Off to Charleston We Go!!

This weekend we decided to go visit my great friends Sara and Matthew who live just outside Charleston SC. We had a great weekend! It was great to see Sara and Matthew's new house- it is beautiful! Saturday morning we packed up and headed to Isle of Palms Beach for a little fun in the sun. With great weather, and great company, we enjoyed our time at the beach! Chase even tried out his water wings in the Atlantic. Later, we had lunch at a park near the water in the city. Of course, we couldn't leave without doing some quick window shopping and then finishing off the day with some Kilwins! I learned two things during this adventure, #1: take an umbrella to the beach next time to shade Chase...human shading gets old #2: don't forget the stroller...15 pounds of baby gets heavy after a while! Saturday night Matthew made italian beef which was great, and Sara and I made cupcakes :)





Sunday was a lazy day. It rained the majority of the day, so we spent the day watching races/movies and munching on goodies! Thankfully, it cleared up in the evening, so Matthew was able to grill burgers and brats...yum! One of the best parts of the weekend was when Chase laughed for the first time. I mean, he really cackled. Jason, of course, was the entertainment. Luckily, we got a little clip of it on video for your enjoyment! (see below)






Monday morning, we packed up and headed back to reality, but we had a great weekend while it lasted!

Introducing Rice Cereal!!

Well, because Chase will be starting day care in a couple of weeks, and our pediatrician recommended the introduction of rice cereal at 4 months, we decided to start it tonight so we could get the hang of it over the next couple of weeks before we go to day care. I would say that we were mostly successful! I am not sure how much of it actually got into his tummy, but by the end he seemed to at least know I was going to dart at him with a blue spoon filled with tasty stuff! To commemorate the event, like my sister did, we captured a lil' footage. But, unlike Carolyn's videos, ours is only a short little blip :) Enjoy!

Hmmm...this is different.

I'm starting to get the hang of it!!


Oh, I can't wait until tomorrow night!!

To Grandmother's House We Go!

For Katie's wedding week, Chase and I flew into Chicago last Monday to spend some QT with the fam. It was really great! We were able to visit with my dad, mom, stepdad, Carolyn, Bob and Claire, my grandparents on both sides of the family, we stopped by my Aunt Claudia's house for a quick visit, as well as seeing Jason's parents for a couple days. I was also fortunate enough to see my close friends from high school on Tuesday night when we all went out to dinner. Chase was a big hit of course :) It was wonderful being able to take the time to see everyone again. I really do miss being able to jet home over the weekend, or for the night. Grandma and Grandpa really loved seeing how much "Bear" has changed!

Here is a video of Grandma and Bear playing patty cake:



Katie also enjoyed a little quality time with Bear. Here she is making him laugh:




And of course, Chase had to get a few words in while we were at the dinner table:




Katie married Aaron Yankauskas on Saturday May 16th which was the greatest part of the week! Chase is very excited to have a new Uncle :) Here is a picture of the happy couple:


What a great weekend! We can't wait to go back!!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!

Well...so far we've got planes and automobiles checked off out list of successful transportation! This past week, for the first time ever, Chase went on an airplane! There is no picture because he and I flew solo (which proved to be quite difficult) and I did not have an extra 5th hand to capture the candid event. You would've noticed, had I taken some, that Chase began his travels in one outfit and finished in another. This is because, he wanted to make things interesting for mommy and pooped mid-air, half way to Chicago (awesome.) Changing a baby's diaper in an airplane was not easy...and it was an explosion of poop! Needless to say, we had to change clothes. Once I had successfully undressed him and gotten poop on almost everything, what did I hear?? *Ding* "Due to some turbulence, the captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign. Please return to your seats immediately" Yeah right. We finished up first, and then we headed back to our seats. It was an adventure for sure, but we both made it in one piece!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello Everyone! With the encouragement of my friend, Amy Abell, I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog about the Larsen family here in Charlotte North Carolina! Since we are so far away from our families, it seems like a great way to communicate all that we have going on. With a 3 month old, it's getting harder and harder to keep everyone up to speed on our daily/weekly happenings.

Today being Mother's Day, I thought it would be a great start to our new blog. Chase let me sleep in a little (woohoo) and then we got up at 7:30 am. We then met my friends Sara and Matthew, who were in the area buying a car, for breakfast at LePeep (the only one in NC!) They live in Summerville, SC...not too far away!! After breakfast, we came home for a little relaxation. Chase and Daddy took a nap, and I began working on the baby book and of course my new blogging adventure!

Yesterday was also very exciting! We took Chase to the pool for the first time. It was a short adventure, but very fun. Of course, my favorite part was dressing him in his cute little swim suit and hat. Daddy was adventurous and dipped Chase's little toesies in the coooold pool water...he did not seem to mind! Here are some pictures of our new adventure:

It's very important to read the pool rules before swimming

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Mommy and Chase hamming it up for the camera

Getting our little toes wet.... he didn't cry!