evidence that all traditions were upheld

Easter egg hunt. We participated in 3 this year. By the end, H1 was a master, filling her bag lickety-split.


Easter egg dyeing. 10 stress-filled minutes and only one spill.


Sugar overload and sticky fingers, face, hair, pillow, chair...


We did an Easter treasure hunt for the kids (in true Larson tradition). W1 received a microscope, and has been conducting daily science experiments ever since.

We failed tradition in only one aspect. Our Easter dinner consisted of grilled steak and roasted potatoes. We'll try to do better next year.

To the Buffalo region

While my parents were in town, we took the thruway to Buffalo for a day of sightseeing. The main purpose for our visit was a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House Complex.

This house stood vacant for years before finally being purchased and restored. Imagine!

Frank Lloyd Wright, while his morals were less than stellar, was a genius. Were he still alive, and were I a billionaire, I would hire him to design a house for me.

We drove through downtown Buffalo and then down south a bit to:

The original Kazoo factory.

Where we bought the monkeys some kazoos.

And listened to them all the way home. Good times.

Because we love kitsch as much as we love Jello

While my parents were in town, paid a visit to LeRoy, NY, the birthplace of Jello.


We spend some time in the tiny museum, learning that more lime Jello is consumed in Salt Lake City than any other city in the U.S. (not surprising!), and that when you hook a bowl of Jello up to an EEG machine it emits brainwaves identical to those of adult men and women (surprising!).


In the basement of the museum there is a transportation exhibit, with a couple sleighs, wagons, buggies, and an old plow that has recently been knocked over by a certain 3-year-old (see above photo).

A good way to spend a windy, rainy morning. So head on down if the weather turns against you, and your children are begging to learn more about 20th century consumerism.

Sunshine + Dirt path + Water + Rocks = Happiness

Add in a visiting Grandma and Grandpa, and you have bliss.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for bringing us a little sunshine from California.

We don't mess around.

Since we decided to stick around Rochester for a bit longer, we bought a house.

Just like that.



The opportunity fell into our laps, and we decided to jump on it. We are in escrow, with the estimated closing date of April 30, should everything go smoothly.

It may have been the awesome turquoise half bath that really cemented it for us.


Or the big 0.45 acre lot where our children will run wild and barefoot for as long as the weather permits.

So, we are up to our armpits and eyeballs (R1 and K1, respectively) in painting, flooring, refinishing, and decorating plans. And W1 has already scoped out the backyard for the ideal tree house spot.

L1's third birthday

On February 27th, we celebrated L1's birthday.

When I offered to make him a cake for his birthday, he said no. When I offered to take him to Wegman's to pick out a birthday cake, he answered yes quite emphatically. I might have been hurt, and felt that my baking skills had been slighted, had I not been so relieved.


And then, with no prompting from me, he picked out a delicious coconut cake. Such good taste for one so young.

He was a little excited about his gifts.


His favorite gift was W1's beloved (but outgrown) "Space is the place" t-shirt, which W1 had reluctantly and tearfully wrapped up.

February is the longest month, don't tell me differently.

I feel a bit like we are hibernating, or at least that we should be hibernating...

But since hibernating involves lots of sleeping, and we certainly aren't doing lots of sleeping, it must be something else.

Things-we-do-to-ignore-the-snow-and-bitter-cold-outside?

1. Bathe.


2. Find H1 on top of the dining room table six thousand times a day. Set H1 back on the ground six thousand times.


3. Take W1 and a friend to see the Eastman Wind Ensemble.


4. Celebrate R1's birthday.


5. Family exercising. W1 is surprisingly coordinated. H1? Not so much.