Are you ready for some football?

That's right - Monday Night Football! For my birthday this year, Dan got me two tickets to the Seattle vs. San Francisco football game. He wasn't really interested in going, so I took his cousin's wife (and my good friend) Cheri. We left Skagit County around 11:30, even though the game didn't start until 5:30. We stopped in Alderwood to get some gloves at Old Navy, since we both forgot ours! We shopped for a bit and then had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We then made our way to Qwest field. We wandered around a bit and hooked up with a couple of her friends who were tailgating it. KOMO 4 interviewed a bunch of people there about tailgating so that we pretty cool to see. We finally made it inside the stadium and headed for the exhibition center. They have a bunch of booth set up with freebies and giveaways. We visited the Seahawk's team booth for some souvenirs and grabbed a beer. We wandered a bit and ran into Drew Carey coming off the stage! He signed my poster and I got a pretty good picture. We also say Warren Moon, Brock Huard, and Steve Raibel doing a broadcast. Finally we made it toward our seats. We were in season ticket holder club seats so we had to enter through a special door. The club part was awesome! They had good restaurants and bars - even serving hard alcohol (not just beer)! We ended up about 25 rows from the field just in front of the ESPN crew! They were doing their pre and post game shows and half time report right in front of us! I got to see Emmit Smith and Steve Young but from our seats. I tried to get a good picture, but it was tricky. Overall, Cheri and I had a blast - I'd definitely go to another game again!

Pumpkin patch - 2007

Well, it's that time of year again - Pumpkin patch time! I don't know how Ethan knows, but he started asking about the pumpkin patch in late September. I told him we had to wait until the pumpkins were big and orange before we could go - knowing it wouldn't be until October 2oth that we could finally make it. The day finally came and Ethan was so excited. He had on his orange Jack-o-lantern shirt from Great Grandma and was rearing to go. We went and picked up Jamie and Jaisha and were on our way to meet up with Alex, Matthew, Jana , and Aaron. We started out with the animals. Ethan used his hard earned quarters (Thanks, Grandma Berta!) to buy grain for the birds. Once we made it through the animals the tractor and trailer came to pick us up to go down to the patch. I think Ethan was going to burst he was so excited to ride on the trailer! We went down to the patch and picked apples, gourds, and ghost pumpkins. We then picked out one pumpkin each - Ethan picked a 30 pounder! Not to be shown up, Jamie picked a 33 pounder. Jaisha also got a large one, but I think it was less than 30. Finally, Aaron took the kids through the muddy corn maze while we waited for the tractor to come and take us back up to the farm. Our day was completed with 5 hours (no joke) of pumpkin carving and seed roasting. There were 10 carved pumpkins when it was all said and done (Thanks Weezer for the extra pumpkins!) including funny faces, initials, and a haunted house. It was a good time had by all - we'll see if we can top it next year!

Fireplace Remodel

The Larson Family has been hard at work, remodeling our house. Ethan is very busy "working" on everything he can get his hands on. Basically, hammering everything in sight! Our latest adventure started when we realized we needed to redo the chimney. The siding on the house is in progress, but the chimney was not flush with the side of the house. Dan started taking the chimney down and before you know it, we are pushing the built-in fireplace and brick mantle out the side of the house. For a week or so we had a hole in the side of the house. Luckily, Bear came by last weekend and helped to frame in the hole - making it much warmer in the house. This weekend, Bear and his buddy Chris came over and built me a platform. We are going to add a free standing wood stove and needed a safe and stable place to put it. With the platform done, Jaisha and I set about laying the Hardibacker and slate tile. Yes, as you see, we did it all on our own. The grout will be laid this week and we should be able to install the wood stove. The tile looks great, but let me tell you - it's no easy! We laid 20 tiles and it took us about 4 hours total (including installing Hardibacker and mixing two sets of morter). We still have to determine what to do with the wall and side of the platform. We'll probably go with some more stone, but it still remains to be determined. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Stuff & Junk

Since I've been a lop about posting - I thought I would at least post a few pics and comments for you.

Mommy and Ethan celebrating a Seahawks playoff victory



Jaimie, Ethan, and Debbie went to Medford, Oregon to visit our long, lost family. To the left is Aunt Janet, "Uncle" Steve, and our cousin Sierra. Below, you'll find Jaimie, Debbie, Janet, Sierra, and Ethan.












Dan and his business, Acme Tree Works, have been very busy. Below is a tree that took five weeks to fall and remove. This is just a taste - we'll blog the whole bit another time.

Finally...Jaimie's 30th Birthday

So, you have all been asking when the big 30th birthday party shin-dig would be posted. Well, your wait is over! Here's the big picture - Jaisha put together a "surprise" birthday party for me at our hangout - The Doghouse. Several weeks before the party, she confiscated my address book and sent everyone in it an invitation and a scrapbook page to complete. I have received some of the best pages - thank you!! There was such a great mix of people that attended. My grandparents, parents, in-laws, friends, and neighbors. I couldn't believe the turnout! She coordinated my favorite food (Mexican) and had Richard the Chef prepare fajitas on the grill - awesome! When I got to the party, I had a birthday crown and sash (complete with mini-alcohol bottles attached) waiting for me. Of course, there were great presents, friends and good times. There was even a purple star pinata! I didn't think it could get much better, then a star shaped chocolate cake appeared! The girl thought of it all. The best part was that she convinced my husband to stick around, even though it was opening hunting weekend! Overall, this was the best birthday I could have had. I appreciate everyone that came and contributed. Imagine, if it was this great at 30, what 40 will be like!

Larson Family Christmas

The Larson Family had a great Christmas, as many of our extended family knows. So, for your enjoyment, I'll post some pictures including Tommy and Ethan on Christmas Eve, Grandma Linda and Ethan opening presents, and Ethan's present from Santa Claus!


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