Harris Comings and Goings

Catching up since Christmas

2012-02-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Christmas Cookies

we made some pretty darn cute gingerbread cookies this year and had lots of fun with sprinkles - and yes, the cookies even tasted good too!

Ward Christmas Party

Landon and his best bud Ethan

Photography

I found some super cheap wood flooring at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. I got enough to use for a floor and a background for only 10 bucks. Score.

Pinewood Derby

Nate and Landon had fun making Landon's pinewood derby car. They scored a super cheap batmobile kit at Roberts on closeout.

Stay tuned for more Derby pictures!

Gertie

2012-01-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Nate's grandma, Gertie, passed away on Monday. She has been in poor health since last Christmas when she suffered a heart attach. We will miss her very much. We love you Gertie! Following is her obituary.

Mary Joyce Pitts
1932 ~ 2012
Mary Joyce Pitts, 79, of Pleasant Grove passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, January 2, 2012. Joyce was born July 29, 1932 in Provo to Harold O. and Florence Martell Simons. She married Ralph Pitts on March 2, 1951 in Reno, Nevada. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Manti LDS Temple.
Joyce is survived by her husband Ralph of Pleasant Grove; three children: Sharleen (Glenn) Hargreaves, Herriman; Rebecca (Ron) Harris, Orem and Dale (Ruth) Pitts, Pleasant Grove; 16 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren; four siblings: Carolyn Boyack, Quay Simons, Harold Simons and Jerald Simons.
Funeral services will be held Friday, January 6, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. in the Battle Creek Fourth Ward Chapel 1105 East 200 South, Pleasant Grove where family and friends may attend a viewing from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Interment will be in the Pleasant Grove City Cemetery under the direction of Olpin Family Mortuary, Pleasant Grove. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinmortuary.com

Funny Sawyer

2011-12-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Sawyer is a funny kid. There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't make us laugh. One day as he walked through the kitchen he yelled "Who needs to poop?" and then raised his hand high and answered "I do!" While we're on the subject, he likes to tell us the shape of his poop as well. "Mom, i just got a carrot poop!" Has anyone ever read this book? "Everyone Poops" It's a funny favorite of the boys, of course, it's about poop. A dear friend gave it to me one year for my birthday.

Anyway, Sawyer loves to play Lego Batman on the WII. I got a video of him playing. He's fairly hilarious. Enjoy.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Landon's face in this one makes me laugh, his eyes are so sensitive to light and then he tries so hard to smile :)

Catching Up

2011-11-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am so very behind so here's some catching up:

For some reason my boys can't seem to loose their front teeth like normal children, they have to fall and hit them and get them pulled. Sawyer fell on a Friday at the beginning of November and I didn't realize he'd hit his tooth. Sunday morning his gums and lip were swollen and his tooth had moved and was loose. Wonderful. I called the dentist the next day and we got him in. They said we could either have it pulled or try and do a root canal which might not last long enough. We opted to pull it and be done with it. Sawyer is amazing at the dentist. As soon as he gets into the chair he lays back closes his eyes and opens his mouth. The dentist told him that he was amazing while he did the work and Sawyer said "I know".

He put his tooth under his pillow when he went to bed and awoke to find this cute little envelope with a gold dollar in it. He was so excited. :)

Our silly snaggle-toothed boy.

Sawyer seems to be attached to his hat of late. Several times he's gone to bed with it on. One night I heard a noise and found that he'd gotten up to go to the bathroom and had first put his hat on which had fallen off while he slept.

Landon's Special Day

I can't believe our boy is baptized! Landon is such a good boy. I am so proud of him for taking this big step in his life. He was so excited. That morning I asked him about it and he said that he was a little nervous and excited. When Nate pulled him out of the water Landon freaked out a bit, he said he was afraid dad was going to keep him under too long. :) As primary president I've been to a lot of baptisms and the boys always seem to take longer to get dressed afterwards. Nate and Landon set a record for the speediest clothing change. Landon said it was because he was so cold. :) After the baptism and confirmation we had family over for a little lunch of Landon's requested homemade chicken noodle soup and rolls with apples and toffee dip.

Landon invited his teacher Mrs. Wells and her daughter who subs for his class, Mrs. Amberlee. We were so glad they could come.

Sister Rowland, Landon's primary teacher, was able to come too.

Landon also invited his three best buds from church: Ethan, Dylan, and Damon.

Halloween

On halloween we went to teh school for their costume parade. Of course we waited and waited for Landon and then sawyer had to go to the bathroom. We were afraid we'd miss him. We ended up just sitting in the hallway which had a much better view. I'll have to remember that for next year. So when we saw Landon, Sawyer ran up and gave him a hug and then finished the costume parade with him. (Sorry for the blurry pics -- Sawyer had switched my camera to manual focus and I didn't realize for a bit.)

My newest addition to our Halloween decorations.

Candlestick holder: DI for two bucks
Skulls: we already had them
Eyeballs: one package of dollar store ornaments painted like eyeballs
Battery tea lights: two packages of three at the dollar store

I have many blog posts in the works . . .

2011-11-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

but for now here's a sweet note from my sweet Landon.
(Also had a great idea, scan all my cute notes and cards and then make a photobook with them.)

Halloween Party

2011-10-31T12:19:00.000-06:00

My Sweet Landon

2011-10-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

Landon turns 8

2011-10-11T12:54:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's true. My sweet, not so little Landon is 8

I think he ended up having a great birthday. Sunday we met with the Harris Family and had cake and icecream and he got to open all his presents. We gave him scriptures and a case and a couple t-shirts and a Ben-10 Wii game. He also got legos, yoyo's, more clothes and a book.
He wanted a Green Lantern cake, so instead of just the boring logo, I found a nice muscly arm and the glowing Green Lantern ring.

On Monday, his actual birthday, I made him his favorite mini-muffins for breakfast. Sawyer and I spent the time while Landon was at school getting things ready for his birthday party. Someone gave me the idea once to have birthday parties every other year starting with 6 and that way you catch all the important birthdays. I liked that idea since parties kinda stress me out and cost a lot.
Landon invited 11 friends to his party. We decorated cupcakes, opened presents and played a few games. He got many more legos, another yoyo, some way cute personalized bingo cards, a puzzle and some other things I can't remember.

I made each of his friends pose with him as they gave him their gift.

Landon This Year:

He loves homemade chicken noodle soup and mac and cheese, and Cheez-its.
He has developed a great football throwing arm, a pretty good basketball shot, and finally mastered riding his bike.
Favorite song: Firefly
Favorite Shows: Wipeout, Power Rangers, Ben-10

He has a great sense of humor and loves to tease. He's a great big brother (still) and such a sweet boy. He's still always good for a hug and a kiss whenever I need one.

He's a great reader, but he still looks at it as work. I can't wait till he actually wants to read.

I picked him up at his classroom the other day and as we walked through the school on our way out several different friends said, "Bye Lando!" He wanted a nickname, and that was the one that he picked. His teacher told me that in class he declared Fridays official "Lando Day", which meant they had to call him Lando that day. What a goof. Last year he would sign his papers with Landon, Lando or Nathan. Mrs. Wells was getting confused so we told him he had to stick with Landon on his papers. :)
I love you Landon!

And more Fishing

2011-09-30T06:55:00.000-06:00

by Nate & Ron
15 White Bass
10 Bluegill
95 Crappies 11"

Nostalgic

2011-09-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

Nate found this really old mix tape of mine the other day, so I stuck it in our sweet car cassette player and listened to see what was on it. The first song was "What's the Matter with Love" from the movie "Sing" from 1989. It made me laugh. I still looove this song though and it reminded me of the this other song from the movie as well, that I love: "One More Time". So, mostly for my sisters who watched it with me, here's a little trip down memory lane. :)

Laurnea Wilkerson - What's The Matter With Love (SING OST)

Final Scene: One More Time (SING)
WARNING: this is a clip from the movie and they do drop the F-bomb

Tattoos

2011-09-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true, we love fake tattoos. I remember growing up, whenever I went to Lagoon with friends we'd always get a fake tattoo. I have several pictures with me and my sisters or nieces showing off our awesome tattoos. So of course, I had to instill the love of fake tattoos in my boys. The dollar store is a great place to find them nowadays, especially honks, if you're up for a tattoo adventure. Nate found these pirate tattoos at the grocery store one day. They stay on foreeeever.

I tried to get Sawyer to flex for me. :) No, he doesn't have to pee.

and here's Landon's mean pirate, muscle flexing face.

More fishing!

2011-09-06T08:58:00.000-06:00

Nate caught the biggest fish of the trip!

Ron fried these up for us all to eat yesterday for Labor Day

Fishing

2011-08-30T11:52:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few photos of the boys from a fishing trip with Nate and his dad and a couple of friends.

Playgroup Photoshoot

2011-08-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

My ward has a playgroup once a week. We try to go but don't always make it. When we do we're always glad we went. This past week the lady in charge asked me to do a little photo shoot for the kids that came. It was fun and we got some cute shots of the kids. Here are the cute kiddos.

Fort Idea

2011-08-11T08:04:00.001-06:00

I found this awesome idea for a fort/castle/playhouse type project that you can make to fit over a table. I would love to make one that we can just throw up over our dining table when the boys need a fort to play in during the winter time. Maybe I can do it for Christmas...how brave am I feeling? Here's the link. I'll keep you posted on my ideas for it. I obviously need something boyish and it will have to be rectangular as well. I might forgo the top, we'll see.

Also found these on etsy, I could so do this!

Aha! I kept looking and found exactly what I wanted plan-wise, now I just need to figure out what style to make it! Find it here! I think coincidentally that this is from Susan Jaussi's sister's blog! Small world!

Our Summer So Far

2011-08-05T04:48:00.000-06:00

So, I tried to post this the other day but was having technical difficulties, so now that I can't sleep at 4am, I figured I'd try again. :)

I forgot to post Landon's last day of school, so here it is. He loved his first grade teacher, Mrs. Wells. She is a sweetheart. He also got to know our neighbor Jade who ended up in his class. They are great friends and have such a good time together. We're glad to have her around. :)

He also loved his classmates. Here are a few of his friends:

Santiago, Evan, Noah (and Jade sneaking in the background).

So summer finally came and this is what it has brought us:

Duck feedings at Nielsen Grove Park:

Flip-Flops

we love flip flops, who doesn't? they slip on so quickly and when you can get them for so cheap, they're the perfect summer shoe :)

Summer also brought us a fun little virus called Fifth Disease, yes it sounds terrible, but wasn't. Just a sunburn-like rash that didn't itch but lasted a couple weeks tops. My boys had no other symptoms, just the rash.

Following our fun diseased state Landon got pinkeye. Luckily no one else got it, and Landon (Mr. Sensitive Eyes) became the champion at getting eye-drops put in.

(do you like that special effect? it makes the pinkeye look terrible :))

Summer also brought Nate one more birthday. He turned 33 this year.

We have tried to have lots of free fun this summer, playing in the backyard in the sprinklers and with our supersoakers. The boys love it because not only do they get to play in the water but we can be outside with our dog and she wont bug them in the sprinklers. She's doing great, by the way, our not so little anymore Sunny. She's learning and behaving better and better each day. She loves to get drinks from the boys supersoakers.

I tried to take some brother's pictures for Great Grandma's birthday but they didn't really turn out. Landon had this weird look on his face the whole time and my camera skills flopped as well. They're cute for memories sake though. I'll be trying again before winter gets here.

"I'm 3 and good at it" Photoshoot

2011-07-07T14:57:00.002-06:00

I finally took Sawyer's 3 year old pictures. Honestly sometimes I think it's pointless when he doesnt listen and I end up yelling at him to smile. Kinda defeats the purpose. But I did end up getting more cute ones than I thought I did. He wore Landon's cute old suit that finally fit him along with his Easter tie. He loved that tie that first Sunday he wore it. He kept saying, "Look at my new tie" to anyone and everyone he saw.

On this one I forgot to adjust my flash and so it was completely overexposed, but it was just too cute to not try and save. I kinda like the sketchy look I ended up with.

Here he is sooo ready to be done. :) What a cute mad face.

Family Photos

2011-06-13T10:49:00.000-06:00

My brother, Mark, has been posting pics of my parents and their families and our families as well. He posted this amazing picture of my beautiful mom I just had to post on here. Love it.

Also, I thought my uncle Darryl reminded me of Sawyer.

And here's an awesome family photo of when I was just tiny baby :)

Not sure who the two ladies are in the back, but the rest goes like this:

Julie, Brian, Sheryl

Mom, Dad

Denise, Me, Mark, Gary

My Mom, Darryl, and Evelyn

Sunny

2011-06-09T10:58:00.000-06:00

We finally got the dog Nate has been wanting for the longest time. Her name is Sunny and she is a yellow lab. She is the cutest dog ever. :) She's also rather naughty, seeing as how she loves to nip at us constantly. We are working on that. But she also loves to cuddle with me, which totally wins points in the cutest dog ever category. She will be an outside dog, and currently spends the day outside and sleeps most of the night in our laundry room. She has already learned so much since we got her and we're excited for the fun times ahead once we get her trained properly.
It took a few days for the boys to get used to her. Sawyer went from running away screaming anytime she came near and plugging his ears whenever she whined to having mostly no fear, and this:

Landon still is a little timid, especially with the nipping, but we are all making progress.

Here are some pictures of our sweet little puppy.

Seriously. Cutest dog ever!

two miracles in one day!

2011-06-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

It's true, I'm finally doing a post AND I have finally finished Landon's Second Year scrapbook! I am doing it digitally and then getting it printed as a book at Costco. Here are a few of my favorites.

The following two are a two-page spread

Our Goofy 3 year old!

2011-04-18T09:58:00.001-06:00

Sawyer turned three on April 8th. He has officially entered the goofy smile stages.

We've accomplished a lot since our cute boy turned three.

The Binkie: I finally broke down and cut the tip off his binkie. He was a little sad, but it was surprisingly easy. Now of course we wonder why we didn't do it a long time ago. We told him he was too big and sucked too hard and wore out his binkie. :)

The Baba and The Blankie: With his binkie gone it has helped decrease some of his other dependencies. He has fewer "babas" (sippees with milk) and uses his blanket less since there's no binkie to go with it. A few weeks ago I rounded all the corners on his blanket. He folded those rounded corners in half to make a new pointy corner. Oh well.

The Potty: Grandma got Sawyer a potty for his birthday and he has been doing great! Yeah potty!

Sawyer's favorite things to say:
"Can I?" Repeatedly
"How'd you do that?" asked in a state of wonderment.
Sawyer is the king of dipthongs. He throws them into just about any vowel situation. It makes me laugh. I need to try and record some of them.

Things Sawyer loves:
Batman, ScoobyDoo, Dora, Diego, treats of any kind, being crazy and silly, his new scooter, taking pictures, pancakes, frostys, french fries, dinosaurs, worms, digging in the dirt, suckers, and more that I can't list right now. :)

Funny Sawyer

2011-04-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

The other day Sawyer came to me with a stinky bum, plugging his nose and said, "Mom, I smell horrible."

This morning Sawyer was crying about his binkie (we're trying to get rid of it). He was standing in the kitchen and I noticed a small puddle by his feet, so I asked "What's all over the floor?" He said, "My tears."

Growing Pains and Night Terrors

2011-03-23T08:42:00.000-06:00

Landon is my growing pain, night terror child. The night terror's started just after Sawyer was born, when Nate took the new job at the hospital. The change in schedule and such must have triggered them. When it first happened I was annoyed. Why is my child freaking out and why wont he calm down? What was his problem? But after I figured out that Landon was having night terrors I was able to handle them. Thankfully they stopped after 6 months or so.
The growing pains started a year or two ago, I honestly am not sure exactly. But they only bother him (and me) at night. He wakes me up squealing (yes, squealing) and so I get up, get some ibuprofen and rub his foot. They are mostly in his foot, his big toe and sometimes his shin. I will be glad when they go away. He just grows too darn fast. So, why am I blogging about this? One, he woke me up squealing last night with growing pains. Two, I thought I should document things for the future. :) If you need info on either subject I found help here and here.

Oh Sawyer

2011-03-14T11:43:00.001-06:00

The three B's
Baba: The sippee cup of milk we can't seem to get rid of.
Binki: The plug that is never far away, yet always being searched for, that really needs to be permanently lost.
Blankie: The sweet blanket Danielle gave us that's been used, abused, made smaller, and stuck into nose and ears on a regular basis. I need to remove all corners from the blankie.

(Sawyer saw these pics and said "that's me sticking my corners in my nose like this" and then proceeded to demonstrate the above picture as well as a double ear job. Nice.)

I can't
Lately Sawyer likes to say he can't. Here's a rather cute example of his "I can't"
Mr. Naughty pants was having a rather disobedient day. Daddy, trying to encourage him to be more like Christ said, "Why can't you be good like Jesus?" and Sawyer said "No, I can't be good like that" (said with a 'duh dad, don't be ridiculous' tone).

The Things I Love . . .12 - 16

2011-02-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

The things I Love: 12
I love photography. Yes, you know this. It all started when my niece got engaged fourish years ago and my brother had just bought a nice camera. I said "Hey, can I try and take your engagements and if they suck, at least it was free and you can try again with someone else." They turned out pretty good, so I asked if I could try to do her bridals too. Those were so fun and turned out pretty good too. So the next year we bought ourselves a camera and Nate got in on the action too. We have been doing little photo shoots for friends and family ever since. The thing I love the most is the post processing. Making the images we took look amazing. I love portrait photography the most. Individuals, couples, kids. It's been fun to find a new hobby and develop a new talent that incorporates other talents I have as well. I love being able to capture those faces that people love, and love trying to give people photos they love of themselves, because who doesn't want a picture of themselves that they actually like?

The things I Love: 13
Movies I love. Here are some random movies that I've always loved watching.
Pride and Prejudice with Collin Firth
Emma with Gwenyth Paltrow
Slipper and the Rose
Thoroughly Modern Millie
If The Shoe Fits
Willow
Big Trouble in Little China (I told you it was random)
The Chipmunk Adventure
I'm sure there's more but that'll do.

The things I Love: 14
I love my Landon. He's my sweetheart. I love that he's always good for a hug and a kiss when I need one. I love that he loves school and loves his friends and his brother. I love that he always says thank you in his prayers that he got to spend time with his family. I love when he comes in my bedroom in the morning and gives me a hug and says "hi mama." I love the way his eyes crinkle up and the small smile he gives that says I love you.

The things I Love: 15
I love my sweet baby Sawyer. He's such a sweet little stinker. I love his little attitude, his laugh, oh I love that laugh. I love his smile and his sparkly eyes. I love that he runs up when I'm leaving and gives me a hug and kiss (after pulling out his binkie). I love kissing his sweet squishy cheeks. I love when he wraps his arms around my neck and says "my mama." I love that he's so tough when he gets hurt. I love that he finally loves nursery and that when daddy asks "who are you going to color a picture for today" he says "Mom" (sorry Daddy).

The things I Love: 16
I love Nate. Today we celebrated our 9th anniversary. I love that he gave me a card for Valentine's and one for our anniversary too. I love that he got me white tulips. I love that he got me my favorite treat: cadbury creme eggs. I love that even after 9 years and two kids he still thinks I'm hot. I love that he helps me be a better wife and mother and housekeeper and cook. I love that he's such a great dad and so sweet with our boys. I love his sense of humor, his singing, his hugs and kisses. I love his sweet smile that still takes my breath away. I love you Nathan!

Last Minute Valentine Idea

2011-02-11T11:29:00.002-07:00

Here it is from Grosgrain.

You totally want to do it don't you?!
I don't know if it's quick "last minute" but if Landon likes it we might do it "last minute" cause we'd have to get pics printed tomorrow. Or maybe we'll just do it for grandparents or save it for next year. We'll see.

The Things I Love . . . 4 thru 11

2011-02-11T11:09:00.003-07:00

Okay so I'm a lot behind in my loving of things and blogging.
Here goes some catching up - hope you have a minute.

The Things I Love: 4 I love pottery barn. I know, it's completely out of my price range and I'll probably never actually shop there but I love getting their free catalogs and getting great decorating ideas from them. Here are some fav's of late:

I love this room! The windows, the white,
the cool plant hangers on the walls
(I'd like to find something like that).

I love how they always have these huge branches of blossoms in containers.

I love them.

I love the idea of the sectioned picture above the couch. I'd like to do this with a picture of some sort in our house, maybe above our tv. I just need to find or take the perfect picture. Any ideas?

The Things I Love: 5
I love Masaman Curry from the restaurant formerly known as Thai Chili Garden. Mmmm, I could eat it every day. I don't even mind when it's spicy. (I don't love spicy foods, if it's gonna be spicy the flavor has to be worth the spiciness - this is!)

The Things I Love: 6
Since we're already talking about food, I love cheesecake. Seriously, I love it. It's got to be the nice heavy textured REAL cheesecake. None of this fake, wanna be crap with cheesecake flavoring. I really love Key Lime Cheesecake from, of course, The Cheesecake Factory. (Remember when we bought one Wendi?)

The Things I Love: 7
I love to read. Every since I can remember I've loved to read. I'd rather read than almost anything else, of course I don't but, there are times when I get completely absorbed in a book and don't want to do anything else (my family loves that), I just want to finish my book! I read for entertainment, the pure enjoyment of escaping into another world for a short time. I have always loved fantasy. Lately I've been reading a lot of Young Adult and Juvenile Fiction. Here are some books I've read, if you're interested, on Goodreads.

The Things I Love: 8
In case you don't already know, I love crafty/creative things. I go through my phases. I've done cards, scrapbooking, jewelry, crocheting, painting ceramics, embroidery, you name it and I've probably tried it or at least thought about it. Right now my creative outlet is digital. It's so immediately gratifying and costs less. :) I also am venturing into re-purposing clothes, if only I could finish one. I also decided to make my own scripture cover recently. It isn't perfect (the flap ended up being a little short), but I like it. The flower was super easy and turned out so cute. I love the embelishing part of things. :) And the best part was I made it all out of scraps I had in my fabric bag. Free is awesome.

The Things I Love: 9
I love tulips. I'm not a rose kinda girl. I love tulips. They're simple, come in so many colors, come up in the spring. I just love them, they make me happy. (no, this is not a hint for Valentine's, or our anniversary)

The Things I Love: 10
I love to sing. Sadly I haven't been singing much for a while and so I kinda suck now. I need to fix that. Now that church is a little later I might venture to sing in sacrament meeting. Wanna play for me Wendi? :) Oh yeah, I need to find a song too. Any requests/suggestions? Maybe I should break down and go to ward choir...hmm. I'll think about it. After all that, I really do love to sing and the music I listen to reflects that. Anything I can belt along with has me as a fan. :) Heard this song by Jesse Clark Funk over Christmas and loved it, want to sing it. She has such a cool voice.

The Things I Love: Day 11
Okay, so now that I'm caught up (and yes it was a little difficult) I can do today. I love dress season. I didn't realize there was a dress season till last year, but it is my favorite. It's spring and summer in case you're wondering. There are so many cute fun dresses out there right now. Sadly a lot of them end up being too short or sleeveless, but that's where shrugs and cardigans come in right? As for the short problem, I found some extender slips on etsy, or you can make your own, or just sew an extension right onto your dress/skirt. (If you know anyone who sells slip extenders let me know!) I need to do that to one of mine. I also have an old dress I'd like to update too (I'll be sure and take pictures when I get around to it).

I'm totally in love with the ruffles on the end dress. Maybe the dress I update will have those...

Isn't that vogue dress such a cute summer dress? So comfy looking - make it from a knit and you're set. I might just have to sew me a dress. I need to learn to love sewing again, heck I'd settle for liking sewing again. :)

Funny

2011-02-10T08:54:00.001-07:00

I saw this on a blog I follow and just had to share. Isn't that just too funny and creative? Who'd a thought.

From Make it and Love it's MINI SERIES with 'Our Best Bites': Serving up Kids Food!

The Things I Love . . .

2011-02-04T08:38:00.001-07:00

The Things I Love: Day 3
I really love my job. I think this is the first job I've had that I really truly enjoy. I actually like going to work. I love the ladies I work with and being able to chat with them and help other ladies find clothes they love that make them feel good about themselves, it's just fun. I love it.

The Things I Love: Day 4
I love Adobe and the awesome programs they create, especially photoshop and light room which let me recover pictures like this: (these were my first ventures into photography for my niece and I was finally able to edit them recently and make them look 100 times better)

The Things I Love . . .

2011-02-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

I decided for this month of loOoove to do a daily post about something I love. I've been needing something more positive in my life with this horrid freezing weather and the winter doldrums setting in. So I thought it would help me to focus on one thing I love each day of the month, plus it would get me blogging and thinking more. I forgot to start it yesterday, so here are the first two days of loOooove. :)

The Things I Love: Day 1
I love that almost every day when I drop Landon off for school, Sawyer reminds him to give him a hug and a kiss. Landon forgot yesterday and Sawyer was so sad. This morning Sawyer reminded Landon and even asked for second hugs and said "I love you too Lanon" (not a type-o, that's how Sawyer says it). Brotherly Love. Sawyer even does it for me often when I go to work. I tell them bye and Sawyer comes running saying "kiss" or "hug" he then pulls that silly binkie right out and delivers. What a sweet boy.

The Things I Love: Day 2

I love eyes. I know that sounds weird, but I love people's eyes, the variety of colors, the expressions they make and they way they sparkle or crinkle up. I think that's what I focus on when I take pictures. Eyes say so much about people. Here are some examples:
I love this face of Landon's, mainly because those eyes are saying "I love you mom"

I love Sawyer's eyes. It's been fun to watch them change color. They started grey and then the centers started changing to brown and then they were all brown. Now they seem to be getting more amber in the center. Who knows what they'll end up like, maybe hazel/green like Nate's and mine.

I took a couple shots of my friends baby, Calloway, when they were over the other day. He has amazing eyes, especially when he smiles, they just light up even more. He was a little scared of the camera, so I couldn't get a full on smile out of him.

Christmas

2011-01-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

We, of course, didnt take any pictures Christmas morning, just video. But I think the boys had an awesome Christmas. Daddy went a little crazy and got them lots of stuff. Landon's favorite was the Wii Santa brought, and Sawyer's favorite was the Bat Cave. My favorite was the flash for our camera and I think Nate's favorite was secretly the Wii too.

After playing with presents and eating some candy for breakfast we headed over to the Harris's for Christmas brunch. Grandma needed a cute Christmas picture with the boys, but Sawyer wasn't very cooperative, surprise, I know. Oh well, more funny memories.

It just wouldn't be a Harris Christmas if we didn't take the 'traditional' goofy picture with the Santa hat on.

This post is pretty sad, I know. I need to add more journaling when I'm feeling inspired. :) But enjoy the pictures!

Snow!

2011-01-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

The first real snow of the month had the boys begging to play in it.

The first thing they did was make their very own snowman, all by themselves.

Landon was very creative in using a toy Story bucket for a hat, and a bent screw for the smile.

I love this picture of him.

Sawyer loved playing in the snow with his tools and loved even more when Landon pulled him around on the sled.

The faces I love . . .

2011-01-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Whether they are naughty or nice, I still love these two faces!

Naughty and Nice

2010-12-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Naughty: Sawyer decided that while I took a shower was a good time to be naughty. I think he was right. A friend gave us an advent calendar with chocolates in it. He decided that he wanted more than just one and so he hopped on a stool, got down the calendar and opened several doors so he could have "just one more." I ended up making Landon his own count down and hiding it and then I let Sawyer just eat the rest of his calendar.

Nice: Sawyer gave Landon a sweet hug and called him his favorite brother. Granted, he's his only brother, but it was super sweet. :)

Naughty: Landon is the king stalling. Lately he does not want to go to bed, or do his chores. He must think he's the only poor child that has to do chores and go to bed early. He likes to sneak out of his room and try and con me into letting him stay up just a little longer. Sometimes it works, but only for a few minutes. The other day I had asked him to do his chores, and just minutes later I found him on the computer playing a game. He claimed he forgot. Good try dude.

Nice: I love when Landon and Sawyer play well together. It's so nice when Landon can keep Sawyer occupied and entertained so I can get things done, like make dinner. He's a very sweet big brother, no wonder he's Sawyer's favorite. :)

Naughty: I decided to see if it would be safe to put presents under the tree yet. We wrapped the present for our cousins and put it under the tree. Sawyer tested out his "while mom's in the shower" theory again. He not only unwrapped the present, he took off the plastic and then got out his scissors to help him "open" the box. Oh my. So naughty!

Nice: My neice Erica babysat for us the other night and helped the boys make a gingerbread house. They had lots of fun and it was so nice of Erica to go to the effort, and for her mom to get it and bring it over for her. :) Thanks Sheryl and Erica!

Naughty: Nate had put the Gingerbread house on the table to get it out of the way and Sawyer decided he really needed to try it out. I caught him taking a bite of the roof and trying to bite off the mini M&M trim. There was a puddle of drool below the roof and several sticky smeared candies.

Nice: Instead of waiting till Christmas, (sorry Erica), I let the boys eat the gingerbread house one night. I figured it was that or have it nibbled away by Mr. Naughty. The boys had lots of fun eating it right where it stood.

My Models

2010-12-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take some photos the other day and experiment with indoor lighting so I asked the boys if I could take pictures of them. They were more than willing, but getting them to sit still for more than 5 seconds was another story. With Landon being quite the poser and Sawyer being quite the goof, we had some fun and got some silly pictures of my two favorite boys!

Three Days of Halloween

2010-11-01T10:30:00.002-06:00

Day 1: Friday

Friday began with Halloween for Landon. He got to wear his costume to school, and since he couldnt wear his mask, I painted his face. Sawyer (wearing his dog costume) and I went to Landon's school to watch him in the school costume parade.

That evening we had our ward halloween party. I was medusa and Nate was a disco dude. Jeanette did my makeup which turned out pretty cool, good job Nettie! The party was alot of fun. We had the traditional ward Salmon fry, which was delicious and then a costume parade of the kids and trunk or treating to finish it off.

Day 2: Saturday
That evening was supposed to be trick or treating, but with the weather, we had to improvise. We trick or treated at Grandma and Grandpa Harris' and Pitts' and that turned out to be plenty of fun for the boys. They got enough candy from the trunk or treat Friday night that they were okay in the candy department, plus Landon had fun giving out candy to the handful of trickortreaters that came to our house.

Day 3: Sunday
Halloween evening we had our Harris Family Halloween Party. It turned out pretty good. We had chicken noodle soup and some other goodies brought by family. We had our costume contest, and played a 'name that scary movie' game. I think we had some awesome costumes this year! here are some pics for you to enjoy!

Amber had an awesome Egyptian costume

Nan & Jared as Nightmare Before Christmas

Becky and Ron as an Alien and a Lunch Worker

Sawyer decided he didn't want to wear his dog costume,

so he wore Landon's power ranger costume and was a muscle man.

Ryan and Megan as a Dirt Biker and an Oompa Loompa

Nate and Lori as a Chipendale Dancer--censored for your benefit ;) and a last minute drapery ghost

Becky was our winner

with Megan in 2nd

and Nan and Jared in 3rd

Turning 7 on 10-10-10

2010-10-11T10:49:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to work on Landon's scrapbooks lately (I know, finally!), so it's been fun remembering my sweet little Landon over the last seven years. I can't believe he's seven! He's my little sweetheart. He is always good for a hug and a kiss. He tells me he loves me all the time. He loves school and has a great imagination. He is a goofball and we love him so very much. He is the best big brother, always helping me out and playing with Sawyer. He loves being with his family. In every prayer he says "thank you that we could be together as a family today."

Happy Birthday Landon!

For Landon's birthday we had a fun little family carnival complete with a tatoo booth, wheelbarrow rides and a magic show! Thanks everyone for making it such a fun time, not only for Landon, but for all of us!

Present Time

Landon got to open his presents from us after church. Dad got him a boat Lego set, Sawyer got him the Star Wars Legos, and Mom got him his super cool jacket.

Later that evening at his carnival party he got to open many more presents from his (great)grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. He scored more Legos, a transformer, pj's, a couple new shirts, and a zhu zhu pet!

Thanks everyone!

Lego Mania

pictures by Nate

Daddy and Landon had fun putting together his new Lego sets

sunday afternoon and look forward to putting together more today!

Knock down the cans!

by Jared and Nan

Wheelbarrow Rides

by Nate

Tatoos

by Grandma and Amber

Bean Bag Toss

by Megan

My favorite part was when sawyer really wanted to get it in

the cats mouth so he decided to just walk right up and put it in.

Penny Toss

by Amber

Pinata

by Grandma and Daddy

We started with the youngest and went to the oldest. By the time we got to Landon he succeeded in knocking the head off and then Gabe knocked off his legs. Sawyer cried when spider man's head came off, but had no problem taking the candy that came out of him.

Magic Show

by Ryan

Landon did a little "ooooo, presents!" dance here.

End of Summer Fun

2010-09-27T09:11:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Megan's and Kate's birthdays

with hamburgers, brats, cake and ice cream cones.

It was a fun little end of summer day.

The kids had fun playing outside and eating cones and the

grownups had fun taking Ryan's mini bike for a spin.

Then and Now

2010-09-20T09:57:00.000-06:00

Nate

Sawyer

Family Pictures

2010-09-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

Nate's sister Megan was kind enough to attempt family photos for us. Even though Sawyer was difficult and neither boy was very excited, I think she had great success (after a few head swaps). Thanks Megan!

my two boys

my sweet Landon

Field Trip Anyone?

2010-08-02T09:29:00.006-06:00

We took a field trip to the Central Utah Gardens (right by Krispy Kreams in Orem). They have beautiful gardens that feature plants that help you conserve water. So not only did the kids get to run around and play, we got to look at pretty flowers and plants, get ideas for landscaping and occupy the kids for an hour or so on a summer day. Oh, and I got to take some pictures :)

They had these cute little houses with beautiful murals inside that the kids could go in.

Our Sawyer

2010-07-15T10:25:00.002-06:00

Nate's mom had kept this awesome outfit from when he was a toddler, so we had to take some pictures of Sawyer in it while it fit him. He's such a little character. :)

I love my sweet Sawyer!

We have raspberries in our backyard and the boys love to pick and eat them. I told him he couldn't have one until he let me take a couple more shots. Here's his mad face. :) Perfect if you ask me! Oh, Sawyer you make life so interesting!

House Number Planter

2010-07-13T09:00:00.003-06:00

I discovered that the clay pots I used seep water and caused the paint to bubble and discolor. So, in the future, they would need to be sealed or use plastic pots instead. But for now, it gives them character. :)

Done

2010-07-12T08:52:00.002-06:00

Found this at DI:
Painted it:
Finally finished my newspaper topiary and put it in my 'new' pot.
Found some pots and flowers for suuuper cheap at Shopko and made my house number planter. I only did two pots instead of three. Maybe I should get a bigger pot for the top one...we'll see.

Catch up

2010-07-06T07:45:00.010-06:00

I realized that I forgot to post about Sawyer's birthday party and Landon's last day of school and so I'm playing catch up in this post. :)

Sawyer's Birthday:
I did post about my sweet stinker turning two, I just forgot to post about his party. He made a great haul and loved most of all his new bike. He rode it around the house all night; we had a hard time getting him off of it for bed.

He was loving dogs (and still is) and especially dalmatians at the time, so I made him a dog cake. It was an interesting endeavor. It turned out ok. He loved it. Gertie gave him a copy of a picture they took of it and he carried it around for days.
Landon's Last Day of School:

Landon was both excited and a little sad that school was ending.

He really enjoyed his teacher, and I'm so grateful to her for helping him continue to love school.

We also got the pleasure of working with Mrs. Anderson, aka Sister Anderson.

It was fun to know her on both the school and the church front.
(Left : Mrs. Anderson Right: Mrs. Jensen)

Here's a picture of two of Landon's best friends from his class, Ben and Ethan.

The 4th of July and Nate's Birthday
Saturday night we did fireworks at Amber's house and planned to watch the stadium fireworks from there. About three spinning eyeballs into the event, Sawyer was petrified. I tried to take him inside and watch from the window. Still terrified. We went in to the kitchen where we couldn't see or hear and he was still a little skittish. So, Sawyer and I went home. Yeah for fireworks. :)
Sunday we celebrated Nate's birthday. I made him a sweet fish cake (if I do say so myself). It was actually kinda fun to do. I had a fish pan, so even though it was a bugger to get out of the pan, I at least had the general fish shape. Then I frosted it back together and painted it with watered down food coloring and accented it with some olive green frosting. Oh, just a little tip for all those who like to color frosting. You can add cocoa powder to your frosting to help darken the colors up. That's how I got the olive green color on the fins, tail and eye, and also how I got a decent black for Sawyer's dalmatian.
Monday we swam and BBQed at the Harris'. Over all it was a pretty fun weekend.

Aspirations

2010-07-04T22:40:00.007-06:00

Sadly, I'm still so far off from my aspirations of taking great photo's like this one:
I still have much to learn and acquire in the way of photography skills and equipment. I tried to do some photos of my friend's new baby and ended up sadly lacking. By some miracle, I ended up with a couple good ones, but man, oh man, photographing babies is hard work.
I don't know how they do it. But I can understand why my favorite baby photographer can get away with charging a small fortune for her classes. After this struggle of a session, I was about ready to give up on photographing babies, but then my muse posted these pictures and I was instantly re-inspired.
Pressing onward, ever onward. I'd love some models (any age!), if anyone feels the need for some pictures, let me know and I'm sure we can work something out to benefit us both!

Thanks Brielle for letting me use your sweet baby!

Zoo Trip

2010-07-01T10:53:00.003-06:00

We made a Harris family trip to the zoo a couple of weekends ago. It was funtimes for all! Since this was essentially our family 'vacation' for the summer, we made sure we did it all. (Awesome pictures taken by Nate)

Our Monkey ChildrenOur Monkey Cousins

I think the baby elephant was the kids' favorite

Sawyer was a tad frightened of the tall moving animals, so we settled for a bench. :)

Sucked right in . . .

2010-06-15T22:16:00.003-06:00

I hopped on the computer to look up a card idea for primary for father's day this Sunday. I scrolled down to find more info. I clicked on a link. I clicked on another. And another. And another.
This is what I ended up with:

*I've been wanting a creative way to put up our house number....this might be it.

courtesy of: http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2010/05/tiered-terra-cotta-planter.html

*I've also been wanting to make a topiary or two for my home.

I haven't yet, cause I want a good sized one and styrofoam balls are unnecessarily expensive.
This tutorial shows how to make one by making the ball out of crinkled up newspaper! Yes, I did just go and get today's ads from the trash. I think I'll use a stick for the post and maybe add flowers too.

*I'd love to do this (or have nate help me do this) to our bathroom mirror one day.

Before:

After:

*I like this idea, maybe I'll use a version of it in my bedroom.

Okay, so maybe I've become a project junkie.

Post Day

2010-06-14T14:12:00.001-06:00

It's one of those days where I've posted several things, so feel free to read on...and on....like you have nothing better to do. :)

Finishing my Bedroom

2010-06-14T13:39:00.005-06:00

I have mostly finished my bedroom.
I still need to:
Refinish the side tables
Finish window treatments
Print and hang pictures
Find a bedskirt

Since that is going to be ongoing I've decided to just post pictures now, and since I forgot to take before pictures, you'll just have to imagine a plain bedroom.

Please excuse the ghetto TV and cords.

I plan on getting enlargements of these pictures to hang on the turquoise wall.

Okay, so it's not that great, but at least my bedroom is officially "decorated." :)

Happy/Sad

2010-06-14T13:29:00.002-06:00

I sadly cannot go to the bead fair with my friend Beckie this weekend. On a happy note we'll be going to the zoo as a family.

I happily found out that the third book in the Hunger Games series is coming, but sadly not until August 24th. Even more sadly I am 215th in line at the library. Happily they did order 30 copies, so it should go by quickly, but again I sadly have to wait till August.

I cut about 5 inches off my way too long hair. Happily it is cooler and quicker to fix. Sadly, I kinda miss my long locks. Happily/Sadly take your pick, I didn't change my style, just the length (it is still below my shoulders). Hopefully that's a good thing. :)

Newly Discovered Fun

2010-06-14T11:19:00.002-06:00

I came across an idea some time ago for something fun to do outside, and finally the other day I actually remembered it at just the right time! I was painting some frames outside and the boys wanted to paint too. So we got out some old paintbrushes, a bucket with water and let them paint the patio. They were completely entertained for more than an hour. Who knew?

This Sunday I took Sawyer into nursery and one of the sisters started playing with him. After about 10 minutes when more kids came in, he was completely distracted and I snuck out. I expected them to bring him to me shortly there after, but 10 minutes went by . . . then 30 . . . and then church was over! He made it all the way through nursery with no crying!! Hooray! Yes, I know, he's two and should have been acclimated to nursery by now, but for those who don't know Sawyer, he's my crying puker. So, just letting him cry it out isn't really an option for me. So with me in primary and Nate teaching, he didn't get to go to nursery regularly. Last Sunday Nate was able to take him to nursery and they stayed the whole time (Sawyer usually wants to leave halfway through). I have no idea why this Sunday was the day, and I don't know if next Sunday will go as well, but I'm so glad that we had one happy nursery experience!

Projects Update

2010-05-11T10:43:00.005-06:00

I've been working on our bedroom, here's what I've completed:
Headboard done
Throw pillows done
Duvet cover done
Shams - made one, didn't like it, remaking, almost done
I still need to paint, figure out a bedskirt, and window treatments.
But I'm oh so close.

S P R I N G

2010-04-23T13:23:00.007-06:00

I drive by this orchard pretty much everyday. I'm glad it's in my daily routes, I love to look at it. The other day when it rained it looked absolutely amazing. I just had to try and get some photos of it. The pink blossoms were so vibrant against the gloomy sky, and the grass so very green. I love spring.

In this same orchard is this old, dilapidated structure, which for some reason fascinates me. I love to look at it.

Happy Spring!

I love to see the temple

2010-04-20T13:29:00.006-06:00

For the longest time I've been wanting to take my own picture of the Timpanogos Temple to have in our home. I've wanted to do it in the spring when the blossoms and tulips are out, and finally today I made an attempt. The sun was super bright and gave me some sweet lens flare, which was fun to play with. I think I actually got a few shots I like. Here are my favorites.

Throw pillows anyone?

2010-04-13T10:43:00.003-06:00

I was browsing for some great ideas for throw pillows for the bedroom and found these. Just thought I'd share with you! Hope they inspire you! hehe

Happy Day!

2010-04-13T10:30:00.001-06:00

Good News!! I found my beads! I know you were all so concerned about them. ;) They were in between some books on the bookshelf -- go figure. Yeah!
When do you want to bead Beckie???

Projects

2010-04-09T08:40:00.010-06:00

1. I am finally working on decorating our bedroom. That's always the last place you decorate in your house, right? Here are some of my inspirations, and I'll be sure and post photos when I've finished. I'll be making a duvet cover, pillows, shams, a bedskirt, and a headboard. Here's the awesomely cheap and easy headboard I found from She's Crafty:

2. I went to the Gem and Bead Show a couple of Saturdays ago and got some great beads and am looking forward to making some new jewelry. One small problem though, they have completely disappeared and I can't for the life of me figure out where they went. I last saw them on my dresser...has anyone seen them???? I'll be sooo very sad if I can't find them.
If . . . no, WHEN I find them, I'll be making something vaguely like this, along with many other things! :) (thanks for the idea Beckie)

3. I found a quilt that I think I could handle making. Yes, I know, I still need to put backing on and bind my muumuu quilt, but this is just a future idea. I think I'll make one to accent my bedroom. (photo courtesy of Rebekah Westover Photography)

3b. Finish my muumuu quilt. :)

4. I'd also like to recover my dining room chairs in the not too distant future. They came with cream colored seats, and needless to say, they are already worn. I'd like to recover them with a leather looking vinyl so they can be wiped clean and wonderfully I found vinyl for as little as 3.99 a yard at Home Fabrics. I love that store!

5. One last thing. We have two awesome wingback chairs that we would like to recover. One has been recovered in the past in an eighties paisley, so we're going to start with that one. It seems a little overwhelming to reupholster a whole chair, but the chairs are so great, we have to at least try.

I think that's plenty to keep me busy along with everything else I have to do! Wish me luck.

Sawyer J Harris

2010-04-08T09:50:00.010-06:00

My little Sawyer is 2 today. I couldn't love him more. He was a trouble maker from the start, with me in the hospital for 3 weeks, and then him being in the hospital for 2 weeks. He's a sweet stinker who loves keys, his new big wheel,

making messes elmo, curious george, his blanket, his binkie, his bottle playing outside, water hammers, tools in general.

I love his sweet smile, his laugh, his love of all foods, his curiosity,
his soft squishy cheeks that I constantly kiss,
his pretty brown eyes, his cute mouth and all of the expressions it makes.

How can you not love this face?
Happy Birthday my terribly terrific two year old!

Editing

2010-04-08T09:40:00.004-06:00

I am continually learning more and more about using Lightroom and Photoshop so I can get the best out of my pictures. Here's a proof so you can see what I've been able to do. I've gradually learned what not to edit and what is okay to fix. I want people to look their best; I want people to look at a photo and think, 'I really like the way I look.'

A Mostly Black and White Easter

2010-04-05T14:26:00.008-06:00

kids ham egghunts food AUNTS candy conference family love plaid fun cupcakes baskets eggs bunnies chicks snow chocolate UNCLES jellybeans cadbury vitamin water gatorade strawberries tractors grandparents

Random Dress

2010-04-05T14:18:00.003-06:00

I happened upon this super cute dress when browsing some of my photo sites.
I can't even handle how cute it is.

Random Sunday Photos

2010-04-01T11:57:00.009-06:00

A few Sundays ago, Landon asked to drive to the temple so we did and brought the camera as well. Nate took this great shot, and I messed around with it. :) I think it's canvas worthy.

At Nate's Parent's house for dinner it was a beautiful Sunday
so we had Megan snap a few pics for us.

Yes, we even attempted a family picture,
needless to say the boys weren't very cooperative.
Oh well, good memories right?

I love this face!

My sweet little stinker Sawyer will be two next week!

And this face is the reason we love him so much. ;)

Landon, I love you!

All Things New

2010-03-04T16:20:00.005-07:00

I've made some changes in my life, I've lost 20 pounds and look hot in a swimsuit, and ....okay so I'm just kidding, but that's my goal right? So, really though, there are a few new things in my life. I am now working again and I actually like it. :) Granted, I haven't quite worked 2 weeks yet, but it's been a lot of fun. Another new is my hair color. Yeah, I know, not very exciting for you, but I was in great need of a change. Here's my sweet self-portrait (haha). I love it! (the hair color, not the self-portrait) :)

Other things new...
Nate will finish his last official night at the hospital today and will finally be home in the evenings! Yeah! He's looking forward to sleep for now, but also to be able to have plenty of time to work on our yard as it warms up and to play ball.
I buzzed Sawyer's head and he looks like an older boy now. My sweet baby isn't quite a baby anymore. He'll be two next month and I can not believe it! He's such a little goof. As much as he drives me crazy, I couldn't love him any more! He's my sweet, cute, soft, squishy baby boy who recently loves 'Pig' (The movie Babe) and anything to do with dogs, as long as they're a good distance away from him.
Landon is reading! He's doing so good. It's so exciting (especially when he doesn't complain) to hear him do his reading homework. It's been a lot of fun this school year to help in his class, meet his little friends and see him in action in school. He's such a character. I love when I pick him up from school and he tells me, "Mom, I had the best day at school today." What more could a mom ask for.

My Favorite Model

2010-02-25T22:58:00.001-07:00

I babysat my favorite model, Annika, the other day so I asked her mom (my beautiful sister Nettie) to bring some clothes! I just can't get over how photogenic they both are. And Annika is the perfect model! Not only is she photogenic but she is the perfect little poser and takes direction so well. I looOOoove to photograph her! (Not to mention her mom!)

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T17:33:00.003-07:00

I'm sorry my posts are few and far between lately. Our life is exceedingly boring. One event is that Nate will be going back to one full-time daytime job, and I will be getting a part time job in the evenings. It will be nice to have Nate home more, and nice for me to "get out of the house" and talk with grownups. :)

Sawyer gave me the best Valentine's present ever. He finally decided he'd be okay with saying...

luv you! (the v is silent)

and has even said it numerous times over the last week.
The things my boys have learned that I love the most are always hugs, kisses and saying "I love you"
A mom can never get enough of those!

Our Holiday

2010-01-04T22:12:00.005-07:00

The holidays came and went so quickly, I hardly know what to think. Christmas eve we had dinner at Nate's parents and did our new 'good' white elephant gift game. We each buy a quality 15.00 white elephant gift to exchange. It was fun times. We were the proud recipients of a Snuggie. Yes, that's right, we now own a Snuggie. I'll admit, I had a good laugh when the gift was opened, but Landon commented when it was my turn that he wanted the Snuggie, and when Nate ended up with it, he was rather excited and has used it quite frequently.

We started a new tradition of getting new pajamas on Christmas eve. We had told Landon that we'd all be opening one gift that night and then I made sure to tell him it wasn't a toy so he didn't get his hopes up. I expected a dejected sigh when he opened them, but he was actually excited about them. Yeah!

Christmas morning was lots of fun with Sawyer being a little older and of course Landon being super excited. The boys got some sweet gifts this year, Nate went a little crazy shopping. Landon finally got the one thing he's wanted for the last few years, a remote control helicopter. Sawyer has been loving Elmo lately, so I thought I got him the one thing he wanted most...but it didn't start out that way. :) Sawyer seemed most excited about the little box of goldfish he got in his stocking. He enjoyed them thoroughly. Nate and I spent the better part of an hour putting together a Knect roller coaster from Santa. The boys thought it was 'awesome.' Probably my favorite part of the morning was when Landon did a sweet "I love Christmas" dance. After enjoying our Christmas gifts and goldfish for a while, we ate brunch at the Harris'. The rest of the day was spent playing monopoly with the family, and snoozing.
Here's a clip of the highlights:

Advent Idea

2009-12-17T23:16:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I know it's a little late for it this year (unless you do a 7 days before Christmas count down), but I saw this cute idea on TV and thought I'd share with those interested!

Materials:

Clear plastic ornaments (I've seen them at JoAnn's all year)
Gold tinsel
Assorted small toys or candies
Circle reinforcement stickers
White vinyl numbers, 1-2” in height
Gold ribbon

Getting Started

1. Place tinsel and gift inside ornament (hiding the gift as much as possible).
2. Attach gold sticker to the bottom of the ornament to ensure it remains closed.
3. Attach vinyl number to the front of the ornament.
4. Cut a piece of gold ribbon and thread through hole on top of ornament to hang.

Found here: http://www.katiebrown.com/kbep1.cfm?cat=NEST&episodeid=26&seasonID=4

Thankful . . .

2009-12-07T22:33:00.011-07:00

I'm thankful . . .

for silly boys

for tulips

for big puffy clouds

for beautiful sunsets

for handsome boys

for an awesome grandma

for sleeping babies

for friends who craft with me, hang out with me, listen to me complain, and are just my friends

The list could really go on and on . . .

Little Lena

2009-11-11T14:41:00.006-07:00

We tried another indoor photo session and did blessing pictures of Lena and a three generation shot, and then of course some with the cute mama Charli. :)

The Deer Hunt

2009-10-29T10:36:00.004-06:00

Nate's other true love in life is hunting (I'm the other love, in case you didn't figure that out). I always hear the stories of how they hiked straight up a mountain and saw this huge buck, and so on, but finally I got some pictures from Nate's friend that went with him. Thanks Sean! Hope you all enjoy them as much as I did. Nate did get a 3 point -- I think that's right, you'll have to ask him. :) We also enjoyed some venison stew the other night, it was delicious.

The Halloween Party

2009-10-27T14:14:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we had our halloween party. It turned out pretty good. We just did a small shindig this year, but I think all had fun. Here are some sweet pictures.

Our costume contest winners
1st Megan
2nd Tawny
3rd Christian

Baby Lena - 16 days old

2009-10-23T09:35:00.005-06:00

So, here is my first tiny baby photo session. It was hard work, let me tell you. Little Lena didn't really want to sleep that much so we weren't able to try some of the poses I really wanted to, but we still got some cute shots. She is a beautiful baby! Way to go Charli & Aren!

6 Years Old

2009-10-19T11:21:00.004-06:00

I can't believe Landon is 6 already (as of the 10th). He's getting so big. I look at him and he looks so grown up, although, thankfully, there are times I still see my baby boy in him too. Landon got to have his very first friend birthday party. It was a superhero party, so we decorated our own masks, played pin the shield on the Power Ranger and 'superhero, superhero, villain' (formerly known as duck, duck, goose). We also ate some cupcakes, and had lots of fun.

For our family party I made him an IronMan cake. It was my first (and last) attempt at fondant. It was far from enjoyable, but turned out pretty good....and then of course I screwed up the 'Happy Birthday'. Oh well, it's the thought that counts...I think. :)

The Silly Six Year Old

My Boys

2009-10-17T23:55:00.006-06:00

I decided to brave a photoshoot outside with the boys. It was pretty funny. Sawyer is such a handful, he was more interested in climbing, searching, running -- anything other than sitting still. But I managed to get a few cute ones anyway. :)My handsome Landon.

The only way I could get Sawyer to stand still long enough to snap a photo was having him give Landon a kiss. I looove this picture. So sweet. I love my boys. Aren't they cute? hehe

I love this picture! Sawyer is hillarious. He thinks he's funny too. I snapped it quick when he made a break for me.

"Excited" Photo Challenge

2009-10-12T10:15:00.003-06:00

Landon at the park watching a remote control helicopter. He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

What language do you speak?

2009-09-28T22:46:00.002-06:00

Landon and I were eating some Cheetos and for some reason he had languages on his mind and asked how you said "Cheetos" in Spanish. Then he asked how you say it in English and I told him that it was English. We speak English. He had a good laugh for a minute and then said "Mom, we don't speak English!" A little perplexed I asked, "What do we speak then?" He replied very matter-of-factly, "Mom, we speak Human."

"Completely Candid" Photo Challenge

2009-09-21T22:54:00.002-06:00

So we found this fun little photography blog: They have a weekly themed photo challenge, and we decided it would be fun to do it each week. So here's our first entry! Nate and I both loved this picture of Sawyer playing in the water in our backyard. He's such a goof, and loooves the water. He figured out that he can cover the end of the hose to make it spray farther, but didn't count in that it would spray himself as well, it took his breath away.

Baby Photography

2009-09-14T13:28:00.007-06:00

For those of you that are avid Harris Blog readers, you might remember me saying I wanted to learn to photograph babies like Kelley Ryden (whose sister, Tracy, was featured on the Today show last week, btw). Well, Amber was over one day and we had a few extra minutes so we tried some pictures of her 6 month old Lily. I'm still trying to work out how to get the lighting just right indoors, and the backgrounds to work, and the baskets to stay still, not to mention the baby (hehe), and the list goes on, but here are a few favorites. If anyone has babies they'd like to donate to the cause, let me know!

I messed around with this one in Photoshop and added an overlay to the background.
What do you think comparatively?

I love her expression in this one!

Building . . .

2009-09-14T12:49:00.009-06:00

A great recipe for building birdhouses, playhouses, and father/son relationships:

All we needed was:
some wood and a hammer nails power tools some paint and a couple days off work.

It's amazing what fathers and sons can accomplish when they have time off. Nate and Landon have been talking all summer about building two things: 1. Birdhouses 2. A Playhouse
This past week they managed to accomplish both, with some help from Grandpa.
One day they spent a few hours making the birdhouses.
They cut, and hammered

and painted
and voila - two cute birdhouses.

Then on Saturday Grandpa Harris came over and helped Nate throw together a pretty sweet playhouse.

The finished Playhouse! (minus a paint job)Complete with a ladder that leads to a trapdoor and the roof/balcony!
Landon's favorite part

Sawyer thinks it's pretty awesome too.

Cute Little Annika

2009-09-08T23:39:00.004-06:00

I babysat my little niece yesterday and of course had to try a few photos. She's such a cutie!

Belly Shots

2009-09-04T22:13:00.003-06:00

I've always thought belly shots were a little cheesy, and haven't really seen any that I've liked, but my favorite photographer posted her belly shots, and of course they are beautiful! You have to check them out. Yes, I did say HAVE to. :)

Wet, Muddy, Fun!

2009-09-04T11:07:00.006-06:00

We had a fun day playing in our backyard the other day. Sawyer loves the water and loves to play with the hose.

Sawyer had fun filling this bucket with water, but got a tad frustrated when he couldn't lift it. Like a good mom I laughed, took some pictures and then helped him carry it.

Half of our backyard is still dirt, and when you're playing with water and the dirt is so close by you can't help but make mud. Landon created a little mud hole and Sawyer thought it was fun to fling the mud around.

You just can't go through childhood with out making mud shoes and gloves!

You also can't go through childhood without tasting mud. It's not so great. But I guess you have to find out for yourself.

Skills

2009-09-04T10:56:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's true. Sawyer has some mad skills. He can stick stuff to his nose. I'm sure the snot helped some, but wow, what skills. :) That's an 'o' from our tic-tac-toe game, in case you're wondering. Sawyer thought he was pretty darn funny, so did me and Landon.

We Just Touched Awkwardly

2009-09-01T14:19:00.004-06:00

OK, so the feed was too big for the blog :) but check out this link for sure, it's well worth your time.

Landon's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-27T14:30:00.003-06:00

Landon started kindergarten today! Woohoo! I think he was pretty excited, and only a tad nervous. I was only a little choked up, but very excited to not hear 'I'm bored' quite as often. :).

Landon wearing his new transformers t-shirt, jeans,
shoes that tie, a superhero backpack and the smile of the day.

Landon's classroom door.

Landon sporting his sweet name tag.

Fashion According to Sawyer

2009-08-18T22:21:00.004-06:00

Sawyer has decided to become a fashion designer and set a new fashion trend around our house. The new trend is wearing food. Yes, that's right, food. I've captured his latest styles and wanted to share them with all you food and fashion buffs.

Here, Sawyer is wearing what we like to call waffles and applesauce, complete with a waffle cap, worn jauntily askew.
Notice the careful preparation that goes into Sawyer's designing.

Here is his other new piece called Oompa Loompa Ravioli. He has again chosen a cap, worn tilted to the side, but has decided to add a wonderful orange rouge to his cheeks, nose, chin, and lips, applied freely.
We are so proud of Sawyer and his design accomplishments. I especially love bathing him three times a day after each design session. (At least he's cute, right?) We have high hopes for this little artist!

Thanksgiving Point Adventures

2009-08-11T21:41:00.005-06:00

As many of you may know, it is $2.00 Tuesdays in August at Thanksgiving Point. My sister-in-law and I decided to go and check things out. It took us at least 10 minutes to get past the off ramp, 10 more to find a parking spot. While we were driving through the multitude of parking lots, we saw that the line for the dinosaur museum was huuuuge. We opted to go to Farm Country instead. We saved a 1.50 a person today (as opposed to the $6.00 each we would have saved at Dinoland), cured the kids boredom for a few hours, got plenty of sun, smelled a plethora of farm smells, saw some cute tiny baby bunnies, a baby goat, and a baby horse, stood in line for 45+ minutes for the kids to have a free pony ride, fed some of the animals, smelled all the animals, got Wendy's for lunch with Grandma, and had a super fun time.

Really Big Cow

cute baby horse

Landon petting the cute baby horse

Katelyn petting the cute baby horse

Two goats Landon told me to take a picture of

Landon got to ride the 2nd biggest horse

Adam

Gabe

I thought this face was hillarious

Grandma braving the horse poop to keep Sawyer on his horse

Katelyn, our future Rodeo Queen, rode the biggest horse

Landon's new timeout room

Sheryl

2009-08-10T15:05:00.002-06:00

I know she might kill me later, but I thought this picture of my sister turned out oh so beautiful, so I'm sharing it with all who view my blog (which I know is sooo many) hehe. Enjoy!

My Nate

2009-08-10T14:52:00.001-06:00

I have a funny husband, for those of you that don't know him that well. He's funny. I like him. On one of our Saturday DI tours he found these pretty sweet cowboy boots, which were like brand spanking new, for $10.00. He sports them proudly. Like I said, Nate is funny. He makes me laugh. This smile is one of the first things that got my attention when we first met. I love his smile.