Claire turns ONE!

Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet niece Claire - thank you for letting us share your wonderful birthday party this past weekend. We love you!

Havin' A Feed

From the first day of his life, Harrison has been a fantastic eater. He is never picky, and will eat until I stop giving him food - I don't think he understands the concept of FULL yet. The last few days however, he seems to have developed a severe case of clinching the mouth shut and turning his head whenever new foods are introduced - until he discovered watermelon at his cousin Claire's first birthday party. He ate two full slices - and was totally soaked by the end of it all. Precious.

Stuck again and Skechers

I can't help but laugh at all the places Harrison manages to wedge himself. It is amazing - and I must document with photos - so I don't forget. He is coming up on one year and I want to make sure I write these things down - you gotta love blogs. A journal with pics that his Grandparents can read on a regular basis - perfect. Even though the pictures are a little fuzzy due to his attempts to become un-stuck, you get the idea.

It is no secret that Harrison is on the heftier side. He is wearing 24 months size clothes at 12 months and to date has never worn shoes. Not for lack of trying on his parents part to find adorable footwear. His feet are just to THICK. That's right, THICK. The only way I can describe them to those who have not had the pleasure of seeing them, is that they look like rectangle blocks. Long, wide, and thick (or tall). I have tried all different brands, styles etc. and no luck. Until today. My three sisters and I were at Kohl's, and I came across these:

Not only are they super cute, but they fit his feet. They are extra wide and have a velcro strap that is long enough to fit over the thickness! Of course he hated them and tried to rip them off - but he was strapped into his car seat and then his stroller and could not reach them! So we enjoyed a lovely evening shopping, playing at the Gateway fountain, and riding in the car - all with a baby boy sporting his new kicks.

The Battle of the Yard

It was winter. The ground was covered in two feet of beautiful crisp white snow. The outside of the home looked so darling. The inside was to die for. We fell in love with the house the minute we walked through the front door. We crunched some numbers, and made it happen. We moved in and the snow began to melt. The grass began to come back to life - and it looked lovely. Then tulips began to pop up all throughout the lawn and I began to realize that Grape Hyacinth was the queen of my yard - not me. Commence insane amounts of weeding.

As we explored a little more - we discovered lots of buried treasures. Stumps of old trees that had been covered by dirt and bark (5 to be exact - a couple of which once unearthed actually began to sprout new life - lucky me), old burnt doors that were living a second life as a make-shift retaining wall, railroad spikes and other old-metal-type-hardware scattered throughout the yard, an old ice skate blade that had been turned upside down and cemented next to the back door to make an incredible shoe scraper,flower beds housing nothing close to anything resembling flowers, beautifully maintained and manicured trees (I hope the sarcasm is actually physically dripping from this statement), a driveway you need a 4x4 to safely maneuver, and last but not least a tree cemented in to the patio (which I am sure can't be healthy for the root system).

So we got to work. We pulled weeds, dug out dead shrubs, cut down small trees, demolished a VERY scary row of rose bushes, pulled more weeds, ripped out two berms, got rid of rock dividers that are EVERYWHERE in the yard, dug dirt from one place and moved it to another, dug out giant yucca plants (only 10 more to go!), dug up sod from the backyard and moved it up front, reshaped the front flower beds, made lots of friends at Home Depot, trimmed a few trees (I think there are 10 giant mature trees on our lovely little lot), mowed and edged, and finally planted a few flowers of MY choice (take that Grape Hyacinth!).


The front yard and side yards now look respectable - the back is another story for another day - but we are trying. Good thing I enjoy yard work - because there is lots and lots and lots to be done. When three trees are removed from the backyard and the backhoe, excavator, and cement truck are here - I will again post about my yard. Until then, wish me luck.

-ONE MORE THING-

If we can avoid girls on mopeds that can't drive crashing into our bushes.....
we might have a chance.

Although a rare method of pruning - a highly effective one!

Sit Up Surprise

Today was a big day in the life of Harrison. I went into his room after his morning nap - and he was sitting up playing with his toys. He actually sat up by himself! After the afternoon nap - same thing.

I wondered - is it only something that will happen in his crib? And then he did it twice - downstairs while playing with some toys. I have a feeling my life is about to get hectic. Way to go H!

On a different random note - Harrison sits like this EVERYWHERE. No matter what, his chubby little feet are crossed ever so carefully at the ankles. It makes me smile every time.

In the grass or on the carpet...

On a beach towel and in his high chair....everywhere.

And even though he sits so well - he still manages to get stuck several times a day.
And sometimes it is just too much and he needs a little break.

Family Day

Even though sometimes we really miss California - days like today remind of us of how wonderful it is to finally be around family. The day started with Jordan and Grandpa Howe taking Harrison on a hike - and although Harrison chucked his beloved Angels baseball hat somewhere along the trail - Grandpa replaced it with this awesome camouflage one. Thanks Grandpa!

Later in the afternoon, we had lots of visitors - Aunt Vida, Uncle Ron, Uncle Jack, Dwight, Liz and Carter, Chelsea and her daughter Madeline, and our cousin Olivia who is visiting from Scotland. We had a wonderful afternoon telling stories and getting to know one another. Since the weather has finally decided to cooperate, we enjoyed the front porch, the back patio, and the lawn for the little ones. I am so grateful to finally have a place of my own to entertain and welcome guests.

Uncle Jack and Lizzy.......Liz, Dwight and Baby Carter.......Little Miss Claire

Sweet little Carter...Chelsea, Madeline, Olivia, Ron, Vida, Emily...Tim, Harrison, Jordan, Heath

To cap off the evening, my sisters and their hubbies stayed for a little Crown Burger and an evening spent outside. Harrison loved drinking out of Aunt Emily's big cup and thought hitting his tummy was pretty hilarious since he was soaked! Of course, the night ended with baths for Claire and Harrison - could Claire be any cuter in the duck towel?

We love being around family!

Three Years

We met in October 2003, the day I moved to Salt Lake. He unloaded my car, moved me in, was a little shy, and then came back the next day. We have been together ever since.

In the fall of 2004 he moved to Huntington Beach, California. He took me to Angels games and beach bonfires - and then proposed to me on Christmas Eve in Ashland. What girl doesn't want a diamond for Christmas?

We were married on May 14, 2005 - a perfect day. We often talk about the wedding cake - and ours was to die for! Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. We enjoyed a fantastic, wonderful, relaxing, amazing honeymoon in the Riviera Maya in Mexico, where Jordan ate his weight at the resort...

We began our life together in Huntington Beach - and loved it. We had a great little one bedroom apartment - and took advantage of all things Southern California.

And then a bit of wonderful news...a little one was one the way! We were scared and excited and nervous, but we couldn't wait. Jordan surprised me with a trip to England - as our last little vacation sans children. We explored London, the countryside, Windsor Castle, Bath, Stonehenge, and spent time with my Nana in Swaffham. I got to see where my mom was born - my roots. It was SO special to me.

On June 13, 2007 our little pride and joy arrived and our lives were changed instantly. The very next day Jordan was offered a job in Salt Lake - and six weeks later we moved from our little beach bungalow 5 blocks from the beach back to Utah.

Coming back has been emotional and a big adjustment, but wonderful. We bought our first home this spring and Harrison is loving being around family. It was worth the long, cold winter we just went through!

So...here's to you babe - and the three wonderful years of marriage we have had. Thank you for being an amazing husband and father - I love you. Happy Anniversary.