tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59962384877467099482024-03-12T22:23:46.478-06:00Kate and BlairKate and BlairBlairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087472122863801493noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-64762513852648610402013-07-17T12:06:00.001-06:002013-07-17T12:06:33.636-06:00Henry at 7 MonthsI know the typical time to update pictures and facts about a growing baby is at 6 months. However, when Henry turned 6 months old, we were driving across the country in an RV with all of our earthly possessions hauled behind us in a trailer. Six month pictures were not about to happen until we got settled! So...I took 7 month pictures instead. Here is the update on Henry from about 6 weeks ago.<br />
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At 7 months Henry:<br />
~Has two teeth on the bottom and three starting to come in on top<br />
~Sits up without assistance<br />
~Loves balancing on his toes and hands with his head down<br />
~Made his first crawling movements!<br />
~Sleeps through most nights<br />
~Looks for big sister when he first wakes up and gives her huge grins when he sees her each morning<br />
~Is enjoying exploring new foods<br />
~Shows a lot of curiosity and interest in the world around him<br />
~Has a wide array of facial expression that keep us entertained<br />
~Is using the potty in his daily routine (yes, this crazy mama is <a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/03/adventures-in-potty-training.html">doing it again</a>...)<br />
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Here are a few more favorite pictures:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry first crawled while I was taking these pictures!</td></tr>
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-78068535901834854382013-02-22T13:29:00.000-07:002013-02-22T13:29:09.590-07:00Valentine's Day 2013<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eiF5uF55b_0/USFMdnBKe5I/AAAAAAAABCc/cEtyhz7ZXt8/s1600/P1010436-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eiF5uF55b_0/USFMdnBKe5I/AAAAAAAABCc/cEtyhz7ZXt8/s320/P1010436-2.jpg" width="240" /></a>We kept things pretty low key around here for Valentine's Day. I did manage to make Ella a new shirt for the occasion. It matched the skirt I made for her <a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2013/02/disney-surprise.html">Minnie Mouse outfit</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ye4nmpllGvg/USFMdj13j-I/AAAAAAAABCY/aANHC1bjhgQ/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ye4nmpllGvg/USFMdj13j-I/AAAAAAAABCY/aANHC1bjhgQ/s320/IMG_4287.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">She requested that I make her hair look like a heart. </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Thank you, internet, for showing me a picture to copy. She loved her hair!</span></div>
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There was, of course, the preschool Valentine Party complete with passing out valentines. Ella decided she wanted to make froggy valentines and even came up with the tag line, "You make my heart hop, hop, hop!" all by herself. I was happy to design a simplistic valentine to make her "vision" a reality. She colored them and glued a chocolate heart on each one. </div>
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I forgot to get a picture with my girl at school, so we did it ourselves when we got home. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_TbHSCLVKg/USFMfOS7omI/AAAAAAAABC4/cDwAPykX-w8/s1600/P1010462-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_TbHSCLVKg/USFMfOS7omI/AAAAAAAABC4/cDwAPykX-w8/s320/P1010462-2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's what Henry did during the party. Loving his smiles!</div>
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When Blair got home from work, he had a pot of roses for Ella and me. She adored them and carried them around from room to room. At bedtime, she decided to make herself a bed on the floor and put her roses from daddy right next to her pillow. I think she felt the love!<br />
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We hope you all felt the love, too! Happy Valentine's Day!</div>
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-78926732530719718242013-02-21T20:30:00.000-07:002013-02-22T06:58:56.352-07:00DW 2013Here are a few snapshots from our trip to Disney World in January:<br />
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We enjoyed New Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom. And Ella worked up the guts to get close to a character! Can you spot Blair in one of these pictures? He was a good sport to play along.</div>
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Can't forget a family picture in front of the castle!</div>
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Ella adores carousels. Henry had his first carousel ride and slept right through it. </div>
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Ella loves that we have "matching" shirts. Here we are at Hollywood Studios. This was our least favorite park. Even Henry protested for much of the day. </div>
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Day 3 was spent in Animal Kingdom. We really love this park! It's a little more low key than Magic Kingdom and we love the animals and shows. </div>
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Ella really enjoyed collecting stamps for her card at "conservation stations" throughout the park.</div>
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Henry did a lot of sleeping in Animal Kingdom. See? Much more peaceful than Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. </div>
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We let Ella choose a stuffed animal to take home. She didn't want Minnie Mouse, but they matched so well I had to get a picture of them together. She decided on the white kitty from Aristocats. </div>
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"They made me wear this silly hat. I can't control my arms yet, so my only defense is drooling."</div>
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Ella with her 7 cousins that came from Idaho. I don't know why we didn't get any pictures together inside the park!</div>
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Ella with her cousin, Olivia. They are the same age and Ella was happy to spend time with her!</div>
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-45778734053828120072013-02-21T08:38:00.000-07:002013-02-21T08:38:51.565-07:00Disney SurpriseIn January my brother brought his family out to Disney World. We decided to take advantage of Disney's great deal for Florida residents and took a trip up to hang out with them for a few days. Ella has been asking to go back to Disney World for a long time, so we decided to surprise her. I had about 2 days to come up with an idea, so I turned my wheels fast.<br />
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I decided I could easily and quickly make a minnie mouse shirt that she would like, but decided it needed something on the bottom to make it a complete outfit. So, I found a link on Pinterest to <a href="http://grandrevivaldesign.typepad.com/grand_revival_design/2007/10/ruffled-skirt-t.html">this tutorial</a> on Grand Revival Design for making a ruffle skirt. Ella prefers to wear skirts--especially if they have ruffles or sparkles, so I thought this would be perfect for her. A quick trip to Jo-Ann for some fabric and ribbon and one trip to Wal-Mart for a cheap T-shirt, and I was ready to go. The process was fairly easy (thank goodness, since I'm still a novice seamstress) and I loved the results!<br />
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I made the outfit the evening before were were going to leave for Orlando. The next day, when Blair got home from work, we sat Ella down and I told her I had made something special for her because she is so special to me. Then I gave her the outfit. She was thrilled to have a new outfit and wanted to put it right on. I asked her if she'd like to wear it to the place where Minnie Mouse lives and she nodded with her big smile. She figured out that Minnie Mouse lives at Disney World and we were going to take a trip there. She got a big smile and gave me a big hug. Ella has never been one to bounce off the walls with excitement, so I wasn't surprised with her reserved reaction. I could still tell that she was really pleased and excited. I'd say the surprise was a success!<br />
<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-3356106794615953002013-02-10T20:33:00.000-07:002013-02-10T20:33:06.366-07:00Family of Four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We are now a family of four! On November 9, Henry Blair was born at 10:24 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cX7bgfN0RVk/URhSzR55yOI/AAAAAAAABBU/T6lMXgWsfio/s1600/Birth+Announcement+Henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cX7bgfN0RVk/URhSzR55yOI/AAAAAAAABBU/T6lMXgWsfio/s640/Birth+Announcement+Henry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I could not have asked for a better birth! For my own benefit, I'll write a little about the birth here. If you don't enjoy reading birth stories, skip ahead and just look at the pictures. Consider yourself warned!<br />
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Henry wasn't due until November 18 and I fully expected him to come on or after that date. So when I started having steady contractions on November 8, I wasn't convinced he would be coming soon. Surges were about 15-20 minutes apart and not very intense-just a firm tightening. However, by evening, they started getting more predictable and I started feeling cautiously hopeful. I called our friends who had volunteered to take care of Ella during the birth and let them know that there was some action, but things could easily slow down or stop at that point. She said she'd put her phone by her bed just in case.<br />
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I went to bed around 10:00 pm and at 1:00 am a contraction woke me up. I went to the bathroom and then got back in bed. At 2:00 am I woke up again with a contraction and this time I was more awake. The intensity of surges was increasing but I didn't want to wake Blair until I was sure the baby was coming. I sat in our rocking chair and breathed through contractions while I thought about our little baby and the coming birth. I wasn't timing the contractions, but they seemed to be fairly close together. Finally, at 2:30 am I woke up Blair and asked him to time contractions so I could concentrate on hypnobirthing techniques instead of the clock. They were coming at 4 min. apart and lasting about 30-45 seconds each, but I could still easily talk and breath through each one.<br />
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At 3:15 am I decided to call our midwife to get her opinion on when to head to the birth center. Though my contractions were not very intense, the fact that they were coming steadily at four minutes apart and the fact that the birth center is 45 minutes from our home led her to recommend coming in pretty soon. We called our friends to come and stay with Ella and then got our things ready to go.<br />
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I felt very calm and peaceful during this time. I successfully used hypnobirthing techniques such as visualization, relaxation, and intentional breathing to manage the contractions and was able to move around, change my clothes, brush my teeth, and even make a list of instructions for Ella's care. Blair got our bags by the door and gathered the food we wanted to take with us. When our friends arrived, we took our time getting our last things together and spent a little time talking. I started to feel excited that our baby was coming but still felt very relaxed and peaceful. We finally left for the birth center at about 4:30 am.<br />
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When we arrived at the birth center, I was at 4.5 cm and 60% effaced. I was the only mother birthing at the time, so I got my pick of rooms. We got settled in to our room and met the student midwife who would be observing my labor and recording my vitals and progress. I ate a sandwich and had some juice then spent some time resting. Blair laid on the bed next to me and he may have even snuck in a little nap. I wasn't attached to any monitors or tubes and was free to get up and move around, use the restroom, or rest in any position I desired.<br />
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At about 8:00 am the contractions were getting more intense, so I asked Blair to put a movie on to help distract me for a while. We watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding for about 45 minutes and I had some snacks. Finally, around 9:00 am I decided it was time to rely more heavily on the hypnobirthing techniques to help me manage my increasingly intense contractions. Blair started talking me through each surge and he was a great help. At around 9:45 am my membrane ruptured. The midwife checked me at 10:00 am and found that I was at 6.5 cm and 80% effaced. She told me to hang in there and keep doing what I was doing and she would come check me again in a couple of hours.<br />
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Fifteen minutes later, after several very strong contractions right on top of one another, I felt the urge to push. The student midwife advised me to breathe through it if possible while she got the midwife to come back. Keeping my body from pushing was the hardest thing I have ever done. The midwife came quickly and found that I wasn't dilated completely yet. Pushing could cause a tear in my cervix, so I had to breath through 4 more contractions and stifle the pushing instinct. The second the midwife told me it was safe to push, I let my body go and followed my instincts. I remained laying on my side for the pushing phase. There was no coaching, no breath holding, no counting. Just me and the baby working together with the surges.<br />
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After less than 4 minutes of pushing, Henry was born at 10:24 am. He was perfect and beautiful and had a nice strong cry. His apgar at 1 minute was 9 and at 5 minutes was 10. He was placed right into my arms and I got to hold him and snuggle him to my heart's content while the placenta was delivered and the midwife and her assistant checked vitals (both him and me) and cleaned us up. I didn't even have to hand him over when the midwife helped me sit up and get settled for nursing. Blair and I spent the next 2 hours holding him, sending messages to friends and family, and eating some snacks. The assistant midwife monitored vitals and made sure Henry latched on for successful nursing. After this initial bonding time, the midwife weighed and measured Henry and gave him his complete newborn exam. We were discharged from the birthing center at about 2:15 pm.<br />
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On the way home we stopped by Five Guys and Blair ran in to get some burgers to take home and eat. Best post-birth meal ever.<br />
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We got home at about 3:30 pm and had our early dinner and enjoyed some quiet time alone with Henry. Our friend brought Ella home at about 5:00 pm and she got to meet her baby brother. She was so happy to have a baby, and very excited that he brought a present for her: a Cinderella doll. Here is our first picture as a family of four. Henry is about 7 hours old.<br />
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I'm so glad we decided to have Henry at the birth center. The experience was everything I hoped for and I would definitely choose to do it again for the next baby.<br />
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It took us three days to finally settle on a name for our little guy. Henry is a family name (my father's middle name) and Blair, obviously, is also a family name. I guess we're pretty traditional. I have loved having a baby in our house again and I'm thrilled to see our family grow.<br />
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Henry is a calm, sweet little guy and I'm trying to drink him in before he grows. I am so thankful that he finally came to our family. And I'm so thankful his birth was such a positive, beautiful experience.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-23847763416879883302011-11-02T12:00:00.000-06:002011-11-02T12:20:17.805-06:00Perfectly Pink Baby Shower<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=PomPomDetails.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/PomPomDetails.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div>In September I co-hosted a baby shower for my good friend, Maggie. She already has a little boy and was so excited to have a baby girl. We played up the girl theme with a tea party (herbal, of course) and went with classic pink decor. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=BeverageDetails.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/BeverageDetails.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9404.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9404.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9398.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9398.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9432.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9432.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9477.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9477.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9480.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9480.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's a group picture of everyone that attended--minus one friend who was holding the camera. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">(No, that's not a black mask. I just want to respect my friend's preference to not have her picture posted on public sites.) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">We had a great time and I'm really going to miss Maggie when she moves away next month. Glad we could make this memory together!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/?action=view&current=20110910-IMG_9494-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Maggie%202011/20110910-IMG_9494-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-52246520243539082912011-10-30T18:12:00.003-06:002011-10-30T18:50:47.935-06:00Friend School<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/?action=view&current=Ella2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/Ella2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Ella started "preschool" this fall! It's really a rotating co-op preschool that we do with two other friends. We meet once a week in someone's home and each mom takes turns teaching. It's a little like Joy school except we use a different program. Ella LOVES it. She talks about preschool all week and constantly asks when she gets to "have preschool" again. And there are usually tears when it's time to leave someone else's house. Here she is all ready for school (her lunch is in the backpack).<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/?action=view&current=EllaBackpack.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/EllaBackpack.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As much as I hate to admit it, she's really growing up. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/?action=view&current=Ella1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202011/Ella1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-25490309760579575312011-09-26T12:42:00.001-06:002011-09-26T12:44:11.578-06:00Bear Lake Part Three: Faces<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=DSC04282.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/DSC04282.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a> <a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=DSC04580.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/DSC04580.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=DSC04530.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/DSC04530.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a> <a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=DSC04529.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/DSC04529.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thought i'd post pictures of most of my family members. (Thanks to Annette for the pics of my family at the beginning of this post!) I tried to get close ups of everyone but I know I forgot several. This probably represents about 2/3 of everyone. Sorry there are so many, I just have a big family!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9138.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9138.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9168.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9168.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a 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src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9095.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110810-IMG_9076.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9076.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9177.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9177.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9181.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9181.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9156.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9156.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9155.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9155.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9150.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9150.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9179.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9179.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9165.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9165.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9152.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9152.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9148.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9148.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9114.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9114.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110811-IMG_9189.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110811-IMG_9189.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-53446182469201215752011-09-16T20:01:00.000-06:002011-09-26T12:20:02.072-06:00Bear Lake Part Two<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=DSC04641.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/DSC04641.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our second Utah reunion was also in Bear Lake. We met up with my side of the family and had a great time relaxing, chasing kids, playing games, and eating. We managed to spend one afternoon at the lake and got a picture of all the grandkids lined up in order from oldest to youngest with the littlest baby sitting right in front. (We were missing two grandkids because one of my brothers couldn't come to the reunion). Ella is in the bright pink flowered suit and she's wearing a hat. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We stayed in a gorgeous house for three nights and there was plenty of room for everyone. Here's a view of the kitchen and a peek at the soda machine. The kids learned very quickly how to turn it on. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110810-IMG_9056.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9056.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110810-IMG_9057.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9057.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The house also had a beautiful deck, grill, and hot tub (which, incidentally, was broken despite the service repair man claiming he had been there the day we arrived and it worked just fine). And you couldn't beat the view.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110810-IMG_9066.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9066.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/?action=view&current=20110810-IMG_9059.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Reunion%202011/20110810-IMG_9059.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kudos to my brother, Cameron and his wife, Annette for planning the reunion. We all had a great time. I only wish we could have visited with everyone longer. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-74584029345724314842011-09-15T14:49:00.000-06:002011-09-15T20:10:17.674-06:00Bear Lake Part One<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8800.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8800.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I mentioned before that we spent the first couple of weeks of August in UT attending some reunions. The first reunion was with some college friends. We love seeing these friends and we try to get together at least every two years. This time we went to Bear Lake and had three fun days together. But we forgot to get a group picture! So, here are a bunch of some of the kids. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8778.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8778.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8751.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8751.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8743.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8743.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8775.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8775.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8787.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8787.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We spent plenty of time playing on the playgroung. Then of course there were drinks in coconuts. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8848.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8848.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8847.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8847.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And we all got wet. One day we went to the lake and another day we went to the pool.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8861.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8861.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8854.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8854.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8852.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8852.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110806-IMG_8870.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110806-IMG_8870.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">On Sunday we even had a little lesson and coloring activity for the kids. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110807-IMG_8901.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110807-IMG_8901.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110807-IMG_8888.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110807-IMG_8888.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">By the end I think everyone was exhausted!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/?action=view&current=20110807-IMG_8898.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/SNCP%20Bear%20Lake%202011/20110807-IMG_8898.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-62554409641624905772011-09-03T21:28:00.000-06:002011-09-15T09:38:45.494-06:00For Patient Friends<div style="text-align: center;">
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We spent the first 2 weeks of August in Utah enjoying some great reunions with friends and family. While there I took some family pictures for some friends and am finally finished with them. Thanks for your patience D and B!<br />
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Even though it was August, the morning was pretty chilly. The girls were troopers, though, and mom did her best to encourage them and keep hands warm!<br />
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Mom specifically wanted me to get some pictures of her youngest who is 18 months old. She has such beautiful eyes and soft squishy arms! And trying to get pictures of her was a fiasco--she never stopped moving! But I had such fun playing cat and mouse--and she did get caught a few times!<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-62111761931450564272011-08-18T13:29:00.003-06:002011-08-18T13:34:10.461-06:00Post Catch-UpI have been back-dating some posts as I've started to catch up with blogging from our past year. Just in case you've missed them, scroll down or use the following links to visit the posts I've added. <div>
<br /></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcome-baby-luke.html">Welcome Baby Luke!</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-deja-vu.html">Halloween Deja Vue</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/10/baby-shower.html">Baby Shower</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/toshis-baby-bump.html">Toshi's Baby Bump</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/dierbergs-cakes.html">Dierberg's Cakes</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/naples-adventure.html">Naples Advenure</a></div><div><a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/key-west-adventure.html">Key West Adventure</a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-81755813021289597512010-12-15T21:50:00.000-07:002011-09-26T13:11:00.724-06:00Making SnowmenThese are the only kind of snowmen we'll be making in Florida!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=20101210-IMG_6745.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/20101210-IMG_6745.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=20101210-IMG_6740.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/20101210-IMG_6740.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ella was a great little helper when I made these snowmen for a Relief Society project.</div><div><br /></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-74546389743278490902010-12-01T21:50:00.001-07:002011-09-26T13:05:45.651-06:00Thanksgiving 2010For Thanksgiving this year we packed up the car and made the long trek up to Virginia. Blair's sister, Melissa, lives near Richmond and we were glad to spend some time with her and her family. On Thanksgiving day itself we went to Melissa's sister in law's house. They were gracious hosts and even put us up for the night. Some things worth noting about the trip:<div><br /></div><div>*Ella did better than expected on the drive, mostly thanks to a portable DVD player and plenty of planning ahead on my part. We were so grateful for the DVD player we borrowed from our friends that we decided to get our own on Black Friday to use on long road trips/plane rides.</div><div><br /></div><div>*Even though we were in an unfamiliar city, we still dragged ourselves out on black Friday and got some great deals.</div><div><br /></div><div>*Driving up the coast from the bottom of Florida was a lot of fun! We loved going from summer weather, shorts, and flip flops to beautiful fall colors and sweatshirts to no leaves on the trees and jackets. It really made me miss the changing seasons. </div><div><br /></div><div>*We loved spending time with Melissa and her family and hope to go back as frequently as we can. </div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't take any pictures on our trip (lame, I know) so here is a picture of Ella a few days before our trip taking care of her baby doll. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=20101114-IMG_6722.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/20101114-IMG_6722.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-12326374528678101112010-11-18T21:50:00.000-07:002011-09-26T13:12:48.396-06:00Alligator SightingSince moving to Florida my family has been teasing me about alligators. Imagine my excitement when I looked out my back door and spotted an alligator in the canal! We happened to have people over to watch General Conference at the time so we all spilled out into the backyard and I grabbed my camera. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Florida%20Wildlife/?action=view&current=Alligator-6411.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Florida%20Wildlife/Alligator-6411.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div>I got within about 6-7 feet of the big guy and snapped a few pics. I figured there was a 2 foot drop from the bank to the water level so he wouldn't come up on land. Only later did I learn that alligators have amazing jumping ability--they can travel twice their length in one shot. This guy was about 8 ft. long. Needless to say, I won't intentionally be getting so close to one again. </div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Florida%20Wildlife/?action=view&current=Alligator-6419.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Florida%20Wildlife/Alligator-6419.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-21086745469650433682010-11-16T21:49:00.000-07:002011-09-15T09:37:39.238-06:00Butterfly World<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/?action=view&current=20101111-IMG_6675.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/20101111-IMG_6675.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Blair got a special deal at work for us to go to Butterfly World on the cheap. Ella loved seeing the butterflies and she talked about it for weeks and weeks afterward. She also loved smelling all the flowers and watching people feed the birds in the mini aviary. If the deal comes up again we'll definitely go back. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/?action=view&current=20101111-IMG_6687.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/20101111-IMG_6687.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/?action=view&current=20101111-IMG_6696.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/20101111-IMG_6696.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/?action=view&current=20101111-IMG_6719.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/20101111-IMG_6719.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/?action=view&current=20101111-IMG_6711.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Butterfly%20World%202010/20101111-IMG_6711.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-49282679087923406332010-11-15T21:49:00.000-07:002011-09-15T09:38:35.947-06:00Welcome Baby Luke!<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke29of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke29of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>My friend, Toshi (seen <a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/toshis-baby-bump.html">here</a>), had her baby and I asked her if I could snap a few pictures of him. It was a quick session as far as newborns go and Luke didn't want to sleep for us, but I still love what we got! He's 9 months old now and quite a nice chunk!<div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke7of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke7of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke17of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke17of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke13of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke13of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke48of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke48of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/?action=view&current=Luke31of67.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Luke%20Robison%202010/Luke31of67.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-58320823990628396962010-10-31T21:48:00.001-06:002011-07-30T17:34:09.091-06:00Halloween Deja Vu<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/?action=view&current=20101025-IMG_6531.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/20101025-IMG_6531.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>For Halloween this year we didn't go all out. In fact, Ella loved her little jack-o-lantern vest from last year and it still fit (though verging on too snug). So, A jack-o-lantern it was. Again. Still cute. <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/?action=view&current=20101025-IMG_6537.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/20101025-IMG_6537.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/?action=view&current=20101025-IMG_6543.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/20101025-IMG_6543.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/?action=view&current=20101025-IMG_6544.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/20101025-IMG_6544.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/?action=view&current=20101025-IMG_6563.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Halloween%20Deja%20Vu/20101025-IMG_6563.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-59565208572988790092010-10-23T21:48:00.002-06:002011-07-30T17:34:31.997-06:00Baby Shower<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6518.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6518.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>In October I helped throw a baby shower for my friend, Toshi. A friend co-hosted it and we had it at her house. I made the invitations and planned the decorations, favors, and a couple of games. We did a safari theme and I had a fun time with it. I managed to snap a few pictures of decorations before things started but I forgot to take very many pictures during the event! I'm lucky I even got one of the guest of honor! You can find some much better pictures of Toshi <a href="http://kateandblair.blogspot.com/2010/09/toshis-baby-bump.html">here</a>. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6526.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6526.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6508.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6508.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6521.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6521.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6514.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6514.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6512.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6512.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/?action=view&current=IMG_6523.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Baby%20Shower%20Luke%20Robison/IMG_6523.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-53209766783906270722010-09-30T21:49:00.003-06:002011-07-30T17:34:21.867-06:00Toshi's Baby Bump<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6285.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6285.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I was so excited to take may friend's maternity pictures at the beach! She is such a cute girl and we had a fun time, wind and all.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5985.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_5985.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6048.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6048.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6225.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6225.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6061.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6061.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is her cute little girl--one of Ella's best friends</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6242.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6242.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6296.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6296.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6395.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6395.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6359.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6359.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6335.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6335.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_6342.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Toshis%20Baby%20Bump%202010/IMG_6342.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-9599120794181904192010-09-16T21:47:00.001-06:002011-07-30T16:52:57.729-06:00Dierbergs Cakes<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5215.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5215.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>When I was a kid, my family had a tradition. It all started when my mom had a birthday cake from Dierbergs. I'm not quite sure exactly how the story goes, but family lore seems to agree that my mom licked some of the frosting with her finger. It was her cake, after all. One of my siblings saw that and decided it was time to dig in. With his hands. Thus, the Dierbergs cake tradition was born. Dierbergs cakes must be consumed with hands only--utensils are not even optional. <div><br /></div><div>Growing up my mom usually made my birthday cakes, but from time to time we would get a Dierbergs cake for some reason and dutifully follow tradition. Then I graduated high school, moved away, and haven't lived in close proximity to Dierbergs for several years. It's been a long time since I had a Dierbergs cake. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last July when I visited Idaho and Utah to defend my thesis, I proposed a family birthday party. Three cousins, including Ella, have birthday within one week of each other in July, so it seemed like a good excuse to get together. And even though we didn't have a Dierbergs cake, my sister in law did some doctoring of the cake decorations and managed to write Dierbergs on the cake. So we had to follow tradition. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had all the kids wash hands with soap then put them all on a tarp in the back yard. We explained the rules. Birthday kids get first swipe then everyone else could dig in. Hilarity ensued and great fun was had by all. The adults enjoyed a triple layer chocolate cake (with plates and forks) while the kids reveled in permissable food play. When the cake was finally demolished, only Ella was left primly sitting on the tarp with barely a hint of frosting on her face. The kids had a bawl and I wouldn't mind carrying on the tradition. Enjoy the evidence of the fiasco--unless eating with hands grosses you out. In that case, look away now.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5311.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5311.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5313.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5313.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5317.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5317.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5351.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5351.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5361.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5361.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5366.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5366.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5336.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5336.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5389.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5389.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5385.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5385.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5383.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5383.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Back off, buddy! This is my birthday cake!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5400.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5400.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Okay, you can have some.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5407.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5407.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Or not. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5408.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Family%20Birthday%20July%202010/IMG_5408.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-16187017743604836032010-09-15T12:15:00.004-06:002011-07-26T14:59:09.219-06:00Naples Adventure<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5768.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5768.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We have heard great things about Naples, FL and since it's only 2 hours away from us, we decided to head over when Blair had a day off of work. It was pretty hot but we had a great time. We hung out at the beach and played in the sand for a while. Ella loved the beach in Naples because the water is so much more calm than on the beaches near us. The sand is also finer and whiter. When we needed a little break from that we spent some time walking around in the shopping district. <div><br /></div><div>We cooled off by having dinner in a little greek restaurant then headed back to the beach to watch the sunset from the pier. It was a beautiful sunset and we struck up some good conversation with the locals. We even saw some dolphins while we were at the end of the pier. Too bad I didn't break out the camera until the end of the day when we were back a the beach to watch the sunset. We loved Naples and definitely plan to go back!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5729.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5729.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5800.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5800.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5774.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5774.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5780.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5780.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5780.jpg" target="_blank"></a><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5787.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5787.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5822.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5822.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5797.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5797.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5813.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Naples%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5813.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-78274338533477659672010-09-02T21:47:00.000-06:002011-07-26T15:19:09.624-06:00Key West Adventure<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5574.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5574.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We took our first real family vacation in August when we went to Key West for 3 days. Even though there were heavy rains for much of the trip (thanks to a tropical storm that eventually dispersed) we had a fabulous time! I didn't have my camera out for most of the trip, but I did manage to snap a few shots at the beach and when we went to the butterfly house. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5637.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5637.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5584.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5584.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We went to the beach the first morning we were there and it was a bit overcast. We didn't mind at all, though, because that meant we had the beach practically to ourselves! The water was warm and there was a slight breeze. It couldn't have been a more perfect time!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5592.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5592.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5589.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5589.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5603.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5603.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And here's my baywatch babe</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5611.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5611.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While there we ate at some fabulous restaurants (I want to go back <i>just</i> for the shrimp quesadilla I had), walked around a lot, admired the architecture, and enjoyed the butterfly house. That was Ella's second favorite part (the beach was her favorite). We ended out trip with the obligatory chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick. Delicious!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5657.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5657.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5702.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5702.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_5697.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Key%20West%20Adventure%202010/IMG_5697.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-30254128302000079692010-09-01T13:19:00.000-06:002011-07-26T15:19:27.371-06:00Fourth of July<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5142-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5142-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div>For the Fourth of July this year Ella and I were in Idaho with family so I could defend my thesis and finish my paperwork for my Master of Science degree. Blair had to stay home for work, so he missed Ella's first encounter with snap crackers:<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5133.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5133.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5137.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5137.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">She thought they were great and whined a little when they were all gone. But she stopped when Uncle Kimball started lighting other things on fire. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5149.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5149.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And she got to eat a cookie. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5144.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5144.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And things were great until the really loud ones started</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5184.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5184.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">But all in all, it was a success and she talked about "fifo-verks" for a few weeks after the big event. I'm sure she'll love to see them again next year, too!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5161.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5161.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996238487746709948.post-2566423366633451982010-08-29T14:13:00.003-06:002011-02-27T21:46:56.290-07:00Ella's Birthday<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5020.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5020.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ella turned two in July! We knew she and I were going to be in Idaho without Blair on her actual birthday (during my trip out west to defend my thesis) so we had a little family celebration 2 weeks before her actual birthday. She didn't know the difference--she was just thrilled to have cupcakes! We had a friend over for Sunday dinner and then just had cupcakes and opened a few presents. It had been a while since Ella was given new toys, so she was in heaven with the presents and I loved watching her!<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"How old are you?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5050.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5050.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She made off with some fun new toys: a dress up petticoat skirt, sunglasses, a box for sorting wooden shapes, and some blocks for stacking (and pushing over!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5064.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5064.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5070.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5070.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When we have some down time and ask Ella what she wants to do, we can usually count on her response, "pay bocks!" (play blocks)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5087.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5087.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5089.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5089.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And here's a snapshot of all of us together</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/?action=view&current=-5051.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv98/katrinajlarsen/Ella%202010/-5051.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Side note: Though Ella turned 2 in July, she <i>really</i> started acting 2 just about 2 weeks ago. We still adore her, 2-year-oldness and all! </div>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177486532280280640noreply@blogger.com3