A List

1. During the Spring Equinox we tried something that I heard you can do: balance an egg on end. It worked! It only worked for a few hours, but it was pretty cool.


2. We took a short trip to Albuquerque and visited the Science Museum. While it pales in comparison with Denver, they have a decent dinosaur exhibit.

Danielle doesn't like being trapped in a stroller. She wanted to be free.

The kids especially enjoyed the park across the street.


3. My new neighbor grew up on a cattle ranch, and she invited us to see how they work the cattle. One thing that never comes across in the photos, and that even the Pioneer Woman has never mentioned, is the horrible smell the comes from the burning fur and flesh, when they are branded. There is no fear in this mama of her babies growing up to be cowboys.

4. The Alamosa City Hall is coming along slowly but surely. They are pouring the cement pad right now, and next week they will be putting up the steel frame. It is exciting to watch.

The fire station now has the steel frame attached to the current city hall. Once the new City Hall/Library is built, the current building will be remodeled into a police station.

5. We went to Utah for Spring Break and had a wonderful time. The kids enjoyed Temple Square with the Phelps.

I somehow forgot to take pictures with the Days and the Talbots, but I do have them on video. We also went to BYU and saw the Carl Bloch exhibit, which was wonderful. We swam with the Days and ate Sushi and went to IKEA with the Talbots....well just with Cami, while the kids fended for themselves, but we did get them cinnamon rolls. Poor Cami is getting over Strep Throat.

6. Danielle really likes popcorn, and she is a greedy baby.

Back to School

I'm going back to school!!! I've been praying and pondering about this for years, but I feel like now is the time. Here is my essay that I had to write for my application to Grad. school:

Larissa Cherpeski-Personal Statement

I grew up in Northern Nevada in Sparks, a suburb of Reno. The saying went that, “Reno is so close to hell that you can see Sparks.” While I was in High School I went through intensive training to work for the Reno Suicide/Crisis Line and volunteered there for two years. It was an eye-opening experience. My first call was from a high school student whose parents had just found him as he was trying to hang himself with his belt. That experience cemented my interest in Psychology and was instrumental in my choosing to major in Psychology when I went off to college.

I worked at a children’s emergency shelter while I was at BYU and helped take care of children who were taken from their homes by Social Services until they could find a home in which to place them. I was able to see first-hand situations that went beyond the textbooks.

After I graduated from college I went on an 18-month mission for my church and spent those months, teaching and serving people in Alaska. This was a life changing experience that helped me see what I wanted for my own future family.

I married in 1996 and worked to help my husband finish school. I found a wonderful job working at “The Center For Change”, an Eating Disorder Inpatient Unit, as a Psych Tech where I spent three years. As part of my job I stayed with the patients and participated with them in Group Therapy, Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Education Class, Movement Therapy and talked individually with them after each meal. I worked with several therapists whom I admired, and I set a future goal to become a therapist someday.

In the meantime, I started having my own children. After having our first two boys we moved to California for seven years. We had another boy and a girl there and I spent those years nurturing and caring for my children. We moved to Alamosa, CO and had another girl. These years of being a stay-at-home mom and a wife have been the most fulfilling of my life.

Through the years, I have tried to be involved in my community and have served on various boards for Public Television and more recently for La Puente in Alamosa, CO. I have also served various roles in my church as a teacher and leader.

Recently, I was talking to a friend who works at Adam’s State and heard about the Master’s Counseling Psychology program. I was intrigued when I heard about the online program and liked the fact that it was developed for people who are working full-time. Even though I’m not currently employed, I am absolutely working full time in my home, so I feel like this program is a good fit for me.

On a personal level, I have seen the effects of mental illness on family members. My Grandmother lived with our family off and on through several years, and she suffered from schizophrenia. She struggled with feelings of paranoia and also with the awful side-effects from the medication she was given. She lived through many difficult experiences that contributed to her illness. I feel compassion for people who suffer from any mental illness and would like an opportunity to try to help them improve their lives.

I also feel like many families and marriages have strong potential, but the individuals are lacking in the tools they need to communicate and work through day-to-day issues. I would love to help families who need to make some adjustments to have a happier home life. I have a sister who suffered from addictions and who has gotten past those addictions. I have tried to be a support to her and feel that it has helped her. Unfortunately, not everyone has those connections, and as a counselor I would love to provide that support for people with the same needs.

I have always felt the desire to use the experiences I have had and the training I have so far received to serve my community as a counselor. I feel like now is the time that I am ready to take the next step and gain the necessary training to become an accredited counselor.

This program is very part time, and I have 5 years to finish the coursework, so I think I'll be able to handle it. I'll spend more time in the summer on it and less time during the school year. I am excited!

The Problem of Pain

I took Andrew to Pueblo for some Dr. appointments yesterday. His polyps were doing better, but it looked like he was getting a sinus infection at the ENT. Then we went to the allergist and she took his temperature and wondered if I knew that he had a fever of 101. No, I didn't...and did I feel like a horrible parent. Then, they measured his oxygen levels and found that they were quite low. His lowest score for his large air passages is 91% and 76% for his small air passages. Yesterday his large air passages were 71% and small air passages were 45%. No wonder he has been so tired. He is getting no oxygen.

We are pumping him full of lots of medicines, and he is breathing better but still very sick.

One of the hardest things as a parent is to see your children suffer and be helpless to do anything about it. I can cry and rant and rave all I want, but my son still doesn't breathe any better. I can pray for him and find comfort for me and for him, but not rescue him from his predicament.

I heard an interesting story tonight about why we have to suffer. A mother offered her daughter a cup of flour or a raw egg. Of course her daughter thought she was crazy and that it would taste awful. She also balked at the idea of straight butter or vanilla. Yet, all those ingredients put together could make a beautiful and delicious cake.

In life, we have a lot of ugly horrible things happen to us. And we don't enjoy it. Yet, those experiences brought together shape us into the rich, blessed and wise human beings that we need to become. Through our adversity we need to learn to trust that God has a plan for us, and that he knows what we need and turn to him for help.

I find comfort from Nephi's word's in the Book of Mormon, "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." I don't know why suffering occurs but I do know that God loves us, so I will trust in him.

The Face of Travel

When we moved to Alamosa we made the decision to buy a simpler house, so that we would have more money available to travel. We have had some great trips and have traveled through the South as well as across much of the West. This year with a new baby our travels came to a screeching halt, but recently we have started to go on short trips.

The month of February was a whirlwind month for me. I was literally out of town for half of the month. The first week of the month, Danielle and I flew to Sparks, to stay with my mom after she recovered from surgery. It was a nice slow week with plenty of visiting, and it was a good chance to let all the extended family see how big Danielle has grown.

Nathan had his yearly Colorado City Manager’s Conference in Glenwood Springs, and we tagged along. Just getting there was quite an adventure. We weren’t sure if we’d end up having to put on chains, but we dodged that bullet this time around.

Even though the roads were a bit scary, they sure were beautiful. Colorado has some gorgeous views.

We love going to Glenwood, and our favorite spot is definitely the Glenwood Caverns. They are rated in the top ten cave tours of the U.S. They are absolutely gorgeous.

What makes them even more fun is that you have to ride a gondola up a mountain to get to them, and it is quite a view.

They have added several new attractions to bring in more tourists. We got to ride an alpine slide (my personal favorite activity), play unlimited laser tag, watch several 4D movies and finish the day with a snack at the restaurant. We had a wonderful day.

Just a few days after we got home we left again for Denver. Nathan had to meet with the new Governor, and we were excited to renew our membership with the Denver Science Museum. They have a new exhibit we’ve been dying to see all about the body. It definitely exceeded our expectations. We spent almost the entire day just in that exhibit.

Some highlights included watching a lung dissection, a fabulous interactive demonstration on anti-oxidants, and a real lab that they could use to perform experiments. Andrew was able to extract some of his own DNA, and Connor got to see the effects of sleeping pills and caffeine on some microscopic critters.

A day after we got home, Nathan and the older boys headed to the Scout winter camp. I was happy to stay home for that one. They got home the night of Danielle’s birthday in time for chocolate birthday cake.

It’s been a fun month and nice to see so many people, eat so much yummy food, and visit so many exciting places. We are really quite blessed.

One-Year Old

How is it possible that Danielle is already one year old? In just 12 short months she transformed from a helpless 5'14" wee one, to a talking, moving, aware creature.


This has been a hard year where I felt torn in so many directions. Still, I really tried to savor each stage Danielle went through. Each month they change so much. When I felt like I was going to drown in my responsibilities of teaching my children, staying on top of my church calling, keeping food on the table, and maintaining some sense of order in the house, I would remind myself to slow down a moment and inhale the beauty of that fleeting moment.


Danielle is such a sweet happy little girl. She loves to be held by her mama, but she is steadily becoming more independent. She scoots around the house rather than crawls. She pulled herself to standing for the first time the day before her birthday. She is very vocal and loves to say, "hot!" accenting the 't'. She also says kitty, mama, dada, and duh-duh for "Brandon." She loves to be read to and looks at her books independently. She makes everyone in the family smile and has made us all a little younger.

I have several more gray hairs this year, but she is worth it. Hopefully the next year will bring more sleep, but hopefully I will remember to continue to savor these moments.

Winter Wonderland

Living in a colder climate comes with its own set of challenges. I start to feel trapped in my home. Snow, ice and mud get tracked into the house. I have a hard time getting warmed up. We have a really short growing season.

Still, I really do love the winters here for a number of reasons.

I enjoy having our warm fires at night. It feels so cozy and brings the family together. We enjoy the tasty popcorn cooked in the fire and both our pets lounge on the rug until we put them to bed. I don't even mind too much when Danielle plays in the soot and ashes the next day.

I LOVE to iceskate. We have a short season, and I don't get a lot of opportunities with Danielle, but I've managed to go a couple times this year.

I am also happy to see my kids skating. It makes my heart happy to know that they will have fond memories of being out on the ice. Brandon and Connor both love Hockey and are pretty good at it.


The city also started a new tradition last year that has been popular. This weekend was our second annual ice sculpture event. We watched artists carving the ice for a couple hours. It was fascinating how they started from a stack of blocks and went from this:


To this:


From this:


To this:

And from this:


To this:



To this:


Our boys loved watching and even tried their hands at it with their pocketknives.


I could have stood there all day, but Danielle was fed up and tired after a while. The sculptures are just beautiful, and we had a nice sense of community as people walked up and down Main St. and visited with one another. It's times like these that I am happy to live in a small town where people know one another.


Tonight, Nathan and I went back down there after we put the kids to bed and as we were walking along a woman approached us. She thanked Nathan for bringing something so nice to our community. I was happy that he was appreciated. We are where we are supposed to be.

My favorite present

This past Christmas Season I knew that I would have to slow down what I usually try to do. It just isn't as possible to make every dessert and participate in all the holiday events with a baby. I am happy to announce that I bought nearly all our gifts online, and had everything purchased, wrapped and mailed before Thanksgiving. It made the month much nicer and easier to remember the meaning of Christmas.

Every night that we were home in the evenings, we sang songs around the Christmas tree. This is what always helps me to feel the Spirit of Christ in the season. In the past I enforced the tradition that I had growing up, but I now have created my own jailers. The kids insist that we sing, and Brandon often proclaims it his favorite tradition. Nathan even made up a new song: "Randolph the red-nosed Beagle." It seemed a little less blasphemous to sing that than, "Hark, the Herald Beagle Barks," or "O Come, All Ye Beagles."

We went caroling a couple of nights, saw a play, celebrated Andrew's birthday as a family, visited our friends for a few days and spent several evenings reading Christmas stories. I baked in a new order this year. I made something new every few days. We all had a taste of each treat, and then wrapped up the rest to give away. No one got the variety plate, but they got something. I never felt overwhelmed, and we still enjoyed most of our holiday treats....just one at a time.

We kicked off the month with our traditional holiday fondue shared with some friends and ended it with a Christmas Eve day at Hooper Pool.

The weather was glorious, and the water felt perfect.

This year, I planned my school so that we could have a three week break. It helped me to feel less rushed. Instead of trying to cram all our traditions into one day, we watched a movie near the beginning of the month, made our seafood dinner a few days before Christmas and went out to pizza on the Eve of Christmas Eve. It was a nice pace, and kept our household from becoming quite as chaotic.

Christmas Day itself was nearly perfect. We had the right balance of gifts, we had the missionaries and a lady in our ward to dinner. We ate something we've never made before: Cornish Game Hens, played games and watched a devotional by President Monson. I wouldn't change a thing.

My favorite present was from Nathan. He made my first year blog into a book.

It was the perfect gift for me and is so pretty.

And I love it.