Harris Family

So Long Summer (sigh!!)

2011-09-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Summer went by wayyyyy too fast!! I am not ready for those long, blistery, super long, cold, and did I mention long, months of winter here in Utah. Here is what we were up to this summer (sigh again, sniff, sniff).....
We went swimming nearly every single day here-I love our pool!

Madeline and Diesel both learned to ride their bikes in about 15 minutes!

Madeline and her Fairy House (still waiting to catch that Tinkerbell:))

First day of first grade. It was harder than I thought-I cried the first 2 days and now I can't wait for them all to be in college!!

Boating with Aunt Candace and Uncle Mat.

Bike rides and lots of playing at the new splash pad (not shown)

For me, running and more running-Here I am at the Freedom Half Marathon (4th of July) and I proudly came in 3rd!!!!

Madeline's Ballet performance.

God Bless America.

2011-09-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I felt especially grateful and blessed that I not only have many family members serving our Country (along with so many others) but that we are all alive and healthy and live in the greatest place on earth. Take a minute to remember those that have lost loved ones 10 years ago and thank those that have been serving to keep America strong......

Thanks again Kat for these beautiful pictures.....

PUPPY!!!

2011-06-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

So Diesel has had his puppy ever since his Grandma Johnson gave it to him when he was 2 days old. He loves, loves, loves this thing!! He often takes it places and leaves it places and sleeps with it and watches TV with it, and did I mention he loves, loves, loves his puppy?!! So 5 months ago, puppy goes missing. Madeline, who is guilty of hiding it from Diesel as punishment, claims to have no idea where it is. Puppy is not at any of our family's houses. Where is that blasted puppy? Diesel was sad for weeks, no months. 4 months into the missing puppy epidemic and after I tear my house and garage apart, we get him a new one online. Barks comes in the mail and Diesel instantly loves him. Now, 2 weeks after that, I find puppy!! It's a miracle!! Now Diesel has 2 puppies who sleep with him:)

Vegas Vacation!

2011-05-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Lounging (and frying) at the pool. I love to sit and people watch, read my book and drink my Crystal Light. Brady loves to make friends with young Russian boys and then lay there for about 10 minutes until he's bored out of his mind!!

Treasure Island (lookin' fine Brady!!)

In front of the Beach Club.....

The Bellagio....

In front of the Trinity Fountain in Italy?? Nope, near Caesar's Palace and some awesome shopping!!

This was taken inside the Wynn Theater. We saw 'La Reve' and it was incredible and so entertaining (even for the price:)but not the greatest picture).

Love My Family!

2011-04-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

A daddy/ daughter day. Brady took Madeline to school with him then to The Pie for lunch and then bowling! Why don't I get these well-planned out and fun dates??

Playing pirates-they played all morning and didn't even fight! I really loved my job today.

Arghh, a cute little stow-away!

A night at the Library?? I have always loved the library, especially if it involves free entertainment, story-time, western activities and chocolate!

The kids made rainbow toast on St. Patrick's day and drank up green milk.

Lovely New Book!

2011-03-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

So if you have not yet read any of the Pinkilicious Books, you have been missing out. Victoria Kann's 4th book 'Silverlicious' is super-cute and even Diesel loves these girly little life-lesson books. Give 'em a try if you haven't already.

Happy Kiss-Kiss, Hug-Hug Day...

2011-02-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

10 THINGS I LOVE:
1. My fun-loving, handsome husband (of course!)
2. My kids (when they are not fighting)
3. Gray dancing to Katy Perry and AC/DC
4. Freshly washed sheets on my bed (I would wash them everyday if I had more time and no care for the environment.
5. A hot cup of green tea and a great book
6. Peanut Butter
7. Running without pain in my foot or ankle
8. The serene moment just before I am about to fall asleep
9. A good fake tan
10. My old comfy sweats

The Yummiest Salad You Will Ever Make

2011-02-07T08:49:00.001-08:00

This Thai Pasta Chicken Salad is so fresh and so yummy and you will just love it! Here is the link to the recipe and directions.

Fun for the Holidays

2011-01-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

The holidays were great and full of family, food and fun.....but I always love the New Year. I love to feel the bug to clean and organize my house. I love to start my annual sugar fast (maybe I like it better after a few weeks) and I love the fresh-start feeling. Happy 2011 everyone!

Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the season!

Happy 4th Birthday D-train!

The ever-popular light display at Temple Square. I loved that Diesel was playing with his blown-up rubber glove from the doctors all night and that Madeline got a little confused by all the varieties of Nativity Scenes (she knows Jesus wasn't Asian!!)

Christmas morning reading their Shutterfly books and of course starting on the sugar!

All the grand kids with grandma and grandpa and the pillow pets they got from them-hooray!!

Celebrate Good Times!

2010-12-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

My two little girls had birthday's last month. Madeline and I celebrated from the moment she woke up on November 11th (by eating cake of course!) She went on a date with dad that night and the next day we went to the Wizard of Oz Orchestra. She had a mad tea party the following day....Gray also had a much smaller but no-less exciting cake eating extravaganza!!

How we spent Halloween.....

2010-11-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

So fall is just about over here in Utah, but as my blogging and other things (ie: laundry) fall behind, I have to remind myself to post-for the sake of memories!! Here we are at Gardner Village (love) and a great pumpkin patch the kids had a blast at. It was a beautiful day and Madeline and Diesel found their way through the corn maze a dozen times at least and found "the perfect pumpkin that was just right for them!"

Precious cargo!

Here we are on Halloween night with the somewhat smaller stash of candy that I remember collecting as a child...I really need a new camera-I promise my kids make the cutest faces and then with the delay, it doesn't quite get captured!

Natalie and I ran the Provo Half-Marathon in the morning-this is in the parking lot after the race; we really should have done it at the finish line but I guess we were thinking of all the calories we would be consuming that night!! Here are the details.

Halloween Photo Shoot

2010-10-31T09:53:00.001-07:00

My uber talented sister-in-law took these pictures of my kids in their Halloween costumes. Remember her name all. Kat Harris will be famous one day!! She has a little point and shoot camera and look at the amazing things she can do!! Madeline was a Vampiress (made by my wonderful and also talented seamstress mother, thanks mom), Diesel a ninja and Gray a skunk....

My Whatever Week

2010-10-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those weeks where you are talking to your kids and wondering what you are saying? This week I respond to Diesel when he is complaining that Maddie & Gray won't get out of his "room" in the bathtub; I say "Diesel there is no room in the tub for you to have a "room" right now." They like to draw an imaginary line between them and each of them has their own "room." I am trying to explain to Diesel that he needs to just stay in his own "room" in the tub and leave his feet out of Maddie's "room." WHAT??? This is nonsense; why am I even talking about this? There are way too many ridiculous conversations in our household-no wonder my brain seems to have turned to mush!

School Daze!!

2010-09-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am entering a new phase of life now with Madeline in Kindergarten and Diesel in pre-school. Although their time away from me is short, I still can't believe I am sending my oldest daughter into the world so to speak. She will have more worldly influence and I just hope that I did enough to shape her while I had her all to myself. She is loving school, her friends and her teacher. This is a real exciting and fun time in our lives. Time really does fly and I am trying to enjoy every minute of it!

She really wanted to bring her teddy bear (she's had her since she was 1) but her teacher asked her not to bring it again:( understandably.

Read Warner (who she will hopefully marry) and Madeline outside of school.

Dad giving her one last pep-talk before she has to be brave and go into the classroom (her teacher Mrs. Wells in the background)

It was yellow day at school and she wanted a big yellow-bow in her hair. Cute even if she looked a little like a birthday gift!!

Gage Warner and Diesel on their first day of pre-school.

My little guy was totally different on his first day pf pre-school. Where Maddie was shy and hugged my neck for a good 5 minutes before I could leave, Diesel is in the door and off socializing before I even get a chance to kiss him goodbye. I love their different personalities.

Family Pictures

2010-09-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

For our family pictures, we drove to Brigham City specifically for this blue wall. The kids were really good so we took them to a little ice cream parlor and got some of the tastiest ice cream. All in all, it was a really fun time! I'm still deciding on which ones to print.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

So this last week, I bought Gray the next size up in diapers (even though they are a bit big on her) and I can't believe that she is already 9 months old. She is no longer an infant and will be a year old before I know it. Diesel is starting pre-school soon and Madeline will be in Kindergarten. At times I wish my kids weren't so dependent on me and then I blink and they are so grown-up and independent. I can't imagine loving my kids more, despite the moment Maddie tricked me into putting my hand into a bowl of Diesel's pee in the tub. Or when Diesel tackles me and nearly breaks my back. Or when Gray pinches the back of my arm so hard that it nearly draws blood. I truly feel so blessed to have such wonderful children. The time flies by so quickly I hope that I am taking advantage of all moments I have with them while they still want to be with me.

Hooray!!!

2010-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

So back to Ft. Huachuca, Arizona we went. We made the 15 hour drive in 1 day (thanks to the help from my father-in-law). I cannot remember a time when I have been more excited; it was great to see my hubby again, especially because I knew I was taking him home with us! The kids were also very excited to see their dad.

After Brady received his GAFSBY award (a challenging German physical fitness award).

Right after graduation.

This is the day we picked Brady up at his barracks with all of his stuff. This was the day we drove off that base together again as a complete family!! What a sweet, memorable day.

From there, we hit the road again and stayed about 5 days in San Diego. We took the kids to the San Diego Zoo, which was awesome! There were so many animals; walrus, hippos, tigers, gators, panda bears and cute little koala bears. The cool thing was that all the animals seemed to be out and we got some great pics.

My kids could eat cotton candy 3 times a day!

Maddie got this shot-the peacock was walking down the path and she got up real close and snapped it!

We spent tons of time on the beach but I couldn't get enough of this beach. I could of spent 12 hours on Coronado Beach-it was beautiful and the sand was perfect.

We also spent a day at Sea World. It was such a fun day and all free thanks to Brady's military ID-score! The dolphin and orca shows were amazing even when our kids begged us to sit in the soak zone.

Brady and the kids on a ride-he looks happy but he was near puking. Why can't we handle all that spinning when we're adults??

On the pier in San Diego-oh I miss the coast.......

Sierra Vista/ Ft. Huachuca (Road Trip #2)

2010-05-12T15:52:00.001-07:00

For the month of April, we stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in Sierra Vista, which was about 5 minutes from Ft. Huachuca where Brady is training. He has been gone since January and will be graduating June 22nd. Our drive was about 15 hours and pretty pleasant-I'm a road trip kind a gal. Once we got into Arizona, the kids loved looking for cactus's. Diesel kept saying "hey mom, there's another prickly thing." They got a huge kick out of this ginormous cactus!

Reuniting after almost 3 months.

That night we went and ate at 'My Big Fat Greek Restaurant,' it was great to be a complete family again.

We celebrated Easter together and Brady and I broke our 3 month long sugar fast; we were so sick the next day! Maddie got a little laptop and Diesel got a remote control tractor. They had a great time looking for eggs and oinking down sugar.

We would see Brady most nights for about an hour on base and he stayed with us on the weekends. We took weekend trips together almost every Saturday. Here we are at San Xavier's Mission, supposedly the Sistine Chapel of North America??

Diesel got in trouble for yelling and here he is sitting in time-out on a pew.

The church was on an Indian Reservation so of course we had to partake of the culture and get some fry bread-yummy!

The kids and I hiked along the San Pedro River; it should have been called the San Pedro Trickle-it is Arizona after all!

The next series of pictures are of us in Bisbee, AZ. It's a cute little mining town with tons of unique shopping and treats. It was a bit hippy and really fun!

Here is Maddie and Diesel at Clark Lake. For some reason, they painted themselves, clothes included, with mud. It was quite the disaster.

Another day trip we went to Tombstone. Diesel called it cowboy town. We went to a comedy gunfight show, a petting zoo, climbed on old trains, bought Maddie a dream-catcher and Diesel a wooden gun that shot rubber bands and enjoyed some ice cream. We went with Tony and Melanie Ralph (friends from AIT) which made it even more fun.

Maddie and Diesel watching the gunfight with their friend Soren (The Ralph's son)

Maddie and Diesel climbing trees at Huachuca Canyon-we had a blast there.

This is a picture of us on the way home in Arizona near the Grand Canyon-boy was it hard to leave.

Sleeping Cutie!

2010-03-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Gray is 4 1/2 months now; I can't believe how fast time is going. Weighing in at 11.7 and pretty tall. I snapped this picture while she was snoozing in her swing. She is changing everyday and we sure love her!

Road Trip!!

2010-03-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

The kids and I hit the road on March 5th to go visit Seattle. We drove the first 7 1/2 hours one day, stayed in a hotel and drove the remaining 4 1/2 hours the next day. We stayed with Crin and Mike for a whole week (thanks for hosting guys!) All in all the kids were great in the car and we all had such a great time. So many good memories!! (Tons of photos for Brady's viewing pleasure!)

We went to Kirkland and fed the ducks and played a bit-

We spent a beautiful day at Pike Place Market. We got a lot of looks with our 6 kids but it was a fun experience for them all!

Here is Diesel licking the ice where the dead fish were on display-yum!! A nice man offered him some apple instead-it was a bit of a spectacle for those around.

While the kids were running around, Diesel kept stopping to look at the sleeping homeless men-I think he was a bit confused.

Crin and I-Yes we are part of the big sunglasses gang!!

Baby Gray all snuggled up, along for the ride.

Maddie, Diesel, Kate, Gavin and Sophie

Maddie and Sophie in their matching H&M dresses.

All tuckered out from a long drive-

Eating breakfast at the hotel. (Do I need a better camera or what??)

In the car-Diesel had to borrow my sunglasses on occasion so he could rot his brain more with the movies playing!

Gray's Blessing

2010-02-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

The Sunday before Brady left we blessed Gray at church. It was beautiful and so great to have all the family there for the day. It was full of good food, good times and happy memories. We are so blessed to have baby Gray in our family. My mom made her beautiful lavender blessing dress.

All of the cousins (Holland, Raleigh, Chase, Ella, Alex) posing with Gray, Maddie and Diesel.

New Year, New Do: Maddie really does not like having her hair done and so we cut it! She loves it and it is so much easier to style.

Rough Week

2010-01-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

This last week, Gray had RSV and an ear infection, Diesel had pink eye (yuck) and an ear infection and I had to say good-bye to Brady for another Army training cycle. This time around he will be gone for 19 weeks (5 months)...... and I have three kids. What am I doing?? We just saw him off yesterday so I am having a pity party today. Our last family home evening, we sat down and made a list of 19 big activities we would do each week as a countdown (Brady's great idea). So I started yet another blog called 19 Activities that will list what we do and show some pictures. This is more for Brady to see what we are up to, but you are welcome to take a peek if you are interested.

http://www.waitingfordad.blogspot.com

Eye of the Tiger

2010-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

So with Brady leaving soon, we have had fun going to the gym every morning. He made a great playlist on our ipod and my motivation is high. Skinny jeans here I come!! Check out my Fitness Fridays blog if you are interested.

http://www.denasfitnessfridays.blogspot.com

Fitness Fridays

2010-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am starting a new blog called Fitness Fridays. Every Friday I will "check in" with myself; weigh-in and evaluate my nutrition plan for the week. I will also post a fitness/nutrition tip. This is not my new year's resolution, but my postpartum resolution! Stay tuned......

Happy Birthday to my kids!

2010-01-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

November and December are busy months for us. Gray was born Nov 10th, Maddie turned 5 Nov 11th, and Diesel turned 3 Dec 11th. (I must only be fertile in February and March:)

Aunt Candace took Maddie on a birthday shopping/lunch extravaganza! She got to pick out a new dress at Nordstrom, go out to lunch, buy a divine cupcake and her favorite part, wear a tiara!! Thanks Candace!

Diesel had his birthday at Jungle Jim's. Okay, it was a little bit dirty for us adults but the kids didn't notice and had a blast. Diesel had a black eye on his fun day-totally not our fault.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2009-11-15T10:50:00.001-08:00

My 12 minute baby: Gray was born on Tuesday, November 10th. (A day before Maddie's 5th birthday). She weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 19.5 inches long. I started having contractions at 1:30 Tuesday morning and woke Brady up at 3:30 am to go to the hospital. We threw the kids and our bags in the car, called my parents and dropped the kids off in the middle of the road off of the freeway. Madeline was so excited and poor Diesel looked sad and confused. We got to the hospital at 4:50am (thanks to Brady's wicked driving skills and going 110 mph!!!). She was born 12 minutes later at 5:02. I still can't believe I was only in labor for 3 1/2 hours.

Oh the Gluttony!!

2009-11-03T12:36:00.001-08:00

Oh how we love Halloween!! We had a great day. The kids LOVED trick-or-treating, of course! I told them a story about the polite pumpkin that would go around and take little kids candy if they didn't say "thank-you, Happy Halloween!" so they were very grateful all night! I think Diesel got the biggest kick out of going from house to house and receiving candy at each one-what a concept!! Here is Maddie in costume #1-Glenda the Good Witch and Diesel is obviously Thomas the Train. They got to gorge themselves with as much candy as their rotten little teeth desired-when else can we do this?? I definitely consumed my weight in sugar that night.
At Grandma's work party with a cake they helped to decorate-we actually won $25 in a contest! Of course, there were only 3 cakes entered.

Maddie in costume #2-Snow White.

With grandma at the party. They got to decorate pumpkins and eat tons of goodies!
Halloween spooky story-time at the library. Maddie in costume #3-Dorothy. It is good to see that they actually do love each other!
Maddie in costume#4-Snow Princess Cinderella-signature pose! This is what she wore to her pre-school Halloween party. (I did not buy her any of these costumes-my mom had made most of them and she's received them as gifts over time. We went real cheap this year!)Big D finding his pumpkin at the pumpkin patch-he wanted a little one.Maddie was looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve.I totally love fall and would love it even more if I would have this baby!! Here I am with about 3 days until my due date and I'm ready to get on with the show. Any tips on inducing labor at home let me know!

An Affair To Dismember......

2009-10-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

So I hosted this year's Harris Family Murder Mystery Party. It was so fun-isn't Halloween the greatest?? Everyone did really good getting into character and it was a blast!

Here's the gang-Bryant, Kamille, Austin, Patrick, Brady, Dena, Robin, Cathy-very spooky!!

Cathy (scary dentist), Kamille (glamorous witch), Dena (some Euro chick??)

Maddie and I. (She wanted to dress up as a witch even though she wasn't technically invited!)

Maddie and Grandma:)

On another note, here are the kids at an elephant parade to celebrate the circus in town.

And at The Museum of Natural History-really fun frog exhibit! The kids like this museum, but Diesel always gets a little freaked out by the dinosaur that talks with a mechanical voice when you feed it money!!

WHY DO I DO WHAT I DO?

2009-09-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

So for the past couple of weeks, my daughter Madeline (4 1/2 years old) has really been pulling all kinds of attitude. Almost every time I ask her to do something, I get ignored. I hear "no" all the time and I am frankly tired of disciplining her for negative behavior. (When are they going to invent a child collar that can shock my child when I don't like what comes out of their mouth?) And this morning, I went to check on her in her room and she just looked at me and glared!! I assure you that she doesn't get away with this stuff, but it is a constant battle. Now that I am pregnant with my 3rd baby, I am wondering why we go through all the pregnancy woes, the gaining weight and getting stretched out. The heartburn, nausea, and all kinds of other physical ailments to end up in excrutiating pain delivering the baby, which they are very sweet and cute, but then they grow up to act so rudely to the one who has to bear all the burdens?? Why did I sign up for this? Now, don't leave comments such as, "it's all worth it," or "you will be blessed," because I am just venting my frustrations. More importantly, I am giving a shout out to all you mothers, particularly my own, who has to and had to put up with such grumpiness despite your best efforts!

"REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD!"

2009-08-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

That was the song I was singing all weekend long when we went to pick Brady up from his basic training graduation at Ft. Leonard Wood. Maddie and I flew into St. Louis the night before and stayed on base with two of his brothers. The next morning, during an exciting graduation ceremony, we saw Brady for the first time in over 10 weeks. After the reception in a different location, we were finally able to hug and kiss him. It was one of the most anticipated and happiest days of my life!

Maddie kept her head buried in Brady's shoulder for a long time-it was so sweet.

Sgt. Patrick Harris, PFC Brady Harris, SSG Kurt Harris with their military faces on!

Brady in his Class A's and I-don't let it fool you though, he is totally ripped underneath there!

Brady with Drill Sgt. Davis. Brady mentioned how weird it was to be friendly and shake hands with one of his drill sergeants after being smoked so many times by him.

Taking pictures around base. It was different than I anticipated. Ft. Leonard Wood was really pretty and a very big base.

At a park on base. We had the day with Brady and went to lunch and hung out and had to have him back to his barrocks by 9pm. He wasn't released until the next day.

Maddie was exhausted by the end of the day and was carried by a very handsome gentleman!

After Brady was released, we drove to Nauvoo where Maddie dressed up like a pioneer-she really loved that.

Later that night, we went to a carnival taking place before we saw the Nauvoo Pageant. Here she is playing a pioneer game-she loved it and it is so much cheaper than some of the stuff I buy!

After Nauvoo, we drove to Carthage-this was seriously one of the coolest places that I have ever been (and I have traveled to over 11 countires)!

Here we are in front of Carthage Jail. Can you guess the photographer? Yep, our own little Madeline!

Next stop was downtown St. Louis. Here we are in the middle of Forest Park. This park is bigger than Central Park in NYC and has tons of free museums, zoo's and lots of water and sites. It was beautiful.

This one is in front of the St. Louis Art Museum.

Just us at the airport coming home. This was when I experienced my first military treatment. In SLC, the flight attendants asked all the passangers to stay seated so we could deplane first. Everyone was clapping as my belly hit them in their heads! Just kidding, I felt sort of silly but it was very sweet.

When we got home, my sister had brought D-train to the airport to see his dad. When he saw him, he ran up to him yelling "daddy!" It brought tears to my eyes.

I think Brady and I both learned a ton while we were apart for 10 weeks, but our time together for this weekend was so precious and full of experiences that I will never forget.

OVER HALFWAY THERE!!

2009-06-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

So two exciting milestones have been reached. Brady (who has been gone to basic training in Missouri since May 18th) is more than halfway done. He will be done with his 10-week course on July 30th-hooray!! Madeline and I will be flying there with some of his family to attend his graduation and then make a trip to Nauvoo and St. Louis. The second milestone, I am 21 weeks through my pregnancy! Baby #3 is due the first part of November. I have not yet found out what it is though- we are waiting for when Brady gets home.

2009-03-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

So after much discussion, contemplation and prayer, we decided it would be a wise career move for Brady to join the Military. He quit his job of 7 1/2 years at EMG and is now a full-time student at the University of Utah. He is getting his Russian degree with a minor in Middle-Eastern studies. He wants to apply with the CIA when he is finished with school. Here he is being sworn in by his father (retired Army) into the National Guard.

Bryant (brother-in-law), Katherine (sister) and Rob (father-in-law) here to support and witness.

Brother Kurt (Marine) and Patrick (Army)

Brady with his mom and dad

Here is D-man at our new house, just out of the tub.

Just a little family picture in front of our new house.

We are still getting used to living in Utah and missing our friends and life in Seattle. It is great to be around family especially with Brady joining the Guard. He is the fifth boy out of six to join the military-guess it is in their blood. Brady will be leaving for a 9-week basic training in May. Life will definitely be different then! CRAZY!!

Hello All

2009-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

We have moved into our house now!! We moved in the week after Christmas and we are loving it so far. We still have no blinds so a huge Dora tent welcomes everyone to the front of our casa. Can anyone say W.T.?? Anyway, I will post some pictures when I get more on the ball.

Happy Birthday Diesel!

2008-12-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Last week Diesel turned 2 years old! I can't believe how fast time goes!

10 things I love about Diesel:

1. How he bops up and down instead of propelling himself forward when he runs.

2. How he is Maddie's little shadow.

3. How he walks around the house saying "hunwee" (hungry).

4. How he yells "lally" (daddy) when he sees Brady.

5. How he flexes in an Arnold pose when he gets angry.

6. How well he sleeps!

7. How he answers the phone all the time with a cute little "hello?" He even uses the right inflection.

8. How he loves music-I think he is going to be famous one day!

9. How he cuddles up to me when he is cold or scared.

10.How he gives me a sweet little kiss whenever I ask for it!

We went on a train ride to visit his great-grandparents and he was so excited the whole time-he just kept saying "choo-choo!"

Catch-Up

2008-12-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Maddie's collection of homemade dress-up dresses is growing. Here is the latest from my sewing fool of a mother-Glenda the Good Witch!

Maddie's 4th birthday party! She sat in a chair in the middle of the room, and whoever gave her a gift, sat next to her-she loved it!

We had a big treasure hunt with all the cousins-what fun!

First snow of the winter-back in October!

Diesel was not into a snowball fight that Maddie was trying to start.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

What a fun halloween we all had! Hope yours was great and sugar-fested as well. Maddie, Diesel and her cousins were all zoo animals. Maddie was a jaguar and Diesel was a lion. I had fun making Maddie's costume; it was just a tu-tu I made with jaguar print mixed in and a scarf. The only way she even resembled the feline was Brady's make-up job on her face! She was adorable though! As all the kids were going door to door, Diesel would run and yell "go, go, go." He couldn't believe he got from one house to the next getting candy. He didn't even say "trick-or-treat," it was just "a treat!" It was so fun to have Maddie with all of her cousins. I don't know if it was all the sugar or just sheer excitement, but they ran faster than I did around the block!

Soy Modela!

2008-09-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

So while living in Washington (sob, sob-I miss you) I was asked to do a photo shoot for a local grocery store. I got paid and got free groceries, but the best part is......FAME!!!! I will be available for autographs pretty much anytime! Check it out!
http://top-foods.gsnrecipes.com/Shop/WeeklyAd.aspx
(You have to click on weekly ad and then Lake Tapps location.)

B12 Shots Anyone??

2008-09-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

So in the move, I misplaced our cables for downloading photos onto the computer. Needless to say, I won't put any pics up until that is found. On another note: As a mother, I feel a little sluggish and moody at times. I find myself yawning from 3pm until I go to bed most days. I feel a little impatient a lot and sometimes snap at my kids. Can you believe it? Sound familiar?? Well, I was at the doctor the other day getting my blood tested for the second time, and she told me that on my last test, I was slightly anemic. No big deal, I take some iron and it should be restored soon. But, she decides to give me a Vitamin B12 shot. She says that a lot of people come in regularly for this. B12 and all the B Complex vitamins aid in weight loss, mood enhancement and increased energy. Okay, so I got this painless shot on Wednesday, and I am not kidding, I feel great; even after 4 days. I feel like I am on caffeine or fat-burners but without the shakes and jitters. I feel really productive and most important, I am more patient with my kids. I am yet to find out how long it works for me or if it is just as effective as taking it in pill form. Some people claim the effects last up to a month. We will see, but I do recommend you give it a try at your next check-up!

Photo Shoot

2008-07-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

When my dad came up to help us move, we took advantage of his wonderful photography skills and took some pictures. The kids loved the umbrellas and we got some great shots. My dad has been a professional photographer for a while now, he's just taking some different routes to promote himself. The day was fun and sad because it was one of our last nights in Seattle-we miss you all to tears!!

Good Things Utah!!

2008-07-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

We are in Utah and I can't believe it. It is hotter than I remember and I sort of feel like I am on vacation or something. The car ride was an 18 hour torture session, even though the kids were pretty well-behaved. It is strange to be back in familiar territory and into things I love here. 1)Pioneer Day-what a great holiday! 2)Good Things Utah TV show-I don't know why I like it so much. 3)Family-of course the best part even though it is last on the list! It is great having everyone around. I do think Maddie is already a bit spoiled being able to do whatever she wants-I am going to start cracking the whip! Pictures will come once we get more settled!

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey-hope everyone had a good holiday. We had a great time with friends camping (in the backyard thanks to good ol' Seattle weather!) We had a fire and roasted s'mores and the works. We lit some fireworks and were really THRILLED when a neighbor came by to have us light a 12 foot string of firecrackers. Of course Brady and Mike were game and the cops came right in the middle of the flame show! Luckily we didn't get a ticket because the neighbor was from Maine and played the dumb card. It was all really fun and the kids did surprisingly well in the tent by themselves!

A Case of Mistaken Identity

2008-06-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Since Maddie has received her Dorothy dress from her Grandma Johnson, she barely wears anything else. She has repeatedly asked us to call her Dorothy and even told me one day that she wasn't going to go potty because Dorothy doesn't go potty. Sometimes Diesel is Toto, Brady is Uncle Henry and I am the wicked witch (go figure)! She loves to play dress up and has a very vivid imagination. Just this morning, she locked Brady out of our bedroom because he was off slaying some vampires???

Aquarium

2008-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

We recently visited the Seattle Aquarium-perfect for a boring, rainy day! The kids had a blast. While Maddie and I were looking for Nemo in one of the tanks, Diesel slipped out of the stroller that I so negligently didn't buckle up, and was laying on the ground crying. That kid has got to toughen up! Maddie is so cute in real life-hard to see in some of the pics!

HOLLAH!!

2008-06-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

So this is the beginning of my blog. So many people have blog spots, yet I am only just beginning. Since I have lived away from my family for 7 years, I should have done this long ago; especially for the fam to see how our kids are growing. Well, have no fear, you can all now preview our lives that I know that you are soooo interested in!!