A Fish...FINALLY!

We have done a bit of fishing...well actually a lot of fishing lately with nothing to show for. Well, yesterday changed that! We (meaning Jason) finally caught a fish! Yeah for Daddy! Reagan's reaction was..."We caught our first fish ever!" as Jason reeled in onto the shore. Guess in her memory, it really has been a long time since we caught any!

We had taken a ranger ride to Cluff Pond--where we managed to join lots of other anglers. Reagan climbed trees and Travis played in the mud. Then, it happened! A fish was caught... by us! So exciting! After placing the trout on a stringer line, Reagan proceeded to try and "help him swim again" by repeatedly throwing him as far into the lake as she could and then pulling him back to shore. Travis thought the process was hilarious and giggled with delight...the fish however did not share the enjoyment and quickly succumb to its death. Reagan helped clean and gut the fish--which I thought was rather gross and she found ever so intriguing! And after that was accomplished, Jason told her to kiss the fish head--which she did without reservation! Oh, what a girl! I can only hope Travis grows up as tough as her...

We came home and you guessed it...we had trout for dinner! (along with a few we had in the freezer from our trip to Big Lake last summer). Reagan loved eating the fish, but Travis wouldn't touch it! His favorite is still gold fish I guess.

Cinderella and Other Fairytales...

Last weekend we just took life easy and hung out at the house. This meant we could get some important things done...like cleaning the kids' play room (which mind you-- wasn't very messy since I had picked it up the day before due to the carpet being cleaned). I sent Reagan in to pick up the mess she had made that morning when she woke up. It was as simple as picking up the "Little People" and all the plastic farm animals and dinosaurs. You would have thought this was the most trying, horrific task in the world as Reagan wailed, tears streaming down her face..."I'm just like Cinderella! I have to clean everything!" My poor mistreated 5 yr old is quite the drama queen...I can't even imagine what life will bring when she turns 15!

Later that day as Travis enjoyed tormenting the baby chicks and Jason worked on his latest tractor restoration project, Reagan decided it was time to ride her three wheeler. She got on and off she went...no fear....throttle maxed (in 1st gear of course!). She sped away and the quickly returned. "I AM SPEED! I AM LIGHTING MCQUEEN!" I had to laugh...this girl sure does live fairytales in real life!

My fairytale of having the perfect little boy also came to an end last week as Travis learned the dreaded word "NO!!!". In the past he had just shook his head, but now it is always the loud shriek of "NNNNNOOOOOO!!!!" in our ears. Our little Prince Charming did redeem himself, as in the same few days, he also learned to give kisses! So sweet!

One of my favorite fairytales of last week didn't include my children though...I picked up (and of course couldn't put down) Twilight. The story was enthralling and all enveloping. I truly enjoyed it, perhaps even LOVED it!!! (Just as all my sister-in-laws said I would! They are all die hard fans!) As I found the read consuming, I have put off starting to read the rest of the series...I have to study for PALS (work stuff!) and I know if the books were even at my house, nothing else would be accomplished. 'Til my next fairytale...

Spring Break Larson Style

((Okay if that heading was completely true, our spring break would have been a week camping in the hills full of rocks, dirty kids, ranger rides, and new "friends and pets." Instead, I was in charge and said--"I want a vacation"...as camping often involves lots of work, I opted for a citified spring break!))

The week began slow, with a much anticipated funeral that went smoothly and one last night of work for Jason. That made for a day of getting "stuff" done around the house which included some cleaning and gardening--which Jason is already working hard at. We also had chicks...well we didn't have them, some friends incubated our eggs and they hatched this week. They are cute and fuzzy. The favorites are the little yellow one "Rosie" and the black one "Blackie." Now, we'll just hope that most of the 8 are hens and not roosters...

Next, it was off to the valley for some fun. It was quite the adventure. We managed to do a fair amount of (window)shopping--a trip to the mall, Ikea, and a visit to Bass Pro Shop, Sportsman's Warehouse, and even Cabella's....we aim to make everyone happy! Reagan even found her new most favorite store. It was in the mall and called Black Market Minerals--it was one stop shopping for "beautiful rocks" (stones and gems) and "fancy jewelry". Daddy made her day by letting her pick out and buy 6 polished rocks and even a brown and pink "rock" necklace. In the theme of making everyone happy, we ate awesome food like Carraba's, Joe's Crab Shack, In and Out, and even at Chuckie Cheese's! Oh, the fun!

Reagan got to swim everyday in the hotel pool, which was her only request for our spring break. She loved it and was quite a little fish by the end, swimming under the water, and doing somersaults and handstands in the water. Travis on the other hand wasn't so sure of the cool water and cool air.

We also caught an afternoon spring training game in Phoenix and watched the Diamond Backs get hammered by the Oakland A's. Despite the D-Backs losing it was still lots of fun. We had amazing seats and got to eat cotton candy--everyone's favorite!

Another highlight of the trip was going to the Wildlife World Zoo. It was neat....they have some awesome aquariums . Travis loved seeing the fish and Reagan loved getting to pick up starfish and even touch sting rays. Besides lots of cool animals like white tigers to see, they also had other fun things to do too--a carousel, a water log ride, a jungle boat ride, a skyride, and a train ride. Both kids favorite by far was the petting zoo. Travis loved the llamas and Reagan loved the 17 day old baby goats and the deer just loved trying to eat us! And to top the day off--we even ate an "ice cone" or snow cone which Reagan had been dying to have all week. We had lots of fun, but if you ask Reagan, she will tell you it was the "craziest zoo ever!" because they didn't have any elephants...at least none we saw.

On our way home, we also managed to take in the Apache Junction Tractor Show and Pulls. Jason had planned to meet his dad there, but unfortunately Kent was in a car accident and didn't make it--fortunately he was okay and so were my two nephews who were along for the ride. We had fun for him though and admired lots of cool tractors, old model T's, and some super expensive remote control tractors.

Travis had a double ended explosion before Globe and then several more vomiting episodes before making it home. We laughed, and at some points were tempted to cry, and at that point-- very grateful we hadn't traveled far for our vacation. We chalked it up to car sickness...but, our house has been plagued with double ended explosions since. Darn the bad luck...

But overall, our Spring Break was fantastic....I love vacations and can't wait till our next one!

Papa

When I was a little girl, there was no person I loved more than my Papa. He was my "dad" till I turned 3 and got a dad...he was my grandpa and spoiled me silly. Some of my earliest memories are of things I did with him. Like riding in his trucks "old mustard" and "mayonnaise" (you can guess the colors of those old beaters...), pruning rose bushes, and going to Disneyland--he loved the rides almost as much as me...even into my teenage years! He even used to let me play with his elbow skin...weird habit I know. As I grew older, I learned a lot from my Papa. Like how to make a beautiful bow, build a flower arrangement out of anything, and just be creative. He also was a great example in the gospel and was the priesthood holder in my life who blessed me, baptized me, and confirmed me.
My Papa passed away early Wednesday morning. I'm sad he's gone, but grateful. Now he is with my Granny (he called her that because she hated it!) and now he doesn't have to suffer. He had a stroke several years ago and has lived in a care center mostly since my grandma died. It broke my heart to see him there--in such a fragile state . I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's Plan and my knowledge of Eternity and the comfort of knowing I will see him again one day.

OUCH, OOWWW, and Other New Words

Travis has learned lots of new words this week. He can say shoe, sock, down, out, and Sis. But the most profound words of the week were OUCH! and OOWWW! One look at his face and you can see why. This little guy and gravity just aren't getting along. First, it was a black eye from the kitchen table (not sure what really happened just a loud thud and crying and even some blood). Then, it was a walk outside with Dad and an unexpected step down from the curb....and lots of crying, dirt, and blood to the other side of his face. Last, but not least, was the huge bruise Travis got on his back when he fell on the tile in the bathroom. Poor little guy! Good thing he's tough and the crying is short lived!

My First Big Race

Okay, so it wasn't a really what you would imagine. There was no crowd cheering, no finish line tape to run through, and no medals. It was just a fun run they had here in Thatcher for the Hospital's Health Fair. I saw lots of familiar faces and even made some new friends and then we were off. I ran the 5k. After the pack of "real" runners took off, I only got passed by 2 people I am proud to say. I know I wasn't the fastest by far, but I was glad not to be the slowest too! I ran it in 32:36. That is SLOW! But I don't care and I had fun doing it. Next time, I plan to push myself harder and run the 10k (I think I could have done it this time, but was just too chicken.)
PS--I honestly don't love running (I do love sports though...and haven't ran races since junior high when I was actually a sprinter!)-- I just love the way I feel afterwards. A "runner's high" is amazing! I used to run a faithful 3 miles daily before I had Reagan...but everything changes when you have kids and I have hit the road and treadmill off and on for the past five or so years. I have lots of friends who run and several times have been tempted to run with them in races before but just never done it. Hopefully, I'll stay dedicated to my new habit!