Vaughn Curtis & Heather Marie Larsen Family

Remembering Grandma Larsen...a loving tribute.

2009-04-13T16:24:00.005-04:00

We will miss our lovely Grandma Larsen

2009-04-11T22:02:00.005-04:00

Our beloved Grandma Geneva Larsen passed away today at the age of 92. She was a beautiful lady who was gracious and dignified in all she did. We are happy that she has been reunited with her sweetheart, Vaughn Larsen, but we will miss her greatly. We all hope to live a long and happy life as she did with her watching over us as our guardian angel. We love you, Grandma.

Grandma Larsen in 2006 sharing a Christmas memory when they bought a horse named Cherry for sons Elliott, Alex, and Brad.

Grandma Larsen giving a speech at her suprise 90th birthday party in 2007

Videos of Grandma Larsen during our visit in December 2008. We didn't know this would be our final goodbye in person. We love you Grandma

Trunk or Treat

2008-11-01T22:55:00.003-04:00

Each year our church hosts it's annual Halloween "Trunk-or-Treat" ...yes I spelled that right...the kids all come to the church for a special dinner and games and then they go trunk-or-treating around the church parking lot where all the adults await with open, decorated car trunks and lots of candy. Typically, this event is hosted prior to Halloween, but this year, due to scheduling, it was held on November 1st. This, of course, meant that we got to dress up again. Heather and I even got in to the action. See if you can figure out who we are. We got a lot of confused stares by members of the ward. We got the idea from Jeff and Hannah.

No....we're not Philidelphia baseball fans that were punched in the eye by Boston Red Sox fans. Leave your guess in the comments field and we'll confirm.

With another costume event, the kids, minus Ashton and Wyatt, wanted to come up with new costumes.

Emy as an Indian girl!

This was Emy's night to wear the Indian dress outfit that I brought home from my August trip to India.

Logan as a basketball player

We had another great night. The kids got more candy and we had fun socializing with the members of the ward.

Happy Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T22:14:00.000-04:00

We had a fun night tonight. The kids decided they wanted to go trick-or-treating in the "Liberty Pole" development in Hingham. The development is huge and the homes are closer together making it much more kid friendly than our development. It was a beautiful, warm evening which made for lots of houses visited. On to the fun.....

Trick-or-Treat!!!

Now introducing the cast of characters we had in our home on Halloween.....

Logan as an Indian boy.

While I was in India this past August (post still pending...150 pictures worth), I bought all the kids Indian dress clothes. Logan wanted to wear his outfit to pay tribute to the people of India. I absolutely loved it there and the kids loved the pictures and gifts I brought home.

Emy as Gabriella from High School Musical.

If you know Emy, this was the only logical choice for Halloween. She LOVES High School Musical. In fact, Daddy had the great honor of taking her to the movie on opening day 10/24.

Wyatt as the fierce Pterodactyl.

This is one of those costumes that can't easily be worn for long as the head piece obstructs vision. Isn't Wyatt was the cutest (I mean fiercest) Pterodactyl you've ever seen?

Ashton as the Lion.
Ashton was a trooper and kept trick-or-treating until the very last minute. He was excited to get all the great CANNIE at the different homes.

All in all, we had a wonderful evening. The kids made sure to get plenty of peanut butter cups for daddy as I made sure they were aware of the mandatory daddy tax on all Halloween candy. I explained to them that they are lucky my rates aren't as high as the government. They've been very concerned about taxes lately with the election coming up. I could insert my political comments in here like taking more candy away from kids that got over 250 pieces and giving it to kids who got less. It doesn't matter if the kids who got 250 pieces spent 2-3 times as long trick or treating..if they got more..they should give it to those who didn't go at all or only spent 20 minutes..right??? Anyway, back to Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone!!!

All Emy wants for Christmas...

2008-10-30T22:08:00.006-04:00

Is her big front tooth she lost tonight. She was brave and allowed mommy and daddy a chance to wiggle and jiggle the tooth. She then let daddy tie dental floss to the tooth and perform a quick yank and the tooth was out. Isn't she cute? Congratulations Emy! We love you!

Pumkin Carving & Posing

2008-10-25T22:33:00.001-04:00

The kids had a great time carving their pumpkins and posing with them on the front porch. It was a beautiful sunny fall afternoon and we enjoyed spending time together as a family.

Happy 4th Birthday Wyatt

2008-10-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

We love you!!!

Feed the Need 5K Race

2008-10-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

Each year, the church sponsors two 5K races to benefit the local food pantries. The program is called "Feed the Need". The entire family minus Heather (she was in UT) ran the race in Hingham in the spring. The Fall race takes place in Franklin, MA..the location of our stake center. We knew the race was on 10/18, but we were on the fence about whether or not we would run it as Logan had travel soccer in Kingston. Logan insisted that he wanted to run the race just before going to bed on Friday, 10/17. The race started at 8:30am and Franklin is an hour from the house. To run the race, you need to either pay $20 which goes to stock food in the local food pantry, or each runner must bring 25 cans of food. The runners are supposed to take flyers around their neighborhoods in an attempt to get as much canned food donated as possible. Logan and I obviously didn't have time to get any canned food so we decided to pay the entry fee. I haven't run for months so I was fearful about running in the race. Logan had to be in Kingston (an hour drive from Franklin) for his soccer game by 10am so there would be just barely enough time to run the race and then quickly take off to the game in Kingston.

Finally...on to the actual race itself. Logan took off like the wind. I was able to keep up with him for about the 1st mile and then he went for it. He finished overall in 8th place out of 59 runners with a time of 24:44 I finished in 14th place overall with a time of 26:30. Heather was suprised Logan was faster than me, but I wasn't. Logan is an amazing runner and does a great job. He had hoped to get a 1st place medal in his age division, and normally they have a 10 and under division, but this race they only went with a 20 and under age division. The 1st and 2nd place finishers were in that category, so Logan won a 3rd place medal. Great Job Logan. We Fed the Need!!!

Logan, just before the race. It was extremely cold outside...in the 40s

Here is a picture of the partial food donations at the Feed the Need race.

ADRIAN!!!

2008-10-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

This needs no introduction. Enjoy!

Preschool Field Trip to New England Aquarium

2008-10-11T13:16:00.005-04:00

I am part of a group of moms who take turns having "preschool" at our home once a week for two hours. We have a curriculum which includes working with letters (letter recognition and letter sound recognition, writing letters, etc.), counting, calendaring, weather, music, and of course good old fashioned play time. We try to have a variety of activities for the kids that teach these skills in a fun way. We do various crafts, science experiments, and cooking and baking activities.

We are also trying to do at least one field trip a month. This month the kids learned about A for aquarium so we took them to the New England Aquarium in Boston. The picture above was taken outside the aquarium in front of the seal tank. Inside there are penguins, sharks, starfish you can touch, jellyfish, an octopus, and thousands of other kinds of fish. The kids had a blast and wore the moms out!

One's trash is another's treasure

2008-10-06T22:51:00.001-04:00

I think we'll be making this a weekly post as it is so exciting. Every week we go to the Hingham transfer station (the town dump). While we do get extremely excited about recycling our paper and plastic and dumping our nasty mountains of filthy trash, the real draw to the dump is the "swap shop". The "swap shop" is a section of the dump that is like a glorified yard sale. People bring their used goods that they no longer find of value and leave them for anyone to take. The rule is that if you want to take, you should also bring something to give. All items are free and can be returned at future visits to the swap shop if they don't work out. Anything not taken at the end of the day is crunched up and taken to the landfill. This past Saturday was our most successful trip yet. We arrived at just the right time and found an entire girls bedroom set, complete with full size poster bed, nightstand, dresser with hutch, and desk with hutch. We also found some other fun things. See below for the great pictures.

Desk with hutch

Dresser with hutch

Full size poster bed with end table

This little non motorized go kart is a real hit with the kids and works well on the long sloped driveway

This brand new outdoor light was still in it box and had never been used. It had a small crack in one of the panels that is barely noticeable

Toy Helicopters for the boys

A fishtank for all the frogs we catch

"Out of the Mouths of Babes"

2008-10-05T19:44:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to share a few things the kids have said that I thought were hilarious. I'm going to try to keep better track of what they say because I know they've said a lot of funny things over the years, but I have forgotten them over time.

Going to the library with all four kids is a major test of my sanity. Emy and Logan are fine, but Wyatt and Ashton go around taking books off shelves leaving them on the floor, or chasing each other around the bookshelves, or running to the far end of the library where I can't see them. It's about all I can do to keep it together while Emy and Logan pick out their books, never mind having time for me to pick out anything. One day Emy asked if she could bring her friend to the library with us. I told her, no, that I couldn't handle more than four kids at the library. In her most exasperated and authoritative voice she said, "I'LL handle it!" Knowing Emy, she probably could handle it . . .

A few days later we were taking some pictures of the kids. I've noticed that lately Wyatt has been able to produce the biggest smile on cue for pictures. Emy has always turned on the charm when a camera is anywhere in the vicinity, but it is a new thing for Wyatt to do so. I made the mistake of saying, "Daddy, doesn't Wyatt have the cutest smile for pictures?" Emy's head whipped around and she fumed, "Are ya kidding me?" Oh, boy. I can't wait for the teen years . . .
A few months ago I was lamenting to Vaughn about how terrible a Relief Society lesson went that I had taught. It was a massive train wreck for various reasons, and I was just cringing at the whole memory of it. Logan overheard me whining about it, and he sweetly (and innocently) said, "It's ok, Mom. They probably didn't even notice . . . unless they were paying attention." Exactly!

One day I heard Ashton crying, and I asked Wyatt what had happened. Wyatt said, "I laid him down and he started crying." Translation: "I tackled him to the floor, and for some reason he started crying."

Heather's Sacrament Meeting Talk

2008-10-05T10:29:00.006-04:00

Well, this is a first for Heather. I was always reluctant to enter the blogging world because I thought, "Who cares what I have to say?" or "Who would read it anyway?" After too many emails full of pictures that took forever to send, I decided that blogging was a great way to share family pictures with our loved ones who live far away. However, I still wasn't convinced that actual writing (more than a cute caption) was necessary or would even get read by anyone. Well, here I am writing my first writing blog entry with no pictures. Scary! So I've given you plenty of warning (if anyone is even reading this far) to move on to another post with cute pictures.

A few months ago I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting at church. Normally this would have been a little unpleasant, but I would have willingly done it. However, the scheduled speaker had backed out at the last minute, and I had only three days to prepare. The topic was "Faith in the Atonement" which is pretty heavy duty, and is the sort of topic I would have liked a few weeks (at least!) to mull over and research. A year ago I had given a talk about Family Home Evening which would have been no problem to pull together in a few days, but this topic deserved and required a great deal of thought.

The bishopric counselor who asked me could tell I was hesitant and told me I could take a day to think about it and get back to him. I told him my concerns which were that Vaughn was out of town, and I didn't see a time where I could actually sit down and prepare it. He said for me to think about it and let him know the next day, and it was ok if it was too much. Of course, I can never say no to things, and I told him that it would save me a phone call if I just told him right then that I would do it, rather than waiting for the next day to give him the same answer. He told me again to think about it and get back to him after checking with Vaughn to see what his schedule was.

Well I thought about it, and I thought I could easily say no. I had four kids home from school, my husband was out of town, and I had multiple activities and other commitments. I also thought that the bishopric would then have to ask someone else, and other people have busy lives too. Why was my schedule and life too busy or more important than someone else's? More importantly, I had the distinct impression that this assignment, particularly, this topic, was something I needed to do. So, I fired off an email to the bishopric counselor agreeing to speak. (Note: One of my stresses was doing sharing time in primary so I came up with the idea for the bishopric counselor to come in and speak to the kids for a few minutes about the Holy Ghost. He readily agreed knowing we were doing each other a big favor.)

I had this assignment weighing on my mind for the next few days. Once I put the kids to bed, I sat down at the computer and printed out a bunch of articles from lds.org about the atonement. Each one I read, I would end up crying over, which actually isn't saying much because I cry at the drop of a hat these days. But, again, I felt like this was a topic I needed. I thought the easy way to go would be to regurgitate one of these articles, because an apostle can surely tackle this topic better than me, right? Again, I felt like I needed to come to my own understanding of faith in the atonement.

I had the idea to use a story that I had heard 15-20 years ago. This story has been bouncing around in my mind for years, and I've always thought there was an analogy to draw from it. I thought it would be great to use in a talk, but I could never make it work with other topics I'd been given. I called my dad to double-check the facts of the story, and ended up having a great conversation with him about his experiences as a bishop and how he saw the atonement work in people's lives. One of the things he learned was that the Lord wants us to succeed and is willing to give us chance after chance after chance to turn our lives around. He never gives up on us. As a bishop, he saw people repeatedly make mistakes and even commit grievous sins, but by applying the atonement in their lives, they became new people.

So, armed with the promptings of the Spirit and the thoughts and feelings I had over those few days, I came up with with the following talk. As stated above, I think this topic was given to me for my own spiritual growth, but my hope is that others may be able to benefit from it. Also, I have since continued my study and research on this topic, so if anything, the assignment to speak was a stepping stone for me to study the Atonement further.

Sacrament Meeting Talk Given by Heather Larsen in the Hingham Ward, Hingham, MA, August 10, 2008:

I grew up about 15 miles north of Reno, NV in a community called Silver Knolls. Silver Knolls is in a valley with a large dry lake surrounded by sagebrush-covered mountains. For those of you not from the desert, a dry lake is a large tract of land usually devoid of vegetation that is dry during periods of drought, but can turn into a shallow lake during heavy rains or years of good rain and snowfall. This area is fairly rural with most people living here having horses, cattle and other livestock. The area is also home to coyotes, mountain lions, mustangs, and large predatory birds.

Growing up, we had a good family friend named Gary Herron who was a neighbor and also our home teacher for several years. He worked for the Nevada Department of Wildlife in rehabilitating wild birds like hawks and falcons that had been injured for various reasons. He had a falconers license and also kept his own birds as pets. He had large cages in his backyard that were always housing some very large and beautiful birds of prey.

When his family would go on vacation, they would ask my brothers and me to help take care of their animals and plants. My duties included feeding and watering the dogs, watering the house plants, and changing the food and water for the indoor parakeets. My brothers got the more gruesome task of feeding the big birds. I never saw them actually feed the large birds, but I know it involved frozen pigeons. The reason I know this is because I inadvertently opened a package in our extra freezer in the garage to discover a frozen solid pigeon, feathers and all. I am a fairly squeamish and perhaps dramatic person (especially as a teenager) so of course I screamed. After that, I had no interest to watch the big birds eat the little birds.

Anyway, Gary would take his own falcon hunting in the valley. The valley was big enough and rural enough for his bird to find plenty of food and give his wings a good stretch. He would often tell us stories about his birds and their hunting trips. The exciting stories usually involved run ins with eagles or owls. Apparently, falcons and owls are arch enemies. If a falcon sees an owl from 1000 feet up, it will dive down and attack the owl. On one occasion, Gary said he saw an owl and his falcon collide in mid-air and fall to the earth. The owl flew away, but his bird was a little dazed and just stood there. Luckily, it had only lost a tail feather in the encounter.

One story Gary told us about his friend’s falcon has always stayed with me. This friend lived in the same valley, but his home was on a hill. One evening around dusk he had his peregrine falcon tied to a post on a hill on his property while he went back down to the bird’s cage to get something. The bird had a hood on over its head and eyes. This keeps the bird from seeing distractions and helps keep it calm and quiet while being transported. He was only gone a few minutes, but when he came back, he was stunned to find that a great-horned owl had quietly swooped down and killed his falcon.

Of course, Gary’s friend was devastated about the loss of this bird especially under these preventable and sad circumstances.

I have often thought about this poor falcon tied down to the fence post, unable to see the approaching owl and unable to defend itself. If the falcon was not tied down and hooded, it would have seen the owl in time to fly away. It would have escaped easily since falcons are faster than owls. Unfortunately, the owl could see that the bird was vulnerable and took advantage of the situation.

Like the falcon, we can be bound and so blinded by sin that we cannot defend ourselves from the adversary. Satan will take advantage of our spiritual vulnerability and triumphantly devour our souls as we succumb to spiritual death. The falcon was left alone to fend for itself, but we have not been left alone. The Savior suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross so that we could escape the bands of sin and sorrow.

The scriptures have several accounts of people that have broken the bonds of sin through repentance and have gone on to not only be clean from sin but to be leaders in his church. Acts Chapter 9 tells the conversion story of Saul who later became the great apostle Paul. I think this is a perfect illustration of how the atonement can change the course of a life. Saul was a Pharisee and had a hand in the persecutions and deaths of the early Christians. He was present when the disciple Stephen was stoned to death, and Acts 8:1 says, "And Saul was consenting unto his death." Verse 3 states, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison."

In Chapter 9 we learn that Saul is on his way to Damascus to find and imprison any disciples of Christ. In verses 3-6, we read,

"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

Right here I want to point out that the tone of the Lord’s voice to me doesn’t sound angry, but rather sad or disappointed. He is compassionate to Saul just as he is to all of us.

"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."

Now Saul became blind after this experience and his traveling companions led him the rest of the way into Damascus where he was without sight and food and drink for 3 days.

At the same time a disciple named Ananias had a vision from the Lord that told him to find Saul. Ananias reacted the way we would have probably reacted. He said, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to they saints at Jerusalem:" Ananias was fearful of Saul and his authority to imprison the disciples.

But the Lord told Ananias, "Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake."

So Ananias went to find Saul and restored his sight and baptized him. Of course we know that Saul changed his name to Paul and became a major influence in the early church.

What I learn from this story is that the Lord loves us unconditionally. No matter how great our sins are, we are his children, and he sees our great potential to live up to being his heirs in his kingdom. I also learn that even grievous sins can be forgiven through the atonement, and we can become like a new person with a clearer idea of the Lord’s plan for us.

Contrarily, Satan will tell us that we have gone too far for redemption, and that we are inherently bad people so we can’t change. President James E. Faust said, "The evil influence of Satan would destroy any hope we have in overcoming our mistakes. He would have us feel that we are lost and that there is no hope."

It is difficult for our mortal minds to grasp the miracle of the atonement and resurrection. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and bore the sins of the world to the extent that he was bleeding from every pore. He later endured inquisition, beatings and death by crucifixion all because of His love for us. This great act gave us two gifts. The first gift is the gift of resurrection and mortality which is given to everyone regardless of their good or evil acts. The second gift is the gift of exaltation and eternal life, which is the blessing of living in the presence of Heavenly Father and our Savior forever. This second gift requires action on our part in the form of keeping the commandments and repenting of our sins.

When we are sinning it is easy to feel and think that nothing can fix what we have done. That is the miracle of atonement. By humbling ourselves before the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit, we can repent and overcome sin. We can pay our debt the best we can, but the Lord will pay the remaining seemingly insurmountable debt.

In my own extended family, we had a very painful experience that involved adultery. A family was torn apart, and the effects were far reaching as we were a tightly-knit family that did many things together. There was a lot of pain as I watched my cousins lose their family, and as we all tried to accept the new situation. However, after many years, the person involved in the sin recognized the magnitude of his actions and finally began the repentance process. Gradually over about 15 years, this person was rebaptized and had all his temple blessings restored to him. The miracle of the atonement was obvious to all when all the parties involved in the sin were able to attend the temple wedding of their youngest child. It was not an easy road, but through the atonement, repentance was rewarded by forgiveness.

The atonement is not only for the sinner, but for the victims of the sinner’s actions. Through the atonement, we can have a forgiving heart towards our trespassers and find peace. I recently read a book called, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. It is an autobiography of a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Holocaust named Immaculee Ilibagiza. The book details the horrors and atrocities committed in a mass genocide where most of Immaculee’s family and friends died cruel and gruesome deaths at the hands of their former neighbors and friends simply because they were part of a different tribe.

Immaculee survived the holocaust against all odds mostly because of her faith and many miracles. After the genocide, Immaculee had the opportunity to confront her family’s murderer in prison. The guard expected her to come in and spit at the man and yell at him, and he would have allowed her to do just about anything to avenge her family’s death. Instead, she quietly told the man that she forgave him.

As years passed, she was able to forgive the people that committed the violence and find peace that radiated to all those who knew her. In her travels, she met other holocaust victims who had not forgiven the people who committed the atrocities, and they visibly carried that burden on their shoulders to the extent that their mental and physical heath were deteriorating rapidly. When one of these people met Immaculee, they recognized the difference in her countenance and asked how she too could forgive and find peace. This peace is only possible through exercising our faith in the atonement.

Without exercising faith in the atonement, we are like the falcon tied helplessly to the fence post, awaiting a sure death. However, we have the power to free ourselves from the bonds of sin by having faith in the miracle of the atonement and exercising that faith through repentance and forgiveness. It is impossible to free ourselves by our own will power or inner strength. We must rely on the atonement and the Lord's mercy and grace to allow us to rise above our own mortal inadequacies and weaknesses.

I hope that I can learn to fully take advantage of the atonement in my own life. I believe that every sin or sorrow, great or small, can be wiped clean from the slate of our lives if we accept the miracle of the atonement. In the name of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Evening at the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-03T21:46:00.015-04:00

Vaughn was fortunate enough to get off early from work so we took advantage of the time and went to a pumpkin patch in Holbrook, MA. The kids picked out their own pumpkins, and Heather got to pick out some mums.

Wyatt was a big boy pulling his own wagon . . . until it was filled with almost 75 lbs. of pumpkin!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins everywhere.Emy's working hard at cutting the vine.Saw, Baby, Saw! (OK, I've been watching too much Sarah Palin coverage)Wyatt has the cutest smile that he turns on for pictures in a snap.Isn't this the sweetest picture of Ashton? Look at that little face! You'd never guess the destruction he's capable of with those baby blues looking at you.

The kids are fascinated with giant pumpkins. They wanted to pick out one huge one to share as a family, but we told them we would need a fork lift and a truck to move it. In a few towns over in Sharon, MA, there is a pumpkin estimated to be over 1800 lbs. and could be a world record breaker. It is growing at 11 lbs. / day, and is waiting to be transported to a pumpkin competition. The trick will be getting it to the competition because if it breaks, it is disqualified. We grew several huge pumpkins a few years ago in our garden in Utah, and Logan has wanted to grow a prize winner ever since. Maybe someday when we have a big enough space, we can attempt that task. A prize winning pumpkin seed costs about $500 so we'll have to start saving up now!Bringing in the spoils!This perky rooster was cock-a-doodling the whole time we were at the farm. The kids had fun chasing him and his hens.Mums!After working up our appetites pumpkin picking, we stopped at Bugaboo Creek for dinner. This is a very kid-friendly restaurant filled with "stuffed" animals including a talking buffalo head and a dancing fish trophy.And, a talking tree!
Nothing says good eatin' like a talking mounted buffalo head!
More stuffed friends.

Fun on the Zip Line

2008-10-02T23:40:00.002-04:00

We were extremely fortunate that the prior owners of our home installed a zip line. The kids really enjoy playing on it. They like to play "Indiana Jones" on the zip line...watch the video and you'll understand.

Fall Playgroup Outing

2008-10-01T19:29:00.002-04:00

Ashton and Wyatt go to playgroup through the church about once a week. This week's activity was at a farm in East Bridgewater, MA. The boys had fun looking at the animals and picking apples.

Ashton was surprised the goat was trying to eat his shirt.

Wyatt's adorable camera-ready cheeser!

The search is on for the best apples!

Ashton found a nice big apple!

The boys worked together to get the apples into the bag.

Keep picking!

Mom and her boys

Two little boy ghosties!

Family Home Evening - A night at World's End

2008-09-29T21:36:00.008-04:00

Isn't that a great name for a park...World's End? World's End is a 251 acre park and conservation area located on a peninsula in the town we live: Hingham, MA. The land is composed of four drumlins harboring tree groves interspersed with fields. It was one of the sites considered for the United Nations headquarters in 1945. It offers beautiful hiking trails and views of the Atlantic Ocean, Boston Harbor, and the Boston city scape.

We got a late start for the park and arrived about 40 minutes before sunset. We were able to make it to a nice area for pictures right at sunset. We hiked down to the water and searched for shells and everyone discovered some great finds. Our hike back was interesting as it was mostly dark, but we had a good time singing songs together as a family.

The Boston City Scape

The walk to the lookout area.
Views of Hull, the Weir River and the Atlantic Ocean

Views of Hingham Harbor

We made it just as the sun was setting
Wyatt found some shells

Ashton takes a break

Logan found a horseshoe crab shell

Views of Boston Harbor and the Boston City Scape

The Larsen family and the Boston City Scape

We loved the tree-lined trails

At the end of the hike..it was nice and dark but there was time for one last photo

While on the hike back, it was pretty dark, and we saw a small herd of deer

Aren't these kids too cute?

Emy doesn't miss a chance to pose for a picture..she's a cutie!!!

More hiking through the beautiful landscape

It was low tide and we found a lot of shells. The sky was beautiful as the sun had just set

Views of Hull, MA

The Hull Windmill

What a fun trip to World's End!

Singing Sunday

2008-09-28T16:40:00.008-04:00

Logan, Emy, & Wyatt are practicing very hard for the Primary Program that is one month away. Such great singing can't go without being posted here on the family blog. Heather has been doing her research and tells us that the Jonas brothers got their start by posting videos of them singing on the internet....who knows...maybe we'll get noticed and Vaughn can live his dream through his kids. ;-)

Fun with Wyatt & Ashton

2008-09-25T20:38:00.000-04:00

Having two boys so close in age (2 & 3) is a lot of fun. For the most part, Wyatt and Ashton play well together...when they do, it is extremely fun to watch them interact. Here they are playing "throw the football through the tube"

Logan's Cub Scout Pack Meeting & Bike Rodeo

2008-09-24T22:31:00.003-04:00

Logan had a pack meeting this past Tuesday night and he received some awards he has been working on for quite some time. Logan received his Cub Scout World Conservation Badge and his Summer Cub Scout achievement certificate. Logan is excited to continue scouts this fall with his new leader Brother Wilde.

The Cub Scout World Conservation Badge

After the awards ceremony, there was a bike rodeo/bike fair for the entire family. They had a few stations for the kids to stop and learn about bike maintenance and bike safety. Everyone brought their bikes and really enjoyed the evening.

Pardon the video quality..this was taken from my cell phone.

Heather's New Job - Personal Trainer to the....kids

2008-09-23T22:03:00.000-04:00

Heather has started a new exercise regime called P90X. She has been very diligent in following the strict diet and daily 60-90 minute exercise tapes. Of course, she was perfect prior to starting this routine, but she thinks she can build on perfection. She's been getting up early...which is nothing short of a miracle for Heather. The kids have also been getting into the routine with her. I thought these pictures were classics. You be the judge..could Heather give Richard Simmons a run for his money. Her new video tape will be called..."Sweatin with the school kids." Can you imagine trying to do Yoga with all of the kids swarming her. Needless to say...she still hasn't found that inner peace.

Even Jason, the kid we babysit before school three days a week was getting into the action.

"Terrible Twos"....

2008-09-17T22:36:00.002-04:00

...are alive and well at the Larsen home. Ashton is by far our most "exciting" two year old. He definitely keeps us on our toes. In the pictures below, Ashton decided he wanted to make one of daddy's famous "orange julius" smoothies. While Heather was taking a shower, Ashton climbed up on the counter...took down the blender from the highest shelf, put it together and then took orange juice out of the freezer and put it in the blender along with eggs and tomatoes...both green and red. Luckily, he did not plug it in and start blending but this stunt was just one of many. There is a reason we have no plans to buy any new furniture until these fun terrible twos are a thing of the past. Isn't he cute?

In Loving Memory...Squeaky Fuzzy Larsen September 16, 2008

2008-09-17T19:36:00.007-04:00

Sad news to report from the Larsen home...our beloved guinea pig, Squeaky Fuzzy, passed away on September 16, 2008. We all loved Squeaky and we were glad to have been able to spend the short time we did with her. We miss her squeaks, her daily feedings, and holding her close to us. She was the unfortunate victim to the "terrible twos". Ashton only intended to show her love and still asks "where's Squeaky". Logan and Emy took the news very hard which is understandable. We buried Squeaky tonight and made a headstone to place on her grave. WE LOVE YOU SQUEAKY and WE'LL MISS YOU!!!

When sleep calls.......

2008-09-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

Ashton listens...no matter where he is or what he's doing..it he's tired, he can fall asleep standing up, sitting up, and laying on the hardwood floors. It is getting more and more difficult to get Ashton to take a nap on a regular schedule, but he can't make it to bedtime without it. He's been waking up extremely early recently which thrills Heather and I given that we are NOT morning people. In the picture below, Ashton tore apart the couch and then fell asleep on it with a half eaten bagel on his lap...classic Ashton..but we love him!!!

Another Season of Soccer Begins

2008-09-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

This year Logan is on the travel team which means we get to travel to different places in the county for his soccer games this year and he'll actually play different teams throughout Plymouth county. He's excited as some of his good friends are on his team. He's doing a great job at soccer. Last year he took a stint at playing goalie and did phenomenal, but we can't coax him back there. It certainly is a lot of pressure playing goalie, but his long limbs helped him tremendously. We all love watching him play and getting a little exercise ourselves. Wyatt, Ashton and Emy are also good kickers. Aren't our soccer players cute?

Introducing our new family member - Squeaky Fuzzy Larsen

2008-09-10T23:19:00.006-04:00

We finally did it...we finally broke down and got a pet...the kids have been asking for a pet for quite some time and we figured we start out with something small to ensure our family's readiness. Heather and I are allergic to animals with fur so that greatly reduced the types of pets we could have. The kids had been toggling back and forth between a snake, lizard, frog, or turtle.

All of those would have worked well except we didn't have any kind of cage for them and we weren't keen on spending a lot of money on a pet and then all of the "fixins" for a pet. We visited PetCo on Saturday afternoon and looked at many different kinds of pets..we really had no intention of buying one but putting it on the Santa list. The best pet we could come up with, given the prices, was a guinea pig. When I returned home, I had the brilliant idea to look on craigslist for guinea pigs. I found 4 or 5 ads which were mostly for guinea pig cages. I did find a few ads for people that were giving away their guinea pig for free, including the cage, food, etc as they had developed allergies and could no longer keep the pet. I quickly emailed a family about 75 minutes away from us and they emailed back a day later indicating that they wanted to give their guinea pig to a nice family with kids as their daughter was having a hard time giving up her "friend".

We met each other half way last night and they came with the guinea pig, a cage, a travel cage, food, a brush, and detailed instructions on how to be a good guinea pig pet owner. They were extremely nice (husband, wife, and little girl all came to say their final goodbyes). They were so excited to send the guinea pig home to a nice family. I know what you are thinking..guinea pigs have fur...yes they most definitely do and while it can agitate me if I hold her too close to my face, the sheer joy on the kids' face outweighs my discomfort.

Please enjoy the pictures. The kids are on cloud nine and love playing with her. Squeaky Fuzzy is about 21 months old...more pictures to come.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T22:23:00.001-04:00

Today was the first day of school for Logan and Emy. Logan is going in to 4th grade and Emy is going into 1st grade. They were both pretty nervous but daddy was able to give both of them a father's blessing to help calm their nerves. Both Emy and Logan did a great job last year and this year is sure to fun and exciting.

Wyatt and Ashton wanted to be part of the first day of school. Ashton put on Emy's pink backpack and was ready to get on the bus. He cried when we wouldn't let him go with the big kids.

Here we all are at the bus stop..a short walk down to the end of the cul-de-sac. Pictured are Logan, Emy, Wyatt, Ashton, Hannah, Angelo, Joey, and Sean. All the parents came down for the 1st day at the bus stop to say their goodbyes. The Sousa's, Kim & Rick, Heather, and Betsy Ryan and her two small children.

Labor Day Weekend - Six Flags New England

2008-08-30T22:52:00.009-04:00

Heather and I are such planners...we decided on the Friday before Labor Day that we were going to attend our friend's wedding reception in New York (the Hawks family) and then drive from the reception to Springfield, MA to stay the night and then go to Six Flags New England. We stayed at the Sheraton and then got up early to have breakfast and arrive at the park just as it was opening. We were able to get discounted tickets from the IBM club (only $27/person 3 and older..who needs Disney now?) in the area so we decided to get 2 Flash Passes. These passes enable you to get to the rides quicker and avoid the long lines...you simply program the ride in on a pager and it cuts your wait time by 75% and then when you arrive at the ride, you are allowed to "cut" in front of everyone else and get on the ride immediately. This extra investment was well worth it as we were able to go on what seemed endless rides. We started the day with a great disappointment....daddy was TOO TALL to ride on the park's flagship ride...Superman..Ride of Steel (see video below) I've never heard of being TOO TALL for a ride, but the limit was 6'4" which meant Logan had to be brave and ride it alone. His second ride, we somehow convinced Heather to join him and she almost didn't survive. Heather is terrified of roller coasters and this is NOT for the faint of heart. She said her eyes stayed closed for most of the ride, and Logan admitted there was a lot of screaming.

There were plenty other rides that we could go on and Emy was just tall enough to ride about 99% of the rides...Logan, of course, was tall enough to ride them all. The park was not crowded at all and we had a great time. Check out the fun photos below.

Logan's favorite ride was Batman: The Dark Knight

Emy's favorite ride was Flashback

Daddy's favorite ride was Scream...they take you up....way way up...and you free-fall drop..it's absolutely terrifying as evidenced in the video below:

UT - Day 7 - Salt Lake Childrens Museum, Gateway Fountains, Arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Lawrence, Pizza Dinner

2008-06-27T23:50:00.005-04:00

Grandma Great!

2008-06-27T16:46:00.006-04:00

We were blessed to be able to spend the entire week with Grandma June Stevenson a.k.a Grandma Great. She's 86 years old and still going strong. She flew in from Reno and spent a few weeks between her daughter Amy's home and her son Grandpa Jerry's home. She had a great time and it was special that the kids got to spend time with their Great Grandma Stevenson...a.k.a GRANDMA GREAT. We love you GRANDMA GREAT!!! We hope to see you again soon!

Grandma Great with Emy and Logan at the Park

Grandma Great with Ashton and Wyatt in American Fork.

Look at your posterity Grandma Great...and this is just one of your kids. "You done good!!!"

UT - Day 6 - Spending time with Ben, Kerri & Family

2008-06-26T23:59:00.004-04:00

Heather and the kids went for an early morning breakfast picnic. It's been in the 90s almost every day so it's been important to do outdoor activities early in the morning. Ben and his family arrived last night and are staying in the area for almost a week. Jeff took the day off and he and Hannah and the twins were also there. Unfortunately, I had to work but I heard everyone had a nice time. Logan was a big help with the twins and has had some very nice compliments from his Aunt Hannah and Uncle Jeff.

Hannah commented on how gentle and kind Logan was to the twins...

Once again, we got together for dinner tonight and enjoyed one another's company. Kerri avoided the camera like the plague and the kids had a good time playing in the basement. Grandma & Grandpa have some nice toys...the classics Construx and Lincoln Logs

Try not to look at the camera Kerri here with Braden. Pictured to the right are Logan, Matthew, Kirsten and Braden

UT - Day 4 - Cafe Rio Time and Welcome to Ben, Kerri, and family

2008-06-25T23:50:00.004-04:00

I've been working from our home in South Jordan during this week and due to me working east coast hours, I have had issue with finding time to eat breakfast and lunch. Today was no exception. I found myself starving at the end of my work day and my wonderful sister Docia and her awesome girls, Jessica, Shannon, and Emily (Rebekah had a play date) brought Cafe Rio to my rescue. Cafe Rio has always been a family favorite. They have a great pork salad that could easily feed 2-3 people. I'm certainly not petite by any stretch, so I had no problem finishing the entire salad. I'm blessed to have a such a wonderful sister and adorable nieces. We truly miss living so close to them. We miss the frequent get togethers. Today brought back old memories. Family is a wonderful thing and we're having such a great time visiting with them for these 3 weeks.

Heather spent the day with the kids at her parents in American Fork and we ate dinner together at Heather's parent's home this evening. Heather's brother Ben and his prenant wife Kerri and their children arrived in the area from Colorado and we spent time catching up with them.

UT - Day 3 - Happy 7th Birthday Mary Ben-baba!

2008-06-24T23:50:00.003-04:00

Today we celebrated the birthday of our new family friend, Mary Ben-baba. Mary is the daugher of Ben and Yasha Ben-baba, who are the wonderful people buying our home in South Jordan. They are originally from the Congo in Africa and have only been in the states for 8 years. They have 3 adorable children, Mary, of course, and Joshua, and Ahava. Mary is their oldest. She was so excited to have so many people with her to celebrate her happy day. We've only known the Ben-babas for a short period of time, but they are special people. They love the Lord and they are striving to raise their kids to follow Christ.

The kids began the evening by playing in the backyard. They jumped on the trampoline and ran races. We brought Mary a balloon, a kite, and a jump rope that glows in the dark. The balloon did not leave her sight the entire time (as pictured above).

In addition to spending the evening with the Ben, Yasha, and the children, we were given a special treat in that Yasha's sister-in-law Mado was in town and she made everyone a real African meal which consisted of "pondu" (a vegetable dish made with casava leaves, onions, leeks, red and green peppers, palm oil and talapia fish) and salmon in a tomato and vegetable sauce. It was extremely delicious and Logan requested that we get the recipe. Another friend of Ben & Yasha, Ryan, joined the party and we all had a great time. Ben and Yasha speak french so I was able to practice my rusty skills on them. They say that I speak very well with a wonderful accent....well maybe not wonderful but better than the typical American.

We sang Happy Birthday to Mary and watched her open presents. Then we all had ice-cream cake and watched Mary enjoy her new toys. It was a wonderful evening and we're so happy to have met the Ben-baba family.

UT - Day 3 - Family Home Evening at the Park - more extended family - FINALLY we meet the TWINS

2008-06-23T23:59:00.002-04:00

We spent the evening at a park in Sandy. We got to see even more of Heather's cousins and their families at the park for a picnic. The kids had an enjoyable time playing with their 1st and 2nd cousins". Present at the event was grandma and grandpa, grandma great, cousin Julie and family (husband Nathan, kids...Lindy, Ray, Andrew, William, .... and .....); Aunt Chris and cousin Jenny's daughter Aubrey; cousin Lisa and her kids, Jake, Cameron and .....; cousin Mark, his wife Angela and their son.....; aunt Amy and uncle Tom; brother Jeff and his wife Hannah and their twin girls Maisy and Laurel (see tribute below). Poor Brittany was sick.

The best part of the entire evening for our family (no offense to anyone) was FINALLY getting to see Maisy and Laurel. We were all anxious to see these two cuties..and their parents are pretty great too. I surprised Hannah and Jeff by immediately being able to tell the twins apart. There is a definite appearance difference....little Laurel has the cute ears that stick out and Maisy looks like a mini-Hannah. From a personality perspective, Laurel is a social bug and immediately smiled at us. Maisy was a little bit more cautious, but Emy had her smiling before the end of the evening. They are adorable and the kids love their twin cousins. Hannah has practically melted away to next to nothing while Jeff continues to prove that wearing braces doesn't mean you can't eat (just kiddin..we love ya Jeff). Now...on to the pictures!!!

Aren't they adorable In this picture you see how Hannah survives being the mother of twins..she's got MAGIC HANDS!!!

All of this time spent with the twins led Emy to question when she was ever going to get her little sister....someday we hope...someday. ;-)

UT - Day 2 - Church & Extended Stevenson Family Dinner

2008-06-22T23:59:00.002-04:00

We spent the morning in South Jordan and then headed down south to American Fork to attend church with the Heather's family. Ashton was exhausted so I stayed home with him and took my Hingham SYC (Stake Youth Council..I'm not one of the youth anymore however) call from the house. We're in the midst of planning youth conference (we're going to the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra, NY) so it was important that I attend via the phone.

Isn't everyone looking good in the Sunday best?

Heather's extended family (aunt, cousins, and grandmother) all came over for dinner that evening. Noticably missing was Hannah and the twins...we were all anxious to see the Maisy and Laurel, but Jeff only came by himself...what a let-down (no offense Jeff).

It was fun catching up with Heather's family. Here are the names of everyone that attended the dinner....Aunt Chris, cousin Lisa and her family (husband Derret and kids, Jake, Cameron, & ...) Grandma June Stevenson (or as our kids call her...Grandma Great) cousin Jenny and her daugther Aubrey, cousin ...and her husband... sister Brittany and brother Jeff. Mom and dad Shirley and Jerry.

(sorry I missed some of the names..Heather wasn't here when I typed this so I'll correct them later.)

Grandma June, cousin Lisa, and Aunt Chris cousin Michelle, husband Allen, cousin Jenny, cousin Lisa's husband Derret

Ashton and Wyatt "helping" grandma and grandpa make dinner.

The kids love their Auntie Brittany. She even allowed the two little boys in her room for a rare glimpse at the disco ball and then decided she'd teach Ashton all about wearing his pajamas on his head.

UT - Day 1 - American Fork Rec Center

2008-06-21T23:59:00.004-04:00

Heather had a family baby shower to attend so the men and kids went to the American Fork Rec Center to go swimming. Thanks Derret Hart (Heather's cousin's husband) for letting us use your free guest passes into the park.

Pappa Jerry was a good helper watching Wyatt and Ashton swim while I took pictures and kept watch of Emy and Logan.

Normally Wyatt is scared to get in the water, but he threw caution to the wind and went down the slide over and over again.

Emy loves to swim and is quite the "mermaid". Wyatt and Ashton had the time of their lives.

Pictures of the waterslide and the water "fun center" This was a massive park and very difficult to keep track of all the kids. There were multiple pools and it made me extremely nervous. The kids had a good time though and nobody had any incidents.

Here are some fun videos of the kids at the park (I apologize for the quality as they were taken from my cell phone)

Early Morning Flight to UT

2008-06-21T23:59:00.001-04:00

For those naysayers who thought we wouldn't survive our 5.5 hour flight to UT with 4 children...this post is for you. Heather and I awoke at 3:30am this morning to perform the last minute packing/cleaning dash. It is always amazing to me how long this actually takes, but I don't think we could do it any faster. We woke the kids up at the very last minute to take the Zebra shuttle to Logan airport in Boston. They arrived at 4:30am but we didn't actually leave the house until 5:00am. I warned the shuttle company, but they insisted on the earlier arrival time. Our flight wasn't until 7am so we had plenty of time. The kids enjoyed riding in a car with mom and dad without one of us driving. Instead, they had each one of us sitting on a row in the 15 passenger van. We've been extremely impressed with Zebra shuttles and continue to use them each time the family flys out of Logan airport. We took the Boston "Big Dig" tunnel system under the city of Boston and out to Logan airport. Thank heaven I still have status with Delta Airlines...they allowed us priority check in and a priority security line so we zoomed right through to our gate. The kids were great. Everyone cooperated and there were absolutely no signs of drama (a.k.a moist eyes and screaming). The six of us now occupy and entire row on the airplane. The flight was uneventful and there were no major meltdowns. Our best laid plans for parental naps were foiled by kids not being able to hear through their headphones, potty breaks, etc. We arrived in UT at 10:30am and Pappa Jerry was there to pick us up in the mini-van. We were all excited to see our Pappa Jerry, Meemaw, and Aunt Brittany (Heather's family)

The kids sure look excited and "cool and collected". It "wooks like Heather beather could use a nappy wappy"

Video from on the plane. The male flight attendant got mad at me for taking live video of other passengers. I told him, "I'm taking video of my family and the airplane..not the other passengers. It's not my fault they are occupying the other seats on the plane."

Our caterpillars have hatched and they aren't butterflies...

2008-06-20T23:59:00.001-04:00

...they are moths. We were getting nervous about whether or not our caterpillars would emerge from their chrysalis's before we left on our trip to UT. At different times today we'd check on them and find moths in the jars we used to house them through their transformation. We never did actually see one of the moths wiggle out of their chrysalis's, but we were excited to see them before we left on our trip to UT.

One of the moth's escaped and flew up on the wall. The other moth on my hand was getting his wings reved up to fly. He was batting them back and forth in rapid motion and Logan called it a mini moth massage.

The Celtics Did It - 2008 NBA Champions!

2008-06-17T23:59:00.002-04:00

We have to show some Boston pride here. Even though I'm still a Jazz fan at heart, I have to give major props to the Celtics for their awesome year and the phenomenal 39 point victory this evening over the L.A. Lakers. We're definitely going to make every attempt to attend the victory parade and celebration in Boston later this week.

Farewell Kindergarten..Farewell 3rd Grade

2008-06-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

Today was the last day of the school year 2007-2008. Logan said goodbye to 3rd grade and Emy said goodbye to kindergarten. Emy was so excited this morning. She told me..."Daddy, when you pick me up at the bus stop this afternoon, I'll be a 1st grader!!!" I decided to take the camera with me to catch her excitement of her final bus ride home as a kindergartner. Logan took the bus home to a friend's house today for a birthday/pool party and while he was extremely excited to be done with school, he wasn't nearly as excited about the advancement to 4th grade as Emy was about being done with kindergarten.

Last Day of School (Emy is holding her pet tadpole in her hand)

Close-up on the tadpole..isn't this amazing? We've watched this little guy transform before our eyes. He still has his tail, but he's mostly all frog. Isn't this the cutest thing you ever saw? Who needs a dog now?

The 2nd to last day of school. Emy is pictured with her "best friend" Angelo Ryan who is also in kindergarten and lives in the cul-de-sac.

The moment of truth. The final bus ride home as a kindergartner!

Emy gave us a guided tour home from the bus stop through the woods (the short cut). This was taken just after she emerged from her final bus ride home as a kindergartner. I can't believe she'll be in 1st grade. We're proud of you Emy! Great job completing kindergarten. You are a cutie and you 've done so well this year. Your reading is just awesome. Keep up the good work! We love you!!!

NOTE: Pictures of Logan will be coming soon.

Variations on "Popcorn"

2008-06-15T21:53:00.014-04:00

Heather is out in Utah this weekend selling our home so I was able to spend Father's Day with all four kids. It was a real treat. We arrived at church early today as I had to rehearse the duet I was singing for sacrament meeting. We sang "Love is Spoken Here" as it has a nice verse about the importance of Fatherhood. We celebrated our Father's Day dinner by having spaghetti with dad's special sauce. For dessert we had dad's famous "Orange Julias" smoothies and homeade popcorn. To make the smoothie special for Father's Day, we added strawberries, pineapple and grapes. We then celebrated our popcorn by singing many different variations of "Popcorn Popping". The videos are absolutely hilarious as Logan, Emy, Wyatt, and Ashton all got in to the fun. It was a great Father's Day!

The Joys of Jammies

2008-06-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

Remember when you were a kid and it was so exciting to get new pajamas? I was reminded of the utter joys of new jammies when I bought the kids new summer pajamas this weekend. It's been extremely hot and humid out here and it was time to make the kids comfortable during their sleep. Heather was away this weekend in Utah selling our house and I decided to venture out to buy pajamas for the kids. I thought the boys would like all having the same pajamas and the picture was definitely priceless, but I had to take back every pair as they really didn't fit well enough to last more than a few weeks. The kids are growing so fast that it is hard to keep up with them. We've never had the luxury of buying the size of clothing that matches our kids age. I guess I have to remember to have the kids try things on before bringing them home. Luckily, Emy's pajamas worked and I'll exchange the boys tomorrow. Just imagine how hard it was for me to pry the pajamas away from Wyatt and Ashton and not allowing them to wear them to bed until I could exchange them tomorrow. Needless to say, tears were shed, but at least I got these priceless photos.

Happy Fathers Day to all our Grandpas...

2008-06-15T18:46:00.005-04:00

Papa Jerry, Papa Elliott, Grandpa Bill & Grandpa Lawrence

We all love our grandpas. They are very special to us for many reasons.

1. Papa Jerry lovingly growls at us and takes us through the tickle machine.

2. Papa Elliott takes us sledding behind the tractor and takes us for rides on the 4 wheeler

3. Grandpa Bill always tells fun stories about his early days and collects cans for us.

4. Grandpa Lawrence always fixes stuff around our house when he visits.

Happy Father's Day!

To My Father - Vaughn Elliott Larsen

2008-06-13T13:35:00.008-04:00

With Father's Day fast approaching, I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to pay tribute to my father, Vaughn Elliott Larsen. My dad has always sacrificed his own wants & desires for others. He gave up his job in the "corporate world" to return to the farm to help his dad who had become ill. He taught me the value of hard work. I remember the daily chores on the farm. Dad would come to my room every morning and wake me up to start the chores. He never took breaks himself, but allowed his kids to play sports, go on vacations, etc. All of these activities were at his expense in that the someone taking up the slack was always my dad. He's a great example of faith and good works. He's never sought glory and he's always done everything in his quiet, meek manner. He's done so much for the community and the church, and especially our family. He is truly a servant of the Lord. I love him dearly. The values he has taught me has made me a better husband, father, brother, provider/worker, and friend. Dad, I owe who I am to you. Thank you and I truly do love you! Your son, Curtis

P.S. The kids wanted to say that they absolutely adore their Grandpa Elliott.

We all think little Wyatt looks just like hisGrandpa Elliott as a baby.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!!! Happy Fathers Day Grandpa Elliott!!!

The Circle of Life

2008-06-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

This has been a very fun spring. We've spent a lot of time in nature and have appreciated the "wonders of it all". The circle of life is alive and well in at least 3 special ways at the Larsen home.

1. Raising Caterpillars: A few weeks ago, the kids brought home a number of caterpillars that they found on the oak trees outside of the church. We posted pictures and video of the caterpillars crawling on Logan and the habitat we created for them in anticipation of their transformation to beautiful butterflies. The kids have been good with ensuring the habitat had fresh leaves and water. Their persistence paid off as the caterpillars made their chrysalis' a few days ago. We're anxious to see them emerge in about 8-10 days.

2. Container garden: A few weeks ago we chronicled the start of our container garden in our back yard. The kids have been very diligent in watering the containers daily and watching the plants sprout. The weather has been perfect for the plants...plenty of sun & humidity...the kids have taken care of watering and as you can see, the plants have sprouted and are thriving. Pictured is pumpkin, corn, 3 types of tomatoes, spaghetti squash, yellow squash, and watermelon.

3. Frogs, frogs everywhere. The kids go frog hunting, almost daily, in a swampy area about 200 yards from the house. Wyatt loves holding the frogs and he has become extremely gentle with them. Here you can see pictured the beginnings of a frog...the tadpole on my finger and the latest catch grown-up frog that Wyatt is holding. It's amazing that these tiny tadpoles transform into these big frogs.

We're all enjoying the circle of life and we can't wait to see the further transformation of our 3 fun things. We'll keep the blog updated regularly.

Good Thursday Morning

2008-06-12T07:30:00.003-04:00

I went in to get Emy up for school and look what I found...my 3 youngest cuties all snuggling in the bed! Life is good! Moments like these are too good to pass up. Have a good Thursday world!

Aren't they cute?

Mormons Rule Reality TV?

2008-06-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

For fans of those reality TV programs like American Idol, the Amazing Race, Survivor, etc. I thought this was an interesting article from Newsweek on May 6,2008. Here is the tag: America’s Next Top Mormon
As reality shows dominate television, they're plucking contestants from an unlikely pew; http://www.newsweek.com/id/135758

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

2008-06-10T23:59:00.006-04:00

My counsin Josh came to visit us in Boston and he really wanted to see a Boston Red Sox game. I was able to get 4 standing tickets to go see the game at Fenway Park, which has been home to the Red Sox since its opening in 1912. It was about 100 degrees today but that didn't deter us from going to see the Red Sox. They played the Baltimore Orioles and, while they lost, we all had a great time. Josh was already sight seeing in Boston and the kids and I met him outside of Fenway Park. It was a great night for all of us. We captured all the exciting moments on camera to preserve the memories made. Go Red Sox!!!

We were on the way to drive to watch the game when I decided we should take the T (Boston's subway) in rather than deal with traffic, ugly gas prices, and $40 parking. Logan and Emy were so excited as they didn't remember ever riding a subway. Here they stand on the platform waiting for the subway to arrive.

Here comes the subway red line. It's only a short 20-30 min ride to downtown Boston.

We switched subways from the red line to the green line to make it close to Fenway park.

This picture was taken while we were approaching our entrance gate at Fenway Park.

Here is cousin Josh, Logan and Emy as we made our way to find seats behind home plate.

Here is a great shot taken just behind home plate. These were the first seats we claimed before the actual ticket holders arrived. We bought standing room seats but they allow you to find other seats if people don't show up for the game. You can also see "The Green Monster" the seats in the upper left corner of the photo (in left field). These seats are hard to get as very desirable and you frequently get the opportunity to catch home run baseballs.

This was taken where we finally found seats. Besides the annoying pole, these were great seats.

Views taken of right field. You can see the Prudential Center (Boston's highest building) in the background. It's really neat having Fenway Park right in the middle of Boston.

During the 7th inning stretch, the entire crowd sang "Take me out to the ball game". Logan and Emy enjoyed it.

Another picture taken from our seats.

It was a hot, hot day. It got all the way up to 100 degrees. As you can see, Logan and Emy were sweating while watching the game. We brought plenty of water and nobody complained. Afterall, we were watching the Boston Red Sox...what is there to complain about?

It is a Boston Red Sox home game tradition to sing Sweet Caroline during the 8th inning. This was the kids 3rd Red Sox game since we've lived in Boston and they were anxiously awaiting this sing along.

A final picture we took before the game ended. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost 10-6.

Once we got outside the park, Logan & Emy wanted to buy a souvenir to remember the day. They've become quite the Red Sox fans.

This was taken on our way to the T station to go home. Logan and Emy are showing their baseball souvenirs that they bought. Logan's was red and blue and Emy's was pink and said "I heart the Red Sox." Logan also bought Manny Ramirez/Coco Crisp sunglasses that he is sporting here (famous current Red Sox players). The sign in the background is the famous Citgo sign that marks the location of Fenway Park. It's a famous Boston landmark.

The final picture of the night taken of Josh, Emy and Logan on the subway red line as we headed back home to Hingham, MA. What a night to remember.

The "Not so ugly ducklings" - Beautiful Swan Babies

2008-06-08T20:58:00.006-04:00

We were driving back this evening from an "open house" (farewell potluck meal and visit) in Duxbury, MA for 3 member families of our ward who are moving, when we saw a sign that said "Caution Swan Crossing". We slowed down and looked out on the water to try to see the swans. We almost passed right by them but then I noticed them right near the guardrail and pulled over to look at them and take pictures. The entire family looks for swans every time we pass by one of the millions of New England ponds. We were treated with two swan families on each side of the road consisting of a total of 7 baby swans. The kids (and mom and dad) were extremely excited. See the amazing pictures below.

Meet the Swan family. We don't care what they say...the ducklings aren't ugly...they were adorable. This picture was taken by Heather from the passenger window of our car.

Another amazing closeup of the beautiful family. They must be used to the attention because there was only minimal "hissing" (swan warnings to back off).

Here you can see the swan family and the pond in the background.

Here you can see just how close the little swan family was to our car. You can see the kids waving from the windows and the swan mother and cygnets (baby swans...we learned that is the official name in one of the kids bedtime books) looking on.

On the other side of the road is the continuation of the "pond" and there was another swan family..this time with both mom and dad and the four cygnets

Boys will be boys

2008-06-07T19:01:00.003-04:00

Wyatt and Ashton love frogs. They do still need to learn how to be gentle with them however. Today, Logan and his friend Joey caught two frogs at the pond just down the hill from our house. We used to get frogs in our pool, but I think we've got the chemicals just right such that frogs won't thrive in the pool. Never a dull moment.

Finally...we opened up our pool today

2008-06-07T14:53:00.006-04:00

After a long, cold, rainy week, it warmed up to the upper 80s today. As luck would have it, the pool was finally ready for swimming today. It's been an ordeal opening the pool and ensuring the chemicals were all balanced, the water was clear and everything was just right. The kids have been so anxious to get the pool open and, to be frank, Heather and I were ready as well. In fact, as I type this while sitting on the deck, I'm feeling quite hot and ready to jump in.

ah...this water feels good

Ashton & Wyatt love the water too!

It's cold..it's cold..but i like it

Wyatt, of course, stayed close to the side...only dipping his legs in the pool

Logan taking the plunge, as Emy, Wyatt and friends Joey and Angelo observe

Logan's Piano Recital

2008-06-06T23:08:00.007-04:00

Tonight was Logan's annual spring piano recital. Logan played 3 songs and memorized each one of them. We're pleased Logan has decided to stick with playing the piano. He does a great job! Videos will be up shortly.In this picture, Logan does one final run through of all his songs at home before departing for the recital.

Here are all of Logan's peer piano students. Everyone did a great job with their performances.

Now for the actual performances...

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Logan's duet "Minuet in G Major" with Sister Openshaw

"The Baseball Game"

Look who found the costume box...

2008-06-05T22:40:00.000-04:00

Ashton & Wyatt. Aren't they cute?

Study: Stay-at-home moms perform $117,000 worth of work per year

2008-06-04T23:26:00.001-04:00

For all you stay at home moms out there. Here is a study that has tried to put a dollar value on what it is you do. I say your work is priceless, but six figures isn't too shabby. Clearly the benefits of staying at home are far more reaching than the financial picture. We salute all you stay at home moms. It takes courage, sacrifice, patience and love. Keep up the good work!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/05/09/mom.salary.ap/

Logan's mid-week soccer game

2008-06-04T21:28:00.006-04:00

Today was a very rainy, misty day, but that didn't deter Logan's soccer team from playing their game this evening. Normally Wednesday night's are Logan's soccer practice and his cub scouts. He has had to miss his practices quite a bit due to the scouting activities. Tonight, Logan's team had a game and he was anxious to play. He's improved significantly over the years especially since we started him later than most kids. Heather had her faith in god activity for the girls so I took the kids to the game. We all had a fun evening.

Can you guess which kid is Logan? As you can see, he towers over all the kids his age.

It's hard to believe how Logan has grown over the years.

Wyatt enjoyed playing in the fields during Logan's game.

Ashton perched himself down on the soccer ball and watched the game.

Emy has never expressed interest in playing soccer, but she seemed to enjoy herself tonight.

Logan's soccer game video.

Ashton is a natural soccer player.

Piano Practice

2008-06-03T21:13:00.001-04:00

Logan has been practicing for his piano recital this coming Friday night. He does very well at remembering to practice every day. His teacher is very pleased with his progress and he even volunteered this past Monday to play our opening song for family home evening. Good luck at your recital Logan! You'll be great.

Sunday afternoon family walk

2008-06-01T18:43:00.006-04:00

One of our family traditions when the weather is nice is to go on an easy family walk on Sunday afternoons. Today's weather was perfect...high 70's low 80's so we embarked on our little walk around the cul de sac and down to Fulling Mill Pond.

At the start of the walk, we passed by our side yard that will undergo significant changes in the near future. Right now there are plenty of climbing trees and a tire swing. We're slowly working on clearing a good spot for a slide and swing set.

This scene is just across our development that we passed during our walk. We love the hand hewn stone walls that date from hundreds of years ago. This property has a small stream that runs through it and you'll frequently see geese and wild turkey running around. This land is currently protected by the town so nobody is allowed to build on it. Along this road there are many homes that date back to the 1700s.

Here are the kids standing in front of this open "New England" field. The farmer in me just can't stop wishing I had a nice piece of land like this with some horses, sheep, pigs, chickens and one cow.

Next on our walk we passed by this beautiful maple tree that is "on it's last limb". The tree must be hundreds of years old. It looks plenty gnarly and just plain cool.

Just down the road we came to Fulling Mill Pond. Our little cul de sac is called Fulling Mill Lane...after the pond. The name comes from an actual Fulling Mill that was used here in the making of woolen clothing. The homes you see in the distance are just across the street from us. Fulling Mill Lane runs just along the West side of the Pond. This picture was taken on the North East Corner of the pond. The kids love Fulling Mill Pond. There are easements all along our neighborhood that grant everyone access to the pond. Many people go frog hunting in the summer and ice skating in the winter. It's a beautiful pond. Last year there were swans in this pond but this year it seems they've moved to another location.

Finally a shot of the kids with Heather. This was the final stop on our walk...we turned around and went back home. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed appreciating God's creations.

Sunday after church...welcomed by a ....TURTLE???

2008-06-01T14:49:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's true...as we were just arriving home from church this afternoon, Heather saw something in the driveway and said..wait..stop..it's a turtle in our driveway. Of course that started a whirlwind of excitement. We live near a pond and we've heard there are turtles nearby, but this is our first time we've seen one in our driveway. These are snapping turtles so they hardly make good pets, and their shells are not sanitary, so I put on some gloves for the photo opp. This little turtle was not slow by any stretch and quickly scampered away as soon as the photo opp was finished.

A Sunday to remember

2008-06-01T14:48:00.000-04:00

We stayed late after church to for Heather to be set apart in her new calling as Primary President. While Heather was chatting with some members, the kids were outside with daddy patiently waiting. The kids found a whole bunch of caterpillars crawling on the oak trees outside the church. We all had fun letting the little critters crawl over us and we brought them home so we could watch them transform into beautiful butterflies and/or moths...we'll take whatever we can get. All in all, we brought home about 10 caterpillars between the 4 kids. We gathered leaves, sticks and other fixins and prepared their habitats as soon as we got home.

Logan enjoys his caterpillar facial

Sorry about the video...I thought it would automatically adjust on the camera when I tilted it to the side but it did not.

The caterpillar's new home. All in all, only 6 survived the ride home from church and the constant fondling from Ashton and Wyatt.

"Look at the bigger picture"

2008-05-30T09:54:00.003-04:00

This is a reminder that sometimes we get caught up in the small mundane details of life that we forget to remember the big picture of why we are here and how our larger purpose should help us to cherish each moment and live each day to its fullest. Live, love, serve!

Logan's recorder concert

2008-05-28T21:58:00.003-04:00

Logan does a great job with all his musical instruments. At school, he's been learning the recorder in his music class. I'll bet many of you haven't heard a swelling chorus of 3rd grade recorder players.

Memorial Day Fun after a long, work-filled weekend

2008-05-26T22:07:00.001-04:00

We had incented the kids with a fun Memorial Day visit to Starland if they all worked hard all weekend with everything we had to get done, namely house and heavy dut yard cleaning. Everyone did a great job helping without complaint. Even Wyatt and Ashton hauled small trees and branches up to the "debris pile. Emy was just shy of the height requirement to be able to drive her own gokart, but she was able to ride with daddy. Mommy played mini golf with Ashton and Wyatt while Daddy rode gokarts and supervised "rock climbing" with Emy and Logan. Emy and Logan were also able to try out the batting cages and both hit the ball while mommy and daddy took Wyatt and Ashton on the gokarts. It was a fun reward topped off by ice cream from McDonalds.

Logan & Emy scale the rock wall
"I'm ready for my close up daddy!"

Logan reached the top 3 times.

If you look closely, you can see Ashton sitting next to daddy in the gokart.

I'd like some cream with my .....KIDS

2008-05-25T23:58:00.001-04:00

We had a fun time with the spray cream. The kids really enjoyed having their dad squirt the whipped cream in their mouths. We made root beer floats with a healthly serving of cream on top. These are the moments in life that are priceless. Thank heaven for digital cameras and blogs.

I explained to Emy that this is what dogs look like when they get rabies..except the foam around their mouths isn't nearly as tasty.

Is this happiness or what?

I'm a big boy too!

Planting our container garden

2008-05-24T21:20:00.002-04:00

Ok, so our yard needs a ton of work this year, and being that we live in suburban Massachusetts, there are a ton of trees that need to be cleared in order to make space for a garden. So, I had a pile of odds and ends pots from the previous owner and decided to try a container garden. It's definitely an experiment, and if it goes well, then next year we may put in a permanent garden if we decide that spot gets enough sun. Each child got to pick one kind of seed for the garden. Emy picked watermelons, Logan picked giant pumpkins, Wyatt picked corn, Mom picked roma tomatoes, crook-neck squash, and spaghetti squash. Ashton was napping while we picked out the seeds, but he helped plant the corn seeds with Wyatt. There are also two green bean plants that Emy and Logan planted at a cub scout pack meeting and two sunflowers that Emy planted and gave Mom for mother's day.

Emy's Dance Recital

2008-05-17T14:39:00.001-04:00

Today was Emy's Dance recital. She danced to a song about a bear..hence the teddy bear in hand. She sure did a great job. She's been practicing since last fall! Hooray for Emy!

Logan's Birthday Party

2008-05-16T22:56:00.001-04:00

We were only 21 days late with Logan's friend birthday party. We celebrated Logan's birthday as a family on 4/27, but Logan really wanted to have a friend party. His birthday present from mom and dad was a friend party at a place called Starland. Starland has go-karts, batting cages, arcade games, laser tag, etc. Friday was cold and rainy, so the plan was to play laser tag in the indoor area. Logan invited 9 friends from church and school and had a great time.

Happy Birthday Logan..Logan just finishing blowing out his candles.

Pictured from bottom left clockwise is Jonas, Noah, Vaughan, Jason, Joey, Logan, Bobby, Mitch, Max, and Angelo

Logan playing games with Jason Butler

Inside the laser tag area...it's mostly dark in here..the flash worked great

The Ice Cream Truck

2008-05-15T21:21:00.002-04:00

Yes..it is true...I've been telling many of you about this for years. Each week on Thursdays from spring until late fall, the Ice Cream Truck comes by Vaughn's (Curtis) work in Braintree, MA. My customer pays for the truck to show up once a week and deliver "free" ice cream to all those who work at their two buildings...regular Starwood employees and Starwood Partners like IBM. It is quite a sight to see grown adults drop everything when they hear the joyful music of the ice cream truck. The world is put on hold while adults with cheesey grins race to the truck to pick up their treasured ice cream. The line is long but everyone waits with such anticipation. Conference calls are put on hold, business screeches to a halt while grown adults revert back to their innocent childhood days. It really is quite a funny sight and NOBODY misses work on Thursdays. I just had to get a picture of the truck to prove to you all that it is true....and in case you are wondering...I definitely participate in the festivities...that's what being a good Partner is all about..sharing in the joys of your customer. Long live the Ice Cream truck. One of life's great joys.

Fun on the Skateboard

2008-05-14T23:44:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday's find at the swap shop...skateboards for everyone. They have been having a blast riding the skateboards..even Wyatt and Ashton are taking full advantage of them.

This Day has gone to the birds

2008-05-13T22:48:00.000-04:00

So this was a crazy bird day. Our first "fowl" encounter was as we were driving home. There was a tom turkety strutting his stuff across the road near our home. There was a female turkey (definitely not as impressive) looking on. We see turkeys quite often, but rarely do we see them all puffed up like how you invision a Thanksgiving day bird. The kids and I decided we needed to get a picture so I drove a block to our house, got the camera, and drove back. The turkey had crossed the street and was now in our neighbors back yard. I was a little disappointed because I couldn't get as close to take a picture, but he was so big that the picture still looks good.

A few hours later, Logan burst through the door after school. He was holding out his hands with a little gray fluff ball, and very excitedly explained what had happened. He had just gotten off the bus and was walking home when he saw a bird fly into the side of our house (not even a window!) He said it had broken its wing so he scooped it up and wanted to know what to do with it. I knew there was a wild animal hospital in the next town over, but I wanted to observe the bird first. We found a shoe box for it and set it outside. I figured it would be safe in the box, but if it had the ability, it would fly away. Well it sat there for 45 minutes. I decided we needed to get some bird seed from the garage and go find some worms. The bird must have heard us getting ready to come outside through the sliding glass door because it perked right up and flew away. It must have been in shock from hitting the house and just needed some time to get its wits back together. If you know anything about birds, can you tell me what kind of bird it is. When it relaxed, its feathers weren't quite as poofy and its neck looked longer. I thought it might be some kind of a pigeon, but who knows? Do you?

Spring in New England

2008-05-12T21:15:00.002-04:00

Spring has finally sprung in New England. The landscape is extremely beautiful and we feel extremely blessed to live in such a wonderful part of the earth where history and culture abound. The new spring leaves on the trees is a welcome sight given how barren the trees are all winter. Now comes all the fun with spring clean-up, mowing the lawn and being responsible home owners. We're all anxious to work. Bring it on!

Happy Mother's Day, MeeMaw!

2008-05-11T19:39:00.002-04:00

Logan, Emy, Wyatt and Ashton came up with some unique Mother's Day wishes for MeeMaw. Logan has been studying poetry in school, and Mom received an original poem from Logan. He composed a short rap for MeeMaw saying, "Rap is just poetry put to music." Enjoy!

To My Mother - Candice Hope Parsons Larsen

2008-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is a day that is near and dear to my heart. I have a deep love and respect for my mother of 35 1/2 wonderful years. My mother has always sacrificed for my siblings and me. She was always there cheering me along no matter what I did. She's a woman full of love, patience, virtue, service & gratitude. She's always been possessed with such a positive outlook on life, no matter how tough her personal circumstances may be. She's a giver...always a giver...she has touched so many lives outside of our family. To her I owe everything...she brought me into this world, nurtured me, loved me, hoped for me. She is my rock. From small city girl to farmer's wife...mother, friend, confidant, true disciple of Christ. I love her dearly with all my heart. I consider it an honor to be called a mama's boy...I wouldn't have it any other way. Mom, I love you! Your son, Curtis

Happy Mother's Day

My guardian angel...my mother

"Dearest mother...how can I say...

how many times I think of you each day

You're part of me, the best part of me

You're everything I can hope or want to be

Service without thought, love without abandon
patience without reservation, hope and understanding

You are one of life's greatest gifts I could hope for...
A mother whose life emulates the Savior's
You partnered with God to bring me to earth
You are my mother...my mother of infinite worth"

Poem by Vaughn Curtis Larsen

The Flowers pictured up top, and used by permission, were arranged and photographed by Hannah Stevenson, our wonderful sister-in-law

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

2008-05-10T20:15:00.005-04:00

Grandma Winnie and Grandpa Bill's Pug dog, Maverick

Docia and I took Maverick out for a walk around Lake Sacajawea. The lake is just right across the street from Grandma Winnie and Grandpa Bill's home in Longview, WA. It is a very picturesque setting and we enjoyedthe walk. Maverick used to walk with Grandma Winnie every day until she developed pain in her hip. The Lake is about 3.5 miles around. I ran it earlier this morning and then walked it with Docia later in the morning. Today was mostly a visitng day. We went through all of Grandma Winnie's old photographs and found some real treasures. For dinner this evening we had bbq salmon that Susie's friend Doug had caught and prepared. We also had fish n' chips from Cap n' Yobies, a restaurant my mother worked out through highschool. The fish n' chips are made of premium halibut which was extremely tasty.

Views of Lake Sacajawea from Grandma Winnie and Grandpa Bill's front yard

Grandma Winnie and Grandpa Bill's home on Lake Sacajawea

A Day on the Columbia River

2008-05-10T01:28:00.006-04:00

Aunt Susie's friend Doug offered to take us out on his boat today. Doug lives in his boat round the year. He needed to go to get gas and he graciously offered to take us out on the Columbia River with him. We headed south on the Columbia River towards the town of St. Helens, OR. Docia, Darin, my mom, Susie, Doug, and Susie's friend Colleen all boarded the boat at 1pm and had an extremely enjoyable afternoon. The weather was beautiful; mid 70s and the water was extremely calm. We were able to see Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood in the distance. It was a fun afternoon topped of by an evening at and all-you-can-eat Izzys with Grandma Winnie, Grandpa Bill, cousin Marcus & Katie and the Hines family.

Doug's home sweet home

Doug's living/kitchen area on the boat

Docia & Vaughn (Curtis) on bow

Vaughn (Curtis), mom, Docia, & Darrin enjoying the boat ride on the Columbia

Mount Hood in the distance

Mount St. Helens in the distance

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Winnie

2008-05-08T00:03:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that Grandma Winnie turned 80 years old today. Grandma Winnie was born on May 8, 1928 to Virgil and Docia Elizabeth Hopkins. She grew up in Washington state. She married Elijah William "Bill" Parsons and together they had 3 children...our own Grandma Candy, Suzie, and Monte. Grandma Winnie recently moved from her beach home in Lincoln City, Oregon to Longview, WA. She is truly is one of a kind and we all love her.

I'm also including the letter I wrote to Grandma to include in her memory book that Docia put together for her birthday:

"Dear Grandma, there are so many things I would like to say to you. You have always been the Grandma whose house I threatened to escape to after accusing mom and dad of child labor on the farm. I always enjoyed visiting you at your home in Kelso for all those years. I remember the fun we’d have riding bikes down to the high school and taking swimming lessons. It was always a special treat to come out for a visit and I’ll always remember those visits with fondness. I do love you dearly. I have so many fond memories of you growing up. I especially remember the gardens in your back yard and the wonderful green bean feasts we would have at your home. I also remember your yard being filled with ash after the Mount St. Helens eruption. I remember the sweatshirts you would make us. I remember playing on your organ. I remember wishing I didn’t have to leave to go home. I also remember the visits with you to see Papa and all the relatives out in the area.
Heather and I will never forget the time that we drove all the way to Lincoln City to spend a few days with you. I remember the question you asked about Heather…”now what nationality is she anyway?” Our engagement memories are extremely sweet as we think of going out to the ocean at sunset and me proposing to Heather. You made that such a special visit with all the preparations you helped me with. I’m so happy that your health has sustained you all the way to your 80th Birthday. Happy Birthday to you and I hope that we’ll get to see you again soon. With love and admiration, Your grandson, Vaughn Curtis Larsen"

Grandma Winnie holding little Emy back in the summer of 2002

UPDATE: I flew out to Longview, WA, along with my mother, brother Darrin, and sister Docia to suprise Grandma Winnie for her birthday. We showed up at her front door and she was completely shocked. We had a huge surpise birthday party for her later that evening. She thought all along that we were going out to dinner at a nice restaurant with just a few family members..boy was she shocked when she saw 60 people gathered to surprise her. There were many relative and friends that came to pay tribute to Grandma Winnie. She is definitely loved. Below are pictures from the event. Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Winnie! We all love you.

Vaughn is pictured here with Grandma Winnie and Grandpa Bill

MORE PICTURES TO COME!!!

Happy Birthday Uncle Chris

2008-05-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

May 8, 1975 was a special day for Elliott and Candy Larsen. They welcomed little Christopher Elijah Larsen to their growing family. Uncle Chris has always been a crowd-pleaser for our kids. They enjoy spending time with him. We're happy to have him as part of the family. Have a great birthday Uncle Chris...aren't the 30s great!!!

All of Vaughn's (Curtis) siblings, including the birthday boy himself, Uncle Chris, back in 1995.

Pictured left to right are Kip, Chris, Darrin, Vaughn (Curtis), Docia is being held, and Joe is on the bottom

This great picture was taken at Christmas 2006. The kids love their Uncle Chris

Pictured are Ashton, Emily, Shannon, Logan, Wyatt, Chris, Rebecka, Jessica, and Emy

Teacher Appreciation Night

2008-05-07T22:18:00.006-04:00

Tonight was the 14th Annual Hingham Ward Primary Teacher Appreciation Night. Each primary child ages 5-11 were able to select their favorite teacher, be it primary teacher, parent, school teacher, piano teacher, or coach and invite them to this special night. The teachers arrived and were greeted by their students that gave them flowers, chocolates...tokens of appreciation. Pictures were then taken of the students and teachers and then they were taken to the chapel for the program. Emy invited her kindergarten teacher Mrs. Mullen and Logan invited his third grade teacher Miss Stuart. The program consisted of music and spoken word and then the children got to introduce their special teachers and explain what made their teacher so special. Logan and Emy practiced what they were going to say in the car on the way to the event and they both did a nice job paying tribute to their teacher. Vaughn (Curtis) sang "You Raise Me Up" as part of the special program. After the program there was a full dinner and dessert for the students and teachers. The kids had a wonderful time and their teachers felt loved and appreciated. Thank you for everything Miss Stuart and Mrs. Mullen.

The evening made me think back on all of the wonderful teachers I had throughout the school years, namely Mrs. Norton in kindergarten; Mrs. Hatch in 1st grade; Mrs. Summers in 2nd grade; Mrs. Harvigsten in middle school; Mrs. Cattani, Mr. Montague, Mrs. Stewart, and Mrs Heers in High School. I know they likely aren't reading this blog, but I thank them for their influence on my life.

Both Logan and Emy's grandmothers are teachers. Grandma Candy teaches special education in Preston, ID and Meemaw teaches first grade in an elementary school in Pleasant Grove, UT. They are both very special women and do an excellent job teaching.

Here is to the many wonderful teachers out there that give of themselves to help mold our future. We appreciate you!

Bouncin' Larsen Bunnies - Tuesday Fun on the Trampoline

2008-05-06T22:35:00.008-04:00

Today was absolutely gorgeous in Hingham, MA. We had temps in the 60s and so much of the day was spent outside. When daddy came home, everyone wanted to spend time with daddy on the trampoline. The kids absolutely love the trampoline the "Easter Bunny" brought them. They are getting plenty of bunny practice bouncing as much as they can. The trampoline is fully enclosed so it is "less dangerous", but it is still something we have to be very careful with given the different ages and sizes of our little Larsen bunnies. Vaughn (Curtis) enjoys jumping as well and as you can see from the video, the bunnies enjoy bouncing with their dad.

Logan's Joke of the Week

2008-05-05T22:53:00.002-04:00

Question: If April Showers bring May flowers....what do May flowers bring????

Answer: Pilgrims (look to the top right of the blog...there they are!)

Cinco de Mayo - Larsen Style

2008-05-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

Today, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo for family home evening. Heather made chicken (sorry, but we do love chicken) enchiladas and then we sang "Soy un chico del Dios"...the Spanish-according-to-Heather version of I am a Child of God. We read scriptures in English, had a great lesson by Emy and then spoke about why people celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Logan has been taking Spanish since we moved here so he knew it meant May 5th. As you'll see in the pictures below, we spent the rest of the evening paying our tribute to Mexican culture complete with a pinata and a sombrero. The kids, and even Heather, had a blast. Even Ashton had fun saying "Happy Cinco de Mayo". A Dios

Even Heather got into the action!

Happy International Respect for Chickens Day

2008-05-04T22:50:00.006-04:00

We were playing a little game of Outburst Junior today when the card topic focused on "Special Days/holidays celebrated in the US." Emy and Logan recited all the obvious special days/holidays..namely, Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, etc. etc. When it came back to Logan's turn to name another special day on the card (the card has 10 items of each category listed on it and the goal is to name as many as you can)....anyway, Logan exclaimed "International Respect for Chickens Day". I said...Logan, where did you get that and he immediately said..."what..it's a real day, I read it in my almanac." Sure enough, Logan pulled out his almanac and there it was. What was was even more strange was that the very day he mentioned it happened to be the very day the world was to be celebrating it. Yes, everyone, May 4th, TODAY is International Respect for Chickens Day as declared in 2005 by the United Poultry Concerns, UPC. In fact, the entire month of May is "International Respect for Chickens Month". Much to my horror, I realized that the wonderful meal we had just partaken of involved crock pot cooking of at least 6-8 chicken tenders with potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, corn...anyway, I digress. The point is that we should've and could've abstained from chicken at least on May 4th to celebrate our fowl friends. Why couldn't we have had beef or pork or the salmon that we had on Saturday May 3rd? Needless to say, we all felt just awful and thus this post to help us down the road to recovery.

As stated by UPC (please do follow the previous link), " We’re urging everyone to do an ACTION of compassion for chickens on that day. This can range from writing a letter to the editor to tabling at a local mall to showing the movie Chicken Run to students, family and friends. “International Respect for Chickens Day is a day to celebrate the dignity, beauty, and life of chickens and to protest against the bleakness of their lives in farming operations,” says UPC president Karen Davis. “Chickens are lively birds who have been torn from the leafy world in which they evolved. We want chickens to be restored to their green world and not be eaten.”

Please join with the Larsens in celebrating this ever important INTERNATIONAL holiday. I hope these pictures in some small way will help you to know that we do love chickens.

Logan and Emy are pictured here in 2006 with their cousin's (Jessica, Shannon, Emily and Rebecca Rice) chickens...which all have names and are raised for their farm fresh eggs.

DISCLAIMER: "No chickens were harmed in the taking of these photographs"

Haircut pictures - Before & After

2008-05-04T14:40:00.005-04:00

Logan Before & After

Emy Before & After

Wyatt Before & After

Ashton Before & After

Daddy Before & After

One's Trash is another's Treasure???

2008-05-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

We found these bar stools at the Hingham Swap Shop. The Swap Shop will be a post of its own, but to make a long story short, the swap shop is at the town transfer station, otherwise known as the town dump. Residents of the town can go and leave anything they want to get rid of that could be used by someone else. You simply go and leave something and get your pick of anything you want that others have left...and best of all...everything is completely free. Among many other things (post will be forthcoming) I found four of these bar stools in excellent condition. They are less wide than a typical barstool which is perfect for the bar space we have. We think they may be from the 1950's or 1960's...but they are extremely well made.

To my shock, Heather went out last Friday and bought black vinyl fabric to recover all the barstools. Normally we get things at garage sales with plans of grandeur to refinish, recover, etc. etc....but years go by and we still have the same dirtly old worn out whatever it may be. As far as the barstools are concerned, both Heather and I are happy with the results. The new covers really make a difference and we now have 4 new barstools for the price of $12. So what do y'all think? Treasure???...or still Trash??? ;-)

"Please tell us who cuts your hair?"

2008-05-03T23:29:00.003-04:00

...Why Heather Marie Larsen of ChicAlta Salons of Hingham, MA. Today was "hair cuttin' day". All the boys were in dire need of a haircut so Heather pulled out the shears and started trimmin'. By the end of the evening, all four boys (Vaughn, Logan, Wyatt & Ashton) had their hair cut. Wyatt summed up the evening when I told him to go look at his new haircut in the mirror and he came back in tears wanting his hair back...all those curls he knows and loves were gone. Logan went from a full head of curly hair to the summer buzz. That certainly will make his school prep go much quicker...he was getting pretty good with the hair gel.

Doesn't he look older than 2 in this picture?

"Rainy Days and Mondays........"

2008-05-03T21:45:00.005-04:00

...Never get the Larsens down. Today was mostly rainy outside. We spent the morning doing yard work in the light rain. The kids and I removed 2 dead pine trees and then we cleared tons of fallen branches. There is a lot of work to be done and we haven't even scratched the surface. The home has almost an acre with lots of trees. We have already spent a lot of time clearing pine needles and leaves. It seems it'll never end. Let's hope for more sunny weather. Once it became to rainy to work outside, we moved our fun in to the basement where the kids played with their Christmas presents. It's a hoot to watch little Wyatt and Ashton play air hockey and shoot hoops. We love having a basement where the kids can play. We are grateful that Papa Jerry's used to have a preschool and we benefited from some of the toys he had.

Wyatt & Ashton love playing air hockey

Thanks for the fun play castle MeeMaw & Papa Jerry

Wyatt & Ashton hooping it up!

Logan and Daddy took the pool challenge. The air hockey table converts to a pool table and a ping pong table.

Cub Scout Pack Meeting - Logan's Advancement to Bear

2008-04-30T21:45:00.003-04:00

Tonight was Cub Scout pack meeting and Logan received his advancement from Wolf to Bear. He also helped conduct the flag ceremony and he received a 3 arrowpoints, one gold and 2 silvers. We're proud of our cub scout. It was a lot of work for Logan to advance from Wolf to Bear..there were many requirements and Logan did each with great enthusiasm.

It's a Wonderful Life!

2008-04-29T21:47:00.003-04:00

How blessed we are in life. As I was looking through my digital pictures, I came across this great shot of me and the kids taken a few months ago that I couldn't resist posting. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful family. These children of ours are truly gifts from God.

Happy 9th Birthday Logan

2008-04-27T20:50:00.005-04:00

Today is Logan's 9th Birthday. We celebrated the day by having a nice birthday dinner. All the food was hand picked by Logan. The meal consisted of artichokes, tater tots with fry sauce, caesar salad, garlic bread, and broiled scallops. Logan chose to have one of Heather's famous key lime cheesecakes for his birthday cake. It was delicious. During dinner, we took a stroll down memory lane and shared with Logan the story of his birth. Logan is a great kid. He does very well in school (currently in 3rd grade) and is a big help to the family. Logan is an awesome athlete (soccer, running, basketball). Logan is already 5 feet tall and promises to be taller than his dad (6'6"). Here are some then and now pictures of Logan to celebrate his life. We love him very much!

Spring Break 2008 - Cape Cod

2008-04-25T20:18:00.003-04:00

Last week was spring break for the kids and we decided to spend 3 days in Cape Cod right along the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham, MA. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We arrived on Wednesday, 4/23 to almost 80 degree temperatures. We spent our day at the beaches both on the Atlantic ocean and the Cape Cod bay and we all had a great time. The hotel we stayed at had activities all week, including face painting and magicians. It also has a great pool and Wyatt finally began to feel more comfortable venturing out in to the water. We also took our bikes with us to the Cape and had a wonderful family bike ride on the well-maintained Cape Cod bike rail trail. On our way back from the Cape, we stopped by the 2006 Clam Chowder Triple Crown winner in West Yarmouth, Captain Parkers Pub. We consider ourselves true Massachusetts Chowdah heads! We absolutely love New England and all that it has to offer. We've been going to Cape Cod almost every year since 2001 and will continue to make it our Larsen family annual tradition.

While the oceanwater was still cold, the sand warmed everyone

Ashton wasn't too happy to be buried in the sand but Emy insisted.

Ashton the puppy dog and Wyatt the black widow.

Emy loves cats

Logan is looking pretty scary

We Miss You Joe!!!

2008-04-23T21:15:00.001-04:00

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of my brother Joe's passing. Joe died in a tragic car accident in 2005. He was a wonderful young man and he truly loved life. We'll forever miss him and know he's with God and Jesus. We'll never forget you Joe. We love you!!!

Joe (pictured on the bottom) was the youngest sibling in the Larsen family and was only 22 when he passed away.

2008 Boston Marathon

2008-04-21T22:15:00.002-04:00

We attended the 112th annual Boston Marathon on April 21st. The Boston Marathon is always run on Patriots Day which is a Massachusetts holiday. The marathon is a major event for Boston and the surrounding communities. There were 22,375 runners this year. The male winner of the marathon finished in 2 hours and 7 minutes and the female winner finished in 2 hours 25 minutes. Vaughn's fastest marathon was 3 hours 29 minutes...so he has a long way to go. Vaughn hopes to be able to run the Boston marathon someday, but the Boston marathon requires a qualifying marathon which Vaughn would have to run in 3 hours and 15 minutes which equates to 26.2 miles at an average pace of 7 min 20 seconds each mile....it'll be tough, but hopefully he'll make it someday in the near future. He plans to run another marathon this fall.

We all watched this year's marathon at mile 17 in Newton, MA, just before the start of "heartbreak hill". We brought water to hand out to the weary runners and even had a few friends that were running the marathon from MA and UT. The kids loved handing out water, especially Wyatt and Ashton (see video below). This will definitely be an annual family tradition. There were street vendors selling all sorts of trinkets and we even had a chance to pick up trash along the marathon route after the marathon to meet the requirements of one of Logan's cub scout badge advancements.

Feed the Need 5K Race

2008-04-12T23:18:00.009-04:00

The famous Larsen family runners (missing Logan) as captured by the Hingham Journal.

Emy, 6 and Logan, 8 both won first place in the 10 and under division. Logan took off and ran the race on his own and finished in 24:18. Emy crossed the finish line with her dad and two brothers in 32:02. This was Emy's first race and she was thrilled to come in first place. Both Emy and Logan also won 3rd place in the 15 and under division.

Vaughn was just thrilled to run the race with his kids and he is very excited that they enjoy running as much as he does.

IBM 100% Club Palm Springs

2008-04-11T21:31:00.007-04:00

Vaughn was awarded a trip to Palm Springs with the IBM 100% Club. The event took place 4/9-4/12 at the Desert Springs Resort. It was a very nice event that consisted of recognizing those IBMers that achieved/exceeded business targets in 2007. Each day, Vaughn was able to select an special recreational activity to do. The choices consisted of "Day at the Spa", Jeep tour of the San Andreas fault line", "Hummer tour in the Joshua Tree National Park", etc. etc. Vaughn chose to do the Jeep tour of the San Andreas fault line. It was a great event. The attendees were treated with performances by the Funk Brothers and Jay Leno. The food was phenomenal. Vaughn met some great new IBM friends and had a fun time relaxing and having fun (not working).

Views of the resort from the hotel room

Views on the Jeep excursion along the San Andreas fault line.

Wild West Night in the Desert - Vaughn's first and likely last time on a mechanical bull

3 of the people in the picture I actually don't know at all. The only person I knew going into this was Patrick Ryan who is standing just above me to the right. I met Morad (sombrero and rifle) and Frank (above me to the left) at the event. We had a very enjoyable time this evening. We were bused out to the desert and had quite a spread awaiting us

Happy 2nd Birthday Ashton

2008-03-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Ashton has officially entered his terrible 2s today...how exciting is that? He still reminds us of Grandma Candy with his blond hair and blue eyes. He's a good little boy that is currently talking up a storm. He loves "helping" in the kitchen and is a good little chef. The only downside to him turning 2 is that we'll now have to pay for yet another airline ticket to visit family out West....but he's definitely worth every penny. We love you Ashton!

2008 Lunar Eclipse - Views from the Larsen home in Hingham, MA

2008-02-20T23:30:00.001-05:00

A total lunar eclipse occurred on the evening of Wednesday, February 20. Logan and Emy were extremely interested in staying up late to see the total lunar eclipse. See the photos below and the video that Logan shot of the event. The next total lunar eclipse isn't until December 21, 2010. We'll be ready when it happens.

Logan's Piano Playing - South Shore Conservatory Gold Medalist

2008-02-07T22:53:00.001-05:00

Logan came to us earlier in the year after he had heard about a talent competition at the Hingham South Shore Conservatory. He wanted to enter the competition and play the piano. Logan has only been taking piano for about 18 months so we were shocked that he would want to enter in this competition. We had about 6 weeks to prepare and Logan practiced his song "Dream Echos" quite a bit so he'd be ready. The day came for the competition and Logan played the song flawlessly. The judge gave him the highest honors and he was invited to come back and play in the Honors concert. We were so proud of Logan. He is quite the performer. His piano teacher says he is a complete natural and her most gifted student. We sure hope he keeps up the interest. This competition and the gold medal he received certainly helped his confidence with his piano playing. Bravo Logan.

Logan anxiously awaits his chance to play the piano at the honors concert.

There looms the grand piano awaiting Logan's "Dream Echos" Logan did an excellent job with his performance. And now...presenting Logan's "Dream Echos".......

Happy 6th Birthday Emy

2008-01-26T21:40:00.005-05:00

Emy turned 6 on January 26. We celebrated her birthday by having a friend party at Scalliwags..a place with slides and games. Emy invited lots of her little girl friends from church and school. Emy has been a great joy in our family. She is such a great big sister. She keeps her room clean and is quite the reader. She reminds us constantly that she wants a sister and someday we hope she'll get her wish. Please see our tribute to our little Emy below. She's a wonderful blessing in our home. We love you Emy!

Emy's aunt Brittany did her hair and make-up. Thanks for the jump start Brit! ;-)

The Greatest "Snowperson" Ever

2007-12-31T22:06:00.001-05:00

We had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's farm in Preston, ID. The snow was phenomenal and the kids were excited to make the biggest and best "snowperson" ever. Emy wanted a snow girl and Logan a snowman, so we settled on a snow person. As you can see from the pictures, the "snowperson" was over 7 1/2 feet tall. We had to use creativity to get the middle and top sections on the "snowperson" We used a ladder and rolled the sections up on top of each other. It was very difficult, but the kids stuck it out and loved our new "snowperson" friend.

First Snow in New England

2007-12-30T11:07:00.002-05:00

We love winters in New England. We recently purchased a new home in Hingham, MA and it came equipped with great sledding hills. We're loving it out East.