Charlie is One!

I always take the week off for my birthday and most of the time I take a trip. Last year it was a trip to Utah by way of Texas. This year we wanted to spend more time with Kyle and Tiffany and their great kids. So off to Utah we went. We took theRAV4 and I was pleasingly surrprised with the gas milage. It is rated at 26mph on the highway. We avaraged 25.4mph with a 40mph head wind and a 30mph tail wind.

We rang the doorbell and I knelt down to be at eye level with the kids, because I could hear them fumbling with the door knob. The door opened and they saw us with ear to ear grins. It was so fun to see them again after almost a year. Wish they were closer. Charlie was having his first birthday the following week but we had a birthday party for him just a few hours after arriving.

It started with a ball pit, a blow-up pool with about 200 balls. It was kind of an appitizer for the caterpillar party. Erik and Ellie really enjoyed it but Charlie was not so sure this was a fun idea. We had earthquakes and hurricanes and the balls were flying, as well as the kids. Nothing but laughter, except for Charlie - he wanted out. The others played in the ball pit for quite awhile. Close friends and family were there to usher in birthday number 1.

As usual Tiffany out did herself again with the party decorations. And even though Charlie won't remember a thing about them, they were all recorded on digital film.

The creative theme and cake was inspired by the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and all the snacks were taken right out of the book.

All smiles from Ellie, still in the ball pit.

As was Erik!

Charlie was enjoying one of his presents - an electric toothbrush, so that he would not keep taking his sibling's electric toothbrushes. Well if you buy one at the dollar store, it probably won't work. This one didn't. What do you expect for a buck?

We finally got the actual party started with the birthday cake. Charlie had his own - nobody else was allowed to touch it. There was some extra wind supplied to blow out the one candle but he got his wish and didn't end up with any girl friends.

Charlie didn't know what to think of the plate of sweetness placed in front of him. He started cautiously. This is the before.

Mmm. Tastes kind of good......

I need a bigger bite.

Man, this is really addictive. I hope I don't get any cavities; I have six teeth now, you know.

I am done now. I don't feel so well. Take the remains away. Sugar highs are a fallacy. Notice the gob of frosting on the wall behind the high chair. This is the after.

More blogging of our trip to follow.

Look Out Tyra!!!!

This is the newest America's Top Model. Lorelei loves to dress up, look pretty and pose for pictures. These are all in her port-folio, so enjoy.

Easter Day a Grampa's

It was a beautiful Easter day in Brooklyn Center, warm and sunny. The Barnharts came over in the morning and we watched General Conference projected on the wall. We had Kirstin's and Brett's over during the break and we had a delicious Easter dinner. It was so fun to have them all over, except for Kyle's and we told him that we would have an Easter dinner in Utah next month when we visit. Calvin was wide awake but it seems like only Grampa can quiet him down and that is giving Gramma a complex. Lorelei is her beautiful self and she likes to pose.

This is Gigi's mean girl look.

Joseph is showing off his skills with launching an airplane.

Mom with all four.

All of them still had happy faces on at the end of the day.

Shhh. The king is resting

King Calvin was at our house yesterday. He was tired and needed a rest after ruling over the family. Actually Joseph saw some things in the toy box and decided to embellish him. Then he says, "Look at him!" It was so cleaver that the camera had to come out.Closeup of the scepter and ring.
Then Calvin's cousin came by for a visit. Gigi latched on to him and was raising him up like a set of weights. She loves babies.
The Barnhart's and Kellan with each of Joseph's hands on the newest grand kid's heads.
Gigi had enough of her brother sitting on her and just moved away, creating a void that Calvin slipped into.
Lorelei and Kellan

A card for Great Gramma G

Joseph is a very kind, considerate and thoughtful eight year old boy. His Great Gramma G was sick and in the hospital and he wanted to make and send her a card so that she would feel better. He called his Gramma Larsen and asked her what Gramma G's favorite color was. Judy said that it was RED. So he went to work and spent a couple of hours thinking, designing, laying out, drawing, cutting and coloring this card. We brought her home from the hospital and it was waiting for her. Sniff, sniff. Thanks Joseph. Gramma G loved your card.

Yo Gabba Gabba

Okay, there may be some of you that already know about this group. Well, I probably had my first and last experience with them. Kirstin came home from the hospital with baby Kellan Friday afternoon. We agreed to take the twins Saturday afternoon and keep them overnight and take them to church the next morning. Kirstin had already bought tickets for Yo Gabba Gabba knowing that we would love to take the Dudes to the concert. So after supper we headed to the Target Center. Since this was the second show, they were not ready to let us in and we had to wait almost 30 minutes with rambunctious kids, running around the Giant Timberwolf on the floor.

We all got our Party Glasses because there was "A Party In Your Tummy". There was some time before the show started so I took the boys down to center court right to the stage where all the action was going to happen.

Before we got there, we all picked out our favorite color character. Mine was Muno - he's the red cyclops.

Logan decided he wanted to be the blue guy - Toodee. He change from the green guy.

Liam from the start, and there was not any deviation, wanted to be Brobee, the one in the sporty yellow robot suit.

Here is the whole cast.

We can't forget to include DJ Lance, the handsome dude in Orange.

After 25 minutes, it was time for half time, a.k.a. intermission and also for merchandise sales. The intermission lasted 30 minutes, five minutes longer than the first half. Then they had the second 25 minutes of the show. I was going to upload the intermission sign but forgot. They also had a really goofy rock band. The boys got balloons that fell from the ceiling and decided to have a balloon fight. See for yourself below.

Now that Liam was armed with a balloon weapon and the fact that we were sitting in the first row with a railing in front of us and a walk way below, he bonked everyone that walked in front on the head with the balloon. My hero! He was protecting us.

12

12 means that we now have twelve grand kids. Baby Squishy, as he has been know for months and is still nameless, came into the world at 9:16AM on Mar 9. He was 21 1/4 inches long and 9 lb 5.2 oz. He is one of the biggest. I can't remember the biggest so any Larsen kids out there correct me if one of yours was bigger. And his blood type is B+. He is a cute bundle of joy. No, he does not sport a Mohawk hair-do. That is just the way the nurse decided to do it after his first bath. Both mom and baby are doing just great.
He resembles Liam a bit in this picture. But there is enough of both sides of the family in Baby Squishy that both can claim victory.
Can't wait for him to be home. I only got to hold him a few minutes.