Ruth's besties

We've had Ruth's cousin, Eleanor, in town for the past few weeks.  They have both been in heaven and quite inseparable!  First order of business when they are together: dressups, of course!

Quinn is Ruth's church buddy since toddlerhood.  As far as maturity, they are identical, which is cute.  Now they are in a dance class together.  So fun!

Of course, nothing beats older brothers, especially when they bring out the ninja in you!

Growing Emmy

Emmy... sits up, loves bananas, pets Pilot, gives monkey hugs, and is oh so adorable!

December count down

The decorations are up, gifts wrapped, toffee made, and cookies cut out... we are waiting for the big day!  James wakes up every morning to give us the update on our countdown; we don't even need an advent calendar because we have him!  

Yes, that half sad face on Ruth is real.  If I can ever get a happy picture of all my kids, it will be a miracle!

A visit with Santa

Thanksgiving week

Hard to believe that it's already December when just last week we were celebrating Thanksgiving.  These are some random shots from the week.  James participated in a turkey parade and then had lunch with his 5th grade buddy.  David recited a poem about turkey drumsticks, followed by a nice reception.  We thoroughly enjoyed our full week off of school and took advantage of the 80 degree weather by a trip to the beach and much time at the park.

Emmy: no longer a bystander- definitely an participant!

This is the way we hang our clothes...

4 month-old Emmy

Here's my beautiful baby.  I can't stop kissing those baby cheeks.  

Don't you know that dresses taste pretty good?!  It was nearly impossible to keep the dress out of her mouth long enough to snap a picture.

Ruth with her real baby, whom she usually refers to as "Emmy Jean"!

Happy Birthday James

My James is 5 years old!  Since everyone else has summertime birthdays, James has been very patient as he has waited for his special day.  His birthday request was build-a-bear, so as soon as Joseph got off work, we met at build-a-bear, or I should say, build-a-monkey.  Afterwards we went to Ruby's diner for hamburgers and then home for birthday cake.  The special thing about the celebration was that we had Grandma and Grandpa Larsen with us!

Here's James with his birthday monkey.  He gave it a yoda costume and named it "James Jr."  Some words to describe James:  affectionate, smart, playful, creative, determined.  It has been fun to watch James grow up a bit these past few months.  He is really happy with school and likes being one of the older kids in the family.

Playtime

True love is shown..

when you share your most beloved toy  to make someone else happy.

Sweet Ruth

The three-year-old that's been driving me CRAZY has sweetened considerably.  I am now really enjoying her little elfish ways and persistent companionship.  Our favorite phrase is her daily greeting to Emmy:  "Aaaah!  You are such a SWEET little MUDDA!"

I never expected that my daughters would enjoy dance, but Ruth seems to really like it.  In fact, she is all business during class.  The other day she said, "mom, I just love dance.  I love tap. I love ballet."  Do you think I was gushing with pride?  You bet!

Flag Football

David chose flag football as his sport this year.  He is very much a beginner, but has a good attitude and seems to enjoy the camaraderie of the team.  Football is fun because every kid gets a job on the field; for David, it is usually hiking the ball to the quarterback.  He did manage to pull 3 flags at his game yesterday, which was BIG improvement from last week and made "coach Joe" really pleased! 

Funny Sleepers..

There's something about a sleeping child that melts away the misdeeds of the day.

Happy Halloween

Larsen halloween ... featuring a monster, a skeleton, a mouse, and a princess.

Ruth was thrilled that she got to try on some of mommy's lipstick and blush.  She kept saying, "more makeup?"

The group heading out for trick or treating..

Mama's Fish House

Last excursion worth documenting: Mama's fish house.  Delicious seafood and delightful beach.

David loves to climb!

Christmas photo?

Final effort for a cute kid picture.. not happening.

On the way home, the men and boys took a detour to some waterfalls.  This was the tropical side of Maui on the way to famous Hana.

Old Town Lahaina

For those who look at my blog, which I suspect isn't very many, I apologize for these travel blogs.  This blog serves as our family journal.  Since someday the years of raising kids will be a blur (as it is already), hopefully we'll be able to recall the highlights.  

 We took a break from the beach one day to venture to old town Lahaina, the original capital of Hawaii.  The kids enjoyed the tourist shops the very most.  David is very proud of his Tiki that he bought with his own money.  Grandma also gifted the kids with a few treasures.  My highlight was Lelani's shaved ice over coconut ice cream!  So good!  This group picture is by the famous Banyan tree, taken by a nice guy who wanted afterwards to be paid for his services... I don't think we were the only tourists who fell for that trap!

Later that evening we attended a Luau.  Love my sweeties in this golden sunset light.

A few extra of Emmy in Hawaii

Emmy and I found this sunset during one of our walks along the beach

Beach Day

Our last day, Friday was an intensive beach day.  We were rewarded with spotting a gigantic turtle, which David and James both got to see.  David loved the snorkeling and by the end of the trip could identify most of the fish, especially the humuhumunukunukuapua'a and moorish idol.

Ruth refused to leave this spot of sand.  3 year olds- such a mystery to me.

James was the most adventurous I've ever seen him at the beach during this trip.

When Grandpa and Dad get involved with the sandcastle, you know it's going to be awesome.

Joseph and Grandpa were also passionate about the snorkeling.  This is the beach that we later found out was inhabited by sharks!  Yikes!

Grandma and Grandpa sure know how to have fun!