Eric and Isaac

Isaac loves to be with Eric. He loves when Eric comes over once a week to do therapy. He was especially happy to have him along for the trip.

Our campsite on the river. Perfect weather. No bugs are out yet. The leaves were not all out, so I imagine it gets even more spectacular in May.

Isaac, Eric, and me near the falls.

The Falls

Buffalo River

We had heard about a nice waterfall off the river 3/4 of a mile. We made the hike up and again I was shocked that I was still in the Midwest. The waterfall was at least 100 feet high. There were some smaller cascading falls as we hiked up the river. Reminded me of the west.

Buffalo River

I have been wanting to float the Buffalo river for several years now. I heard about it from my cousin Zach, who took a trip to the Buffalo river while attending law school in Kansas. It is the country's only National River. Located in Northern Arkansas made it a 6-7 hour drive from Wichita. The weather in Wichita two weeks prior to the trip had been in the 80s, but of course the week of the trip was snowing.

Eric has done behavioral therapy with Isaac for 3 years now and he wanted to do the trip with us. Isaac doesn't know how to swim yet, so I really needed another adult. My original plan was to float 3 days and two nights, camping along the river. Due to the bad weather we ended up two days and one night.

I was shocked at how beautiful the river and surroundings were. I could not believe I was still in the Midwest. The weather was 60-70s for the trip and no rain in sight.

The night did get cold and my new sleeping bag(10 degrees) did not keep me warm. Cheap bag!!

It's time for an update on the Larsen Family. We are in our final months in Wichita. The only person that won't miss Kansas is Nick, he's ready to move on. Me and the kids, on the other hand like it here and are feeling a little apprehensive about the move. We have made lots of friends here and are very involved. I just hope that Cheyenne will be a good move for us. I do wish we were moving closer to home, but we're getting a little further West with each move.
Isaac is so smart. I just had a meeting with his school teacher and principal, they informed me that he is above grade level in reading and math. The only area he is below average in is social and verbal skills. He is improving, but still has a long way to go. Isaac's teacher thinks he's ready to go to a regular ed kindergarten classroom. He's been in a communications disorder classroom. We'll see how it works out, he does need to continue to be challenged. We are grateful for all of the people that have worked with him to make as much progress as he has. It will be hard for him to leave people that he's worked with for over 3 years here.
The girls are doing great! Sophia is turning into a little spunky, sassy girl. She is starting to put two words together which is so exciting! She'll say Mommy's bike, or Daddy's elbow. Her personality changed a few months ago, and she is so assertive. Nick started calling her squirt months ago, and it really fits her, she's just a "little squirt"! Savannah used to be the outgoing one, and now she's shy and intraverted. Savannah is talking a little, but not nearly as much as Sophia. They both use sign language very well. Sophia's favorite sign is "candy" and Savannah's favorite thing to ask for in sign language is "cheese". They are darling little girls, but are getting harder to take places. They don't like to sit in a stroller or shopping cart anymore, they'd rather run free and touch everything they possibly can. They love being outside, but when it's time to go back inside they throw big fits and kick and scream all the way in. They are starting to know what they want and when they want it. Savannah is still sweet enough to give kisses, Sophia is too cool. We love our 3 children very much and feel blessed to have a happy family.

Savannah

WINTER IN WICHITA!!! Some of the worst weather in the country is found here.

i sat on daddy's bench
the rock is singing

she is at owens house go trick or treating its serteley night fun i love you

she has a bowl on her head its sure a hat

i am not a monster

i was putting my hands on my head

Isaac

no stamping on your eyes

i dint mean to

Isaac's turn

i made a gingerbread school

Isaac

Halloween 2006

We had a spooktacular Halloween this year! The kids were all into it, which made it fun. Isaac was a dog,(of course) Sophia was a ladybug, and Savannah was a bumble bee. It was a chilly night here, but the costumes kept the kids nice and toasty. Isaac wanted Sophia to be a woodchuck, but I knew it would be a longshot to find a costume. We looked all over town for a dog costume for Isaac, we found was a scooby doo costume for $65.oo, which we couldn't justify spending, and a size 2T dog costume, which I forced him to try on. He got it on but couldn't breathe and we almost couldn't squeeze him out of it. After that we went to the fabric store and I let him pick out some fake fur. I managed to sew up a cute little puppy costume in just an hour or two. He liked it so much he wore it every morning for a week. We took the kids trick-or-treating, Isaac was a pro, he looks forward to the candy frenzie all year. Sophia and Savannah caught on quickly and earned themselves a nice little bucket of treats. Savannah wanted to walk right into peoples houses when they opened their doors. She did it at least 5 times, she's so cute nobody cared. We had a fun night, it was great to see the kids so happy.
I got to go to Isaac's school and help with their Halloween party. His teacher is so wonderful, he has learned a lot in just a few months.

Swing Built for Two

Been very busy lately. Not much time for anything. I cannot remember the last day I had off.
This is a park a few miles from our house. The girls fit nicely into the swing. Emily put them in there when they were smaller, but now they barely fit together. They are at a cute age now.

Happy Birthday Dear Isaac! What a fun Dog Birthday Party!! We had dog and bone cookies, hot dogs, cake and ice cream. The kids had a wonderful time jumping in the bouncer, playing pin the tail on the dog, I have a little doggie and he won't bite you, Bean bag toss, and the dog pinata. There were 12 kids running crazy for two hours in the backyard. Savannah absolutely loved the chaos, she was in her glory with all of the kids to play with and the bouncer to jump in. I'm positive she had more fun than Isaac. Sophia had fun, but she really had her eye on the cake, she couldn't wait patiently any longer, and decided to dig into the chocolate frosting and try it. By the end of the party Isaac was in the basement all by himself, I guess he needed some down time. We couldn't have asked for a nicer evening, the weather was perfect, and the kids were pretty well behaved. I had put a lot of effort into the party, so I was glad the kids had a good time. I asked Isaac what his very favorite present was, he said it was his new SpongeBob movie from Daddy. (Nick took Isaac to Sam's Club, and let him pick a DVD, then Isaac came home and wrapped it himself, at least Nick knew it was something Isaac would like!)

Bike trailer

We've been enjoying some fun family outings with our bikes and trailers. Nick bought a nice new bike, and I received his hand-me-down. It's a good thing I don't know any better, as long as it works, I'm fine with it. Nick will take the heavy load consisting of Isaac, who weighs 63 pounds and barely fits, and Sophia, while I just pull Savannah in my trailer. Even with my lighter load, I still have a hard time keeping up with him. We ride around for a few miles, and then take the kids to the park and let them play. It's a good way to entertain the kids and get exercise too.

Floor to couch

Isaac is now sleeping on the couch. He will never tell us why he does these things, but every night he wants to sleep on the couch in our front room. He might be afraid of his room, or his bed, but he never tells us.

Back to school

Isaac is back in school. He actually likes where he is going. Emily is happy because now she only has two to watch during the day. I haven't really noticed a difference because I'm gone most of the time.
From Emily:
Isaac has made the adjustment of all day school, he was exhausted the first week. He also attends speech therapy 3 days a week after school, so we keep his pretty busy. He is doing so well and is so smart. His teacher was impressed that he is reading so well, she said most kids starting kindergarten aren't reading yet, she tested him and he flew through all of her 1st grade material with no problem. There are 7 boys in his class(no girls), it is staffed with a great teacher and 2 assistants. Wichita has incredible public schools, especially for special ed. I'm sure he's going to make substantial progress this school year.
The girls are absolutely adorable, they are becoming quite the mischief makers. They follow each other around the house emptying out cupboards and drawers. Isaac has restricted them from his room, because they ruined too many of his books. They are going through the playing in the toilet stage, and it's really disgusting. They put toys, balls, fingernail clippers, toothbrushes, and whatever they might find in the toilet. I just get a pair of Nick's surgical gloves and remove the objects and throw it and the gloves away. I hope they lose interest soon. They are starting to chat a little, their favorite words right now are Dad, Duck, Dog, Mama, and hat. They like to get out of the house(or maybe that's just me) we go shopping, to the zoo, for walks, or out to lunch. One of our new outings that Isaac and the girls love is going to the pet stores and seeing all of the animals, this is great fun for the kids to see all of the animals and I don't have to smell them or clean up after them(the animals, not the kids). Nick doesn't mind that we do this, because it's free entertainment. It has been so hot here the last few weeks so we've missed out on our family bike rides. We have gone to the park to shoot off rockets. Isaac holds the controller, we give the 5-4-3-2-1-blastoff countdown, he'll push the red button, and we watch it soar. Savannah gets scared every time, you'd think she would start expecting it, but she freaks out over the vacuum too. Our kids are a lot of work, but they are so sweet and special, we feel very blessed.

From Tent to Floor

Isaac has been sleeping on the floor for the last month. Last year as you may remember he was sleeping downstairs in the tent. He acquired a fear of the dark lately and only wants to sleep in the hallway by his room with the light on. He seems to like it just fine.

Isaac gets to start school soon. Emily is looking forward to that. It will be nice when the girls go to school as well. They are so cute, walking all over the place.
I am so happy this is my last summer in Kansas. The heat is killing me. Sophia, Isaac and I cannot stand the hot weather. Emily and Savannah seem to tolerate it.

No lose tooth!

The other night Isaac lost his first tooth. He didn't tell us that his tooth was loose, but I noticed it because he was real quiet and kept sticking his tongue out. I looked and it was almost out. I told him that he was going to lose his tooth and he got really upset. He kept saying, "No lose tooth, no lose tooth!" Finally we read him a book about clifford the big red dog who loses his tooth and his friends tie a rope to his tooth to get it to come out. Naturally Isaac wanted a rope at that point, but finally settled for some dental floss. I jerked the tooth out and he did't even cry. Of course having Emily as your mother means the tooth fairy has deep pockets. I expected two bits under his pillow. The next morning Isaac got a quarter and a five dollar bill. Maybe that is an advance on all the teeth to follow.

Still Like Sophia

Sophia is such a sweetie. She is still my favorite twin, but Savannah is a lot of fun as well. They just opened a new Sportsman's warehouse in Wichita. I took just Sophia with me and she loved it. She kept pointing to all the deer and elk mounted on the walls. She had a great time. The only problem with her she is too sensitive. If I even raise my voice at her, even to warn her of danger, she starts crying and there is quickly lots of tears. It won't work with me. I won't fall for the waterworks.

Isaac