Vanilla ICE ICE BABY & MC Hammer!!!

I know many of you will not understand how I could not only want to go to a Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer concert, but that I would actually pay money to do so!!!! Well it was by far the best 20 bucks I have EVER spent!!!

Alana found out about this concert about a month before......a bunch of the girls had discussed going, but nobody would commit and by the time we went to buy tickets the cheap ones were gone and we just couldn't see spending 50 or more bucks to go. The day before the concert I get a call that Alana's husband had found some tickets for 20 bucks and we decided what the heck let's do it!!! Just to say we did!!

First thing we had to do was meet the guy we bought the tickets from....I was a little nervous. What if we drove all the way down there and we got bogus tickets?? I know I worry to much!! Anyway we got them and they looked legit, so off to dinner we went!!!

We thought that the concert started at 8 so we got to there at about 10 to 7, thinking the doors would open around 7ish.....well the concert didn't start until 9!!! We stood in line until they opened the doors around 8!!! It was actually really fun cuz we met some new friends! Since we were some of the first in line we got to stand right up front!!! We were standing next to kids that were not even born when they toured together 18 years ago!!! But they were so fun and even liked hanging out with us old folks!!! I didn't have to use the zoom on my camera all night!!! Needless to say it was one of the funnest nights of my life!!! Oh and I got to touch MC Hammer!!! TWICE!!!! Alana got to get on stage and dance with Vanilla and MC Hammer and Ice grabbed her hand (pic below!!) And I had a full conversation with Vanilla Ice!!! IT WAS AMAZING!!! Thanks Alana!!

Tyler's Guitar Concert

Tyler concentrating on playing his guitar.

I love this picture!!! He is such a Ham!! He is loving taking guitar, he just can't wait tell he can play an electric one. I am postponing that as long as possible!!

Steven's 13th Birthday!!!

I can't believe my miracle baby is 13!!! He is such an amazing kid!! I think back on when I woke up the morning after he was born and called for my baby to be brought to me and the nurse said that the doctor would be down to see me. As I sat in my hospital room being told that my newborn baby had stopped breathing several times in the night and was having seizures and that he had been admitted to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit I couldn't wrap my mind around what was being told to me. As soon as they would let me I went to see him and he looked so perfect I couldn't fathom anything being wrong with him. I was told they were going to life flight him to Primary Children's in Salt Lake, but we had to wait for a huge winter storm to pass, because they couldn't fly in the storm. Now I don't have alot of memory of what all went on, I had just had a c-section and was pretty drugged up, but I do remeber when my Mom and Dad got there and how my Dad gave him a blessing and I wasn't scared. Nervous about sending my baby on a plane by himself, but not scared. My parents were going to be there to meet him. They left before they took him, so they could be there and we stayed with Steven until they took him to the airport. After a couple of days at Primary's, the doctors pulled me and his dad into a room to discuss his diagnosis. At that time we were told that he had suffered a stroke sometime in the third trimester and that they couldn't tell us exactly what to expect. I also don't remember this full converstation. I think I was at a point where I couldn't digest anymore. I do recall them telling me that only time would tell how much he was affected by it. We took him home and I tried not to treat him different and I hope we have done everything for him to make his life the best it can be!! He still amazes me everyday!!! I love this Young Man and so does everybody that comes into contact with him. He seldom complains and is very determined to do all that he can!! I hope he will understand what a joy he is to me and his family!!! WE LOVE YOU STEVEN!!!!

Seth's 3rd Birthday!!

I can't believe it, but my BABY is 3!!! It feels like just yesterday I was in Salt Lake with him in the NICU and the rest of the family home in Afton with my WONDERFUL mother!! Those were the longest 16 days of my life and now it is 3 years later!! What a joy he is to us!! He makes us laugh every minute of the day.

He is totally obsessed with CARS!! He watches it at least once a day sometimes three.....well at least it has to be on that many times. He is usually following me around, but if I turn it off all H@@@ breaks loose. I know I will regret it, but oh well!!

Anyways....I wanted to make a really fun cake for him and my friend Melanie found this racetrack pattern, so with the help of Dani (of course) we made him this fun cake!! HE LOVED IT and kept trying to drive the car around the track!!

He loved opening his presents, but kept trying to take turns with his brothers like he had to a Christmas. It was so cute. WE LOVE YOU BABY BOY!!!

Christmas in Wyoming!!!!

So I was informed by my mom that it has been five weeks since I last posted.......Hello..it is Christmas time. Life has been absoulutely CRAZY......I would like to go back and post all that has happened, but I really don't have the time or energy. I figure I will just start with Christmas and try to be better this year.

We have a tradition in the Packer family to have Prime Rib and Shrimp on Christmas Eve.....well Dave LOVES Shrimp and Prime Rib, so it is now a tradition in the Larson household!!!

We also have the tradition of opening up new pajamas.....this year I got a little crazy and decided to make the boys' pj's.....I think they turned out awesome and the boys loved them!!

The boys also open the gifts they get for each other......this year they all got a new hat with their favorite team on it.....we have three die hard dolphins fans.....don't ask......and two steelers fans....well Sethy doesn't have a choice yet. Dave is a huge Steelers fans so he was teasing the boys that he wouldn't allow Dolphins stuff in the house......hence the below photo.

Then Sethy decided that the stockings would be fun to wear around....he is such a riot.....Dave says he reminds him of my brother Jack.........that is SCARY!!! It is also true....he is always making us laugh with the funny things he does.

My boys are SPOILED ROTTEN!!!
Come on Dave it is 7:30.....at least you got to sleep in a little.....we could have been up at 5:00......

By the end of the morning the garbage bag was almost as tall as the tree. We had an awesome Christmas!!!!

Twilight Madness!!

So as most of you know, I am a Twilght FREAK!!!! All of my friends are also total Twilight Junkies......so when we found out that Twilight the movie was going to be playing here in little old Afton at midnight, we decided that we all needed to go. Not only did we need to go, but we needed to be there FIRST in line!!!

Sethy in the car wash!!

I posted this on my facebook and was told by my mom that I needed to post it on here, so here it is!!! The screaming in the background of course is Dani (like she says, we don't function alone!!) He keeps his eyes covered from the moment I pay for the car wash until we leave the car wash!!

Getting Firewood!!

So one of Dave's favorite things to do is get firewood....I know he is odd, but we still love him!! The boys like to do it the first couple of times each year, but by the 10th or 20th time they get real tired of it. We try and get 10 cords of wood each year, it is a huge money saver and nothing heats a house like a fire. Living in Wyoming we use our stove from Sept. - May or June or even July sometimes!! Here are some photos of the last couple of times we went. I wasn't into the blog thing before or I would have brought it for the MANY times things didn't go right. It would have been a weekly firewood drama story........





Tanner went with us on this trip. No one else wanted to, which is actually very helpful, they have to babysit Sethy. He is not fun to take. He is to young to help and just wants to be held. He is spoiled rotten. So the boys always argue about who gets to stay and babysit.

Tyler's Football!

Tyler played football for the first time this year. He loved it and is sad that it is all over (well except for the practices, those are never fun). For the last game of the season he got to play on the new football field. He thought it was so cool to play on the new turf and under the lights. He is number 23, which made him really happy because that is Ronnie Brown's number for his favorite time the Dolphins. I am glad it is over.....practice twice a week and then a game....plus it is Wyoming and we now have snow.



He is playing safety here.....he almost got an interception.

Rocking with the oldies!!!!

So living in Wyoming does not offer alot of entertainment for us, so we decided to have an old person Rock Band night!!! It was a blast!! The first time I used the drums I broke the drumstick.....I signed it and Kori put it on her wall of fame!!! I know big surprise!!! You would think that we were teenagers again.....even Mr. Call (drummer) got into!!

I get a little excited and totally kicked butt!! Dave is really excited here to.....you just can't tell!!
The following video is HILARIOUS!!! Dani is not happy about this, but it had to be done!!! LOVE YOU!!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!!

I really don't have to write a thing I will just post the pictures!!!



Needless to say the boys love it!! I do to!! I figure if it is going to be cold we might as well have snow!!

Tyler's Peach Fuzz!!

The other night after a long hard football practice Tyler was getting ready for bed and all of a sudden I hear an excited yell......MOM......MOM. Not sure if this was a hurt yell or a I need a towel yell (heaven forbid the boy checks to see if he has one before he gets in the tub), I went to investigate. I was met on my way down the stairs by a very excited 10 year old exclaming that he was going to have a mustache and beard by the time he is in 7th grade and that soon he was going to need to be shaving. So of course first thing that came to my mind was perfect blog!!! So here are the pictures of Tyler's peach fuzz......CONGRATULATIONS!

The bathroom remodel!!

I mentioned that I had remodeled my bathroom and said that it was a blog all by itself and so here it is.

So every year I receive a little extra money at a certain time, thanks to the government, because a certain someone doesn't pay like a certain person is suppose to......no names please. Anyway, every year when I receive this little extra money I try to do something for the boys with it. This year it was decided that the bathroom downstairs HAD to be redone.
The nasty wallpaper, linoleum, cupboards, mirror, light fixtures, oh and did I mention the green bathtub?? Yes, I said GREEN bathtub, had to go.


The problem with these wonderful pictures is the fact that you miss out on the delightful smell that engulfed the room. The toilet was leaking and so was the bathtub. The wallpaper was wet and it was disgusting. It was so nasty and rotted that even after a DEEP DEEP cleaning it still smelled FOUL. Sorry if any of you were eating, but I am just being honest.

So Dave and I got to work and gutted this sucker out!! We removed everything especially the beautiful tub. We filled the whole back of the truck with all the crap that we took out and the boys and I took a trip to the Junks (the Dump to non St. Anthony people).

I have this wonderful brother-in-law who just so happens to be a plumber and who just so happened to be coming up for a baptism, so he brought up the new jetted tub and spent a good portion of the day putting it in for us and then my wonderful electrician brother got it running. YES....now comes the fun stuff. With the help of my wonderful parents, the colors of the tile were picked out and after a trip to the tile store that I am sure the sales people will never forget. HA HA, if you know Dani and I you will understand how that could be amusing. We were ready to get to work, but wait....I have to build a wall to surround my tub.....how do I do that? Good thing I have Dani (we really don't function alone!!) her sweet husband and mine built the surround for the tub and away Dani and I went to Tiling!!! We even watched a video so we would do it right.




We stayed up till four in the morning finishing the wall so we could do the floor the next day. Holy Crap it was a lot of work!!!




Of course we had to add a little originality to it. I think it turned out beautiful!!!
And the boys love it!! Especially Steven, he spends alot of time in there unwinding in the evenings. Sometimes it is a fight to see who gets it first!! (Usually I win!)