bone in his forearm back into place. Apparently, this is super common, and with Scotty as pain-tolerant and squirmy as he is, I'm kind of surprised it didn't happen earlier. And hey, he got a yummy sucker for it! We were concerned, but everything is good now and all three of us are much happier!
Friday I went up to visit family while my mom was in town. It was good to see my grandpa, who's been in a nursing home for the last few months. The residents there all loved Scotty and he showed off appropriately by waving and blowing kisses. He also loved grandpa's room because it was duck themed!

Mom and I attempted to take "cute fall pictures in the leaves." Yeah. Hello, squid boy. He thought the leaves were tickly.


Scotty will be 15 months on Wednesday, so here are the stats:

weight: 21.3 lb
height: too squirmy
teeth: almost 6
favorite book: the texture ABC's, Jemima Puddle Duck (thanks mom...i have to make up a new story everytime so it's not sad!)
favorite song: Shake My Sillies Out, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
favorite things to do: wave the wii controllers with mom and dad, play the xylophone, sweep, eat junk food, march in place, parks and slides, and anything out of the house!
words: No, no no no, yeah, hi, no, num-num, water, mama, dada, baba (Papa), nan (Nana), beba (Baby)

Cutest thing ever: the other day I picked Scotty up after his nap and he pointed to a picture that covers the huge hole in his wall. It's a picture of Christ with the children that was in my room growing up. He points at it and says clearly: "Je-jus". I did a double take--we talk about Jesus and try to do things like that, but I can't take credit for this one. I tried it again with him later, and he said it again. I've never heard him even babble those sounds! I visited my grandma in South Weber on Friday and she tried this out with a picture he had never seen before. Sure enough, he points at it and says happily "Je-jus!"

The pictures must be accurate, because he clearly recognizes him as Jesus. If only babies could really talk and tell us all the wonderful things they know! What would my little boy teach me about the Savior? How can I possibly teach him anything?!

P.S. he loves to help clean. thanks for visiting Nana!

A Hodgepodge of Current Events

Last night we elected a new president, who stands for "Change." I woke up this morning and my world sure looked different! Not sure how I feel about it...

In other news, Prop. 102, a constitutional amendment recognizing only a marriage between a man and a woman, passed in Arizona. I voted there and we're moving there next summer so we are relieved and reassured by that. Eric and I stayed up watching the numbers roll in and we were impressed by how many people supported this amendment and Prop. 8 in California. All of the media attention focused on a very vocal minority was starting to make me wonder if I was the only one who felt this way! Looking at the county maps was enlightening...really, only a few localized counties had a majority of "no" votes. As of right now, it looks like Prop. 8 will pass! Eric of course has been compiling a rad excel spreadsheet tracking all the votes by county in all five states voting on issues of gay marriage or adoption. I'll post that later when it's finished and formatted :o)

Enough of politics! I'm ready to be done for a nice long while. So, other recent happenings in the larsen family include:





throwing a baby shower for my neighbor (who might be induced today!) and getting creative (thanks for the ideas, Misty!)









Halloween! We took Scotty trick-or-treating at the mall, and he loved playing on the toys in the food court. We had to lure him out of this bus...









I'm also relieved to announce that our cute little boy will not be a four tooth wonder forever: two new teeth have broken through, top and bottom on his right side. Now he'll look like a little lopsided 6-er...

Election Day

here's how they think it's shaping up...

Surveys and Mystery Shopping

I've talked about this with a few people recently and I realized that maybe some of you are interested. For the past few years I've been taken surveys online and doing some mystery shopping when I had the time. I've joined LOTS of groups but now participate in only a few as I've weeded out the best ones. I don't buy those claims about making thousands of dollars from home, but I earn enough for a gift certificate or two a year and about $100 in my free time...not to mention all the product tests I get!

So, if you're at all interested, here are my recommendations and advice.

1. Surveyspot

This site is the best for getting paid outright. You receive email invitations for surveys that tell you outright how long it's expected to take and how much you will earn for completing it (usually 3-5 bucks per survey). There are a few catches: not all surveys are paid, though you know that upfront. You usually have to complete a few for free before you get paid invites, but trust me, i really do get paid from this site. You have to qualify for a survey to complete the whole thing, so if they're doing a survey on smokers and you answer "no" to first question of "do you currently smoke?" than you won't qualify and you won't get paid. Also, it takes a few weeks for the survey to show up in your account, and another month before you receive your requested check. Not for people in need of fast cash! Still, I consistently receive 3-5 paid survey invitations a week.

2. Synovate (if you want to join this one, let me know and I'll email you an invitation)

This is the best for product tests. Surveys are not paid, but you earn points for completing them which can then be redeemed for cash. For me, the occasional checks are just a perk, I really belong to this for the products. In the past year I have received a TON to evaluate: toilet paper, Nyquil, shaving cream, shampoo, mouse, gel, toothpaste, fruit juice, skin care, face wash, soap, candy, deodorant....an added bonus: the companies that invest in product testing aren't the Kroger kind--this is nice Neutrogena and Pantene stuff!

3. Certified Marketing (mystery shopping)

I see ads all the time, but I know this one is legit. You have to actually fill out information and fax in paperwork, but it has some great opportunities if you have the time (I haven't since I had Scotty). Mostly what I did was mystery shops at stores like Abercrombie and Hollister because I can pass for a teenager, but the movie jobs are amazing! They pay you to record which previews were shown before a film or count patrons at a specific showtime. I got paid to spend a day watching The Nativity Story when it came out to count patrons, and I also got reimbursed for two adult tickets for each showtime so Eric and I had a date that actually PAID us :o)

4. MyPoints (only if you get bored at home or shop online a lot)

This one I don't really recommend unless you shop online a lot or have lots of time on your hands. You earn points for clicking on ads (I click through 20 ads about once a week) and eventually redeem those points for gift cards. I don't shop online often, so I never spend money through this but it does take time. I spend a few minutes a week doing this to earn probably two $25 cards to Chili's a year. If you work a regular job your time is probably better spent there, but if you're a stay at home mom with a few random minutes a week, this might be a good perk for you. Let me know if you want an invite to this one (you get points for referring people and accepting an invitation).

My words of advice
1. NEVER pay to sign up for any survey club, group, site or shopping. They'll pay you if they're worth anything!
2. Use e-mail filtering or a separate email account because all survey invites and shopping assignments are sent through email.
3. You probably have to do some surveys that don't pay in order to qualify for those that do. In the beginning, I did almost all surveys that were sent. Now, I simply delete the ones that don't include a dollar sign in the subject line.

Tagged...

Ok Sam, here we go: 5 things (sorry I never did the picture one--i don't have any pics on my computer from more than a year ago...)

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago: let's see, i was fourteen, and a freshman in high school?
1. competitive gymnastics! last i checked i could still do a backflip but it's been a few years...
2. october means the AZ state fair; my mom and I used to always bake and create things and enter them in the fair...$5 per blue ribbon adds up! (and my mom paid my entry fees so it easy money for me!)
3. orchestra. i begged my mom to buy my violin for years and then only played for four years--just ran out of time! sorry mom!
4. the school musical "Damn Yankees" where i played a host of random characters, including the world's smallest and least mannish looking baseball player you can imagine
5. hoping to be taller than 5' when i grew up! i didn't break that mark until sophomore year.

5 Things on my "To Do" list today:
1. get fingerprints for my AZ background check so I can complete my teacher certification process! (didn't happen, boo BYU!)
2. clean the house
3. take Scotty for a walk
4. make yummy/healthy dinner out of random food found in cupboards
5. go to the BYU women's soccer game with the fam

5 Snacks i love (i only get to pick five?!)
1. junior mints
2. peanut m&m's
3. ice cream, especially anything that has more than three words in the title and contains fudge and or marshmallows
4. grapes. (gotta have something healthy!)
5. chips and salsa, but i'm a weeny about hot and spicy, so i dip my chip in just a little bit for the flavor instead of scooping a bunch of salsa into my mouth

5 Things i would do if I were a millionaire
1. buy our little cottage, tear the thing down, and make it NICE!
2. pay for my school loans outright
3. take a year off to travel (and get Eric off the North American Continent!)
4. buy a beautiful grand piano and set up a recording studio in my house
5. have a house with doors and closets!

5 Places i've lived
1. the avenues in salt lake (as a baby!)
2. ohio
3. arizona
4. BYU dorms
5. our cozy cottage by the library

5 Jobs i've had
1. piano teacher (from 8th grade to senior year--anyone in Provo interested in lessons?)
2. movie theater usher/ticket taker. yeah. great perks though!
3. cold stone creamery--i also got to decorate ice cream cakes
4. chemistry instructor (yay!) and graduate student (...)
5. MOM! best mom ever!

I tag my mom (the other best mom ever ;o), Janae, Martha Harmon (thanks for finally updating your blog!), and my old roomie Liz. Have fun!

Halloween Antics

Ok, so it's not Halloween yet, but we had a group party tonight and the pictures are too funny not to share! The kids were so cute in their little costumes--I only wish I had gotten a picture of everyone...

This cuddly (but sad) lioness is our next door neighbor Callie. The pumpkin girls also live on the same block.

Instead of cute and cuddly, we opted for the shrunken skeleton. And yes, it glows in the dark! Rad, I know.

As for me...well, I took my parents up on their suggestion.

What do you think?

I tried to get Eric to dress as Obama but he didn't go for it. At least he was the donut eating race champion! No pictures of that hilarity and I had my hands in pumpkin guts at the time.

There were also some totally awesome pumpkins. This was my favorite, but I was also partial to Matt's temple pumpkin and I made the Cheshire Cat one....

Happy Halloween!