Giveaway on the business blog!

Giveaway on the business blog! Check it out to win a FREE custom holiday photo card design! Make sure to leave a comment and tell me how you entered!

Free Custom Holiday Photo Card Giveaway!

A Day Of Rememberance

So today we took our kids to the war museum here in Calgary in honor of remembrance day. We taught them about the poppy and about their great grandpas who fought in the war. It was such a wonderful experience and the ceremony made me tear up. I am so grateful for those brave men who fought in those wars and their wonderful wives who supported them, and for all they gave up for their country and for our freedoms... some even their lives. I am grateful for those brave men and women who are fighting today, for their efforts in trying to make a difference. I love this country and am so proud to be called a Canadian. I feel so blessed to have been born and raised in such a free and peaceful country and love our American neighbors and in my case, family members and friends, and all they do as well to make this world a better and safer place. I can't imagine sending my son or husband away not knowing if they will come back or what will happen, but am so grateful for the strength and faith those men and women had then and so many still have today. Below are some pictures of Nick's Grandpa Bridge (look like someone you know?) He was a veteran and a wonderful man, and along with Nick's Grandpa Larsen who was also a veteran and amazing man, we are remembering them today.
Lest we forget.

5 years and still going strong

So our anniversary was a month ago, but I still wanted to post. We've been married for 5 years and it's been wonderful! Don't get me wrong, we totally had our problems and fights, but our love for each other has never been so strong. Nick is so patient with me and I love that about him. He's like that with the kids too. A trait I'm working very hard on... And even though sometimes it takes him a little longer than others, he gets me! I feel so grateful to have him in my life and to be with such a wonderful person every day. He's always willing to work on our marriage and to keep it strong and I just love that about him. Anyways, I'm grateful for how far we've come over the past 5 years and can't wait for an eternity more!

Look at how cute he is! I just love that boy!

So I'm now selling Blog Templates -Take a look!

Here's the link to my website and blog templates. I'm thinking about doing a "Template Thursday" and releasing a new template each week... maybe doing a "Friday Freebie" where I offer something... what do you think? What would you want offered?

Oh Man... that boy!

And What Do You Suppose I Found In Here Yesterday?!

Yes... Yes this IS another entry about that dreaded 4 letter word... POOP!

So Yesterday, Nick stayed home from work 'cause he had been sick all weekend and wasn't feeling good then either... Well, when we woke up, I felt sick, so he let me sleep in and watched the kids for a bit. I vaguely remember him asking Nixon if he pooped in his room and then cleaning it up. Fine... that was done right?.. WRONG! Everytime I went into his room I couldn't get why it smelled... I stripped his bed, put ALL the sheets in the wash, searched for diapers, but the smell still lingered. As I was putting him down for the night I noticed the smell was really strong by the head of his bed (which is a crib mattress for now by the way). And looked around and all I saw was.... the vent! "Oh no" I thought... "He couldn't have!"... well He Could have... and he did! He had somehow either hovered over it and pooped or moved the fecal matter into the vent... and then replaced the top! I am so lucky I found it within the day and didn't have the heat blaring and... well you get the picture! Seriously? Where does he get it? Nick & I didn't know whether to laugh or be mad... it is kinda funny...

Latest in Olivianess!

Olivia: "Mom, I know! We should have 2 boys and 2 girls!"
Me: "We should? Where?"
Olivia: "In our house!"
Me: "Where are we going to get the other girl and boy from?"
Olivia: "Ummm... from the baby store!"

She's such a ham! Honestly... where does she think of this?

Whoah Nelly!

So it just feels like life is going by sooo fast! I remember when I had been married like 6ish months waking up one morning and just being amazed at where I was in life. It was like in the movies when you see them and then in a flash you see them 20 years later. Sometimes (like this morning) I feel like life has skipped ahead so quickly and I should still be like back in high school or something. Anyone else get this or am I just crazy? It's not like I'm not happy or don't love my life, I am very happy at where I am in life and love my family. I dunno, I just feel like it's going too fast! I can remember riding my bike around the neighborhood for hours with my friends in elementary/junior high school and now I'm married and teaching my own kids to ride bikes. I feel like I should stop sleeping or something to make the time last longer. Before I know it my kids will be starting school and then graduating and then getting married and having their own kids! Oh man... but that's all the joy of growing and experiencing all the different seasons there are to life right? As excited as I am for all of these things to happen, I think my new goal in life is to take some time to breathe, relax and really try to enjoy each season. Funny... as I'm writing this the leaves have turned and snow has come and melted and more should be on its way in the next few months and I realize that I didn't enjoy summer as much as I wanted. So I will take a lesson that I learn each fall when I regret how much time I spent indoors during the beautiful months of summer and apply it to my life in a much grander way and make a goal to not look back and regret not spending enough time with the kids, or Nick or doing the things I love. I know that life gets in the way and I can't spend EVERY minute of my life doing something I ABSOLUTELY love, but I can try a little harder, complain a little less and just enjoy each season, even if it is the dead of winter...

Thoughts...

So I find myself on a friday evening reclining while watching Liar Liar with my laptop and a pint of Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. Nixon's asleep, Liv's at her cousins for a sleepover and Nick's somewhere on the road between here and Edmonton returning from a business meeting. Now what do I do? I look around me and see my basement covered in food, toys and playdough, yet the urge to clean does not seem to manifest, no matter how much I say "I should...". I am quite behind with work and know that more is coming in the week, but still.... no urges. So, I do something that I frequently neglect and haven't done in some time... I blog. Now, what to blog about? Well, you've all seen my new blog design by now, and Yes, I do blogs as well as all that other stuff. I really love the way my blog turned out, it feels very.. ME! But this isn't my business blog, so enough about that. Lately I've been full of gratitude. I feel like I have so much and don't really deserve it. We have a beautiful home, a vehicle I LOVE, two happy, healthy children, a happy home, an amazing husband who is just so good to me despite my clear insanity and my amazing friends. I think that if I had to pick the 2 things that I was the most grateful for this year, it would be the gospel (even though I'm really not the best at living it to my fullest, but that's what progression is for right?) and for the people I have around me, both friends and family. My two closest friends, Kelly & Bree have been so good to me, they really are both just amazing women and I'm so happy to have them in my life, especially over this last year. I have so many other wonderful friends and really miss my close ones from Winnipeg & from childhood. As I reflect, I realize that this year has been an especially tough one. Despite my many blessings, I have had a rough time, figguring out post-partum depression that seemed to fester into I don't know what; stresses of managing a home, a business, partnering with some amazing women for another business, the guilt of my businesses, being a good mommy, wifey and friend and who knows what else! But looking back, all I can say is that I survived! And that survival was in large part to my best friends. They made me smile and talked me through a whole lot of issues, they took my kids, they threw parties, they let me vent, stress and cry. But most importantly, they let me just be me, and didn't judge me one bit for doing so. To them I am unbelievably and forever grateful. I know the Lord had a special plan when he put those women in my path, they are exactly what I need and combined with my wonderful Husband, they keep me going. I love them, I love Nick, I love my sweet little babies and I am truly grateful for the peace and joy I have been feeling recently.

BLOG DESIGN GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Hey all!
So, the official blog for Urban Design Studio 1 (formerly, "Keshia Larsen Designs") is now up! You can get to it by clicking here. I know it has been a long time coming and the site will be up next week, but I wanted to get some things rolling including A GIVEAWAY!!!!
So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with our work, we offer our services in all things design, including:

• Websites
• Blogs
  
• Logos
• Ads
• Businsess Cards
• Photo baby/birth announcements & cards
  
• Photo wedding invitations & collections
• And now offering Wedding Websites!
  
  

So to kick off our new company, we are offering a free blog design! Here's how to win, check out my company blog button on the right (------>), add it to your blog, go back to the uds1 blog and tell me that you did it! (You get an extra entry if you follow us!)

Excellent, and thanks for supporting the new company!

SAVOUR = YUMMY!!!

So, my good friend, Carla has this amazing company with amazing food! (and design haha) She caters weddings, events (big or small) and does... wait for it... COOKING CLASSES! How awesome is that? She is major talented and a whole lotta fun! here's her site:

(http://www.savourfood.ca)
and her blog:
http://www.carla-savourfood.blogspot.com/

Check it out, give her a call, you're sure to be AMAZED!

You might be a redneck if...

(this one I took...)

For Nick's birthday, I bought him tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy. Kelly & Weston came with and it was a good time! Jeff was so funny! We had the absolute worst seats in the house though, completed with sitting next to THAT PERSON! You know that person... the one who laughs entirely too loud at the jokes that should only warrant a chuckle, that person that while he laughs even harder at the jokes that should warrant a regular laugh keels over and hits your leg (as if you didn't hear the joke too). And, according to Kelly who had the misfortune of sitting directly beside him, that person who smells like soup... and not the good kind! Despite THAT PERSON, it was an awesome evening that included a story about a guy getting his nipple bitten off by a beaver, many stories about his book signings at Walmart and the encounters with many rednecks there, a very well supported theory on age and size appropriate clothing (if you are over 15, you should NOT have "juicy" written on your bum...) and of course, ending off with his signature "You might be a redneck if..." jokes. It was a good time!

Aunt Gigi

Nick's sister and her now husband (pictures to come) are so much fun! Our kids just adore them. Nick's sister is Meg but Liv decided to call her Gigi and it's just stuck. Her husband Jorge is a complete riot, he's just so much fun! They are wonderful together, both so happy and a bundle of fun! I can't wait to see them with their own kids in the future 'cause our kids think they're the best! They watch our kids for us overnight whenever we need to get away (which surprisingly has been a couple times this summer) and are frequent guests at our dinner table. I love having them around, they bring such a happiness to our home and our lives! Oh and the pictures... ya, they pretty much speak for themselves, if they were your aunt and uncle wouldn't you think they were awesome? (I love how in the 1st one you can see Nixon on the swing watching them... he looks confused).

Fun at the ranch

Our dear friends Kelly & Weston have this amazing Ranch not too far away. We have so much fun going out there and hanging out, whether it be photo shoots with the girls, horseback riding, quadding, dirt biking, or just hanging out having a BBQ, it's so much fun. They're some of our closest friends and I love just hanging out with them. We can sit and gab for hours and never get sick of each other. I love that it's not just us and Kel & Wes though, their kids are a riot and we have so much fun with them too! They pile our kids around and take them on the quad or just out to play. These pics are of the kids hanging out in the horse corral (also very useful for children) and of Ashley sporting a hot look of liv's sun hat and some dirt biking gear!

The amazing talents of Miss Stephanie

So my sister-in-law is an amazing aspiring seamstress! A couple of months ago she came by with this dress for Liv that she just whipped up! She is amazing! She doesn't use patterns or anything and just dreams up designs and likes to try new things out. I thought this dress was so sweet, not just because it is absolutely adorable, which it is, but because it was just out of the blue, she just thought of Liv and wanted to make her a special dress! Liv loves her new dress and I think what she loves most about it is saying that her Aunt Stephanie made it for her! I love my sister-in law and am so happy to spend my life with her, she is one of my dearest friends, and although life has been getting in the way of us spending much time together lately, she's wonderful and I love every minute I get with her!
This dress is just the beginning of the amazing talents of miss Stephanie! (more to come... more to come!)

Edmonton Bound!

So we had a ton of fun this summer, and it all started with a trip to Edmonton. Nick's cousins live up there and we have so much fun with them! We just hung out and played for a few days and went to West Edmonton Mall were liv (somewhat due to her massive hair) was tall enough to get on a bunch of the rides. She had so much fun on the little airplane that goes surprisingly high for a children's ride! We went to the park and had a barbecue with some family home for a visit from the states and Europe and just had an overall blast! I love having family that your close to and get along with so well! It's also fun that they're not too far away and a weekend trip is easy to do!

Watching the Sea Lion show at West Ed:

Liv Flying a plane!


I love family!


A Day at the park with a cousin!