Happy Anniversary Baby...I love you!

What will you be doing on Memorial Day?

Jimbo Larsen, Employee Resources Specialist

Furniture sales, deep mattress discounts, red tag events at car dealerships, barbeques…all Memorial Day festivities. When was the last time you went to a parade? A cemetery? A ceremony? Many have wandered from the true meaning of the day.

Memorial Day has one purpose and one purpose alone: to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in the service of their country, specifically those who perished at the hands of the enemy.

As a young child, my mother always taught me to stand up when the flag marched by at parades. At Gilbert Elementary, we said the Pledge of Allegiance, sang a patriotic song, and prayed every day when school started. I believe these values and practices are what engrained in me the desire to serve this great Nation. Shortly after 9/11, I answered the call that had been in my heart many years and enlisted in the US Marines. I had a great career going with SWA and didn’t want to give that up so I joined the reserves. The one weekend a month, two weeks a year requirement became a thing of the past with the onset of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have served two tours in Iraq—one in 2003 and one in 2006.

During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I served in an infantry company that saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. While our platoon was very blessed and lost no one, our company sustained several losses. I will never forget as long as I live what it felt like to carry that zipped up black vinyl bag. I remember thinking how strange it was that the bag was so heavy. That heavy weight tugs at my memories some nights when I can’t sleep. I will never forget the prayers that were offered on behalf of the fallen men, and more importantly, their families. My heart aches for them.

In 2004 in Tucson, I was on a burial detail for a Marine who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq. There was a HUGE outpouring of love from the community and the number of people that attended that solemn ceremony was in the thousands. I remember vividly his pregnant wife accepting the folded flag and the 21-gun salute that startled everyone. That sound echoes in my memory every time I see a flag-draped casket.

There are many who join, fewer that fight, and fewer yet who are taken from us in the line of duty. It is in their honor that we don’t work on Memorial Day. It is in their honor that we fly the flag at half mast until noon. It is in their honor that we observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 1500 local time wherever we are.

It is not a day to thank Veterans; we have that one in November. It is not a day to thank families or living servicemen. It is a day to honor those who fought and died in the service of our Country.

As General George S. Patton, Jr. stated, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”

What will you do on Monday? I know what I will do. I will remember.

*This was originallly posted on the Southwest Airlines employee web-site.

April

Finally, we are off to a great start.
February & March you can kiss it because April has been awesome.
Here is what we have been up to!

some CRaZyNesS with Dad

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt and came home with an empty basket
because Sarah kept filling another little girls basket - what a sweetheart!

So cute & it was so COLD!

Sarah telling Dad all about her egg collecting ability!

I took like 900 pictures of her "hunting" for Easter Eggs
because it was just too darn adorable

Sarah in a beautiful Easter dress - thanks Auntie Wendee!

Ok, this is quite painful for me to post a pregnant photo of myself
but this one just speaks volumes (no pun intended).

Let me tell you about every detail Jimbo captured:
A very large baby belly
A very adorable Birthday cake made just for me by Debbi
The lids to 2 cartons of Blue Bell ice cream (thus the very large belly)
A shot of Jimbo's ticket on the fridge door (we knew our PA plates wouldn't last forever)
And last, sweet little Sarah trying to get her hands on all of the goodies

As far as birthdays go this has to be one of my favorites and
I owe it all to my sweetie - Thanks Jimbo, I guess I'll keep you for another year!

18 months....and lovin' every second

My Little Mama is officially 18 months old today.

Old enough for Nursery, old enough to push her own stroller, old enough to walk the dog, old enough to fly a kite, and old enough to go down the big slide.

Sarah is amazing and great and smart and such a good kid and I have no idea where she gets it because I was and still am a brat and well Jimbo was and is a trouble-maker so how we ended up with a peach is beyond me.

Sarah and I get a lesson on kite flying from Jimbo who gives Sarah
the string, she lets go like 2 seconds later and
he has to go to the neighbors to get it from their back yard.
Texas is windy silly boy...don't let go or Elmo is gonzo!

A good shot of Sarah's mullet blowing in the wind. Remember all of the
whining I did about wanting my kid to have hair? Well now she does
and I have no idea what to do with it...it figures!

Because of my stellar back Jimbo has been in charge of bath time
from the beginning and it is the dang cutest thing to watch ever!
They have songs and games and she puts up with all of his splashing.
I am jealous but I do love just to get to be a spectator.

A shot of the hot-shot on the big slide.

I know a picture is worth a thousand words but this just isn't cutting it.
She was so excited to get to walk Roxie and so they went for about 1/4 of a mile
before they both got bored and wouldn't stay on the path anymore.
My kid and my dog have the same attention span!

Sarah and Roxie
Zoom in on this one because nothing is more
adorable than chubby knees...except for when they are mine!

ummmm we thought this trail was a loop but it turned out to
be a dead end. By then both Momma and Sarah needed a piggy-back ride.

Sarah mugging on Buster. These two are best buddies and I can't believe
how much Buster puts up with her loving torture!

Who's that kid with the Oreo cookie?

All in all she is growing up too fast. I turned around the other day and
she was reading the For the Strenght of Youth booklet to Roxie and though
I was impressed I am really not ready for that just yet.

Love you little girl...Big Kiss!

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Or in my case – a lot of help from my friends. Let me address my blogging hiatus by telling you that sitting in a chair hurts. Really bad. You see, I have a bad back. I am among the ranks of many of you with chronic back pain, however, I am gigantic and pregnant and can’t really do a dang thing to relieve the pain. Of course little baby boy Larsen is my first priority and so I suffer but not in silence and so for all who have put up with my complaints and tears – thank you.

I have read many a blog post regarding amazing husbands and I have to add my spouse-man to the list. To say that I have been out of commission for the past few weeks is a huge understatement and Jimbo has become in his own special way a single Dad of 2 baby girls (the one not in diapers being much more work). I am not going to go on about every thing he has done to keep our house running because I would run out of space and I would be embarrassed to admit all he has had to do for me personally. I am usually an extremely stubborn do-it-yourself-er so to have to ask for so much help is just about as painful as the actual pain. I love you Jimmy, thank you for picking me and for putting up with me!

I am improving each day and for that I am grateful. I can hold my baby again but not for too long, I can sit on the couch for a while with lots of strategically placed pillows and I can dress myself – wahoo!

My next goal is church but the thought of those wooden benches makes my left leg go numb – literally! Many of you would say sit by me I will help you, if you hurt lay down – who cares? That’s the problem, I do. A lot. I would be mortified in fact. Did I mention this has been a humbling experience?

A month has gone by and I have not gone to church, I have been released from my calling and to take me back to my Mississippi Mission, I am backsliding. (no pun intended) The irony of it all is that without my amazing ward I would not be doing as good as I am. There have been countless really yummy meals, visits, and funny gifts of encouragement including flowers, chocolate and Ben-Gay. You have lent me the talents of your spouses and you have kept my spouse fed which if you know Jimbo you have to admit is probably the most important.

I don’t know how to adequately say thanks. I can send cards and I can tell you how much you have done for me and my family but I don’t really think you will ever know. Maybe that is the secret behind selfless service. You think you provide a simple meal that maybe you just whipped up but to me you nourished my family, body and soul and I hope to someday repay your kindness.

Big Kiss,

Angel

Well that explains the barfing

It's official - It's a boy!

I made the tech tell me a million times that she was absolutely sure it was a boy so to get back at me she printed these funny pictures. She was a doll and in one of the shots the baby's hand was right next to his "boy parts" she has 3 sons and she told me that was how she was certain he was a he and that they never stop playing with it - - Super!

Here's to you and your boy parts, I can't wait!

*I should tell you this 'bottom' shot is exactly that - a shot of him from behind showing us his business and I couldn't be more proud of my little exhibitionist!

The big news

The big news, even though everyone already knows it.

Jimbo got another one past the goalie again and we are expecting baby number 2! I would like to say how excited I am but I can't stop barfing long enough to actually get excited. It was never like this with Sarah, I sailed through her pregnancy but this one is proving to be much, much different. We have decided that it is either a boy or one ornery girl and I gotta tell you the second option gets my vote.

I looked through my old pictures to find even one pregnant one that I liked. I mean I love pregnant - on other people - I think it is adorable but on me, not quite as cute. I have picked one though mostly because it is of my family on a good old weekend trip to Park City.