Christmas Pictures

This past week we tried, unsuccessfully I think, to take Christmas pictures of the kids. Here are some of the shots that you probably won't see on Christmas cards from the Larsen's.

Lefse time!

Sunday afternoon Ike napped, Elle played, and A&K made lefse. Yummy! Part way through Andy realized that it was the 1st time he had made lefse wearing shorts. He wanted to share the experience with all of you.

Thanksgiving

This was our first Thanksgiving in Taiwan. It was a peaceful & warm day. We were fortunate enough to even have turkey (something that you don't see in the stores the rest of the year). We are thankful for many things this year...family, friends, health........ but most of all for our Savior. We pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
PS-There are no football games here (except Monday Night on Tuesday morning), so the guys resorted to taking naps after dinner!

Isaak's new friend

This weekend our neighbor's niece brought her kittens to his home. Ike spent a lot of time there playing with the kittens. Too bad mom's allergic or it might be a fun pet for him.

Do I Have Something on My Back?

Noelle was crawling around and "picked up" her shoe. She didn't seem to notice for quite awhile!

Watch out, she might bite!!!

Today, Tuesday, Elle showed off her first 2 teeth! Now she thinks that she can have all the ice cream she wants!!

Don't worry Mom, I'll Get Her!

This is the scene many mornings in our house. Ike will hear Elle in through the monitor and is quick to run up to her room and "get her". His only problem is that he hasn't quite figured out how to get out of the crib!

Look at me Bapa and Grandma

Ike went for a walk with our neighbor up to a nearby construction site. Turns out he got to sit in the backhoe (I think that is what it is????). He was in his glory up there!

Halloween....kind-of

Halloween isn't really "celebrated" here, though you can find lots of costumes and decorations. This mom did her best to make the day "Halloweeny" for the kids (okay, they could care less at this age, so it was more for her than them). We carved pumpkins, made pumpkin shaped pizzas (they looked better in real life), and sort-of dressed up. Ike was a hunter (since he was mad about not being able to go), and Elle wore a cape that someone gave us. We thought she looked like Little Red Riding Hood. Oh, and for you Andy fans, he made it into one of the pics just for you guys!

Elle's new trick

A, K, and I were eating supper and E got awfully quiet. We looked over and saw that she had pulled herself up so that she could dig into her basket of toys. She is getting too smart. Next thing we knew, the basket was tipped over and she had her favorite toy out!

On a side note, Andy forgot to snap her onesie. Cute, huh?!?!?

Mom, she's thirsty

Ike's new favorite...sharing his juice or water with Elle. How can we discourage sharing? Besides, she likes it! So far she hasn't gotten anything from the straw, but she sure likes drinking from the cup.

Tricky

Ike woke up from his nap yesterday and quietly walked down the steps and grabbed the bucket of Halloween treats. All this without me even hearing him. This is what I saw when I looked up from the sink. Tricky!!!

What do you mean I can't go hunting with Bapa and Uncle Kyle???

Ike heard that Grandpa K and Uncle Kyle were going hunting this weekend and pulled out his blaze orange hat. He wasn't too happy when I told him that he couldn't go with!

Sitting Pretty

Elle is starting to master sitting up. Today she did it while wearing a new dress from Grandma K. The headband only stayed on long enough to snap the picture, then it was in her mouth. Yummy!

Ike's new hair

This morning Mom was using a little hairspray and Ike thought he should have some.....so, I put some in his hair and spiked it! It looked cute, but made me realize that he REALLY needed a haircut! So, that came next.

Elle's new stats

Elle had her 6 month check-up today. She is now 27 inches long and weighs 18 lbs....that puts her in the 75th percentile for both. She is also following in her brother's footsteps...she has a big head. Her head circumference is in the 97th percentile! Wow!

Nanliau

Sunday evening we headed to the beach, Nanliau, to watch the sunset and let Isaak run around. What a beautiful night, cool and VERY breezy! Noelle got to ride in the backpack for the first time. We think that she liked it.

Ish!!!

These are the little critters that both Andy and Kris despise. COCKROACHES! They like to come into the homes here at night and chew on ANYTHING! We don't get too many thanks to spray and traps, but this little one happened to crawl into our house last night and we found it perched on the ceiling (if I can say "perched"). Sadly, this little guy is no longer living, he is in cockroach heaven. Sorry little fella!

Isaak

Our neighbor took Isaak to the park the other day and got some really cute shots of him. Here are a couple we thought we'd share. One really shows how tall he got over the summer. There is a shot of him riding in one of the neighbor kid's remote control cars. He LOVED that!

Noelle at Mid-Autumn Festival

Noelle really wanted to try some rice! Don't worry, she didn't get any. Soon!

Mid-autumn Festival

This weekend we joined in the mid-autumn festival activities. Basically, everyone sits outside and grills, Chinese style. Saturday night we sat out with our neighbors and had all kinds of grilled meat, tofu, vegies, fish, seafood, and who knows what else. It was lots of fun!

Isaac, this one is for you!

Here's Andy! He took this picture just for you!

Watch out, she's on the move!!!

About a week ago Noelle started crawling. Yesterday we found she had crawled right under the couch. She was probably going after a pair of shoes. They seem to be her favorite "toy" these days. I guess they must taste pretty good!

Still Swimming

It's hard for a Minnesota girl to believe that it's the end of September and her kids are still using their swimming pool. Yesterday Elle joined Ike in the fun! She was laughing up a storm as Ike splashed around in the water!

Weekend Away

We just returned from the CLB Annual Convention. It was held at a beautiful hotel in the "hills" about 30min from our home! We took the opportunity to take a few shots of the kids.

Man, does she make me tired!!

Noelle likes to play with Isaak's toys, but he doesn't really like it too much. He spends much of his time taking them away from her. Today all the work was just too much for him, and he crashed on the floor! She thought it was pretty funny!

Looking pretty

Elle is sporting another new outfit (well bigger size)! Mom thought she looked pretty cute in it, so decided another picture was needed. There's a sweater to go with it, but being that it is still around 90 degrees here, she hasn't needed it yet!

The Move Has Begun

Ike has finally decided that it is okay to give up his high chair so his sister can use it. I think he feels like a big boy when he gets to sit in a regular chair. Elle really likes her new chair (and the food she gets while in it)!

You want me to touch this stuff???

Isaak played with play-doh for the first time (thanks to A & A). He didn't know if he really wanted to touch it though. He actually looked at it and said "yuck". He did warm up to the stuff, and by the end was making spaghetti out it.

Sweet Potatoes....Yummy!!!

Noelle had her first taste of vegies this week. She started with sweet potatoes and she LOVES them!!!