It's a Boy!!!

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Larson family. This was by far the best Christmas present and I have ever received. I finally talked Dennis into getting a dog and I don't think we could have found a better one. A friend of a friend of mine was getting ride of their dog due to a few reasons (pregnant wife, small house...) I just happened to get an email from my friend on Thursday night about a dog that someone was giving away (this goes along with the husbands great gift of getting things for free.) So Friday night we went to go see the dog. I fell in love instantly. The dog is trained, well behaved and so loveable, not mention has a great personality. It just the last 48 hours we have had him, we have seen alot. He likes to put his front paws on the bathroom counter and look at himself in the mirror. We turned the music on last night and he stood in front of the speakers and tilted his head and just looked at them. He loves to dive over our couch and bed. We let him sleep with us last night and he hogged the bed. He slept in this morning until 10 and we had to drag him out of bed after we got up. Sorry to those of you who were waiting for the moment when the Larsons would no longer be able to sleep in- it doesn't look like that is going to be a problem!

The little boy who owned him named him Monster so we are keeping his name since he is 6 months already and knows his name. He is a pure bread blue american pit bull terrier. He is a really great dog- people are afraid of pit bulls because they have a rep of being mean dogs but its all in the way the owner treats the dog. Monster is a great dog and we are glad to have him in the family. We took him on a walk tonight with our neighbor and their dog and they loved it. They chased each other through the field and had a blast.

Christmas 2007

We had a very busy Christmas. First, Shanna and Deanna spent Friday,Saturday and Sunday night with us. We went to dinner, did some last minute shopping, made cookies, and watched movies. On Sunday, we went to our old ward and then off to the Cilleys to have Christmas with Donnas side of the family. All 20 of us were there. We exchanged gifts, ate dinner and then were surprised by Joseph arriving home from the Marines a day early! On Christmas Eve- we lounged around the house and then went to see a late night movie with Joseph and Andrea. We saw I am Legend- very interesting... not sure it was worth the time. Christmas morning we went to Donnas and opened our gifts, at breakfast and then headed over to Uncle Dales to eat some more. Dennis was very surprised to get the ladder he asked for from his mom along with a remote control VW bug. It was fun to see the 3 brothers outside Christmas morning racing them down the street.
We really enjoyed spending time with the family and remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Also, Dennis and I started a tradition when we got married. We didn't have alot of ornaments for our first Christmas many years ago. We decided back then to buy each other an ornament every year. This year Dennis decided to be funny and bought me the biggest, ugliest, yet funny ornament I have ever seen. Just look at the picture and you will agree with me.

More books please!

I LOVE to buy new books. I enjoy snuggling up with a blanket, a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. 2 of my students gave me very generous gift cards to Borders and I went to buy some new books today. The last 2 weeks Of December at work are "child care" weeks. That pretty much means there is no curriculum and just babysitting. So, today I decided to do a movie marathon with the kids. We watched movies from 10:30a.m- 4:30p.m- stopping to eat snacks and lunch of course! The kids really enjoyed the relaxation and I really enjoyed reading 14 chapters of The Wednesday Letters- I am almost finished.

On to my Borders adventure.... I could stay in that store for HOURS- I guess its a good thing I was on my lunch break and was on a time limit. I went in the store with $60 in gift cards to spend. I am proud to say I only spent $30 of it today. I want to go see the movie P.S I Love You- we didn't make it there this weekend so I bought the book instead. I also bought- Family Wanted, Stories of Adoption- a topic that interests me at the present time. P.S I love you is a 500 page book and Family Wanted has 300. Let's see how long it takes me to finish the two. Now where is my hot cocoa?

21 Pieces of Advice to Never Forget

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. Y ou might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE . Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "God bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson .

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

All I want for Christmas is........

1. A puppy

2. A new job

3. For all of our bills to go "POOF"