The Harrison Family

I'm back!

2010-10-10T18:24:00.003-04:00

I know you all must be in shock....please go ahead and pick up your jaws off the floor. I am back! After hearing my Aunt Chrissy talk about how she now watches my friend Olivia's kids grow up on her blog since I never post anything, I now feel the need to get back in the swing of blogging.

Since my last post, a lot has happened. Sadly enough, I wish I could post it all at once but that will never happen so I will give a brief update. I have taken a break from photographing for others except for a small handful of people that won't let me beat them away. I have done everything the professionals would warn against such as describing just how flawed of a photographer I am due to inexperience, lack of photography knowledge, outdated equipment, and last but not least suggested using other photographers. One family in particular just won't give up on me and that is the McDaniels....they gave me the honor and privilege of photographing their baby being brought into the world...in fact, they were my very last post! I recently took their daughter's 11 month photos and will take them next month for her 1st year photos. They say they will stay with me until I refuse to photograph them....the are way too devoted, I have tried to explain to them that they are really cheating themselves. Hopefully, with some much needed practice I will improve and do something professionally in the future, as long as I still love it.

Confession...I think that I jumped in too soon with the photography thing. I wanted a good camera to capture great shots of my kids. I need to stay focused on my reasons for starting with a Canon 10D and not get caught up in trying to keep up with other photographers. I follow a lot of other photographer's work and to be honest I started to feel really inadequate. I was reluctant to post any of my work, photographs of "clients" or even personal ones because I tend to suffer from "what will they think?". Well, I'm not really over that but I want to share with my friends and family the joy of seeing my family grow. As much as I love hearing my Aunt talk about my friend's post saying..."aww, did you see Oli-Lion?" I want to hear her go on about my cuties too! Yup, I'm that jealous and like to be the center of attention, no lies here!

What has been going on lately you might ask....well my kids are growing like weeds. Ben is 9, looks like a little man version of Kenny. The girls still love him as he is the charmer. Elijah is 4, and probably the funniest kid I know. He is full of life and loves to pester both his big and little brother. Ezra is 2 now.....weep! My little baby is so independent but still loves to cuddle. He is talking like crazy and I often need Elijah to interpret. He still sucks his fingers but we hope to break him of that before winter. Kenny and I celebrated ten years of marriage this past March...boy has that gone by fast. I took my boys on a 9 day trip up north to Minnesota and visited my friend Olivia and several of my family members...I will make sure to do a separate post on this, they had such a good time and we hope to do this at least every other year. My brother finally got married on Oct 2nd, I absolutely love my new sister!

What a boring post. Too much has happened to recall but I hope to stay more up to date with the blog so that I can share our life's adventures as they happen.

Birth Photography

2009-11-19T22:38:00.006-05:00

Here are just a few after baby was born (first three) then a few of her at one week! I hope to be able to showcase future births in the form of a slide show, but for now, I will be discreet in showing just a few!

8 lbs. 13 oz. 21" long!

I had the great pleasure and honor of being asked to photograph a birth for the first time on November 8th....AMAZING! I am truly amazed at how God designed our bodies and humbled that he allows us to be so intimately apart of His creation, what an honor! My new friend and client has had me photograph her a few times now and I LOVE being able to document this journey in her life! I met her through my sister-in-law....thank you Tricia! I first photographed this beautiful mama at her home during a private session to try my hand at some nearly nude pregnancy shots and I was very happy with them. Unfortunately, I had to use flash and I am learning the difference in flash versus natural light--most of my work is on location using natural (outdoor) light--but this was a great learning experience for me. My next session with her included her husband and we tried to focus on them as a couple along with capturing her pregnancy....we did this just 3 weeks before she had her baby! I explained to this couple that I was longing to get into birth photography but really didn't know what to expect or what I could guarantee and explained to them what I hoped to capture. I also explained that I knew how important this experience would be and that I would be completely willing to help them find a more experienced photographer to document the birth but they told me that they had a "good feeling" and trusted me! WOW! I was totally humbled and honored----yes I know I have used these words over and over, I am really at a loss for words to describe all of this! Sooooo, the day came....her water broke and 26 1/2 hours later...little miss Myah was born after 3 hours of pushing! Poor mama! It was INCREDIBLE!!!! As painful as this was for this mama, it inspired me to go through childbirth again.....good thing that Kenny had a vasectomy or I may have STRONGLY persuaded him into it! Hahaha...really, I have no regrets with our decision, it was just very empowering to witness childbirth! This all took place at the Nurse Midwives of Indianapolis--www.indianabirthcenters.com/indy01.html--I really liked it there! This has been just the start of a friendship and series of photo sessions with this family...I photographed newborn Myah this past weekend (indoors with Flash) and will be back for her one month photo! She is absolutely gorgeous, just like her beautiful mom and she is welcomed by Mom and Dad and her three big brothers and sister! Thank You for "M" Family for getting me hooked on my new addiction! God Bless you all!

an update, finally.......

2009-10-29T02:55:00.005-04:00

I have been slightly harassed by friends and family about neglecting my blog.....they want to see pictures and know what is going on in my life....so here goes (w/0 pictures, sorry).

I have been crazy busy being a wife, mother, and photographer! Yes, I did say "photographer"! I am jumping into this awesome world of photography with fear and excitement. I am excited because it really makes me feel alive and creative. I love capturing images of my children and freezing time in a photo. I love being with the people whom have given me the pleasure and honor of preserving memories for their families and being able to see the joy that that brings them, it melts my heart. I am so appreciative of my mentors (friends, family, photographer friends and all the wonderful artists who share their photographic view with the world). I love this learning process, and there is definitely a ton more I need to learn! It is amazing to me how much I truly miss the simplicity in my role as just wife and mother....for all the years that I have complained about it, shame on me! Fortunately, God has gifted me with such a wonderful, yes....most definitely wonderful husband who doesn't require me to work or not work (and to think of all these years that I have fought him on this matter, it humbles me), but instead has encouraged me to simply excel at what ever I choose to do. Now, as I juggle duty, honor and pleasure, I am trying to find the beauty in everyday activities sprinkled with photo sessions for work and for play--last week was quite drenched with work! I do have to admit that my fear comes from not wanting to come off as some kind of fraud or poser in the photography world so it has been very difficult to bring myself to share much of my "work" by posting the photos. I definitely know that there is a huge difference in photographers experience in skill levels and I openly admit that I am still very new at this. What once was to be only a hobby has blossomed into what I hope to be a lifelong journey, not a career, but rather a constantly pursued passion with consistent improvement and the ability to be apart of peoples lives, memories, futures, hearts...and inspiration! I don't know where this will all lead but I am here for the ride.

The boys have been growing up like weeds! Benjamin is becoming such a handsome young man...I don't recognize my little baby boy anymore. He can be such a gentleman it's no wonder the girls are so into him. He recently had a girl at school (his BFF) tell him that he had to stop being friends with another boy that she didn't like anymore, so he did what she asked and the next day undid it at the demands of Kenny and I! He makes me nervous but I believe God knew what he was doing by blessing me with a child so into girls so I am trusting Him that I will handle things in the best possible way. I miss the days of spending time with Ben as my little buddy, these days it is hard to remember to do just that with him. When we get those moments of alone time, that rush of emotion comes flooding in when he was little and so squeezable, now when I hug him I feel like time is slipping away because he feels so grown up. Elijah is my crazy little man, constantly full of energy, not stopping for a moment unless you have a book ready to read to him. He absolutely drives me nutty when he gets into bed with us EVERY night and hogs the bed, kicking off the covers and rubbing our skin raw! He has some kind of skin fetish, he literally will blindly reach over and under covers and anything else that gets in his way to find skin to rub. This may initially come off as a cute trait but I becomes annoying really fast when all you want to do is sleep and he is busy rubbing and kicking! Most days I try to be okay with it (mostly since I sleep like a rock) because I know that I will long for him to be little and snuggled up in bed with me! He is such a ham, today we were in Goodwill and Michael Jackson's Thriller came over the speakers and Ben started to dance and act like a zombie so Elijah put on his best zombie act and passersby giggled throughout the store! Yes, they are my children! And yes, for the record, I have taught them how to act like dinosaurs! Every day Elijah runs up to me after breakfast saying, "I behabe mommy, can I hab a bar (granola bar)" and if i say no not yet, he stares at me with those beautiful dark brown eyes and says "tum on mom, pease!" I love the way he talks, I almost hate to correct his speech but we do! I really don't know that I could manage as well without Ben's accurate interpretation for Elijah, we really have some frustrating moments when Ben is at school and I just can't understand him....sometimes when we figure out the word I will teach it to him in sign so if speech fails then we can understand what he is trying to communicate. He still signs "please" as he says it, but it is the only one unless he is trying to impress me or teach Ezra, who flat out refuses to use it! Ezra is walking now, not full-time but without encouragement and that is completely fine by me....the other two walked so early that it is nice to have a normal 14 month old! He scoots in such a fashion that we get lots of conversation out of it, it is kind of a cross between a chimpanzee's scoot and Igor's(from Frankenstein) shuffle...so it can be either funny or creepy! He loves to climb up into his highchair and up onto Elijah's toddler bed and even up Ben's slide in his bedroom. He is extremely fearless and adventurous, obviously fitting in with the other two! He is our biggest cuddler...LOVES to be held. ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, he has his first two fingers in his mouth! We get a lot of opinions on that topic and personal stories shared and quite honestly, we don't really care one way or another right now, it's his thing and I'm okay with that, if you've ever had a colicky baby then you know what I mean! He jabbers like a mad man and it instantly melts my heart. His favorite thing to say right now is "no no" and "stop" and then he shakes his head, when does this stop being so cute?! I love my babies, God has blessed me with 3 wonderful, beautiful, talented, fun, challenging boys and I am a much better person because of it.

Please stay tuned as I gear up to share our lives through words and photos yet again. I hope to share glimpses of my photo sessions also, as I have the time! Thank you all for reading my entries and being patient with me, Much Love.
Nichole~

practice, practice, practice......

2009-08-31T22:34:00.004-04:00

When i told Elijah what we were going to go do he got ready and waited for me by the van, "lipper" and "plip-pop" and backpack secured! and these silly faces are all him, I never ask for him to do that...........he is so much fun!

he absolutely loves this hat, I must confess that I had to first sway him though.....when he refused to wear it months ago, I said, "that's fine, Ezra can wear his and be cool, you don't have to look cool!" he snatched it off of the floor where he originally thrown it to and said, "no, I'm cool!" now he wears it when ever he comes across it, I won!

showing off the muscles!

My little poser.....such a goof

this was closest to what I was trying to accomplish....just with a crisper image, oh well, I'm still happy with them.

my attempt to get sun flare......not quite there yet!

his bad little habit..........I'm having a really hard time breaking him of it!

maybe it's time to call it quits......too sunny

Ha, just realized that these were all vertical shots!

The clouds were GORGEOUS this particular day (8-20-09) and I was completely inspired by them.....so I decided to take my test subject (Elijah) out to the local playground and try to capture something brilliant. Well, mission failed, but it wasn't a complete failure as I thought they turned out well enough (I wish I could have had Elijah's face crystal clear in every shot)...Lij was a great sport until the sun peeked out of the clouds and blinded him but he was rewarded with a sucker for his good behavior. I know in time I will get better, it's just going to take lots of practice and not all will be wasted time especially since I will get many wonderful photographs of my kiddos....something I regret not investing in from the beginning of motherhood!

pow wow exhibition

2009-08-23T15:33:00.009-04:00

Sneak up...

Men's Fancy Dance...

Women's Fancy Shawl Dance...

Women's Traditional Dance.....

Grass Dance.....this little boy in the yellow was awesome and so cute!!!

Women's Jingle Dress Dance....

This video is the Women's Fancy Shawl Dancer's performing the Crow Hop, my all time favorite dance.

While I was visiting Olivia, in Minnesota, we went shopping at IKEA and then the Mall of America. Much to my surprise and delight we happened upon a Pow Wow Exhibition courtesy of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community......my heart melted as the drummers began and the Grand Entry took place. So many memories flooded back to me bringing me to tears a few times. Those years that I participated in powwows brought me SO much joy....I felt the closest to God back then. When I danced I remember dancing for His Glory....it was sort of a love affair with the true lover of my soul (I know this must sound so corny or even crazy but THIS was the way it was, and I MISS it). My dad introduced me to pow wows and he told me to simply go out there and dance for God, "keep your mind on Him, dance for Him, Nichole and He will be pleased as you bring Him glory and honor"....I took that to heart and I was a natural at the Fancy Shawl Dance style. When I got big-headed and tried to show off, I would be thrown off beat or miss the stop or feel Lost even but I would always be reminded to dance for Him and then all would be as it should! Why did I give up? There are so many answers to that question but I was reminded of how close and organic my relationship WAS with God when I danced. Again I was reminded of my closeness with my Lord during those powwow years when at church this morning a girl spoke of her missionary work in Kenya this summer. She explained how the Kenyans helped her to become comfortable with public worship through song and dance as they would just turn on music, singing and dancing with pure joy (in spite of there desolation) at any given opportunity or location...........I want THAT joy in my life again.

Olivia was so sweet to pull out her point and shoot and capture these images and a few videos for me. Her boys, Owen and Aidan were with us the whole time and were so well behaved (I was amazed) and seemed to soak up the Native American culture....I want that for my boys. I think I will go to the Tipton pow wow this year and share that little piece of my past with them.

and he's off.....

2009-07-23T07:44:00.004-04:00

Yay! Elijah can ride his bike w/o training wheels......this began about two weeks ago. Elijah had taken a couple of trips to the bike shop with our new vintage bikes (future blog---got lots to catch up on) to get tune ups and he spotted a bike he wants...a little red Giant. Kenny told him he can't have a new one since he still rides with training wheels....being the competitive, I"ll show you type, he asked to remove the training wheels....sigh! He reminds me so much of Ben--everything (except Lij is WAY more busy), Ben rode w/o trainers at 2 years+4 months and now Elijah at 2 years+11 months. I'm so proud of him yet he worries me that he may be growing up way too fast especially having a much older brother to follow and Elijah has proven over and over to have the second child syndrome----that of a shadow! It took him two days to master stopping by using his break and easily dismounting--most of the time, now if we can only get him to take off by himself........

Father's Day walk '09

2009-07-23T06:37:00.009-04:00

Elijah likes to wear Ben's wrist bands that he got from a Harlem Globetrotters Basket Ball game (notice in another photo that Ben is wearing the match).

Ben--my strong guy Elijah--my wild child

see how Elijah is looking at Ben in order to choose his next move--Ben's little shadow!

"hode me, Papa"

Every year for the past 4, me and my dad take a *Father's Day* walk....this sprang from my fond memories of the times he would take us to the state parks in Ohio. Back then, he would take all of us kids (and sometimes Dolores's 5 children, when they lived with us) to Clifton Gorge, John Bryan or Glen Helen State Parks in Yellow Springs, Ohio--just outside of Dayton--and we would go on long walks. As the little kids would run and play through the woods, I would hang back and walk and talk with my dad....those times were very dear to me. So, as an annual Father's day gift, we pick a state park each year and that's were we steel time together. The first two were spent trekking back over to Yellow Springs, Ohio and the last two have been spent in Indiana--Clifty Falls in Madison and McCormick's Creek in Spencer. We had a great time, the boys always do so well out on the trail, running and being loud as boys do and discovering the natural wonders of God's creation. Our walk was cut just a little short with the threats of thunderstorms so the second half of our walk was a little hustled since I had my camera and feared it getting soaked. Ezra slept in the sleepy wrap half the time and towards the end Elijah wanted to be held. Ben was a bit upset that we had to cut out the other trail we planned to hike but quickly cheered up with the mention of stopping at the DQ for the rest of our annual event.

All in all, another wonderful memory to add to the rest....now if only I can become a better photographer to capture these moments better!

for the Lub of Coppee

2009-07-22T10:01:00.005-04:00

I had to put a couple of these pics in of Lij wearing his rubber boots and Ben's old baseball helmet...he can be so random, I love it! SOOOO CUTE!

Lij steeling a swig of my coffee, I couldn't resist capturing it.....and I wonder why he doesn't take me seriously when I tell him NO!

oops...I didn't post those in the right order, oh well.

Elijah LOVES coffee....well my coffee, not Kenny's he informed me today. I drink mine with flavor and cream and Kenny considers himself a *purist* by drinking straight espresso (his drink of choice is a Venti Americano over ice, no water--that's six shots of espresso, yuck!). We budget in Starbucks for Kenny every week and on Sundays, on our way to church ,we stop in and I get some too. Lately I have been ordering iced coffee with half and half with toffee nut and carmel--yummy! I HATE the price of Starbucks so I recreate my own at home....I switch back between English Toffee Frappiccino and Iced Coffee with flavored cream over coffee ice cubes. I really should break down the price so I can see how much I'm saving. I have been obsessed with saving jars from spaghetti sauce (and such) and reusing them, these have now become my favorite drinking glasses. So, most days I will make myself some iced coffee and Elijah will express to me, "I lub your coppee, mommy.....I want coppee por eber". He pronounces his f's as p's and v's as b's and I joke that he is almost bilingual!

Everly Jayce

2009-07-19T00:42:00.005-04:00

Doesn't she have the cutest baby bump.....9 months....so cute!

this was taken the monday before she delivered her 5th child....beautiful girls, huh! she can almost make ya sick!

I took these photos of Everly when she was 5 days old

My newest niece was born almost a month ago(June 25th)....she makes #14 (nieces and nephews) with two more on the way--my sis-in-law due in november and my sis Christine due in 12 days. Needless to say we have a crazy large family and my brother hasn't even started a family and one of Kenny's brothers hasn't had children yet so it's only getting larger each year!

Sadly enough, i have only seen Everly twice and when I saw her the second time, I took my camera and didn't fully capture her precious size or stunning beauty. Soon, I hope to trek over to Natalja's and photograph all the girls together.

rekindled love.....

2009-07-18T00:56:00.003-04:00

I find myself addicted to listening to audio books once again....I use to do this a lot when I was single. I listened to Frank Peretti fiction books based on spiritaul warfare, books that became films like The Princess Bride, a few of the Left Behind books and now I am doing it again. I recently went to the library and decided to sign up for the book club realizing this included the audio books.....ah, I missed listening to them! So I looked up one of my favorite authors but none were in by Judy Blume so I searched for my new favorite book that I read a few months ago, The Shack by William P. Young....nope, sigh. determined to not give up, i decided to look for a book that i have read twice before, Deadline by Randy Alcorn---I love his books, I have read two-Deadline and the sequel, Dominion. Yay! I found a new one that he wrote....oh wait, jackpot, it's a third one in the series....I couldn't wait to see what was new with Jake, Carly, Clarence and Ollie..... :) What was even more exciting was that Benjamin got really involved in listening so much that we found ourselves waiting in the driveway listening till the end of a chapter a few times. Good book, good series. I'm currently listening to Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks in the van and Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult in the house. Ben is listening to the Chronicles of Narnia in his bedroom. I must force myself to stop listening now as it is 1:12 am and I will be getting up with Kenny at 6am, UGH!

My 3 Sons....

2009-06-30T09:24:00.014-04:00

A hodgepodge of photos of the boys from May till now~

So much has gone on and more happens everyday, I'm so behind......so here is an update:

Benjamin [Michael Lee]~

age: 8 years old (5/11/01)

height: 4'5"

weight: 90 lbs.

favorite foods: pizza, watermelon, tacos, cheeseburgers and fries, pancakes, lasagna,
salad with croutons, bacon bits and ranch, sausage, cookies, Popsicles, sweet baby rays BBQ sauce, ketchup, choco milk, browies,rootbeer floats, blended creme frappuccinos from starbucks

favorite books: Magic Tree House book series and Cam Jansen series, listening to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

favorite activities: riding bikes, skateboarding, playing with the neighbor boys, swimming,
soccer, playing corn hole, playing the Wii (at friends houses)

most recent accomplishment: Popping wheelies...he can just about ride a wheely now!

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Elijah [James Cole]~
age: 2 years old (almost 3-8/2/06)

height: 32"

weight: 31 lbs.

favorite foods: broccoli with ranch, watermelon, pancakes, salads with ranch, peanut butter, oatmeal with cinnamon and honey, eggs, chips (any kind) chocolate, choco milk, coffee with flavored cream (he calls it coppee) ice cream, brownies, cookies

favorite book: anything that i will read to him....LOVES Dora and Diego

favorite activities: anything that Ben is into (he is his shadow), playing in the dirt, collecting frogs(toads, really), making Ezra laugh, pestering Ben, making me angry--haha, riding bikes, skateboarding, playing with neighbor kids, playing with water whether it's with the hose, water table or my garden pond, helping me with any chore like making my bed or doing the dishes (he's very sweet).

most recent accomplishment: he now rides his bike without training wheels--he can even stop using his brakes without falling, most of the time....now we are trying to teach him how to start on his own.

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Ezra [Kye Yates]~

age: 10 months (8/27/08)

height:28"

weight: 16.5 lbs last time we checked at his 9 month appt.

favorite foods: bananas and sweet potatoes are at the top of the list but he eats lots of food (that is for a future blog)

favorite activities: crawling, eating anything he can get his hands on--especially paper, playing with his brothers toys, walking along furniture, cuddling and sucking on his fingers

words he says: mama (1st), baba ??? the boys think he is saying brother, bye bye (he also waves this) and now dada (finally he started saying this two days ago...I'm soooo glad)

words he signs: milk, all done, and he is trying to sign more (currently he kinda claps it as he says what sounds like more)

most recent accomplishments: standing by himself

Hilltop Christian Camp

2009-06-09T22:57:00.002-04:00

Ben went to camp this year at Hilltop Christian Camp in Brown County. He attended their Day camps the last two years where they ease you into the camp experience for just the day. This year was his first time staying overnight (2 nights, 3 days). He had such a great time and his leader/counselor absolutely loved him. When I showed up to take him home she asked if she could keep him, of course he shook his head "yes". When asked if he was any trouble she said he was an awesome kid and that he sweet enough to give back rubs!!! What a charmer he is....in fact so much so that he ended up in a group with eight girls and they called there group "Ben and the Ladies".....the saga never ends! When asked why he was in a group with all girls he exclaimed that they picked him! Naturally, it has always been this way! In preschool (at age 4) he was in a bilingual class and all of the "white" girls (5 of them) in his class waited for him to arrive to school and then when he got there they ran off together to the playground....one the moms told me that her little girl kept writing him name in her notebook at home! Yikes! Last year, two weeks before school was out, he told me that he had a girlfriend, double yikes! This year, he is torn between two girls, Kristen and Arin. He spends his entire recess time with these girls pushing them on the swings or walking the track together! One day he came home from school and begged to be home schooled, when asked why he burst out with "Kristen Nelson keeps ignoring me!" Then a few weeks ago he told me that Arin broke his heart.....aww, that breaks my heart...then it makes me bust out in laughter....are you kidding me, I sure hope he holds onto some of this sensitivity! Back to Camp....so the theme was Jesus 24/7 and he learned a lot about the fact that he can communicate with God anytime and anywhere and also about the missions in Haiti and Honduras that Hilltop supports. He is eager to go back to camp...I'm so glad he had such a nice time.

Ben taking a pic of his dorm that he stayed in for two nights

When Elijah was told to give Ben a hug and kiss goodbye he began to cry

how sweet, he loves Ben soooo much!

Ezra- 8 months old

2009-05-19T14:12:00.005-04:00

He crawls around like mad now and is really anxious to walk. When he was done eating grass and leaves, he crawled over to the swing and pulled himself up and chewed on the bar...great photo op!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this photo of Ezra. It may not be spectacular in the photography world but it is in my world! This is straight out of the camera, no editing involved and I am so pleased that I was able to capture his eyes in all their glory. Now if only I could remember just how I achieved this shot!

I enjoy taking Ezra's photos, he is absolutely adorable! His hair is soooo blonde and it is at that stage where it stands up most of the time and now it's getting a little too long, I will probably start snipping away soon!

Van update...

2009-05-19T14:00:00.002-04:00

The van has been declared a total loss by the insurance company so they sent us a check. We received $200 more than what we paid for it so in a sense we have been able to test drive this one for almost a year, needless to say I really like the Pontiac Montana. Now the search is on for another used "people mover"....I never thought that I would say this but I LOVE my minivan! It has been so comfy, gets awesome gas mileage for it's size 22-23 mpg (way more than my old grand prix) drives like a car, seats all of us +more, and mechanically is was well worth what we paid (in my opinion). So now it's back to the dreaded used vehicle search with is so hard for me since I am soooo indecisive. For now, we plan to drive this van (it's definitely dented and we can't use the passenger sliding door but we are able to now use the passenger front door, thanks to Kenny) until we find a really good deal. Thank you for all your prayers, we would definitely appreciate more as we keep looking.

Accidents Happen...

2009-04-23T00:04:00.003-04:00

A week ago today, Kenny and Benjamin (oh, and Lucy, our female pit bull) were in car accident! Kenny was taking Ben to soccer practice and decided to take one of the dogs with them and while he was on their way to the soccer field, the coaches daughter called to say that practice was canceled so I immediately called Kenny to tell him the news. They decided to come home a different way than usual and drive past the fire station that Kenny had wired and as they were going past IUPUC, a GMC Envoy pulled out of the college parking lot....Kenny tried to swerve out of the way but the young girl managed to plow into them and continue to drive the entire length of the van, front fender to rear fender. No one was hurt in either vehicle, thank God, in fact, Ben asked Kenny what they hit!!! Ben was actually sitting on the passenger's side in the middle....so so thankful he didn't get hurt! The other driver's front bumper was nearly torn off!
So now we are dealing with her insurance company and the body shop to HOPEFULLY repair the damages. The body shop said that it doesn't look too good since the parts aren't cheap and he refuses to do a crappy job (wow---there really are people with high standards in the biz!) so now that we have had a full damage inspection, we are just waiting for the insurance company to let us know if they are willing to repair it or total it out! We are hoping they will fix it...I really have to say that I have grown to love driving our mini van, yikes...never thought I would say that! I has been really reliable and it was extremely hard for me to make the decision to buy it and even after I agreed, I considered backing out on the guy....UGH, I really don't want to be in that kind of position with the added pressure of being desperate searching for a family vehicle since we only have the old ford truck. I'm trying to trust that God will provide us with what is best for us, it's just so hard for me to discern which direction He is leading me in!

this is the rear passenger side tire rim....can you believe the chunks that she took out!

Kenny taped around the doors since they were gaping open and we wanted to prevent rain from causing further damage!

the van is drivable but neither of the passenger side doors work so we all have to crawl in from the drivers side....thank God for the other sliding door!

mamamama......

2009-04-09T22:54:00.004-04:00

Yay! Ezra said "mama" today and I really think that he was truly directing it to me! I could actually hear angels sing *Hallelujah* in the heavens.....okay, it was really me singing in my head! HA. Finally, one of by boys said mama first (instead of dada), I guess the third one IS the charm!
Yikes! Look what I found during nap time a week ago monday! Ugh...I'm so not ready for this!
He insists on keeping up with his brothers! I guess I am going to loose this battle of having these Harrison boys go at a regular development pace, they must be little freaks of nature! I think I will freak if Ezra starts to walk at 9 months like the other two (ok, they took their first steps in their 9th month but really walked well at 10 months). He may be small but he is definitely mighty at heart! What a joy.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-27T12:53:00.006-04:00

I am so excited to see that so many of my plants are coming up...spring is definitely here and we have had such glorious weather the past couple of weeks...I really hope it is here to stay (we do have one day coming up with threats of snow flurries but it's just one day!) My flower beds are a terrible mess since I neglected them last year and the dogs did a number on the full-sun bed in the back yard....and now the front beds are going to get torn up with Kenny's plans of adding a front porch soon. I guess I will praise them now since I'm sure I will be cursing them while rearranging it all later. LOL!
A friend had loaned me some filters to use on my camera so I thought I would try my hand at them....I'm not sure what I am doing with my camera most of the time so playing around with filters was almost pointless but I had fun anyway. I did see some differences but I didn't record which were taken with which filter...next time!

I love all Daffodils but I especially love these Tete Tete

my beloved vinca minor ground cover....it covers a multitude of garden sins!

the fairy garden keeper....Kenny doesn't really like it but it is cute my only garden sculpture

one of my favorites...Bleeding Heart, the white one is a little behind and my Ruffled Bleeding heart didn't make it :(

yay! My tulips are going to make it...I planted them last year from a pre-blooming plants!

my Common Lilac bush given as a gift from my neighbor...Grandma Hazel(nut)

this was here when we moved in and I have never look it up, some kind of hyacinth?

this little bubble bee made his way into the picture...total accident but it makes me smile :)

so then I tried to capture him....see him on the periwinkle bloom?

again, trying to be a photographer....I had a much better accident shot of him! hahaha

Boy + Whites = WHY TRY!

2009-03-27T12:21:00.003-04:00

I really don't know why I even bother buying any clothing for my kids that have even a speck of white in them....they ALWAYS get them stained....UGH! Why are boys soooo cute in white anyway? This picture doesn't even do justice to the amount of stains....the pink was from a peppermint Elijah got at the bank and then he got peanut butter all over the sleeves (still learning that sleeves are NOT napkins!) which are completely white, like a thermal shirt. Oh well, I'm sure I will still buy white....glutton for buckets of stain remover!

6 Months+27 Days....

2009-03-26T23:06:00.004-04:00

I'm terrible about taking milestone photos of my kids...and I totally missed Ezra's 6 month mark! So I decided that it's never too late (27 to be exact) to get him at this milestone! haha. He is just so darn cute I want to chew him up...I love, love, LOVE having him in my life! These are my favorites:

I like that you can see all SIX of his chompers in this big-smiled photo...and boy does he know how to use them, ouch!

He didn't freak out when he got on the grass, in fact, he was fascinated and he kept trying to pull it out and smack at it!

I thought it would be nice him to focus on something and hopefully capture some sweet shots....

......he didn't really care for the taste!

then he crawled around like this for the next 20 shots...hahahahahahah! ADORABLE!

a few years back...

2009-03-11T23:53:00.006-04:00

Awww, I was looking thru some old pictures and came across these...they were taken with my old point and shoot the day I left to go to Poland (July 2005). Look how cute Benjamin was. This is how Kenny likes my hair best...maybe I will do it again. I will try to post some pictures from my Poland Mission trip.....between my friend and myself we took over 800 pictures and Abbi convinced me to reduce them to 500+. She assured me that I didn't need 25 pictures of the clouds, mountain ranges, and ocean from the plane, haha...she's right, I'm just a dork and haven't flown much! Maybe I will make a slide show of those pics since there are so many and now I can't remember all the details of each picture...

First foods

2009-03-11T23:15:00.002-04:00

The next 3 were taken a few days ago...squash. Notice the smear next to his eye...he is determined to feed himself, still a little uncoordinated. Then I set the food down to wipe him down and he decided he wasn't done and wanted more with or w/o my help....he can actually get out of that Bumbo. I'm not sure if it is because of his freak of nature strength or the fact that he is too skinny for the seat (I think these seats must work best with pudgy babies by wedging them in there..ha!).

I tried so hard to hold Ezra off from eating solids until he was 6 months for (various reasons) but gave in 3 days before the 6 month mark. He has been extremely interested in anything I bring to my mouth. I had been allowing him to drink from my cup and he was doing quiet well with it and then one day he got a hold of my sandwich and it was kind of a fight to get it away from him, he was like a little starved animal! I was determined with this child to get him interested in veggies early since I have had a difficult time, up until recently, with Elijah to eat healthy foods. Benjamin was and always has been a great eater, he will try and/or eat anything I put in front of him so I thought that this would hold true for any child I had...Elijah proved me wrong!

Ezra's first food was organic pureed carrots (I have a stock pile in the freezer for my Deceptively Delicious recipes) and he seems to like them well enough. Next we tried sweet potatoes...yay, he likes them--they are my fav! Then I tried avocado.....not good....he HATES! So onto pears...no luck there either. I tried to give him rice cereal mixed a couple different way...with water-NO, with formula-NO, with formula and pears-NO, with squash-uhh, NO! He was acting hungry after all that experimenting so I gave up and tried squash by itself, YES! So I have my veggie eater, at least the orange variety!

More Teeth

2009-03-11T00:41:00.004-04:00

Tooth #5 popped through today! I took this picture the day before it made it's debut! Every time I see him smile like this I think of a cute little cartoon vampire, LOL. These two teeth cut through on May 27th (6mo.), the other top tooth is well on it's way to join the others and I am beginning to see the bottom side teeth bubble up. It must be in the genes...the other two got their teeth early and fast!

Special Quilts

2009-03-10T23:55:00.005-04:00

My Grandmother is the best Quilter...she puts so much thought into the person she is making her quilts for. She has given each of my boys a quilt shortly after they were born and each is unique and so special to me, I hope they feel the same as they get older.

Benjamin's has been used by all three, it has that extra soft, broken in feeling. I really need to stop using it and put it away to protect it...I used it for Ezra recently by laying it down for him to have some belly time at bible study and he got a hold of a "empty" chocolate milk container that ended up leaking on the blanket. Thankfully, I was able to remove the stain with some oxy clean!

Grandma actually hand-quilted this one, I love that. The colors are classic too....so sweet!

I also love this personal label she adds to each one.

Elijah's quilt is a cute, simple yet playful choo choo train quilt. For the longest time he refused to sleep with anything other than this quilt and a handmade stuffed kitty from the neighbor that we call Grandma Hazel...I will have to share that story with a picture another time!

She made this one special by hand appliqueing the train border.....LOVE it!

Ezra's quilt is similar to Ben's in that it is a sailboat design but it has SUPER CUTE detailing with the quilting...can you see the whales and waves? OH MY GOODNESS...I LOVE LOVE LOVE it......I Love my Grandmother's attention to detail, she's the best!

New/Old Chair!

2009-03-03T23:45:00.002-05:00

I am so excited over my new find! I went to the Good Used Furniture store today in search of a headboard but instead I came across this awesome chair! The upholstery is in pretty good condition--it needs to be cleaned--it's a little dingy in spots and the color is faded just a little but otherwise in perfect condition. I'm excited to use it in my bedroom (the wood detail matches my dresser and night stand) and maybe even as a photo prop! YAY!

Thanks Whitney!

2009-02-26T23:06:00.003-05:00

My friend Whitney took some pics of Ezra when he was 2 weeks old and he wasn't very cooperative but she was able to get some sweet shots for me. He has changed so much yet he has also stayed so small. (above--some candid shots of Elijah playing with my camera as Whitney was photographing Ezra....then he ran off to the bathroom and later came out with mascara combed through his hair, typical Elijah behavior!)

We were at a baby shower a little over a week ago where Whitney was taking pictures and she stole away a few moments with Ezra! LOVE the eyes!

p.s. I took him to the pediatrician for his 6 month well check-up and he only weighs 13.2 lbs. He only gained 2 oz in two months.........so I am increasing his supplement (formula) and going back to check his weight gain in a week! The doc was very impressed with his mobility and overall development and was amazed with his incredible strength. He isn't overly concerned about his lack of weight gain due to his overall development but wants to make sure his metabolism is just really high as opposed to not receiving enough nutrients from my breast milk and the occasional bottle of formula....stressful. I refuse to give up easily with the breastfeeding, I know it's what is ultimately best for him but I also don't want to deprive him, and I keep telling myself that this first year is a small sacrifice on my part to put my best effort into this battle. As for now, I am completely at peace knowing that we will be continuing to supplement daily and breastfeeding as much as possible daily giving him and me the best of both worlds. On a lighter note, we started solids this past Saturday, stay tuned for pictures!

Check out Whitney's photography website at:

www.eminencephoto.com

If you live in the Columbus area, consider her for your pics, she rocks!

silly...ugly face!

2009-02-21T00:51:00.004-05:00

So I guess I must be comfortable in my own skin enough to put these out there! I was trying to take my own picture to post on my facebook profile but I wasn't getting anything I liked so I decided to do something silly yet ugly. It made me laugh. It also reminded me of the movie Mac and Me! LOL

More Please!

2009-02-21T00:40:00.004-05:00

This boy was a severely picky eater until recently! It all started with broccoli a couple of months ago....Kenny told him, "Don't you eat that, it's mine." Then he acted like he was going to eat it before Kenny could...little mister competitive, he comes by that honestly! In the process he caused Kenny to also eat broccoli, when Elijah would loose interest then Kenny would actually chomp it out of my hand first which spurred Elijah back into action! Ha, now he will go into the fridge and get it out along with the ranch dressing which is a must! We had some cauliflower yesterday and he was excited and even asked for more! This is a huge accomplishment since he usually causes himself to vomit whenever he ate cooked veggies (even when they are in stews or other meals) and this is so much better to eat them raw! He doesn't like carrots though...weird!

Creeping Baby on the Loose

2009-02-21T00:29:00.003-05:00

Ezra has been getting up on his knees for a few weeks now but he finally crept forward today! He rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back and can sit up for a [very]short period of time....so it won't be long before there is a BABY ON THE LOOSE! Ezra is behind the other boys in this development. Ben sat alone and crept at 3 1/2 months and fully crawled at 5 months and Elijah sat and crawled (backwards, mostly) at 5 months. It's kind of nice to have one develop at a slower speed, maybe he won't walk at 9-10 months like the other two!

Flintstone Feet

2009-02-21T00:24:00.002-05:00

I'm so embarrased of my feet sometimes. They're dry, wide, stubby toed and my toenails are short and wide. They only look cute on little boys! (Elijah and Ezra have my feet) Yabba Dabba Do!

Expressive Little Man

2009-02-17T11:39:00.007-05:00

So I decided to have a little photo session with my super expressive little man. I bought this awesome, over sized wicker bowl that I got at target for dirt cheap and when I saw it, I immediately thought of it as a photo prop for infants--there I go, thinking like a photographer, one day maybe! I tried using this cute bucket but he really didn't like being in it--see pic #2.

He is soooo skinny, I was almost nervous to post these nearly nudes of him for fear that people would accuse me of malnourishment abuse! I jokingly prayed while pregnant that God would grace me with a lethargic baby with a high metabolism and now I'm beginning to wonder if God took me seriously!

When I look at this picture I see a little turtle stretching his head out of his shell. Ha--I love it!

This is my favorite, I love the spittle on his lip!

Happy 30th Kenny

2009-02-16T23:30:00.006-05:00

Today was Kenny's 30th birthday. We didn't have a party or anything extravagant at Kenny's request but I couldn't resist getting him black balloons and a banner since he has poked fun at my age for nearly two years!

He let Ben release the balloons into the night sky and I teased Kenny to just let go of the negative energy that was surrounding him with turning 30.....haha. Oh well, it's just another birthday! Why can't it be fun like when we were little kids??? It is inevitable that we will age, my wish is that we will just enjoy the journey. Happy Birthday hon...I love you "Old Man"....love your even older lady!

Monster Jam

2009-02-14T00:43:00.009-05:00

Benjamin has become a HUGE fan of Monster Jam....this all began when he was just 20 months old. Yeah, we were just a little crazy to think that a one year old would wear the ear phones because of the noise....it didn't bother him a bit, we ended up leaving a little early because he refused to wear them towards the end. After the first Monster Jam show we started to buy him the hot wheels monster trucks which became an obsession for Kenny's dad, he bought him a new one each time he went to the store and would call all the time to check on which ones he had and which ones he needed for his collection! Monster trucks were Ben's "security" item, he constantly had several in his bed and usually one in each pocket and always took them in the car! He would play with them by lining them up like a train (funny, Elijah does that now!) and still, he enjoys playing with them. Well, we decided that this year we would treat him to the big show knowing that he would finally truly enjoy the whole experience! Kenny's Dad and brother Steven joined them and Ben was super excited to be able to see a show in person rather than recorded shows....he thought that because he was going to see a live show that he would be able to later see himself on TV when they show this..LOL, I was sorry to disappoint him!

Getting the autograph of the driver of his favorite truck--Grave Digger.

I'm looking forward to the day that I get better flash equipment for indoor lighting!

Ben is at that stage where he makes this same awkward, fake smile...sometimes it even looks like he just got bit by a bug or is scared or something...it drives me crazy....well, that's not a long drive for sure, ha!

this picture makes me laugh cuz it looks fake, like I staged one of Ben's trucks in the back yard in a pile of dirt!

Ezra--5 Months

2009-02-09T12:39:00.004-05:00

Ezra is just so darn cute! I love his gorgeous blue eyes and his toothy big grin that just lights up his entire face (all of the boys have this smile feature that they are blessed with from they're daddy). This Bear suit is a hand-me-down from Elijah and it was the best $15 spent...can believe I was unsure if I should spend that much money on such a thing! What a dork, I can be so cheap sometimes!

I tried to capture how Ezra smiles for Kenny, it is almost instantaneous if Kenny looks at him! Don't let those cute teeth fool you either, he can be vicious with them!

yay!

Kenny is growing his hair out! But not for long I imagine, he hates it!

More Snow

2009-02-03T22:41:00.004-05:00

More snow....another 2 hour delay for school tomorrow.....oh well, it will be another easy going morning, no rushing around so early. This morning, Elijah brought me Ben's hair stuff (Got to be glued) and said, "look like Ben?" I told him that maybe we will do it later but obviously that wasn't good enough for him so he "prettied" himself up, when Kenny saw him he asked if he was trying to be Wolverine from X-men, hahaha! I left it like that all day, now granted we didn't go anywhere important...

CHEEEEEEZZZZ.............how funny is this, doesn't he look like he belongs in a Dr. Seuss book?

This is a common look that I get from Ben these days....poor thing, I think he has my attitude!

WOW, an actual smile, and what a sweet one it is! I can't decide if I really want to let him grow his hair out. Kenny wants it cut short (very short) and I kinda want it shorter so I can continue to style it but he wants it grown out, skater-like. He enjoys fling it to the side......we will see and so will you all. ha

Drama Boy

2009-01-30T23:51:00.005-05:00

Elijah is just so darn cute....but I will tell ya, looks can be very deceiving sometimes, he is quite the spitfire! I don't really know what I am missing out on not having a daughter because I have all the drama that I can handle with my boys....seriously, they must get it all from me! ha. I was just getting ready to put my camera away when I turned around to see this little misfit! This is classic Elijah! He loves dress up and apparently isn't afraid to mix things up a bit. Usually he has on this super classy hat from my grandpa along with a backpack, a duffel bag over the arm, and Ben's watch (sometimes Ben's Harlem Globetrotter wristbands) and usually some one's shoes, other than his! What a character.

Snow Storm Wrap Up

2009-01-30T21:42:00.006-05:00

Snow, snow, snow....and more snow, which also meant no school! I really wish I was one of those moms that enjoyed all the extra time with my kid due to school being canceled, but I just realized I am not...which maybe makes me a jerk of a mother but I truly need that little bit of a break during the day. One day is awesome...even two I can handle and have fun with it but FOUR...Ugh!

So we had a big snow storm here in Indiana (Jan 26-28)....the Indy news said it was the 6th largest snow storm in Indianapolis history resulting in 12.5"...in Columbus we got 10 inches. It has been 13 years since Indianapolis has had this much snowfall in one storm (12.8"). Funny, being from Minnesota this is a walk in the park.....try that off and on for like 6 months with wind chills around -20 or worse....no thanks! We did get a chance to play outside the first two days. Kenny took the older two sledding at Clifty Creek Elementary the first night, they had a blast...wish I could have been there, maybe next year. The first day it snowed, I bundled the boys up and we went outside so they could make snow angels and burn off some crazy boy energy, afterwards we came in and as the boys stripped off they're wet clothes in the garage, I gathered them up to throw in the dryer. When I finished and turned around to walk in the house I was caught off guard to see Benjamin completely nude with large red blotches all over his naked body...gasping, I asked him why he was naked and he said it was because his clothes were wet! LOL, I wasn't expecting that..haha, I have been trying to tell him that although I am his mother that I would like to only see him naked if it is for medical reasons....haha, it did make me laugh though!

Veggie filled snacks...

2009-01-30T11:37:00.002-05:00

I LOVE my new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. This is the second time I have made these Brownies (filled with spinach & carrots) and these Applesauce Muffins (with butternut squash, flax meal, wheat flour, and applesauce, of course!). The boys like them, not so much Kenny. Ben knows what's in them and is actually excited when I make them now, probably cuz he knows I don't feel guilty letting them have a couple since they are a healthier version! Yesterday he said, "Mom, these don't have much sugar in them, huh? That's good though because sugar is bad for you and these taste weird at first but then you get used to them. I really like those brownies!" I'm glad he is willing to try new things...he usually finds out that he like it! Elijah ate most of one then stopped and said, "I no like mommy!" LOL

The Best Neighbors

2009-01-30T00:04:00.002-05:00

We have some of the nicest neighbors......really, it makes me sad that people don't get to know their neighbors more often. We have had cook-outs, block parties, roasted marshmallows, helped with raking leaves, shoveling driveways, our kids have all played together, the list is endless really and we hope to organize a community garden this summer....they are the best!

Recently, my neighbor/friend Diane has been teaching m to crochet...I'm not so good...but I saw this cute bear hat on http://etsy.com and asked her if she could show me how to make one...she made one the next day and brought it over! Sweet! Doesn't he look so cute in it?!! Eversince, I have been trying to crochet a circle to get started and I just can't get it, she has showed me three times now, UGH, what is my problem?

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-29T23:02:00.008-05:00

We had a nice family Christmas, we slept in...even the boys (they usually wake up by 6:30am) and they were excited to see their gifts from Santa on the couch and their stockings filled. We have decided to give each of them 3 gifts--because Jesus received 3 gifts from the wise men--and then Santa brings them a special gift that is unwrapped and left on the couch along with filling their stockings! Our family tradition is to play with our gifts, eat brunch, catch a nap, then eat dinner at China Buffet--and sometimes we try to catch a movie if it works out....it didn't this year :(

Elijah decided to polish off Santa's half eaten cookies, even down to the crumbs left in the bottom of the luke warm milk--YUK!

Elijah didn't care much for the choco-covered pretzel rod...he did manage to later suck off the chocolate though.

Playing with Elijah's Imaginext Gorilla Mountain

Ben racing cars on his Hot Wheels race track

Elijah...eating again...why did Santa put chocolate in his stocking, we ended up taking it away!

This pic makes me laugh...Ben was helping Elijah open his gift.

Elijah insisted on helping make brunch: Pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit

Rockin out to songs on Ben's MP3 player we gave him...Ben took my pic, I took his! Some of the songs he has on there are a bunch from Disciple, some from his Chicken Little Soundtrack, Poetry read by his first grade class, and a book on CD called Magic Tree House High Tide in Hawaii!

I did a terrible job trying out my lens...obviously I don't know what I'm doing but I still like this picture!

Finally, Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-29T21:35:00.007-05:00

Finally, I am getting to post this....I really don't know why I have taken so long to post this.
Well, this year we spent Christmas Eve at my Mom's (we switch off each year with Kenny's parents). This year, Dad had to be at church for their Christmas Cantata (since he is part-time Pastor there) so shortly after dinner and gifts, he left --and Casey and Chelsea-- we all hung around enjoying good conversation and dessert waiting for them to return to play our 'dirty santa gift exchange game... so I started playing around with my camera trying to catch Christmas memories and the usual family shots that somehow is left up to me every year when suddenly the power went out!!! Pitch dark, kids freaking out briefly until Kenny lit up the room with the flashlight on his cell phone and then Jeff with his flashlight....my sisters and mom scurried around looking for matches to light the many decorative candles mom has. For some this may have ruined the evening but most of concluded that it just relaxed us and brought us back to peace and the true meaning of Christmas...the still of the darkness, glimmering candlelight casting on sweet faces awaiting the rest of the family, celebrating our fellowship all in the name of our Saviour born that precious night...... It was a little hard to dish up all the left overs in our individual containers we all bring from home because of the dark--a tradition we love to bicker about...who took all the meatballs...why are you taking a whole pie....(Casey)momma, do you have some containers for me?..... Dad, Casey and Chelsea arrived and we finished packing up food and gifts on time for Kenny to rush us into the living room to start the game (we still had to go home and get ready for Santa). We won a mouse---a real live mouse--at previous dirty santa game so I thought it would be funny to bring it to mom's hoping Christine would get it and ant to keep it...driving my mom nuts (since Christine and Jeff live there right now). Jeff actually got it and Christine was ecstatic--not surprised--but Kenny's gift was stolen and eventually retired so for Ben's sake he stole the mouse back...Christine was really upset! LOL.....but not really cuz now we have the stinky little mouse that I named Demon (he is white with little red beady eyes). Unfortunately these are the gist of the photos I got...they didn't turn out great because I had to use the built in flash an needed more practice with my new lens...oh well, they are still good for memories!

Elijah...ate and ate M&Ms that mom had in little candy bowls on tables, he totally took the opportunity to indulge in his chocolate addiction!

The Munson Family--(left to right) JoLee, Jeff, Logan, Christine, Hannah, and Griffin

Buddies...Ben and Griffin love hang' together...cool dudes, huh!

Casey and his beautiful girlfriend Chelsea (hopefully 'wife' someday, been dating 4 years now)

with Tal and Jason's youngest, Alexandra

Jacqueline huggin' cousin Logan

Silly Abbigail

Sweet Isabell---wise beyond her years

Natalja and her fav...Elijah...she doesn't like when I call him her favorite but it's not that she shows him favortism but rather that she is just drawn more to him than others...nothing wrong with that I just hope that if this baby #5 is a boy that he is just as rambunctious as Elijah!

Little Miss Mommy Hannah and cousin Abby

MLK Jr. Day

2009-01-20T22:10:00.002-05:00

So yesterday, MLK Jr. Day did not go as planned for me. I was hoping to look up his "I have a Dream" speech and reading it to Ben. We slept in...or rather, I tried to sleep in but the boys almost always wake up by 6:30 am so I stayed in bed and fed Ezra while Ben and Elijah ate cereal (I LOVE that Ben can help that way!) and realized as they ran thru the house screeching and throwing bouncy balls against closed doors that it wasn't going to start off as a peaceful morning. So I growled...I mean crawled out of Bed and began my daily chores and at one point as I was trying to hurry along to get on to more important and enjoyable tasks Ben told me that he wanted to "explode"! When asked why, he said because MLK Jr. day was suppose to be a "day of peace". I told him that I had to get some of the "normal" things done and asked if he thought that I like to do all the cleaning and picking up after anyone in the house who think that it is ok to leave messes and he expressed that yes (in a little cocky manner) he thinks that I would rather do house work instead of playing games with the boys and allow them to do whatever they choose on this great Day of Peace!!! Hahahahah, so being the kind of dramatic mother I am, after an exchange of words ("oh, you think I just LOVE to clean up after laziness, that I would RATHER fill my day with chores instead of having PEACE???? You think this is fun for me, well, you can see just how FUN it really is!!!) I taught him how to do my chores! Along with his own chores (Trash, feed/water his mouse, recycling, and cleaning his bedroom) he did: Dishes--Swept/Vacuumed floors--Washed Floors by hand (we have wood laminate throughout, and yes, I do it that way myself)/ Fed and Watered the Dogs--started and switched loads of Laundry---didn't even get to the folding, lucky boy! That's all we could get to...I liked it, he said! Little Stinker...I explained to him how much he would grow tired of doing most of those things day in day out and that HE didn't even do everything that I do daily, like the cooking (he offered to make us cinnamon/honey toast for lunch:) grocery planning and shopping, childcare and the list goes on! All that and I'm not sure that my point really came across, besides the Day of Peace ultimately became a Day of Service! I guess we accomplished exactly what we needed to........and it definitely was not peaceful and more service on my part than expected since I added the chore of teaching chores, oh what a chore!

Snow!

2009-01-09T23:37:00.003-05:00

Mr. Serious....and oh so cute! I just love his big brown eyes.

We have had some snow flurries here and there and a little dusting so I thought it might be fun to take Elijah out and practice some more....I took tons of pics and most of them are of him either pouting or eating snow!

I finally talked him into trying to catch the flurries with his tongue...now if only I can figure out how to also capture the snow falling in the picture???

This one is my favorite because this is his signature look right now...pouty ;(

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2009-01-09T23:20:00.005-05:00

Yeah!!!! Ezra figured out how to roll from back to tummy! I can't convince him to be lazy, boo hoo.

Are you my Mother? ( by P.D.Eastman) I love this look on his face, so animated and scrumptious!

Sweet Baby Breath

2008-12-31T10:16:00.006-05:00

Ezra just cut his first tooth--Christmas Eve, Natalja discovered it. Any finger he can get a hold of goes straight to his mouth...and he has such a tight grip, see my finger turning reddish purple!

"Mine...get your own finger" I love this look he gets, furrowed eyebrows and all.

Holding Ben's hand..oh my, crazy difference, I do love how "manly" my kid's hands are!

I can't get enough of Ezra sucking his little fingers......so SO CUTE...yeah yeah, I know, it won't be so when he is older and still doing it...maybe we will be so fortunate to not have to break him of it! I just am so "in love" with this bebe....everything about him...his cute little fingers that are finally starting to look big like the other boys, his crazy long feet and toes, his skinny little (but very muscular) body, his "old man" balding head--seriously, he has this thick band of hair at the base of his head in the back, thinking about shaving it off!--and even his sweet baby breath! Am I just crazy or have other people thought that they're baby's breath was sweet smelling?

Adventures with new Lens!

2008-12-29T22:21:00.007-05:00

Fast forward, I will get back to Christmas happenings later................
So Benjamin was my guinea pig the other day...Kenny got me a new lens for my camera! I'm so looking forward to achieving some awesome shots of my kiddos that are growing up way too fast but it's gonna take lots of practice since I really don't know what I am doing and it would be a shame to have a good camera wasted on me...so this will be a long journey, hope you will all hang on and enjoy the ride!

The day after I received my new zoom lens (Tamron AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3), I looked up this site that my friend Olivia turned me on to: http://www.mamarazzischool.com/ Now I have a new appreciation for my other lens--50mm, now that I am learning FINALLY use it! I feel mostly complete with my "kit" now (except for an external flash--but that is the next goal) and super siked about bribing the kiddos into as many photo ops as possible and still manage our life!

So that's that, hope you like and any feed back would be so LOVED!

**Ben insisted on picking out his own outfit...what happened to that cute lil' guy that let me dress him and do his hair any way I wanted, why does he need to become opinionated as he grows up, yikes!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T23:28:00.006-05:00

I was late getting to my Christmas Card and then when I did get to it, I wasn't very happy with it! These were the two pics I chose from....tough choice, they were both cute. The first one truly shows Elijah in the norm. My friend Olivia sent the cutest card this year, check out her blog-

http://www.oliviawagnerphoto.blogspot.com/ I'm jealous...she used the cutest paper and the boys look like they are straight out of a Gap ad, love,love LOVE IT!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and friends far and near, remembering that our awesome God gave us the most wonderful gift of all, the birth of His only son Jesus.

This year we will be spending Christmas Eve at my Mom's house and then go to my Mother-in-Law's on New Years Eve for The Harrison Christmas. And as usual, spend Christmas Day at home just me Kenny and the kids, have brunch, play with gifts, snuggle up for a nap and try to see a movie at the theatre, then have dinner at the usual, China Buffet!

I miss going to my Grandparents in Branson , MO for Christmas--we use to try each year, all of us grandkids and fams but we have just gotten too large of a group. I love the overload of spending each holiday with as many family members as possible....my husband doesn't like that and although I'm sure kids would enjoy it, I would probably go insane dragging them everywhere....so I should just be thankful that at least we see small amounts of family through out the holiday season. And I am, really. I just miss the ones I don't see :(

Little Big Man

2008-12-21T22:50:00.002-05:00

Oh my...I just could not decide which pics I liked best! He looked so cute in all of them...ah, sweet, sweet Ezra. He has gotten a bit more calm these past few weeks, I'm not sure why, perhaps it is because he is nearing that 4 month mark (the 27th). He is finally sleeping through the night in his bassinet (most nights anyway) and hopefully we will transition him to his crib soon! He is trying to sit up, it looks kinda like he is doing little abdominal crunches. He is also teething which isn't anything abnormal with my boys since Ben and Elijah cut their first teeth at 4 months. He is still kind of smallish but I have enjoyed that since we won't be having anymore babies...I can admire all of his little tiny features and embrace this stage that seems to disappear into thin air. When I hold Elijah, I'm saddened by how fast time flies and even more so when Ben runs up from behind me and throws his half adult sized arms around me! How did he grow up so suddenly? Boo hoo!

BLOG WITHDRAWLS!!!!!!

2008-12-11T22:46:00.004-05:00

The past two weeks have been crazy busy. Elijah got sick--stomach flu--last wednesday and it lasted till this past tuesday! I'm so tired of puke and poop! Elijah has made me realize just how easy Benjamin has been these past 7 years! The only times we ever knew that Ben was sick was when we happened to find vomit in the sink or in the toilet...he was rarely sick and even then not really rocked by it! Elijah is a total different story! Whinny, clingy, energy drained (huge blessing---let me know if you are sick so I can bring him around--haha), no appetite and won't drink anything but water so he is very hard to keep hydrated and get his electrolytes up! He woke up most nights that week vomiting and screaming--sometimes 2-3x a night!

So because he was sick we were unable to witness Ben's latest Tae Kwan Do promotion test! Kenny took him and he earned his solid yellow belt! He is doing so well...he is so eager to excel that he has actually been practicing at home now---which also inspires Elijah to continue imitating Ben--too cute!

I absolutely love it when Ezra sucks on his fingers--probably will be eating those words when he is 2-3-4-5 and still doing it! None of my boys would take a pacifier and I tried to encourage the other two to suck their thumbs hoping they would learn to self-sooth but that never worked so it's nice to finally have one do so!

I LOVE my baby wrap....it's a must have for any new parent..wished I would have had one with the other two. I even got my mom to "wear" Ezra at her last visit (she came to play Trouble with Ben).

Another "Surprise" Pregnancy!

2008-12-09T22:55:00.004-05:00

Ha..no, not me (cringe). My other sis, Christine, just announced that she is having #5....what is this some kind of contest? I'm competitive but this is not my kind of game! haha. Chrissy said they weren't trying to have another and actually felt like there were done with 4 but she is very excited nonetheless! She found out that her estimated due date is Aug 2nd (Elijah's bday). Well I'm glad they are happy, just a little shocked but I never believed her when she said she didn't want anymore because she is at her happiest when she is pregnant!

Thankksgiving Surprise!

2008-11-24T11:22:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately I don't have a picture to go with this! We had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister Natalja's last Sunday---first time ever not having it at Mom's or my Mother-in-Laws! Well, before we said grace Jason asked if anyone wanted to share a special thanks this year and a couple shared and then Jason whispered in Alexandra's ear to share hers...."I'm thankful for the baby in mommy's tummy!" I knew it......I knew they weren't done! About a year after Alex was born I told Tal that I just had this strong feeling that they would have two more and they would come after Alex was around 4 yrs old! Her due date is a few weeks before Alex's 4th bday! Well, I'm no prophetess...but I was right on....at least about there being one more. Oh and just for the record...I said that they would be about 2 yrs apart, one boy and one girl....either order, no strong feelings either way! Tal said this is it though! That would drastically change their car situation...they have a dodge Durango now that will seat 7. I'm so excited for them....now I have a reason to save all my baby clothes.....since we have gone through with the vasectomy--Kenny went back to work this past Monday but he said he is extremely sore!

Look-a-like(s)

2008-11-24T11:06:00.005-05:00

Ezra--3 months

Ben--left Elijah--right at 3 months old

We basically keep reproducing the same child.....why mess with perfection, eh? haha . If only I could perfect their behavior!

My Diabetic Diet

2008-11-24T08:59:00.002-05:00

During my pregnancy with Ezra I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and it was a blessing, really! For the first time ever I dropped all of my pregnancy weight and it happened 2 weeks after delivering Ezra! Not only that but I also only gained 23 lbs (I basically lost weight the last 6 weeks of pregnancy). With Ben I gained 44 lbs and with Elijah 35 lbs and I never fully recovered from them...so now my goal is hopefully get to my pre-parenthood weight! I don't usually like to share my weight (naturally, does any girl?) but I have been pleased with my unexpected changes and now feel Ike my goals really are possible. I now weigh 159 and wear a size 12, my goal is to get down to 135 (I will settle for 140) and wear a size 8...........I hope my body hasn't changed too much, I know I will never wear a size 6 again! I have pretty much plateaued since Ezra's 1 month checkup - he is now 3 months. Since he was born the plan was to stick to the diet and slowly but surely I have veered from that and polluted my body with sweet, delicious, tasty, sugary treats! Therefore the diet has stopped working wonders for me, Ugh! Guess I am gonna have to actually work at this, nothing comes easy, at least not for long! Well, I still refuse to buy a scale so I will just continue to weigh myself at Ezra's well check-ups...the next one is Dec 27. Some of you have asked for the diabetic diet plan that I followed so here it
is:

Breakfast---------- 1 Carb(dairy/milk) 2 Protein 2 Fat

ie: Cheese omelet(1 whole+ 1 egg white) with 1 oz cheese melted on top cooked in a little butter plus 1 cup of milk........turkey bacon/sausage are a good protein if you get tired of eggs

Morning Snack---- 1 Carb 1 Protein

ie: 2 tsp peanut butter with 4-6 low sodium crackers and water...or 1 cup light yogurt + 3 graham cracker squares....or 1 oz cheese (I liked string cheese sticks) with Kashi crackers

Lunch-------------- Carb(2 bread, 1 fruit, 1 dairy, 1 veggie) 2 Protein 1 Fat

ie: Sandwich with 2 slices 100% whole wheat bread, 1oz lunch meat, 1 slice of cheese( I liked provolone) ,1 tsp mayo (mustard is free) 1 cup raw carrots, 1apple and ice tea/water......or a chef's salad with a whole wheat roll 15 grapes and milk/water

Afternoon Snack-- 1 Protein 1 Fruit

ie: 2 tsp peanut butter and an apple....or 1/2 c. cottage cheese and peaches (1/2 c. if canned)...or a handful of almonds and an orange

Dinner-------------- Carb(2 bread, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 1 veggie) 2 Protein 1 Fat

ie: 1 Chicken breast, small baked potato with 1 tsp. butter and 1T. light sour cream, 1/2-1 c. cooked broccoli, 1 small dinner roll, 1 med banana, 1 c. milk.....or 1/2 c.cooked spaghetti with 2/3 c. spaghetti sauce with ground turkey, 1 oz fresh grated Parmesan cheese + small side salad and fat free dressing, 3/4 c. mandarin oranges, milk/water/decaf coffee/tea

Evening Snack----- 1 Carb 1 Protein

ie: same as afternoon snack.....sometimes I ate 2/3c. Kashi cereal with 1c. skim milk...and sometimes even 1 scoop vanilla bean ice cream with a little drizzle of melted peanut butter! I warn you though...it is hard to eat only 1 scoop, it is almost torture!

ONCE YOU GET THE HANG OF THE COMBOS AND THE TIMING--EAT EVERY 2-3 HOURS--IT'S A CINCH!

Kenny is getting "fixed"

2008-11-18T11:42:00.002-05:00

Kenny is scheduled to have his vasectomy Thursday(tomorrow)! We went to his consultation last Friday and the doctor decided it would be in Kenny's best interest to have the surgery performed at the hospital under anesthesia instead of the office....I will spare you all the details..ha! I'm glad for Kenny because he was nervous, naturally, and this way he can sleep through it but I'm bummed that it is gonna cost more now! Oh well, it would cost us more to have another unexpected pregnancy (we just paid off the hospital bill on Elijah and now we are working out payment plans for Ezra). I'm happy that we are doing this but I do have to say that the finality of it caused me to be a little emotional! I really, really know that we are done having kids but permanent is permanent! The nurse told Kenny to be ready for a recliner, remote and bag of frozen peas for 3 days! Lucky him...three days of rest.....when I bore his children did I get 3 full days of rest? I'm sure that comment will be up for debate!

My Mom

2008-11-15T10:04:00.004-05:00

My mom usually stops by for a visit on Mondays after her class (around noon) and stays long enough to enjoy a board game with Benjamin after she pics him up from school at 2:35. I really enjoy spending time with her and I love seeing her with the boys. There is just something so special about witnessing the relationship between a grandparent and your kids. It is sobering really and usually allows me to see past all the hardships of being the day -to-day responsible parent! The kids look forward to their time with Nonnie so much...Elijah is ecstatic when she comes through the door and Ben is always expectant the moment he walks out of the school. I can't wait to see how her relationship with Ezra blossoms. The times she hasn't been able to be here is a BIG disappointment to Ben and to the rest of us, including her! I am so proud of her accomplishments! She is well on her way to becoming a great Surgical Technologist....she is living out her dream. The last two weeks have left her looking forward to the rest of her clinicals, she has already assisted in several surgeries and now she no longer speaks English but rather "medical textbook"! I'm so excited for her, to see her enjoying her new found passion.

Halloween

2008-11-08T22:42:00.003-05:00

I know that I am late getting these posted and truth be told, I actually took some of these three days after Halloween...I just didn't capture too many good shots as we were trick-or-treating!
These are some of my favorites, enjoy!

Arrrr!

Kenny can always get him to smile :)

I can fly, I think I can, I think I can!

Ezra--2 months old!

2008-10-29T16:56:00.004-04:00

wow..2 months old already! He now weighs 9lbs 13oz and is 23 3/8" long.

the Harrison Girls

2008-10-29T16:37:00.004-04:00

My sister, Natalja, met me at Sam's Club this afternoon to pick up some bulk items and so afterwards she stopped by to visit. I love when we get to spend time together...I love my sisters so much I don't know what I would ever do without them, they really are some of my favorite people! I adore how smitten Tal is with my boys, maybe she's so taken with them because she doesn't have boys or maybe she really is just drawn to each of their personalities...either way it brings me a lot of satisfaction. I think we all take it as a compliment when people genuinely like our kids! These are my sister's beautiful daughters, they are also my husband's brother's daughters. That's right...my sister married Kenny's brother and they have these four gorgeous jewels--Isabell-9, Jacqueline-7, Abigail-5, and Alexandra-3!

A Trio of Harrison Boys

2008-10-28T17:58:00.003-04:00

Cute Look-a-Likes! I just want to eat them up when they're like this!

Dog Breath Boy!

2008-10-28T15:28:00.004-04:00

I know that it is gross that I allowed Streak--our dog-to lick all over Elijah for this pic but I did so in order for you all to see just how friendly our pit bulls are. They are just typical dogs and this one in particular absolutely loves Elijah--mostly because Lij allows him to lick him, in fact Lij almost forces Streak to give his nasty wet dog kisses. So naturally, Elijah smells like dog breath quite often--yuk! Streak also knows where to go to score table scraps or who will be ever so willing to allow him outside when he really isn't allowed--Elijah! All of these freedoms come at a cost for streak tho, he must put up with Elijah climbing all over him, stretching his lips nearly off his face, locked in bedrooms at random times, ran into with Elijah's radio flyer scooter, and dragged around constantly. And still, Streak loves him enough to cover him in dog breath with his stinky dog kisses!

Elijah--Naturally

2008-10-24T17:36:00.003-04:00

He always wants a tattoo--on his neck usually!

one rockin' dude!

He is so busy that it can be a bit of a challenge to photograph him and when I ask him to do something he gets grumpy! I love the intense look that he gives in the close-up, he reminds me of Kenny!

Elijah--UGH!

2008-10-24T17:06:00.005-04:00

We have been trying to potty train Elijah since he was 20 months old...I know that is kinda early, but he showed interest and Ben was super easy to train, he basically did it himself. Well, different story with this child! He was doing ok, and I stress ok, but recently he has been terrible! He rarely tells me when he has to use the bathroom and even then he has already had an accident. Then he tells us when he doesn't want to do what ever that may be at any given time--so it is usually a lie, manipulation. It sucks cuz I don't know when to believe him and I hate to discourage him from expressing when he actually needs to go. Well, his favorite thing to do while in the bathroom is to get into my mascara which is in the drawer near the toilet and smear it all over him! So that is why I took this picture to share with you all what I go thru on a daily basis...sometimes it is just a different song and dance for him...but it is always some kind of noisy music!

Clean and Naked Baby!

2008-10-23T16:42:00.005-04:00

Finally, Ezra enjoyed his bath...he was so relaxed afterward that he even layed still and let me put lotion on him! That is a hugh accomplishment if any of you know him--he moves so much that gets blisters on his heals!!!

Tae Kwan Do Dudes!

2008-10-18T23:51:00.002-04:00

Ben started Tae Kwan Do this summer and he has already moved up two belts he is now a yellow tip (yellow/white stripe with yellow tip) and he is doing very well. Elijah loves to do everything Ben does which includes skateboard, play soccer, play Xbox, ride bikes and ramp, wear Ben's shoes and sneak Ben's Tae Kwan Do uniform on and show off his moves. So cute, I love it! Joon Be....hiyah!

Ezra's 1st bath

2008-10-18T23:46:00.004-04:00

Ezra HATES taking a bath! This was his first bath at 4 weeks old...it took that long for his silly cord to fall off. He cried most of the time. Ben and Elijah loved taking baths--they still do.

Soccer superstar!

2008-10-18T23:12:00.003-04:00

Benjamin has enjoyed playing soccer this season..he is seriously the superstar of the team! They won 5 out of the six games they played and each game he scored the most points. The game that they lost he was the only one on his team to score! One game he scored 5 of the winning 11 points! Being competitive as I am, I was super proud of him and thrilled to hear other parents cheer him on and rave about how good he was!

Ben's new do--MoFaux Hawk!

2008-10-18T22:48:00.002-04:00

LOL...I cut Ben's hair a couple of weeks ago and he wanted a real mohawk but I said noway am I gonna shave his head so we compromised and came up with this... the MoFaux hawk! I love it and the play on words! He is such a cutie... but I really do wish that all these little girls would quit being all googly around him. There are two that keep stalking him-a 7 and 10 yr old. I'm not exaggerating either...they were hanging out in the neighbors yard staring down our house several days one week that even my neighbor called me to inform me! These two girls met him at Tae Kwan Do and somehow tracked him down an found our phone number even though they didn't know his last name...stalkers! They thought that he was at least 10!

6 weeks, already!

2008-10-18T22:36:00.004-04:00

Actually he is now 7 weeks but he was 6 weeks in these pics, I planned on updating my blog the day I took these (wednesday, the 8th). Oh well life happens, so instead I will flood my blog with everything I had been planning over the weeks but never had the time to do so.

The time is flyin by and I'm so bummed that I feel like I'm just surviving it rather than really enjoying it all! Kudos to all you moms who have lots of kids and make it look easy!

Beware--2 yr old learns to ride bike!

2008-10-18T22:28:00.004-04:00

This is the best pic that I could get of this little rascal! I knew that I wanted to blog about him learning to ride his bike so we went outside but Ezra was fussy--as usual! By the time I got my camera setting just right Elijah was done riding his bike and no longer interested in showing off for the camera! He actually learned to ride on October 5th. Funny..he is so much like Ben--he learned to ride at 2 years old and then the next year learned to ride without training wheels..it will be interesting to see if Elijah will do the same!

Frustrated!

2008-10-18T21:20:00.006-04:00

Today, I decided that I would "capture" some good pics of the boys picking out their pumpkins this year! They simply would not cooperate! Ugh! You know how you have the scenario play out in your mind but your kids don't live in this fantasy world where everything goes smoothly, in fact it is usually the complete opposite with my kids! I am not patient with them either so it just turns out to be a flop most times! Then...in my mind, I am some great photographer too, in reality...not so much! I do like the pic of Ben holding Lij making his goofy hand gestures even though Elijah is out of focus--because it shows how he tries to imitate whatever Ben does! It's so sweet how much he looks up to him and wants to be like him in every way shape and form. I wish I would've thought the same way towards my sisters when we were younger instead of getting irritated with them--hindsight is always 20/20!

Kenny and Ben went camping tonight so I thought that I would try to go visit my mom but she has too much school work to work on--that is the second time this week that visiting her hasn't worked out! I'm bummed, I miss her, we've really become good friends and it is such a good feeling to feel that way about her! Oh well, I will just have to wait till Monday when she stops by after school to visit! So instead of going to her house I decided we will try to go to Target but when I got there Ezra was screaming so I figured I would sit there in the parking lot and nurse him and calm him down since the last few times we've been in stores he was fussy. I let Elijah roam around in the van and started feeding Ezra only to smell this horrendous odor moments latter and when I asked Lij if he pooped in his pull-up(we have been potty training) he popped his head around the seat and shook his head yes proudly with colored-chocolate spit running down his chin from a rogue m&m he found in the back seat! I sighed and realized that shopping wasn't worth the trouble and figured I would be so much more comfy being at home instead of in a cold van half exposed with a fussy baby and a stinky toddler! So many sacrifices come along with parenthood. But now I'm happy cuz I'm finally blogging while kids are fast asleep with the added treat of UFC 89...finally a free fight on Spike tv instead of pay-per-view! Now I only hope that Michael Bispbing gets knocked out in front of his countrymen, I can't stand him ever since his fight against Matt Hammil which was totally stolen from Matt!

A shout out to my BFF

2008-09-29T19:23:00.001-04:00

(these pics come from Olivia's blog--our husbands shot them)

these are the contents of my care package:

I just hafta share how much I adore my BFF Olivia! She has always been so thoughtful and kind even though I haven't always deserved her kindness or friendship for that matter! I use to torment her in school (we went to school together in Minnesota grades 4-9). At lunchtime I always managed to put my food on her in some fashion or another...usually it was celery dipped in peanut butter and then I would stick it to her face! I don't know why I did this exacltly...she was passive and I was aggressive....until one time she had enough! We were walking to throw away our food trays and she hadn't eaten her food and I had done something awful like usual so on the way to the trash she threw her tray of food onto me and I just stood therein front of everyone, shocked and then busted out laughing which ticked her off even more! haha..it was funny but I really was relentless with her...now I torment my children. I just can't believe that she has stayed friends with me all these years...I'm so glad too, our friendship has grown tremendously over the years and distance..we've even managed to get in a few visits. Just a couple days after I had Ezra I received this care package from Olivia and it contained a baby towel, baby booties, a chocolate bar for me (I couldn't eat any chocolate my last half of pregnancy) Starbucks chocolate for Kenny, a stuffed monkey and the movie Dan in Real Life (I watched it three times in one week and laughed hystericallyeach time). I almost started to cry...she is so thoughtful! Everything was so perfect, I really don't deserve her friendship.
Olivia...I love ya girl and I'm so glad God placed you in my life, I truly am blessed by your friendship. Thank you for putting up with all my ridiculousness, I'm so sorry that I was so ruthless.

Photo Shoot Attempt!

2008-09-22T22:37:00.002-04:00

Ezra is two weeks old in these pics and the first two were taken in hopes of making some birth announcements but Ezra wasn't very happy being naked outside! He let me know just how unhappy he was by pooping all over me when I was holding him before putting him in the bowl..oh well, I guess that's what I get for trying to be Anne Geddes and not just accepting the fact that I'm simply Nichole Harrison and far from professional! haha...besides people must drug their infants to get all those great poses or else I just have difficult children! Super cute and super ornery!

Life is the "Pits"

2008-09-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

Lucy--around 9months old
Wild Streak (Streaky)--8 years old
--this is a typical scene around the house...these two are buddies!

Storm--11 weeks old (Streak's Daughter)

Storm--7 weeks old
Storm--5 weeks old

Most of you may know that we own Pitbulls but some of you may have never seen them, especially the newest one. Lucy, the red pit, isn't here ...yet! We are looking at getting her [back] soon...we had her for a few months and then traded her back to her original owner and got a puppy(Storm) from a litter that Streak sired. Kenny has always missed Lucy so when we recently visited her this past weekend Kenny and our friend Scott worked it out in order for Kenny to get his little girl back! Aaarrggghhhh! 3 dogs and 3 kids in a 1,000 sq. ft. home! Are we crazy or what? Yes, I agree...CRAZY! I'm not sure how it's gonna work out... I will take care of kids and Kenny will take care of dogs, haha!
The picture of Elijah and Streak reminds me of when we had our first pitbull and Benjamin basically treated her like a sibling. He and Halo did everything together and she put up with so much abuse fom him just like Streak does with Elijah! Despite what many of you may think about Pitbulls they really are excellent companions and really good with kids, especially because of their high pain tolerance!
Kenny is bummed that I chose not to crop Storm's ears but I think she's cute with them floppy!
Besides, it seems like people are less afraid of pitbulls when they have floppy ears, maybe cuz they don't realize they are pits?!

A Shout Out to My Husband

2008-09-08T15:10:00.005-04:00

I just want everyone to know what a wonderful husband I have...and what an awesome father my boys are privileged to have! Kenny has been so great with Ben and Lij since Ezra was born. He has made sure to give them plenty of attention and affection so they don't feel like they aren't as important as the new baby especially since I'm nursing him which takes up a lot of my time. He provided such an easy transition for me Labor Day weekend that I absolutely dreaded that he had to go back to work on Tuesday the 2nd.
Kenny traded our '99 Grand Prix for a '79 Ford Truck and they (Kenny and the boys) couldn't be happier! They take a drive in it nearly everyday even if it's a spin around the block or to the auto parts store--to buy stuff and work on the new toy! I think it's ugly but they think it's tough! So the truck is usually a big source of their entertainment when Kenny comes home from work and because of that I can now see that it is beautiful! :)

Labor---details

2008-09-03T22:44:00.004-04:00

FINALLY--I get a chance to get on here and blog!!! Life is a little busy these days and I just can't believe how fast time flies! Some of you have asked how labor went and I've really been wanting to blog it anyway so here I go. For those of you who know me realize just how much of a pain baby I can be so I went into this pregnancy dreading the labor to come! When I found out that I was getting induce 6 days early I was excited and nervous because I had decide to try to do this without the epidural because our insurance doesn't cover the $500+ that it would cost us. I told only 2 or 3 people this plan and had it in the back of my head that most likely I wouldn't make it. So they started pitocin--sp? at 11:30 and at 3:30 my doctor came in and checked me and decided to break my water (I was 3 cm). By 4:30 pm I was asking for an epidural! So the nurse came in and checked me saying I was at 4 maybe 5 and that she would get the anesthesiologist soon. He came in about ten minutes later and took about ten minutes to get everything in place and by 5:04 I was ready to be numb....fat chance at that! My left side was starting to get tingly but my right side was screaming in pain! I kept telling my nurse that I could feel everything on the right so she kept tilting me to that side to allow the medication to gravitate to that side and do it's magic! Again...FAT CHANCE! The nurse showed me the epidural pump and pushed the button saying that in 15 minutes she wanted me to push it again in order to control the pain---I quickly looked at the clock, 5:13. Next contraction hit and I started crying because the side laying position wasn't helping yet and I was scared because I could feel his head crowing and I tried to keep my legs closed, LOL, and I grabbed the nurses arm in a panic telling her that it still hurts and that I wasn't joking (obviously-haha) and that something was happening. She checked me and next thing I hear is Kenny saying excitedly, "You're at ten, Nichole!" What the crap...no way was I ready to push this baby out in all this pain after deciding to get the $500+ shot that wasn't helping yet! The nurse told me to roll over to my back at which time I really started to cry saying, "I can't do this with all this pain...not yet" but I remember hearing Kenny say, "you're doing it!"; I reached down and felt his head to my surprise, exclaiming, "his head, his head" and both Kenny and the doctor nodded there heads in agreement (thinking back they almost looked like bobble heads grinning a Duh! look-ha). Dr. Huey told me to give him a big push and he was out! Oddly enough that part wasn't painful at all, in fact it was just as my sister and others have told me but I couldn't understand them! It was just awesome that it happened so fast and he is so beautiful! He looks like a perfect combination of Ben and Elijah and I couldn't ask for anything more than that because I think I have the most handsome little boys...sorry to the rest of you who think the same of your own boys but I stand firm in my belief! Hehe!

Ezra and the Family

2008-08-31T09:07:00.002-04:00

Here are so more photos of Ezra and the family. I would put more on here but I know that Nichole wants to put her creative spin on the pictures and give everyone all the details that I leave out. ha ha.
Baby Ezra in his car seat, because we got to come home from the hospital so early Nichole had to take him to the pediatricans office for a quick checkup yesterday. Then she had to take him to another doctors office for his screening.
Elijah is starting to enjoy being a big brother. The other night he wanted to hold him so we sat on the couch, swaying back and forth singing to Ezra. We had fun but Elijah got concerned when Ezra started to cry. I started to pick Ezra up to comfort him for a second, but before I could I had to tell Elijah to let go. ha ha It was so cute, it was like he was protecting him.
Ben is being a great big brother, again. ha ha since he already has experience at doing this. He is really trying to boss Elijah around the last two days, but I think he is just trying to find his place and be as much help as possible. Ben is such a rough and fun kid on the outside but inside he is the most sensitive and caring person you will ever know. I love him so much and he reminds me so much of myself it is scary. I am sure Cole will be on here soon, if she doesnt do an update soon I will, because I am starting to enjoy it. Hey Olivia, I did crop these photos. ha ha You will have to leave a comment and let me know how I did.

2008-08-29T09:04:00.002-04:00

We made it home at about 4:00 pm last night. Everyone is doing great. The baby woke up at 1:30am and 4:30 am to eat, but slept through the night for the most part. OK truth be told I didn't get up with Ezra through the night, Cole did, cause she is the one that feeds him(I love it when she breast feeds, ha ha there is no reason for me to wake up)

Nichole and Ezra coming home

2008-08-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

Nichole and baby Ezra should be home this afternoon or evening. If you want to stop by call and make sure we are home. Nichole loves visitors so dont be afraid to stop by. Thanks everyone for your prayers. We are so happy to have our new addition to the family. I want to thank my mom for watching Ben and Lij while we was at the hospital. I know those two can be a handful and it turned out to be a long day. I will post again when I get to bring them home and post new pictures on also for those of you who can not come and visit.

More of Ezra

2008-08-27T18:06:00.004-04:00

Ezra Kye Yates Harrison

2008-08-27T17:56:00.002-04:00

7 lbs. 11.2 ounces
19.5 inches long

Nichole in the hospital

2008-08-27T13:45:00.004-04:00

As you can tell she is not starting to have real strong contractions yet! ha ha for those of you who do not know Nichole doesn't like pain, at all. ha ha
We got to the hospital at about 10:10 am this morning. They started her on the oxytocin at about 11:30. I took the pictures right after that.
It is now about 2:00 pm and the contractions are starting to get a little stronger and more frequent.
I will post pictures of the baby as soon as she has it and is moved into her room. Thanks for your prayers and concerns. We love you all so much.
(I had to take a picture of her arm because I didn't want anyone to see her crying from getting the small IV needle put into her hand. ha ha)

Wisconsin Hiking Adventure

2008-08-23T19:24:00.003-04:00

So...my friend Olivia invited me up to Minnesota to take pictures of the fam and my radiant pregnant belly--ha, and I couldn't refuse! We only see each other every five years since I moved away the summer after 9th grade and our friendship has grown so deeply despite the distance! How could I refuse her offer....I don't mind road trips and Kenny was game (he despises road trips!) and you have seen my banner of pics that Olivia took so naturally I jumped at the chance! Now I know that I have some friends and family that live really close to where we were and I truly do apologize that I couldn't squeeze in any other visits...really I am, I hope you all will forgive me and be understanding that time was limited along with the fact that I was trying to be considerate towards my gracious husbands personal sacrifice with the whole trip and the fact that I was there at my friends request. Now that we have this minivan and seeing just how comfortable traveling was I hope to take some more trips up north in the future!
As I planned the trip that we took the weekend of August 1st(almost 4 weeks ago) I found a place called Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, WI just south of the Dells and thought that it would be a great hiking stop for us---we have been trying to hike every weekend here in Indiana. Well it turned out to be the best hike thus far not to mention the most rugged also and with me being 36 weeks pregnant it was a bit of a challenge but it felt great to share that experience with Kenny and the boys. It was simply amazing to be up so high that as we looked over the cliffs we were able to look down and watch the vultures flying! Benjamin absolutely had a blast and ventured up rock formations and wanted his picture taken every 3 minutes! Elijah enjoyed his usual travel in the backpack--which Kenny straps another pack onto in order to carry our waters and Ben carries his backpack full of snacks and his own water. Kenny and Ben hope to take longer backpacking trips in the future that would involve full packs and camping and more hiking. Kenny hopes that I will join in on this too once the baby is big enough! We will see...most likely I will...I'm always up for a little adventure!

The CCC trail---Rugged

2008-08-23T18:35:00.006-04:00

Ok.....get ready for new blogger!

2008-08-20T13:35:00.004-04:00

I'm going to try my hand at blogging....as you all may have read on the first post that my very best and long time friend, Olivia, has "forced" me into HA HA HA:) This is exactly what I need in order to allow others to keep updated in my life since I am horrible at returning emails (checking my email to begin with) and even phone calls let alone trying to send traditional mail...plus I can allow you all to "see" the growth in my family thru pics! I am really excited about this new adventure and am grateful to Olivia simply because I need to have my hand held thru anything that involves technology or I would just ignore it since I can ultimately survive without it!
I hope you all enjoy the pics on the banner and the side....Olivia took them of us a few weeks ago....the boys were a bit cranky and I was nervous because I'm usually on the other side of the camera but it turned out so awesome! the pics that I posted are just some random shots of the boys from this summer. I'm still learning how to use my camera that Kenny got me for Christmas--a Canon 10D, so don't expect perfect pics anytime soon. Since learning a few helpful hints that I learned from...you guessed it, Olivia, I have played around taking pics of everything and anything but haven't uploaded them yet! Imagine that...HAHA..I usually wait till I have about 300-500 on there..No Joke! :(

Also...I saw my doctor this week and they want to induce me on Wednesday August 27th, unless I go earlier since I am dilated to 2+ and 70% effaced! Now that I am a "blogger" I will post when he is born!!!!

Welcome to your new blog!

2008-08-13T13:40:00.001-04:00

I created this blog for you in hopes that you'll start blogging for yourself. I hope that since we can't see each other in person as much as we'd like, I will still be able to see photos of you and your family as your children grow. I can't wait to see Ezra and hopefully get to meet him in person!

Love ya!

xoxo

Olivia