Hiatus Over, House Hunt Begun

So after 3 months of blogging hiatus, I've decided to pick up my computerized quill yet again and delve back into sharing my world on cyberspace.

Here's a very brief update on what's going on in the Land of the Larshes:

Luke had cut 2 teeth with more coming soon. He's so ready to crawl, and he's getting more and more frustrated by his lack of mobility. He does, however, spin, roll and army crawls. I know he's ready to follow Jack.

Jack is talking all the time! He's saying things like, "bagging area," "watch this," and "Luke is sleeping." He's counting to 10 and leaves us in stitches as the dances around the house. He got his first haircut in January, and it'll be time for another trim soon.

Chad continues to amaze me with his genius. He's working hard making sure that PC has the best technology available and that everything is working smoothly. I'm so thankful that he loves his job and the people he works with. 

I'm staying busy keeping up with the little dudes. Never a dull moment around here. Some of you may remember my Hannah vs. Holsteins challenge from back in the fall. Well, the group pretty much disbanded. I'm am excited to say that I've kept at it, and I've lost nearly 50 lbs. since I was in the hospital having Luke. I have about 12 lbs. to go, and I hope to get there by his first birthday. 

We're excited to announce that we've started looking to buy a house here in Tyler. We went and looked at our first 6 options last night. Our realtor is great! He has us nick-name the houses to help us remember them. We've seen "the cute old lady" house and "red, white, and awkward" to name a few. We're excited to see where God leads us. 

Off to go play cars and blocks. I'll post some pics soon. 

Missing Baby Jesus

I come from a long line of women who love to decorate for Christmas. My Mom and Grandmothers both decorate to the nines. Christmas would not be the same for me without a tree, a nativity scene, and a menagerie of snowmen. When Chad and I became a family of our own, we started talking about how we wanted to celebrate Christmas, and this discussion has deepened with the birth of our two precious sons. It is our heart that we instill in our boys the true meaning of Christmas. To quote a Christmas song that means a great deal to me, I want other people to know that Christmas is a time when we "celebrate the day that You (Jesus) were born to die so I could one day pray for You to save my life."

 

Now, our boys are still too young to grasp some aspects of Christmas, but we decided to start teaching them the Christmas story early. Jack knows who Baby Jesus is, although he says "Jeez" instead of "Jesus." Melts my heart every time. Last year, Jack was given an adorable nativity set that he can play with. It's been on the floor of the boys' room with pieces strewn about in all directions. This morning,  decided to clean off the fireplace hearth and arrange Jack and Luke's nativity so they can see it and play with it. I found the stable, animals, shepherds, Mary, and Joseph. I even found the angel and 2 of the wisemen. After some searching, I was able to locate the third magi under Jack's bed. I had every member of the initial Christmas story, except the most important player- Baby Jesus!!! I spend a good deal of time crawling around on the floor looking under furniture and digging through cubbies full of toys. I still couldn't find Him anywhere. 

 

My search for baby Jesus struck a heart string. It is so easy to miss Jesus in Christmas.  With the hustle and bustle of the season, I am so quick to forget that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of a tiny, vulnerable baby who was born to 2 very young and inexperienced parents. He wasn't born in a hospital, or even somewhere clean, for that matter. A stable was his shelter. While His entrance into the world may seem meager, all of heaven rejoiced! Angels came and told of His birth. Men traveled miles and miles to lay their eyes on Him. The most beautiful love story in all of history had the most humble and the most miraculous beginning. I do not want to lose Jesus in my Christmas. The nativity scene means nothing without Him. Christmas means nothing without Him. My life means nothing without Him. 

 

I am pleased to report, that our Baby Jesus was found at last. He was in the kitchen underneath the window. I'm sure Jack carried Him in there, all the while saying, "Baby Jeez." He is now safely in His place on the hearth. 

 

May you too find and keep Jesus this Christmas. 

etsy.com- I wish there was a patch.

If you haven't experienced etsy.com, it's awesome. However, you will quickly find yourself spiraling down an endless road of internet wandering. One treasure inevitably leads to looking at the sellers other items or deciding to hunt for something else. If you struggle with spending too much time surfing the web, you'll need some serious accountability. They should put a warning on their website. It is, as the lovely EKB would say, magical. 

Please Keep Your Hands Inside the Trolly

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in San Francisco. It was an adventure, to say the least. We explored Chinatown, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, at fish-n-chips on the wharf, almost kicked a homeless man in a sleeping bag, got sent to and escaped from prison, hugged a giant Redwood tree, got caught in a parade, and drove down the world's most curvy street in an Expedition. I could share one funny story after another, but I'd like to write about a few very real lessons I learned. 

It didn't take me long to realize that I'm afraid of the "big city."  I've lived in my little bubble for so long that any time I find myself outside of it, I panic. I'm afraid of getting lost or mugged, and I hate the feeling of knowing that I'm such  a small part of everything around me. These feelings really challenged me. I don't want my boys to grow up being afraid of the world. Yes, I know that as a follower of Jesus, I am called to live a life set apart for holiness, but I don't want my pursuit to honor Him to keep me confined to my hula-hoop of safety. I don't think that's what he wants either. Being exposed to the reality and ugliness of sin  and the brokenness of this world is hard to bear, but  how can I really develop a love for people if I'm not comfortable meeting them where they are? 

I touched on this already, but I want to expand a little. Walking among the skyscrapers, walking in the Muir Woods,  and crossing the GG Bridge made me feel so small. I needed a reminder that I am not the center of the universe. It was humbling to remember that I am like a dust spec, and my little world is a teeny tiny part of everything that goes on. Being faced with my own smallness makes me so thankful that my God is so BIG!!!! Yes, he made the ocean and the mountains, but His delight in is Me- the crown of creation! What a beautiful love story. When I saw the sunset in the Bay or gazed at the tallest trees I will probably every see, my heart worshipped. I love and serve a God who made all of those things, whose beauty is indescribable, but I am made in HIS image! 

It was an amazing experience to see the beauty of what God has made and to marvel and what He has equipped man to make. I stood on the bridge and was awed  at the capabilities that God has given us. He has built in us a desire to make, to build, and to create because He is a God who makes, builds, and creates. These desires are intended to point us to Him. My heart was so saddened when I saw such blatant examples of ways that man has taken what God has made and morphed it into something ugly and unholy. Covenant marriage is no longer seen as picture of God and the Church. It's seen as a civil right available for anyone. We've let it become cheap. My heat just hurts for all of the people who want a cheap imitation when God designed and offers the best. It's like going buying a ring at the dollar store when Tiffany's is across the street. I will admit that I am a people-pleaser and I like for those around me to be happy, but I am not willing to endanger things that are precious to me just so others can feel good. It's a hard and delicate balance, and I pray that God will teach me more and more to be a woman who loves people and who passionately stands for His Truth. 

Bye-bye Ball

I have to report a very sad loss for the Larsh family. Today, while we were attempting to enjoy some playground time before lunch at Pine Cove, Jack's new ball game to it's very sad and untimely demise. Below you can see pictures of Jack recreating the sad event (they toy car represents our real car) and the poor ball. You might be wondering, "How could this story have a happy ending?" Well, the sunshine appeared through the clouds, we dried are tears, drove again to Walmart (i.e. The Mecca of New Balls) and welcomed a new spherical friend into our family. 

Lazy Sunday

Ok, so I just realized that for the past 2 months, I've posted on the 21st of the month. Weird!!! It's not that I don't think about posting at other times. I honestly think about it quite often. It never fails, though, that I get distracted by my precious hooligans, or I'm sucked into the ever-so-wonderful Mallow (that's what we call our bed with the poofy down comforter). Having 2 little boys, momnesia, and life-threatening narcolepsy don't make for frequent posts. Enough of the excuses. I'm moving on. 

Lots has happened in the past month. Jack finally decided to feed himself and hold his own cup. This new advancement has revolutionized life in the Larsh house! I'm not exaggerating. Jack has also developed a very extensive vocabulary including the words book, ball, grape, water, and teeth as well as various animal sounds and some signs. We're very proud of our little genius. He's quite the ham. Luke has doubled in size I'm sure. I can't believe how fast the time goes. 

Today was Sunday. We started our day with the craziness of getting 4 people ready for church. This might not sound challenging, but when you throw in 2 babies, a mommy who desperately needs a hair cut, and a daddy who is slow to wake up, things can get very interesting.  We were excited to get to go to church, b/c it was canceled last week b/c Ike knocked out the power. Boo to hurricanes!!!! After lunch and nap time for the little dudes, we ventured out on a quest to explore the world of photography books (I'm considering a new hobby) and to get Jack a new ball. On our way to the big bad Walmart, a colony of invisible meerkats  blocked the entire street, forcing us to detour through the Sonic drive-thru. This is where the magic occurred. It is safe to say that I have arrived at a euphoric state. I have reached the status I have been dreaming about for a long time. Let me explain. When we go to Sonic, I have a slightly unusual drink that I like to order- half Diet Coke, half Diet Dr. Pepper with diet cherry and vanilla. We lovingly call this concoction The Brew. I have long wished that the Sonic employees would recognize my order. Today, it happened. Chad always prefaces my order by warning the drive-thru employee that "this is complicated." It gives them a heads-up. Usually Anna is working the window, and she can recognize the order when we go 2 days in a row (we live on the edge during happy hour on the weekends). Today, a new girl recognized our order. She told us at the window that she started making it even before Chad finished ordering. I HAVE ARRIVED! They know me. They know my order. All I need need now is to be able to pull up and say, "This is Carrie, and I'd like the usual please." Today was one small step for man, but it was a giant leap toward Sonic bliss. 

I would like to take a minute to thank all of you who are still reading. I have a tendency to be rather verbose. 

Back to the lazy Sunday. We continued our outing, Sonic drinks in hand. We needed 1% milk for the grown-ups and Whole Milk for Mr. Jack. I had also promised Jack that he could get a new ball since he LOVES balls. Jack actually saw the balls before we did and started shouting "BA BA BA!!!" He was so excited. Imagine his heartbreak when we left the first batch of bouncy orbs to search for the really big ones. Despite my best efforts, his 14.5 month-old brain couldn't understand that we were going to keep looking at our options and then make a choice. When no beach-ball size balls could be found, we returned to the first bin. After some debate, we selected a green and blue swirl ball. It looks like a globe. Jack carried the ball all through the store and announced to everyone that he was indeed getting a new ball. He did not like it when we had to take the ball to pay for it or when we had to remove it from his grip in order to put him in his car seat. The boy loves to play ball!!! After Walmart success (with the exception of the scanner's inability to read the barcode on my nail file), we journeyed home. Jack held his new treasure the entire way. You would think we bought him the world. In a way, I guess we did. We bought him a ball that looks like a globe. It's quite possibly the best dollar we've ever spent!

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in a month. It's been a hard month, but God is good. 

Earlier this week, I booked my plane ticket to go to San Francisco in November with Chad and 4 of our great friends. I cannot wait!!! I'm compiling a list of must-do's and must-see's for the trip. So far, I have:

Alcatraz 

The Golden Gate Bridge (drive across it and stand on it, if possible)

Fisherman's Whorf 

ride a trolley

see the houses that appear on the opening of "Full House"

eat at In & Out (it's sooooo good)

find a box of Rice Roni (it is, afterall, the San Francisco treat)

I'd love you input.