6 Things About Me...
(I was tagged, so here you go Danielle! I tag Jamie, Krista, and Jennifer.)

1. When I was 16 years old, I got a tattoo. And yes it's visible....it's my eyeliner! YES, it hurt and YES I would definitely do it again... in fact I need to go in for a touch-up.

2. I'm an exercise FREAK! If I miss a day, I think the world will end and that I'll somehow gain 5 pounds overnight. I'm currently taking a break with so much running - my knees were yelling at me; so I've taken up spinning and I LOVE it.

3. I recently got scuba certified - and it was really scary! We got certified for our latest cruise to the Carribean. And in true drama queen style - I had a panic attack every time! Hey, with 5 foot waves and a back drop into the ocean, what would you do? At least my wet suit stayed dry inside!:-) And yes, I'll try and get organized enough to post our pics.

4. I am really quite silly. Joe and I will dance around the house, like total idiots, or we'll have a contest who can do the most obnoxious thing -- really whatever makes us laugh. Once Annalise looked at us with this disgusted face and said, "you guys are scaring me!". Too funny. I hope we act silly till the day we die.

5. I'm really impatient and a bit of a control freak. I always want to take over a project, just so I can do it my way.......yeah, I know I need to work on this one! But until I get it figured out, the remote is mine!!!

6. I'm totally in love with my husband! I love him more and more every year. He really knows how to make me fall in love with him over and over again. I am so lucky. Hands off ladies, I've been known to get a little jealous! :-)

Here's a typical day...

Well, lots of things happen from minute to minute when you have kids around. Here are some fun things that have happened lately.

1. My kids (especially Annalise) love to pretend they are animals - usually a kitty cat! So here is Annalise being a kitty on a leash (yes I know usually dogs are on leashes, but don't tell Annalise - it keeps her really busy) and Ava taking her on a walk throughout the house. They can play this game for a good half hour.

2. It's definatly a kodac moment when your first born gets her first bloody nose! She was playing with her good friend Ella, when they somehow hit noses. Annalise comes screaming down the halls with blood dripping everywhere - and poor Ella is crying b/c Annalise is bleeding. So I settle Lisee on the couch with a cool rag for her nose and Ella climbs up next to her and sweetly says she's "sorry". Annalise tells her "it'll be okay, I'll just hold the rag and it will stop bleeding". It was so sweet that she recognized that her little friend was scared. Anyway, I'm just glad I kept my cool with it all!

3. Ava occasionally enjoys a little ghetto apparel. Just kidding, I just thought she looked cute with her hat to the side. She refused to keep it straight; every time I put it on, she'd just pull it over to the side. So of course I taught her to say, "Yo!". It was very cute.

4. Camels at the Phoenix zoo give a pretty smooth ride! What a fun thing to ride a camel. I hope she apprecitates that $10 we spent! :-)

5. And lastly, it's always more fun to play ball with lots of "friends"! What a great daddy Joe is to our girls!

For my fellow health-nut friends!

YUMMY!!

Don't these cookies look like the normal american chocolate chip cookie? Well, they taste like it, but they are actually pretty darn good for you and a much better alternative to the normal chocolate chip cookie! Substitute butter for SmartBalance (trans fat free) spread, reduce the sugar by half, and add a whole can of chickpeas (also known as garbonza beans), use healthy dark chocolate chips, and you have a delicious and moist cookie - guilt free! Now, I don't want to get in trouble for "sharing" this recipe, so I won't name the new cookbook it comes from - email me if you want the name. I call these cookies "The Smart Chocolate Chip Cookie". Enjoy and let me know if you like them! And don't be afraid to make them, I promise they really are good!

The Smart Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 c. brown sugar; 3/4 c trans-fat free spread (like SmartBalance); 2 large egg whites; 2 tsp vanilla; 1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed & mashed a little w/a fork (I use a can that's 15.5oz & it's fine); 1-2 c. dark chocolate chips - depending on how much you like (Ghiradellis 60% cocoa); 3/4 c chopped walnuts; 2 c flour (try 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour); 1/2 c old fashioned oats; 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt.
Okay, beat the sugar and margarine at med speed until smooth. Next, beat in egg whites and vanilla. Then mix in chickpeas. It will look a little "oily" from the beans - don't be scared! Then, mix the rest of the ingredients in a seperate bowl first, then add to wet mixture until a thick dough forms. Spoon the dough onto a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Don't overbake, and remember they will continue to cook a bit after you remove them from the oven so really watch them close. Enjoy!

I LOVE MY GIRLS

Okay, so being a mom is a lot of work......but I really just love my girls to pieces! They both have so much personality and know how to light up the room. And they already play "hard to get"; not just anyone can have their affection. :-) And even though some days I long to be a career woman again, I simply can't deny that being there for them is truly what it's all about!

Annalise - Dance and Soccer

We are so proud of you Lisee!! When Annalise turned three this year, we decided to put her in dance first, then soccer. We wanted her to figure out the type of activites she likes best. She did great at both and she loved her "outfits" to go with each activity. She's decided that dance is more her style because "Soccer is too much running!". I think we'll sign her up for horseback riding next - she's totally obsessed with horses (like her mama), and then probably back to dance again!

Meal Time Madness!

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only mother to relate to meal time messes! I despise my floors and counters to be dirty - and yet here I am, two kids later - cleaning up the kitchen at least 4 times a day! Yuck - but you gotta love the cute, messy faces that come alone with the territory!

Baywatch Hotties?

Joe, this post is to prove how silly you are to the rest of the world. You definatley make me smile! These pics are from a trip we took to San Clemete beach this summer with some friends. Joe, and his best friend Jon, decided to pretend they were Baywatch Hotties (you know I egged them on). Anyway, it was hilarious. Hope you're not too embarassed Babe!

Just Plain Silly

Tonight, we were just plain silly. Somehow, Joe started pulling Annalise around on this old blanket - all through the house. Then he would pull her from the tile onto the carpet - which would make her fly off. It was hilarious and she was laughing her head off. Well, then Joe thought I should try it with her (too bad no one was there for THAT picture). I must say it was a blast and I really felt like a kid again. Poor Joe wanted a ride too, but as much as Lisee and I tried to pull him, we couldn't get the blanket to budge! Maybe next time Joe's friends are over he can ask them for a ride! :-) Ha Ha!

Halloween 2007

This Halloween was so fun. Annalise actually allowed us to dress her as something other than a kitty! She was a beautiful fairy princess and Ava was an adorable witch. We had a blast listening to them "Trick or Treat" and we still have gobbs and gobbs of "bribing candy" left over. Before taking the kids around, our closest neighbors and us had a soup and hot cocoa pot luck. We really love our neighbors and the kids had so much fun. Joe was a bit of a spoil sport and wouldn't dress up this year - and you can't really tell from the picture, but I was a cowgirl. Well, until next year.....

Check out my Slide Show!

Summers in Greer

Okay, so this post is for all the people who've been asking me why I havn't post in months (especially you Vonda!). I was looking through pictures tonight and came across this picture that we took at the cabin. The first pic is my Dad, Annalise and her cousing Gunner. When I was a kid we used to sit on my Dad's stomache, just like this picture. Sure looks comfy huh? We would sit there for a good hour or so, watching TV. Good memories. I'll post some other random cabin pictures as well. Each summer we spend a lot of time at our cabin in Greer. Annalise even has a "cabin backpack" that is ready to go at all times. And even though we told her we're not going till next summer, she refuses to unpack. I love that she loves it there. Actually, we love Greer so much that Ava's full name is Ava Greer Larson! We build a lot of family memories with the Grandparents and cousins.

My First 10K run!

Wow! I can't believe I did it - my first 10k (that's 6.2 miles). Originally I was going to run this race with my sister-in-law Kari, but she hurt her ankle and had to cancel. She's so awesome and has already done a half marathon, so really she had nothing to prove! Anyway, this was the Tour de Pee Vee in Prescott and it was a lot of fun. We stayed with my sister Krista and her family for the night. And since Kari had to cancel on me, I met someone on race day to run with me - a 75 year old man! He totally kept me motivated and even finished a minute before me! He was such a sweet man and it was nice to be able to talk the whole time, instead of concentrating on my legs going numb! ;-) I finished the race under an hour - 59 min and 53 seconds- not to shabby for hills! I got 1st place in my age division (19-29yrs), and the next person was 7 minutes behind me! Yippee! And even though I'm happy with this 9.35 min/mile record, I'm just glad I finished alive! Whew! Next I want to dabble in a triathlon! Anyone want to join me?

My Two Gorgeous Girls

Annalise is 3 yrs old and is a smart, beautiful girl. She knows where she's going in life and won't let anyone stop her! She took a ballet class this year and is currently in soccer. Go Planktons! She loves playing with friends and telling jokes. She also loves playing rough with her Daddy -- and anyone else who's tough enough to take the abuse! :-) She's also a great at snuggling!

Ava is our 15 months old and is following right after her sister. She's learning how to throw a pretty mean temper tantrum! She enjoys searching through all the cabinets in the house that are "off-limits" and giving lots of loves. She loves her big sister Annalise. It's so fun to hear them laughing together and chasing one another. And we love all the new words she's learning like, "I wub woo" (I love you).

Blogging Newbie

Well, here I am, searching the web and checking out all my friends/families blogs......and I'm getting envious of all the cute posting........then a lightbulb goes off and I think to myself, "you too can have a blog!". So here I am attempting to pull it off. Hopefully I actually remember to post pictures and entries! I hope you all enjoy seeing bits and pieces of the Larson family!