Shout out for Shelly

This is a shout out for my friend Shelly. She is starting up a party planning company. She is really crafty at coming up with themes and putting it all together and making it coordinate. If you ever want any help with party planning or ideas, her blog is under my favorite links list. Good Luck Shelly!

My Husband loves me

So my our good friends Dusty and Brittney (well Dusty) got Rock band for Christmas. i honestly have to admit that I thought this game would be really dumb! It looked really kiddish and cheap on the commercials. So Dusty got the game and we went over Christmas Eve to drop off some goodies and they were playing it. So we sat down and played one song.....It was so much fun! I was really surprised, but we had already spent most of our Christmas money, so we were going to have to wait, but we both said we wanted it. Well the next day we got word that our Grandfather was being even more generous than he had already been and was sending more money for Christmas....wahoo! now we had the money, but the problem was, the game was sold out everywhere. Well Eldon was looking online and saw there was one in stock in a store in Scottsdale, so he hurried and got dressed and went to see if he could get it. Well he was walking in the store and saw this fat yucky "typical gamer" looking guy walking out with it. He hoped it wasnt the last one.....it was! So Eldon saw several other stores right in the same complex and looked....no luck. Finally he walked into a game stop down the street.....not kidding, the last one! I could not believe he went to that much effort to find the game....except that he was probably so excited that his wife actually wanted a video game for Christmas. So Thanks to my sweet hubby....I am now an awesome drummer chick! Hehe Thanks baby! I love you!

Christmas Fun

I just had so many cute pictures from Christmas that I couldnt resist. So, here you go for your viewing pleasure

The best part

I assume it is just because I am getting older. But my favorite part of Christmas for the last few years has been the anticipation of giving my gifts. That is still very fun for me, but this year for some reason, the best part of Christmas was just to see peoples reactions to gifts, even if I wasnt the giver. yes it is great to get a good reaction to the gifts I put thought and effort into, but the reactions this year, just really made it feel more Christmasy. If thats a word :)


My niece Jade had the best reaction to her first present. Literally this 3 year old screams out infront of everyone "Christmas Jammas, this is just what I always wanted". I thought that was awesome, i laughed for about 5 minutes. What 3 year old wants clothes, but she was so excited not only for hers, but then her sisters, and then Derricks jammas as well.

We got up really early Christmas morning to watch some of the nieces and nephews open gifts before the whole family showed up for the Larson Christmas Presents. not kidding look at this tree full!

so we went over to watch Chandler and Jessica open their presents at 5:15am! Chandler loved his gifts and was very excited but he couldnt top his sister's reactions to almost every present....she had the highest pitch squeal I have ever heard. and not kidding, with each gift, the squeal got higher....even when it didnt seem possible!


But i have to say that my favorite reaction was to a gift I had given. I made a collage of pictures of the Larson family for my mother in law. I hoped she would like it, but I never expected the reaction I got. Both she and RH were speechless until they started to tear up. That really meant alot and almost made me tear up watching them. And i have to add that both Derrick and Nolan, two big tough Larson brothers teared up as well :) that was definitely not expected. It just shows how much they all love this family and so do I.

It was a great Christmas!

Larson Family Traditions

I think that Christmas traditions are what makes it really fell like a holiday. My family has a few, but as we are getting older and have not yet produced the next generation, the traditions really just arent the same. The Larson family however will infinitely have babies around and so they have some very fun Christmas traditions. This year we were in Snowflake with Eldons family for Christmas and got to take part in the fun.

It all Starts off with making "Spudnuts" these are homemade doughnuts that taste like Krispie Creams! They are so good!!!!

Next is the White Elephant gift exchange. There rules are pretty lax, so the gifts range from really nice like a printer or money to candy to toilet seat covers and this year had a great gag gift! Eldon's brother Brett recently had to have his appendix out, he was pretty drugged and walking around in his hospital gown with the back open. His wife took a picture of him from behind. It got framed and put into the set! It was so funny! I almost got stuck with it, but my mother in law saved me and I ended up with a battery operated fart noise maker! not sure which was worse of the two really!

Next is the nativity. The little kids really have fun with this one. Grandma Larson has lots of great dress up clothes! Someone reads from the scriptures and the little ones act it out. Baby Payten even played Baby Jesus and she didnt even cry!

After the nativity is the program....the nieces and nephews all show off their talents like singing, playing the piano, or even doing a little skit.

There is always time for family and just hanging around as well! Or dancing:)

then kids get to open one present (the Christmas Jammies of course)

It was lots of fun and we are so glad we got to be there to participate in it! We hope that everyone had as much fun as we did!

Christmas with the Cops

When we go to Snowflake to visit, Eldon is always the one who drives, 1. Because he enjoys driving more than I do, and 2. Because I dont have a clue where I am going. Well Eldon was busy helping his dad and brothers on a project and I needed to run to the dollar store for just a few things. Well getting to the dollar store really isnt too hard, so I decided to go by myself. My 8 year old niece Jessica came, and last minute by 18 year nephew Blake tagged along as well. So we made it to the dollar store and were on our way back. We turned onto the street where Eldon's parents live and I saw a cop car pull over to the side in front of me. He had his lights on, so I wasnt sure if I should pass.....or wait...., well I decided to go ahead and passed the car, the car then pulled out behind me and turned on its lights... I pulled in front of the house and was just laughing so hard. My little niece however was very scared that we had gotten into trouble and ran into the house. Well....It was Eldons friend Bobby. He had just recently finished the police academy and saw me driving Eldons Car. I knew it was him as soon as I had passed him, but my niece didnt think it was very funny. The whole family came out laughing and said hi to him. It was entertaining to say the least.

Garetts Christmas Eve Surprise

Look at this face....does it look mischievous to you?


Well, He is! This is my nephew Garett. He gave me quite a surprise Christmas Eve Morning!
This is the shower at Eldon's moms house The purple is from the hallway (outside of the shower) and the pink is actually looking at the shower. And yes, there is a window in the shower. This window has made me anxious since my first trip to Snowflake. I thought Eldon was kidding when he said that was the shower....nope, not kidding. Luckily, the Larson family is not very tall, so peeking is not really an option without effort. But, when they were all kids, the running family joke was to poor ice cold water through the window, or even worse....wait until the water was turned off and then dump flour on the wet person! I thought these were funny but warned Eldon that i better not ever be in on the family joke. Well on Christmas morning, everyone was out doing some last minute shopping and running errands. I was taking a shower and my nephew came in and saw that no one was around except for Derricks dog, so he figured that Derrick must be taking a shower. Well Derrick is the one of the main fools who continues the shower joke, and so Garett thought he would seize the opportunity....well it was me! so I got wonderful ice filled water dumped on me! When i screamed, all i heard was "Oh sorry, I thought it was Derrick" and then very fast foot prints! Well Paybacks are a *****, so Garett needs to be on the lookout, but I still love him anyways! I just have to get him back :)

Merry Christmas

ok so I never claimed to be a computer wiz, but I am generally pretty decent....well not today, so I cant get my programs to cooperate with me, so you dont get to see the cute paper, but below is our Christmas Letter. Some of you may get one in the mail, but we didnt have everyones address, and only sent out a few. But we wanted everyone to be included and know that you are loved and missed and thought of. So here is our Christmas letter....and Merry Christmas!

With Love from the Larsons Vol. 2


Hello and Merry Christmas!

We hope that this Christmas season finds all of you happy and well. We can not believe how fast time flies and that the year is already coming to a close. This year seems like it has gone by especially fast! 2007 has been very full but overall has been a wonderful year for us.

Eldon has been busy going to school at Chandler Gilbert Community college. He is still taking mostly general classes to get those out of the way. He has not yet chosen a major but is narrowing down options and taking various classes to explore the possibilities. He has done really well this past year and been at the top of all of his classes. Eldon also spent most of the year working part time for Stone Creek Furniture Factory as a Sales Representative. In November, Eldon changed jobs and is now working for 5 Star Window Care. Towards the beginning of 2008, Eldon will become a manager for the company and start to manage his own crew and learn the business. When Eldon is not at work or school or studying, he can generally be found washing his car, Bar-b-queuing on his new grill, or playing his beloved Xbox 360. Eldon has really enjoyed this toy, especially with the release of Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 3 this year.

Stefani has had a year filled with quite a few changes this year, specifically with work. She began the year with Life, Inc. as the Director of the Adaptive Living Adventures program. Unfortunately, the company began to lose funding and the program was cut. Stefani then ventured into the clinical side of therapeutic recreation and starting working for the Arizona State Veterans Home as a Recreation Therapist II. As much fun as this has been for Stefani this year, bigger and better things await her in 2008 as she returns to Parks and Recreation and begins a new job as a Recreation Coordinator II for the City of Phoenix Adaptive Recreation Program after the first of the new year. In addition to her full time job, Stefani still participates in the Chandler Special Olympics program as a coach and as a sign language interpreter. She also continued to work a bit for her previous employer, LIFE, Inc. working with babies with disabilities. Stefani has also found joy in her hobbies. Scrapbooking, crafting and decorating our home have kept her busy and entertained. With new technology and toys she has really been able to create some neat things.

We have really enjoyed this year as a couple. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in August. We also moved from our small one bedroom apartment to a much nicer two bedroom condo. We are still renting, but it is nice to have more space and be able to spread out. This move also brought with it, a new ward, and new callings in the Young Men’s and Young Women’s programs and new friends. We have also embarked into the new fad of blogging. This has really been a fun way to keep in touch with friends and family. If you want to check out our blog, go to http://www.eldonandstef.blogspot.com.

We are sad to see 2007 go, but excited to 2008 and the wonderful opportunities that await. As we look back at this year we can not help but feel overwhelmed at how blessed we have truly been and we consider our friends and family to be at the top of the list or the things we are thankful for. We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. We hope you know we love you and think of you often.

With Love,
Eldon and Stefani Larson

Happy News for the New Year

Nope....not what you think that title is for :) The happy news is that I got a new job!!! Yeah for no more Bingo with my Seniors! Not that my job wasnt great, but definitely not where I wanted to be or who I wanted to be working with. I enjoy working with kids or the developmentally disabled populations much more than senior citizens. So, I am going to be a Recreation Coordinator II for the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation. The city and the Diamondbacks just built a brand new adaptive little league baseball park. It is actually really nice and pretty much, the only one like it in the Nation....and they are going to trust me to run it! Ha! just kidding, I am can do it! I am really excited. It is a step up on the career ladder and some extra money in the bank, and back where I would like to be. The only down side is that my commute is increasing by about 15 minutes, but i think its worth it! I start on the 14th of January! Wahoo!

Eldon recently got a new job as well. He is working for 5 Star Window Care. (thanks Dusty for the awesome hook up by the way). Eldon is learning the biz of window washing and will become a manager have his own truck and crew within a few months. So if you know anyone in the East Valley that needs their windows cleaned ;) wink wink.
Oh and the best part about these new jobs is that as long as the real estate market doesnt freak out again, we will be able to get into a house as soon as our lease is up this may, so be looking for blogs on housing choices and you can help me pick a house just like on the tv show house hunters :)

My Poor Daddy

My poor Daddy is not going to have much of a fun Christmas! Last week he tripped and fell over large boulder (not klutzy, just bad luck and not paying attention)...apparently he went over the boulder but his leg stayed put....well his knee cap is basically no longer. After 4 days in the hospital with the most incompetent staff I have ever heard of and one short stabilization surgery, He is stuck with having the screws and bars (2nd pic) for about 6 weeks and then have surgery and rehab, etc....No fun at all! At this point he cant put any weight at all on the leg which makes life pretty hard! So if posts are decreased in the next couple months....this is why. we all have to take turns helping Dad. Sorry Daddy! We still love you!

Way to go Olivia

This past Saturday, we went to our neice Olivia's gymnastics show. She has done so well! It is especially fun for me to watch her because gymnastics was basically my life for about 14 years or so. She is so cute and so excited! She just moved up levels and is only one level away from being in a high enough level to not have little girls in her classes! Her best event is the Beam (p.s. that was the one I did NOT like), so i recorded her routine...but my blog is having issues, so i will try to post it again later :(

This routine is brand new to her, and she did awesome! Good Job Olivia! We are so proud of you!

Oh and you cant forget her proud brothers as well....they were hamming it up in the van after the show :)

My sweet husband

My husband is so cute! We had our friends Dusty and Brittney over to hang out and they have super cute little kids. Raylee is about 3 months old or so, and just really likes Eldon. He was holding her and just started making faces and she was cracking up laughing and talking and just really smiley! It was beyond adorable! He is so good with kids and I am so excited to have our own and for him to be a Daddy! He will be such a great one! I love you Eldon!

New Updates

Ok, so I have been so preoccupied with other things and been so frustrated with my blog design that i havent posted for a little while other than to apologize. so i am doing a bit of catching up today. There are several new posts but i put them in the order they happened, so there are a few after my complaints and wishes for patience. Just didnt want you to miss them :) Happy Reading

Girls night out to The Rocketts

Saturday night my mother in law and 3 sisters in law and 2 nieces went to Dodge Theater to see the Rockettes!



It was so much fun! The show was awesome! I really wasnt sure how much I would like it, but it was really good and helped make it feel a little more like Christmas! It was also so much fun to be out with the girls, even though we got lost looking for the parking garage ;) Lets just say, next time, we wont let Wendi guide us around downtown Phoenix. It was a blast and I am so glad to have such a great family to spend time with!

I got my Christmas wish!

Well...in the last post, i wished for Patience, but really i wanted to figure out how to make my blog cute and festive for Christmas. well inadvertently, thanks to my friend, i found the website that gave me my wish and took away SO much stress! I am actually a little embarrassed how frustrated I was, but its all good now. For those of you who have struggled with the same thing, I am going to share the secret so you too can have a super cute blog........the website is http://cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com/. It gives blog backgrounds for free, or you can get a personalized one for a really good deal! I absolutely love this website and wish I would have found it sooner!

All i want for Christmas is patience

Well, not really, but i could definitely use some today! and from all of you. I have several posts i want to write, but first i am trying to find a christmas background that actually works on blogger. so, if anyone has any suggestions.... i would definitely be up for it! But mostly, i hope you all will just be patient while i mess around with things, until i find something that works. Thanks and ..........Merry Christmas!!!

Guitar Hero

So my family basically just gives money for Christmas, that way we can go buy whatever it is we want. Well we got a little bit early this year, and Eldon couldnt resist buying Guitar Hero! Needless to say, I havent seen much of my husband as of lately, but I have heard some rockin music in the house :) We had our friends Dusty and Brittney over to try it out. It was a lot of fun and they both did really good! I had some video of Eldon playing, but he has done it enough that he doesnt have to stand up or pretend to be a rocker to do well anymore, so the video was pretty boring! The pictures are cute though! Even though it is one more video game, I would recommend it. It is super fun and has some pretty good music.

He caught be off guard with this one

Cutest thing ever

So my little nephew Kaden (my best friend's little boy) was so stinking cute today. I was over at their house playing. He was standing holding on to my knee. It was a little bit past nap time, so he was starting to get cranky. while he was crying, I just out of no where decided to see how
he would react.....so I asked, "where's Kaden" and this was his reaction.
We couldnt believe how well he did. He had never done this before. The video was taken a few minutes after the game had started so the effects didnt last quite as long, but still SO cute! He is such a smart little boy. He barely turned one this past November! The video is from my friends perspective so you can see exactly what he is doing, but from his angle, he was really hiding. Ignore my dumb voice!