Dec family pics

One of my good friends Robyn moved this past Dec (come back come back!!!) which was so sad...but before she left she took a few family pics for us so we could have one for our Christmas card! I am finally adding them to my blog title..so here are a few that she took also that night! Thanks Robyn!!

Mckinley did not like this pose...she did NOT want to walk!

Those baby blues...

and Ryan did NOT want to take pics either (but Ryan can be happy because I'm not showing the kissing one :)!)

Running??

yes, you might all be in disbelief...

First, I am actually blogging more than once every 3 months...I know crazy. But Second and MOST important...I actually began a blog with the R word.

Running and me really haven't gone together very often in my 31 years. On my High School transcript is says that I did two track season's. A few of you know what I ACTUALLY did during those few months! I really did join to get in shape but I think after a day of running and realizing that I really didn't enjoy it anymore then previous attempts I definitely didn't give it my all. I mean I think the only record that I had was walking the longest backwards on the track when I had shin splints (exciting huh).

Well, Heidi's husband fixed the wheel of my double stroller so I could run with her (I plead that i was way way too slow and they both agreed she was..but really she had a baby a month ago...so I thought maybe I could keep up for a little while!) so...we decided to run to park group yesterday! I have all these really fun trails right by where we live and one leads right to the park we were meeting at. So off we went! She has three so Scott rode on his bike next to us. The first couple minutes went well....then we had one fall, then a second bad one, finally talked him into walking his bike...slowly got back on and we made it too the park, walking :)!

The kids (& mom's) had a great time! I have moved into such a great ward here! There are such great girls and the kids all get along and want to play forever, no matter the age!

Then of course it started to RAIN! So we got the kids and started jogging back. It went really well, a little wet and a little out of breath we made it back! Yea! I survived my first jog! I might actually get into shape some day...maybe...

(now I need to get used to bringing my camera so I can take pics if I'm going to blog!...I still need to upload the last couple months...baby steps right?)

The Last 3 Months: featuring some fuzzy math

Okay, so a couple of my friends have turned their blogs into books and this was one reason why I started this thing...well, I finally saw one of the books and I REALLY WANT ONE OF THOSE THINGS! How fun is it to see pics AND journaling of the day to day as well as the fun and exciting! I have scrapbooked (which I love) but I never end of journaling in it, I have a journal (which is sporadic of course) but you don't get pics with it...I will TRY this blogging thing again...and maybe actually journal a little instead of just captioning pics, so that I can have such a wonderful book to look at again and again (though for anyone that might actually check my blog again you might be board!) ! My problem is that i get behind and then have too much and then just get overwhelmed...so I need to keep it up right ?! (we'll see how that goes...)

So here's the math....

~ 1 strep throat

~ 8 colds

~ 2 pneumonias

~ 1 stomach flu

~ 5 fevers

~ 2 inlaws and 1 brother in law came to visit

~ 11th Valentine's Day spent together

~ 1 cute little healthy girl turned 1

~ 1 not so cute and not so little girl turn 1 + 30

~ 2 incredible friends that I grew up with and their 4 children stayed with us, in our 2 bedroom town home, for a week visiting San Fran, Fisherman's wharf/trolley rides/Boudin's, Muir Woods and the Redwoods, Discovery Museum in Sausillito, relaxing at the park in the sun, Jelly Belly factory, Boardwalk Amusement Park on the beach in Santa Cruz. Falling asleep with the kids and a few late nights! It was SO FUN! Please come back!

~ 35+ boxes packed

~ 1 new house found and rented

~ 1 whole house loaded into 3 trips in a Uhaul in 1 night with the help of 12 friends while 2 kids were being watched by 2 other friends, AND

~ 1 whole house UNloaded by those same 12 friends the SAME night...oh yeah...

~ 1 whole townhouse cleaned by 1 (me...) in 1 day in 2 different shifts

~ 30+ boxes UNpacked (yup...I've still got a few more to go)

~ 1 whole house being cleaned...continuously...ish...

~ 3+ mommy books read

~ 60+ children's books read

~ 525+ diapers changed

~ 56+ loads of laundry

~countless amounts of noses suctioned, dishes done, smiles shared, tears wiped, laughter heard, songs danced to, lessons taught, crying softened, pictures taken, cuddles captured, words said loud and soft, cookies and cupcakes made (and eaten), love shown...

===============

My life for the last 3 1/2 months :)

Harrisonisms

Grandma leans down and gives Harrison a kiss on his head.

Harrison: Grandma! I don't want my head to be pink! I want it to stay orange!

H: I don't want Jesus to take my bones Mom, why did he take Kennedy's bones?

Me: He didn't, he is the one that makes it so we can live with our bones forever.

We are discussing how Mckinley is getting teeth

H: Do my guns have more teeth in them?

Me: It's guMs, with an M.

H: Oh, do my guNs have more teeth?

Me: yes

H: My germs hurt Mom, I need medicine.

H: Mom, is Jesus a Superhero?

Me: No, Harrison, He's even BETTER than a superhero!

H: Ahhh....

~love to my special buddy x0x0

Its time!

POTTY TIME!!!! So Yes, he is 3 1/2 and Yes I have been putting this off for over a year now, what a terrible mother I am! But I guess we all know our limits and I regret to admit that the thought of potty training scared the PANTS off ME!

So my mom decided that I needed a little encouragment :) and sent me the book that she used, "Toilet Training in less that a day." A scam you might think...but no it was "used by millions of parents!" Well, I guess that i do know where to do 'my business' so it must have worked. So I read it a while ago and continued with my excuses...until the "after Christmas" one came and IT WAS TIME!

Sunday: After church we started. I just put on the BIG BOYS! Well. About 3 1/2 hours and 2 bigboys later it was bed time and I gratefully changed him into a diaper and sent him to bed. I thought that wasn't so bad so we'll try tomorrow.

Monday: Put him on the potty (he went) and changed him into bigboys. 10 hours and 9 bigboys later I was DONE! Thats right. He was just going to have to figure it out on his own time. (though I can't short change him...he actually went poo once in the right spot...)

Monday night: okay...I guess I should look at that book again and see what (yes, humility) I did wrong. I decided that I had thought Harrison knew what to do, since he has gone on the potty periodically throughout this year, but OBVIOUSLY that was not the case, so I started from the beginning...

Tuesday: Got up, got breakfast, got our house ready to show the realators, had two families stop by and see our place, put Mckinley down for her nap...(now QUALITY POTTYTIME with little bud!) Put Harrison in bigboys, found a stuffed animal that he was going to teach to potty. Taught his little green bear (who did very well if you want to know) with bigboys, treats, trips to the potty, accidents, and practices! Then read his elmo potty book (with green bear of course). Then BRIBED him to sit on the potty, yes, I admit it, candy was the key sadly (hey, I didn't write the book). Then I did all that with him and...DID NOT LET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT! And 8 hours and 1 bigboy later it was bedtime! The only time he had an accident was when I had to go and ran in just in time to catch him and help him finish in the potty!

Wednesday: 730 am bigboy time. 730 pm bedtime. DRY ALL DAY! We even went to play group for and hour and a half! Amazing!!! I'm so proud of him!!!

So Moms out there, I SALUTE YOU, potty training now seems okay that he did so well so fast but I swear that one day sure seemed like an eternity!! Your amazing!!

Christmas 2009

(Caution: this is a long post...but is has been a while!)

Christmas this year started in Ca with Ryan's parents sending us our Christmas, so here is our little tree. We celebrated a couple days before we left for Maryland. This tree is the one we got when Kennedy was on chemo and we couldn't go anywhere that year...brings back memories. A lot of the ornaments have something to do with her as well.

He Loved his guitar...which has definitely added a new dimension to his dancing :)!

Mckinley of course loved the wrapping paper

So we flew to Maryland and Harrison kept asking for snow. Well, I say "maybe", knowing that it hardly EVER snows in Maryland and it certainly has never been a white Christmas for us there. And then THIS happens!!! (dreams do come true for little ones...)

We had more snow then EVER on record there. In 24 hours we ended with 21"!!! And it wasn't the icy eastern snow either...it was PURE POWDER!!! To bad no one skis there! It was truly a winter wonderland. The whole DC area shut down (metro stopped, school was out so an extra week for Christmas break...only my Dad had to go to work on a couple days later...the hospital never sleeps sadly!)

My Mom found these fun little snowball makers and Harrison had a blast! To bad the snow was such powder that it didn't stay together long!

My 16 bro made a snow fort for Harrison! Little bros are great!

In order to build a snowman we had to wait a day until the snow we shoveled (for hours the day before...) into big piles hardened and then dig chunks out to make big snowballs for the body because no matter how long I tried to hold the snow together, I'd set it down and it would literally fall to powder!

my little snowman

sand toys are very useful in the snow

are they not identical (in the cutest way)?? She it totally Ryan!!

SLEDDING!!!

Christmas Eve Dinner

I used to love sitting by the fire and watching it...feel the warmth...lay on the ground and have it warm my feet...watch the flame....I'm falling asleep already...

my special girl

Caroling with the fam...Ryan always offers to take the pic for this one...or anything for that matter to get out of singing :)

I'm trying to act out Luke 2 with the nativity set for Harrison, it was quite humorous!

We always have the tradition of waiting at the top of the stairs before we go down to see was Santa brought us

now we have the Christmas tree by the fire place so we put the stockings on the stairs and went there first

and then Harrison ran to see what Santa brought...it was of course a wonderful morning for him. It was so fun to see this year the anticipation of it since he really understood!!! We all sat around and opened gifts and watched the kids amazed with their gifts (sorry, I thought you would get board with all those pics! Plus here is a pic of all of our pjs but of course not everyone (my brothers) would wear them!)

Since we live outside DC we decided to go to a couple of sights there and This is Mt. Vernon. It was George Washington's true home. I can't believe the he actually lived there (and the bed he actually dies in) when he wasn't being the leader of our Country. Truly amazing...he was led by the spirit and was a great man. It was a really neat trip, thought it was FREEZING!!! I think it was in the 20s with a wind chill much colder and this is humid cold...where it goes strait through you!!

here's Ry freezing in line with Mckinley! What a trouper :)! We also went to the national arboretum (I forgot the camera sorry) where they had some AMAZING models of all the monuments made from nature and a room filled with trains and little cities! Harrison loved it! I wish I could show you some pics!

A new form of skateboarding (the second time it snowed and my dad was shoveling walks...)

Harrison chilling with my little bro and sis in law

Harrison racing Mckinley for the crackers on the floor she dropped (no she doesn't eat them, just has a lot of fun playing with them while I try to feed her!)

Harrison's Haven (and we would catch him under the table eating the candy after it was built) this is also a tradition at our house.

"papa" and the kiddos

And Harrison showing Nathan and papa his excellent dance moves. It isn't a party without it.

And finally in an attempt to get out all of Harrison's energy before the long flight back home we went to Pump it up. He had a blast! Even Mckinley joined in! So we went there and then drove straight to the airport. I think it actually worked at first because he wanted to get on the plane and sit and eat. but after a couple hours of that he was done! (but the flight still had 4 hours to go...and man was I glad to get off that plane!)

And here we are...back home!