The Larsens

Baby #4 update...

2011-10-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

(16 weeks)

(20 weeks)

As of today I am currently 26 weeks along (due Jan. 27, 2012) with our lil man, Noah Isaac. Up until about a week ago I was having a FANTASTIC, textbook pregnancy. Unfortunately, things have changed a little. I have been having contractions VERY regularly since last weekend. Because of the contractions I spent 24 hours in the hospital trying to stop labor. Unfortunately, the contractions didn't stop but they weren't making me dilate so they sent me home. So, now here I sit on bedrest hoping and praying to stay pregnant for another day. (Bedrest when you have 3 toddlers is basically a joke, but I am trying my best to take it as easy as possible) Sophie was born 8 weeks early, so we know the struggle of having a preemie. We are praying to at least get this lil one out of the 20 weeks. The doctor gave me 2 steroid shots while I was in the hospital so hopefully his lil lungs will be strong and healthy.

I'm BAAAaaaAAACCK!!! :)

2011-10-21T19:06:00.001-07:00

There is ALOT that I need to update about..... but the BIGGEST news is about our boys. The adoption of the boys was FINALIZED Sept. 1!!! We are VERY happy to have this ordeal over and we are so THANKFUL that they will be in our family forever!

The other LARGE amount of information to share is that we have closed and moved into our new house. We are LOVING it, but it still seems unreal.

(Sorry I dont know what happened to the picture, but the only thing that is missing is our front lawn.)

New update...

2011-08-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

We have had a VERY busy summer! The kids and I were able to go to Wisconsin to see the fam and friends for 2 weeks. I actually braved the 18 hour drive ALL BY MYSELF with the kiddos. Thank goodness for dvd players!!!! The kids actually surprised me and did AMAZINGLY well. We had a BLAST catching up with all the grandparents and the rest of the fam. Thanks to great timing I was also able to catch up with a good friend from Highschool that was also in town with her kiddos. The whole trip was so much fun... I can't wait til we do it next summer! (I've been blessed to go back home every summer since Sophie was born)
After we got home our house hunting continued. (We have made the decision to stay in Mississippi and with the new baby coming we have decided that its time to buy a house) FINALLY after 2 failed deals and seeing close to 30 homes we finally found our house. It was in the construction phase but not 100% completed so we have been able to make some changes to personalize it to our liking. We are EXTREMELY excited to say the least, and if all goes as planned we should be in the house by the end of September.
As if having a baby and buying a house wasn't enough going on we also decided to get a puppy. We decided the kids were getting old enough to start handling some of the responsibility and the joy that comes along with a dog...so as of last week we added a 7 week old American Bulldog named "Kit" to our family. So far she has been a joy to have and the kids are having a BLAST.
One last update has to do with the boys. I recieved a phone call from DHS yesterday letting us know that they were going to overnight the necessary paperwork to our Attorney and also ask them to expedite the process.... which all means that the boys' adoption could be completed within the next couple of weeks. FINALLY!!!!

Sophie's 1st day of Pre-K

2011-08-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sophie obviously was VERY excited to go to school this morning... she woke up @ 6:15. This is the girl that I usually cant get out of bed before 9. She got up and had her favorite breakfast...pancakes (with chocolate syrup and "smiley face" reddi whip), sausage and o.j. and then we were off. (Ofcourse not before Mom got a "few" pics)

check out that smile.... what a ham?!?! (unfortunately she got her momma's eyes, when she smiles really big you can't see her eyes anymore)

SOOOOO cute!!!

On the way into class. She gets the red door this year... she thought that was pretty cool.

Sophie's new teacher.... Miss Jenny.

Sitting at her desk. This year they get desks instead of tables.

Update

2011-06-23T10:54:00.001-07:00

Man... I don't know what has happened to me and my blogging, but I am REALLY still alive, I promise. You'd think with the amount that I'm on the computer that I would have hourly posts on here, but something always seems to hold me back. We have had a crazy couple of months.
April, was filled with parties! We had Sophie's 4th birthday, a friend's birthday party and Easter. It was fun but as always also ALOT of work.
May, was filled with SICKNESS....BLAH! We started the month off with Sophie having Pneumonia, which unfortunately caused her to miss most of the last two weeks of school. After that we were plagued with colds that just kept passing through our home. I haven't really decided what's worse yet... being a sick momma and having to take care of the munchkins or having to take care of the sick munchkins. Pretty much though both of them are NOT fun! May was also a month of new revelations for the Larsen family. It started out with a lot of prayer and we finally decided that for now our family needs to stay put in Mississippi so we have started the hunt for a house to purchase. While on that hunt I realized that I was a few days "late" so I decided to take a pregnancy test just to make sure before we made this HUGE purchase. Low and behold we found out we are EXPECTING baby #4. We are very happy but VERY surprised. Our lil peanut is due to arrive around January 28th of 2012.
June so far has been a VERY quick month. We have been traveling back and forth to doctors appts, and appts with the realtor. I am TRYING my hardest to keep up, but I have been WAAAY more tired with this pregnancy than the previous ones. Naps are a moms BEST friend!! We have also had fun celebrating Father's day this month and my 31st Birthday. My husband is soooo awesome that my birthday actually got extended into a three day celebration.
Sophie, Jeremiah and Joshua are as always wonderful, happy and VERY energetic children. We have an outdoor pool at the gym we belong to so we have spent as much time there swimming as possible. This has also helped there sleeping...it's AMAZING how fast they can crash after an afternoon in the sun having fun.

Ok, I have to go for now... but I REALLY am going to try and do better at keeping you up to date with all of our crazy family adventures. There may not be many pics though because for some reason blogger HATES me and it doesn't like me adding pics, but I promise I will continue to try.

Coming in July.... Look out for the Larsen's in Wisconsin. I am daring the 18 hour drive with 3 children ALL by myself. Hopefully, we all make it there safe and sound! Have a Happy, Safe and Wonderful 4th of July!

30 Day Challenge--Day 5

2011-03-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Day 5--Favorite Quote

"The past is behind, learn from it.

The future is ahead, prepare for it.

The present is here, live it."

-President Thomas S. Monson

(Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

30 Day Challenge--Day 4

2011-02-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Day 4-- Favorite Book

Twilight...who didn't see that one coming?!

30 Day Challenge--Day 3

2011-02-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so unfortunately I skipped a day...but I am going to try and get back on schedule.

Day 3--Favorite T.V. Show

hmm... this is a tough one.

I can't REALLY pick one... but I do have a Favorite genre of TV and that is Reality TV. I love American Idol, Survivor, So you Think You Can Dance, Amazing Race. I have watched almost every season of all of these.

New OBSESSION!

2011-02-25T22:55:00.001-08:00

Since cancelling cable we decided to try Netflix for a month and we have found a new OBSESSION!! We are already into the second season after just over a week. I'm HOOKED!!!!

30 Day Challenge--Day 2

2011-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo... I made it 2 days in a row!!! YAY ME!! :) LOL!!

Day 2--Favorite Movie

Well, I guess I would have to say this particular movie since I have seen it HUNDREDS of times, although I haven't watched the whole thing in prolly 5-10 years. (although really, what little girl DIDN'T LOVE this movie.)

Dirty Dancing

30 Day Challenge--Day 1

2011-02-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

I've seen these around and I thought it would be a cool way for you to get to know me better and for me to get better at blogging.

Day 1--Favorite Song

(This was hard... because I tend to have favorite bands...but this is one that ALWAYS gives me chills and lifts me up.)

"God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood

I have a special memory of this song. At Rhthym and Booms (4th of July celebration in Wisconsin) 2002 Lee Greenwood performed this song live with the fireworks choreographed to it. It was one of the most beautiful and touching things I had ever been a part of!

Updates....

2011-02-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

There are ALOT of things to update so here is a quick list:

We did join the gym.... and I am LOVING it!!! Classes are just my thing and though I'm not losing much weight yet (because I LOVE food to much)... my body feels SOOO much better
I FINALLY got my new washing machine---it's so AWESOME Jon even likes doing laundry now
Ok, so that was big and bigger, but here is the BIGGEST.....At our last court hearing (Jan. 25th) the boy's biological parents made the decision to sign over their parental rights. So, they are now cleared for adoption. We are SOOOO Thankful for everyone's prayers on our families behalf. We have truly felt the blessings that have come from our friend's and families love!

"Good" Morning.....

2011-01-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

This.......

is what I woke up to, after I took a nap with the boys. Sophie had fun dumping out and playing in our spices from the spice cabinet. The bottom picture is hot chocolate that Sophie had dumped out and turned into a sand box. "Thankfully", Sophie was good enough to keep most of her mess quarantined to her plate. Gotta love having such a quisitive child?!?!?!?

Time

2011-01-19T22:13:00.001-08:00

I was just looking through old pics on my facebook and got so sad. My kids are just growing up sooo fast. Though I love some of the things they are able to do now, I wish I could slow down time and take a little more time to "smell the roses" and be more appreciative of every moment. They go by so fast. So I guess this is my new challenge to myself AND all of you is to take more time each day to have memorable moments and soak up every bit we have both good and bad.

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To gym or not to gym....???

2011-01-19T06:53:00.001-08:00

The big debate of the week is whether or not to join our local efitness. I've been wanting to work out, but with Jon's work schedule and the boys it hasn't been possible to go. Jon has a cheap membership at a different gym, but they don't offer daycare (which is why I haven't been going). So, now the debate.... is it going to be worth the cost to join the gym and be able to work out WITH each other and have daycare provided, or do we save the money and just keep sending Jon to his gym. I guess we will know more tomorrow when we go on a tour.

Kids say (and do) the darndest things

2011-01-12T12:33:00.001-08:00

#1. Jeremiah was getting ready to head outside today, and I asked what he was doing. I told him he needed a jacket on because it was pretty chilly. He looks at me and says, "that's RIDICULOUS!" I had to walk out of the room because all I could do was laugh hysterically! :)

#2. Sophie has been really into "cleaning" lately. Today she added to her cleaning hijinks. She removed ALL (and I mean ALL) her clothes from her closet and put them in her hamper. Then she VERY proudly came and got me to tell me she had cleaned her closet. While I definitely don't consider this cleaning, at least it gets me motivated to go through her clothes and sort out what doesn't fit anymore.

My next big purchase

2011-01-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

We are in DESPERATE need of a new washer/dryer. So, I have finally decided with MUCH prodding from my husband that this will be our next addition to the family. I've never had a really nice washer (we've always bought old used ones) so I am really looking forward to it. The only thing I don't like is that to save money for this bad boy, Jon is not letting us go out to eat AT ALL until this is purchased. It's a really good idea and something we should really do much more often, but I really HATE when someone tells me there is something I can't do. Now it's all I think about. Anyways, here's to cleaner clothes and less money spent on utilities to clean them!

Just say "NO!"

2011-01-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

As of today the Larsen household is WITHOUT cable t.v. I'm still kinda freakin out, but I know in the long run it will be really good. I'm definitely going to miss the DVR the most... I LOVE THAT THING... but we still have the internet and LUCKILY they have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse online. I'm greatful for my husband supporting this and I am VERY much looking forward to the $$ this is going to save us!

Jon and Franna plus 3.... Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from The Larsen's

2011-01-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

(this is a copy of the letter that I posted on my Facebook, which was written before Christmas)

First of all.... Sorry for not getting an "actual" letter out this year. Time DEFINITELY got away from me this year.

I can NOT believe that 2010 is already almost over. I haven't even gotten used to writing it yet, and now it's almost 2011. 2010 wasn't necessarily as GREAT as we were hoping but it was still a really good year. Unfortunately, we haven't moved any further with our adoption of the boys, but we are still lucky enough to have them in our life... which we are VERY greatful for!

Jon (37) is still working at the Hard Rock Casino as a Table Games Dealer. Luckily, we were able to get him switched to a new schedule at the beginning of the year, so we have enjoyed having him home Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week. This helped ESPECIALLY when we planned our surprise trip to Wisconsin in July. We were able to surprise his family at his Grandparents 90th birthday party. It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life...seeing the look on their faces as we walked in with all the kids. (If you've never been apart of a big surprise like this.... I FULLY recommend it!) Jon was finally released from his calling as a Primary teacher after 2 years. Now he is enjoying the lull before his next calling.

Franna (30) has been working hard trying to keep up with 3 VERY active kids running around. My life pretty much revolves around the kids, but I have started up crocheting and finally finished my first afghan. I also celebrated my 30th birthday this year. I think I am still in denial of being in my 30's... maybe by the time I turn 40 I will have adjusted. :) I have had a couple of callings this year, but as it stands right now I am on the Enrichment committee for the Relief Society. I LOVE the sisters in our ward and it's fun working with them.

Sophie (3) is still our pretty princess in pink. She is our girly girl through and through. In fact last night she told me "we needed to buy more babies because she was running out." This coming from the girl who has AT LEAST 20 baby dolls. LOL! Sophie has had a big year as she has started preschool and dance class. She enjoys both once she is there, but if truly given a choice she would MUCH prefer to just stay at home with mom always. She's my mommies girl, which I am sucking up as much as possible because I KNOW there will come a day when she wants ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with me. She is our comedian.... which I have NO idea where she gets it from.... but she is DANG funny!!!!

Jeremiah (3) is our compassionate lil spit fire. He feels stronger than the others and truly cares when someone else is hurt or upset, and will be the first one to try and give a hug or kiss to make them feel better. He is OBSESSED with playing the drums and got his FAVORITE present a couple of months early when Jon found a full drum set at a garage sale for $20. Luckily, we have a big enough shed in the backyard to house the drums... so I don't have to hear them all day. Jeremiah is our daddy's boy and can't get enough of playing ANY type of sport with his daddy.

Joshua (3) is our ACTIVE one who ALWAYS makes sure that mom is up EARLY and that I get my exercise in for the day. We are VERY thankful that we have a large fenced in yard so he has plenty of space to run and play. He is a LOVER of life and is rarely ever upset or sad, and his smile TRULY can light up the world. He likes to make it difficult when I'm disciplining him by giving me kisses as I'm talking to him. Joshua is all about anything that moves....give him a bike, truck, car or train and he's a happy boy.

We have been blessed to have another amazing year as a family, and we look forward to 2011 with anticipation!

We hope you have a VERY blessed Christmas season and an amazing 2011. Our prayers are with you!

Love,
Jon, Franna, Sophie, Jeremiah and Joshua Larsen

New Years Resolution

2011-01-03T15:39:00.001-08:00

Hello, to all of you that check my blog and are wondering if I still exist. I am still here, I have just been VERY frustrated with blogger the last couple of months so I had given up with posts. However, for the new year one of my resolutions is get back to blogging and try to update at least once a week. So, check back there will HOPEFULLY be much more to come!

What I've been up to....

2010-09-29T18:59:00.001-07:00

My new Halloween wreath made out of black burlap and black tulle.

Crocheted beaded socks

Sophie's newest bracelets.

Growing up WAAAY to fast!

2010-09-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last month Sophie had a couple of Firsts! First off, she has started dance classes. Her class is half ballet and half tap. She definitely LOVES tap waaaay more than ballet, but she is having fun coming home and "teaching" mommy her new steps. Momma is having fun living vicariously through her little girl. Little girls in tutu's and tap shoes... SOOOO cute!

Sophie going to her 1st dance class

Her other big day, (which momma is still not handling well) was Sophie's 1st day of Pre-school.

She is having a blast, (although there are still some tears shed every morning) and thankfully she absolutely LOVES her teachers.

On her way to her first day... check out that smile, can it get any bigger! :)

Surprise... SUPRISE!!!!

2010-08-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to pull off one of the BEST suprises EVER this summer!!!

Jon's grandparents both turned 90 in July!!!!

We received the invitation to the party two weeks beforehand and we both knew INSTANTLY that we had to find a way to make it there. No one in the family knew that we were coming. (which I have to say was a HUGE feat since they are ALL on facebook, and I live on facebook)

It was awesome we walked in and everyone was in the kitchen so we sent the kids in... and then the screams and the tears came. I have to say if you ever have the chance to pull something like this off... DO IT!!! It was such a blast and we will remember that day for the rest of our lives!

Aren't they SOOO adorably cute?!?!?!?

Aunt Corinne, Jon's dad Ken and Aunt Karen

The whole Larsen family

I am SOOO blessed to have married into such a wonderful, loving family!

I am STILL here... I swear!! :)

2010-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I feel like I have been saying this every other post, but I am going to try and catch you up on our summer, and all our crazy fun that has been going on.

Before, I start with pictures and individual events let me let you know what's going on with the boys.

First of all, we still have them. But there was information that was given to me that was wrong, so things aren't necessarily as good as we thought they were. We did have our last court hearing where the judge ordered to terminate the parental rights of their birth parents. Unfortunately, we are still stuck at that point in the process. The social worker did finally get all the paperwork done that she needed and it has been sent to the Attorney General. Next, we need to have ANOTHER court hearing where they will finalize the termination. Then, (if they terminate... which they should) then the birth parents will have an opportunity to appeal the decision. (which I have heard through the grapevine that they are planning on doing so) Finally, AFTER the appeal process (if everything is still in our favor) THAN we will be able to start the adoption. So, I'm sure you can imagine that this whole process is EXTREMELY hard for someone with absolutely NO patience. Heavenly Father is gonna make me learn patience one way or another.

We have news, News NEWS

2010-06-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

We finally had our court hearing on the 9th. After 2 1/2 hours in the courtroom, the judge told us that he needed to review everything before issuing his verdict. Which we FINALLY got last Wednesday. The judge has decided that the parents would have their rights terminated for ALL 5 of the kids in the family. (Joshua and Jeremiah have an older brother and two older sisters that are also in the system) They now have 20 days to file an appeal, and than after that we can officially start the adoption process. As you can see we aren't done with the whole process YET, but we are rounding 3rd and heading towards home plate...... YAH!!!!

COMPLETE denial

2010-06-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

I guess since it has happened I HAVE to finally admit it.... Yes, the rumors are true! I am

30!

Yikes, I have said it... that REALLY means it's true. :(

I did have a FANTASTIC birthday, so I'm not completely sad about the fact, but I always thought when I was growing up that I would feel different or have my life the way that I completely wanted it by the time I hit 30. And that is DEFINITELY not the case. But enough about the sad lets focus on the happy...

I woke up to ROSES, a brand new laminator (that I've been begging for... for FOREVER) and CHOCOLATE! The cutest part of this was Sophie running into my room before I had seen everything, and telling me that there were flowers and M&M's. She was too excited to hold in the secret. :) We had a fun morning with the kids playing in their pool... and than it got crazy.

I was KIDNAPPED! That's right, I was blindfolded, put into a car that I didn't know and with people driving that wouldn't talk to me. I was driven around for 20 minutes before we reached our destination. When we finally got there, they took the blindfold off to reveal my two best friends Amber, and Josie had taken me to Olive Garden for lunch. After there we all went and had spa pedicures done. It was an AWESOME afternoon... and my birthday celebration didn't stop there. We then all met (Josie & her husband, Amber and her husband and than Jon and I) at our house... which is where we left ALL 7 of our kids with a babysitter and we went out for the night. This included Sushi for dinner, games and cake @ Josie's and than bowling.

I am TRULY blessed to have the friend's and family that I have. They ALL made my birthday SOOOO special, and if I would have known turning 30 was going to be this much fun I would have done it along time ago. :)

Update...

2010-06-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

We finally had our court hearing for the boys. After 2 1/2 hours in the courtroom, the judge told us he needed to review everything and get back to us. So, hopefully we will have a verdict sometime this coming week. I will post the results as soon as I know anything.

Our new results...

2010-06-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

I am going to preface these newest results by saying that both Jon and I have been a little stressed the last couple of weeks, and when we are stressed we eat. So ta da.... here goes....

Franna:

Starting weight: 146lbs.

Current weight: 145

Loss of 1 lb. (.7%)

Jon:

Starting weight: 241lbs.

Current weight: 239lbs.

Loss of 2 lbs. (.8%)

Not great results by any standard, but at least it was still a loss. Hopefully, after this next court hearing is done we can settle back into normalcy and work hard to meet our weight loss goals again.

Must Read!!!

2010-06-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

I just finished it... and it was FANTASTIC!!! I can NOT wait until the library has the 2nd one in for me... and then August the third will come out. YAH!!!

Happy Hurricane Season

2010-06-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Happy June 1st... which means its HURRICANE SEASON! YAH!!! I'm so excited.... NOT!!!

Please everyone keep us all in your prayers that we will make it through another season with no major issues.

New addition

2010-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is the new addition to our family and my husband's new love. Jon had lost his phone about a month ago, and after a couple of weeks of looking we finally broke down and got a new phone. We decided to upgrade the type of phone and join this new 3G era. Ofcourse, as always happens we found the phone about a week after buying the new one. But it actually works well because now we will have an extra phone to leave at home as a "home phone".

Court=NO fun!!!!

2010-05-26T06:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had another court hearing. What a roller coaster!!!!! It started out good hearing that they had decided to terminate the other parents rights due to their failure to complete their service agreement. However, it quickly went down hill when we realized they had decided to rehire their attorney. This is the attorney that has managed to get them all their previous extensions. After waiting til we were the last group in the waiting room we finally got called into the courtroom. This was VERY interesting because sitting at the table was the twins' father in shakles. He had been arrested Friday and was transferred over from the jail. You would think that showing up in handcuffs would AUTOMATICALLY end this case. However, somehow their lawyer still managed to get yet ANOTHER extension. (even though the judge said they are already over the legal limit for time on this case) Luckily, this extension is only for two weeks. So, we will be heading back to court June 9th. Funniest part of the experience though... after we had been dismissed the judge stood up and was trying to lift up this big file...which he quickly realized he was unable to lift, so he calls over his bailif to come get it. This file was the case file for the twins and their siblings.

Hopefully, June 9th we will have better news!!!

Two weeks down....

2010-05-24T18:42:00.001-07:00

Well we completed our first two weeks back on our diet. Drum roll please..............

Franna:

Starting weight: 149 lbs.

Current weight: 146 lbs.

Weight loss: 3lbs (2%)

Jon:

Starting weight: 252 lbs.

Current weight: 241 lbs.

Weight loss: 11 lbs (4.4%)

We are continuing with our goal to lose 2% at each weigh in... so that puts our next goal at 3lbs for me and 5lbs. for Jon. Wish us luck!!! :)

Happy.... Scared... Crazy

2010-05-20T20:04:00.001-07:00

June 25th this is where you will be able to find me.

I can NOT believe I am actually going on a trip by myself... with NO children! What am I thinking??? This is the first time EVER since having Sophie that I will have spent a whole night away from my kids. I am super stoked and can't wait to be able to sleep in.... but, I am also already missing them. How do working moms do it? The thought of missing all the little things is making me feel so sad and REALLY guilty. Ok someone tell me that they will be fine, that they will survive and that I'm not a horrible mom for leaving them.

Ok. Done thinking like that! I am going to have a BLAST!!! I'm gonna see my family and enjoy every minute! :)

Can you tell I'm a little stressed about this?!?!?!

Well, we are at it again.....

2010-05-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, not all of our weight loss techniques have stuck with us since last year..... So, we are at it again.

So, here's the new stats.... (I can't believe I am sharing this online.. AGAIN!)

Franna:

Starting weight: 149 (up 14 lbs from last year)

1st goal: Lose 2% in the next TWO weeks (3lbs)

Major goal: Lose 10 lbs (139lbs)

Jon:

Starting weight: 252 (up 27 lbs from last year)

1st goal: Lose 2% in first TWO weeks (5lbs)

Major goal: Lose 22 lbs (230lbs)

Please don't judge us for falling off the wagon. This is just one more way to show we are definitely human and NOT perfect. We will probably struggle in this area for the rest of our lives. So we just ask for your love and support.... and if you see me eating something you KNOW that I shouldn't I give you my full permission to SMACK me upside the head! :)

Momma's Day!

2010-05-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

What an amazingly, FANTASTIC day I was treated to yesterday!!!!

I was concerned about how the day would turn out, because I had given Jon a special request for the day. I wanted him to make my day great without spending ANY money.

As ALWAYS my husband VERY pleasantly surprised me!!!

I woke up to an amazing pancake breakfast in bed. Followed by my children surprising me with their BEAUTIFUL pictures they had colored. Jon had also made Tulips out of their handprints, and the Tulips had a special poem to go along with them.

After Church, (and ofcourse a Sunday nap) I was surprised with a get together over at our friend Amber's house. Our friend Josie was also there. Then our husbands all cooked us dinner, and fed the kids. I didn't have to lift a finger for anything. :)

Best part of Mother's day was that it didn't end until Monday. I got to sleep in late on Monday, and woke up to Jon doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen.

Spoiled? YES

Loved? YES

BLESSED? YES

Spring beach pics

2010-05-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a contest on Facebook, we won a free session on the beach with our photographer. Go here http://jerushagoss.zenfolio.com/larsenbeach to see our new pics.

New revelation...

2010-05-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

#1 Thing I learned this last weekend... I never, EVER want to own a big dog.

We took care of our friends 6 mo old golden labs. He's a good dog, but WAY to much for me. The kids had a blast though!

That looks like it hurts!

2010-05-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

(Before)

(After)

Jeremiah had his first experience with the dentist last month. Thanks to a chip getting increasingly worse, he had to have two teeth pulled. So, now our lil man looks like he got into a fight and lost. I was shocked at how well he handled it though. Not a tear was shed from our lil tough man.

Sophie turns 3!!!!

2010-04-06T20:38:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Princess SOPHIE!!!!

I love this pic of all my munchkins. Check out Jeremiah with his hands in his pockets. He's such a "cool dude!" LOL!

(I found this shirt @ Carter's and thought it fit Sophie PERFECTLY!)
It reads "I'm only here for the cake..(and the presents!)"

Sophie designed and looked forward to this cake for months. Thank you Amber for making Sophie's dream cake.

Top 5 things I LOVE about my daughter:

(This is hard to narrow down since there are SOOO many reasons)

1. She LOVES to snuggle and be cuddled ALL the time

2. Sophie loves to learn... She reminds me every day when it's time for school, and she loves to show me EVERY new thing she has learned.

3. She LOVES being a girly girl... which makes it SOOO much fun to shop for her.

4. She is a GREAT helper/teacher! She Loves being asked to help us out and even more she LOVES to teach the boys how to do things. (ofcourse she also loves to tell them what to do...LOL)
5. Most importantly.... She LOVES Jesus, loves going to church and learning all that she can about the Gospel, and ALWAYS fights for the opportunity to pray.

I am VERY blessed to have been given the opportunity to have Sophie in my life. I Thank God for her every day and I look forward to the coming years and watching her become even more of a little lady!

The best ever!

2010-03-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

I need to spend some time BRAGGING about my amazing husband!!!! My husband on average is an awesome guy but lately he has been on a quest to win the husband of the year award. It started last Thursday night when he got off work early to come home and spent the rest of the night giving me a massage and a pedicure. Then, Friday he spent the entire day watching the kids while I headed to Mobile for a MUCH needed day of shopping with the gals. Now unbelievably the spoiling did NOT stop here. He proceded to wake up with the kids Saturday AND Monday morning! I am SOO grateful to have such a wonderful husband who cares about me and his children so much. I am TRULY blessed to have such a great eternal companion!

I did it!!!!

2010-03-09T19:37:00.001-08:00

I am very proud to announce that I just completed and received my YW medallion. I didn't grow up in the church and wasn't able to complete personal progress as a teenager, so I was THRILLED when I found out that as a leader I was eligible to get it now. Now, when Sophie is complaining it's to hard or that she doesn't want to do it she will have no excuse! Thank you to all of you wonderful, amazing women that inspired me to work towards this accomplishment!!!

Sick, Sick and more sick!

2010-02-20T18:26:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't blogged much lately but we have been dealing with A LOT of sickness in our house. It started with Joshua having bronchitis... which meant breathing treatments. (which AMAZINGLY he handled VERY well.)

And than we have all and I mean ALL of us have had the stomach flu. So, I have spent lots of hours washing "puke" laundry and cleaning the carpets. The boys managed to get sick the same night which at least then we got it all done and over with at the same time. Knock on wood we are all healthy now and are looking forward to getting out and playing again.

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2010-02-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Can you believe we had SNOW in Biloxi, MS?!?!?!

Family Update

2010-02-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

So I used to be really good about blogging and staying up to date with news, current events and pics......until, I got on Facebook. Now, it seems really hard for me to update both. So, I apologize if you only follow our blog, for lack of current info and lack of attention to the blog on my part.

Family tid-bits:

We still have the boys--good news.... they pushed back the court hearing until May 25th---BAD!!!!
Jon who had gained some weight back from last year lost an OUTSTANDING 8 lbs. last week. (I on the other hand who has gained 10 lbs back have not lost ANYTHING)
Sophie is 2 going on 20... she puts me in my place ALL the time
Joshua and Jeremiah are ALL boy through and through!!! It's a VERY good thing we dont own any breakable knick knacks because they would not survive in this house.
We have decided that as soon as everything is settled with the boys we will be moving to Utah. So either later this fall or early spring we will be on our way. YAH!!!!
I am still trying to figure out why when we have 3 of the exact same toy my kids still need to fight over them.
I also think it's funny and ABSOLUTELY adorable that my kids fight over when they get to say the prayer at meal time. Which has forced me to establish an assigned meal to each kid to say prayer at. (i.e. Jeremiah-breakfast, Sophie-lunch and Josh-dinner)

We are exhausted all the time and pull out our hair the majority of the time but we love life and we love our family... We miss you all.... and I am going to try and be better about more frequent Larsen updates.

The Christmas Spirit

2009-12-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Spirit

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

Recommendation

2009-11-20T20:30:00.001-08:00

If you are in need of a book to read I fully recommend "The Peacegiver"!! It is FANTASTIC!!

Family pics

2009-11-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

We just had our family pic's taken yesterday. Check out the following link for some teasers. And if you need a photographer in the Biloxi are Jerusha Goss is AWESOME!! :) http://www.jerushagoss.zenfolio.com

Poop-capades!

2009-11-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share how my morning started just so you all could feel much better about your days.

Well, I thought my day was going to start off great since I got to sleep in until 8 am. Unfortunately, that thought got thrown out VERY quickly.

First, I went to say good morning to Sophie and found that she had had an accident and had peed in her bed. (ok, not so bad, I can handle this one.)

Next, off to the boy's room. This is where my day took a DRAMATIC turn for the worst. I found Joshua COMPLETELY naked, holding his diaper in his hand. As I surveyed the room, I realized there was poo covering the majority of the floor, on all the bedding, doors, most of the toys, and almost completely covering BOTH boys. (Ok, I still thought I could handle this. I got the boys in the bath, and went back to really see how bad the damage was in their room. Which is when I realized it was WAY beyond a 1 person job, so unfortunately, I had to wake up Jon.) Oh, did I forget to mention that Joshua peed on the floor when I asked him what he did.

So, Jon was taking care of the boys bath and I was cleaning the room. We were just about to finish up and we were doing pretty well. When Jon realized that the boys had now poo'd in the bathtub. Luckily, since I was still cleaning the poo that had literally been thrown onto the door and the rest of the room, Jon took care of the bathroom. This now included draining and bleaching the tub, all the toys, re-bathing the boys and now mopping and bleaching the floor.

We finally got them dressed. Then it was off to the laundry, which consisted of TWO loads to handle all the blankets, sheets and toys. Then it was Sophie's turn for a bath.

And all this before 9am. So, who wants to be us today???

Halloween pt. 2

2009-11-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry, these came out backwards. But I think you can figure out what was going on. We had such a blast at Halloween, and we are already thinking of themes for next year.

Halloween pt.1

2009-10-31T23:34:00.001-07:00

There is more to come later, but if you would like to check out what we dressed up as for Halloween...click on the link http://www.myonlineportraits.com/Albums/Album.aspx?AlbumID=47725

Update on the pee pee

2009-10-16T19:40:00.001-07:00

We started training Sophie on Tuesday. I spent a couple of hours with her one on one. I thought that day that it was never going to happen or that it would be worth it. But now we have gone the last two days with no pee pee accidents. (during the day that is). We are focusing on getting that mastered before we worry about the over night stuff. So, I am pleasantly surprised. I have a little hope that this is ACTUALLY going to happen. Although, I know that we are just at the beginning of a very looooooooooooooooooooong road. Good luck to anyone else going through this process.

New season brings changes

2009-10-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

Potty training has commenced in our home. Sophie is our big girl. So far it's been tough, but we did have one positive experience yesterday. So, we have faith that she will also be able to conquer this, just like she conquered losing her paci.

YAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

2009-10-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Huge Announcement!!!!!! Target has FINALLY opened in Biloxi. I've already gone once and you can GUARANTEE I will be spending A LOT more time there. In fact if you can't find me, you know where I will be. If you haven't figured it out...I LOVE Target!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeremiah and Joshua

2009-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

A quick update about Jeremiah and Joshua. We had our court date Sept. 29th. It wasn't great news but it wasn't horrible news either. We still have them....for now. Somehow the birth parents lawyer was able to pull some strings and get a 45 day extension. So, we will be going back to court November 24th (which happens to be 2 days before Thanksgiving...so hopefully, we will have a lot to be greatful for). We have spoken with our social worker and she still believes strongly that we will be able to keep the boys. The parents have as of right now not completed anything on their list of requirements, including missing the last two months of visits with their kids. (Just a side note.....the saddest part of the court hearing was that they didn't even ask us how the boys were doing.) We are hopeful that we will be able to keep them and adopt them, but we know that Heavenly Father is watching and he will make sure that Josh and Jeremiah end up where they are supposed to. We Thank You for all your prayers!!

Another first

2009-09-26T07:24:00.001-07:00

Sophie said her first prayer all on her own the other day. It was short, sweet and concise. She simply thanked Heavenly Father for chocolate milk. So cute!! :)

Finger painting and Hiking

2009-09-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Good thing it's washable finger paint!

For Labor Day we went to the local National Forest and went hiking.

Sorry

2009-09-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

I have to apologize for not posting anything recently. I have been completely addicted to Facebook. So, then I feel like I'm posting things twice. I know though that some of you aren't on FB so I am going to attempt to be better at updating my blog. Also, since I want to publish my blog at some point to save for years to come.

Here are some things we've been up to in the last couple of months (I will add some random pics in a future post)

-we had a FANTASTIC family trip to Wisconsin

-my cousin came to visit, and she schooled us on Rockband

-Sophie is now 100% paci free

-awesome date nights out to eat Sushi and play pool

-attempting (and what I really mean is FAILING---Katie I could really use your help!!) to organize my house

-chasing after 3 VERY active 'lil munchkins

-cleaning up poop that Joshua has smeared all over himself and the room (4 times)

-getting ready to attempt potty training my daughter (I'm SCARED!)

-and now currently we are getting ready for the boys court hearing on Tuesday (as of right now the social worker is recommending they stay with us.. YAH!)

Mainly we live a pretty mundane life so there hasn't been much to blog about. We love and miss all of you!!!!

funny, funny daughter

2009-08-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sophie is so funny. She's really into this mode where she is starting to grasp the idea of taking turns. Ofcourse this really only applies to when someone else has a toy she wants, and she thinks THEY should take turns. Lately, now she has expanded on this concept. She will bring a toy (usually a toy she does NOT want) and give that to the boys and then promptly take the toy they have (which is the toy she wants, until they start having fun with the toy she gave them, which then promptly starts this WHOLE process over again.)

Jon and Franna plus 3--day 2 of vacay

2009-08-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Jon and Franna plus 3 drive to Wisconsin

2009-08-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

My wonderful man has had another birthday. I am so thankful that I got to spend another year with him, and I look forward to MANY more. I'd try and list all my husbands wonderful qualities, but really there are to many to list. The most important one though is that he puts up with me. And for that he deserves a medal.

Erin's in MS again...YAH!

2009-08-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at McD's....it had been raining for a couple of days and the kids NEEDED to run.
The kids decided that Erin and Shelby needed to hold ALL the dog toys.

Aren't we cute?!?!?!?!
Playing rockband

Playing farkle and having snacks.

We loved, LOVED having Erin come stay with us. We look forward to the next time she can come down, and hopefully the weather is better so we can do more outdoor activities.

Be careful what you wish for....

2009-08-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

Sophie's new favorite phrases:

"Momma, carry you" --- which actually means carry me

"Snuggle momma" --- which only is said at bedtime when she is trying to put off going to sleep

"I don't want it" --- usually referring to a food on her plate, that if not taken from her she will promptly throw towards your plate.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Jon playing rockband

Sophie and her best girlfriend Libby.

Amber showing off another awesome cake creation!

Happy 4th from the Larsen's. I hope you had a blast celebrating our independance!

Super dang funny!

2009-07-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Weight update

2009-07-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update you all on our weight progress.

I finally lost my last pound. I got down to 135. This is a total weight loss of 32 lbs. And Jon lost an awesome 4 more pounds, which brings him to 224 and an OUTSTANDING 87 lbs lost.

Jon did it again

2009-07-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Here is part two of the family videos. (click here)

p.s. comments are ALWAYS appreciated!

My crazy husband

2009-06-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Jon has decided that he needed to start a video blog of our life. I apologize to all in advance!

(click here)

Sushi...YUM YUM!!!

2009-06-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever seen. My friend Amber made me a Sushi cake. And everything on there is eatable. She made all the sushi out of candy. It was fantastic!!! This girl has so much talent, she is going to be the next Ace of cakes!

Sunday night fun

2009-06-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Jon and I spent our Sunday night putting together my birthday present. He got me a 500 piece Greg Olsen puzzle. I can't wait til we finish it. It is going to look so awesome matted and framed.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to tell everyone how wonderful my husband is, and how greatful I am that he is the father of my children. He is loving and caring and works so hard to take care of all of us financially, emotionally but most importantly spiritually. He has lovingly taken over the care of two children that aren't even his and strives to make every day special for all of us. Thank you Jonathan for ALL that you do, and I know that you do way more than your share!!

You know you are in Mississippi when...

2009-06-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

Sophie just chilling, kicking back, having a drink. LOL! :)

You go to a friend's house for a crawfish (or more commonly called "mudbugs")boil and you LOVE it!!!! Sophie is HILARIOUS!! She is definitely a true southern girl. She would just grab a crawfish and take it to any available adult and expect them to shuck it for her. SO CUTE!!! And trust me if she wasn't getting enough fast enough, she let you know. Unfortunately, I didn't think that Jeremiah and Joshua were old enough to eat any crawfish so they had a blast playing with and popping water balloons.

I would have included pictures of us eating the crawfish but it all happened so fast there was no way to get it on fim. LOL!!! :)

My husband is a STUD!!

2009-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

First of all I need to apologize for slacking SOOO bad with our blog. Ever since I have found Facebook I have neglected my poor blog. But, I am coming back and will become a good blogger again.

Now to the more pertinent, crazy, awesome news... My husband is a rockstar stud!!!!

We are still working out (or at least my husband is still working out...I spend my time chasing after the kids), so I wanted to update you on our results.

Since previous post...........

Franna's starting weight: 137

Current weight: 136

Loss of 1 lb

1 lb to go to my ultimate goal--- I WILL make it!

Jon's starting weight: 235

Current weight: 228

Loss of 7 lbs.

Jon has now lost an ASTOUNDING 83 lbs.

I told you my husband was a rockstar stud!!

It's been two weeks

2009-05-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

Franna: started at 138

current weight: 138

weight loss: 0...that's right a big FAT 0

Jon: started at 240

current weight: 236

weight loss: 4 lbs

Total weight loss: 75 lbs.

The results weren't as amazing this weigh in. But we knew it had to slow down at some point. I am just glad I didn't gain any weight with the way I've been eating lately. Time to get back on track.

It's time to see how we measure up

2009-04-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Franna: started at 140

current wt: 138

Loss of: 2 lbs. (1.4%)

Total wt. loss: 29 lbs (17.4%)

Jon: started at 247

current wt: 240

Loss of: 7 lbs (2.8%)

Total wt loss: 71 lbs (23.1%)

Between the two of us we have lost an AMAZING 100 lbs! What a year so far!! :)

When the cats away the mice will play!!

2009-04-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is where I found the kids yesterday when I was trying to put away the groceries. I still have no idea how Sophie managed to get up there. Now, you'll understand why I call her a monkey. :)

Shout out!

2009-04-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give a huge shout out to one of my friends and her business. If you ever need/want any vinyl decals/decorations for your home you have to check out http://www.vinylvineyard.com/. Katie does FANTASTIC work and it is really high quality at affordable prices. And you couldn't be helping out a better woman or family. She just sent me my latest decal as a surprise Easter present. (I told you she's the BEST!!)

She sent us our monogram. So we chose to put it on our mirror in our living room. We LOVE it!! Unfortunately, due to my horrible photography skills you can't truly see how cool this is. But if you check out her website you will see all the awesome stuff you can do. Happy shopping!!

An EGG-stra special Easter

2009-04-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had a fantasic Easter Sunday! We had lots of fun with the Hickman's. They came over for an egg hunt, dinner and than a game night. The kids all had a blast hunting for eggs. Although, I am pretty sure that we had enough eggs in our backyard for like 10 kids. But that it made all that more fun (and easier on the little ones to find an egg)

The most amazing part of the day is that somehow we managed to get ALL 5 kids to sleep at the same time, so that we could play games. 1 word---MIRACLE!! LOL :) We had a wonderful dinner together. Amber even made rolls with marshmallows in them to represent the saviours tomb after the resurrection. (the marshmallow melts so it leaves the center empty, just like the saviour's tomb---such a cool idea!!!) The Hickman's taught us a new game called "Ticket to Ride". Jon is now completely hooked. He even had to find a way to play it online he likes it sooo much.

We are so thankful that we have such good friends that we can come together like family to celebrate one of the greatest gifts, our savior's resurrection.

It's here....the day is FINALLY here!

2009-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

We finally got the call. Finally after 2 months of waiting on pins and needles we finally got the call from the Division of children and families saying that they had a child they wanted to place with us. Actually they had not 1 but 2 children for us. To be exact they wanted to know if we would be willing to take in twin 15 mo boys. After I almost dropped the phone I of course said yes. So we were able to pick them up this afternoon. So far things are going FANTASTIC! Sophie is being so sweet and is trying to be a good big sister. It's fun to watch the dynamic not only between the boys and Sophie but also watching how the twins interact with each other.

This is Joshua. He is technically the younger of the twins but is bigger and definitely is the "boss" of the two.

This is Jeremiah. He is more of the sweetheart and likes to snuggle more. Surprisingly, he is also the "eater" of the two.

Jon is very happy that the female to male ratio has evened out a little more now. (wife, daughter, two female dogs and even the snake is a girl :) Poor guy!)

We don't know how long we will be blessed to have them with us. But we look forward to enjoying them and loving them every moment that we have.

New weight results...

2009-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Franna: started at 143

current wt: 140

Loss of 3 lbs (2.1%)

Total wt. loss: 27 lbs. (16%)

Jon: started at 253

current wt: 247

Loss of 6 lbs (2.4%)

Total wt. loss: 64 lbs. (21%)

Our results weren't as good as we would have liked, but after all the birthday cake we've eaten in the past two weeks we are EXTREMELY happy that we had a loss at all!!

Even a 6 yr old can inspire wondrous changes..

2009-04-08T19:56:00.001-07:00

So, I have to pass on the story about Carter Wells. He is my friend Kari Wells' 6 year old son. A friend of his from gymnastics class was recently diagnosed with cancer. So, with the help of his family and teachers he decided to collect pennies to donate towards the care and expenses of his friend Lexi Moore. (click here to read more about her story) Because of his remarkable act of kindness and service he was chosen as the most recent South Mississippi Hero by a local news station. You have to watch the video of this amazing little boy and the change that he has put into place. But be prepared....you will need tissues present, it is a major tear jerker. Click here!

Sophie's 2 yr Check up

2009-04-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

I had to post these numbers because they really made me laugh. As of the her checkup today, Sophie is 32lbs and 36in tall. And they say the rule is that you are supposed to double their height at 2 to get their final height (roughly), which means that Sophie is supposed to be approximately 6 feet tall. YIKES!!! Professional women's basketball here we come. :)

Happy Birthday Sophie!!

2009-04-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Another year has officially passed. Sophie turned Two today!! Where did the time go?!?!? We had a LOT of fun celebrating her birthday, and it kind of turned into a birthday week, since we had her "big" party on Sunday. You will understand what I mean by "big" when you see the pictures. She truly is our princess, so how else could you celebrate than with a princess party.

Here is the princess making her "grand" entrance. :)

This cake was made by a girl in our ward. Isn't it FANTASTIC!!!!

Go to town girl. I was surprised actually by how clean she managed to stay, and how much she used her fork. I thought she would just dive in head first. But, she remained true to her "princess" status and was very ladylike.

I told you it was big. I lost count, but I know it was over 40 people. I told you she was a princess. Everyone deserves a big party for their "golden" birthday though, right?!?!?

Then, today for her birthday we got her in individualized size cake.

We are happy to introduce...

2009-03-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Minnie.

They finally replaced Jon's snake. (Unfortunately, Minnie is like 4 times the size of our previous snake.)

Weigh in update..

2009-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Franna: started at 146

Current wt: 143

Loss of 3 lbs. (2.1%)

Total wt. loss: 24 lbs.

Jon: started at 261

Current wt: 253

Loss of 8 lbs. (3.1%)

Total wt. loss: 58 lbs.

Doesn't he look FANTASTIC!!!

Go Bucky!!

2009-03-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to publish this post.
Wisconsin men's b-ball team beat FSU!!!!
WOOHOO!!!!!

Our secret

2009-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, I have had a lot of people ask me exactly what Jon and I are doing to lose our weight. Now, I am definitely NOT an expert but I thought I would share what has worked for us. Just to give a quick overview of what we do. We count calories and try to stay under 1200 Calories per day. We are not on any sort of fad diet, we just try to eat as healthy as possible, watch our portion sizes, make key substitutions to make old fav's healthier and of course exercise 4-5 times per week.

Quick Tricks:

1. No soda

2. No eating after 10 pm (we go to bed late though, so if you go to bed at 10, then try no eating after 8pm)

3. Throw out ALL food that is not healthy (i.e. butter, cheese, snacks, chocolate, candy, chips..etc) This may seem extreme, but if it's not in your house you will be MUCH less tempted.

4. Only weigh yourself every TWO weeks (you will see bigger results, which will keep you motivated)

5. Keep a food diary for every day and write down EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth. You will be very surprised to see how fast calories can add up.

6. Drink lots of water...if you can't handle plain water get the off brand Crystal light from Wal-mart....it's ALL we drink

7. If you want to add butter flavoring to anything we recommend the "I can't believe it's not butter" spray butter....it has 0 calories

Sample Menu:

Breakfast: 1 cup of cereal (usually honey nut cheerios) 110 cal

skim milk 90 cal

1/2 banana approx. 50 cal

total breakfast: 250 cal

Lunch: Lean Cuisine meal 290

1 cup baby carrots (raw) approx 55 cal

handful of grapes approx 50 cal

1/4 cup of 1% fat cottage cheese 40 cal

total lunch: 435

Dinner: 2 Tilapia filets 200 cal

1/4 cup of rice 150 cal

1/4 cup of 1% fat cottage cheese 40 cal

1/2 cup of steamed frozen vegetables 50 cal

total dinner 440 cal

Snack: sugar free Jell-o pudding 60 cal

Total calories for the day 1185

Exercise:

For our exercise we walk/jog a 4 mile bridge down here approx. 3-4 times/week. We do sit ups and push ups almost every night. And if the weather is to bad to walk outside then we do a circuit that was recommended on The Biggest Loser. The ciruit goes as follows do 10 jump squats, 20 bicycle crunches, jog for 3 minutes, then rest for 1 min, then repeat the whole process 2 more times.

I hope this helps!! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Kev!

2009-03-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish my uncle Kevin a VERY Happy Birthday today!!!

We did it!!!!!

2009-03-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

So if you've been following our weight loss results, I have some VERY exciting news for you!!

Franna: Started at 150

Current wt: 146

Loss of 4 lbs. (2.7%)

Total wt loss: 21 lbs (12.6%)

I hit my yearly goal to lose 20 lbs. Now my new goal is to get down to 135 lbs (or size 6/8).

Jon: started at 270

Current wt: 261

Loss of 9 lbs. (3.3 %)

Total wt loss: 50 (16.1%)

Jon also hit his years goal of getting down to 261 lbs. Can you believe he has lost 50 lbs?!?!?!? Isn't he AMAZING?!?!?!?!?

Jon's new goal is to get to 230 lbs (or size 36/38).

Please pray for us, because this is getting REALLY hard.

Finally...

2009-02-26T21:04:00.000-08:00

After making daily phone calls, sending letters and lots and LOTS of prayers, we finally got ahold of the Dept of Children and Families. We have been waiting since Dec. 5th to set up and have our home study to become foster parents. And finally it's done!!! YAH! We had our home study this morning. Now the waiting game begins again. Although, the wait shouldn't be too long. They said that we should have a child (most likely a baby) within the next week to two weeks. We are SOOOOO excited!!!

Another weigh in

2009-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's time post the results:

Franna: started at 154

new weight: 150

loss of 4 lbs. (2.5%)

Total weight loss: 17 lbs (10%)

Jon: started at 277

new weight: 270

loss of 7 lbs. (2.5%)

Total weight loss: 41 lbs. (13%)

Family visit

2009-02-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

My dad and his girlfriend Amy came down this last weekend to visit. We had a lot of fun catching up. Sophie loved playing with grandpa's hat, and she absolutely insisted on "dragging" Amy all around. And I had a blast taking a ride with dad on his Harley.

They cooked us good ole fashioned camp food, at the park they were staying at. SOOO GOOD!! And we got to break our diet for the day...yum, yum!!

Finger painting

2009-02-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's my daughter finger painting on the floor with.....you guessed it YOGURT. I love how she's looking at and checking out her work, like it's a work of art. I guess there is one good thing about this... it was on the tile and not the carpet.

Beads, beads and MORE beads

2009-02-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's Mardi Gras time again. So of course we had to go to at least one parade this year. Luckily, for us one of the parades in the area is held only a block away from our house. Sophie definitely racked up some beads.

Even her bear (that she got in the parade) had beads!!

Happy Love Day

2009-02-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know this is a "little" late, but I had to show you how wonderful my husband is. (Sorry, I hate to brag...but, he is GREAT!!)

Jon, had all of the flowers and stuff set up on the table for me when I woke up. I was walking out to take the dogs out and almost fell flat on my face because the flowers scared me so much. He is so thoughtful and caring, and I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband. On Valentine's night we were able to get a babysitter and go out to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner and than we went and saw "He's just not that into you". The food was great (we went there because they have quite a few low-cal dishes---I highly recommend them for good, healthy and well priced food.) And the movie was HYSTERICAL!!!

R.I.P. Sherbert

2009-02-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the story of Sherbert. When we were at the Zoo last month, a man in the petting zoo showed Jon this really cool looking snake (if there is such a thing as a "cool looking" snake) called a Brazilian Rainbow Boa. Well, as my husband likes to do he became obsessed with wanting to get one. So, for a "surprise" Valentine's present I got him one. (Yah I know I'm crazy!!)

Sadly, he only lived about two weeks. Fortunately, the pet store owner was nice enough to agree to replace him.