It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

Christmas lights, trees, ornaments, Nativities, yummy treats, playing games, movie snuggling, and being together definitely make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year. We are so fortunate to live by Bennett's parents and really love spending time with them, especially over the holidays. We spent 4 days over the break at their home having LOTS of fun. Avarie loved all the decorations, especially the tree. She was so good at being "soft" and not tugging at the ornaments. She would pet them instead. On Christmas Eve we went to Texas Roadhouse for the traditional "Larsen and Sons Company Dinner" (the retainer lab), read the Christmas story, and Bennett, Chase, Reece, (Bennett's brothers) and I practiced hiding for Santa. Dad Larsen woke us up the next morning and we hurried to hide in our spots before Santa came in the house. We watched silently in the dark room as he brought the presents in. What a fun tradition! We can't wait until Avarie and Cam are old enough to hide for Santa. Christmas morning we opened presents, had a yummy breakfast, spent the day playing board games and Wii, and topped it off with a fancy dinner. Thank you Mom and Dad Larsen for a wonderful holiday!

Daddy, Tootle Bug, and Cammy-Lammy

Avarie loves her new Elmo doll, baby doll, and all her new books. She had so much fun with all her new toys!

Cam's first Christmas, just a month old. His gifts were a little more "practical" :)

I found the pickle ornament this year! Holla!

Family dinner

How adorable is this little guy?! Check out that sweet round face. I made sure he and his Dad matched for church.

Wishing you all a wonderful new year!

The year of "2nd's"

This year seemed to be our "2nd" of many things. I survived my 2nd summer in the heat of Texas (pregnant of course), Bennett began his 2nd year of dental school, we had our 2nd baby, and celebrated our 2nd anniversary together. Sheesh...alot has happened in TWO years! For our anniversary we had some good friends watch Avarie and Cameron and we escaped to Maggiano's (delish!), walked around the fancy Northpark Mall, and went on a little drive around fancy Dallas neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights. It was so fun to have some time together. Bennett and I love date nights. I especially like getting all primped and dressed up (even if we are going somewhere casual). I love getting to see Bennett all handsome and I love getting to wear my high heels or cute flats :) Hehehe. Here's to many more years of "Jennett".

Newborn Photo Shoot

Thank you to our friend, Clark Larson, for taking pictures of Cameron (2 weeks old). Photography is a hobby of his and the pictures turned out BEAUTIFUL. Here are a few for you to enjoy :)

Ava and Cam

Big sister, little brother. 2 peas in a pod. Destined BFF's. Well, not yet actually...I'm just hoping they will be! It has been fun to watch Avarie over the past few weeks learning who this new little person in our family is. At first, she paid no attention whatsoever to Cameron. But each day she acknowldges him more and more. She is very gentle, and we are teaching her to be "soft soft soft" with her brother. Below is a picture of one morning that I caught Avarie pushing Cameron in his swing and "singing" to him. It was adorable.

Do you think we look alike??

So happy to have these sweet tootles in our life!

A Time of Thanks

This year BOTH my mom and dad were able to come and help with the new baby/spend Thanksgiving with us. How grateful we are for them! My mom actually stayed with us 2 1/2 weeks while we were getting adjusted to having another member of the family, and my dad came for the week of Thanksgiving. It was WONDERFUL. We spent the week relaxing, snuggling Cameron, watching movies and playing games. Of course Avarie spent the week getting spoiled with lots of treats and outings :) Thank you mom and dad for making the journey from Chicago!

Getting everything ready in the kitchen.

The table...don't worry, it's just cream soda :)

How grateful we are this year for the ABUNDANCE of blessings we have received. We know the Lord is mindful of us and watching over our little family.

Cameron Spencer Larsen

On November 18, 2010 at 12:01 pm, we welcomed Cameron Spencer Larsen to our little family. He weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long. The C-section went perfectly. Cameron did have some breathing troubles so he had to stay in the nursery for 4 days being monitored. It was difficult not to have him in the room with us while we were in the hospital, but I am grateful to the nurses who took such wonderful care of him. We visited him several times a day, and on the 3rd day I was allowed to feed him (he was on an IV before this). Cameron is just the most handsome little boy...sweet round face, a tiny pinchable nose, chubby little fingers and perfect kissable feeties :) Bennett and I had a rough time selecting a name for him. We each had a particular name that we liked, and each held our ground throughout the pregnancy. After he was born, we decided to go with Bennett's choice. He really loved the name Cameron (and now I do too!) and didn't want to save it for a future child, just in case we didn't have any more boys...hehehe. His middle name, Spencer, is after my dad. We know Cameron will live up to that great heritage and example my dad has set. We are so in love with this little boy!

We feel incredibly blessed with this perfect and wonderful gift from our Father in Heaven. We are excited for all the adventures that await our little family of four :)

Sneaky Peek

Avarie's 1st birthday was this past Friday, October 15th! We had a birthday party with her little friends (and some of our friends) and Grandpa and Grandma Larsen and Uncle Reece. I don't have time right now to do a full post, but I wanted to post a few pics of the party. Thanks to my friend Julia for taking the pictures!!

Thanks to all who made her day special :) I will organize the post and pictures soon, when I get a few spare moments. Happy Birthday sweet Avarie!

Perfect ending to a crazy week

Last week was insanely exhausting, to say the least. Bennett had 4 big tests crammed in 3 days, and I had lots of tasks and errands I was running everyday (besides chasing after Avarie and keeping her entertained). However, I got to enjoy a WONDERFUL weekend at Time Out for Women, a women's conference that travels to select cities around the United States each year. It was so rejuvenating. The conference began Friday evening, and then continued on Saturday morning through the afternoon. So many inspiring speakers and musical numbers. I feel spoiled that I had General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the weekend prior, then Time Out for Women that followed to give me a much needed boost. I hope to attend many more in the future.

A special thanks to my wonderful Bennett. The second he got home from school Friday he was on Avarie duty until late Saturday afternoon. (I must add that he had gotten up at 3:30 am on Friday morning to study, and 4:30 am both Wed. and Thurs. mornings) He was so exhausted...but still managed to take care of our tootle bug, and even took her on a Daddy/Daughter breakfast date Saturday morning. I love him :)

After getting back from the conference, Bennett and I got a babysitter and enjoyed a date night at a little Italian restaurant. It was so nice to get to relax!

Squeezing into this booth was a little tough with the belly...I might have to switch to a table next time we go out :) Cheers to happy weekends!

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks...

What to do in Texas when the weather is perfect? Go to a baseball game :) Bennett's parents invited us to the Rangers game last weekend, and we had a great evening. We had some friends watch Avarie so we could enjoy a little baby-free date. Being the frugal people we are (alright, maybe just cheap) we brought our own hot dogs (courtesy of Sam's Club) and used the condiments at the ballpark. I remember doing this growing up in Seattle when my family went to Mariner's games...thriftiness is ingrained in me:) I also remember going to the movies and sneaking in our own popcorn, drinks and candy. I would probably STILL do this if I didn't think it would embarrass Bennett. Hehehe. Always looking to save a few dollars!

Sportin' our "Rangers Red". Sorry, no huge baby bump is visible in this picture. But trust me, it's STILL there :)

Thanks Mom and Dad Larsen for inviting us!

No, the picture is not intended for the Bud Light sign. It's the sign directly UNDER it that is pretty sweet. We are excited for the Rangers as they head into the playoffs this week...AL West Champions 2010!

Fried Frito Pie

Yep, the winner for the Best Taste award at the State Fair of Texas 2010 is fried frito pie. And we tried it. Not too bad, tasted like a ball of chili deep fried in batter. Other tasty concoctions we sampled include: corndog, cheese fries, brisket tacos, homemade rootbeer, and icecream (the ONE thing that was fat free!! Ha!). We had a really good time taking Avarie to her very first fair. We mostly walked around, checked out the booths, saw a Celebrity chef show, and took Avarie to a pretend farm where she got to be the farmer...she had no idea what was going on but it was sure cute. We finished the night off with the light parade. Fun floats all decked in lights and sparkly things :) Avarie was a trooper for the most part, but definitely had her fill of fun after a few hours. We look forward to next year when she is a bit older (and I am NOT 32 weeks pregnant) and can participate and interact with more of the attractions. We love the State Fair of Texas!

What cute farmers :)

Snackin' on cookies...it was her "prize" for helping on the pretend farm.

Corndog...a state fair classic. Maybe next year Avarie can try one :)

Petting a cow for the first time. This is Elsie, the mascot for Borden Milk.

The evening light parade. See you next year Big Tex!! :)

Sunday Cuties

I just had to take a picture of my two cuties all ready for church. Avarie's hair is FINALLY long enough to put in a little bow without a headband. She gets closer to walking everyday, and will stand by herself for long periods of time. She is very cautious and nervous to take a step without us holding her hand :) She is talking, talking, talking (and often LOUDLY - especially in church), loves to play with other kids, and giggling constantly (often with herself and at toys). I LOVE being with her everyday. She has been so good to me while I have been pregnant, I think she can sense the days I am miserable and is an extra sweet girl. Love this tootle bug :)

D2

On August 16th Bennett started his second year of dental school and officially became a D2 student. As is tradition, I had to take a picture as he left for the first day of school. What a cutie in scrubs ;) He has enjoyed this year a MILLION times more than last year (what a relief!). He is doing really well in all his classes, and is particularly good in the lab portions. Those years of working on retainers in his family's retainer lab and as an ortho assistant are paying off!! I get to be his first official patient in October for a teeth cleaning. I'm sure he will do a great job. He is already getting geared up for Boards this December. He goes up to school early every day (wakes up at 5:45 am) and looks over dental decks (kind of like flashcards) in preparation. I am so grateful he is such a hard worker!

Progression

Here is a photo journal of our growing baby boy...

This is the most recent pic...I am 28 weeks as of yesterday. He is moving and kicking like crazy, 24/7. For awhile I was getting better with nausea and not throwing up, and there were quite a few days Zofran was not needed. But the last week and a half have been a little rough...so my meds have kept me going. How I love modern medicine! Overall it hasn't been as bad as with Avarie, but still no fun. The doctor scheduled a repeat C-section on November 18th, so only ELEVEN more weeks to go. I will survive ;) He seems much bigger than Avarie was, so maybe he will want to come earlier (wishful thinking). Hooray for babies!

7 Brothers, 7 Eagles Scouts

While the Larsen family was gathered, Bennett's youngest brother Reece received his Eagle Scout award. What an accomplishment! He worked very hard at a local Elementary school sprucing up their playground. He painted a giant map of the world on the blacktop...it turned out really great! The Court of Honor was very special, and what a joy/relief for Bennett's parents that ALL seven brothers have achieved this rank. Way to go, Reece! We are so proud of you :)

Bennett's dad and brothers (minus one) at the Court of Honor. What a good looking group of Larsen boys!! :)