It's Finally Mutual!

I knew this day would come, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon after I'd pointed out the opposite! I mentioned in a previous post that Anders simply adores our Diva, but the feeling was definitely not mutual. Eva would scream every time Anders even looked like he was going to come over. Fortunately, that didn't even phase Anders and he still smothered her with kisses and loves. This past week, Eva has become one of Anders' biggest fans. It is so heart-warming to watch her gaze at him and coo when he comes near her instead of scream. She now looks at him in the same way she looks at Christian and I. He is constantly telling me, "she smile me Mom!" Whenever Eva wakes up from her nap, Anders rushes over to her, gets in her face, and says, "hey sis! You have good sleeps?" I love that when Anders wants to hold her, she will let him. She loves when he smashes his face on hers. These two pictures were taken within a few minutes of each other. She actually tolerated it for quite a while! You can see she'd already been through a number of face smashing and kisses from Anders...her face looks a little blotchy.

Roughin' It!

Originally, we were all hoping to take a weekend camping trip up Fairview Canyon over Father's Day weekend. Somehow, the trip evolved into a dutch oven dinner at Fairview Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Larsen, Steve and Lezlee, and Stephen and Whitney. The weather was horrible. We spent the entire time either wrapped in blankets or cuddled in the car with the heater on, drinking hot chocolate. The dinner was fantastic and well-worth the trip up there. I am sad to say that in the 7 years Christian and I have been married, it was the first time I've actually spent any time in that canyon. Christian was so lucky to grow-up only minutes away from a destination people travel hours to visit. Even in the horrible weather, it was absolutely beautiful and really put me in the camping mood. We will be back Fairview Lakes. You haven't seen the last of us!

We had to get a picture of the lovely ensemble Grandma Larsen threw together for Anders since his neglectful mother forgot to bring warm clothes for him (but remembered some for herself!). I'm so glad nobody else braved the cold to witness it.

Nothing better than having a dirty face from only being in the mountains for a couple of hours!

2 year-old boy + Dinosaur Park = Euphoria

Who would have guessed that taking three boys ages 1 to 4 years old to the Dinosaur Park would be such a pleasant experience! As much as Ryder and Anders adore each other, they really know how to push each other's buttons. Nikki and I often wonder if this is something we will be dealing with our entire lives...let's hope not! My mom, Carly, and I decided to brave a trip to the Dinosaur Park alone with all three boys last Friday. I can honestly say that I walked away from that park feeling like I actually enjoyed myself for the first time in a long time! The boys were amazing! I'm sure it was the wagon we rented which allowed Ryder to keep busy by pulling our lazy Anders and strapped in Houdini baby Easton! I think it is safe to say that a good time was had by all. A dinosaur is still pretty much a dinosaur to me. They all look the same!

Anders and "the beasty boy" riding who knows what
Anders and Ry Ry diggin' for bones

Carly surfin' on again...who knows what

No need for words

My Daddy is my Favorite Pal...

It is coincidence that Father's Day happens to be this week. This past week, I have noticed Anders doing special little things to show how much he idolizes Christian. The other morning, he decided that he should put every hat Christian owns on his head...in the same direction that Christian wears them. My favorite thing he did happened a couple of days ago at the gym daycare while I was volunteering there. Anders was playing with two cute little girls that were dying to play house with him. The older of the girls kept asking Anders, "do you want to be the daddy or do you want to be the brother?" Anders simply responded, "no, I be da Pharmacist." The little girl was getting so frustrated with him, she repeated, "you want to be the Pharmacist? No, I'm going to be the mommy, you need to be the daddy or the brother because you're a boy." Anders just repeated very matter-of-fact, "no, I be da Pharmacist." I was sitting across the room giggling to myself. I'm so glad I got to witness that!


I just had to add this picture of Anders' new accomplishment. I don't know if other 2 1/2 year olds have difficulty putting their pants and underwear on by themselves, but Anders has really struggled. I always end up doing everything I can to help him, which usually involves me holding his pants in one hand (with Eva in the other) and we somehow manage to find some creative way to work his feet into the right holes. Well today, Anders decided he was going to try it himself (thankfully!). His feet got in the right holes, but as you can see, his pajama pants ended up being inside-out. I thought it was so cute because he was SO proud of himself. Way to go Bud! What you can't see is he gave up on the underwear all together...therefore, he is going commando! That's my boy!

I Enjoy Being a Girl!

If you think it should be easy to take a picture of a 2 1/2 month-old's feet, you're wrong! A couple of days ago, I'd planned to finally break-down and paint my own toenails for the first time since last summer. I thought that the perfect time to do it would be during the kid's nap. Of course, things never go as planned when it involves a nap time. Eva would not take her regular nap. I finally decided to paint her toenails instead and BOY am I glad I did! Aren't they precious?? She finally did fall asleep and I got to paint mine as well. It is so fun to have matching toes with my sweet little Diva!

Eva the Diva

As if you couldn't already tell, the Larsens have fallen head-over-heals for our Diva. We were unprepared for the liveliness she was going to bring in to our family. When Christian and I would talk about what we expected our second child to be like, we came up with the exact opposite of what she's turned out to be. She has earned the name "Eva the Diva" that Aunt Nikki has given her. Even Anders has begun calling her that. The other day, he asked me, "where's the Diva?" This name suits her so well, because she literally has won over everyone she meets. Even though, lets be honest, she is a NAUGHTY baby, she's just so dang adorable you can't hold it against her for a minute! The girl has the loudest cry I have ever heard on a baby and she uses it to her advantage. If you aren't holding in the exact position she wants you to, she will scream relentlessly. It is so fun to see two little people we love so much interact with each other. It is no exaggeration when I say that Anders adores every breath that Eva takes. He welcomes her with a "Hey sis!" every time she enters the room and loves to smother her in kisses. Unfortunately, we can't say that Eva shares those feelings for Anders at this point. I know she will someday, but for now, she pretty much cries any time he comes anywhere near her. Regardless, Anders would do anything for his baby sis. He even endures long 2 minute car rides with the Diva screaming in the seat next to him without complaining. I hope his feelings for her last forever and that someday, those feelings will be mutual!
These pictures I posted are once again, evidence that I have an AMAZING sister-in-law! Amy had heard that I was struggling (majorly) with the idea of having two kids; one of which being extremely colicky. Amy called me and wanted to know how she could help. I told her that I just needed to get out of my house and go somewhere that my anxiety wouldn't get the best of me. She quickly invited me over to her house for a dairy-free lunch. She also had me bring Eva's blessing dress so we could take pictures of her in it. It turned out to be an amazing day for me because it was the first time I had taken both of my kids anywhere...on top of that, it was stress-free! I love having such a talented sister-in-law because every picture she takes of my kids or our family has meaning and special memories to me. Each one of them represent a memory I will never forget. I just don't know how I could ever repay her for what she has done for me!

For Our Daddy!

I just wanted to post this for the best Daddy in the world because he's missing his kids terribly!

A little background behind this next picture:
I've been waiting for the day that Anders realizes the difference between girls and boys. He does a great job recognizing a girl from a boy, for the most part, but that's hard for everyone on occasion! However, I have been dreading the "body parts" question. I know that there are many people out there that feel like parents should be open with their kids and use technical terms because they think nick-naming body parts makes kids embarassed of them...I used to be one of them! Since Anders has turned two, I've realized how that can easily backfire on you and I'm just not ready for that! Well, the day came, and a little too soon if you ask me! We were laying on the floor playing with Eva and he turned over and elbowed me asking me, "what are these?" I quickly answered him by saying, "these are mine..." hoping that would be enough. Then he said, "yeah, but what they name?" I finally decided to forgo all of my technical mumbo-jumbo and said, "they're called boobies." I quickly gritted my teeth, imagining him teaching this new word to all the kids in nursery, since last week he taught them all to sing, "twinkle twinkle little poop." (I'm sorry to all of Anders' nursery friend's parents out there...yes we're responsible, no we don't encourage it!) After Anders heard that word, he immediately laughed and repeated, "boobies." Then, he lifted his shirt and asked where his "boobies" were. I explained (as gently as possible) the difference between boys and girls (just the top half, we'll save the bottom half for a different day and a different parent!) So Anders looked down at his chest and saw his ribs sticking out and asked me what they were called. I told him those were ribs. He then said, "girls have boobies, boys have ribs!" I just said, "okay!" We'll just leave it at that for now! Now, I'm constantly seeing him playing with his ribs. Boy, I'm sure glad we didn't discuss the lower half!

Our Wild and Crazy Memorial Day!

Our Little Lady! I've never thought anyone fit the "cute as a bug" description better than our sis. When she wears her ladybug outfit, it just solidifies it!

Anders standing on Sharm's 1964 (?) Cadillac. We are always so excited to spot this car out when we go to the Kaysville Cemetery on Memorial Day. It's fun to hear Sharm share its history and take our pictures in it. This is a memory I've been lucky enough to share with Anders now!

Carly posing as a 'hood ornament.' She thinks that's all she is!

I'm sure none of this tradition made sense to Anders. He just loved the open grass and freedom. I'm so glad my family has made it such a tradition to pay our respects to our loved-ones who have passed away. It really recreates those memories we have and we learn so much about those we've never met. I feel confident that I could take my own kids there and pass on each story I've heard there over the years.

This is were the party begins! Another of our family's traditions on Memorial Day is that it is the opening day of Grandma's pool! This picture is of Anders as he arrived and realized Ryder was already in the pool. At this very second, I was running home to get his swimming suit....

but he was not willing to wait for me! He immediately stripped right down and thought he was ready to jump in the pool. We've really got to expose him to the swimming environment more often!

Luckily, someone had an emergency swim diaper for him (slightly on the small side). He was a little unsure about the whole swim diaper thing because he was convinced it was a Pull-Up. He was really upset when they made him get it wet.

We finally got an actual swimming suit on him, but he still wasn't sure about it. He just didn't feel right wearing clothes in the water.

So, off came the shorts again! You may think he looks so brave in this picture on this motor-powered floaty, but this picture can be deceiving. What you don't see is Nikki holding on to the back waiting for the inevitable moment he tips in the water. You also don't see his frantic mother standing at the side of the pool, watching his every move.

Finally, the swim diaper comes back off and he does what he wanted to do the whole time...sunbathe in the nude!

Anders, Eva and I are so lucky to have family so close by. Christian left on Memorial Day and my family really went out of their way to make sure we still had a part in all the festivities. We miss Christian horribly, but love that we have the luxury of talking to him every day. I've really had to rely on those people close to me more than ever right now and I really appreciate their willingness to help me out. Almost one week down, one more to go!

Oh, what a day!

Friday, May 8th is a day that my little sister, Carly will always remember. She has been looking forward to it since her first day of Kindergarten, I'm sure. She finally graduated from the University of Utah in Public Relations. It only took her 4 1/2 years to graduate, which is pretty good these days! When we got to the graduation, her boyfriend, Jordan Checketts turned to us and told us not to ask her to go to lunch afterward. He had plans to take her to lunch and ask her to marry him! After the ceremony, we all had a really hard time not talking about where we were going to lunch in front of Carly. I found it really humorous to watch her face as we all dispersed after taking pictures. She even admitted later that she was a little offended that nobody wanted to take her to lunch...it's just what we do in my family. Jordan took Carly to a Chinese restaurant that they always go to with their friends. He hid the ring in the fortune cookie the waitress brought at the end of their lunch. The best part was that he videotaped it so we all could watch it. Jordan could not have proposed any sooner because their engagement party was that night. Cuttin' it kind of close!
Jordan and Carly have known each other since Jr. High and have been good friends since then. Jordan did the SBO thing and Carly did the cheer/dance thing, but never dated...just friends. When Jordan got back from his mission, they started hanging out a bit more. I remember the day (in October) that Carly was saying she had to get back home to go on a date with Jordan Checketts. I got mad at her because she agrees to go on dates with people so much that she has no intention of it going anywhere. I believe my exact words were, "it's not fair to them to pay for you to do something. You're leading him on." That was the first time Carly admitted, "maybe I DO want it to go somewhere!" We are so glad they finally decided that they are meant to be together. Jordan fits in our family so well. Anyone that can appreciate Christian's sense of humor must be in our family. Anders and Ryder completely idolize Jordan. I'm so glad he makes them feel so important. Anders is convinced that Jordan wants to see him as badly as he wants to see Jordan every time we see him. It was so fun to meet Jordan's family this weekend. I loved watching Jordan's sweet dad (spitting image of Jordan) treat his mom with such love and respect. I am glad to know that Carly is in such good hands.

Now that I'm a Big Brother...

Anders has instantly transformed into this big kid since Eva was born. He adores Eva and adores his role as the big brother. It has really opened my eyes at how big he really is. He is finally brave enough to ride Grandpa's lawnmower, he has started to learn to play by himself, and he has gotten much more risk-taking. The risk-taking is what has kept me from blogging lately. I have found myself to be so much more busy! If I'm not trying to stop Anders from whatever he's doing, I'm soothing a crying baby. We have had a very stressful 6 weeks since Eva was born. She was very fussy and we were starting to wonder if she was actually in pain. We came to terms with the fact that she was just "colic" and tried enduring through it. I got really worried about her one day because I didn't feel like I could soothe her or comfort her. I took her to the doctors and we decided to try taking me completely off dairy products because she was showing signs of being lactose intolerant. I did that for a week and it didn't solve anything. We then were beginning to see more signs of acid reflux than before. We put her on medication and we have seen AMAZING improvements! We are so grateful to have our sweet little Eva back to normal. I can handle a fussy baby as long as it doesn't mean she's in pain. I felt so horrible knowing that she was in pain and there was nothing I could do.

Our Little MVP

Having a new baby in our house has brought many things to my attention. One of these things is how much time Anders spends with his Jazz ball. Our visitors seemed to get a little irritated with the constant dribbling in the kitchen and balls flying at their head when they weren't paying attention. Anders seems to think that everyone is always ready for a pass. He and Christian love to bounce the ball back and forth to each other. Anders begs Christian all day to "play ball me, Dad?" The best part is that Anders will tell Christian, "Dad be Kirilenko and I be D-Will." Those are Anders' favorite players.It is Christian's dream come true to have his son so enthralled with his favorite sport and who will actually sit down and watch games with him. Don't worry, we are just working on basic skills right now. We'll teach him the technical stuff like double dribbling and traveling later. Somehow, he manages to do both at the same time. 2 1/2 may be a little young, don't you think?

She did it again!

Well, Amy (my sister-in-law) has done it again! I am so lucky to be so close to someone as talented as Amy. There is nothing she can't do! These pictures are just a taste of the amazing work Amy did. Christian and I are so happy with the way these pictures turned out. I think both of us have looked at them several times. Anyone that can make a 2 year-old sit in a picture as long as she did deserves to be praised! However, I'm pretty sure Eva was the more difficult child that day. She absolutely hates to be naked and hates even more to be touched with bare hands while she is naked. I love my little family so much. Anders could not be more proud of his "sissy." He kisses her and kisses her all day. We hesitate to let him hold her because he refuses to give her back. Every morning, he comes in our bed and wants to cuddle her. I love to watch Eva look around for Anders when she hears his voice. I hope their special relationship lasts forever! I'm not going to lie, having a second child is not easy. It seems like both kids need me at the same time. Christian has been so good to try to relieve my stress every night. He works so hard during the day so he can help me when I'm worn out at the end of the day. I'm so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. Just when you think you can't love your husband any more than you do, you see him with your kids and your love multiplies.

If you're interested in seeing more of Amy's work, you can check out her website at www.clipsandclicks.com.

It's Eva's Birthday!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

Christian Bale, eat your heart out!

Doesn't this picture just make you want to belt out Santa Fe with Jack Kelly? I didn't think so either, but for some reason, Anders does! The Bittons gave Anders this sombrero after he wouldn't remove their other one. Anders is a die-hard fan of Newsies lately. Whenever the song Santa Fe comes on, Anders runs in to his toyroom and grabs his horse and sombrero (that he thinks is a cowboy hat). We haven't watched the Newsies for a while, so I was surprised to see Anders randomly dressed in his Jack Kelly gear. I even made the mistake of asking, "are you a cowboy?" He said, "no, I Newsies!" I decided it was finally time to take a picture. How could I resist when he's sporting his adorable undies?? What cowboy wouldn't if they had legs like those?

These last few days, I've really thought a lot about how much I've

enjoyed this time that Anders and I have had to spend together. He is going to be the best big brother, but it makes me sad that our one-on-one time is coming to an end. I get the biggest kick out of the things that he says everyday. I have heard that just because you have more than one kid does not mean you have to split the love that you have for your first. I am so glad that's true. I just can't imagine having the ability and capacity to love another child as much as I love Anders without it taking away from him. I seriously can't wait to feel this way all over again!

Disney on Ice

Saturday was a day that Anders cannot stop talking about. First of all, it was nap-free! The only person that was good news for was Anders. For Valentines Day, my parents gave us all tickets to see Disney on Ice (except for Carly and Jordan). We have been talking this up since Valentines day with Anders and Ryder. Christian and I decided to use it to our advantage (isn't that what parents do?) and some might say we held it over Anders' head just a bit. The week before we went, Anders really started regressing on potty training...well, pooping. We could not get him to go in the toilet at
all! It was getting so frustrating and we weren't sure what we should do. Finally, we started telling him that babies poop in their undies and babies don't get to go to Disney on Ice. This worked like a charm! He miraculously started going poop in the toilet again and was accident-free the entire week. Every time he'd go, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I go Disney on Ice!" In fact, he still says it today. Now we just have to think of something else to use. The day finally came for us to go and we decided to take Anders to Cookie Cutters to get his haircut and then to the Discovery Center before hand. By the time we were walking up to the Energy Solutions Arena, Anders was yawning and saying, "this were Jazz go!" The show started and he was glued. Of course, his favorite part was the ending with Peter Pan. He's a HUGE fan of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. In fact, Grandpa even bought Anders and Ryder matching Peter Pan swords. It was funny to see Anders reach for his sword when Captain Hook came out on the ice, as if he needed that extra protection. When the show was over, Ryder challenged Anders to a sword fight by saying, "come on Anders, sword me!" I'm just glad the days of sword fights with silverware are over! This is a day Anders will talk about forever. He was in heaven. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for this amazing experience we got to share with our boys!
**PREGNANCY UPDATE
I am now 37 and a half weeks along, which means that whenever our Eva decides she's ready, she's welcome. That day shouldn't be too long from now (according to my doctor). I am haunted every day with the thought that I still haven't packed my hospital bag. I'm so excited to relive the most amazing experience all over again. This time, we have the added bonus of experiencing the opportunity to introduce Anders to his new baby sister. I cannot wait for that moment! We've been doing so much these past few days, but haven't really taken any pictures because we're saving our battery for Eva's birth. We'd hate to be caught unprepared. Christian was such a big help last week because it was his Spring Break. He installed the car seat (that we're now realizing is a little boyish...guess we didn't think that one through very well), cleaning the house (even scrubbing the floorboards with me), setting up the cradle and changing table etc... I'm so sad to have Christian go back to school this week, but I guess it means we're one week closer to the end of the semester!

You're My Bestest Friend

I just had to post this picture the photographer took at my brother-in-law's wedding. I love this picture so much because it really captured how precious kids can be when they think no body's looking. I also love this picture because I can't count how many times I look over at Ryder and Anders and they're walking holding hands. It just melts my heart. I'm so glad they have this chance to grow-up together and share this special relationship! Ryder is such a fun friend and after each time Anders gets to play with him, he talks non-stop about the funny things Ry Ry does. He idolizes his cousin and loves every second he gets to spend with him! Man, I really shouldn't be writing this when I'm about to have a baby...I'm a mess!