Christmas Eve At The Larsen's

We met at Mom & Dad's house between 5 and 6 PM. It started snowing heavily a couple of hours before so we were all late. We ate together and then Dad read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible. The kids acted out the story while Dad read. Then we all gathered around the tree and held hands while we sang Christmas carols. Afterward, we exchanged gifts. We all received great gifts, but the presents Mom & Dad received drew the most attention. Maren & Eric arranged to give Mom & Dad new cell phones (on their new family plan) and paid a couple of months for them as well. They were VERY surprised and excited. Welcome to the 21st Century, Mom & Dad! LOL! Everyone seemed to have a great time!

Christmas Eve Info

When: Christmas Eve (of course)
Where: Mom & Dad Larsen's house (aka: Nana & Grandpa)
Time: Meet at 5:00pm, be done by 7:30pm
-We want to make things simple, so please bring your own dinner or eat before you come (and clean up your own mess).
-Please bring a small dessert to share.
-Don't forget your presents (if you can't remember who you're giving to, call Maren).
-We will eat, act out the Nativity, sing around the tree and open presents! Be there or be square!
-Any questions, call Mom.

Turkey Bowl 2007

Don't forget to show up for the Turkey Bowl again this year. We will be meeting at Granger Park (as always) at 9:00 am to toss around the 'ol pigskin. So, come one, come all. It should be a great game this year. We will have a lot of the usual players and some additional that we haven't seen for a few years. I have the jerseys, flags and football, we just need you. If you have any cones to help with marking the end zones as well, bring them along. See you Thursday!

Thanksgiving Day!

Hey, Thanksgiving Dinner will be at TERESA'S house at 4pm.
COME

Oh, and just a food assignment reminder!
Mom and Dad: Medisterpolser and red cabbage, Napkins
Teresa and Dell: Rolls and butter (jam if you please),
Bryce and Sara: Turkey, Plates
Tom and Tami: Green Bean Casserole and Stuffing, Cups
Kurtis and Erica: Pie, Plasticware
Maren: Potatoes and crazy...I mean, gravy and rolls, table clothes
Eric: Beverages, ice
Alan and Jodie: Come

Tom and Tami October report

TOM ran his fifth St. George marathon last month with Maren, Teresa and his brother-in-law Matt. He enjoys working at The Gateway because some of his "meetings" consist of going to a movie at the local theater. He recently got a raise, so they decided to get high speed Internet after over two years of only having dial-up. For Tom and Tami's classic movie they watched the 1931 movie Frankenstein on Halloween.

TAMI had a fun birthday going to lunch with Aimee and dinner with Tom. The best part was that she never had to clean up any messes in her kitchen that day. She was the Statue of Liberty for her preschool Halloween parties, even though most of the kids had no idea who she was. At one point last month she had her hair drier, watch, and microwave all brake in the same week. What luck!

LILY had fun decorating the house for Halloween, carving pumpkins, and going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for her first time. She was Rapunzel for Halloween (thanks to Nana for helping her look so beautiful), but by the end of the night her long beautiful hair was a knot of leaves, sticks and yarn.

JEFFERSON was a pumpkin for Halloween. His Mom can't wait for him to start nursery this month! He is getting to be a very mischievous boy. Whether it's climbing in the dishwasher; turning the TV on and off all the time; climbing on the kitchen table and shaking out all the salt; putting things (such as batteries or the electronic Yazee game) in the sink and turning the water on; reaching through his crib bars to grab the wipes and then proceeding to pull out every single one; or throwing away measuring cups, socks, etc. in the garbage; he keeps himself and his parents very busy (and that's just to name a few).

Alan and Jodie with Richard Paul Evans(author of

"The Christmas Box"), at the booksigning of "The Gift"

Halloween & Hannah Montana

Dell: He had made a couple of paragliding trips to California recently. On one of those trips, he was practicing a newer maneuver (for him) and his lines became tangled on one side. This left him spiralling toward the ground so he threw his first reserve parachute. This also became tangled in his glider so he threw his second reserve. As he saw that this reserve was also about to become tangled, he pulled it back down toward himself and tried to open the chute manually. It finally opened inside out but it slowed his decent and he landed in the water safely. Dell sure is lucky that he has 9 lives (or God just chooses to keep helping him out because he's such a great guy).

Teresa: I ran the St. George Marathon October 6th with Maren & Tom (& Matt & my sister-in-law Teresa Ann). It was a lot of fun and I'm glad that Maren, Teresa Ann, and I all met our goals. I also had fun taking the girls to the Hannah Montana: Meet Mylie Cyrus concert (with the Jonas Brothers). I have also been working with the Utah Doula Association on the quarterly newsletter and helping them prepare for the Fall Retreat (November 3rd). I also teach the 3 year old class in Primary so that also keeps me busy.

Brooklyn: She has been doing a much better jobs keeping up on her grades this year (except in Math-What's up with that? LOL). I am very proud of her when she tries to be responsible for things independently. She dressed up as Cinderella for Halloween (from the movie with Hillary Duff: A Cinderella Story). She and the Young Women and Young Men hosted a party for the Primary for Halloween. They did an excellent job and all the kids had a blast. She also played volleyball recently with the Young Women and had lots of fun.

Savannah: She has been quite the reader recently. She had read three books that she just couldn't put down (called "The Serpent Tide", "Widow's Revenge" (the sequel), and a Nancy Drew book-I forget which one exactly). Also, she loves being a lunch worker at school. Unfortunately, some of the kids have been really mean to her this year on the playground (we can relate to Hunter's problems). She keeps talking with the teachers and the principal to try and resolve things but it is still difficult. I am proud to say that some of the times she is teased is when she is standing up for other kids and her dad. Way to go, Savannah! Oh, she dressed up as Hannah Montana this year for Halloween.

Jordan: He's doing well this year at school, although reading still isn't one of his strengths. He has a new friend named Connall who invited him to a Halloween craft party at his house. Jordan made a candy spider that he proudly posed with for the camera. He was Spiderman for the 3rd year in a row (LOL), although he outgrew his last costume. He didn't mind since he was then able to wear the black spiderman costume instead. I also bought him a red costume to trick-or-treat in--much easier to see (I bought both of them for a good deal) and so that he would turn back into the good Spidy like he does in the movie.

Troy: In October, Troy potty-trained and started preschool at Miss Tami's Preschool (very popular in our family because it's so good). He has very few accidents (mom loves that) and enjoys taking his Cars "pack pack" (from the movie) to school. He even started kissing girls (well, a girl) on the 3rd day there. It was time to go so he climbed into the car. Then he leaned out the window and said to Katie, "Kiss me goodbye!" So she ran over and they smacked each other right on the lips. I went right home and told Dell we were in trouble (LOL).

How did that Marathon go?

Sorry it took so long to update this, I know you have all been checking this blog hourly to find out the results. We had another successful St. George Marathon. All four runners finished, and one had a personal best. Teresa, Maren, Matt and Tom were the runners this year. (Matt is my brother-in-law) While we all started out together, we were forced to leave Matt behind about mile 11. He had some issues with his legs not cooperating during the marathon and was forced to walk most of the second half. So the other three of us continued on running. We had a goal to get to the finish before the 5 hour mark. The entire time we were checking our wristband and stopwatch and marking our progress as we crossed each mile marker. Thanks to the excessive downhill at the end, we were ahead of the mark coming into the city. This is where it got harder. For all those of you who have ran this, which is most of you, at this point you are very tired and now it is flat. But the finish line was looming and we had a goal in mind. So we pushed it through those last miles. As we approached the finish line we kept checking the time and just ran as best as we could. We crossed at 4:59.02! We did it!! Thanks to all those who came down and cheered us on. We always appreciate the support.
Now, who is in for next year? (ALAN? U know if U run then we can say the whole family has run the St George Marathon-- We'd love to train with you! :> )

Ma and Pa, Nana and Grumpa Whatssup

Reviewing the summer and fall. We so enjoyed the camping and fishing, especially the time Nana caught twin fish on the line and later that same day did it again. Twice, two fish at a time That's my limit! The Family trip to San Diego was excellent! Dad, Grumpa is and has been Workin hard, by the sweat of his brow and more. Thanks Adam. This life is the time to prepare and labor. Monday, Oct. 15th Aunts Engla and Thora's Birthday, turning "95" Also we get to go to a REAL soccer game @ the "U's" stadium.

Upcoming Events

THANKSGIVING! (Yum, yum, yum)
Where: Grandma and Grandpa's
When: Thanksgiving Day
Time: 4 pm

Food Assignments and Disposible Items
Mom and Dad: Medisterpolser and red cabbage, Napkins
Teresa and Dell: Rolls and butter (jam if you please),
Bryce and Sara: Turkey, Plates
Tom and Tami: Green Bean Casserole and Stuffing, Cups
Kurtis and Erica: Pie, Plasticware
Maren: Potatoes and crazy...I mean, gravy and rolls, table clothes
Eric: Beverages, ice
Alan and Jodie: Come

Turkey Bowl
Thanksgiving morning, 9am, Granger Park

Christmas Gift Giving List (Gifts $10-15)
Dad: Dell
Mom: Savannah
Teresa: Lily
Dell: Erica
Brooklyn: Hunter
Savannah: Marcus
Jordan: Tami
Troy: Tom
Bryce: Jordan
Sara: Dad
Hunter: Eric
Marcus: Brooklyn
Talmage: Jefferson
Tom: Bryce
Tami: Kurtis
Lily: Maren
Jefferson: Troy
Kurtis: Talmage
Erica: Teresa
Maren: Sara
Eric: Mom
Alan's Family: Surprise

GASP (Goals: Academic, Spiritual, Physical)
We are trying to get a jump on our goals for next year and we'd like to do it as a family. Next time we meet (Thanksgiving) come with some ideas for some goals to improve yourself academically, spiritually, and physically.
We'll set some specific goals and have a family movie night (probably dollar movie) or something else to award us as we accomplish our goals.

Christensen Family Events

October
20th-Family History Meeting @Bruce and Gail's 5:00 p.m.
27th-Baptism for the dead @ Bountiful Temple @5:00 p.m. [Call Bruce]

November
3rd- Medisterpolser fest @ Lilyan's @11:00 a.m.
23rd- [Friday] M.H.C. Family Holiday Dinner [that's you guys two] 6:00 p.m. [Lorraine in charge]

Merry Christmas and Happy New year 2008

January
12th- Temple Sessions @ Salt Lake Temple @ 5:00 p.m.
19th-Family Planning Meeting

Bloggin' Along

I know, I know, finally Bryce and Sara get on the ball and create a post, (I think that means Tom lost the bet to Maren as to who would be the last).

Let’s see. Some highlights. Talmage, (Tag), has been doing a lot of “talking” and expects you to understand what he’s saying. He has been able to say some real words quite well, my favorites are “Cookie”, because the way he says it sounds like Darth Vader breathing, (Coooo-Kie), and of course “Daddy”, which he yells from any where in the house and starts running as soon as he knows I’m coming into the house, (outside of a welcome home kiss from Sara, this is the best part of any day).

Marcus has been going to Miss Tami’s preschool and loves every minute of it. If we pull up to the house and the garage isn’t open there is a groan from the back of the Durango, and as soon as it opens he tries to break the door until it’s opened and he can run inside, (by the way Tom I’ve stolen a few cans of Vault from you fridge when I’m there to drop him off). He also has been displaying even more pure passion in everything he does, when he’s happy its total bliss, when he’s sad he is almost inconsolable, when he’s mad he could probably run through a wall and not feel it. Passion is a great thing if it is harnessed, so we’re trying to help him do that.

Hunter really likes 1st grade, but it is presenting even greater challenges that we or Hunter expected, (I don’t remember kids being this rude and mean when I was in 1st grade, maybe 3rd grade). We had to have the “Birds and the Bees” talk with Hunter an Marcus for Family Home Evening because some kids were telling Hunter that he had had sex with one of the girls in his class. As we explained the difference between boys and girls, and that bodies are special and what is proper and also what they will hear a lot of people say and do, (slang, jokes, etc), you could see confusion in Hunter’s eyes. We asked him if he understood, and he said he did, but didn’t understand why people would talk wrong about it. Meanwhile, Marcus was getting really mad, and when we asked him why, he said, “I am so angry at those people saying and doing bad things!” It made Sara and I smile a bit, but also made me proud of the ‘righteous indignation’ that he was displaying. We read part of the Proclamation on the Family and some of the For the Strength of Youth with them.

Sara has started cross guarding again. She is part of a Women’s Choir that she is really enjoying. They will be performing in the Tabernacle on November 21st, (Thanksgiving Eve), at 7:00 pm. So, feel free to attend, you won’t be disappointed, (2 of the songs are from the musical Wicked, which is the Wizard of Oz story told from the Witch of the West’s point of view instead of Dorothy’s).

I have had some interesting last couple months. I became a Floating Manager, (which seems to have more responsibility added to it everyday), so I now have more ability and clout behind the help I give people whether I have a title or not. Also, as a manager they had me do training on the Power of Silence, which I really enjoyed doing, and was well received. I lost both my 1st counselor and secretary in the Young Men’s’ Presidency for our ward, one moved, and the other was taken by the Elders Quorum. So that leaves me currently all alone when it comes to Wednesday nights.

Also as a family, we finally went camping a couple of times. Last year at this point we had been camping about 14 times.

Tom & Tami October update

Tom - has started up hockey again. He has been training hard for the St. George marathon which is on Oct. 6th. He's happy to have his friend Dustin Pearson moving back to Utah after three years in Chicago. The movie he and Tami watched in September was "An Affair to Remember" (referred to a lot in Sleepless in Seattle).

Tami - survived her first month of preschool. She's enjoying her new classes and teaching seems to be getting easier each year.

Lily - started playing soccer last month. She does really well when she wants to. As with everything, it has to be her decision to play, so one game she could be laying in the middle of the field and the next game she'll be kicking the ball all the way to the goal. She is having a hard time with preschool this year and says she's bored in preschool. It will be nice in kindergarten when she has someone else besides mom teaching her.

Jefferson - has had a rough month. He went through a clingy (yes, worse than he already was), crying, violet phase when preschool started. He wasn't use to leaving mom everyday, and two of the days he didn't have Lily with him either. However, he's finally doing better, he's still clingy though. He started going through a no-sleeping phase too where he was getting up at 6:30am, not napping well and taking sometimes an hour to fall asleep at night. One positive milestone for Jefferson, was he finally learned out to say "Mom"!

When you get older...

Well folks I Eric Larsen am growing up against my desires. ha ha. oh well. For all of you interested, I will share a nutshell full of what my life is like right now. Here goes!

I currently work two jobs. I work as a drivers Ed teacher and I also work at a company called Hoyt, they make hunting and archery bows. At Hoyt I tune and box bows, what joy. Its really not a bad job(I do actually enjoy it for the most part, waking early and workng long days is good for you) except for the immature people i have to work with. You win some you lose some, mostly win as long as you are wearing a smile. I work at Hoyt during the day and at the Driving school during the evenings and saturdays. I spend most free time eating, sleeping, cleaning and spending time with Lindsey my girlfriend, she is quite the sweetheart. I also still play the guitar when I have the energy and write songs with my roommate and good buddy Tyler, he is also quite the sweetheart and guitar player. If im not at home im usually over at ma and pa's hanging with them or Maren. well that will do for now. If yall need anything or just wanna talk give me a call cause i always love hearing from ya!

My So Called Life :)

Hey there! Maren Larsen here. I decided that I needed to get on the ball and contribute to my family's blog, since I am pretty much in charge of it for the time being. :)

About me recently....well going back a couple months or so....
I finished my Associtate of Science (AS) Degree at the Salt Lake Community College during the summer. Boy am I glad to have that done. I will begin working on my Bachelor Degree come Spring as I am taking the fall semester off because I deserve a small break from school...that and I also got a new position at my job. One highly coveted position that took over a month of interviews and presentations to obtain. Therefore I didn't want the stress of school and a new job especially after the huge stress of my last semester. I work at a company called Harland Clarke (formerly known as Clarke American, which then purchased Harland, thus creating the new name). My new position is that of a Performance Development Specialist, which is a fancy way of saying that I am a trainer. I train new consultant classes and I am over cross training associates etc. I love it. Its very enjoyable and I love teaching others. Oh, back to school. I am pursuing a degree in Secondary Education. Currently I am majoring in History with a minor in ESL. But we'll see how that goes for now and if I decide to continue on that path. Ultimately I want to teach seminary, but I know how difficult of a job that is due to many people pursuing said position. So I figure, I am fine with teaching.

Going back in time...to March (I know, that is quite the trip back, hoped you packed enough clothes for the journey)....I decided on a whim to buy a plane ticket to Michigan to visit one of my best friends, Tara, and her cute little family...and go to a concert while there. It was so fun, I flew in, spent a couple days with her, then rented a car and drove to Grand Rapids and stayed there the night. While there I saw Pete Yorn in concert (after getting his autograph he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek!!!). Then I missed my flight, stayed for a couple more hours, then headed home. It was a good whimsical trip and one I shall not easily forget.

Lets see....also back in April I went to Brazil with my friend Joe. We went back to the mission. I loved seeing many people that I taught and baptized as well as the families in the wards that I had formed great relationships with. I also visited my "daughter" (the sister I trained). We went to this awesome beach house in a small city called Mongagua, just outside of Sao Paulo. I loved it. I love Brazil and the Brazilian people. It was so fun to go again. I can't wait to go back next time...whenever that will be.

During the summer I enjoyed our family vacation to San Diego. Eric and I traveled in my car which was super fun....except for the lack of air conditioning in 120 degree weather in St. George and Vegas. Talk about HOT!!! It was pretty miserable. The rest of the trip was great visiting Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Mission Beach and Knott's Water Park. I love family vacations, I hope we have more in the near future!

I also went on a trip of fun in the sun with my good friend, Suzy. We decided to take one last trip before she left on her mission. We went to San Diego. While there we went to Ensenada, Mexico, Sea World, Mission Beach, The San Diego Temple and the Del Mar race track to see Pete Yorn in concert. We then drove up further north and went to Six Flags and then to Santa Barbara to again see Pete Yorn in concert. It was quite the enjoyable trip. I love traveling!

I recently entered a contest that KUTV was having to promote Utah's Own products. Mom actually came up with this awesome recipe but she didn't want to be on TV so she submitted me in the contest. I was chosen as one of the finalist and was on television. Then because of many votes from people clicking on my recipe on KUTV's website I was one of the two finalist that was again on TV, but this time at the State Fair. I received 2nd place and won $200 in groceries to Harmons. It was so much fun and KUTV said they might have me come on again because they loved my recipe so much! It was so much fun, I rather enjoyed it.

I've been playing on a softball league with some friends of mine from high school. Its been a lot of fun. We have some pretty good players, so we've had some pretty good results. I definitely enjoy playing and hope to do so again come spring.

Also this summer I have been training with my sister, Teresa, and my brother, Tom, for the St. George Marathon. This will be my 3rd marathon and I'm quite excited for it. Training is quite brutal, but the race is worth it. The marathon is next Saturday, October 6. I'm hoping to have a PR (personal record) with this race.

Then the following day will be my 25th birthday! Life just keeps on happening, and I enjoy nearly every moment of it.

Tom creates his first posting

Well, here goes. Hello all Larsen Family and any others who might be reading out blog. I just finished writing a talk for church tomorrow, actually today because it is 1:50am, and I wanted to try to post something.
I encourage all to make it a regular habit to check this site and see what information is new from our fellow family members, and while you are reading up on others, place some comments about yourself. It doesn't even need to be long. The great thing about this blog is that it allows us one more way to help keep up on how each other is doing. So please bookmark this site right now. NOW!!! Okay that's better. Come back often.

Here is my latest input. I had a hockey game tonight, my first one in about two months and we lost pretty bad. We were playing a team that is out of our regular division and they were pretty good, but hey, it is fun anyway.
The St. George Marathon is less than two weeks away, so Teresa, Maren and I would appreciate any last minute encouragement we can get. We are excited to run it again and can't wait to finish. (Then we can stop all this running on Saturday mornings when we would rather be sleeping.)
That reminds me, Alan, we would still like to have you join us one of these years. It would be fun to have you enjoy the fun and joy that running for hours upon hours gives to your muscles. But seriously, it would be fun to have you run it with us. It is a lot of work and training, but there is also a lot of satisfaction that comes from finishing a marathon.
That about wraps it up for me, talk to you all later.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

(I decided to leave off the years for privacy reasons. E-mail Teresa if you need them. Please edit new events or mistakes yourself. Thanks! P.S. Note to those still getting married and/or having children: January is WIDE OPEN and February or July have lots of room. LOL!)

January:
(none)

February:
12- Eric

March:
12- Kurtis & Erica
12- Talmage
23- Bryce & Maxine

April:
3- Jordan
11- Erica
20- Alan
21- Kurtis

May:
22- Jefferson
23- Marcus
31- C. Bryce

June:
3- Brandon
4- Troy
12- Dylan
14- Sara
17- Connor

July:
4- Tom

August:
2- Maxine (Mom)
(3- Christopher)
9- Alan & Jodie
11- Savannah
22- Lily

September:
20- Bryce (Dad)
27- Dell
30- Jodie

October:
7- Maren
17- Tami

November:
4- Shannon
28- Tony

December:
1- Bryce & Sara
14- Nathan
17- Teresa
20- Dell & Teresa
23- Brooklyn
27- Hunter
30- Tom & Tami

Teresa & Dell's Family--September 2007

Dell: As always, he's working and playing while paragliding. He participated in a competition at Bear Lake September 15-16th and did well. His oldest sister, Heather, had been visiting from Illinois as well for two weeks. She's had dinner with us and been out to the Great Salt Lake to see Dell flying.

Teresa: She has been busy this past summer as a doula. She helped her friend, Shanon, deliver a baby girl in July. She also had a client who had a baby girl the end of August. She is also on the Utah Doulas Association Board, so she helps with their events and newsletter. Their most recent event was the After the Labor Day Picnic (September 7th). Of course, she's been busy taking the kids to Classic Skating and swimming all summer and training for the St. George Marathon coming up in October.

Brooklyn: Not only is she an official teenager now, she is in 8th grade this year and doing well. She loves her middle school and spends much of her time listening to music, editing her website, and sending email. She also loves taking pictures and video with the digital camera Dell gave her for her last birthday. Her favorite pictures are of the sunsets. She also attended Oakcrest Camp this summer in July for a week with her friend, Ashley. The following Thursday, they went boating with the young men and young women for youth conference.

Savannah: As a sixth grader this year, she gets to be part of the oldest kids at her elementary school. She also helps Jordan ride the bus to and from school every day. For her birthday, she received her own violin. She has been practicing it so she can be in the advanced orchestra this year at school. She will also be playing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" on her violin this Sunday at church (with a few other strings) in the Primary program. She will also give a short talk on her missionary experience inviting a non-member friend to attend primary.

Jordan: He is a first grader this year and loves school (most days). Sometimes the longer days at school are tricky for his short attention span, but his teacher says he's doing great. He has been reading with mom or dad at home as well as writing words with different chunks (like at, an, in). There is also a math homework assignment each week. He usually breezes through these since numbers are easy for him. When Jordan isn't doing school stuff, he usually wants to spend time with his cousin Trevor or play on the computer. He also loves to be outside climbing the rocks in our yard or jumping on the trampoline. Oh, Jordan also lost his first tooth this year.

Troy: Being three, being busy, and being the center of attention seem to be Troy's favorites. He loves to take your hand and drag you around to do things with him. Things like pushing him in a swing, watching him slide, getting him something to eat or drink, helping him on the computer, playing cars or trains with him, putting a puzzle together, reading him a book (that he picked himself), or watching his favorite shows with him. He still seems to be adjusting to the kids being back in school. Although he enjoys having one-on-one time with mom and dad, he often asks where the kids are, especially his brother. Most of the time, they play really well together when Jordan is home.

Family Newsletter

Alan & Jodie & kids: Dec 2007

September 9, 2007

We met together for our monthly family meeting at Teresa & Dell's home. We decided to create a blog to better manage our family newsletter & keep in touch. Maren, who is currently in charge of the newsletter, helped to set up the basic blog webpage for everyone. Teresa added the recent family pictures for the finishing touch. Happy Blogging to all of the Larsen family! =)

The Beginning

Larsen Family Autumn 2006

Bryce and Maxine Larsen fell in love and were married 35 years ago. They had 7 children: Teresa, C. Bryce, Tom, Alan, Kurtis, Maren and Eric.
This is about their family sharing their stories.