On Labor Day we decided to take the kids to the Children's Museum in Phoenix. We have heard a lot about it and thought it would make for a fun day and boy did it. We had a blast!! It is definetly a place for young kids even kids Ethan's age. Here are a few of our highlights. 
On Our Way. She may not look excited, but she is. She just doesn't smile for the camera.
We started out by going to the art room. There was painting, playdough, and crafts. We did them all and Hollie LOVED it.
Then we were onto the room for 3 years old and younger. This was perfect for our kids. Hollie was climbing on everything, playing house, reading books and just having fun. You would be amazed at the creativity that went into this place, it's amazing! This room even had stuff for Ethan, it was great and he enjoyed himself too.
Then we were headed to this big open area where they had big beanbags, and tubes to climb through-this was Hollie's favorite place. It seemed to be a popular place amongst all the kids and parents too.
Okay, I have to add a funny story in because I about died. I was sitting in the reading area where it was semi (keyword) quiet trying to feed Ethan and all of a sudden I see Hollie come running towards me. She was playing in the tubes and Ryan was waiting for her at one end and she came out the other and I could see Ryan in a distance with a frantic look on his face-he couldn't see me. So I go to pull my phone out of my pocket and Hollie says, "mommy potty" I said okay just one second. I called Ryan and in that second Hollie was off and running (laughing like it was funny) with her pants at her ankles!! You should have seen the look on some of the parents faces. I quickly shut my phone, didn't talk to Ryan, and carried Ethan, who was half asleep and chased after Hollie. I swear I think parents were staring at me and laughing, it was a funny sight. Finally a mom stopped Hollie, pulled up her pants and I quickly grabbed her hand and we were headed straight to the bathroom. In the meantime Ryan was still frantically looking for Hollie and so once I got Hollie on the toilet and yes we made it in time, I called Ryan and said, I got her and boy to I have a funny story for you. We both ended up laughing and we still had lots of fun. I tell ya, it's always an adventure and I absolutely LOVE it. When we came out of the bathroom parents where just looking at me with a BIG smile on my face and the only thing I could say was, we made it!!
After this we headed to one of the rooms that was made into a restaurant- a pizza shop. Hollie mad us pizza and even got to put it in the brick oven and cook it for us and it was yummy (pretend).
After eating LOTS of pizza we headed to the grocery store where the kids shopped with shopping carts, and were able to check themselves out. I tell ya, if I was a little kid I would have had a BLAST here. I did anyway, and I am an adult. Hollie did lots of shopping and even got the opportunity to weigh some beans. 
As you can see we had a wonderful time! The kids were both worn out and we were not in the car more than 5 minutes and I turned to look back and I saw this beautiful face. She is just gorgeous!!!
Children's Museum
A Sunday Afternoon at the Temple
Last Sunday we went to a missionary farewell up in Scottsdale. On our way home we decided we would stop by the Temple and see a movie at the visitors center and then walk around. It was a beautiful day outside and the sky was so blue. When we walked into the visitors center the first thing that Hollie said was, "Mommy I see Jesus". As you walk in the visitors center there is a large statue of Jesus Christ and Hollie was so excited to see it. I felt a sense of achievement in knowing that Hollie knew exactly who He was. I was so proud of her. We sat and listened to the words which were spoken by Jesus and Hollie was very much intune, she just listened and stared at Jesus. We then went on to an interactive movie called the Plan of Salvation. After that was over we headed outside to walk around the Temple and explain to Hollie that she was sealed to mommy and daddy here in the Temple and in a few weeks we are going to have Ethan sealed to us too. It was such a good feeling being able to explain this to her. I feel very blessed to be able to have the Temple in my life and the blessings it brings to my family. I cannot wait for September 27th to come, it will be one of the best days of my life. Ethan will be sealed to our family for time and all eternity. What a great blessing we have to live with our families forever. 
Splash Pad Fun
Last weekend we had some friends over and it consisted of LOTS of fun in the backyard. I think we were all out there for over 3 hours! The weather wasn't to hot and it was just perfect. Ethan even joined us in his bumbo chair and had a blast. He was so content and LOVED watching the kids and putting anything he could get his hands on in his mouth. The kids enjoyed pouring water on eachother, even Ethan, and we all just had a blast. Everyone was on the swingset, sliding down the slides, playing in the sand, running on the grass, hiting golf balls, and playing with all the toys.
I have to admit, I was the one that really wanted a pool and after this weekend I was grateful we didn't have one because I really didn't worry as much as I would have if we had a pool. I would recommend a splashpad to anyone, they are great!!
Here are some pictures of our Fun weekend.
Potty Trained
HOORAY FOR HOLLIE!!! She is potty trained and has been doing a FANTASTIC job! We are so proud of her. I have to say she really wasn't all that difficult to potty train. Ofcourse, we had a few moments of frustration, but other than that the girl has got it down. Believe it or not the easiest part was going number 2 (you know what that is) on the toilet. After going potty on the toilet for a couple days she quickly and quietly accomplished the going number 2 on the toilet. I will explain. One afternoon I was making dinner and she said, "mommy potty toilet, by myself." I said okay, let me know if you need help. Next thing I know she comes out of the bathroom all excited saying, "mommy poopoo's toilet" I about died. I went and checked and sure enough, I was so proud of her . I pulled out the M&M's (yes those are her treats for going poopoo on the toilet-Ryan really liked how I chose chocolate, but hey chocolate is her favorite) and I gave her about 10. Since then it's been poopoo on the toilet. So easy and so great!
A few things I have learned about potty training are;
1. When you are out in public she HAS to go about every 5 minutes and guess what, she really does go-unbelievable!
2. When she tells you she has to go it means she HAS to go.
3. Make sure you don't go anywhere where there is NOT a potty-that's TROUBLE
4. Princess panties are it.
5. Doing a potty chart and having her put stickers up when she goes potty and having a prize after she goes so many times on the toilet-works great!
6.Patience, Patience, Patience.
7. Make sure you bring treats with you WHEREVER you go. Pez candies work great around here. She get's "only one" every time she goes potty on the toilet.
8.Don't make a big deal about the times she does go potty in her panties-it happens.
9. ALWAYS keep an extra pair of panties and shorts on hand. You never know when you may need them.
10. Give LOTS and LOTS of praise. She loves it and I always make a big deal about her going on the potty.
I have to say, potty training Hollie has been fun, adventurous and a great success. My little girl is growing up right in front of me and it's happening way to fast. I look at her every day and say to myself I remeber when she was just a baby and I was holding her in my arms and she was so dependent on me. Now she is a growing girl who is going potty all by herself and who is becoming Miss Independent (I don't know who she is learning that from, but I am sure if you ask my dad he can tell ya.) I love her so much and I LOVE watching her grow and learn.
Good Job Hollie I am SOOOO proud of you!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!!!
Happy Anniversary to the LOVE of my LIFE! Today we celebrate 7 wonderful years of marriage and we look forward to 100+ more!! I cannot believe we have been married for 7 years, time flies. We have accomplished so much in 7 years time. It's fun to look back at all we have done and compare where we are now to where we were then.
Our wedding day was truly a fairtayle and I continue to live a fairtayle everyday of my life. Ryan is the best husband in the world and does so much for our family. I am so grateful for him and the man that he is. He is a hard worker and is such a great example to me and our children. I have truly been blessed to have him as my husband and the father of our children. I couldn't ask for a better man and I wish him a very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I love you so much love!
I am sorry, I tried to attach some memorable pictures but for some reason they wouldn't upload. All I can say is I will never forget our perfect wedding day.
Adoption Conference
This is coming a little bit late and I have wanted to post on it for awhile and I just haven't had the chance. On August 9th I attended an adoption conference through LDS family services. Let me just say this it was one of the best conferences I have been to. It was so spiritual, emotional, educational and uplifting. It started out with a broadcast from Salt Lake City that was very uplifing. After that there were many classes that we could attend and I decided to attend one on "chronicling your adoption journey". The class was great and very informative for me. I just haven't had a chance to update scrapbooks and this gave me not only that motivation, but also a few other resources I can use and some other ideas. I have decided that I am going to do photobooks online because I think those will not be as time consuming as scrapbooking. We were given quite a few websites that do them and I have researched them and I am excited and anxious to start. There was also talk about adoption Life Books. I have never heard of them before and I was sold on them the second I learned about them. They are amazing and a much needed book for adopted children. When I got home from the conference I got on the internet and ordered the book "Lifebooks- Creating a Treasure For The Adopted Child", let me just say I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that has adopted it's amazing and very informative. I cannot wait to get started on them for Hollie and Ethan. Hollie is at the perfect stage and I want her to know everything about how she came to our family and why. This is going to be an emotional project for me because this all is so special to me, but I am excited to do it and cannot wait.
Another one of the classes that I attended was the Adult and Teen Adoptee Panel. This was great also because there were 3 people on the panel who were adopted and they answered many questions most of us had.
The last class I went to was called, Raising your adopted children. So much information was given in this class and it was all very helpful. We received many handouts on how to deal with certain situations, ideas, books for adopted children, how to address teasing, how teachers can help etc.. The man that tought the class brought his wife and son, who they adopted and it was great to hear him speak. He gave some experiences growing up that dealt with his adoption and the best part about it was that he was so grateful to his birthmom for making the choice that she did for him. She knew she couldn't care for him and wanted him to have a good life, a life she could not provide him with. She was not a member of the church and dropped him off at 10 days old to LDS family services and knew that a mormon family would give him a good life. It was very touching to see the gratitude he has for his birthmom for making such a tough decision, but a decision she knew was best for him. It was amazing.
At lunch there was a presentation by a woman and her husband and their journey to adoption. It was so touching. She is a song writer and singer and wrote a few songs about her life and her journey to their daughter. Everyone's adoption story is different and yet they all have such an amazing spirit with them. I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience throughout her performance. It was amazing and I am so grateful to her for sharing her story with us. I LOVE hearing about other people's adoption stories and sharing ours. Every one is so different and such a miracle in and of itself, it's such a spritual experience.
At the end of the conference there was a birthmother who spoke. I am speachless as to what to say about that because I just cried through the whole thing. She went through and told us about her adoption plan from start to finish and ALL that she went through between. It was an amazing story and she reminds me a lot of our birthmother. Those woman are simply amazing and have done something so unselfish and have put themselves aside and sacrificed so much for a child, in our case two. There are not any words to express my feelings for them and about them. The only person that Ryan and I can compare them to is Mary. Having a child and giving them up is something I could never comprehend and yet, there are woman out there doing it for the better of their child(ren)-they are simply amazing and the love I have for them is indescribable.
I am so grateful that I was able to attend this conference. It came at a perfect time for me and I am so grateful for the spirit that was there all day. If I was smart I would have not worn any make-up because it was all off by the end of the day. It was absolutely fantastic!
EXCITING NEWS!!!
We found out about a month ago that Ethan's adoption will be finalized in September!!!! We are SOOOO excited and cannot wait. Ethan will be sealed to us on September 27, 2008 in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. This is going to be such a special day for us.
I clearly remember every detail when Hollie was sealed to us back in November 2007. That day was one of the most spiritual days that Ryan and I have experienced next to our own Temple marriage. Having a child sealed to you for time and all eternity is such a blessing.
I am so grateful for the Temple and the blessings that it has brought and continues to bring to our family.
We will also be blessing Ethan that next Sunday and are excited for that spiritual event also. It will be a FABULOUS weekend and we cannot wait. We are doing much preparation in getting ready because it's a great time to celebrate with our family and close friends.
I have loved looking at white outfits for Ethan and white dresses for Hollie. There are so many beautiful one's out there. Now, I just have to pick one of my favorites and that always seems to be the hardest part because I love so many. I will post pictures when I finally make my decision.
The date is right around the corner and September 2008 will be a VERY special month for our family-Hooray!!!
Where has the time gone?
I tell ya, these weeks just fly by and then I realize I haven't posted in awhile and have a lot to update. So, here comes the update. Lots of good and exciting stuff. The adventure's of the Larson family continue and Life is GREAT!!
Best Friends!
Hollie and Ethan are the best of friends! It's so fun to watch them interact. One of my most favorite moments of the whole day is in the morning when Ethan and I go to wake upHollie. The smile on both of their faces when they see eachother is so rewarding!! Hollie pops right up and screams and squeals and gives Ethan lots of hugs and kisses. Ethan just smiles and gets so excited. I just LOVE it and it brings such a smile to my face- a great way to start off the day!
This is at 6:00AM!!! What a happy girl!!
They both LOVE bath time. Anytime I put Ethan in the bath Hollie has to follow, even if she just got out of the bath minutes before. It's so cute to see how much they love being with eachother and I LOVE watching them interact.
Ethan is trying so hard to sit up so my genious of a husband said try the bumbo chair in the tub and he LOVED it!Here is a cute picture of our two cute and adorable kids.
The cast is off!!
Last Wednesday Hollie got her cast off and what an experience that was. We were preparing her for what was to come and explained how the doctor was going to take the cast off. We thought all was well until we walked into the doctors office. We were not there but a couple minutes and the drama started. I brought Ethan with me this time because I figured we would be in and out quickly and we wouldn't have a problem, boy was I wrong. I sat both kids down and went to the front desk to sign in and pay the co-pay. As I was standing there Hollie came up to me and said, "Mommy". I looked at her and she didn't look to good. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "hold you mommy" and as I went to pick her up she started to gag and luckily the trash can was right there and she threw up in the trash can. The lady at the front desk said, "oh no not again" and jumped back, could you believe it? I just about died. Thank goodness for the trash can. After a few minutes I put the trash can aside and went and got a few wipes and guess what, she did it again. This time there was no trash can so it got on her. I didn't think to bring a extra pair of clothes with me this time, why would I? Well, like before we were taken right back. I promise I don't tell Hollie to throw up just so we get back faster, I don't mind waiting, really. Back we went and my poor baby girl was shaking and wouldn't let me put her down, remember I had Ethan too. We got the cast off with no problem except for a lot of pink fiber glass all over us. The doctor wanted to take one more x-ray to check out her elbow and so I left Ethan in our room and one of the ladies watched him for me and all I could hear was him screaming, I have to say I just laughed to myself. We finished with the x-ray and I get back in the room, the doctor looks at Hollie and she breaks down screaming and crying, now I have 2 crying babies- holy cow!! I quickly got Ethan a bottle and he was good for a few minutes and I just held Hollie tight and told her all the doctor is going to do is look at your arm. We eventually got through that and as we were leaving Ethan decides to explode in his pants. I just laughed my two children and their bodily functions. All I know is we have left a lasting impression in that office and we will NEVER be forgotten. We do have a follow-up appointment next week and I guarantee that they will have a "warning" sign by our name. I just may have to bring a big bag with a few extra pairs of clothes, a bucket, towels and lots and lots of wipes. No worries I will be bringing all the ladies in there something to Thank them for ALL they do for us every time we come in.
So our thoughts are this. When Hollie is scared or gets anxiety she throws up. I guess I need to be a better prepared mom with everything I need sitting in the back of my car so, when this happens I am prepared!
