Life at the Larrabees

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Wrapping up the Trip

We went to see the cool old ships and aircraft carrier in San Diego Bay.

Corey went on early morning bike rides to explore and find cool places for us to visit. This is one of his favorite finds....a tribute to bikes...what could be better??

This is Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma. Beautiful, reverent place.

There was also a cool lighthouse and a beautiful hike to some more tide pools.

Goodbye Imperial Beach

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Corey had never been to Mexico so the "boys" (my dad, brothers and Corey) decided they needed to go. It was an eye-opening experience for him. The filth and poverty was shocking. We're so blessed to live in America.

The highlights of their trip was seeing a donkey painted like a zebra, Corey bartering for a sombrero and when Corey left his id in the car and they wouldn't let him back in the country. Good adventures!

Friday, June 6, 2014

What a Place!

When I found out about the beach house I thought it was weird that it was right on the beach and had a swimming pool. Why would you need both?? Well, it was perfect! The kids loved playing on the beach and jumping the ocean waves, and swimming in the pool. My mom found our old beach toys from when we were kids and my kids loved it!

More beach and beachhouse pictures...

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Early Morning Sand Dollar Hunting

The biggest boys...my brothers. Littler big boys below.

My Beautiful Mom

McKay, the crab whisperer. Beautiful seagull and Keaton.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

La Jolla

Probably my favorite day in San Diego we spent in La Jolla. There is nothing like the wonder of children. It is such a beautiful place and so fun to spend the day there discovering and being together!

McKay was the "crab whisperer." He loved catching crabs, feeding them to the anemonies and didn't flinch when he got pinched!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Old Town San Diego

It's pretty sad that with five kids it's Corey and I that ruin these pics.....

We had a great time in Old Town San Diego. First stop, the Mormon Battalion Museaum. We came here about ten years ago and boy have they made improvements! It was so cool. I always love learning about our pioneer ancestors. We were even able to look up Guy Keysor, one of our own ancestors, and read about him, very cool!

McKay was the model for the battalion attire. We also did some laundry and some panning for gold.

After the museum we hit the shops and sites around Old Town. Loved the Historic Home Tour and our stained glass Christmas tree ornaments!

McKay remembered that we took a picture of him in front of this Indian on our first trip here and so of course we needed an updated one to compare...where the time goes I do not know!

Monday, June 2, 2014

San Diego

This year we were lucky enough to go to San Diego for our Peterson Family Vacation. We had a great beach house on Imperial Beach and enjoyed every bit of beach-time we got. The kids missed the last 2 1/2 days of school, but they were okay with that once I gave them the option of playing on the beach or going to class parties.

The Beach makes for such beautiful pictures...how to choose??

Keaton & Tate jumping over waves

Beach, beach & more beach

Kids Say the Darndest Things.....

Avery: "I know what coal is...it's a dirty rock"
Avery: "McKay, did you see me plant-face?!!"
Avery: "I'm going to do a singing show" Brecken: "That's going to be embarrassing for me, I'll just climb under the table."
Avery: "What is that big thingy?" Me:"It's a turkey! And on what holiday do we eat turkey?" Avery: "Mothers Day!!"
Me: "where did you hear about this?" Avery: " I just saw it on a appetizement"
Brecken(showing a new friend Averys room): "We're not supposed to jump on Avery's bed, but we do jump when we're sneaking."
Keaton (talking to me about a bike ride): "Ya, we'll take Tate. McKay needs a recovery ride anyways, I've been pushing him pretty hard."
Avery: "why didn't I go in your tummy and Bwecken go in Daddy's tummy?"
Me to Avery: "what should we make for dinner Darlin'? Avery: "CUPCAKES!"
Brecken: "Is anybody going to go up to heavan.....in their car?" Avery: "cars can't go to heavan Brecken!" Breck: "they can, if they fly" Avery: "cars can't fly" Breck: "they can wis a lil' bit of pixie dust"
Brecken "Dad, why do we have lights on our car?" Corey "Why do you think buddy?" Brecken "So we don't be scared"
"What did you learn at church today?" Keaton: "about ordinances" Avery: "THAT'S WHAT'S ON CHRISTMAS TREES!!"
Brecken and Avery playing: Brecken "You can't put us in jail, we're bad guys!" Avery: "why?" Brecken: "Cuz we're teenager bad guys!"
Brecken saying a prayer "thank you for mommy (Avery whispers "and Avery"), and daddy, ("and Avery"), and McKay ("and Avery"), and Keaton ("and Avery"), and Tate and NOT Avery."
Avery: "Mom, Tate said he's gonna chuck my Barbie out the window in the sprinklers" Tate from the other room: "JK Avery JK" Avery: "That is not even a word to say Tate!"
Avery: "Did you hear that??? My bum grumbled"
Avery: "Mom, what are you doing?" Me: "Trying on Brittany's dress" Avery: " Did you have an accident?"
Me: "Do you know who Karl Malone is?" Keat: "Oh yeah, he's a car sales guy"
Me: "So what do ya think you want to be when you grow up?" Brecken: "uhhh, a dinosaur!"
Avery: "I don't like the pink shoes, they make polka dots on my feet"
2012
Avery: (bugging Breck) " I am a robot and I know it and I'm not afraid to show it"
Avery: "What is that fing by the window?" Me: "I don't know" Avery: "I guess we just haf to fink about it!"
Me: "Hey buddy what are you guys doing?" Tate: " Dads fake-riding his bike downstairs and watching Star Wars and so are we"
Brecken: " I don't wike dat scawey Santa Cwas"
Tate brought a project home from school with a cute reindeer on it and one question: "How did Rudolph get his shiny nose?" Tate's response was " FRUM jESiS MAD RODOLF RED NOSE"
Avery: " Ipods are made of socks"
Santa: What do you want for Christmas Miss Avery?" Avery: " I can't have an Ipod" Santa:"well, what do you want" Avery: " a dollie"
Avery:"dis is my bus" Me: " oh yeah, how do you know it's your bus?" Avery: "cuz it's pink" Me: "is everything that's pink yours?" Avery: " uh huh!"
Brecken: "I'm gonna go see Avery and wook at her and smiwel (smile)."
I grabbed Breck and held him tight. In a dreamy voice he said to me: " Mom, I love...my truck"
Avery: playing with a beloved pilgrim she just broke the leg off of: " Look Mom he's hopping...boing, boing, boing."
My parents told the twins they were taking them to McDonalds for dinner. When they got there Avery asked "where's old MacDonald?"
Me brushing Brecks teeth:" Open up lets get those sugar bugs!" Tate: "It's actually called plaque Mom"
The twins were peeling boiled eggs for a potatoe salad. Avery: "did we grow these in our garden?" Me: "No, chickens lay eggs" Breck: " But these are not chickies cuz that would be weird in our salad!"
Me: "Avery! I'm so proud of you! You're the best pottier!" Avery: "I know my am"
Dr. Balif: "So these are all your kids, and she's your only girl?" Brecken: " and I'm the only Brecken"
Brecken softly touching his hair after his bath: "my hair is so nice"
Keaton: "Most of the time when you get a new haircut and you get home we're like "what the?" But then we get used to it."
Avery playing dress ups: "I'm Harry Potta" in a perfect English accent from watching the movies...funny.
The kids were going through everyones initials when they came to me "Mom is MAL." You know....Mom Amber Larrabee
Tate: "Mom, why isn't Dad at work?" Me: "He's at the dentist" Tate: "What's it called? Is he getting a snap-on-smile? It only takes two visits to the dentist....I saw it on t.v."
Me: "Love you baby girl" Avery: "Love you baby girl...Mom"
Tate: "Dad, McKay says Claire is part of our family" Corey: "No, she's our friend" McKay "Dad....Heavanly Father....we're all brothers and sisters"
Brecken: (walking up to me with his pants undone) "Mom, wi you push my button?"
Corey: "See ya later alligators" 5 minuites later........ Breck "Bye awigator"
Tate: "do you know what's bad about school?" Me: "what?" Tate: " you can't always go to school, I want to ALWAYS go to school"
Brecken's rooster: "Bok-a-do-da-dddooo"
Tate to Corey: "Keaton put his hands around my neck" Corey: "Keaton, what are you doing choking your brother?" Keaton: "I wasn't choking him, I was using a pressure point!"
Me: "Tate, what was the best part of your day?" Tate: "well I know what was the worst part of the day, when Trever slid into me on the carpet. He should be sended to a place to be trained how to be nice."
Tate showing me that he'd cleaned up the camping chairs as part of his jobs: "Here's the chairs, it was pretty hard so I said a little prayer but it didn't work that good." Me: " Looks like your prayer worked just fine, you did a good job" Tate: "Mom, you can't SEE prayers, no one can!"
Quizing his cousin Tate said: "Aubrey, is Jesus more importanter than soccer??"
Often when Avery's being mean to Breck he'll say to me "Avery, timeout!"
Tate: "Mom what do you want to be when you grow up?" Me:"I am grown up" Tate: "Then why aren't you being anything?"
Keaton (aka: carrott-lover): "If I were a caveman I would eat dirty carrotts....if I had to."
Tate: "Mom Mac got his-self a little friend" Me: "oh yeah, what kind of bug is it?" Tate: "I dunno, we got to discover it."
Tate:"Mom, why did Jesus create itchiness?"
In the car we were voting on teams....Corey "Who likes the Jazz? (kids raise their hands) Who likes the Utes? (kids raise their hands)Who likes BYU?(kids raise their hands) Who likes SUU? " (kids raise their hands) McKay: "Hey! Who likes MTC?"
Tate (as I was running out of the tv room to switch laundry during the commercials): "Mom, the guy said don't go away!"
Tate: "Mom, you have fat leg cheeks!" (pointing to my calves)
Whenever Avery wants to go anywhere she says "set go!"
Tate (holding up his card to the Aquarium) : "Mom! Is this card inspired?"
Tate: "Dad, wanna wrestle, I'll go easy on ya!"
Ice cream dripping down his chin...Tate: "Wook! I have a UT!" Keaton: ":You must mean a goatee"
Pointing to puddles along our front yard Breck: "Wook, dwink!"
Sitting in the tub he just drained Breck: "Spiwed, dwink spiwed (spilled)"
Tate: "What does servant mean" Me: "it's someone who serves someone else" Tate: "So you're my servant!"
Tate: "Mom! Come here!! the lizard is shedding off its head!!"
Tate: " Mom, when I push your leg like this it shakes your booty."
Keaton: "We got hot lunch yesterday cuz Dad had NO IDEA how to make us a lunch!"
Getting in the car leaving Grandmas....Tate in a singsong voice: "McKay, you forgot something.......my seatbelt." Apparently doing up Tate's seatbelt is Mac's job!
Tate: "Mom! You know who broke that (refering to a dollar store hula hoop)?!" Me: "who" Tate: "McKay, he should go to juvie."
Corey: "Have you guys ever been bullied at school?" McKay "Well, one time a first grader kicked a ball and it hit me in the head."
Tate: "Mom! Dad is a toof stealer, the toof fairy is not real, it's just regular people, not flying!"
Tate: " Dad, did you know that some statues are made out of marbles?!"
Tate came in upset because his big brothers didn't like how he was playing. I told him to go get his jammies on so he could have a treat. He replied "Den can we read Harry Potter without dem."
Tate was sitting in the rocking chair as I changed Brecken's diaper, Avery walked in and I said, very dramatically "oh no! are you stinky too?!" Tate's response: "They are twins Mom."
I asked the kids what they wanted for lunch and Mac said "pasta" Keaton chimed in "yeah, pasta la vista!"
Tate came into our room in the middle of the night with a "scarey dream." Corey sleepily asked what was wrong and Tate said " I don't know Dad it was jus a little dream!"
Me to Brecken: "close your eyes and fold your arms" Brecken: covers his eyes with his hands.
Avery: (bugging Breck) " I am a robot and I know it and I'm not afraid to show it"
Avery: "What is that fing by the window?" Me: "I don't know" Avery: "I guess we just haf to fink about it!"
2012
Avery: "Mom, what are you doing?" Me: "Trying on Brittany's dress" Avery: " Did you have an accident?"
Avery: "Mom, what are you doing?" Me: "Trying on Brittany's dress" Avery: " Did you have an accident?"
Avery: "Mom, what are you doing?" Me: "Trying on Brittany's dress" Avery: " Did you have an accident?"
Avery: "Mom, what are you doing?" Me: "Trying on Brittany's dress" Avery: " Did you have an accident?"
Avery: "Did you hear that??? My bum grumbled"
Avery: "Did you hear that??? My bum grumbled"
Avery: "Mom, Tate said he's gonna chuck my Barbie out the window in the sprinklers" Tate from the other room: "JK Avery JK" Avery: "That is not even a word to say Tate!"
"What did you learn at church today?" Keaton: "about ordinances" Avery: "THAT'S WHAT'S ON CHRISTMAS TREES!!"