January Little Things

In January we continued our 7 a.m. morning mile. Some morning were a little chilly! 

Pink nose Lily

 We don't own very much in the way of winter clothing, so Zach ended up with a nice pink pair.

 Adam was warmer bundled up in a few blankets in the stroller.

Playing peek-a-boo!

I was saddened by the passing of my Grandpa Larsen. I wrote about some of my memories of him here.

Adam enjoying his new dump truck.

The kids and I went to a special "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" event at the FLMNH. The main activity was a scavenger hunt throughout the museum, where we identified imaginary creatures from the world of Harry Potter compared with similar real-world creatures. 

We spent a morning at one of our favorite parks, the new Depot Park.

 This little one likes to hide in cupboards...

 ...and in boxes!

 One Sunday morning the kids gathered up all of their stuffed animals for a party.

I love this drawing that Zach made in Primary of Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Playing with trains.

A sweet picture of our family that Lily drew.

Happy Birthday to Anwyn (with a Harry Potter party)

Anwyn turned 12 in December, but as is our tradition we celebrated her birthday in January.  She picked the dinner menu (the leftover Christmas Eve-Chinese menu we had in the freezer) and we enjoyed lemon bars for dessert.

Anwyn was excited to have a Harry Potter themed party with her friends. We did the same theme for Lily's birthday this past October, so planning and pulling together the party was a lot easier the second time around.

Our version of "Owl Post" to deliver the invitations.

A couple of crazy wizards in the family.

Everyone at the party was sorted into a Hogwarts house, so I made ties out of felt and badges in the appropriate colors. Jared and Anwyn made wands for each guest. Remember, "the wand chooses the wizard!"

Planning the menu was fun! We had Potter Popcorn and Deviled Dragon Eggs. I found a printable for the water bottles that added nicely to the theme--Elixer of Life, Veritaserum, etc. 

Ravenclaw Red Apples and Slytherin Snacks (cheeseball and crackers).

Gryffindor Vegetable Garden and Hufflepuff Cream Puffs. For dessert we had Butterbeer floats (just root beer ice cream floats).

After the house sorting we had a few Hogwarts themed classes/activities. Then after eating and presents, it was time to play Quidditch! Jared figured out how to make an awesome Quidditch set using PVC pipe and hula hoops.

The cutest little Quidditch player.

It was a really fun party!

TanFamRoadTrip2016:Day 15

Day 15/July 17th: 386 total miles
165 miles in South Carolina
111 miles in Georgia
110 miles in Florida

We reached the last day of our trip! Mixed feelings for the day, of course, as we near the end of our journey.

We left our hotel by 8:30 a.m., so we could drive 1.5 hours and attend sacrament meeting at a branch in Waltersboro, South Carolina. The branch members were friendly, and it was a nice meeting. We were glad to be able to attend sacrament meeting throughout our trip.

Sunday family selfie in South Carolina.

Then we drove on into Georgia. Quick rest stop, and we found our spot on the Georgia map on the wall.

After more miles of driving, we made it home to Florida! What a trip!

 Our van had done well for us and earned a rest in the garage.

TanFamTrip2016: Day 14

Day 14/July 16th: 330 total miles
109 miles in Virginia
183 miles in North Carolina
38 miles in South Carolina

On Day 14 we woke up at our beach hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. Jared was up early to take some photos of the sunrise.

Everyone else was up pretty early also and were motivated to eat a quick breakfast so we could go play!

In contrast to the evening before, the water was so calm and still, with really no waves at all. 

Zach dug a big hole and put himself in it.

Then Adam helped me bury him.

The girls wanted to get in on the fun. Three children buried in the sand!

Ew-somebody needs a manicure! Ha-Jared found a shell that looked just like a toenail.

We really enjoyed the beach. It was lovely to be out first thing in the morning, and avoid the hot direct sunlight. This is the way to visit the beach!

But...we had to get on the road again, and were checked out of our hotel by 11 a.m. We drove through Virginia. Adam napped for 1.5 hours (hurray-his longest car nap yet!). We got on the I-95 drove through pretty North Carolina. NC does a nice job with roadside flowers.

We stopped at a rest stop mid-way through North Carolina. It was hot! Adam made friends with a dog on a leash, so we held the dog for the owner while he used the restroom.

We reached our hotel in Florence, South Carolina at about 5:30 p.m. We picked up dinner at Zaxby's, then relaxed in the hotel and watched Toy Story 2 on tv until bedtime.