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..