Another post!

I'm on a roll!! Two posts in one day, not heard of for me. Actually I just forgot to include in my last post the biggest news thats taken place in our home most recently. Our new addition to our family, our new boy . . .


Welcome Boozer Harris, our new mini poodle puppy. And yes, in case you are wondering Thomas is getting a lot of grief over owning such a girly dog.
He doesn't seem to mind all that much, cause he sure loves him! So do I and so do the boys. KC and Xander are very helpful in helping with the dog too, that makes my life easier! Having a puppy and trying to potty train him can be very exhausting! And no, he is not named after Carlos Boozer, so no we will not be changing his name now that he is moving on to play for the Bulls. The boys just liked the name for some reason.

Finally a post!!

This one is for you Kalyn, I know you are sick of reading about KC's shark teeth, so I thought it was time to get going on updating what's going on in the Harris family. A lot has taken place over the last 3 or 4 months, so I'd like to take a minute to catch you up.
Back in March we joined the ranks of many other families of 2 or more kids and bought our first minivan. Tom hopes it's the first and last time we buy one. It needed to be done though, and we actually are really enjoying our Sienna and the extra space that it provides. I especially like it now that I am watching a few extra kids this summer, and we can get out of the house and go somewhere in it. I couldn't do that in the Malibu. I have to admit though, I feel very motherly in it, in a good way though. We call it the Swagger Wagon, for those of you have seen the commercial/music video that Toyota put out. Maybe, if I get around to it, I'll post a link to it, pretty hilarious.
Xander, turned 4 in March also. He has had an eventful spring/summer so far. We noticed that he had quite the lazy eye in his right eye, so we went in to have him checked. Sure enough, he needed glasses. His right was very week, and his left eye was doing all the work. The right eye has an astigmitism and he has a mild case of Amblyopia, which runs in the family. He got his glasses, and he sure looks studly in them. He doesn't have any problem wearing them either, and looks very handsome too! There have been some bumps here and there, and he has needed several adjustments, and one frame replacement already. I get all worked up when they get bent or broken, but Thomas reminds me that he is 4 and to get use to it because it's just going to happen! I know he is right, but it's the mother hen in me that gets stressed and starts to see $$$$. He's had one check up since getting them, and his eyes are doing much better and as of right now, does not need surgery or an eye patch for the left eye. Way to go Xan Man! Aside from the new glasses, Xander became the first member in our family to break a bone. Let it be known on the record of this blog that he was in the care of his father while breaking his elbow too! Thomas let him go down a very long, and pretty steep hill on his bike. I'm not sure what Thomas was thinking, because Xander doesn't use his brakes . . .at all! Sure enough he flew down that hill in record time and luckily landed on grass at the bottom. I'm sure injuries could have been a lot worse if there weren't grass there. He handled it like champ though, and had his cast on for only two weeks. He got it taken off just in time for swimming weather.
KC passed the Kindergarten with flying colors! He's such good kid and I'm so proud of him. It was fun to volunteer in his class this past year and observe him in his school enviroment. I look forward to it in the years to come as well. KC was one of the few kids in his grade to participate in the talent show. He did great and performed some of the karate moves he learned in his class. I'm so glad he is brave, and dared to get up in front of everyone and do that. I hope he keeps that up! Xander passed the first year of pre-school, but not without some mornings where he tried to fake sick, and thought he could stay home. I have a feeling, it's going to be a long 12 years for him, hopefully he'll start liking school at some point.
I can't believe that in just a year, I will be sending both my boys to elementary school. Don't get me wrong, I really do look forward to it, but it makes me sad to see them grow up so fast. I need to have another baby soon, so I don't go throught major withdrawls!
Thomas and I (okay, mostly Thomas) have been busy in the yard this year. We planted many new bushes and flowers and covered the beds with woodchips. It looks very nice too, if I say so myself. In the backyard we put down sod to cover up many of the flower beds that I just was sick of and couldn't maintain. I love going back there now, and not having to see the ugly overgrown, weedy beds now. Just pretty green grass, and I'll we have to do is mow it. Beautiful. I'm so glad that Tom obsesses over the yard, because it's one of the things that I don't have to worry about. Thanks honey.
We have been kept busy with work and church responsibilities, but we wouldn't change it for anything. We feel blessed to have the employment that we do. Thomas is the EQ Pres, and in my opinion is doing great at it, if great equals being gone many hours away from home to attend meetings and visit people in the ward. He works so hard, and I'm very grateful to have found someone who honors his priesthood like he does. I am really enjoying being in the Young Women's. I had such a great time at youth conference, and look forward to Girl's camp this week.
The last few weeks, we have spent many hours playing at grandma's pool, boating at Utah Lake with Grandpa, or just running through the sprinklers in the back yard. We are sad that summer time passes so quickly around here, but look forward to some fun trips with both the Washburn and Harris families this season. Last week, during the 4th we were invited by our good friends to their cabin, and it was a blast!! They have a beautiful family cabin on 400 acres and a private lake, who could ask for anything more!?! We enjoyed endless fishing, canoeing, hitting floating golf balls into the water and then fetching them with the paddle boat, great food, smores around the fire, great food (did I say that already?), and heavenly 4 hour naps in a comfy king size bed! It was the greatest nap I think I've ever taken! KC beat us all and caught two fish, and it's the first time he's ever fished! I don't know what Tom and mines problem is, but we just couldn't catch a fish to save our lives! Good thing we've got KC! Thanks Steph, Clair and Noah for another great trip!

We thought this was a great photo op!

Xander, Noah, and Carter playing in the sand.

The boys being boys and throwing the floatable golfballs in the lake.

One of KC's fish that he caught!

Uncle Alex helped KC get his fish unhooked for him. KC was just a tad nervous to stand too close to the fish.

Our good friends the Alleman's at the cabin.

Us at the cabin.

And our good friends the Rosenberg's.

Me fishing with Aria. She was suppose to be my good luck charm to catch a fish ...it didn't work! That sweet little thing caught 2 fish!! Of course her momma was helping a little bit.

The boys and I in the paddle boat.

Xander disgruntled about something going on. What a sweet face.

In two weeks, we are going with my family to Lake Powell and are looking forward to our annual trip there. Then, in August we will go to Fish Lake with Tom's family. Something that's a first for me and my boys (Tom's family went a lot when they were younger), and we are excited for that trip also. I hope you are enjoying your summer also. Sorry if this post was dreadfully boring to any of you, I'll try to update more often, to avoid long posts.

My wife likes to sleep with the TV on.

I love my wife, I am more in love with her today then I have ever been. I find so much confidence in myself with her in my life. She is a huge help to me. She takes care of me, supports me, teases me, and laughs with me, she even diets with me. She is the best, the absolute love of my life. I couldn't live a day without her.
These are just a few of the reasons that I have made the choice to deal with her crazy habit of sleeping with the TV on. After almost 8 years of marriage to my beautiful bride I am at a point of curiosity that I must satisfy, and I need your help! Are there others out there that need the TV to sleep? Are there spouses that like me cannot sleep due to their significant others need to sleep with the TV on? What is so comforting about the noise of late night reruns of MASH and Seinfeld? What about the info-commercials? I would say I have nightmares about the "Magic Bullet" or the "Ronco, Rotisserie Oven", but I don't sleep enough to have dreams. But, I do own a "Magic Bullet".
Let us know if our family is not alone with this little situation.

Shark Teeth

I've been letting KC brush his own teeth for a while now and I've gotten pretty lazy at making sure he is doing a good job at it. A few weeks ago I noticed that his teeth were looking pretty dirty, and they needed some serious mom help. So, I brushed them for him, while in this process I discovered KC's shark teeth. He had two adult teeth growing in behind his baby teeth on the bottom front. At first, I was a little freaked out by the sight of this, it looked weird! I immediately googled (love google!) this, you know to find out if this was dangerous or completely not normal. My worries were put at ease right away by what I found on the internet. What I found said that this does happen often, and it's nothing to be too concerned about, but that they would probably need to pull out the baby teeth to make room for the new teeth. So I called Dr. Knorr, our dentist and made the appointment. Here are the before and afters of KC teeth.


BEFORE

AFTER The dentist had to take out three teeth.

KC was a trooper through the whole ordeal. He got pretty scared when they had to give him 7 shots to deaden the area. The nurse and I had to hold down his arms and head. He cried through that part, and said to me, "I just want to go home". I hate seeing my children in pain, it's the worst. I wanted to cry and go home too. The teeth they pulled out still had the roots fully attached, poor guy. Luckily, he didn't feel that part. The tooth fairy came, and even spoiled him with a little extra cash, because of how tramatic it was to lose those teeth.

Love/Hate

Dear Family Blog,

I've recently discovered our love/hate relationship. I know how fun you are to have around, you've given me an easy way to document our life through pictures and words. While at the same time I am able to share and communicate with our loved ones and friends. What a great tool you are in doing this. At first, you were fun and exciting for me, I loved sharing what was going on in our lives, like what clever thing Xander said yesterday, or what cool parents we are to throw a super-sized Star Wars party for KC. But, what I mostly use you for now is to blog stalk my friends/family blogs. It's fun still, but somehow I feel guilty when reading others blogs when all the while they have nothing new to read on mine. And it's not that my life or my kid's lives have become so dull and boring that there is just nothing to share, it's just that I have no interest or motivation to share anything.

My husband reminded me yesterday that I need to update you, but I don't want to. Sorry. I'm just not feelin' it. And now I realize that I have guilt for not wanting to blog about our lives. I don't keep a journal, I should but I don't. For along time I felt bad for not doing that, but you came along and gave me reason to not feel guilt-ridden anymore because you became my "journal". I'm hoping this stage of our relationship won't last much longer. Hopefully we can get this resolved and start back at where we began.

Yours,

Jenn

P.S. My Facebook affair means nothing to me, really it doesn't. It's just a filler in my day, really it is. Promise.

Grandpa Washburn

Thanksgiving for our family was really good, I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was the same and you found a lot to be grateful for this year. We always love to be together with family and enjoy eachother. I like to reflect on the blessings in my life. I have a lot to be grateful for this year. I feel the Lord has watched over our little family and continues to. My biggest blessing in my life is my family.

My husband, who is my biggest fan. He gives me all the love and support that I need. This has become very evident to me this last year as I accepted a calling to serve as the adult Gospel Doctrine teacher in our ward. A calling that I never could imagine myself fulfilling, but Thomas has helped me see that this was something I can do and dare I say "enjoy" doing.

My children. These two boys make me so happy, I can't imagine my life without them. They help me laugh and not take life so seriously. They really are the greatest kids I know, and I really can't take the credit for that.

Our extended family. Our parents, who are so supportive to us. Both my parents and Tom's parents are great examples of what parents should be. We owe a lot to them. Our siblings. Our cousins, aunts and uncles. Our grandparents. Which leads me to the reason why I started this post. In September, I lost my first grandparent. Grandpa Washburn passed away on the first day of school. A milestone to send my first child to school, and also to witness my grandpa's passing from this life to the next. It was a bittersweet day.

My sister and I were asked to speak at the funeral. We are the only granddaughters of the family and we felt honored to share memories of our Grandpa. In preparation for our talk, we decided to meet with all the cousins and gather everyone's memories of Grandpa. It was a neat experience to reflect one those memories, and learn a few new things about Grandpa as well. What a great man he is. What great man to have raised such good children and grandchildren. I am grateful to him for his example and love he showed us.

Losing a grandparent has reminded me of the importance of family. What a blessing it is to have family. What a blessing it is to know of our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. To know that it doesn't end with this life. What a sad thing to think about. . . losing a loved one to death, and not knowing or believing that you will see them again. At this time, as I reflect on my blessings, I am most grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and of THIS plan. It truly is the plan of HAPPYness. I am grateful to be part of my eternal family. I miss Grandpa Washburn, I've thought a lot about him lately. But I know that I will see him again. What an awesome blessing. THE greatest blessing that our Heavenly Father has given us.


This picture was taken just weeks before Grandpa's passing. I will always treasure it. Right before this picture was taken, Grandpa was "chasing" my boys around the driveway in his chair. He was always a good for a laugh.

I've always loved this picture. It means even more to me now. That's me in the corner of the picture waiting for Grandpa to throw me the ball.