Love these little buggars...

Right now Ellie and Wells are having "sacrament meeting practice" because they were not as cooperative as I expected yesterday. They really are getting better at sitting quietly through church but this "reverence practice" really blesses my life, so if there is cause at all, I use it. Ellie is quietly reading to Wells so really it is reading practice for her! Harrison is sleeping and Hattie is, for the moment, being quiet. I have a million things to do and I don't want to face them so I will blog part of my morning. Harrison remains constant, and consistant about getting into anything that is NOT a toy. The story: I was checking an ebay item this morning for a few minutes after breakfast. The kids and I cleared the table because we know from past experience that a stitch-in-time-saves-nine with our little explorer. Well, the Butter Bell was left on the table and you guessed it...in the very few minutes I was looking on the computer he came to me, dropped the butter bell at my feet and broke it. That is of course when I noticed the problem. He was all greased up with butter shampoo-like in his hair. I had been listening to him in the other room but the sounds didn't lead me to worry. It wasn't quiet for long enough! So back to the bath tub for the second time this morning. The butter was a bit of a challenge to get out of his hair. I should say the globs of butter were hard to get out. The water has to be hot enough to melt the butter but it can't be too hot for a sensitive little head. I have, however, found desitin a little more challenging to get out and glue stick....not a problem, they just have to be in the tub for a while. I put a little gel on his hair once to help him look nice and this is how he repays me.
I of course thought about taking his picture, not necessarily for the blog but to show him that he made enough work for me as a toddler he should be a nice teenager. (Some how I think that will be the case.) The camera was of course not with me,(it was with my friend who put on a 10K on Saturday which I ran/walked and am EXTREMELY sore from...) and due to the fact that the tempurature of the butter was increasing on his hot little head and he was rubbing butter in his eyes, I decided not put film in the ancient camera to get the pic. It was quite a sight.
How is it that your kids can destroy your things, fill your time with a whole lot of work and you still think they are the cuttest little buggers on earth? I don't get it but it seems to work in their favor!
After I wrote the first blog on Harrison my friend Michelle sent me an email leading me to her friends blog who has a boy like Michelle and I do. I thought it was so well put I'd share it with you. This is about her son Grant. Her son is just a year or more older than Harrison. H is just starting to get into the expensive destruction so Ellie and I have made a pact to share guard duty. -the guarding of our things duty that is...so far: keyboard stripped on the computer, speaker cable cut and a quite a few other minor items -you know tampons, make-up, sound familiar Angela?


"It all adds up!

Breaking the shelf off the fridge door (twice) = $40 (once)

Pulling the space bar off the laptop keyboard = $80.33


Stabbing the kitchen table 43 times with a ballpoint pen = $150


Writing on every cushion of the tan leather sofa = $900


Frying the base to all three phones by plugging in the computer power adapter = $TBD


Living with Grant = priceless, yet expensive"


His bath was 10 minutes earlier. Ellie "didn't even see him coming and before she could even stop him he was in."

Easter - The Dolled up Kids.

We took these pics a few minutes before we rushed out the door so as not to be late to church. Nathan thought I might like to waltz in late so I could get every one's attention with the cabbage patch kids. He was of course kidding but I had to tell him this was not a cutest kid contest but an opportunity for one of life's small pleasures for a woman with 4 kids 5 and under. It is not like you can dress them this way in a few years. Ellie will be rebelling at it next year I am sure. She already is telling me what she will and won't wear. I did it to my mom and so it goes....
I'll need to post a picture of Hattie in her big gerbera daisy head band! -it is one of those times when looking totally goofy is so cute... just the giggle factor was totally worth it.

Easter -The Passover

Every year for a number of years now we as a family and now our little family like to do the somewhat traditional passover. It really helps me feel like Easter is more than just a holiday to "fluff" the Easter bunny for more stuff. The kids really do well sitting for about 45 minutes while we go through the script. There are some beautiful lessons to learn from the whole freeing of the children of Israel story. There are certain food you eat and four glasses of "wine" you drink,grape juice and Martenellis?of course,at different times as a symbols during the ceremony. It was fun to put it on for Nate's family. Everyone really loved it including the kids.

Easter update -The Hunt

I remember the magic of Easter and the egg hunts I hope my kids can have those memories too. It makes holidays just a little more spark-i-ly to have those memories.

More Fun in San Jose.

We went to the BBQ at Matt and Becky's place and because we were one seat short we got to go in the "Bus." It was a blast driving down the freeway with the sunshine and breeze in our hair and rockin out to OMD and a few other "high school day" tunes. I took a video of Grant rockin' out with moves like no two year old I ever saw. I'll try to post it Stephanie! What fun....ahhh.

Girls night out!

I had a girls night out for three days!! I went to visit the girls in San Jose with only Hattie in tow. We had a blast doing the girl thing. We did pedicures, a killer Indian restaurant, the theater, a kids clothes swap-meet, and a great bbq get together with any in the nearby area who could come. What a fun weekend! Thank you Stephanie, Becky, Michelle, and Kris, you are the greatest! I got home late Sunday night totally recharged for the next few months!

This is the same crew in Sept. Things changed a little!
Stephanie, Me, Michelle, and Becky


I lost some hair and put on some baby weight! It's motivation for me to blog these pics.

Stephanie took one for the team! There were only enough attendants for three girls to get a pedicures so she got a quick cheesy fingernail paint.
Michelle looks like she she is holding someone else's leg. (does the word "else" ever strike anybody as odd? did I spell it wrong?)

Judge not that ye be not judged....

WARNING: MAJOR BLOG
These pictures probably say way more about me as a mom than Harrison as a kid but I must say that never before have I had a child as quick and "creative" as this one. I haven’t read the book "How to deal with your creative child" but I am sure it doesn’t have helpful information like I would share with you. This book would be filled with helpful information like: don't buy tub toys with cavities that could be used for drinking, get file cabinets not book shelves for keeping books, don’t wash knives in the dishwasher. These are a few of many helpful hints I could share and you could add more to my list because if you are reading my blog you most likely have or have had a child. The biggest word of advice I would give in this profound book of mine is "NEVER SAY NEVER." This is from experience and I have proved it over and over again. I said to myself in October, mentally of course. "I am so glad I do things the way I do because my kids are not sick like I see other people’s kids." I of course noted that I've never taken my kids to the doctor for being sick (stitches don't count) and the only hospital stays have been for having babies. So what happens in November, my kids start into 4 months of sickness that includes an emergency trip to the doctor for Harrison (my healthiest), hospital stays, ex-rays, and lots of sleepless nights. I also mentally mentioned to myself how nice it had been that my kids hadn't cut their own hair and I knew Ellie and Wells were old enough to put that one behind us. Ha! Wells not even a month from that mental note played barber on his new haircut. Same goes for drawing on the wall -Harrison.
Harrison is the kid that "has a mother who doesn't pay much attention to him because she is so busy doing her own thing." Ha! I don't let more than 5 minutes go by without finding out where Harrison is. I have sat back and watched him in amazement at times. He seems to do everything in one motion and I am working on that technique because it's the faster way to get things done! Example...he sees the clean laundry bucket and in one stroke tips it over, falls to his bottoms and grabs clothes from the middle of the bucket and flings them -all one motion. When he was barely walking we were at my parent's house sitting around chatting with the fam and Harrison comes to the coffee table and in one sweep of the hand clears the table. The table was reloaded with the same results. The experiment was repeated many times as we all were amused by it. He seemed to want to see the table all clean. He is just a neat freak maybe. He wants to see the bottom of every garbage, (I spared you those pictures, we'll save them for the family album. In fact, I spared you quite a few of the pictures and most of the pictures were from the same day just for documentation.) every drawer, cupboard etc. He also is a budding artist who has an aversion to paper. Markers have been outlawed at our house. After several attempts to get the kids to put away ALL their markers we are done with markers unless Harrison is sleeping. Do you ever wonder if they have different eyes or nose than we do. He can see things I can't and find things I could swear are put away. He is actually napping now and the house is in enough order to sit down and blog. This blog as do some of the longer ones is going in my journal so I don't feel I am wasting time giving some detail. It might be a waste of your time but maybe you can relate or help me with an idea I haven't thought of. He actually is starting to mellow out. He has always been a pleasant kid and is one of my more obedient toddlers. He, several months ago when getting into the toilet was the thing, would, if there was a bathroom door open, run into the bathroom and slam the lid closed on the toilet so it wouldn't tempt him. Having said all this, I wouldn't change anything, although a liahona to direct me in the more effective ways of raising children would be nice.
He doesn't like the piano music in the basket on top of the piano...we got a file cabinet a couple weeks ago, now if Ellie and Wells would remember to put music in it when they finish! He also stepped on the lamp shade and I don't see any point in getting a new one for a few more months.
He found a zipped up Sunday bag in the closet and left a trail...here he is at the end of the trail. You will notice that he is not fully dressed in most of the pictures, he is usually dressed but I am taking these pics as he is getting into the messes. It is not unlike him to use up two or three outfits in a day. If I am getting him dressed and he runs away all I have to do is put the diaper in the garbage can and he has thrown the music off the piano. (don't let him get away in the first place I hear, ok I won't!) I could be cleaning spilled water off the kitchen floor and hanging out drenched pants while he is getting into the Sunday bag, for instance :).

This is not child abuse it is child preservation! He is actually only put in this pack-n-play a few times a day and not for long but it gives the kids and me time to do scriptures and sometimes get a meal on the table. I wish he liked to watch cartoons like Ellie and
Wells but he doesn't. He doesn't complain about being put in his "jail" because he could spend hours playing with these blocks. He seems to enjoy the opportunity to not have to be thinking of what to do with his hands next. I'll be interested in his interpretation of his "block playing time" when he starts talking. Don't let this make you tired for me. I have my ways of getting me time. I am trying to blog in sequence so the next blog should not need any justification.

Mom and Mim

My mom and sister Miriam came to visit for a week the last week in February. It was so fun to have company!!! I love company and we aren't exactly in prime location for visitors.
We had "grandma" come over with one of her two other band members and serenade us with music. She has a little "gig" every week where they go and play at "old folks homes." Our little picnic was fun and it was so nice to have "warm" weather starting to surface!.



Abby and Harrison. These are two very different peas but they played well together. This picture was about the only one of them holding still.