Yes, this post is a little late considering the fact that we went to the train park a while ago.  But, there are some cute pictures to share so I decided it's better late than never.

Natalie wanted to hold her own train tickets.  She's growing up!

As you can see, the train was a lot of fun.  Natalie and Makenna decided they were too big to sit next to their parents, so they sat by themselves and waved at everyone that we passed. 

We love the carousel, but Maejae wouldn't sit on the horse unless Mommy sat with her.  Luckily Daddy was there to make sure Natalie kept hanging on!

And, then we played at the park.  Natalie made sand angels, and Maejae barked at all the dogs that passed and spent a lot of time on the swings.

This is what we do first thing in the morning to wake mommy up!

Our Christmas Stockings (Nate, Jenn, Natalie, Maejae)

Natalie got lots of Princess and Art stuff. She loves the Disney Princesses as of right now, and has always loved crafts!

My little Maejae - she is growing up, and looks like a little toddler here!  She had fun opening presents, but as soon as she opened her doll and doll stroller, we lost her.  She was off in Doll land, and didn't want to open any more gifts.

Daddy has this awesome gift idea - We got the girls a Trampoline!

It is only 13" off the ground, and it came with the safety enclosure.  The girls absolutely love it, and I don't have to worry about them as much as I would have with a bigger trampoline.  I still have to watch pretty closely though, because Natalie likes to jump really high, and Maejae is still learning how to keep her balance.  But, they do pretty good, and both have jumped every single day.

A Larson Tradition: Christmas Morning Omelets!

I love Christmas Morning Omelets.  After all the gifts have been opened, we get to make our own omelets.  Daddy gets the eggs and toppings ready, and we get to pour our own eggs and topping in the pan.  Then we have to Flip our own omelets!  I am not very good at flipping them still, so Nathan has to help me.  But, they are a lot of fun, and sure makes for a tasty Christmas Breakfast!

I love Christmas Eve!  As a child, I remember gathering as a family to eat dinner.  Then we would read the Christmas story of Jesus' birth, and open 1 present each.  My mom always tried to pick a present that would be fun for us to enjoy that night and it was always so fun.

So, with my own family, I wanted to carry on this tradition.  On Christmas Eve this year, we spent our time at home, with Natalie and I making some Sugar Cookies, and Pumpkin Pie together.  Then I made our Christmas Feast for all of us to enjoy.  It was just our small family this year, so we had a lot of leftover food!

After dinner, we read the Christmas story of Jesus' Birth while the girls played with their Nativity.  They did great for the first little bit, but then (after failing to find Baby Jesus) realized that Dad was in the perfect position to attack him with hugs.  I tried to tell the girls to be reverent, but they are such Daddy's Girls!  Luckily though, Natalie understood well before this night that we were celebrating Jesus' birth.  After-all, Santa did not come to our house alone on Christmas Eve.  According to Natalie, Jesus brought our presents, and Santa was just Jesus' helper.  Oh, how I love her innocence!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas Eve Adventures:

Natalie pretty much made these cookies all by herself.  I helped her get the correct measurements, and roll out the dough, but she did everything else!

Here are the girls being crazy.  At first, they listened to the scripture story just fine, but as soon as they realized Baby Jesus was missing, they turned their attention to Daddy, and clobbered him with hugs and kisses!  Needless to say, Daddy had a little bit of a hard time finishing his reading.

For those of you who know Natalie's love for her Baby Bear from Daddy:

Natalie decided she wanted to buy Baby Bear 2 presents this year.  So, she bought her a Princess T-shirt and a Brush to keep her soft.  This is Natalie "helping" baby bear open her Christmas Eve present, which just happened to fit the girls' gifts perfectly - much to Natalie's excitement!

Christmas Eve presents for the girls this year were new Princess Pajamas.  Natalie has been wanting a pair of Princess Jammies for a LONG time. I'm not sure Maejae really cares about Princesses yet (she's an Elmo and Mickey fan), but at least she had fun opening her gift.

My sweet 3-year old daughter, Natalie, is always saying interesting things to make me think.  Recently she asked why we were having a Christmas party, and I explained to her that we were celebrating Jesus' birthday. Natalie got very excited and said, "Mom, I'm gonna get Jesus a ladder so he can come down and visit me."  I told her that was a very good idea!

Then, this past Saturday we had our ward Christmas party, and they had Santa come for the children.  Natalie ran up to me and told me she saw Santa carrying a green bag.  I asked if she wanted to go sit on Santa's lap and she said, "no, he's scary."  So yesterday when we were doing a little shopping for Christmas, Natalie kept asking for new toys.  I told her she'd have to wait and see what Santa would bring her for Christmas.  She said, "No Mom, I don't like Santa.  Jesus is going to bring my presents."

Then this morning I woke up to an e-mail from my dear friend, sharing this beautiful music video.  This brings tears to my eyes as I recall Natalie's love for Jesus, and her innocent joy in this Christmas season! 

May we all remember the Reason for the Season, and spend a little more time reflecting on our Savior's love for us.

Nathan's grandmother, Vada Frisby, passed away in November.  The first time I met Grandma Frisby was when Nathan and I were dating.  We lived in Pocatello, ID and decided to take a trip to Idaho Falls to visit Nathan's Grandma.  On the road, a blizzard came through, and as we crossed a bridge, a large SUV slid on the ice, and hit the side of the bridge.  Nathan and I got out, helped the crying kids in the SUV, and called Grandma Frisby to tell her we would be late.  She told us we shouldn't be driving in the snow, and to turn around.  But, we were already more than half way there, so we kept going.  I am so glad we did, because it was one of the few times I got to see Grandma Frisby.

We took a trip back to Idaho Falls shortly after Natalie was born.  Nathan had told his Grandma when he got home from his mission that she needed to stick around long enough to see his first child.  Grandma Frisby did that, and stayed around even longer!  Here are Nathan's cherished pictures of Grandma Frisby meeting his first daughter, Natalie.  I also love these pictures!

Our next trip to Idaho falls happened to be more than 2 years later, just two weeks ago.  We traveled back for Grandma Frisby's funeral services, and had a wonderful celebration of her life.

Grandma Frisby

The Larson Family

The Larson boys with their Dad

The Grandsons were the pallbearers.

All of this snow fell during Grandma's funeral services.  It was beautiful!

As we were leaving the cemetery I had to stop and think to myself:

Thank you, Grandma Frisby, for your legacy.

You raised great children, including my wonderful mother-in-law.

Your children have raised great children of their own; one of whom is my husband and Eternal Companion - a wonderful man.

Your Legacy lives on . . . and we Love You