Snack Mom...

Well, it's a holiday so in typical Larsen fashion all of the kids are sick.
Not only are they all sick, but I signed up in Aug. to be in charge of snack this week
for Kate's kindergarten class. So while Kate has been lying on the couch watching
cartoons, all the other kids in her class have been enjoying all of the fun Halloween
themed snacks that I had so lovingly prepared for her. : )
That's just how it goes though...it's not her fault that she's sick.
But it made it hard last night when it was 10:30, I was working on an average of 4 hours of sleep for my 3rd day in a row, and it was my job to make the cupcakes for the class Halloween party today. Of course at that point, I wasn't too hopeful that Kate would even be
going to school today but in true "Sanders" fashion there was no way that I could send "plain" cupcakes
regardless of whether my child would enjoy them or not.
So, here they are...



They turned out nicely, and I'm sure my mom would be proud.
And for the record, Kate went to school... so she won't miss out on her cupcakes.
She didn't go in costume though because she's so shy that she doesn't like to draw attention to herself (much like her mother, lol)and I didn't bother to explain that being the only child in the whole school without a costume actually drew more attention to you but I did convince her that she should at least wear her Halloween shirt.

So, even though she doesn't realize all of the work and love that went into those Jack o Lantern cupcakes, it warms my heart that she's not missing out on the fun of a holiday celebration!

Stay tuned for costume pictures!!!

The Larsen Family Pumpkins

Well, here they are...
I know that everyone has been on the edge of their seat to see the Larsen family
represented in pumpkins.

Please note that everyone was suppose to choose a pumpkin that represented themself.
I felt like Kate and Luke's choice of "pumpkins bigger than Daddy and Mommy's"
says a lot about how things go down in our family.
I would also like you to notice that my pumpkin (the 1st carved of the season) is already starting to get all nasty and funky. It probably won't even make it to Halloween.
Also, very telling... lol!

Each child was able to draw their own face. It made for difficult carving but definitely an interesting show.
And I have no idea why Chris decided to reflect himself as the angry, evil pumpkin.
I've been rather concerned about that if I do say so myself.

None the less,

Happy Halloween From our Pumpkin Family To Yours!!

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

I have a number of friends who have blogs and who have other friends who have blogs and it never fails that I waste half of my time reading people's blogs that I have only met once or have no idea even who they are. I was reading a blog tonight of a girl that I knew in college. As I looked at the pictures of her and her family, I found myself thinking "they look like they have such a fun family", "look how sweet her kids look", etc. Then one unhealthy thought leads to another and the next thing you know I'm drinking hard liquor in my bath robe on the couch at 10 in the morning. It's funny how sweet kids/families look in pictures. It reminded me of these pictures that I took of our kids the other day at the park.

I look at them and it reminds me of how sweet they are but I have to admit that for at least 1/3 of the day (maybe even 1/2) I feel like they are holy terrors sent to destroy me and each other.

They have a master plan and it consists primarily of pursuing emotional and physical destruction. It's amazing that any of us are alive at the end of the day.

Now you have to hear what I'm saying...I LOVE my children. Each one of them is a blessing to me and I would NEVER trade being a stay at home mom for anything else. But, I just like to remind myself and others that pictures tend to capture the best moments. I can't get caught up in comparing myself or my family with the way that other people "portray" themselves. I tend to be an overly honest person anyway so there aren't too many people that get a false image of my life. But I'll do my best to portray the real life happenings on this blog. If nothing else, it will make everyone else feel really great about themselves and their parenting! : )

Carving the First Halloween Pumpkin

Since we haven't been to the pumpkin patch yet, Chris' parents bought us our first pumpkin of the season. The kids could hardly wait to carve it!

(Kate is much more excited than she looks in this picture)

It's so hard for me, in times like this, to participate in the moment and not just be the family photographer. : )

One of the best parts for the kids is scooping the goop!

I'm glad that they've embraced that as their own...

This is pretty much what Caleb did while we carved, along with a couple of mad dashes for the street and a short talk with the scarecrow.

Oh yes, and this was another contribution. We'll take it where we can get it!

Kate and Luke carved the pumpkin. Who gives a 5 year old a knife anyway?

The only thing scarier than a 5 year old with a knife, is a 3 year old with a knife...

Who are these kids' parents anyway???

This is the finished product. It's the "Mommy" pumpkin (note the big mouth) and won't win any pumpkin carving awards but the kids were very proud of it!

We're off to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend so I'm sure there will be much more to share!!

Marshmallow Roasting Extravaganza

Okay...so maybe it wasn't an "extravaganza" but we did build a fire out back tonight and roast marshmallows.
We told stories and really bad knock knock jokes. It was a blast!
Nothing like huddling around the fire when it's 80 degrees outside...

More Black Rock Mountain Pics!

For some reason these pictures didn't make it into my original post...



Mommy and Caleb


My friend LeaAnn and her two boys

Who are these people? The Duggars? Oh, wait...that's the Adamsons!

Nothin' like bacon when your camping! Is that a bear in the background? lol!