The last two weeks...

Little Ava - two weeks old

Watercolors with Nanna - and a nap with Ava

Daddy and his little ones - Harrison in Daddy's shoes

Harrison loves to have Ava hold onto his finger

Perfecting funny faces with cousin Claire

While I was in the hospital, Nanna taught my little guy to write an 'H'

Introducing baby...

Ava Grace Howe
Born 1/7/2010
7 lbs 5 oz
21 inches

And it begins....

Baby sister is officially on her way - her first pair of shoes have made their way into the house.

Good Morning

6:35am - Harrison enters our room....

Harrison: Hi Mommy. I'm done restin'.

Me: Sweetie, it is still very early - why don't you play with the toys in your room for a little while?

-PAUSE-

Harrison: I don't think I understand you. I'm DONE RESTIN'!

Halloween Festivities

A trip to Jordan's office for the company Halloween lunch and trick-or-treat, where Jordan won best original costume for being a building that Spiderman climbs....

The ward trunk-or-treat and dinner where Harrison was captivated by the clown....

Carving pumpkins at home before the trick-or-treaters showed up......Harrison was disgusted by the entire process until he realized that fire would be burning inside them at the end....

We decided to stay home this year since it will probably be the last year we don't actually have to go out trick-or-treating. Harrison handed out candy and shot everyone who came to the door with webs - it was hilarious. Loved it.

Halloween lives on at our house, Harrison wears his costume everyday - during naps, to the store, at the park - everywhere.

A Weekend Away

I did it. I left town. All by myself. On an airplane back to sunny, warm Huntington Beach. One of my dearest friends was getting married - and the girls were gathering. We ate at all of our favorite restaurants, shopped at beautiful South Coast Plaza, danced and danced at a wedding celebration, reconnected with old friends - and I feel rejuvenated. Jordan stayed home with my little Harrison and they were fine. They went to a movie, watched lots of football, skipped naps, visited family, and ate their weight in M&M's. I think all three of us had a WONDERFUL time.

Conversations with Harrison at 27 months

HARRISON: Where is my black spiderman jacket?

ME: It is on the couch in the living room.

HARRISON: Mommy, how did you remember that?

ME: Because I am a smart mommy.

HARRISON: And I'M the smartest boy EVER.

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HARRISON: Mommy, where did your lunch go?

ME: It went to my tummy.

HARRISON: (Silence.......)

HARRISON: NO! Baby Sister is in your tummy.

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Getting him up from his nap.....
ME: Harrison? Do you want to go to a birthday party tonight? We need to go soon! There will be games and pizza!

HARRISON: (Stands up on his bed) I NEED CAKE! FANCY CAKE!

Baby #2 - dates to remember

5/14/09: Our four year wedding anniversary - found out we were expecting

6/15/09: Saw the baby and heartbeat for the first time

8/26/09: Felt first kicks at almost 20 weeks

8/28/09: Found out we are having a GIRL! And Harrison has decided that she can only be named one of three names:

1) SPIDERMAN (the clear front-runner)
2) GREEN ALIEN
3) ISAAC

Take your pick.

Pumpkin Harvest

Everyday, all summer, we watered and watched. Harrison grew 7 pumpkins. Not too bad for a two year old eh?

Go Jazz

Quote from Jordan: "I NEVER thought this day would come."

Meaning this: Harrison was a little tough on us at first (I have actually mentally blocked out the first 10 months of his life so I don't have an anxiety attack about baby #2). So when Jordan looked at me during the fourth quarter of Harrison's first professional basketball game and said the above quote - I knew what he meant. Our lives have never included any sort of outing with him after 6pm - EVER.

We would leave family dinners after being there just a short while because he had worked himself into a sweating vomiting tizzy, restaurants were attempted a time or two only to have one of us outside with the screamer while the other wished they were any place but there, etc etc etc.

So when Harrison calmly sat on our laps, transfixed by everything around him - for four entire quarters of basketball - we couldn't help but smile. He loved the crowd - mimicking everything that others were doing (shouting, pointing, fists in the air), the infamous Jazz Bear and all his crazy game antics, and of course the treats! The day has finally come - Harrison functions in public even late into the evening. Oh happy day.