Harris Happenings

Not for the Faint of Heart...

2010-11-11T20:57:00.001-08:00

So, I'm really at a loss for words...ok, not really. It always seems like I have something to say. I have many thoughts about this, however I just need to maybe keep them to myself until my emotions are not so raw. WAY too many emotions, even a week later.

So, Jeff got hurt again. Yes, you heard it right, it is really not some sick joke. I guess it's just the sick reality. He decided he had recovered from the recent crash enough to go take some laps on the track. Day 1 and 2 back, his friends say he was, "smooth as silk" (whatever!). Day 3 (Nov. 4th)back...not so much.

The day in a nutshell. Went to the track, took some laps, but not where he crashed before, continued, decided he wanted to hit the section he had crashed on in August. Ummm...not a good idea. Went down right in the section as before. Felt like his boot was filling with blood. Friend called the ambulance. Ambulance takes him back to IMC, back to the trauma wing, back to room 2, de ja vu...all over again!

I'm not going to go into detail about my reaction to the call. It's better to let me forget, although I'm sure Elysse and Tiffany will both have it burned into their minds. (I'm so sorry, my sweet sisters, I'm so sorry)

ANYWAY...he broke and dislocated the talus bone in the foot and in the process, broke the tibia as well. The Drs tried twice to reset the bone, but couldn't do it. He was rushed to the OR and had a 3 hour surgery. Spent two days in the hospital and then we took him home. He lasted about 8 hours at home until he got a 101 degree temp and we couldn't control the pain with the meds we had. I had to fight with him for 30 minutes until he decided it was probably a good idea to go back to the hospital, it was probably really the 2 nurses that I talked to that thought it was a good idea to take him back in, when he decided he probably should.
We spent 5 long and rough hours in the ER and then the Dr. decided he needed to be re admitted to keep an eye on him a little longer. Thank goodness the fever broke about 2 hours after we got to the ER and it never came back. Long story short, 2 more days in the hospital and seems like he has some pretty good nerve damage. He doesn't have any feeling on the bottom of his foot and his toes are in constant pain. He says it's like he has been hooked up to an electrical charger and some just keeps shocking him over and over...YUCK!

Here is his foot on the day we brought him home the second time. They had cut off the splint while in the ER and needed to re splint it before we came home. Like I say, this is not a photo for the faint of heart...sorry!

Needless to say, it's been a bit of a rough week. If we don't die, supposedly this will make us stronger. ha :) We'll make it through...eventually. Jeff will have to be non weight bearing on his foot for 3 months. I'm sure this will cause more than slight difficulties for the next few months. Oh well, just need to take it a day at a time. We are survivors!!

Redemption

2010-10-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

Every year, there is a chili cook off that coinsides with our ward halloween party. I have taken home a winning award in the past, but last year was pathetic. I can't believe I even decided to take what I had. I didn't have any red cooking wine that my chili called for, so I was told by a significant other that using red wine vinegar would be fine to substitute (umm...it TOTALLY wasn't!) Anyway, I took the chili and to make a long story short...it wasn't good and I didn't win and maybe just maybe I had a blow to my ego (I know, silly...like isn't there always some awkward dish that is brought to EVERY church social event??).

So, back to the present...I decided to sign up again to bring chili again this year and do it right. I signed up a week ago and then just kind of forgot that the bmx races were the same weekend and we wouldn't even be there. Well, saturday at about 1:30pm, I get a call, "I just wanted to give you a quick call, I figure the chili is simmering on your stove right now and you don't need a reminder, but I just thought I would call anyway."

"Umm...yeah, I will make sure it gets there, but we won't be able to make it."

"Oh, thank you so much! We are depending on it!"

"Ummm...ok"

Oh CRAP!! I forgot all about it. Races started at 4pm. I had to leave at 3:30 to make it to the race in time. I was SO lucky to have most of the ingredients. I decided to make a couple of changes, surprisingly after what happened last year after taking things into my own hands. It seriously only took about 10 minutes to cut the onions, brown the ground beef and throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot. I didn't expect that it would turn out that great, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't bail on someone that was depending on me.

Well, the next day when I got to relief society, Launi from the activities commitee, told me my stuff was in the kitchen and I had won a prize. WOOHOO!!

I won the kid's choice award! What could be better than that? My kids are so picky and definitely not very easy to please, so being able to bring in that prize was huge for me. Yea me! (Ha!Ha! No need to give me a pat on my back, I'm doing pretty well on my own right??)

BMX Champs

2010-10-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, indoor BMX started up for Parker again. Parker was so excited to get back to the track. He missed out on all but one of the outdoor races for the summer because of Ashley playing softball and Jeff's dirtbike mishap. Parker was on a mission. He was on a mission to not only make it to the main event, but to take home a trophy that was 1st-3rd place. He started practicing a week ago. He would go out every night after school and do sprints. Jeff would time him starting at the top of the driveway to the end of the cult-a-sac and see how fast he could go.

Well, last friday was the opening of the indoor season. We show up and Parks starts practicing. Parks has done really well in the past races, making it to the main event the majority of the time, but there are some pretty fast boys his age. Well, I'm chatting with Debbie (my sis-in-law) and Parks comes up to rest for a bit. I tell Parker, "I'll give you $5 if you win."

he says, "I want $100."

I say, "ok, your dad will give it to you."

Now Debbie looks at me like I'm crazy. I totally reassure her, "Don't worry, it will never happen. He hasn't ever placed top 3 in any of the races, those other kids are so fast."

Well, the races begin. Debbie and Brian stick around for a few of the motos, but had their two kids, so left before Parker raced his first moto. I forget all about the conversation, it had completely left me. (Nothing really new for me, I have lost a majority of my brain cells...can I blame that on 4 kids??) Anyway, moto 12 (Parker's moto) is at the gate. The gate drops and Parker pulls out in front right away from everyone else. This kid is pedaling his heart out. The race wasn't even close, Parker takes 1st. It was AWESOME!! I was so excited I had to post status about it on Facebook.

Since Parker took 1st in his moto, he qualified directly to the main event. We had to sit and wait through the second qualifier and then the main event started. I had a little time on my hands so I was browsing FB on my phone and noticed I had a comment on my status. Debbie comments, " What? $100? haha way to go buddy." Oh my gosh, I had forgotton ALL about that conversation. I just prayed Parker did too. I was NOT going to bring it up at all, maybe I could get out of this mess.

The main event begins. Moto 12 once again, the gates drop, and Parker is out in front again. The boy cleans house!! He was on fire and took the 1st place trophy!! Parker is not a kid that really shows too much emotion, but you couldn't have wiped that silly grin off his face. When we were driving home, he turns to me and says, "Mom, I was the BOMB tonight!!" Yes, he was!! Oh, and he forgot all about our conversation...PHEW!!!

We went back for round 2 on Saturday. Not only was Parker ready to race, but CJ had been waiting for this day for a LONG time. On saturdays, they let little kids (the BIG WHEELS class, they call it)race on part of the track. Debbie and Brian came back so their little boy Crue could race too. She decided to scary me a little here and there and threatened to remind Parker of the conversation from the previous night. Thank goodness she loves me enough to have kept it our little secret!

Anyway, those little guys riding their bikes out on the tracks is probably one of the cutest things you will ever see. CJ did so great! He beat all the kids in that rode in the 2yr old group. It will be interesting to see what happens when we get him into the real racing! BMX you better watch out for this kid!

And Parker? The kid did it again!! He liked winning 1st place the night before soo much that he decided he needed to do it again. It was so fun and it makes a momma and a daddy so proud!! Parker will turn 8 in just a few weeks so he will have to move up into the 8 year old class. Hopefully, he can hold onto the fire and keep it going!

The Recovery

2010-10-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Jeff ended up spending eight days in the hospital. There first few days were extremely rough on Jeff and he was probably in more pain than I would ever hope to feel, EVEN with the massive amounts of medication that were being pumped into his body. The doctors actually had placed a spinal block (epidural) in his back that blocked from his waist to just below the heart, that helped control most of the pain. The second night in the hospital was a really tough night. Jeff was really struggling with his breathing and his carbon dioxide levels got dangerously high. He was extremely close to having to have a breathing tube inserted and getting moved to the ICU. I really feel that it was by a miracle that that didn't happen. Day by day, Jeff would do a little better. It took a few days for Jeff to actually be able to stand up and that would completely wipe him out. Physical therapists would come in a couple times a day and work with him. During that week, he also had surgery to repair the collar bone. Jeff had an amazing talented doctor that performed the surgery. He was a VERY quirky guy, who definitely kept us laughing (his intention wasn't really to be funny, but we just couldn't help it)but his talent definitely helped Jeff for the better. The hospital staff was so amazing and took such good care of the both of us. I ended up staying with Jeff the entire 8 days and I will always be so grateful for Dave and Karel who took the kids for a couple days and also for Elysse, who came and spent 5 days with my kids. She took them school clothes shopping and 3 of the 4 kids actually ended up getting sick while she was there. CJ actually threw up all over her. She was such a good sport and I hope that she still chooses to get married and have a family after that trauma!! :D

Speaking of miracles, I really felt like I witnessed so many, not only that week in the hospital, but also in the weeks after. I feel really blessed to have been able to witness the love and concern of SO many friends and family for not only Jeff, but for me and the kids as well. It was so very humbling and overwhelming to know the true meaning of love from others. We definitely felt the prayers from everyone around us. I don't know if I would ever be able to truly describe the gratitude I felt for all the acts of service that were provided for us. Meals were brought in for over 2 weeks, Jeff received blessings, we had many, many visitors and recieved many wonderful gifts. People offered to take the kids, drive the carpool, take the kids to their activities, and the list goes on and on. I know there were so many that wanted to do things, but couldn't because of them not living close enough. Jeff and I had some very special moments in the hospital just reflecting on everything and everyone who had shown concern and love.

It took Jeff a good 6-7 weeks to really get back to feeling his old self. Still 10 weeks after the accident, he probably has about 10 pounds to gain back from the 20 he lost while he was in the hospital.

It is so nice to have him back to normal (for the most part) ha. I'm not going to pretend that I think Jeff will decide that motocross is no longer for him and that he will sell his bike and never ride again. He still has his bike and actually was hoping to be able to go out yesterday for a little while, but thank goodness the weather is bad and he decided not to go. Motocross is a part of who Jeff is. It makes him happy (and as weird as this sounds and I can't believe I think it), but it makes him the wonderful dad and husband he is. Let's just hope this "freak" accident doesn't happen AGAIN!

The Crash

2010-10-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a little over eight weeks since Jeff had a normal day at the track turn into a nightmare. I am truly amazed at how quickly he has recovered, but not surprised because of the help of many friends and family that prayed and fasted for a full recovery for him. He is back to normal and has been for the last couple weeks, (besides the fact he still has a good 10 pounds to gain back) I am grateful he is back and doing great.

August 18, 2010 will not be a day that is easily forgotten for me. I was going to Idaho to help at an arenacross race. Jeff and I had decided that I just go and he would stay home and watch the kids because Ashley had softball practice and we didn't want to haul everyone up there and have to try and keep them entertained while I was helping. It was about 12:45 and I was just getting ready to leave. Ashley was going to watch the kids until Jeff got home from the track, so I was just leaving some final instructions before heading out the door. I gave Ash a hug and started walkind out the door when I get the phone call.

"Tami, it's Beau from the track."

"Beau, why are you calling me?" I knew exactly what the call was about. He didn't have to tell me.

"Jeff has crashed."

"I'm leaving right now, I'll be there soon", was my response.

I jumped in the car and headed to the track. I thought I should feel mad, but I wasn't, not one bit. Just worried, I hoped it was nothing really serious. I called my friend, but just got her voicemail. I left a message and also sent her a text. I knew she would understand, her son races dirtbikes and has been injured more than once. It's the life of motocross, it's not a matter of if, but when.

I got to the track in about 7 minutes. I pulled up to where Jeff and his friends were parked. His friends had got him and his bike off the track and he was just sitting in a chair. His face was ashen, not a bit of color in it and he is having a very hard time breathing. Jeff had come up short on a jump and hit the throttle to hopefully correct it, but it didn't work. He flew over the handlebars and fell hard. I wanted to call an ambulance, but he wouldn't let me. His friends had wanted to call an ambulance as well, but he told them "No" too. His friends were worried, I could tell on all of their faces. They tell me to go to IMC in Murray. We somehow manage to get him into the car and I tell Jeff that I'm taking him to the ER. He tells me he would just rather go to the Instacare, I veto that call and figure it's probably faster to go to LDS and it would be more convenient from our house. That didn't end going really well. It ended up taking about a half hour to get to LDS because of construction. I just felt terrible for Jeff and all he could say was, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

We finally get there and they get him right back. They get some pain meds in him, then take him to go get xrays. By the time he gets back to the room he's still having a rough time breathing and was in a lot of pain. We had to wait about 30 minutes before the Dr. came in to tell us that he had a "bunch" of broken ribs, a broken collar bone, some of his labs looked a little worrisome the doctor thought there could be some organ damage to the kidney or liver, but his biggest concern was the pneumothorax. Jeff's lung had been punctured most likely by one of the broken ribs and he needed to get a chest tube inserted before his lung completely collapsed. LDS hospital was no longer a trauma hospital, so they were going to have to transfer him by ambulance to IMC in Murray. I really wish I would have listened to his friends, would have saved us a lot of time and probably would have saved Jeff from a lot of pain. By the time we had gotten to the hospital and by the time the ambulance had arrived to transport him, it had been about 3 hours. I had felt pretty calm for the most part, but did break down out in the waiting room a bit after the Dr. shared his news with us. I did feel a little better because it didn't seem like the ER was in a huge hurray to get Jeff to IMC. We waited about an hour and a half for the ambulance to show up. Once the EMT's got there, the shock from the accident had definitely worn off and Jeff was in terrible pain. When the EMT's put the neck brace on Jeff and then tried to get him on the gurney, it was like they were torturing him. It was horrible. Jeff was pass the groaning and swearing, the screaming started and then the tears. Jeff never cries and it was horrible to have to witness and not be able to do a thing about it. Jeff's parents had made it by then and unfortunately had to witness it as well. All three of us were pretty upset. It finally to 12mg of morphine to get Jeff settled enough get him on the gurney. Jeff wanted me to go with him in the ambulance, so Jeff's mom took car of my car. They also went and picked up the kids and took them so we didn't have to worry about them. I'm sure it was so hard for them to be away from Jeff, but I'm so grateful they took that worry away for me. The morphine still wasn't strong enough to knock Jeff completely out, but was able to rest a bit on the ride.

Twenty minutes later, we make it to IMC. They take Jeff into the trauma wing and as we are walking down the hall, I see about 12 doctors, fully robed, with masks and gloves just waiting outside the door to one of the rooms.

"Are you waiting for us?" I didn't realize I had said it outloud.

"Is this Jeff Harris? Yes, we're waiting for him." The EMT's wheeled Jeff into the room and all of those waiting doctors swarmed in on him. I had to sit down, I got really light headed, it hit me, things were bad.

I sat outside the room and tried to gather my thoughts, but I was scared. A girl came over to me and introduced herself as a social worker. She explained that it was all standard procedure with IMC being a trauma center. Normally family members aren't with patients when they are brought in so they don't see what happens initially. Doctors are called from every specialty so they can determine the injuries of the patient and treat ASAP. Thank goodness for that social worker, she calmed me immediately. I overheard a doctor order CT scans, but then also said they needed to get the chest tube in right away. I knew I had been strong enough, I knew there was no way I could be around when they did that. I knew Jeff would be awake when they inserted it and I didn't want to be around when it happened. I know, I should have been stronger, however I didn't want them to have another patient on their hands when I passed out. I excused myself and asked directions to the cafeteria. I realized it was 6:30 and I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

I didn't like not knowing. It's hard not being in control. So many things were swirling in my mind. I could only sit and wait, there were no other options. My phone had been ringing off the hook. News definitely travels fast. Maybe because I posted a little note about being with my broken honey in the ER on facebook. Regardless, people were worried, people cared. I already had gotten a call from my visiting teacher asking what she could do to help. Anyway, I returned some calls and was grateful to be able to do something while I waited. It was about an hour later before they let me back into the room, he had his chest tube in and was calm. He still felt pain quite a bit, but was handling it well. The doctor let us know that Jeff had broken at least 8 ribs that he could see, had a broken collar bone, and a partially collapsed lung. The labs weren't a concern anymore, but Jeff would definitely be spending some time in the hospital.

Cyber Hackers make me SICK!!

2010-09-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am slightly on edge today. I was awakened by a telephone call this morning from a concerned friend. She had recieved an email from me saying I was in London and had been robbed and I needed money and blah, blah, blah. I was really glad she called, we talked a minute longer and then finished our call. I decided to pull myself out of bed and head to the computer to see what I needed to do. As, I made my way into the kitchen, Megan had answered my cell phone. She handed it over to me and it happened to be another girlfriend who I don't talk to too much, but she was really concerned about me. "Tami, are you ok? I'm so worried about you, are you really in London??" I let her know that I was ok at home and hadn't been robbed in London. She was on facebook and had an IM message pop up from me. She was having a LIVE conversation with someone and was ready to send the money to me in London. I'm just so glad that she didn't. For the next two hours, I was getting texts and phone calls from wonderful and concerned friends who were worried about me and also just informing me that my email "probably" had been hacked. OH YES IT WAS!

These crazy SOB's somehow got a hold of my password and had changed all the info in both my facebook account and also my email. My fault, I shouldn't have had the same password to both accounts, I just didn't think that anything like this happened. Well, I know it happened...I just didn't think to take precaution. Let me tell you, it is not that simple to get things fixed. It can take 24-72 hours for hotmail to review my information to determine if I'm really who I say I am, so they can reset my password and send it to an email that is safe. I can't really do anything about facebook until I have my email one worked out. I just hate the fact that those $@$#@# hackers have all my friends and family's emails. I'm so sorry to all of you. I should have been more cafeful. Hopefully, it doesn't take long for it to all be fixed!!

A Balloon Poppin' Good Time

2010-09-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today is Megan's 9th birthday, but this girl has had quite the celebration over the last few days. Saturday was the beginning of the festivities with a big friend celebration and it was definitely a PARTY!!

We decided to throw the party at home and I have to say, I really enjoyed planning it. It really was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

The games were a total riot to watch. The first game, the girls each had a balloon around each of their ankles. The goal was to pop the balloons on the other girls' ankles. The last girl with at least one balloon not popped is the winner. There was actually a tie between two of the girls. After 15 minutes, we made them stand in a smaller area. They still couldn't get the popping done, so we had all the girls go after each of them, but that still didn't work. It ended in a stale-mate!

Now, this game was fuunnny! We covered a piece of double bubble gum with whipping cream. The girls couldn't use their hands. They had to search for the gum, get it in their mouth, and the first girl to blow a bubble won. The girls tried and tried, but nobody was really able to get a good bubble blown. They had a great time playing it though and we did choose a winner. It wasn't Megan for the record, but she did blow some good bubbles with a new piece of gum.

PRESENT TIME!!

Megan and her loot!

We also mod podged frames and had cupcakes and then the girls got to make their own ice cream sundaes. I hope the girls had a good time, because I sure had fun hosting the fun.

Sunday was a celebration with the whole Harris Clan with dinner and singing and then today with just our little family.

Jeff, CJ, and I picked Megan up at school and took her to lunch...her choice, Atlantis Burger. (I love this picture, just Meg and her dad!)

We had spaghetti for dinner. We decided against cakes or cupcakes and just decided to go for ice cream. Coldstone is where it was at!!

I'm really so grateful to have Megan a part of our family. She has her place and no one else would ever be able to fill it how she does. She is growing into such a beautiful girl, both on the inside and out. I got lucky with this girl! Happy Birthday Megs! You are definitely my favorite Megan!!

Back to School

2010-09-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit delayed with getting these adorable pictures posted. I just can't believe how quickly a year passes by and how big my kids are getting.

Ashley is in her final year of elementary school and was so thrilled with the fact that she FINALLY got to be in the same class as her very close friend, who also happens to be an Ashley. She was also so happy that she got the teacher that she wanted the very most. Hopefully, things keep going well for her. We have already been busy with some pretty big projects, hopefully we can keep it up!
Megan is in third grade. She is definitely the kid who does school well. It seems like school always comes easy for this girl. She is in the accelerated reading program again this year and I have already gotten a note from her teacher saying that she wishes she had an entire classroom full of Megans. I always love to hear things like that!

Parker is in second grade. I'm really proud of Parker and all the hard work he puts in to his homework every night. School is not quite so easy for him, but he really tries. He has definitely come a long way since last year at this time. I love this kid!

Allstars Round 2- Black Ice

2010-09-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Another summer has come and gone. We pretty much spent the majority of this year at the softball diamonds again. Ashley has definitely taken a liking to the sport we call Softball. She is quite a little athlete and it really has been a lot of fun to watch her continue to grow and develop and she just continuously gets better. She has yet to get sick of it and is playing again this fall. She has had some fantastic coaches and had the chance to have Jeff help out this summer as the assistant coach. We didn't enjoy the winning season we did last year, but were pleasantly surprised at the progress the team made from the beginning of Allstars to the end.

Hats off to Lady Montague

2010-07-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I had the opportunity to go down to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and spend the day there yesterday. Ashley actually got to perform with some kids from her school at the Adams Outdoor Theater, it was very cool!

We drove down late Monday night after a softball srimmage Ashley had so we didn't make it there until about 1:30am. A wonderful friend, (thank you Maryann) let me and Ashley crash with them for the few hours we got to sleep. Ashley had to be up and ready by 7am for her performance at 8:30. Maryann also was kind enough to let me stay at the hotel and sleep and she took the girls over for rehearsal. Ashley played the part of Lady Montague in Romeo and Juliet and did such a great job.

She also got to be in the Witches Chorus for McBeth. The kids all did such a great job! They really spent a lot of time at practices and I was actually kind of annoyed about it, I'm not going to lie. I was even a little frustrated with the fact the the kids were required to go to Cedar City. It was truly a great experience, not only for Ashley, but for me too. So, I'm sorry to anyone that had to listen to me gripe and complain. It won't happen again! ;D

50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' />

We went on a backstage tour of the two big theaters there and that was pretty cool. It is quite amazing the work it takes for those productions to go on. They said that it takes 7 people for every actor to make the show successful, whether it is for costumes, makeup, props, lighting, etc. After the tour, Ashley had a bit of fun and we realized that she isn't just two faced, but more than that!

She also informed me, "Mom, don't you know that it's all about the BLING??"

We decided to finish off the day, by heading to the play, "Pride and Prejudice". We were actually pretty lucky that they had any seats left, it was a full house. It was a fantastic show, very entertaining and the cast did an amazing job.

It was such a quick trip, but it was definitely worth it. I had such a great time with getting to spend some one on one time with Ashley. I'm pretty lucky to have her as my daughter. Oh, and Ashley? By the way...I won (the license plate game). :D

Nothing Happening

2010-06-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, ok. There obviously has had to have been some stuff happening around here in seven months. I just need to be honest and let you know that I have been just way too lazy to post anything new. I really need to step it up a notch and with summer vacation coming in a few short days, I will try to do better.

The last couple months have been non stop with softball for both Megan and Ashley. Meg's final game was last night and Ashley's is on thursday, but then Ashley is trying out for Allstar's again this year and will be pretty surprised if she doesn't end up on the roster. She has been doing so awesome this season. It has been really fun to watch her games. Megan has done great as well. I was pretty bummed because at one of her first games, she got nailed in the face with the ball and ended up with a huge, fat, bleeding lip for a few days and also caused her to become very timid around the ball, understandably so. I actually begged her to let me take a picture of it, but she wouldn't let me. :D She is a trooper though and ended up playing really well and hitting like a pro!

Parks decided that he wasn't interested in playing baseball this year and secretly I was thrilled. I don't know how we would have managed with him playing ball and Ashley and Meg's schedule too. The girls both had two games a week, so we weren't home much anyway. He is still loving racing his bmx bike and is thrilled that the outdoors are starting up, so he'll be racing shortly.

CJ of course is the life of the party around these parts. He loves his siblings and likes to follow them wherever they go and wants to do whatever they do to. CJ is LOVING baseball. He is out hitting the ball anytime he has a chance. He can actually hit the ball when it's tossed to him. Hopefully, he'll make us millions! haha!

Summer is coming! The kid's last day of school is on friday and I'm looking forward to them being around for a bit.

Happy Birthday Parker!

2009-11-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

Parker is seven today. I can hardly believe it. It's seems like he's grown up quite a bit in the last year, more this year than others. He was busy playing baseball in the spring and a few months ago he started racing his bmx bike and he is in heaven. He loves it. I have had quite a few proud mom moments this year watching him progress in the things he loves. How did I get to be so lucky to be his mom???

A Rebirth and the Day of the Dead

2009-11-14T19:02:00.001-08:00

I'm two weeks late about posting pictures for Halloween and also we had a very special day for our family on Halloween. Megan was baptised on that very day. When I first was told that the stake baptism day was on Halloween, I think I was a little bit bothered by it at first. Why would they do that? A baptism on a holiday like that? It really was just a moment though, it was as if I got the answer just as quickly. Why not today? What's really more important? A silly holiday of dress up and candy or an opportunity to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost? Megan will never have to try and remember the date of her baptism.

Megan with Jeff

She looked beautiful in her dress!

It was a very intimate family gathering and it meant so much to have Jeff's parents, Amy, Ray and their family, Becky, Todd and their family, and Debbie, Brian, and Crue there. I was also so grateful to have Sassy (my mom) be able to be here, my sister Elysse, and my brothers Jim and Jason also take the time out of their busy schedules to be there to support Megan.

I'm so lucky that I get to be Megan's mom. She is such a great kid. She is truly a tenderheart and is so kind. She is a great sister (she has her moments, as we all do). She fits just perfectly in our family. I'm so proud of her!

It wasn't but a few hours after the baptism that we started gearing up for the night ahead. This year, the three older kids decided they wanted to dress up as vampires/zombie type creepy things. CJ, on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the costume thing. We tried a dragon costume, he screamed until we took it off. We also tried some motocross gear. I thought for sure, he would be excited about that, but no, not at all. Oh well! Good thing he is kid number four, I just decided it wasn't worth the fight, so he stayed home with Jeff and watched the World Series. (Sorry, for those of you who came by. I had a huge bowl of candy with lots of back up, which of course was still here when I got home. Jeff was in the basement, too concerned with the outcome of the game. Come on back by, you don't even have to dress up and I will give you the candy I owe you! :D ) I got some great shots of the kids in their costumes. I might even use one of them for our Christmas photo this year! haha.

CJ looks so festive, doesn't he?? (eye roll)

Don't you think this would work on a Christmas Card??

Family pictures...FINALLY

2009-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

It has been close to five years since we have had professional family pictures taken. I have gotten some pictures of just the kids, but felt like it was time to get a decent one with all of us.

I of course, was a total basket case on Wednesday before the appointment because I was trying to make sure all the clothes I was having everyone wear was going to work. I think I pulled it together pretty good, thank goodness.

A sweet friend of mine, Joanna, has a very talented husband who is a photographer. They actually live in Ohio and he was in town doing a wedding and had made some time to do a sitting for us. We went to the Gateway and I am thrilled at how the pictures turned out. He had taken so many great shots, I just hope I can narrow them down!!

Check out the pictures and let me know what you think!

Pie...umm, ummm, GOOD!

2009-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have a confession to make. I haven't really eaten pie, ever. Maybe, not ever. Well, except just recently. (story to come)I have been afraid of pie. Now, I really like ice cream pie, but does that count? I don't know if it's the crust thing...have I been afraid of the crust? could be. I like oreo and graham cracker crusts, I've had those with the ice cream pie... Is the the fruit thing? maybe that too. It just doesn't seem right to eat warm fruit, in my mind fruit needs to be chilled. I have also stayed away from cobblers too, same reason, I think.

The pie introduction: A few weeks ago, a very good friend of mine called and left a message that she had made a pie for me for my birthday and for me to give her a call when I got home because she wanted to bring it by. Well, some of you know how pathetic I am at checking my messages on my home phone, so I didn't pick my messages up until the following day. I gave Brandice a call back, we had a great conversation and chatted for awhile. She had told me that her husband had dug into the pie later that same day because I hadn't got back to them. He didn't want the pie to go "bad", but we know deep down he was pretty bummed in the first place because no pie was being made for their families, just as gifts for me and another friend. She told me that she was going to make me another one and bring it over. It really meant so much to me that she would think of me and do something like that for me, I have never made a pie, but I do know they they take ALOT of work. I couldn't break her the news and tell her that I wasn't a pie person. I kept my mouth shut, and now gratefully so.

A couple days later she and Mike came by and dropped off by the pie and it just looked so pretty, but I felt so bad because I just didn't "do" pie. I should have let her know, but I just couldn't. She said that she had planned on doing a strawberry pie, but had to add some rasberries because some strawberries had been confiscated by an unnamed child. :D

(I didn't think to take picture before we dug in)

As soon as the two of them left, Jeff couldn't wait but to dive in. He grabbed a slice and started eating. He went crazy over it, he couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was. I just had to try it, just give it a chance. So, I asked for a bite. I just didn't know if I was ready for a whole slice. I took a bite, and it was WONDERFUL! I grabbed my own plate and got my own slice and enjoyed the savory, goodness of it all.

What had I done to myself? Here I am, 33 years old and I have negleted pie for all of these years. I have to admit, it's almost criminal. I will change my bad habits and move forward. I'm actually looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Dessert time at Thanksgiving has never been real exciting for me because it always pie, but this year will be different!

Brandice, please don't hate me for not telling you. Thank you for opening my eyes (and stomach) to the awesomeness of pie. You are so thoughtful to take the time and do something like that for me. It truly meant alot!

Pouring my heart out!

2009-09-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I may have fooled you with the title. I'm not going to do it, I can't find myself to do it. I like to post happy blogs, fun things that we're doing, silly, random stuff that goes on around here. There isn't really anything that I need to vent about at the moment, but I have thought about it a lot in the past. There have definitely been moments in my life that I have just wanted to lock myself in my room and let the words flow. Of course, I have a journal that I have had for years. I actually did pretty well at keeping a journal in high school and college, but have done a miserable job the last 14 years keeping it up. The last 14 years have probably have been the most important time for me to make notes about the ongoings of my life. I have written a couple of times, but it truly is a pathetic number of times. Writing, using a pen and paper seems like a lot of work too. Pathetic, I know, truly pathetic and I also wish I could write they way some of you do. How you are able to put your thoughts on paper is so amazing. How you can pull me into your thoughts, how you can make me feel what you are feeling, what a gift you have been blessed with!! I guess we are all just given different gifts, mine definitely was not in the department of English and creative writing. I'm ok with that.

Anyway, I was talking to my sister Tiffany when she was out visiting this last week for my Grandma Beatty's funeral and I was telling her that I needed to maybe set up a private blog for my eyes only and she told me about this great website called ldsjournal.com. I went to the site and it was free to sign up. It only took a few minutes, but it sucked me in quite quickly. It's a fantastic site that you can go to and it will get you started on your personal history and also you can go and journal there. It also gives you little helps if you feel stumped and don't know what to write about. I've only done it a few times, but I love the ease of being able to type instead of having to write it all out. It's nice to be able to think out loud in a way, but to keep certain things to myself. It's not that I don't want to share it with you, all my wonderful friends. It's just that sometimes, I just need to keep certain things to myself.

I thought I'd share this with you, maybe one or two of you have had the same thoughts that I have had.

First Day Pictures

2009-08-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been exactly a week since the kids started their first day of school. It seems like the week went by in a blur, but all went well. The kids really are enjoying their teachers and their classes. I was worried that Parker would have a hard time adjusting, but he has done just fine. I actually have enjoyed getting back into a bit of a routine, I've been getting up and actually been productive with things that I need to get done. Hopefully, it lasts for awhile! :D Ashley and Megan are both going to play softball this fall. Ashley is excited to play again, practices start for her today 3 days a week, (nothing like the 6 day a week schedule for Allstars). Megan is a little jealous that Ashley is already starting, we have yet to hear from her coach. I really hope that she has a much fun as Ashley has had. I'm really looking forward to the cooler weather and the start of the holiday and birthday season. It's a chaotic time, but fun none the less!!

Watch out!! I'll shoot...

2009-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

It has been so much fun having my (step)mom, Jessie and my sister Elysse stay with me for the last few days. Mom was bringing Elysse here to Utah to drop her off at BYU in Provo. Elysse doesn't get to actually stay there until Tuesday, but I got to go down to Provo with them on Saturday and got to help her get some of her stuff moved into her dorm. Oh man, have the memories starting flowing back from the good old college days...ANYWAY, I'm bummed that I didn't get any pictures while we were there on Sat., but I'm heading back down with them tomorrow, so I'll have to get a couple then.

Besides getting Lyssee all ready, Friday we took sometime and hung out with Jeff and my brother Shaun at the shooting range. Yes, I said shooting range. Neither me, mom, or Elysse have ever gone shooting before. Jeff got into it a few years back, thanks to a motorcycle injury that kept him off his bike for awhile. He bought a few guns and has gone shooting with his dad and brother in laws a few times, usually around thanksgiving. Anyway, Shaun suggested we go on friday and we had a blast. It was actually a litle scary for me, walking into this stuffy room and having a bunch of men with loaded weapons shooting them. It took me a little bit to get comfortable in the place, but I ended up having a great time!

We were the only women in the place!

We had to put on the "eyes and ears" before we could go in.

The "Pros" showing the girls how it's done!

Shaun and I had a shooting contest, I think he beat me out by a hair on this one, but I won the long range shot. I swear!

This was Elysse's very first shot ever! BULLSEYE!

I'm torn...

2009-08-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, and I was doing so good for a little bit... I've always felt that I need some pictures in order to post, but I didn't do so well in the picture taking category the last few weeks, so there's not a single one, and you still get to see my rambling...too bad.

Anyway, school is starting on Monday and I can't believe how quickly time has gone this summer. It has definitely been a good one and quite busy, but I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it. I'm looking forward to school starting, but I think I'm going to be a little sad to have to get back into a routine, oh and I guess I'll miss the kids too. :) Parker is heading to school and will be there all day, it will be interesting to see how that goes. I can tell you one thing, I will NOT miss the half day kindergarten schedule in the least bit!!

I'm just hoping I'm on top of it enough to get "first day of school" pictures, so I can get them posted.

I love the fall time, when the weather starts to cool down and the trees start changing colors. I love living in a state where I get to see all of the seasons...I'm looking forward to the change!

My girl is a ball player!!

2009-07-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a great night at the ball park! I haven't been this excited for Ashley...EVER! Here we are in the beginning of tournament play in the West Valley Classic. We played a couple other games earlier tonight, pool play they call it. We won our first and lost the second, Ashley played her heart out! I don't know where this girl has come from. I have been impressed at how well she has done and how much she has learned this year, especially with her coaches on the Allstar team. Tonight, though, she was a different person than even 3 weeks ago. She BROUGHT IT TONIGHT!! She was aggressive and was hustling all over the place. She caught a fly ball and got a couple hits, which is huge anyway, because 2 weeks ago, she wasn't even swinging her bat. Two weeks ago, she was striking out without even swinging the bat and it was really frustrating! Last week, she finally started swinging and got a few hits (we had to bribe her with money, because threatening with grounding wasn't working, she got $15 out of the deal!;D) I couldn't bribe with money for this weeks game because, I could tell she may have found her mojo. I was right!! I just have to brag, because the girl hit a freakin' awesome, honest double, right over right field's head which drove in TWO runs. I wish I had it on film so I could watch it over and over. Ashley's coach who was on 1st base came over and was laughing at me, because I guess I was going a little crazy, on my feet, jumping around, screaming like a crazy woman. It was just priceless to see the smile on Ashley's face that I still don't think has left it. It was a MOMENT! You know, the kind of moment that makes you realize that there is nothing more rewarding than to be a parent, to see your child realize that they can do ANYTHING!!

Girls Afternoon Out

2009-07-30T12:16:00.001-07:00

I had a fantastic afternoon out on Monday. I had the chance to go see Hello Dolly with Karel, Brenda, Grandma Beazer, Becky, Amy, and Grandma Yvonne at the Hale Center Theater in West Valley. (We missed not having Debbie with us, she is in Bear Lake for the week.) Besides the fact, we needed ski parkas and mittens to stay warm (which we failed to have on hand), it was a very entertaining show and the cast was great. I have always enjoyed going and seeing shows there (Brandice and Mike introduced us to Hale), but it has been quite a long time since we have been back. It made me realize just how much I enjoy live shows like that and how much I've missed it. I hinted to Jeff that season tickets would be a good Christmas present :).
Afterwards, we went to Applebee's for a bite to eat and we had a riot. It was so fun to just get out and spend some girls time together. Sorry, Brenda for teasing you, but you just make it so easy for us to do!! I loved it! I just hope that it doesn't take us so long to do a girls day away again. Love you all!

My Own Little Bobble Head

2009-07-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

I just had to share these. CJ is so entertaining at times. Of course, with spending so much time at the track and around motorcycles, he has grown quite fond of them. The other day, he got ahold of Jeff's helmet and wanted to put it on. Not only did he want to wear it, but he had to sit on the motorcyle and make the noises along with it. He sat up there a good ten minutes and was not happy when we decided we were done holding him on the bike. He threw a bit of a fit, but got over it, thank goodness.

An Afternoon at the Lake

2009-07-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

We finally had a chance to take the boat out and use it for the first time this summer. Jeff and I decided to take the kids out for an afternoon on Willard Bay. Megan brought her friend Michelle, (who seems to Meg's other half, second pea in the pod, etc. :)) and we all had a great time. We were there only about three hours, but the kids definitely wore their selves out with the swimming and tubing. The lake was a perfect temperature and it seemed like we were the only ones out there. It was soo nice to be able to do and think of something other than motocross for awhile.

Going for a little ride!

Parker having a good time! Belly flops and front flips, it was definitely entertaining!

Tubing time! They probably did this for a good two hours!!

Ash and me

Jeff and Parks

CJ was a bit nervous at first about being on the boat, but really started having a good time. We was our flagger, not out of choice, but he wouldn't give the flag to anyone else. Oh well, whatever it takes to make the kid happy!

The Tradition Continues...

2009-07-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

July 3rd in Talon Court has become a major affair, thanks to the master planning of Jami Jerman. Our neighbors here on Talon Court (and surrounding areas) have enjoyed for the last 4 years an Independence Celebration like no other. Our family missed it last year, but were thrilled to be a part of it again this year. Jami is an amazing party planner and it was fun to share in all chaos.

We were all a little tired from our long trip back, Jeff and I took the red eye back from Maui on Wednesday night, flew into Vegas on thursday morning, caught a shuttle to St. George (about 2 hrs), then picked up the car and kids from my sister, Kim (who is a saint for taking them all for 9 days, you're the best!!), and continued home in the car for another 5 1/2 hours or so. (I know, poor us! A week in Maui, wah, wah!) Anyway, to say the least we were thrilled to be home and I'm not in any hurry to get back in the car for an extended period of time anytime soon.

Oh, got off subject a bit...sorry. Anyway, Jami had everything organized and planned with the help of Melissa, Emily, Coke, Trish, and Julie. They had the pony, bounce houses, the popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, watermelons and even games for the kids to play and win prizes.

CJ found the water game and decided to go for a dip. It actually worked for me because it kept him entertained for quite sometime.

Daddy's Girl!!

What could be better than a snowcone??

CJ LOVED the pony, we had a hard time getting him off and the pony had had enough!

What a smile!

This was the 2nd annual Dad's watermelon eating contest, totally hiliarious!!

It took some begging and pleading from the kids before Jeff would take part. He tried, but wasn't even close to the winners!

This was classic! There were some extra slices of watermelons that were left from the contest that some of the kids started eating into. I turned my back on CJ for just a few minutes and then found CJ eating into a watermelon. I don't know where he got it, but went over to the chair and handed me the watermelon while he climbed in the chair. I gave him back the watermelon and then let him go at it. He was in heaven!! He would have probably eaten the whole thing, but some fireworks were lit in the circle and it completely freaked him out. So, I took him in and put him down for the night.

The Eaglewood Golf Course puts on an amazing firework show that we can see from our neighbors backyard, so we went over and set up camp there to see the show. The fireworks display from the Golf Course was just the icing on the cake. It was beautiful! Thanks all for such a fun night!!

And the Sun sets!!

2009-07-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

The time has quickly come for me to say goodbye to the beautiful island of Maui. The trip has seemed to come an end way too fast. I have had such a fantastic time. We have adventured alot, laughed alot, we ate alot, and just all around had a fantastic time. Joel and Julie, thank you so much for inviting us on your vacation, it was awesome, all 100% of it! (haha)

Sunday we went up to Mount Haleakala to see the sunset. It was an experience that I won't forget and words can not describe the beauty I witnessed that evening. Here are some perfect pictures that describe the end to such a great week. I promise these are real pictures, not us just standing in front of a screen pretending that we were standing in the clouds!

Las Vegas Baby!

2009-06-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, I guess I need to back up about a week, before the surfing jaunt. Before Jeff and I headed over here to Maui, we took the kids to Vegas for a few days before they went to spend the week at Aunt Kim's in Gunlock. We had a free room at Balley's for 3 days, so Jeff and I thought it would be fun to take them there for a minivacation and just hang at the pool and maybe do some other random things.

It was fun, but stressful. I don't think Las Vegas (the strip) is an ideal location for a minivaca for small children. We decided it was a little too stressful for our liking. We did have a good time playing at the pool and the older kids really had fun with dad when he took them to M&M world while CJ and I stayed back in the room. In the future, we decided we will stick to a more kid friendly location that does not include naked women trading cards and scantily dressed men and women on cars, trucks, and bill boards.

Hang 10 Baby!!!

2009-06-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

So, I found my calling in life. It maybe took almost 33 years, but I found it. I was supposed to be a surfer chick. I could have been famous, I could have graced the cover all those surfer magazines. Blue Crush could have been my story. I could have...

Joel, Julie, Jeff and I decided to take surf lessons yesterday and I had a riot!! I was nervous, very nervous to do the lessons. I didn't want to screw up or make a fool of myself out in the water, I just didn't think I could like it as much as I did. We got a little instruction on the beach, maybe 5 minutes...where to stand on the board, how to get from laying on the board to standing up, and how to steer the board so you don't run into everyone else out there in the water. And then we were headed to the water. Rento (our instructor) of course yells to me, "C'mon Tami, you're up!" My brain went completely blank for a moment, I didn't think I would remember a thing he told me. We paddle out to the breaks and I turn around and he tells me to "Go". I got up on my first try and it was so fun!! It's really amazing at how small the waves need to be in order to push you in (obviously, you can tell by the picture), but it was awesome! I could ride the big ones, I just know it! I must have been a surfer in another life, I rock!!

Julie

Joel

Jeff

Championship of the World!!

2009-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, there it is my friends! The trophy that was won in the Championship of all Championships...at least for Parker (and maybe Jeff and me for a moment!)

Parker decided he didn't want to play T-ball this year, he wanted to play with someone pitching to him, "I just don't want to be bored!" were his words, so we played him up a year. He played his first year in the Pinto League and had a blast. He had quite a few buddies from the neighborhood that he already knew and a coach that had more determination than anyone I have ever met to this point, to make these boys winners!! The beginning of the season brought us many days of rain and even a few days of snow, but two practices a week, two hours a day, were never cancelled just moved to covered locations. (Mind you, 6,7, & 8 yr olds)Age didn't matter...they were anxious to play!

The opening of the season came and those boys played their little hearts out! They did a fantastic job, but finished up with three losses in the end. Tournament time came and those boys were driven (the coach a little more, but that's good right?), they wanted one of the trophies they had to earn! The night of the first game and we were caught in a torential downpour, they called the game...postponed to the next night, Coach was not happy (thank goodness for the thunder/lightning). Anyway, rained again thursday, no game. Friday comes and we have to play two games to make up for the rain. It was so fun!! The boys played awesome! Game 2 against one of the top teams that we had lost to in regular season was a total NAIL BITER! The boys were on FIRE!! All of them were hitting and fielding, the boys from the other team were doing a fantastic job as well. It was really an intense game! Everyone was on their feet cheering and going crazy. The Reds won it!! Not the Championship of the World, yet! That game was on Monday!! I do have to say, it was pretty hard watching the boys on the other team deal with the loss! Heart breaking actually.

Monday comes and the boys are ready. There are a double header, if they won game one, they were heading to the CHAMPIONSHIP!! They had their supporters there, mostly everyone in red cheering them on! They did great, the other team did great! They lost to them as well in the regular season, so they had to redeem themselves, and that they did! It was close, really close! They won though 2-1. On to the BIG ONE!!

So, I had to leave half way through the game. Ashley had a make up game from a tournament that she played in Saturday, that got rained out half way through. I wasn't able to get anymore pictures and I guess I missed some GOOD baseball. The boys were on FIRE, but the other team was definitely trying to put it out. The first couple innings nothing got past our team, they were hitting and bringing in runs, when they were outfield they were catching the ball and fielding it like Pros! I left and I believe we were up by four. I guess at that point, the other team was not ready to give up! They rallied and brought the score within one. In the end the Reds squeezed out the victory! The Championship of all Championships! The Davis County Pinto League Champions! What a fun, fun, season! Not only did Parker's coach Justin, put so much time into the boys, but quite a few of the other dads were there to help at the practices AND the games! It was really fun getting to know some new friends (for me too! :D) and getting to know others better!!

Although Parker was the youngest on the team, he did really well at holding his own. He made some great plays and got hits at most of his games. I'm really proud of the job he did. He learned alot and is excited to play next year! I think mostly because he wants a bat bag, a new mit, and new bat. Whatever the reason, I'm excited to see him play next year!

Just had to post this picture, too cute not to! These were the "heavy hitters", just there in case the team needed them!

O-R-E-O

2009-06-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to treat myself to a couple (half a package to be exact! :D) of oreos, but CJ made it clear to me that I shouldn't be the only one to enjoy the treat. He happily took the cookie and started munching on it until he saw me dunking and then wouldn't leave me alone until I let him dip his cookie in my milk. That did it!! For every bite there was a dunk, and all I have to say is, it was definitely worth the mess!

Can you believe it? Two postings in one day. I just had to share though.

Crazy Hair Day!

2009-06-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids had spirit week at school. On one of the days, it was crazy hair day. When they were getting ready to walk out the door, I saw my camera and realized that I really needed to use it more often and get back on the blogging wagon. This was a perfect opportunity! The whole weekend before, Parker was telling me that he wanted to wear underwear on his head for crazy hair day, but chickened out the morning of, I have to say that I'm a little glad he gave THAT idea up! :D

So, today is the last day of school for the kids. It will kind of interesting to see what kind of summer is in store for us with Ashley making the Allstar softball team and Jeff running his track in Delta. I was kind of hoping for a little bit of relaxation, so let's see if that happens! Hopefully, I can be a little more productive with the camera and post a little more often about what we are up to!

Spring is Coming, the Chaos begins!

2009-05-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm pathetic. I really need to step it up a notch and post a little more often.

Life has been a little crazy at the Harris Home the past little while. I am in total shock that April is already gone and here we are in May. Jeff is busy AGAIN on a new venture. He parted ways with SLMX a few months ago (for the good)and had another opportunity arise to open a track in Delta, UT. It was a track that has been around for a long time and has a fantastic reputation. The owners of the track closed it down a year or so ago, because it was just too much for them. Well, to make a long story short, Jeff and a friend of his are now running the show down there and will also be starting a racing series there for the summer. I haven't seen Jeff much this last month with him trying to get the track up and running, but I'm really excited for him. So, far things are looking really good. They opened last Sunday and yesterday and the response has been great. The riders seem to be pretty excited about it, so hopefully the race series goes off without a hitch! I'm sure that will be our second home for the next 6 or 7 months, woohoo...Delta.

Ashley started softball a few weeks ago and seems to be enjoying it. She is playing kid pitch, so so far the games have been a little interesting. I'm really impressed at how quickly she can pick things up. I just hope that she doesn't get disappointed because most of her team is new and the other teams she is playing seem to have all played together for a couple of years now. I will get some pictures posted as soon as I'm on top of it enough to remember to take the camera to the games!

Parker also started baseball and is having a blast. It is his first year in machine pitch. He should be playing tball one more year, but by his request we moved him up a year, so he is playing with first and second graders. He's the youngest on the team, but is definitely holding his own, I'm really proud of him. He also loves that some of the boys that are on his team are also friends of his from the neighborhood and church. Again, I will get pictures posted someday! :D

Thank goodness that Megan is only playing the piano right now or I might have already been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown due to the crazy schedule that the other two have. For example, next week Parker has 3 games and Ashley has one and a practice and with Jeff out of town, that is cause for some crazy times, wouldn't ya say? haha.

Life is good!

A Weekend of Reminiscing

2009-03-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

I had the chance this last weekend to get together with some amazing women who I went to high school with in California. Most of us hadn't seen each other for 15 years, but we picked right up where we left off. We had a fantastic time! We laughed a WHOLE lot, there were some tears(I won't say who, haha!), and the food was awesome. I'm just sad that the weekend went by so quickly and everyone had to go home so soon. I just hope that it doesn't take another 15 years for another reunion.

Pay it Forward

2009-03-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

So, I know I have been a bit of a lazy bum about posting in the last few months. I don't know why I feel like I need to have pictures to post, but I actually don't have any this time around. I found this post on my friend, Kim's blog. She is extremely talented in the crafty department and I realized how awesome it would be to have something made by her. (How selfish am I?) Anyway, I craft a little here and there and thought this would be a lot of fun, it would help me get back into doing things I really enjoy doing, but haven't felt like I had the time to do it.

How it works: The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise--to both of us.The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift. It's THAT easy!Remember, only the FIRST THREE comments will qualify. Good luck!

Happy 1st Bday!

2009-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 13th was CJ's first birthday. I can't believe how quickly this year has come and gone. SO MUCH has happened, it's been a bit of a whirlwind for our family. My baby is one! It won't be long before he is walking and talking and ready to do everything on his own. He was been such a sweet addition to our family, he belongs! He melts all of hearts and has us all wrapped around his finger. He definitely has his own little, strong personality. He knows how to get what he wants at ALL times.

CJ dug right in. He was not afraid. I'm surprised he didn't end up eating the whole cake! I'm in trouble, he definitely has a bit of a sweet tooth!

We're glad that we could celebrate with all of Jeff's family. Mom & Dad, Amy and kids, Becky & Todd & kids, and Brian, Debbie and Crue, thank you so much for the fun presents. Also, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to come hang out for the evening. We love you!!

Parker's First Race

2009-01-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we took the kids out of school and drove to Heber for the weekend. Jeff wanted to race in the arenacross and Parker decided he wanted to race his motorcycle too. This was his first race! He put on a brave face, but I could tell that he was nervous.

He did such a great job! He was even more thrilled when he walked away with a trophy. He kept it close! He was so proud. He has already committed to the next two races. (The addiction has started!)

Dad and his boys.

The girls and CJ putting on a happy face. They were troopers! The race took forever. It started at about 7:30. Parker's race was #4 and Jeff was #23 & #37. We made it to the #23 race that started about 10:30pm. Jeff did awesome and took 2nd. The kids and I left after his first race, we were exhausted!

Mom and Dad came to support and cheer the boys on. There were an unusual amount of crazy crashes and by the time it was Jeff's race, mom could barely handle the stress. She was so worried for Jeff's well being and thank goodness he didn't let her down. He walked away injury free! Yea! Thanks so much for coming and hanging out with us. It was a very long night, and they stuck it out with us.

A Winter Wonderland

2008-12-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

I just got in from spending almost 2 hours shoveling the driveway that looks like no shoveling was done at all. The snow is beautiful, and white. The lights on the houses and the trees seem to sparkle and shine just a little bit brighter. I love it! It made me start thinking about last Saturday, when it made another grand entrance as we were moving boxes from the other house. I realized that I haven't had a chance to formally thank all of you who took time out from this busy time of year to help us with moving and cleaning. You don't know how grateful we are for all the time that you gave to us. I'm sure it was the last thing you wanted to be doing on a friday and saturday so close to Christmas, but what a wonderful gift you all gave us. We had movers, cleaners, babysitters, and so many offers for help. My thanks seems so inadequate to what you all truly deserve, but I hope you know it comes from the bottom of my heart.

I caught a couple of these pictures when the trailer showed up to be unpacked. The snow started about 30 minutes before Brett, Randall, Chad, Jeff, Nat, and Nick showed up to help unload. They hauled butt and got the trailer unloaded in record time. Thanks again to everyone!! I love you all!

Bittersweet Blessings

2008-12-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

So, I know. I definitely have not done well in keeping up with the blog. I'm sure you are no pins and needles waiting for pictures from Hawaii...and I have just a nibble...
Since we got back, things have been a bit crazy for us. So, you all know that we have been here in Kaysville for about a year and a half now. I just knew this was where I wanted to be probably for 12 years now. This was it, this was where we were going to stay for the long haul. I love my home, my yard, the neighborhood, etc. Everything about it was just good. But, in just a matter of moments...things change.
Unfortunately, we were never sucessful at getting our house sold up in NSL. We had people rent from us for about 9 months, but it was still difficult to get them to pay the rent in a timely manner, let alone at all. Well, they moved out the end of September and the house has been empty since. So, around that time Jeff and I feel like maybe we should just put this house on the MLS and just see what happens. We didn't have too much longer until we just couldn't pay two mortgages anymore. We ran many options back and forth to each other, but we just didn't know what to do. We just decided to see what happened.

Well, we head to Hawaii and have such a fantastic time. It was beautiful, peaceful, and trouble free. I kept saying to Jeff that we should just sell everything we own, get the kids, and move to Hawaii. There was just a feeling there that I will never forget.We could live in a hut, sell shells on the beach, Jeff could become a divemaster. What could be better than that? HA. Of course, that's not really realistic, but it was an idea. That seven days ended so quickly, we were back to real life before you know it.

In a nutshell...we get back, someone comes through the house here in Kaysville, decides they like it, put an offer in, we accept it. Now, we are off on another adventure. We're heading back to NSL. I'm excited to be back with old friends, the kids are familiar with the school, we have a nice home there. I know this was a huge blessing for us. How lucky are we in this market?

I'm very sad though, too. I just want to tell all you girls that I haven't gotten to know here, how grateful I am to have crossed paths with you. You are wonderful women, whom I love. You've all made an impact in my life and for that I am grateful. I know, I'm not moving out of state or across the globe, it's just 20 or so miles down the road. I do know how hard it is to keep in close touch when we are so wrapped up in our immediate lives, our family, school, ward callings, etc. that it's hard to keep the effort up. I'm guilty of that, I'm not good at that, so forgive me now! :)

I've started packing up now and we'll be finishing up next weekend. I want to be somewhat settled before Christmas. I'm going to have the kids start at the new/old school the week before school gets out for the holidays so they can get the nerves out and feel comfortable when the go back in January.

Crazy times! Bare with me...I may or may not get Christmas cards out. I may not write here again for awhile. Love me anyway! :)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

OK...so I know these pictures are so last month, but with my recent jaunt to the beautiful Kauai, HI I was not able to post them in a timely manner. They were so cute though, I wanted to show them off! By the Way...thank you Amy and Ray for such a fun Halloween night. The food was awesome and the Haunted House ruled! It was a blast!!

Like Totally Awesome!!

2008-10-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I got to go to a Mother/Daughter Activity Days Halloween Party. As you can see, it was a costume event. I definitely procrastinated until the last minute to figure what to do for a costume (I was at Walmart at 3pm, the party was at 6:30pm), but it all came together quite nicely. It helps that the recent fashions happen to imitate the fashions of the 80's. Lucky for me! ha. The two of us had a great time! It was funny, I had moms keep coming up to me saying, "Oh my gosh, that's totally bringing back memories for me..." The only thing missing was leg warmers and lace gloves with the fingers missing. You never know...we might bring the banana clip back!! (Yes, walmart sells them in a package of three!)

Is he not the cutest??!!

2008-10-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

So, I was giving CJ a bath the other night and decided to snap some shots with the camera. I couldn't get the kid to smile, however I think this one is pretty, freakin' adorable.

Tagged #2

2008-10-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

So, this is really funny. You saw the photo on my laptop I used, but I decided to see what picture would come up if I got onto my computer that has most of my pictures on it. 4th folder, 4th picture...it's Megan again. Just a little smaller this time. :)

Ok. So, I get to tag a few more people...Kim Kuipers, Julie, Brooke, Becca, and any others who would like to entertain us.

Tagged!

2008-10-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a fun tag. Tiffany (my sister) tagged me. The fourth picture in the fourth folder. To be honest with you, I was kind of confused by this. Nothing more than 4th picture in the 4th folder. Took me a minute, but I figured it out. Ha. I'm so blonde...I just downloaded picassa onto my laptop and I've imported a few pictures onto this computer. I'm too lazy tonight to go down on the other computer that has most of my photos, so here it is. I might even answer the tag with the pictures from my other computer...Maybe...you know how on top of it I am to update my blog:)

Meg playing goalie at her soccer game. I think she really enjoys this position. She is really aggressive and doesn't shy away from the ball when it is coming at her. It's fun to watch her play and I'm glad she's enjoying it. I'm also glad that tomorrow is her last game until spring.

Ok, Becky, Debbie, Amy, Amber, Nat, Jenny, Sara, Chelon...TAG, you are it!

He found the stairs!! AGH!

2008-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. I'm in some major trouble people. In the past couple weeks, CJ has gotten a little more mobile by adapting the army crawl into his daily routine. Well, he has found the stairs in the last couple days and it seems he bee-lines straight to the stairs for play time. I have GOT to get on top of things and go pick up a gate before something drastic happens.

The Big 3-2!

2008-09-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

So, I'm 32 years old today. It just seems a little crazy to me. I know, it's not a BIG year, nothing special about it. Really, just another day. I'm just sitting here in a quiet house. The older kids are at school and CJ just crashed on the front room floor. I've just started thinking about how tremendously blessed I am. I have a wonderful husband and beautiful children. I have an incredible extended family. I'm just content, I'm happy. Life is chatic and crazy, the world seems to falling apart bit by bit, but life is good today. I'm sure it will be good for awhile.

I just want to say thank you to all of you. I have been blessed to have you in my life, whether for a small time or or extended period of time. You have made an impact on me and have been a part of making me the person I am. I'm happy with the person I am. I know I have plenty of short comings, and I have some things I need to work on and I am trying to work on those. Thanks for putting up with me and still loving me just the way I am!

HAPPY DAY!!

Alaska 2008

2008-09-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

OK...so maybe took a little longer than I anticipated for me to get these pictures on. I had some technical difficulties (of course, why can't it be easy), but finally at 1:20am it's finally done. I know I'm a little over my deadline of what I set for me, but at least it wasn't a whole month later, right?? We had an awesome time. It was cold, but beautiful! Definitely something you need to do at least once. I wish we could have had all of the family there, we missed everyone who couldn't make it. It's good to be home. We missed the kids alot! Thank you Natalie, Amy, and Mom & Dad Harris for watching out for them. We couldn't have had this experience without you!!

We're back!!

2008-09-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, I know you are a bit disappointed. Thinking that you would see all these fantastic pictures to Alaska, but not yet! I'm a bit too tired to get them on tonight, but I will I promise! It will not be in a month or even in a week. I will get them on tomorrow. I promise, I will. It might be 11:57pm but I will do it. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back! I had a great time and look forward to sharing it with you!!

School is in Session

2008-08-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Parker- Kindergarten

Megan-1st grade

Ashley-4th grade

The first week of school has successfully come and gone. Ashley came home on the first day and was horrified with the fact that she had to do work on the first day! "I had to do mathmatics! Can you believe it?" she said. "Yes, I can. You are in 4th grade! Get ready for loads of homework!" (I may have scared her!:)) Megan was thrilled with the first day. She's been waiting for weeks for school to start! Parker asks me everyday when he gets to go. Kindergartners have testing the first week so he FINALLY gets to start on Tuesday next week.

Well, Jeff and I are off to Alaska tomorrow for a week. I'm really excited, but a bit sad to leave the kids. I'm sure they'll be fine and not think twice about us not being around. We miss Parker's first official day of school and both Megan and Parker's first soccer game. I hope they forgive us. I hope CJ sleeps through the night for Natalie and that the kids behave! Thanks for everyone's help! Love you guys.

Farewell to Summer

2008-08-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

The week before school was packed with some last minute fun! The kids and I went to the Roy pool with The Howes, Allens, the Hess Family, and Amber came with the boys. Thanks all of you, that was a lot of fun. We also decided to take a last minute trip up to Pineview on friday for most likely the last time of the year. The second the sun went down we were shivering! Then Saturday, Randall and Sara invited us over for a little BBQ and swim before school started on Monday. The food was fantastic! Thanks for letting me come even though Jeff didn't show up until everyone went home. Jeff finally got the motorcross track open that weekend. (detailed post to come, eventually...)

This summer was so fun! I can't believe that it's over already. I'm looking forward to a change of seasons and having a bit of order around here. The holidays are fast approaching, get ready!!

Under Construction!!

2008-08-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

So, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I'm getting old..er, but I can still play!! So, last friday Parker goes outside to get the milk out of the cooler on the front porch and finds that someone has left us a little gift on the front porch. There were a couple of orange barrels, 2 cones, and a baricade along with some caution tape so lovingly placed on the front porch. I knew right away which house in the neighborhood was to blame (any guesses,anyone??), it was just a matter of finding out what individual it was. I took the baricade and barrels over to their house and put them behind their car,(just returning them you know!) and minutes later Jr. throws them back in my yard. I know who the colprit is now...

So, later that night I just can't get my mind off getting back at him just a bit. Jeff of course doesn't want to have a part in it. So, I just do it by myself. (Amber didn't help at all!!) I actually call "Mama W." to get her blessing because they were having some family time at Lagoon (it's what fun is!!). I figured if I got permission then if there was retaliation it wouldn't be so bad...(I was wrong, sounds like it might be a family affair after all!)

ANYWAY...so I only had an hour. Jeff had a new roll of caution tape in the garage and there has been some recent road work in the area so there was plenty of cones around (those things are pretty heavy! got a work out though!) I didn't call Amber and she didn't come and assist (she didn't do most the heavy labor gathering cones). I'm sure she was just at her house, minding her own business like reading a book or something. I on the other hand had a fun time, just on my own without Amber of course!! I also wrapped his bed in caution tape, fun, fun!! I used almost the whole roll of tape.
Here is how the room ended up!

Well, I thought they might retaliate as soon as they got home, but thank goodness they were totally exhausted from their long day of playing. Now, they are just loving tormenting me with idea of retaliation. Honestly, I am afraid. Cam and Nat are the biggest pranksters and I've always made an effort to stay clear. All I did was rightfully return what was left at my house and all of the sudden there is a hit out on me (so to speak). I have just come to terms with the fact that I'm in big trouble and look forward to what is to come!!

Night at Red Butte with KT (and Amber)

2008-08-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

There was a fun time had here at the Red Butte Gardens! After the great AI concert months back, Amber asked if I was interested in another little evening out for KT Tunstall. It sounded like a fun time so I jumped on the wagon!! It was just the two of us again, (we started feeling a little self-conscience that no one else wanted to hang with us again, but tried to push it out of our minds and not take it personal! :)) ANYHOW...

The concert was great! KT was so entertaining and had a great personality. I loved to here her talk being scottish and all and some of the things she said were hilarious! One of my favorites was that she had to ask her tour manager if they were really performing at Red Butt Gardens as in your backside, booty, or toushy. I was seriously loving her rocking out on like four different guitars, I though that was awesome. The venue was awesome being outside. Amber and I snuck to the front and settled in around many large groups of concert goers!

Here's us, when we started to get cold we cuddled! We fit right in with the other fans of KT, nobody even stared!

I have to say that my favorite was one of her band members, who was I swear straight out of the 70's. He had on 100% polyester, the big brown belt, and to top it off the stand alone mustache. I sure enjoyed watching him. I even more enjoyed watching her token hottie guitar guy who unfortunately was on the other side of the stage. I couldn't get a good picture of him, so that's a bit of a bummer.

Other fun highlights: *watching two drunk chicks fight, because one kept getting in the others view of KT.
*watching the drunk girls dancing in the front. Do they dance like that sober???
*trying not to stare at the couples who were cuddling, mostly because they were of the same sex.

I had a great time! Amber thanks for the invites, we'll definitely have to get to some more!! love ya!

Technical Difficulties

2008-08-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a bit peaved right now. I finally have a bit of time to sit at the computer all by myself and it's bliss. So I think, "What a fantastic time to download pictures from last week and blog a bit about the fun, busy week the kids and me had." But for some reason and no reason I can figure out, the pictures won't download! I'm dying people!! I finally decide to get on top of things a little better and then I'm cursed. NO PICTURES! Who will read a blog without pictures? I can't write worth crap and it's the pictures that people come for! Oh well, what to do? Sorry, my friends...maybe I'll have better luck later, tomorrow, next week. I'll see what I can do!

Fish Lake 2008

2008-08-17T21:47:00.002-07:00

The Harris Family has an awesome tradition that has been passed down through generations of spending time during the summer at Fish Lake, Utah. Fish Lake is beautiful, I swear this is what heaven will look like. We have many wonderful memories that we have made in our own little family in the last 4 or so years that we have starting going there and I know that we will make plenty more. Harris Family...I love you and am so grateful you have shared this with me!

2008-08-17T21:47:00.001-07:00

Cousin's Visit/Trip to Lagoon

2008-08-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get an email from Mindy telling me that she and her family were going to be heading out to Utah for a visit. We were even more excited to be able to have them stay with us. One day (this was July 22nd of course, because I obviously can't stay on top of blogging recent pictures!) we decided to take all of the kids over to Lagoon (minus CJ, thank goodness) for some good 'ol fashion fun!! Bill was a good sport coming with us. Jeff had to work (plus he hates the place), so he was the lone male adult hanging with us. I think he even had fun though! It was so freaking hot though! Thank goodness for the water rides or we would have never survived. We actually played until they kicked us out at 10pm! (So, when did Lagoon start closing their doors at 10pm? In my younger years (ha!) I could have sworn they were there til midnight!!) Anyway here are some pics of the day!!

Sammy totally cracks me up! He found a feather off the ground and was being pretty silly!

Always have to get a cheeser pose with my sis!

What posers!!! :)ha.

This was Ashley's first time on the Colossus! I was so impressed, she was scared but tuffed it out and loved it! She wanted to find Meg and Will and go with them too! Parker was pretty ticked because he wanted to be with us, but he was too short. Maybe next year bud!

This is Meg and Will before their first time. They were pretty pumped and weren't going to let Ashley show them up!! Meg and I ended up in the very back and we definitely got tossed around a bit. She thought one time was good enough for her. She hit her head on the side of her seat so she had a nice headache for a bit, but she still wanted to go on Wicked.

We all voted and this was by far the favorite of the day/night! I couldn't believe how brave Ashley, Meg, and Will were! It was a scary ride, but it was a total blast! They had so much fun that we did it twice! By the time we did Wicked again, it was 10pm and we got hearded out of the park with everyone else. We had a fantastic time! We miss you guys!!!

Like Father...Like Son!

2008-07-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, if any of you know Jeff, you know that he is a bit addicted to the thrill of riding motorcycles. He began this addiction a little over six years ago. I don't know the exact date, however I do know that it all started the day after I told him I was pregnant with Parker. That was the day he bought his first motorcycle. I remember he brought it home one evening and spent hours out in the garage that night with it. I knew I was in trouble, forget having to compete with another woman for my husband's attention. I was going to have to compete with a motorcycle???!!! I have to admit, I hated everything thing about that bike. I hated that he loved riding so much. I hated that if he had any free time, he would just want to ride for awhile. I hated that he was making new friends at the track. I hated that he ate and drank anything involved with it. I actually think I hated him for awhile. I began to resent him and the bike and I was angry. One day (maybe a year or two or three down the road), to make a long story short and leaving out gory details, I came to terms with it. I actually asked him if the kids and I could join him at the track one day. He was thrilled! He had asked in the past and I always came up with an excuse not to go, blamed it on the kids, the house not being cleaned, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I actually had a good time and the kids loved it! We got dirty and hot, but had a blast. What was even more thrilling to me, was to see Jeff so excited that his family was with him, that I was there with him. From then on, we have integrated this crazy sport into our lives. We have had some fun times!! Jeff and I have traveled to different states to some of the Supercross races. We've spent weekends camping so Jeff could race in some of the local races. And with all of that, Parker has become a bit addicted to the sport. Jeff picked up a couple of 50's (the small motos) in the past hoping maybe the girls would ride. They did for a little bit, but got bored. Parker on the other hand, loved being around the bikes since he was little. They never scared him. He loved to get rides with Jeff on his and when he was big enough to ride one himself, he was ecstatic. Last summer we took the training wheels off for him because he was actually tall enough to touch the ground with his feet. He got on the bike and has been loving it since. He's been getting to go to the track with Jeff a little bit this summer and he loves it. I just dread the day when he asks to race for the first time!!

Long live American Idol!!

2008-07-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you laugh in my face or talk about me behind my back, but I will not deny that I had a fantastic time at the American Idol concert that came to town a few weeks ago.

It all started a few months ago after the AI finale on TV. I have to admit that I was completely hooked this season. It seems that in the past we (Jeff, me and sometimes the kids) really have a good time watching the show, especially during the tryouts when you have the crazys just wanting to be on tv. I have to say, we are entertained. Usually though, we tend to fizzle out through the competition. We forget to turn on the TV or we just have other things to do. We don't really care if we miss some episodes and usually just tune in the night of the finale. But, THIS year...much different. I was hooked. I had to watch it every week. If I missed it, you better believe I had it recorded. (Who ever invented Tivo, I love you!!) You should have seen the night Megan accidently stopped the recording and I missed it! ( Have you ever seen a 31 year old woman throw a temper tantrum? I admit, not pretty! Megan forgave me though :)) When Michael Johns was voted off, I was in shock! I was devastated! He not only had a beautiful voice, but oh the eye candy!! Anyway...long story, short, still enjoyed watching it faithfully every week, but after the finale I decided I would have to venture to the summer concert they put on every year. I didn't even care if I went alone.

Luckily, one day I was talking with a couple of friends about it and realized I wasn't the only one set on heading to the concert. Amber was in!! I was excited. The bummer part about it was we had to wait like a couple of months before it came to SLC. As is got closer, we would drop a text every now and then just reminding the other that it was sneaking up on us.

Finally the day came! I was actually a bit nervous thinking that I may have wasted some good money. Was the concert going to be dumb? Were they just going to do group song and dance like they did on the show? Were Amber and I going to be the only ones over 17 there?

We decided to get a little bite to eat before we went to the concert. We ventured to the Gateway and got a little sushi at Happy Sumo. It was so fantastic. I haven't gotten to eat sushi for awhile with the pregnancy and all, so I decided that if the concert was crappy, the night was worth it because of the meal! We finished dinner and had about an hour before the concert started. We had PLENTY of time to get to the E-Center or so we thought! We jump on the freeway and of course I was babbling and missed the exit. So, I decide to get off at the next exit and just head west. Well, I just so happened to pick the exit that had road construction going on. A big sign on the side of the road flashing "ROAD CONSTRUCTION-EXPECT DELAYS". What the ??? Anyway, make another long story short. We FINALLY get there about ten minutes late. I think we only missed one of Chakeezie's (sp?) songs. The show was fantastic! They all sang their own songs except for two and even those were great! I had a great time singing and dancing and yelling alot. My throat was a bit sore and my ears were ringing for a couple days after.

Well I have babbled enough about the night, although I have only written half the story about the night. (Go see Amber's blog, she details it! :)) In short, we stayed after and picked up a few pictures and autographs from the IDOLS. I got a picture with Michael Johns! Yea for me, woo-hoo! Not only is he a total hottie, but he was awesome with the fans! GOOD TIMES!! Thanks Amber for a night to remember! :)

(I got some other pictures of the others, but this was my favorite!! Except for me and my totally cheesy smile!!)

Alaskan Adventure

2008-07-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty pathetic, I have to say. So, when I said in my last blog that pictures of Jeff's trip will be coming soon I guess that means an entire month later. Better late then never right??

Jeff and his friend Randall had a fantastic time fishing in Alaska. They got to fish for four days, one day in the river for salmon and trout and the other three days out on the sea for halibut, cod, and other fish (d0n't remember the names). Jeff loved fishing in the river, that was his favorite part of the trip. The brought home some very tasty salmon, but they couldn't keep any trout, it had to be thrown back. He loved it, the fish fought like crazy and they were BIG!

Fishing for halibut was fun for him, but he was disappointed becuase they didn't catch any "big ones". The first day he didn't think he had the technique, but I guess didn't find it the other days either. :) On one of the days, a guy on their boat pulled in a 130 pound halibut (not pictured here, I do have a picture, crazy big) and he said that was fun to see it, but wishes he was the one that was reeling it in. I know in fishing it's all about the size of the fish, blah...blah...blah but I tell you, it sure tastes amazing!! Done a couple of fish frys, (even invested $30 in a fryer) with the halibut and it is soo good, beer batter and everything! :) We have already made a nice dent in the 65 pounds of fish he brought home.

(These aren't all of their fish, just everything the boat caught for the day)

On their last day they were there, they didn't fish so they had a bit of free time before they had to take their 2 hour drive back to the airport. They decided to go for a little drive and check out a glacier. I asked Jeff if it had a name and he said yes, but didn't remember it. You can't leave Alaska without a picture of a glacier can you?? So, here it is...

I'm glad he had a great time, but I'm looking forward to being able to go with him and the rest of my family back to Alaska on a cruise at the end of August!!

Park City Getaway

2008-06-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, the kids and I headed to Park City for a few days. Jeff was out of town on an Alaskan Fishing Trip with his friend Randall for a week (pictures to come). Sara invited us up for a couple of days to spend some time with her and her kids. We had a great time and it really helped past the time being a single mom of four. :) We took the kids on the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster. They had so much fun and were so patient while we took turns taking the kids up a few at a time.

We also did a bit of swimming!

And had a great time at this really fun park.

We also ventured out and took all of the kids to dinner at a pizza place on Main Street. I'm surprised that we survived that (2 moms/6 kids) , but the kids were so good. I was impressed! And of course, you can't go to Park City without stopping at the outlet for a few things! :) Thank you so much for the invite Sara. We had a fabulous time!

A few more Random Things

2008-05-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

BEFORE AFTER

I guess I was the only one that liked CJ's "comb over". I could actually do the superman curl if I really wanted to. Jeff had had enough though. The crazy hair drove him nuts, so out came the clippers. It looks like to me CJ wasn't real thrilled with the cut. I have to say that he is pretty freakin' cute either way.

Happy Pre-school graduation Parker!! He is off to Kindergarten in the fall. Here is a picture with he and his good friend Gabe. We're sad that Gabe is going to a different school in the fall, but we are sure glad that they got to become friends this year.

Happy Kindergarten Graduation Megan! They did a program today and it was adorable. It was so fun to watch Megan, she new all of the songs and seemed to really enjoy performing for everyone. I can't believe how fast time flies. She's off to all day school next year and she can't wait!! She was really excited to get to eat lunch at school next year until the kindergarteners got to eat in the lunch room last week. She came home asking if maybe she could take her lunch to school next year. "The grilled cheese I had to eat was disgusting!" Bless her heart, isn't it so sad that she has to deal with disappointment so early in life? :)

Random Happenings

2008-05-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

I was obviously a total slacker about updating my blog much this month. However, there were some fun things that happened that I even took pictures of with the intention of blogging. Forgive me if this is a little "random", but I just wanted to share a few things!!

Jeff got some playoff tickets given to him from one of the suppliers he works with for the first home game of the series with the Lakers. I know that tickets are definitely hard to come by for the playoffs. It was a fun experience to go to a playoff game, but I've realized that I have been way too spoiled. It was the first time that I have been to a Jazz game and had tickets in the upper bowl. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, I enjoyed it. I screamed, yelled, and lost my voice with the rest of them, but decided that if you're not down and close (lower bowl) that it is just as fun to watch at home. (Does that mean I'm not a true Jazz Fan??) The Jazz won, but we all know that the glory didn't last with the Jazz choking the last few games of the series and handing to the Lakers. It was a good fight. Maybe next year! :)

Parker started T-ball and is playing with his cousins Owen and Savana. Now, I tell you these guys are a total riot to watch. I have to say though that I'm quite impressed with how quickly they are all picking up the game. They will be pros before you know it!!

Parker also got to go with Jeff to the track and practice on his dirt bike. He has only been to the track one time last year, but he rode like a pro. He has been asking Jeff when he gets to start racing. Jeff's pretty excited with the idea that his boy is "into" motos, me on the other hand...no comment!

WELCOME GEORGIA LYN!!

2008-05-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late, but just wanted to introduce my new neice to everyone! Georgia Lyn Maple was born yesterday. Amy and Ray are the proud parents and Madison, Alexa, and Owen are thrilled to have her here. My kids could not wait to go to the hospital to see their new cousin. We really enjoyed the visit with Amy and can't wait for her and Georgia to come home!! We love you guys. (Can you believe the head of hair???)

Updated Photos

2008-05-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now you all know what a complete and total slacker I am. I finally took CJ to have some pictures done of him, (well, actually took him a month ago and I'm finally taking the time to update the blog). Kelli Willard is in my ward and she is incredibly talented at taking pictures. She was the one that did the pictures of the kids in December. I couldn't be any happier with how these pitures turned out. Isn't he absolutely adorable??!! Happy 4 months to CJ! (May 13th) Ok, happy 4 1/2 months to CJ.

Food Storage?!

2008-04-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

Ok people. So, I've been feeling a little bit of a nag inside me to get a little more prepared and stocked up on food (just in case). I have a tendancy to get gung-ho and then I do nothing at all for a long time. I've just decided that I have to stick to it. It will only benefit me, right? Right. So I know that this probably isn't news to anyone, but I found this great website and for just a couple of bucks a month they help you build your food storage a week at a time. They take the ads from 5 major grocery stores and compare the sales, they tell you what the good, better, and best deals are and they also have meal ideas for the week with the sale items. Not only will it help with loading up on extras, I really think that it will help save on my grocery bill. I tried it out last night and was so excited when I spent $120 on groceries, but saved $91 on my bill. $210 in groceries for $120. Can't complain right? How pathetic is it that I get so excited about something like that?? I hate buying groceries so, so bad, but I had fun last night!! Go to myfoodstoragedeals.com and check it out! If you have any other ideas for me I'd love to hear about it too!!

What do you eat for Dinner in a Week???

2008-04-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

In a rut with eating the same meals from week to week? My girlfriend Becca tagged me in the hopes of trying to get some ideas for new meals in their house. What a fantastic idea! It spread like wildfire. Now as you browse the blogs and find any meals that sound good just request the recipe by posting on their individual site. There are already recipes posted. Now I don't know if I will be much help, but here we go!

Monday: Easy Lasagna (no need to bake noodles), homemade french bread (so easy!) and some canned corn.

Tuesday: Work Day- usually pick up fast food, have scrambled eggs or some type of breakfast food including cereal, or it's just fend for yourselves!

Wednesday: Chicken Divan Casserole, rice, and green beans

Thursday: (see Tuesday)

Friday: Sometimes eat out, sometimes eat at home. Easy homemade spaghetti sauce (makes enough to freeze for another meal), noodles, french bread.

Saturday: Another fend for yourself day. I'm quite pathetic!

Sunday: Dinner at Mom and Dad Harris' house (yea!!)

Now that list looks quite pathetic. I'm not helping much Becca, but hopefully I can get the help I so obviously need!!

TAGGED: Chelon, Natalie, Jenny, Sara, Amber, Becky, Debbie, Brooke, Brooke, and anyone else that love me enough to get me motivated!!

TAGGED??!! 3 Times...

2008-04-09T13:05:00.001-07:00

OK, so Debb you've tagged me twice and Becca you have got me once. Be patient with me like you always have to with me. I'm going to start with the easy ones first! :)

Debbie sent me this one. Don't think about the responses, write the first thing that comes to your mind. Here we go!

1. Where is your cell phone? sitting by me on the desk.
2. Your hair? in desperate need of a beauty salon.
3. Work? sucks.
4. Your father? far away.
5. Your favorite thing? I have to choose??
6. Your dream last night? don't remember...
7. Your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper, is there any other?
8. Your dream car? Mercedes CL65 (no room for kids!)
9. The room you're in? downstairs office
10. Your fears? hearing bad news about anyone in my family(death, sickness, etc.)
11. What do you want to be in 10 years? A cool mom to my teenagers.
12. Who did you hang out with last night? Jeff ( a little bit of American Idol & Biggest Loser)
13. What you're not good at? being creative on my own. I copy others creativity.
14. Muffin? Blueberry
15. One of your wish list items? Get the North Salt Lake house sold for a decent price. :)
16. Where you grew up? Utah, Texas, California, Georgia
17. Last thing you did? sent an email to Tiffany
18. What are you wearing? jeans and a black hoodie
19. What aren't you wearing? my necklace
20. Your pet? what pet?
21. Your computer? a Dell
22. Your life? Complete
23. Your mood? cheerful
24. Missing? what?
25. What are you thinking about right now? this question.
26. Your car/truck? white
27. Your summer? warm
28. Your relationship status? happily married.
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you really laughed with meaning? Is it bad I can't think of anything specifically?
31. Last time you cried? Sunday
32. School? Ricks
33. Least favorite weather? A snowy day in April.
34. Soup? Potato Cheese
35. Movie? August Rush

That wasn't so bad, I quite enjoyed that! :) Now all you ladies are tagged besides Debbie of course!!!

2008-04-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

This last week passed by so quickly, but so many things happened! Easter weekend, on our way home from Island Park, I got the sad news that my sweet Grandma Felt had a stroke and most likely would not survive the week. Jessie (one of my moms, my dad's wife)was on her way to SLC from Atlanta in hopes to see Grandma before she passed on. Jessie made it to Grandma's bedside in time to be with her mother before she quitely passed away on Wednesday, March 26th around 10 am in the morning. Plans were made for all of the family to be here for Grandma's funeral on April 1st.

Jeff and I also decided that it would be a great time to bless CJ so that my family who mostly live out of state could be here to celebrate with us. We got special permission to bless CJ at home on March 30th. We were so blessed to have such great support from all of our family. As I watched CJ being blessed, my heart almost burst with gratitude and love. I'm so grateful for a wonderful husband who is worthy to give CJ his name and blessing. I'm so grateful for the great preisthood holders we have in our family that could support Jeff and be apart of the circle. I'm so grateful to the incredible women who are married to these wonderful men. As I stood there in that moment, I was in awe at how blessed I was to know that every single person that was in the room, either assisting in the blessing or witnessing it was part of my eternal family. It took my breath away. I love every single person who was there supporting us, and I'm so grateful for thier impact in my life!

Tuesday April 1st was Grandma Felt's funeral. It was such a beautiful service. She was an amazing woman who lived ordinary life in extrodinary ways. She lived her life serving others. Not just once in a while or every now and then, but ALWAYS! Over and over the stories were told of what she did for others or how she touched this person or that person. She was survived by 11 children, 58 grandchildren, and 51 great-grandchildren. I'm just so grateful to have known her! It was also so awesome to have all of my siblings here to attend the funeral. We don't get the chance to all be together too often with us living all over the country.

Then I finished off a wonderful week with a wonderful General Conference. It's not too often that I actually make it through all of saturday and sunday sessions of conference, but I did this weekend and I'm so glad that I did. I was touched, I'm motivated to try a little harder, live a little better, and be a better person. I'm grateful for living prophets, I'm grateful for the inspiration they receive, so they can inspire me. I'm grateful in knowing that the heavens are still open and that we continue to receive divine revelation even in our time. I'm grateful for my Savior and for the Atonement. I'm grateful for the gift of repentance. I wish I could say I am perfect, but I can't. I'm grateful for the knowledge of knowing that if I mess up, I can fix it. I do the best I can, but I know that I can do better and I will try!

Sp"EGG"tacular!!

2008-03-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I took the kids and our friends, The Gorhams up to Island Park this Easter weekend. We had a great time!! We showed up to the cabin with about 7-8 inches of freshly fallen snow. (Doesn't look like we will be seeing summer anytime soon up there with snow banks still about 4 feet deep). Anyway, besides an overcast, windy friday, the rest of the weekend was absolutely beautiful. Saturday the Island Park Resort hosted an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. The plan was to have it indoors, but with the amount of kids that showed up, they had to move it out onto golf course (big piles of snow). It didn't last too long and the kids only scored about 3-6 eggs each, but how often do you get to say that you get to hunt for eggs in piles of snow! Afterwards, Sara and I took a quick run on the snow mobiles that the boys rented. We got back and Jeff and Randall headed out for a few hours. Sara was prepared with Easter games for the kids and later in the evening we did some egg dying. Easter morning came and there were eggs all over the place for kids own little hunt. They had a great time! We had a wonderful easter dinner thanks to Sara doing most of the work! Monday came too quick for us. We had a great weekend. Thanks Gorhams!

Two peas in a pod

2008-03-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Sam came and spent the night with us when he was in town working. We got a big kick out of the fact that both Grandpa and Parker had the same hair. We sure miss Grandpa and wished he lived closer!

I have been bit by the Blogging Bug

2008-03-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

So, I never thought it would happen! Me, venturing out in the blogging world and putting it all "out there". I don't think I really even knew what "blogging" really meant until a couple of months ago, but I've realized that past couple weeks that I should have my own because I sure spend a lot of time looking at everyone else's out there. Now, I have to say that I am very self-conscience of writing (or typing) my thoughts down for others to read because I always felt that when I read anything back it never made much sense or sounded completely stupid, so please look past all of that. I know you will, because you are all family and friends and love me for who I am right?? :) With that being said, let's get on with it.

So what could be a better time than now to start our family blog, but by introducing you to the new addition to our family? Cole Jeffrey Harris was born January 13, 2008. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 2oz. and measured 21 inches long. He came two and a half weeks early and nobody could have been happier that he came early than me. I was such a wimp this time around with the pregnancy. For some reason, every minor thing was magnifyed into something big because I was such a wimp, it had to be because of my age, right? ha. Anyway, he came and we were all thrilled!

CJ is such a joy and completes our family. Ashley, Megan, and Parker absolutely adore him. It sometimes gets a little tense with each of them fighting over who gets to hold him. Parker can't wait until he is bigger to show him how to ride dirt bikes and teach him how to play the Wii. Megan likes to haul him around like he is one of her dolls. I have to threaten her with her life not to pick him up when he is sleeping. She wants to hold him ALL of the time! The girls are both incredible helpers! Ashley will change diapers for me which is fantastic! Who likes changing diapers?? Um, she does. :) She also just likes to be by him as much as she can.

Jeff and I are enjoying so much watching him change. He's now starting to coo and smile when you talk to him. He's sleeping pretty good, last night we actually had a record, six hours straight! Hopefully it becomes a habit. I've been missing Jeff, who has taken up sleeping in the basement because he couldn't get a full night's sleep like he used to be able to do when all the other kids were babies and sharing a room with us. I don't mind the lack of sleep and I'm enjoying every little thing knowing that he is our last!