Help?

As you all know, my brother-in-law, Sam, is serving in Iraq right now. We have all sent words of encouragement, and have offered to send him whatever he needs. He responded that he is doing well, and Hope and the kids have sent him everything he needs for the time being. This was his request:

"If you want to spread my mailing address to those you think would participate, you could ask for Humanitarian packages. There are a lot of less fortunate soldiers and a lot of soldiers from allied forces that don't even get mail. There is no PX (store) here but most of the allied soldiers (like the El Salvadorians) couldn't afford to buy things anyway."

So, if there are any of you out there that would like to, please put together a package for one of the fine soldiers that are serving our country. There is a flat rate box available at the USPS for around $7, and it can weigh up to 70 lbs. with no additional charge. It is the least we can do! If you can't send a package, but have something you'd like to contribute, please let me know. Just leave a comment on this post, or email me at aprilnlarsen@yahoo.com with information. I know that anything we can do will be greatly appreciated! Here's the address:

CPT SAMUEL L BERGENER
948TH FST
CAMP DELTA
APO AE 09331

Grrr!

(Sound of knocking on the bathroom door)
Me: Hey-open the door.
Isabelle: But we're doing something!
Me: Open the door.
Isabelle: I said we're doing something!
Me: Open the door. Pronto.
Isabelle: But Dylan is scared.
Me: Why would Dylan be scared? Open the door. Now.
(Sound of door opening)
Me: Why does Dylan have a coat over his head?
No response, so I pull the coat off.
We made him into a tiger with our markers and we're trying to get it off...are you mad?

Go Jazz!

Friday night, Luke got us tickets to the Jazz game. Here's a picture of the kids on the floor, checking out the players during the pre-game warm up:

Now that Dylan has seen Luke in action, maybe he'll stop telling his preschool class that his dad is the coach.

Jazz Bear came and took Dylan out of his seat and down onto the floor. He carried him upside down with one leg before handing him to one of the refs, and then walked away.

A security gaurd took him from the ref and started walking off the floor with him, asking him where his mom was. Bear came and took him from the security gaurd and stood him up in the middle of the floor. Then he walked away again, leaving Dylan looking around at the huge arena filled with people. There were a lot of people in the crowd that looked really worried, but Dylan said he was only "a little bit newvous".

It was funny to see him out on the floor next to the Clippers and the Jazz--he looked so tiny! We had a great time, and Dylan will never forget it.

How True Is This?

I just watched this video while I was reading some old posts on Karibeth's blog (her link is over to the right). It hit pretty close to home, and I am still laughing!

Winter Fun

Ok, so sledding isn't my favorite winter activity. I'll admit it. But, once we got to the hill, and I saw how much fun the kids were having, it made everything worth it! Plus, we got to hang out with Jake and Emily. Doesn't Jake look cute in a pink scarf?

Luke is a kid at heart, and Izzy and Dylan know it. He is such a great dad, and they all have so much fun together. When I came home from teaching dance yesterday, I walked into the house to hear Rob Zombie (Never Gonna Stop) shaking the walls. Dylan and Izzy were on the kitchen counter, and Luke was sitting on a bar stool. Dylan was busy playing imaginary lead guitar, and Isabelle and Luke were rocking it out on the imaginary drums. Izzy was also lead vocals. I wish you all could have seen them!

Dylan surprised us. He is usually not a fan of the snow, but he had a lot of fun! He wore himself out running up and down the hill. He didn't like riding in the front of the sled, though, because he didn't want snow to hit his face. His favorite thing was to ride standing up behind Luke and Jake. He is growing up so fast, but with all his winter gear on, he looked little again.

After playing in the snow for a bit, we headed back to Jake and Emily's. Jake grilled some chicken, and we had salad, bread, baked potatoes, and pie. Our post-dinner entertainment was watching the Larsen boys play Tiger Woods on the playstation. Jake won, so we'll have to have a re-match next month at our house. Because, if you know Luke, you know he doesn't like to lose! Thanks, Jake and Emily for such a fun afternoon!

Tagged!

Ok--Jamie tagged me, so here goes nothing!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

Dancing for the Utah Jazz
Working at First Western Advisors
Co-Director at Victoria's Secret
Having fun with my girlfriends
Being an X-files nerd

5 things on my to-do list:

Buy some sleds
A whole bunch of choreography
Teach dance
Call my folks
Find a recipe for a coconut dessert (any ideas?)

5 snacks I enjoy:

Cool Ranch Doritos
Black licorice
Chocolate covered cinnamon bears
Pei Wei lettuce wraps
Diet Coke

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off our house
Pay off our car/truck
Pay for Luke to get Lasik surgery
Send my parents on an awesome vacation
Travel with my family

3 habits:

Pick at my cuticles--I know, gross!
I count my steps
I say the same thing to my kids every night at bedtime

5 places I've lived:

Hyde Park, Utah
Logan, Utah
Vancouver, Washington (for about two weeks)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Holladay, Utah

5 jobs I've had:

Receptionist/Insurance at a Pediatrician's office
Receptionist at Regional Supply
Cashier at First Western Advisors (stock market)
Co-Director at Victoria's Secret
Dance Teacher

OK, pretty boring, I know. Reading what I just wrote has made me decide that I better do some pretty great stuff in 2008! Jamie tagged pretty much everyone on my list, so some of my tags might not have a blog...yet. Dana, Mary, Heather, Hope, and Angel. Have fun!

We're Back!

Izzy, Dylan, and I took off last Saturday to spend some time in Idaho Falls with my sisters. You'd think I have lots of fun pictures to post, right? Well, we got all the way there and I realized I had left the camera battery charging in my kitchen. Bummer. Pictures or no pictures, we had so much fun, and ate entirely too much good food! I had a great time cooking dinner with my niece, Makenna, and also my sister Heather. We stayed up way too late playing so many fun games, and just had a great time hanging out. My brother-in-law, Sam, has been deployed to Iraq, and he left on Saturday, which is why we went to visit. Here is a picture of where he will be (Mosul):

We hear he won't be leaving the hospital he's stationed at due to safety precautions, so he probably won't be taking any photos. That is just fine with me. I'll settle for this one. We are excited to send him some packages so he knows how much we love and miss him, and are looking forward to him coming home safe! I'll post updates whenever we hear from him, and hopefully we'll be in Idaho again soon to throw a huge 'welcome home' party. We love you, Sam!