Makenna!

Have a very happy birthday today! Get feeling better and have a great time at dinner. We'd love to see some pictures of you and Duke if you get a chance. We love you!

April

A new addition to the Larsen family

Here are some pictures of our new puppy! I put Dylan's little stuffed Hippo next to him so you can see how tiny he is. When all is said and done, he will be about 3 lbs. We don't have a name for him yet, so any ideas are welcome. Isabelle and Dylan are so excited, and haven't left him alone for more than a minute. Isn't he cute?

Pesto

Last night, Luke grilled some chicken breasts, and I made pesto to mix with some bowtie pasta. Look at us being healthy! Anyway, I got the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and it was really good. So, if you like pesto, try out this easy recipe:

1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
1/2 cup firmly packed parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pinenuts
1 large clove garlic, quartered
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all of those ingredients together in a blender or food processor until a paste forms. Then gradually add 1/4 cup of olive oil while the machine is running slowly. It should end up the consistency of soft butter.

It was really good tossed with pasta, and it will stay good in the freezer for 3 months!

Happy birthday, Hope!

Hope,
Your birthday was yesterday (I'm sure you are aware), but due to the fact that we were having so much fun hunting for Easter eggs, your birthday post had to wait until today. I hope you had a fabulous day; you are a great sister, and more than anything, a great friend! So, here is your list of random events and facts about April 8th that I'm sure you are just dying to know:

*1994 Kurt Cobain was found dead at the age of 27.

*1990 "Twin Peaks" debuted on television.

*1986 Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.

*1985 Phyllis Diller underwent surgery for permanent eye liner (slow news day?).

*1974 Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run, and broke Babe Ruth's record.

*1971 "Chicago" became the first rock group to perform at Carnegie Hall.

*1968 The Beatles received a gold record for the single "Lady Madonna".

*1899 The first woman was executed in the electric chair.

Happy birthday, Sam!

Sam,
I have compiled a list of interesting facts about this particular day in history, aside from the fact that you were born. Here they are:

*1994 The conflict in Rwanda began when Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarinana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira were killed in a rocket attack on their plane.

*1974 ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo".

*1917 The United States of America declared war on Germany, and WWI began.

*1909 After 6 attempts and 15 years, US Commander Robert Edwin Peary became the first man to reach the North Pole.

*1896 The first Olympics were held in Athens, Greece.

*1868 The Ku Klux Klan was founded in America.

*1830 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York.

Have a great birthday, and hopefully this year will be the best one yet!
-April

One of these things is not like the others...

My friend Jamie sent an e-mail to me this morning with a picture that I think is hilarious, thus making it blog-worthy. Her husband was in Ensenada, Mexico this week, and spent some time at a flea market. He came across a stand that was selling velvet paintings--you know the kind I am talking about. He said among the paintings on display were Tupac, Bob Marley, Che Guevara, Elvis Presley, and one that seemed a little out of place...

I figured since Luke and I are officially grown-ups, we could get some big people glasses. Someone told me once that everything tastes better when you pour it out of a hand-made pitcher and drink it out of a pretty glass. Especially lemonade with fresh mint from your own garden! Just one of the many things I learned from Grandma Kemp. :)

Aren't they cute?