Remarks to comments

Ellen I think that an Ode to Cereal would be highly appropriate for you and your family.

Lanelle, we would LOVE to have you guys over, so which week in August would you like to come? We have access to a pool and multiple playgrounds! And hints on potty training, well..... whenever someone is in the bathroom she always asks what they are doing, so I say that they are putting their pee pees in the potty. This has been going on since February. Then we got her a little potty and we let her explore it. Now I ask if she wants to put her pee pees in the potty like Mommy does, or Daddy. Sometimes she says yes and goes right to the potty, other times she says no. Then the plan is to get her some silky type big girl panties and to keep her downstairs where the hardwood floor is so that it is easier to clean up. My mother-in-law says that the silky kind are the best because they don't really soak up the water, so the child knows that they made a mess etc. So I am hopeing that that works. I will let you know when we get to that stage. But I think it would be totally different for a boy. So good luck! If anybody else out there has some tips/hints they would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone else wants to come and visit just let me know!

Doctor update and testimony

My surgery has finally been approved and I am scheduled for surgery on July 7th. Which is such a HUGE blessing. It is 3 weeks before Ben and Ali get married, so I will be able to attend all the festivities and feel good physically for them. It also means that next week I get to attend a Mitton girls week where we are going to LA to see Wicked! I am very very very EXCITED! It should be really good and fun! It also means that Elizabeth won't be working at school, that Ellen might be able to help because she won't have soccer and that Val can help because she is back from Boston. So instead of shipping Sarah all over the ward, or to Boise, I have family members who can help. I have been feeling very blessed lately and just wanted everyone to know that I have a testimony that Heavenly Father knows me, my situation, my pains, my dreams and desires and that He loves me and is watching out for me. This trial has been really hard for me to handle, I have dealt with depression over it and a few times had a few moments of anger towards Heavenly Father, but I can tell you that I know without a doubt of His love and I am so thankful for Him and His patience with me. His timing is always best and everything works out. So a big thank you goes out to all the angels that He has sent me recently, my sister and Val, and those in the ward that have helped out. I read a quote somewhere recently saying that Heavenly Father uses ordinary people to be angels to others for a little while. I am so thankful for this experience and am so thankful for my angels and my husband. Creed, I love you so much and am so thankful for all that you have done and for all that you do. Thank-you!

Sarah's hair

For the longest time I didn't know what to do with her hair. It is getting really long on top, but not really on the sides or in the back. So I tried pigtails and I like it. I have to say that I think that she is the cutest girl EVER! (No offense to anyone out there with girls)!

Basement After Pictures

I just realized that I never put up pictures of our basement after it was mostly finished. We did pass our final inspection last Monday, and then yesterday had a huge problem accur. I went in to use the basement bathroom and noticed a puddle on the floor and water dripping from the ceiling. All in all Creed had to tear out a part of the ceiling and take out all the insulation-we had the spider insulation that gets blown in, it was a mess! Then he ended up having to cut a hole in Sarah's closet. The problem was water leaking from the tub in our master bathroom. Since January maybe, Sarah and I have taken showers together where we turn the water so that it runs off the side of the wall and down into the tub, this apparently caused the caulking to leak. We don't know how long it has been leaking, so needless to say Creed is AMAZING. He fixed the leak yesterday, patched the hole in Sarah's closet and put the ceiling back together in the downstairs bathroom. So now we just have to mud, texture, and paint the bathroom ceiling again, but hey it could have been worse. So here are a few pictures of the finished basement, oh and we do have some navy blueish/greenish curtains, but they needed a washing and now they need an ironing, which means I need a new iron, ours stinks! So once we get those back up and our artwork hung, I will post more pictures. In case anyone was wondering the only things that we still have to actually do down here in the basement is all the shelving that goes on either side of the fireplace and in the cubby where the piano is hanging out and to put in the kitchenette in the back of the room. But it is liveable and up to code, so we are really happy!

Soccer Fun

These pictures were all taken at the beginning of May, once again a little behind. But they are all way cute. Sarah loves to go to Ellen's soccer games, which is good because Creed and I enjoy them as well. She also really loves the fact that the games are held near a park. She always is trying to run away to the slides and swings. One game she kept trying to run across the field that the game was on and in play to get to the park. One of the games was really cold. We were all bundled up in our winter coats, and wishing for more layers! It was really odd, but really fun at the same time. Ellen's team won state and then went to Regionals in Hawaii and she just got back on Monday. I am not sure how they did in Regionals, but I do know that they didn't take first. Her team is ranked 5th in the nation right now, but they are in one of the hardest regions because California is in the region as well and everyone on those teams gets to play all year round, they don't have to deal with the snow that Ell's team does. Well now we are all looking forward to watching Ellen play soccer for Idaho State, go Bengals!

Memorial Day Weekend

Yes I know that Memorial Day was in May, but I have been a little behind. So here is what we did. We went to a soccer game in the morning where Ellen's team won, way to go Avalanche. Then we headed up to Heber where the Heber Creeper had become Thomas the Tank. Sarah loved it! She is really into trains, could be because we hear at least 2 a day drive by. Then we all went out and watched the new Indiana Jones Movie, which I highly recommend. It was a really great weekend and we really enjoyed hanging out with the whole Larsen clan, minus Val and Emm, we really missed you guys! Here are a few pictures regarding our Thomas the train activity.

Picture fun

So I was just looking at our pictures from over the last couple of months and realized that I haven't even blogged about these funny moments so here are a few:

1. Thinking of potty training. We are seriously thinking of potty training, once I have the surgery and have the time to put into it. Sarah LOVES her little potty though and loves to sit on it and go in her diaper. I have gotten her to go without the diaper a few times, so in a few weeks we will get serious and down to business in the meantime here is a picture of Sarah enjoying the potty.

2. Wanting cereal. Sarah is a true Larsen and LOVES cereal. The other day I got all the cereal and milk and stuff out for breakfast for when Creed comes home. Then I used the restroom and came out to the following: I was really glad that Creed had come home!

3. Daddy's little helper. While I was down and out Creed finished the rest of the basement-window sills and closet door stuff. Sarah always wanted to help. I didn't take this picture mind you, but I think it is way cute!

4. Graduation. Ellen graduated High School and I was there for that, but totally forgot that I had taken pictures, not that these are real great, but hey I captured the moment. All I have to say about the graduation was that it was WAY too long. It went from 1-4, and there were like 200 less than in my graduating class. Ellen is the first chair cellist in the one picture and the other picture is of Sarah and Shirl trying to make the event not seem so long and boring.

Happy Father's Day! (A little late, I know)

Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there, I know this is a little late, but oh well. We had a wonderful Father's Day. We hung out in Murray with Creed's family. Sarah wanted to get Creed a Thomas the Tank book really badly, but I helped her pick out something he would like, The Enoch Letters by Neal A. Maxwell, Creed's favorite church writer. I got him The Book of Mormon Made Easier Part 1 by David J. Ridges. My mom is always talking about what she learned from this book and I thought that Creed would like it. Creed also got a mountain bike. He picked it out and picked it up a month ago or more. He loves pulling Sarah around the neighborhood and even to Walmart in the jogging stroller/bike trailer that I received last year for Mother's Day. Sarah loves it as well. Yesterday he and Sarah had a little ride and then I met them at the park in our neighborhood. It is so fun to watch Sarah change and grow! I haven't been to the park with her in a while and yesterday she was running up a hill and then down saying, "WEEEEEE!" And if you put her in the swing she giggles until you take her out and then she cries. But what little kid doesn't like the park and swings?

Food Storage

So on Monday I made a meal with our food storage and was evaluating the amount of food left in our food storage and thought, hmmm I wonder what other young families do for their food storage. Here is what we do, we shop the Macey's caselot sale, the prices and actually quite a bit cheaper than Costco, go figure. Every year I make sure that we start out with 100 lbs of flour, sugar, and rice. We nixed the wheat and oatmeal because really we don't use that much. I also get 50-75 lbs of brown sugar and right now I have about 35 lbs of oatmeal that I bought a few years ago, see we don't use it that much. I also buy 2 cases of green beans, corn, peaches, pears, beats, black beans, italian tomatoes, chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, cream of chicken soup, and cream of mushroom soup. Also on the list is chicken broth, tomato paste and sauce. I also get spaghetti sauce and noodles. From Costco I end up buying cooked chicken in cans, and Bear Creek soup mixes. We also get the instant-just add water to packets-oatmeal and some other cereals. We also have vinegar and oil and spices.

This might sound a little bit of a weird year supply, but I just put together a bunch of recipes that I use reguarly and that my family likes and just bought as much of the canned stuff as I could. I also really like having on hand the just heat and add water type meals because you never know when you will only have water. I am also a firm believer in using your storage, which is why I spend about $400 every year to get almost all new stuff. This has made my grocery bills around $25 every week, and recently $30 due to the higher cost of food. So every week all I usually buy is milk, eggs, fruit and whatever else that is special for the weeks meals like meat. I also usually have on hand about a month's supply of meat, chicken, mostly, and meatballs. Anyway, write a comment and let me know what you all do, maybe I will get a new tip!

Another medical update

I am not having surgery until August, it appears. Which sort of scares me because the pain from my last period was way too much (sorry for all the boys who read this). But the Lord knows what I need and when so I just have to have faith. Oh, and if you didn't know Father's Day is Sunday, kind of crept up on me!

While writing this the doctor's office called to let me know that they have sent another letter to the insurance company along with a bunch of stuff on what can happen if endometriosis is taking care of etc. So cross your fingers and pray that everything works out that way the Lord has planned!

Doctor update

Well I should be having surgery next Monday if my insurance approves, if not then sometime in August. The surgery is to see if I have endometriosis. I have to say that last week was a huge "let's see how much faith you have" week. I got sick Wednesday night and have been coughing so bad that I end up sick, well this doesn't help the pain that I have in my pelvic area and lower back. But thanks to my husband and daughter I am realizing how blessed I am and how grateful I am for my little family. Creed has been amazing and so helpful and supportive. He has been keeping me very sound in the mind, when I really just feel like screaming ENOUGH! Sarah is just being the cutest thing ever. She wanders the house singing "upndown, upndown", "swish, swish", along with any other little tune that pops into her head. She is also being very gentle and is actually starting to listen to us when we say "no".