Harris

Ahem....

2011-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten about the world outside our little home. I have just been a bit distracted. I have tw0 10 month old distractions. Fun distractions but they have kept me on my toes. We both have teeth (Henry has 4 teeth, Lily has 2). We both crawl! (Henry started on December 30, 2010 and Lily on February 12, 2011). We eat real food! We have had ear infections that won't go away and stomach flu visiting us - all of us are looking forward to a fun, HEALTHY spring and summer when we are spending a lot of time outdoors.

Here is a little taste of what we look like now:

Enjoying a little Saturday morning avocado toast. What was really special was how they managed to scrape the avocado off the toast and wipe it everywhere - hair, hands and face - not a lot actually made it into the mouth. They were pretty tired of the camera. They just wanted to eat in peace.

This is the best shot to show off how much food is on this guy's face. What a mess! Luckily his cuteness helps situations like this.

Lily hasn't been feeling well. She has had an ear infection since January. She is finishing her 4th (yes - fourth) round of antibiotics and we are hoping that the fourth time is the charm? She is pretty much saying. Please remove this camera. I don't feel well and I'm eating. What more do you want from me?

On a more serious note - this last week I have been thinking of Kim Beck and her little family of five children. I don't know Kim personally, but I know her sister Heather, who is a beautiful person inside and out. What I know about Kim - she seems to be the same way. I heard about her accident through Facebook and since then I have held my children a little closer. I love being a mother. I love being their mother. When my Mom passed away and I was old enough to be on my own, but it still felt too soon. My heart aches for her family, who lost their beautiful mother at such a young age. You can read Kim's story and donate to her family HERE.

New Year, New Teeth

2011-01-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Yep! Lily broke her both of her bottom teeth last night. Two at the same time - lucky girl. I was clued into her teething because she has been a tad fussy and chewing on everything. Her hand, food, my hand, my jeans (yuck) - so I knew it was coming soon. She is so chubby - I just want to hug her all day long. That little smile - it involves her whole face. I love it because her eyes almost disappear she is smiling so hard.

6 Months

2010-11-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

Let it be known. Hanky really likes Lily's hair. Here is further proof:

Do you remember when my babies turned 6 months and I didn't post about it? I do. Technically their 6 month mark was a few weeks ago but we are posting about it today. To celebrate the momentous 6 month mark - I took the babies to get their shots! Woohoo! Party. The babies were good but it left them a little sluggish, feverish and tired. Then we had a few viruses, ear infections and grouchy babies and mommy. But we are on the mend now!

Here are their stats:

Lillian

Height: 27 inches (50-75%)

Weight: 16lbs. 5oz. (90%)

Head Circumference: 44cm (75-90%)

Henry

Height: 26.5 inches (50%)

Weight: 16lbs (25%)

Head Circumference: 43.5 (50%)

Here is 6 things for each baby.

Lily

1) Lily loves to point her toes. She has them pointed when she jumps in the jumperoo. She has them pointed when she gets her diaper changed and when she is excited for someone to pick her up. I love looking at her little pointed toes. She reminds me of a ballerina. (The pointing made it very easy for them to measure her. She just straightened out her body, pointed her toes and she was measured in no time). She also has a talent of clapping her little feet together.

2) Lily has this shock of hair on the top of her head that grows straight forward. Bows help for a bit but it always starts shifting forward. I try to comb it when its wet and hold it in place but her hair is as stubborn as she is. Straight and forward it will be :)

3) She is our little butterball. She has fabulously chubby thighs and arms. She is only 5 oz heavier than Hanky, but I was told by my pediatrician that girls are usually smaller. She gulps down her bottle in one swoop and I can't make eye contact with her while I am feeding her because she would much prefer to talk with me and giggle than eat. Which is saying a lot. She really likes food.

4) She is our social lady. Loves to be held. If she could talk I would imagine she would say this "Please hold me all the time." She will go to ANYONE to be held. And while she is held - she is kicking her legs and pointing her toes. Almost any time she is crying she will instantly stop when she is picked up. Hmmm. Tough to do when there are two babies. She also babbles all the time - talking to herself, Hanky, Mom, Dad.

5) She laughs. And laughs. And laughs some more. She has even started to do a fake laugh. Which is pretty funny to watch. And she loves kids. She and Hanky will both laugh and laugh for kids in a way they won't do for Mommy and Daddy.

6) She is a pretty intense baby. If you are eating something she is intently watching you the food and reaching out her fingers grabbing it. Lately when I pick her up - she grabs my face with her little hands and pulls it forward for her to plant her mouth on my cheek, chin, mouth, forehead, nose. She is not picky but very determined.

Hank

1) Hanky is a talker. He says dadadadadada over and over and over. When he is upset he switches from talking to high pitch screaming mode. Which doesn't sound as though it would be funny, but it really is.

2) He is our MOVER. He rolls both directions and has rolled off the changing table (one of the worst moments in mine and Henry's lives). He is constantly trying to wiggle out of anything - crib, car seat, bouncy, stroller. He is even starting to sit up!!!

3) He is a gourmet eater. Which is frustrating when there 2 babies to feed. But he'll eat an ounce and wait 1o minutes. Then eat 2 ounces. Let it settle, then he'll eat again. Basically it takes an hour of waiting and attempts to get this kid to finish a bottle. It does not matter how hungry he is or how much I give him. He typically won't finish a bottle in one go. But maybe it is helping his metabolism? Smaller meals throughout the day?

4) He is a smiler. He smiles and his smile takes up all of his face. His nose, his eye get all squinty, his mouth splits open and reveals great big gums and drool. And don't get me started on those dimples!

5) He is my shy little guy. He is happy baby but he is starting to notice Mom and Dad and those who are NOT Mom and Dad. He gets a little nervous and a few times has burst into tears when someone (other than mom or dad) are holding him. When strangers talk to us - his eyes get big and it takes just a little while for him to warm up.

6) He is my early riser. If I hear a baby wake up in the morning - and right now it has been daylight savings time which is awesome for babies internal clocks - I know it is Henry. He is up and wanting to be picked up. And truthfully - he just wants to be in bed with Mom and Dad. I bring him back to bed and he is more than happy to lay in between us while we sleep babbling away. I think he gets that sleeplessness from his Daddy.

This is how Hank and Lily do 6 months!

Our serious man. And his cheeks that turn rosy from his naps.

Lily doing the "happy baby" pose.

She is laughing. I managed to catch one non-blurry shot.

Henry - I managed to catch him mid-roll.

And another shot of this little guy. He is hard to catch still.

Lily's concentrated look. Notice her tongue sticking out.

Play Time

2010-11-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about having twins is watching them interact with one another. They are getting to the age where they recognize each other and talk to each other. I'll catch them holding hands or stealing each other's pacifiers. Can you tell that they are utterly amused by each other?

And then this happens:

About 2 seconds later - we stopped taking pictures. Lily was deeply hurt that her brother would pull her hair so hard. In hindsight - he's a baby and I should have stopped him. But come on. That's a great picture, right?

The pumpkin patch and Halloween

2010-10-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

True confession - I have never been to a pumpkin patch. I didn't go as a kid and as an adult - if I want a pumpkin I drive to the nearest Trader Joe's and purchase one. But now that I can take ridiculous pics of my kiddos - we went! I didn't even buy a pumpkin there. But it was fun to walk around. Darren and I were really risky because our kids were on the verge of melting down because we went right when Darren got home - which is their bedtime. However - they did pretty well for how tired they were.

Mommy and Lily

Lily being very patient as Mommy forces her to take silly pictures. (Can you tell how red her eyes are? It is a combination of tiredness and the beginning of a cold.)

Hanky took the photo only with his pacifier in.

Daddy and Hanky - there wasn't much for us to do. I think everyone will enjoy it a bit more when we can do pony rides or participate in the petting zoo. Right now we basically just looked at pumpkins.

Here is our little family:

On to Halloween.

I have determined that Halloween is a thousand times more fun when you get to dress up little kids. And maybe draw a moustache on one of them. Henry really didn't want me drawing on him - so his facial hair is slightly crooked - but it was worth it. He looks so devilish!

Here we are at the ward trunk or treat. Our little devil and our little angle had a very very fun time celebrating their first Halloween.

3 years later

2010-10-27T23:18:00.001-07:00

Three years later we went from this:

To this:

Two babies and an early morning donut run to celebrate our anniversary (followed by Club 33 at Disneyland - woohoo!). I am so glad Darren decided to marry me.

2010-10-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

You know you're distracted when this happens:

Henry in a dress. So sorry baby.
I won't talk on the phone and dress you anymore.

Ps - doesn't he look happy?

Location:Bad Mommy

Hankster

2010-10-11T12:50:00.001-07:00

I think Henry needs a post all on his own. His time is so shared with his sister. And because he typically is our mellow guy - he is usually the last one to bathe, feed and be changed. So the other morning, I had some Hank time. He was the little person that I picked up first. Changed first, fed first, tickled first.

He is so fun to have in our home. He is a bit more physical than his sister. He can turn onto his back and then flip around onto his stomach (his newest trick - as of Sunday - 10/10/10!). He LOVES the jumperoo. If you are holding him, he is probably trying to jump as if he is still in the jumperoo.

Another trick of his is removing the pacifier and trying to get it back into his mouth. He gets it back in about half the time. He isn't too great at eating rice cereal - it mostly comes back out. But he does have a big appetite. Most of the time he is not mad unless he is hungry or has a bubble.

My favorite thing these twinkies do is laugh at each other - I'll post video soon. But they basically just look at eat other and start laughing. REALLY hard. I'm kind of jealous I am not privy to their secret.

During my time with Henry - he managed to experience a blow out. Thanks buddy. I think he might look guilty in this photo.

*Update - right after I wrote this post, I gave Henry his last feeding of the night. Burped him and changed his diaper when he did a new trick - he peed all over me! This has never happened before. Or maybe I was previously a bit more careful. Thanks baby. :)

Daddy

2010-09-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

When Daddy comes home is everyone's favorite time of day. Especially for Mommy, but it has been so fun to watch Darren interact with our babies. I think they are awfully tired of me by the end of the day.

I love this picture of Darren and Lily. It is a bit grainy but I love the subjects. Lily looks like she is telling Darren about her long day of naps, diaper changes, feedings and walks. She has it pretty good.

This picture is not clear and dark and grainy because Hanky is usually not happy and still at the same time (and Mommy had a really dark room, high ISO, low shutter speed and a moving target - we did our best). But I am using it to illustrate his exhilaration when Daddy plays with him.

Then when I want to get a picture of them together, he throws attitude like this: "I guess I'll tolerate him holding me."

Here Darren is entertaining the babies while I try to get smiles from them. He is my best helper because they will always give him their undivided attention.

I am serious when I say that everyone in our little family is happier when Daddy is home. We love you Daddy!

Beach Day!

2010-09-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

We were technically at the beach for 2 hours, so it really wasn't a beach day. This is not the babies first time to the beach, but this is the first time Mommy let them thrash their feet about in the sand. By the time we left (it was a bit of production even getting there) the babies were exhausted and took a long long nap. Which means Mommy and Daddy REALLY love beach days. It was also a good chance for Mommy to practice her metering and exposure. Which in super bright light - is REALLY hard. That is why some pictures seem a bit blown out - but the subjects are so cute - that I just don't care. It has been good for me to dust off the notes from my photography class and start looking at my babies again. I am becoming reacquainted with my camera. I hope we have a long long relationship.

I love their beach feet. They look like churros toes.

Hanky

Lily

5

2010-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

5 months? My babies are 5 months? Dear babies - please stop growing. I am going to do a photoshoot tomorrow but I was playing around in their bedroom today in the nice morning light. Here are a few pictures just to show you how fun my babies are despite their ear infections.

Here is our little Silly Lily. She gives us this enormous grin most days. But every once in a while we get this really surprised/confused face.

Hanky - He wasn't as smiley. Poor guy. Most of his shots were very serious. He was a tad grumpy this morning but I'll forgive him for many reasons. One of them being that his cheeks rest on his chest/shoulders. It just looks fabulous!

The aftermath

2010-09-15T10:34:00.001-07:00

It has almost been a month since my Dad passed away and I'm still sorting out my feelings. Sadness, relief and joy surge through my body at various times through the day. I've even stopped a few times and really concentrated - am I ignoring my grief? It feels so different than my experience with my Mom. Then I realized. It has been different. For starters, I am older - a tad more mature and sadly more accustomed to what emotions you experience when a parent dies. When my Mom died, every new emotion would bring on a shower of tears and a frantic call to a few long suffering family members and friends. This time, I know it will pass. Things will go back to the new normal. The life where I can't call my Dad. And surprisingly - I am okay with that. He was sick for so long, that I'm relieved my nightly prayers don't include a plea for him to not feel pain or sickness. I'm joyful (and a tad jealous) that he finally is in a place where he no longer misses my Mom - he's by her side.

In a way - my grief has been a lot like my Dad himself. Quiet and unassuming and a laugh with a few tears thrown in there. And really - the tears have been few. Another surprise but then again - my Dad was a man that didn't like anyone to fuss over him - even in death. He really didn't like to inconvenience anyone. There have been a few raw moments where the tears come but those are for me to know and appreciate. Truthfully, I had a much harder time when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I have had a lot of time to deal with the eventual reality that he would not be with us much longer. And in the past few years he was around long enough to see me get married and have children - I am so grateful for that.

His service was beautiful and joyous. Can you call a funeral joyous? Hmmm. Yes, you can. And his was. It was the type of funeral I would like to have someday. A funeral with a lot of laughter and very little sadness. The type of gathering where loved ones come together and the fruits of your life are happiness, laughter and knowledge that the world was a better place because of your efforts. Where a lot of people remember you because you liked to tell jokes and stories, read books and just connect with people. Just because you were happy with the lot you had in life - which in this day and age is a very rare gift indeed.

If you had ever met my Dad, he would have tried to make a connection with you. But if he didn't know you or your parents - he at least was aquainted with someone from your family or hometown. Or knew of a distant ancestor that somehow made you related to him. It helped that he had an insane memory that allowed him to store such knowledge. But it was one of the funny habits that my Dad had and every once in a while - I catch myself doing the exact same thing, "Oh, I knew your sister in law's parents - we met once in the 6th grade." My memory is now riddled with holes because of pregnancy and new motherhood - so I doubt I'll catch up with my Dad in terms of memory.

In a few ways I feel like my life has come full circle. I used to wonder if my Dad felt sad because none of his children knew his father. My Grandpa Brown passed away shortly after my parents were married, so none of us had ever met or known him. And now I know how he felt. For my Mom and Dad's sake. My children did get to meet my Dad a few times. We spent some quality time with him this summer where he liberally showered them with kisses. But they'll never get to go through his pockets and find about a dozen Dum-Dums. Or change for candy. Or have him tease them and ask them if their name is Rumplestilskin. But that's okay because I can tell my children stories about my parents and their wonderful qualities. Just like I remember hearing about Grandpa Brown.

So in the aftermath I have taken away a few valuable lessons. I try on a daily basis to think - What would my Dad do? Would he be overly concerned that his house is messy or would he simply enjoy these little babies? Would he maybe check email while I bounced one? Or would he just wait until those little babies were napping and instead spend their awake time cuddling, kissing, tickling and simply playing with my babies? The answer is pretty obvious. For a man that had 11 children and 39 grandchildren - he really was a nut for babies. Thank goodness. I hope I can pattern my life after his. Maybe not the 11 children part - but the part where you are generally just happy with your life :) Love you Dad!

Ps - these are awesome pictures that my sister in law Elizabeth took shortly after my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. I think that everyone should get themselves a talented sister in law. :) Thanks E, I love these photos!

Funeral Arrangments

2010-08-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

Philip Ray Brown

There will be a viewing on Friday, August 27th, 6:30-8pm at the Buttercup Chapel.

An additional viewing will be on the morning of the service from 9-9:45am.

Services will be at the Buttercup Chapel at 10am on Saturday, August 28th.

Buttercup Chapel - 1600 E. Buttercup Dr., Sandy, UT, 84092

Gratitude

2010-08-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am grateful for too much to list here but my short list includes these people:

My babies and my Dad. I am so grateful he got to meet them.

One of the best things a father can do for his children is cherish their mother. Adoring my Mom was one of my Dad's greatest strengths. She was one lucky lady. And we were even luckier to have him as a father.

I love you Dad!

Dear baby

2010-08-04T06:47:00.001-07:00

Dear Lily-

I truly love you and your little smile (with your tongue kind of sticking out) to bits but can you maybe turn down the charm
at 4am and work on going to back to sleep?

Love,

Your Mother

- Posted using BlogPress from
my iPhone

Hairdo

2010-07-30T15:40:00.001-07:00

We have achieved our first ponytail - our big girl!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

7/22/2010

2010-07-24T19:34:00.001-07:00

This was a HUGE day. We had our first laughs! From both babies - first Lily, then Hanky. They were both very highly entertained by Aunt Jacque - but let's face it - who isn't? :) And they were real belly laughs - not these namsy pamsy grunt/laughs that babies make in their sleep.

I feel like this is such a fun new chapter - laughing babies.

Hanky

Lily

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blessing Day

2010-07-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

This may come as a surprise - but I am a tad behind on the blog. I have been way too busy watching my little guys grow up! And I need to post about their blessing day - which was the 4th of July (how great is that seriously?). Henry was lucky enough to wear his Daddy's blessing outfit (can you even deal with how fabulous that little hat is?). Lily had a new white dress that Mommy was relieved fit her.

Darren did an incredible job and the babies behaved themselves accordingly :) In his blessings he talked about the babies heritage and various family members whose qualities he hoped they would have. So it was a nice little surprise in testimony meeting when one of the first people to give their testimonies was someone who knew my mother from the colonies! It was wonderful. It is always so fun to meet people who knew my Mom. She was pretty darn unforgettable.

Here are some of the pictures from the blessing day:

Grandpa and Grandma Harris - with Hank, Lily, Daddy and Mommy

The Harris/Brown clan that attended the blessing.

Our little family. "Are you kidding me? We have ourselves a family here!" (Raising Arizona)

The Brown/Harris men that participated in blessing.

(From left) Uncle Casey, Uncle Tim, Grandad Harris, Lily, Darren, Henry, Uncle Morgan, Uncle Dave, Uncle Stephen, Uncle Jon.

The rest of the day we spent at Morgan and Elizabeth's house - eating our body weight in food and Izze sodas. Later that afternoon we loaded up 5 cars (not kidding) of people and went down to the Mormon Battalion center in San Diego. One of the Harris ancestors - Robert Harris was in the Mormon Battalion and they had recently renovated the museum. (Henry's middle name is Robert - after this ancestor Robert Harris).

The museum was incredible and the company really can't be matched.

It really was the perfect way to spend out 4th of July - despite the freezing whether. It really felt more like November than July. Sorry out of town visitors!

Two Months

2010-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Two months? What? My babies are getting big. The two month mark came and went and in the process my babies are not as newborn looking anymore. Boo. It's great and sad all at the same time. Here are their stats from the doctor:

Henry
9lbs even
21 inches long
38cm head circumference
5th percentile for weight
10th percentile for head size

Here's what our little Henry is like. SOOOOO adorable. Our little man. That little dimple of his is going to get him out of a lot of hot water when he's older. He talks and gives big huge gummy smiles. He holds up his head really well and has mastered the art of stiffening his back when I am trying to burp him. He is happy around people and he likes to just watch what's going on. He has a really sad/adorable cry. It is sad like a little whimper - then he runs out of air and does the silent cry. It is harder to hear him cry than Lillian. Luckily he is typically just a really happy baby who likes to coo and talk and stare at you deeply. Be still my heart. His nicknames have now extended to Hanky Panky.

Lillian
9lbs 12 oz
21 inches long
38 cm head circumference
10th percentile for weight
25th percentile for head size

Our little Lillian is such a fun little lady. She has this fabulous little smile where she scrunches up her nose and her smile almost splits her face in half. It is fabulous and already seems full of mischief. She has her Daddy wrapped around her finger. She is less mellow than her brother. She can go from incredibly happy to incredibly sad in zero to sixty. She also talks to us very intently and she has a contagious laugh. She is also very good at holding her head up and exercising her neck. She loves to be held. She is not particular at this point as to who holds her as long as it is happening. If she had her way - she would be held all of the time. But there are times when that simply is not possible. So sorry baby girl. She likes to make eye contact and if she is in a good mood will break into a huge smile. If she is sad - she'll squeeze out a crocidile tear and stick out that bottom lip. Her nicknames have grown to include Silly Lily.

They are almost 3 months and I am just getting around to posting these - oh well. Life has been a bit busy.

This is what I have learned in the last 2 months:

- It is normal to have fantasies about taping a pacifier to your baby's face. Not to torture, but just so you don't have to replace it. Every. Five. Seconds.

- Blow-outs happen. At least once a day. Sometimes you can save the clothes, sometimes not.

- Wet wipes - what did people do before wet wipes? I luff them.

- Baby bjorns - they enable me to carry one baby in the carrier and the other one in my left arm. I am now capable of doing a lot with one hand.

- My back/neck hurt a lot now that I am trucking 2 babies around.

- Sometimes the babies cry. And by sometimes I mean they seem to cry a lot. It feels like there is always one who is a bit more upset. They are taking turns.

- The babies are now aware if you are around or not. Sometimes they cry and when I walk in and look at them - they promptly stop and give me a big smile. BIggest culprit in the Harris home? Hanky. Little stinker.

- Schedules make everything better. Especially the hours from 8pm until about midnight.

- If you have a hands free pump - it is possible to pump while you are driving. I wouldn't do that myself. I have just HEARD of people doing that. :)

I'm sure I've learned a lot more than that - but seriously - this is all I've got tonight. Just a little bit tired.

Here are their two month shots.

Day to Day Pics

2010-05-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Most of the day I don't have my hands free. Literally. Sometimes I'll have one hand free. If I do have a free second, it is to shower, comb my hair, put on deodorant and actually get dressed. I typically don't call people and I sometimes cannot answer the door BUT I get emails from Darren asking what the babies are doing, so I started taking pictures of them with my iPhone. The quality is not great but it works because the camera can be operated with one hand and I can email the photo directly to the Dad.

Here are a LOT of shots from the first month of their life:

Lily's first outing in the car seat. She looks so serious.

She was upset at these pants I put on her. They ride up like an old lady

Yeah! Henry is home! And showing off his adorable dimple.

This is how these guys typically sleep. Right next to each other. Henry on the left, Lily on the right

This is their first photoshoot with Aunt Lesli and Aunt Elizabeth. More of those photos to come.

Henry showing off his stripes. I was hoping the horizontal stripes with fatten up his little string bean body.

Mommy is VERY happy if this is how the babies are acting. Both mellow and down for a bit so she can eat/shower/dress herself.

Henry is showing off his cool outfit that cousin Issac lent him.

This was a day that both of this kiddos were very naughty. And as a result - all 3 of us cried for the majority of the day. Eventually they fell asleep and before I collapsed next to them, I took this picture. Hard to believe they could cause that much trouble. :)

Once in a while, I'll get a smile :) And a little laugh. It is starting to happen more.

This is what it looks like when you take a picture of a baby sleeping on your chest. Hard angle but soooo fabulous.

Sometimes it is hard to be patient. Some of us handle it better than others. Not naming names.

One month checkup! They had to get all naked for their weigh in.

Sometimes we spit up on Daddy (Henry)

When Henry has furrowed brows like that - it is usually a clear indication that Mommy took too long with his bottle.

This is a misleading picture of Lillian. While she is growing an impressive pot belly, this picture makes her look like the most adorable chunky baby ever. But she still pretty darn small. Starting to fill out though. And that SMILE! What a cute little Buddha.

Not to be outdone - Henry gave me a little smile right as he was falling asleep. He is so full.

More to come next month.

One Month

2010-05-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

So the one month mark has come and gone. We've all survived :) Especially the tired Mommy and Daddy.

I took these pictures on their one month day - just to document it. These are actually the outfits they were supposed to come home from the hospital in - but they were a tad too big. They are now fitting snugly and in Lily's case - a little too tight. And Henry's case - a little too short.

Here were their stats from the one month check up:

Lily 7lbs 13 oz, 20 inches long

Henry 7lbs 1 oz, 20.25 inches long

They spend a lot of their day right next to each other. What is surprising is that one baby can be crying and the other is sleeping peacefully. Let's hope that behavior keeps up!

Eat, Sleep, Repeat.

2010-05-12T10:24:00.001-07:00

The first 3 weeks of motherhood seem to follow a pattern. Eat, Sleep, Repeat. Eat, Sleep, Change 10 diapers, Repeat. (There really are a lot of diapers with 2 babies). Despite the fact that such a pattern would seem monotonous, it has been fun. It it strange to think I have never had Henry and Lillian in my life before.

I have to start the pattern again in about 10 minutes (we are on a very strict schedule around here), so for your viewing pleasure - here are these guys as of this morning:

Henry

This was right before his bath and he was mellow and the light was good - so I stopped for a second to take a photo. A few things to note about Hank. He struggles with his nap sometimes. That is why he is currently in my arms as I type this one handed. He is mellow - just likes to be held and doesn't really care for sleep sometimes. Which is hard when his Mom wants to match her nap to his :) He is consistent that he really likes to fall asleep during feedings. Like he plans it out. Hmmmm.

In general - his little personality is mellow. He doesn't cry as much when he gets his diaper changed (at least compared to Lillian). He is a slow eater and burps well. He has the most adorable dimple in his left cheek (they both have a dimple in their left cheek - Henry's is a little more prominent). His nicknames include - Little Chief and Hank. This little man is so fun to have in our lives.

Here is Lillian - post bath. She was a bit ANGRY when I had her take a bath as evidenced by the following picture. (Sara and Greg - thought you would like to see your gift in action - we love it!)

Miss Lillian also has a dimple like her brother - just not as prominent. Her eyes are round, his are almond shaped. There isn't much on these two that look alike yet - but it will be so much fun when those characteristics start to show up. Personality wise - there is already a pretty marked difference. She is much much much more vocal than her brother. If she is upset about something - diaper changing, bath, even the way she is burped, she is very clear that you have wronged her in some way. Okay that sounds a bit dramatic, but it is funny to see how she will exercise her lungs at any given opportunity. She is our champion eater. Gulps her food down which is why we almost have to slow her down. And when she sleeps, she sleeps very very hard. She is very prone to smiling, especially after you have given her food. When she is awake - she is awake, or it just seems that way because her eyes are so big and looking around.

Her nicknames are currently - Miss Lillian and Lily.

And it is time for the next feeding. Time to repeat :)

Home

2010-04-29T17:20:00.001-07:00

We are all home. It took about 10 days for the remainder of our family to be home altogether. In the meantime, we have had help via friends and family (bless you Lesli and Buffy!). I haven't really been great about texts and emails, so I apologize. There may be a chance I never catch up on them but I appreciate all of the emails, texts and comments. We have truly felt loved.

So here is the update. And I will write down these little people's birth story, so we have it recorded. But not right now. I will give a mini version. The c-section went incredibly well. It was scheduled and fast. I was able to watch these little people be born via a mirror my anesthesiologist held up for me. I have thought about that moment a lot in the past 10 days and it was incredible. Although I was only acquainted with my children via cravings and kicks to my bladder - we (Darren and I) were instantly infatuated. And very protective. We became PARENTS.

In the operating room, Lillian was struggling with transition - her skin wasn't turning bright pink with her breathing, so they whisked her away to be put on oxygen in the nursery with Darren and I stayed behind with Henry in recovery. It turned out in recovery that Henry's blood sugar was low and after a bit of testing, he was taken to the NICU for treatment and observation.

And that is where Henry has been. In the NICU for 10 days! Luckily it was quite a routine stay - for which we are very grateful. But for a Mom, 10 days seems like an eternity. It doesn't matter now because he is home with us safe and sound. He and his sister have already been practicing their sharing technique. They have already shared their crib and their swing. I figure we might want to start that early - that will be their reality for a very very long time!

Here they are! Lillian is on the left and Henry is on the right. He was so worn out from the hospital, that I snapped this picture right as he was falling asleep. Poor little guy - we are so relieved to have him home!

introducing

2010-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Henry Robert Harris

{currently in NICU}

Lillian Harris

Thankful

2010-04-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

Things I am thankful for this morning - in no particular order:

1) Modern medicine
2) NICU nurses that watch over baby Henry
3) Nurses that tend baby Lily so Mommy & Daddy can sleep
4) Pain medicine
5) Crunchy ice
6) An early morning shower
7) Whole wheat bread and honey
8) Family - all sorts - brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents. Especially thankful for the photographer sister in laws :) thanks ladies!!!!
9) Aunt Lesli - who was Lily's first babysitter and who has fierce skills when it comes to burping babies.
10) Baby Lillian and baby Henry Robert - they are truly so much fun. Will post details of them later - but we are over the moon in love with these little guys!

I only have a picture of Lillian right now on my phone. Baby Henry is in the NICU. Will post photos soon!

-- Post From iPhone

New Chapter

2010-04-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

We are almost there. In less than 12 hours - Darren and I will be welcoming our babies and we will go from a family of 2 to a family of 4! It is so exciting, I am actually not sure how to process everything.

The last few days have been incredible. Physically uncomfortable, but very fun. Darren and I have gone on a few last dates - the last times we can go out without having to pay a babysitter. I have mostly laid down all day to make sure that we will be delivering these babies on the 19th when surgery is scheduled and not to press myself physically. Darren has waited on me hand and foot - I have been a very very lucky girl.

So this post would not be complete without some truly embarrassing pics. If you were ever curious about what a person who is 38.5 weeks pregnant with twins looks like - I am here to satisfy your curiosity.

In this picture I am holding my arm kind of awkwardly because I am trying to show the full belly girth. Wow. It looks like I stuffed a beach ball in my shirt. I am going to say this - I wish it were another type of ball - a basketball perhaps, maybe even a volleyball but I don't think I'll ever be the girl that has the pregnant volleyball stomach. I am more of the beach ball type shape. Sad and true.

My little brother asked me if I was pregnant with twins or if I had been eating small children on the street. I think he's right. It does look like I have been eating small children. I have had quite the appetite.

The 2nd image is me mustering up my last bit of energy to be kind of sassy. Hmmm. Just more sad looking than sassy, but I will say this - the belly looks a lot smaller when it is not a sideways silhouette.

Tomorrow we will have our newest family members' birthday. It will be a sweet day not just because we will become parents but it is also our niece Camille's birthday. It makes our day more special because we have an opportunity to share such a special day with such a special girl.

Wish us luck!!!

That was Then - 2001

2010-04-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

This is the next installment of That Was Then - the 2001 edition. This was a tricky year. It was a year of change. Looking back it was a year of firsts. It was the year I graduated from college and got my first REAL job. It was first time I travelled back to Europe since I left Portugal. It was my first big move after college where I moved to Huntington Beach and have lived for the last 9 yeas (can't believe I have been here that long). It was one of the first times I have looked at myself in pictures and not completely been ashamed of my past fashion choices. I think my bad "Bob" haircut of the late 90's taught me to try to choose a more simple look. Maybe someday I will post those pictures - just not sure if I brave enough. They are worse than pregnancy pictures. Trust me.

For instance - here I am in London, Summer 2001. I LOVED shopping there, especially at the Diesel store. And I am wearing a pair of Diesel jeans that until recently - I still had around. Not bad. :)

Now for the more serious segment - 2001 was the year my Mom passed away. It really was a first for our family. The first round of holidays, the first time I realized that she simply wasn't a phone call away. The first time I trusted that everything happens for a reason and the first time I really gave the term "eternal families" some serious thought. It was the first time that I realized that life doesn't end when you experience disappointment or grief, even though for a brief moment - I really really wished it would. And it was the first time that I realized that my Mom had given me all of the tools to survive. That I would be absolutely fine. I just had to keep on enjoying life. It was the first time that I realized I could really laugh and still be sad - that those two emotions could co-exist. It was the year that I came to cherish peace in my life.

Christmas 2001 - it was our first Christmas without our Mom - 1o of the 11 kids were able to make it home.

In a lot of ways - 2001 was the year that I felt like I became an adult, even though I was sadly 23 at the time. Most states consider people adults at 18, but I had found a way to escape that responsibility until that point. The truth is, I am glad for the things I learned in 2001 - they were some valuable lessons that sometimes take a lifetime to master.

I think about the little babies that I am growing - who at this point don't seem to be coming in the next few days and I can't blame them. They have their Grandma Brown (for those who don't know her, really is a fun time) and their sweet cousin Camille to entertain them - they are probably trying to maximize their time in heaven. I know if I was given the chance - I would too.

Right now - I am on the cusp of motherhood and I can't help but think of my Mom. In a lot of ways - 2010 will be our year of first time moments again. First time as a mother. First time staying up all night trying to feed, burp and diaper two babies. I hope I can channel some of her strength when I reach those - "Oh my gosh - I have 2 kids now" moments and remind myself that my Mom somehow raised 11 pretty good kids. Without a lot of the bells and whistles that I have outfitted myself with :)

The Waiting Game

2010-04-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am 37.5 weeks pregnant with twins. I say this because it was "safe" to have the babies at 36 weeks. And here we are. Almost a week and a half later. I say we because Darren is on "HIGH ALERT" with his cell phone. Although April Fools has past, I call him probably once a day to tell him to head to the hospital to meet our babies - just to keep him on his toes. The bags are packed (mine and the babies' bag). I have my OB's cell phone number with the instruction - "if you feel labor pains call me and head to the hospital, no need to wait." Yet here we are - waiting.

I took this picture last week, these are Darren's hands on my belly (the belly is actually larger than it appears). I have a few pictures just to document. And let it be known, I do NOT look good in some of these photos. The rest of my body is not growing - but my belly is. I refuse to photoshop pregnancy pictures (by photoshop - I am referring to people who would alter their pregnancy pics to look a little more slim - shame on you!). I don't photoshop because this is the one time in our lives, it is pretty socially acceptable to put on weight. And at a certain point in life - you really just need to own it. So here I am - owning the belly and the tired face that comes with it.

35 Weeks

I see this picture and think - I should probably put on makeup. Or do my hair, but when you have a 10 lb bowling ball in your abdomen, you pretty much lose the desire to do much besides get dressed. You just stick to the basics.

36 Weeks

If at all possible - I look worse at 36 weeks than at 37. How did that happen? I was smiling but I have the puffy face, no make-up and it was late at night but I had procrastinated this picture, so I had Lexi take it quickly. Then we laughed really hard when we looked at it. I might look a little pathetic. The belly however is quite impressive. And about a week bigger :)

37 Weeks

This is the most recent picture. This was a great day. I slept in. Took a nap. Then ate food. Took another nap and still was on track for going to bed at a decent hour. Please notice how the belly has gotten bigger - if possible. And still WITHOUT stretch marks. I have a c-section scheduled on April 19th and it is a waiting game. What is going to show up first - the stretch marks or the babies? Only time will tell.

The doctor estimates that each baby is about 6.5 lbs but those numbers could be off by a pound. It made me a little sad because I was hoping each baby was at least 15 lbs each - to compensate for some of this weight gain. Right? Just kidding. However, I went to the doctor this week and I LOST 5lbs!!!! What? This is mainly because I have been diligent about my support hose and wrapping my feet at night. All water weight but hey - I will take any victory:)

This is my HOPE list this week:

1) I hope my babies can grow as much as possible, so they get here safely and can avoid a stay in the NICU.

2) I hope that they are healthy - don't care how much weight that it - I just hope their bodies are developed to what they need to be. I am hoping for very very strong lungs.

3) I hope I stop snoring after the babies are born so my husband can sleep in the same bed as me. He always starts out there but once I fall asleep - he migrates to the couch. (Sad truth - some people have VERY congested sinuses throughout their pregnancy - I am such a person). On the weekend, he naps as well because he is a light sleeper and I know I snore loud. Here is a picture of him napping the other day. Since he doesn't like his picture taken, I had to sneak up as if I was a wildlife photographer. It is not easy to sneak with a big belly.

4) I hope there are no complications with the c-section. I am hoping it is a smooth as my pregnancy. For that matter, I hope that the first few months of motherhood will be like my pregnancy. (This is a hope list - I am aware that some of these things might not happen).

5) And last and this one is not that important - it is quite vain. I hope that I can fit into my regular clothes within the year. I'd really hate to buy a new wardrobe. I really liked the clothes I had. But like I said - this is really not an important hope item. That's why I listed it LAST. I just got a double BOB stroller to help facilitate my return to my wardrobe and transport these little ones with ease.

Darren and I are just curious as to what their little personalities will be. Baby Boy has stubbornly remained in the transverse breech position for the last few months. Since he is baby A (the baby who comes out first), he is the one who calls the shots in the delivery. Some might think it would be a doctor but that is not the case. I wonder if this is an indication of a stubborn personality? Baby girl however, has been very flexible. She initially moved to the correct position (vertex) and then followed her brother's example and is now currently transverse breech as well. So maybe we will have a sweet baby and a sassy baby? I'll let everyone know if a few months. Once I get a better feel on our babes and parenthood. :)

That was Then - 2000

2010-03-31T20:16:00.001-07:00

My apologies if people thought my last post was a little worrisome. I was trying to be funny but I think I sounded a little tired/done with pregnancy. I am pretty tired, but not done with the pregnancy. Yet. (This could change at any moment :))

I did want to document the last decade with a picture to represent each year.

Here is the year 2000:

My sister Misha and I are in old town Jerusalem. We were part of the BYU study abroad program in the Summer 2 Group of 2000. We were actually one of the last groups that were able to attend a normal semester before it was closed down for a few years. We considered ourselves very lucky to be a part of the group. In all honestly it was Misha who made this experience happen. She was the one who reminded me to fill out paperwork, deadlines, forwarded me information on student loans.

Because of her efforts the trip was simply - INCREDIBLE. It was incredible to travel through the Holy Land but there were also great teachers, classmates that became lifelong friends, and about 14 rolls of film to document how much we managed to laugh on this trip. It was simply FUN. And made more fun by having an automatic friend to share it with.

Strange fact - Darren was a part of the Summer 1 Group. His group left a few days before our party arrived. Maybe things would have been different if we had crossed paths a few years earlier? Hmmm. I wonder if I would have been mature enough to realize that this is the guy I was going to marry? Probably not. Although I was in college, I still had a lot to learn.

Grumpiness

2010-03-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

As the weeks of pregnancy increase - so does a grumpiness factor. This is a direct result of walking funny, not getting a lot of sleep and realizing that you are really too tired to do anything but take naps and eat ice cream.

This was the week that I really started to notice that pregnancy has to only last 4o weeks, because there would be a higher murder rate in the world if it went any longer. With that said, I would like debut a helpful list. These comments have all been made to me in the past week.

Top 5 Comments/Questions That Could Shorten Your Life

This is a very last trimester-pregnancy-specific list. But a valid one that could save lives if they were avoided.

1) You are HUGE.

Really it could be any word related to size - enormous, gigantic, etc. Really? I am? I didn't notice that I was huge when it takes me a solid minute to get out of bed. To get out of bed, I have to do a crazy rocking motion and then use my legs for momentum. Due to my huge size. Thanks for the update buddy.

2) You look like you could burst.

I know I do. I feel like Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory who had to be de-juiced to save her life. ("Violet - you're turning violet!") Again - these obvious statements really don't get a chuckle. They get a death glare from the pregnant lady.

3) You have to be ready to deliver any day!

No, actually I still have 3 weeks. But thanks for the reminder that I LOOK as though I am 40 weeks pregnant.

4) You look miserable.

This one is conditional. I had this comment made to me when I had actually made an attempt to look cute - somewhat do my hair and put on make-up and an ensemble that didn't include sweats and Crocs. Physically I am pretty darn tired, but I look miserable? I was trying to look happy. What do I look like when I don't try? Probably worse. :)

5) Are you having twins?/You have to be pregnant with twins!

Luckily for these people, I AM PREGNANT WITH TWINS, but what if I wasn't? What if my body just gets this big when I get pregnant next time with one baby? That comment would probably make me feel pretty bad. As of right now, it is just slightly irritating.

The only disclaimer to this list is a friend/loved one trying to be funny. As if you knew they were joking. For example - the husband can make those comments because it is his pregnancy too and he has a lawful obligation to love my body and the changes it is experiencing. If Darren told me I was huge, I would agree. Then ask him to get a bowl of ice cream for me - to which he would happily oblige. No hard feelings. The check out guy at Home Depot does not get the same consideration.

I am going to write out a helpful list of comments/questions that are kinder and less life-threatening.

Top 5 Comments/Questions That Are Perfectly Acceptable

1) When are you due?

This is a safe comment. But can only be followed with a surprised tone like - "Wow - you are almost there - you don't look like it!" Please don't say - "Wow - you look like you are much further along."

2) Are you having a boy or girl?

This is an easy question and you can focus on the cute baby/babies, not their huge mama.

3) You look incredible!

I know that in most of the cases when I hear this term - it isn't true. But guess what? It is SO NICE TO HEAR. So just tell a white lie and spare the pregnant lady.

4) Are you so excited for your baby/babies to come?

Again, focus on the babies. 99.9% of the time you won't go wrong. (There is a .01% failure rate, but it is very very rare).

5) I hope you are just relaxing and getting rest.

Why thank you. Sleeping is about the only thing I can manage to do :) And not even that well. So I take a lot of naps and drink a lot of cold water.

I bring up the grumpy comments because I had a "situation" this week. I had to get my teeth cleaned. The appointment was early in the morning and I had a rather sleepless night. I had to do that rocking motion thing to get out of bed and physically I was a little worn out. But I got up. Got dressed and lumbered to my appointment.

As soon as I walked in, there were a lot of questions and comments asking about due dates, sexes of the baby/babies. Not a problem. I don't have a problem with those questions at all. They are from kind, curious strangers. I told the ladies working the front desk that I was expecting a boy and girl. That comment usually causes a bit of excitement and again, I was tired, but I didn't mind it. These women were very sweet and excited except for one of them that asked this - "So, are they real twins? Or did a doctor have to help you?"

I can deal with rude people fairly well, but my filter is a little loose when I am really tired. Throw in some hormones, and it could get downright dangerous. Those questions were rude. She had hit on two things.

1) REAL TWINS? I have been carrying 2 babies for almost 9 months. They feel pretty REAL to me!

2) NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS old lady wearing Tinkerbell scrubs! I don't know you. So I don't want to discuss my medical past with you. Just focus on the health of my teeth.

It literally took me about 20 seconds to answer her because I was soooooo irritated. And for a second I thought - Since I am growing/creating two lives right now - doesn't that give me the right to end a life? Especially this one?

Eventually, I put away all of the inappropriate comments that I REALLY wanted to say and simply told her the truth. "Well, we had some trouble getting pregnant. We had to get a little help." Then I stopped talking for fear that something mean would come out.

After my teeth cleaning, I went hope and decided the best medicine for a morning like that was sleep. And maybe a bath, followed by another nap. And food.

This is what my shadow looks like at 35 weeks pregnant. I will post some happier thoughts this week along with some belly pictures, but I thought that even my shadow looks a little funny. :)

34 weeks

2010-03-19T13:37:00.001-07:00

Today is a big day. Actually today is regular and I am BIG. :) I am 34 weeks pregnant. Babies are measuring 4 plus pounds each. And here are a few pictures to document the last few weeks.

Here I am at 32 weeks pregnant:

That shirt is not actually a maternity shirt but has now become a maternity shirt because I have stretched it into submission. Horizontal stripes probably do me no favors but it is very very long and covers the underpart of my belly - which some things simply can't reach. 32 weeks pregnant at 32 years of age. Wow.

Here I am at 33 weeks pregnant:

I am not small. The belly may not look bigger in this shot but let me assure you. It has grown. Surprisingly without stretch marks.

I haven't taken a picture of 34 weeks yet - I need to be a bit cuter than I currently am right now before we get the camera out again.

Here are the top 10 things I have learned about pregnancy:

1) Strangers touch your belly. For some reason, most of them are in the grocery store. Not sure why. But it is uncomfortable when a person you don't know touches you. I wonder how they would react if I told them I wasn't pregnant and it was a tumor or something? Hmmm.

2) Touching is totally fine if you actually know the person. If I know the person, it ISN'T uncomfortable. Almost like they are giving you a hug or something when they touch your belly. Almost as strange as number 1.

3) People are WAAAAAY nicer to pregnant people. I often have people offer to carry things, let me sit down earlier at restaurants, start casual conversation with me - simply because people are nice. And particularly more nice to pregnant ladies. But really - family members, church members, co-workers - everyone wants you sitting down and resting. I find that most of these people have personally been pregnant or had a spouse be pregnant - so they understand how a woman can become winded when she bends down to slip on her Crocs. Yeah. I wear Crocs and they are LOVELY.

4) I knew your feet would get swollen but I have NO IDEA that this included conditions like, Foot Muffin Top (thanks Heather Warren for coining the term). This happened to me last weekend when we were going to a reception. The dresses still fit (a small miracle) but I tried on 20 pairs of shoes and I looked like I had replaced my bony feet with Miss Piggy's feet. The end result was either flip flops or driving to Target to buy some fat flats for the reception. Since I am emotionally not to the point where I am comfortable wearing flip flops to church or events - we stopped at Target on the way. I am sure that emotionally I will be there in a very very short time.

5) Parts of your body actually jiggle. Parts that didn't/shouldn't jiggle. LIKE MY FEET AND ANKLES. Yeah, I feel small jiggling tremors coming from them. And it is disturbing.

6) The belly doesn't stop growing until the babies are actually delivered. I know that may seem like a no brainer, but when you are looking at your belly in the mirror - there is a part of you that thinks - this thing can't possibly get any bigger - can it? Guess what everyone? It CAN GET BIGGER. And it is getting bigger every day.

7) Stretch Marks haven't happened. YET. I am not saying that to brag. I am saying that because I am genuinely surprised by this small miracle. Genetically my Mom helped me out. But she can only help me up to a certain point because I am pregnant with twins and I am venturing into some unchartered territory in our family. SO I am expecting stretch marks. Because I think I'll be pregnant for another 4 weeks (unless some complication arises) and like I said in number 6 - the belly doesn't actually stop growing until the babies come out. So I won't be disappointed if they show up. I am patiently awaiting their arrival.

8) I actually want the babies to stay in as long as possible. I know that I am uncomfortable right. But I think I'll be a LOT more uncomfortable when I am up all night nursing, changing diapers and at my home for the first 2 months.

9) Nesting is a REAL condition. Where all of a sudden you have this overwhelming desire to redecorate, clean and do every project you have intended to do in the last decade in the course of a few days. Luckily I have been blessed with a husband that is just going with it and helping me complete this list. In the back of my mind I know I will not get much done as soon as the babies arrive. I am just going to be tired and enjoying babies. So I am a whirlwind of activity right now.

10) I am fairly certain that all of the books in the world can't prepare me for how crazy/fun life will be when our babies make their appearance. I have been reading the books. They elude to certain things but I am sure that nothing can prepare us for that moment. We are excited but there is a sense of fearfulness as well. I almost wish there was a book that gave instructions like - "When they put the babies in your arms, you will probably think - Oh my gosh - I'm a parent! Followed by an emotion that is like - what did I just get myself into? And that feeling will never quite go away - especially when they turn 16 and borrow the car on Friday night. Or they discover a sharpie and play tic-tac-toe on your couch." I might have to write such a book because in my mind THAT would be incredibly helpful.

Despite the last comment, we are very very excited about our little people. It is hard to believe they are going to be ours. With no return policies :)

Got Belly?

2010-02-23T22:16:00.000-08:00

I have been busy the last couple of months growing a very impressive belly. Babies are doing great. In all honestly - this pregnancy has been very charmed. But definitely feeling the weight of a new ever-expanding stomach. I have less than 8 weeks left. We have been busy setting up a nursery and getting things in order before our world changes. Here is a shot to document the last few weeks of the pregnancy.

30 Weeks (with twins - I feel like I need to tell people this fact )

A few things to note at this point.

1) Black does help you look a bit thinner. Trust me. I saw myself in a picture with a colored top and almost died from shock that I looked so big! Lexi helped me retake this picture.

2) My forearms look exceptionally beefy in this shot. Like I am a construction worker or such profession.

3) I still have EIGHT weeks left to grow babies. I want to go for 8 more weeks. It is better for the babies but not so good for my self esteem in pictures :)

4) Currently each baby has an estimated weight of 3+ lbs. Lexi pointed out that I am as big as she was when she delivered her baby. Which is true - he was 7 lbs. Which leads to this question - what if each baby weighs 7 lbs? Where will that weight distribute? Maybe my forearms?

5) My bottom looks very flat in this shot - not the case - it is the shirt. But I won't lie. My bottom has gotten big. Kind of like what is going on with the forearms.

6) I am having a hard time breathing. This could be because I am breathing for 3 people right now and my lungs have now been crushed upwards. I am just glad to be living at sea level. How do people breathe when pregnant with twins and living at high altitude?

7) I wear support hose. Like an 80 year old woman and I LOVE THEM. I have noticed that being cute is much less important now. I have to stand a lot for work and my feet have started to swell. Comfort over cuteness. This could explain why I am wearing crocs and sweats a lot. They are just more comfortable. I have a hard time bending over - so flats and slip-ons have been taking priority in my life.

8) I have a pair of skinny jeans. Which is ironic because I am not skinny but seeing how my legs have put on the least amount of weight (see support hose comment) - I feel the need to at least showcase them.

9) Someone asked me about pregnancy cravings. And my answer is this - FOOD. All kinds of food. And ice cold water. I haven't gotten heartburn, no throwing up - nothing. Which makes food so much more appealing. Hmmm. Food. Everything simply tastes better when you are pregnant.

10) I can feel the babies moving A LOT. Their movements are being visible to the naked eye, which is a bit disturbing. It is also disturbing that both babies instinctively can sense when I am getting ready to rest or relax and they start dancing the macarena in my belly. They kick hard now. How hard are they going to kick in a few weeks?

Okay okay, on a more serious note - Darren and I are very excited to meet our baby boy and girl when they decide to make an entrance into the world. We are rushing to make plans to have everything ready in case they decide to make an early appearance. We have been fortunate that so many people have been so generous with their baby gear - clothes, cribs, glider - the list goes on forever. We are feeling set. Kind of.

Before our little people get here I wanted to document the last year and the last decade. The next few posts will be related to that. I was going through some pictures and can't believe how much change this past decade has brought. If it is any indication, the next decade will be pretty exciting.

You know you're pregnant when....

2009-11-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

1) You find yourself crying a little bit during Glee. GLEE!!!!! In all fairness, it was the part where I saw Sue's Down Syndrome sister - who didn't shed some tears? I don't even watch the show regularly! Boo.

2) Thanks to Glee, the following day I was listening to the Wicked soundtrack and shed a tear or two over "Defying Gravity."

3) I cried in parts of Ghosttown. Yes, I know it is a comedy, still got a little weepy when he was helping all of the dead people.

4) Hocus Pocus - I am truly ashamed of this one. It was a dumb Halloween show (emphasis on DUMB), but when Thackery Binx saw his little sister Emily at the end of the show, it really touched me.

5) Cried when I dropped Lexi off at the airport. She and Cash left me for Puerto Rico for 3 months. I am excited for their adventure but sad that I am not going to see Cash or Lexi for 3 months.

So pregnancy has made me a little weepy, but I am told that is perfectly normal. Please don't be alarmed if I cry in your presence. So far, it has been the most perplexing part of pregnancy.

Times Two

2009-11-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

We have a few changes coming our way in April:

Baby A - a BOY

Baby B - a GIRL

We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome. One of each. Baby times two. Blessings times two. Pregnancy fatigue times two. Weight gain times two (or that is what I tell myself at 15 weeks when clothes are getting tight). Twice the diapers, twice the gear, twice the fun.

Apologies to all because I truly have fallen off the face of the earth. I am starting to emerge from my fatigue. I hope. Darren hopes. :)

2 Years

2009-10-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

In 2 years, we have gone from this:

Dressing up all fancy and having a big party.

To this:

Happy and tired because I secretly woke up early to sneak out of the house and buy donuts at his favorite place in HB. I know - donuts - we get all fancy here. (In all fairness, Darren whisked me away to AZ for the weekend to lounge and shop - I am the one who reciprocated with donuts).

I love you Darren! I am so happy I get to be married to you!

2009-07-07T09:43:00.001-07:00

Cousins - check.
Dressed up as Cinderella - check.
Jewelry - check.
Eating a piece if pizza while sitting on the floor - check.

These two are so much fun.

Phoenix and Auburn

-- Post From iPhone

Tribute to Indie Films

2009-06-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

Indie films are awesome

Hmmmm

2009-06-24T17:51:00.001-07:00

He is delicious:

Mr. Cash Ryan Patterson
7lbs. 15oz.
21.5 inches
11:02 am

Our little number 35.

-- Post From iPhone

Maui - our mid-update

2009-06-04T01:08:00.001-07:00

We are having a blast but need to be careful. We might be having too much fun. We get up early everyday and end up in bed well before 10pm - totally exhausted. From too much fun. So how can I complain about that? It's wonderful. I am posting this as I lay in my bed, listening to the ocean. Ahhhh.

We have been here for 4 days with Rod and Lesli and the boys (who are getting huge!) it has been such a fun trip and we are so grateful Lesli and Rod invited us. It has been fun to be in Hawaii with the boys, I find myself giggling at the things they say all day long.

I am going to wait for better pictures for a longer post, but I wanted to post a few things that I have loved:

- tandem parasailing was so much fun!!
- snorkeling at molokini crater (I am 99.9% sure I misspelled that but too tired to look it up)
- frolicking with sea turtles. Frolicking is probably the wrong word. I just swam really close and the turtles swam away while I tried to follow. It was so much fun. For me - not them.
- banana bread - this ladyclaims to make the best banana bread on the planet - I think she might be right!! Incredible.

The view from Mama's Fish House

This guy still loves me even when my sunscreen skills left him with a baaaaad sunburn. I will take a picture so I can show the doctor when he is diagnosed with skin cancer. Ps - this is the beach in front of our hotel. It is amazing!

My feet - happy to wear flip flops all day.

Hawaii Bound

2009-05-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, we made it on the flight. I shamelessly over-packed. But we made it. We are sitting on the plane heading Maui.

Here is the happy man:

Away we go!!!

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely weekend. Most of it was spent at the AVP tournament watching Casey and Ty rock the AVP - they placed 5th on Sunday morning and we couldn't be more proud of them.

Sunday night - we (me, Sara, Corey, Baker, Darren, Jenny, Lexi, Casey) had a pasta party to prepare for our half marathon. A pasta party and sugar cookies - thank you Jenny!

Memorial Day morning we got up at 5:30am (on a holiday I might add), and prepared for our race. It was. So. Much. Fun. I saw my cousin Tiffany Brown at the race - we have cousin's everywhere! I found out from her Facebook status that she was running a half marathon in CA over the weekend, and it was the same race - what are the odds? Probably high - there are a lot of us :) It was so fun to see her and all of her cute friends. Thanks Facebook for the connection!

I didn't have a great time, so that won't be posted, but I will post Darren's. He did the half marathon in 1:35. He is so awesome. He was aiming for his previous time of 1:28, but maybe next time?

After the race, we went to a ward picnic and then to Terminator Salvation - which I really liked. But I like Christian Bale and the Terminator movies - so it was a great combination. By about 7pm, the early morning was starting to catch up with me, so I was out by 9pm. Sad but true.

Today I am a little sore (not bad) but glad we did the race.

Here is a picture of me and my cousin Tiffany - I stole it from Facebook. Luckily she is more organized than me and was taking pictures - I had no photographic proof I was even in the race! Thanks for the picture Tiffany!

To our Half Marathoners - Darren Harris, Corey Cooper, Baker Morphy, Adam Koch, Tiffany Brown and Co., Me, and Sara Spilsbury - thanks everyone for such a fun race - it was a great Memorial Day!

My Mother's Daughter

2009-05-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

There are times in your life where you catch yourself doing something and realize that your actions are not new. The actions are learned. Such a moment occurred last week when I was using a sharpie (one of the greatest creations ever) to color in my black sunglasses frame. I love nice sunglasses but I have a tendency to break or lose them so I have been purchasing cheap pairs from Target. They protect my eyes and I am not bugged when I break them. It seems like a win-win situation. As I was coloring in my frames with a black sharpie (which is really bizarre, I know), my mind suddenly went back to memories of my Mom.

As my Mom grew older, she became far sighted. This was a problem because my Mom was a reader. Compulsive reader. Being far-sighted was very inconvenient. She bought some prescription glasses only to break them a shortly after. Then she realized that she could buy a 6 pack of reading glasses at Costco for a bargain. But she continually broke the glasses, whether it be one temple or both temples. the temple padding, the nose guards - it was a common sight to see my Mom reading something holding up a pair of mangled glasses - it got the job done - who cares what they looked like? And she keep adding more glasses to her collection. We teased her constantly and all over the house there were glasses tucked into drawers, on dressers, in her car, purse, dining room table. She really didn't mind what they looked like - only that they worked.

The most memorable moment with glasses came when I came home late one night and found Mom reading in bed. She wasn't holding up a pair of glasses and the frames were on straight which told me that she had found one unbroken pair until I realized that she had TAPED the glasses to her head. Both of the temples were missing, so she literally put 2 long pieces of scotch tape (which she thought wouldn't hurt as bad when she removed her makeshift glasses) and taped them to her temples and hair. Our own little Benjamin Franklin. As I laughed until I cried, she was completely non-plussed. She chuckled but could hardly acknowledge me, she was reading a book and didn't have to hold up her glasses like a monacale - mission accomplished.

As my chipped black sunglasses were "fixed", I realized that this makeshift attempt was actually something my Mother would do. I would like to believe I would never use tape to make my sunglasses work but I can't say never. Ten years ago, I never thought I would actually use a sharpie to color in something (think toe nails, sunglasses and millions of other uses). But here I am. With a rainbow of sharpie colors and a lot of imagination. He-he. I think my Mom would be proud.

The funny part is that when she passed away, I didn't really want any of her belongings. She didn't wear jewelry and her clothes didn't fit me. What I wanted most was a pair of those silly reading glasses. Preferably a broken pair. Isn't it funny that our most valuable possessions are sometimes the little things? Like a broken pair of glasses that makes you chuckle when you see them? Or the fact that I proudly realized that my desire to use a sharpie to fix things is probably something genetic that my Mom passed on to me?

This is my Mother's Day tribute - very late but I am always late - it is another gift from my Mother. And taped glasses? I am actually sure my Mom is chuckling right now. It was one of her finer moments. What can I say? I am proud to be my mother'sdaughter. Sharpie and all.

Mom's glasses. Please note the missing temple on one side and temple padding replaced with a band-aid. Klassy.

AVP

2009-05-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

The AVP is fun for a few reasons. It is a good reminder to lay off carbs - as we watch tall bikini clad women diving in the sand. And it reminds me that I really am not that tall. BUT the most important part has been watching my brother in law Casey play with his partner Ty. We spent the day at the beach - watching games and cheering. Lexi is literally getting a blister on her hand from all of the clapping.

This weekend was the AVP tournament in Huntington Beach and it has been so much fun to watch. Casey and Ty have been playing so well. This morning Casey and Ty beat Mayer/Nygaard which is the 3rd overall ranked team. It was a huge win. Casey and Ty are currently ranked 5th place in the HB tournament and will be playing for 3rd place tomorrow morning. If they win, they will have a place in the semi-finals! They had one loss today (it is a double elimination tournament) and it was against Dalhausser/Rogers -the gold medalists. That was a fun match to watch. Very exciting.

All I can say is this - I am related to him!!!! Good luck tomorrow Casey!

Actually forgot my good camera today - this is a shot of Casey's jump serve at the Riverside tournament.

7-11

2009-05-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

Although 7-11 deserves a post of its own, 7-11 was part of my morning. I had a late night. Which translates into to a long morning. As I as trying to drag my booty out of bed to go running, I get this text from my sister,

"Manny from Ryan Secrest is at the 7-11 on Bushard and Garfield giving away AVP tickets and Amex gift cards! Go down there!"

There is something about a contest/anything associated with Ryan Secrest/ free stuff that can make me move quick. It is like a sport. Free stuff!?? At my 7-11 just down the street? Whaaat? So I threw on contacts, running clothes and a hat. Didn't brush the teeth or comb the hair - no time! Run out the door and jump in my car right behind our neighbor Baker (his wife Jenny is a Ryan fan/7-11 soul mate). We speed down there to see a lot of people with little slurpees. Manny was apologetic. 40 people made it before us. He consoled us with a free slurpee. Boo. I don't just leave the house like this for anyone.

It could be the first time 7-11 has ever let me down.

( no clue who owns that car, just took this from my car window as I drove away)

Halfway Point

2009-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

We are halfway through the year and this is how I am faring with my goals:

1) Half Marathon - Running another half marathon on Monday. Done and Done. Note: This will be a SLOW half marathon but 13.1 miles is 13.1 miles.

2) Triathlon - Hmmm, so far, I haven't really progressed on this goal, but I might replace it with the St. George Marathon that Darren and I got into!!! Whoo-hoo!

3) Learn Spanish - Okay, I am actually doing really well in this department. Better than before. I can somewhat be understood (because I am surrounded by kind hearted women who understand why I am TRYING to say). But I can always improve. A lot.

4) No Soda in 2009 - I am almost done with May and am happy to report I have not fallen off the wagon (though there have been some temptations). I do and always will love carbonation. I think it is a Hatch thing - all of that Mexican soda or something but it really really makes me happy. So 6 more months, I can survive and then I will get a HUGE big gulp to reward myself.

5) De-clutter - This comes in waves. In some ways, i am way more organized. Not so much in other ways. I am getting a little more organized but the paperwork! Why is there always papers around? Ones that I can't throw away?

6) Photography - I haven't done much in this department. I am signed up for Wendy Schultz class but the assignments have not started yet. I need to take a photoshopping class BEFORE I get into Wendy's class. Hmmm, I might just need to bite the bullet and take another class.

7) Reupholster - I am actually looking at various thrift stores for such a chair. One I can recover. And not be bitter because I wasted a lot of money. It is a start. I am not finding a community class that has a 4 week course. That would be ideal. Not expensive and short. My kind of class.

8) Slow down - This is a work in progress. I have been gradually just been letting things go. Oh well, they don't get done. That is hard for me to do. I try to do EVERYTHING. But lately I have been happy with things the way they are. And slowing down gives me more quality time with the man friend. I like that.

9) Travel Somewhere New - Okay so we are going to Maui in 2 weeks. That is someplace new and it is like a foreign country because we have to go across an ocean to get there. Haha! I am so excited. I think we are staying in the US for our travels this year. We are headed to Dallas and Austin in September (I have never been to Texas, sad but true). And there is talk about a New York City trip in the fall. So I can wear a cute coat and pretend I am a local. Not sure about foreign travels but Darren and I are always on the hunt for a new trip.

10) Family time - I don't think I can make it to the reunions this year but I have been seeing a bit more of the family. I think an AZ trip needs to be on the horizon. See all of my peeps down there! But i have seen a lot of my family. In Utah, Vegas and California. And of course, I see Darren every night. It has been lovely.

11) Spiritual Health - I think the thing that has helped the most in this department has been slowing down. It has been nice. Something that has helped has simply been not watching TV on some nights. Which is easier in the summer, I don't have as many shows. :) I feel like I am making progress. Temple, calling, personal, family. It has been a nice year.

12) Piano - Due to a territory change, I haven't been able to take lessons, but I have been able to get a uber- simplified hymn book and practicing a few times a week on the keyboard that Stephanie and Jon lent us. I actually don't have to play for church because they called a lovely woman to come and help us. But it is nice just to practice reading the notes. It has been fun.

See? I am making progress. Maybe not as much as I want in some areas but I still have 6 more months.

Lexi's Shower

2009-05-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

This little gathering has taken up a chunk of my time! And it wasn't really that little for a few reasons:

1) there were a ton of people there

2) some of Lexi's volleyball friends were there and they were some of the prettiest/tallest girls ever

Here is a sneak peek:

Here is a special shout out to the ladies how helped put this thing on:

Jenny Morphy, Nicole Barnes, Linny Terry, Kalei Watt - thank you for the lovely house, food, helping set up, decorations and having to drive over a bunch of chairs!

And to the salad girls: Kay Jones, Beckie Imboden, Box-Morphy, Heather Warren, Nicole Barnes - you ladies were life-savers.

The party was a hit! Baby Cash can come anytime!!!

I will post more pictures later.

-- Post From iPhone

2009-05-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

On a scale of one to ten - what is my awesomeness level when I use a red sharpie to color in my chipped toenail polish because I am in a hurry?

Before:

After:

-- Post From iPhone

Belated Mother's Day

2009-05-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

I have a nice long post regarding mother's day but I will save that for a little later. I can post it whenever I want.

I wanted to share with you my favorite Mother's Day present so far. (I am not a mother yet, but I will accept a present anytime they are offered).

While I was slaving away at a medical conference talking to doctos about drugs, Darren was making the garden look wonderful. It looked something like this:

I know, scary - right? I had put some plants in containers - mostly tomatoes, japelenos, and herbs but had not even had the time to attempt weeding the patio space. I hate weeding, it is blah.

I came back to this back patio space:

I know - huge difference, right? Ahhh, lovely. Thank you Darren for the best present. Ever! And sorry you got a sunburn while you were weeding. And thank you for to sacrificing a chunk of your day to make our patio a liveable.

-- Post From iPhone

Working on Saturday

2009-05-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

My weekend has not felt like a weekend - working on Saturday has me all turned around. And being on your feet all day loses the fun factor after 1 hour.

Ellen Show Swag

2009-05-07T20:46:00.001-07:00

The Ellen Show was so generous! Here is our swag:

- crib and mattress
- frigidaire dishwasher
- butler bag
- baby bjorn
- calendar necklace
- complete line of mrs. Meyers baby products
- infant car seat carrier
- zooni hat
- Chloe style baby booties
- baby blanket
- uppa baby stroller
- digital baby monitor
- digital camera
- $100 gift card to shutterfly
- 6 months diapers
- silicone bottles
- Dwell studios baby bedding

It was amazing!!! So happy to be invited. Thanks Lexi.

Here we are unloading our gear - most of it will mailed to us.

Our swag:

The best part is that as we were driving home, we found out that Stephanie is at the hospital ready to have her baby! Good luck Steph!!

Ellen Show

2009-05-07T13:15:00.001-07:00

We are waiting for the Ellen Mother's Day show. I was lucky that Lexi invited me as her guest. However I should not have worn the loose fitting shirt because everyone keeps on asking how far along I am. If I am surrounded be 200 pregnant women, their fertility will rub off, right?

I will write later with a recap of the show. It is going to be so much fun!!!

Lexi - she is good to stand on line 7.5 months prego. Thanks for the invite Rexi!

Don't worry - we are VIP. No big deal!!!

-- Post From iPhone

Princess

2009-05-06T06:46:00.001-07:00

This was how she dressed up to greet me at the airport. Please note that she is wearing the Sleeping Beauty pink Princess Aurora dress, while holding the matching doll. I will be honest - I felt pretty special.

Rainbow

2009-05-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously- when was the last time anyone has seen a rainbow?

I was driving with mi padre and we saw this enormous rainbow. There was acutally 2 rainbows but my camera phone was not able to capture to second one. Maybe the next iPhone will have zoom on it?

Date Night

2009-03-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes work is so busy that I don't want to do much on the weekends. Darren and I try to go on a date at least once a week, but this one was simple and good.

We both left work a little early and headed to Balboa Island for frozen bananas. Besides the fact they are awesome, it helps me pay homage to Arrested Development.

Then we took the ferry over to the pennisula, and went over to the wedge to watch the waves for a while.

As you can see I am slightly obsessed with the polaroid feature on my iPhone.

Ferry rides + Frozen Bananas +

Watching Waves =

Happy

Mosaic Me

2009-03-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am following Jenny's lead.

If I was a mosaic, I would look like:

want to make one of your own?

step 1: go to flickr.com

setp 2: in another window open http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php

step 3: choose 4 columns, 3 rows

step 4: answer the following questions in the search bar of flicker. pick your favorite one on the first page and paste it into your mosaic

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you.

12. Your nickname.

What do you look like?

Except for Deveraux....

2009-03-02T19:50:00.001-08:00

This little one was not smiling. At least not around my camera.

First she seemed bored.

Then she ignored my efforts to get a smile.

After about an hour, she started to warm up.

And FINALLY, she smiled. Just a little. But enough.

Second Wave

2009-03-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

Our second wave of visitors was Misha, Dad, Arden, Seville, Bethany and Ryan. Since Lexi and I live right across from each other we plenty of room for everyone. The first day was spent at Disneyland. Part of the crowd left early and I brought Dad after I was done with work. Dad really wanted to watch Casey practice with the National Volleyball Team.

I think Disneyland can be summed up in smiles:

The Girls on the teacups

Seville and Skylar

Arden (with new toy)

Kiki (minus one tooth)

Tim

Lexi

Misha

Dad

First Wave - Wed. and Thurs.

2009-03-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

Our visitors came in 2 sets. The first set arrived at the beginning of the week in the form of Lesli, Nan, Morgan and Jack. They were at the Marriott in Newport Coast. We were lucky to spend time with them, getting food and playing in the wonderful hot tub. Chief and Rod joined them later in the week and Lesli and I spent an evening showing me some basic camera settings and playing with her fancy new camera lens.

The macro lens is incredible! It can capture such detail. Naturally, I used it to take a picture of my wedding ring.

Here is a beautiful shot of me. Notice the confused look on my face? Lesli is teaching me how to use the timer and I accidently took a picture. Lesli - I cropped you out of the photo. You're welcome ;)

And here two of my favorite guys just hanging out.

It was so much fun to have family down in our neck of the woods. Come back anytime!

Week in Review

2009-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

This week was a long one. Good but long. Darren and I had a lot of work and combined that with a lot of family in town too. It was so much fun, but I was in a hurry on Thursday when I went out to my car and found a flat.

I had a choice. I could call the roadside assistance that work provides us but they were out for about an hour. So I decided it might be quicker to change the tire and drive it to a tire store.

Luckily I know how to change a tire. It was a bit of a hassle to empty my trunk of all work items to get the spare tire. But I was well into the process when Darren showed up to finish up the job.

This is Darren helping me not get my suit dirty. My hero.

Happy Birthday HW

2009-02-16T22:20:00.001-08:00

I am making a public birthday announcement for this lady:

The big 3-0 deserves its own post.

You are welcome that I used a great picture. That is my birthday present to you because I was tempted to use the video footage I have from you at Disneyland singing a song. (Mr. Magoo)

Thank you for being born.

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day has been perfect. Not really in the sense of something huge and romantic - Darren and I are not Valentine's Day people. Maybe a small gift and card. I didn't really want anything but I gave Darren a card that looked like this:

I stole the idea from Oh Happy Day. My message said a little something different but that is personal.

Our day was simple. Clean the house. Mostly cleaning up my messes. I literally stayed in my PJ's all day. We played a rocking game of Monopoly in which Lexi and I won (we were a team and we owned the orange and red properties - of course we won). Then Lexi and I made sugar cookies and went to the night session of Stake conference. Pretty sexy Valentine's Day, huh? Actually it was perfect.

I love the night session of stake conference but this was needed. Elder Richard Hinckley was there and looks and talks quite a bit like his wonderful father. He shared some stories about his Dad. He read from one of his father's notebooks and gave us the advice we needed. I am going to paraphrase his message but he mentioned that general authorities of the church are encouraged to not to write talks. They are supposed to show up and let the spirit guide them.

He talked about how we are living in a time when it is not popular to be a member of the church. That standing up for what is right is sometimes very unpopular and the noise around proposition 8 has affected the church worldwide. He referred to it as a sifting process. He said that as time goes on, it will continue to be difficult but beautiful things can come from adversity (he was referring to Joseph Smith and his words from Liberty Jail). But that we as members of the church treat others with dignity and respect, no matter what their beliefs or their actions against us. We should embrace diversity.

He said that missionary work is important, we were able to hear the testimony of a recent covert and he focused on us sharing the gospel. We have approx. 57,000 missionaries (he had the exact number but my memory is not as sharp as his).

And one of his messages that resonated the most was me was something that Elder Uchdorf and his father said, "Do the best you can." Put your family first, serve diligently in your callings and do the best you can. Which is exactly what I needed to hear. Sometimes I seem to be overloaded and I am trying to do too much. Which results in a lot of things getting halfway done. Then I get more frustrated. It is just a simple nice reminder. Elder Hinckley said that his father was the king of short answers. He shared the message "do the best you can" and one of the brethren told him afterwards that they needed to expect more from the saints, that doing "the best you can" simply wasn't enough. The next time President Hinckley met with the group he told them to do the "VERY best you can." Brilliant.

So I am going to get back to our Valentine's Day. I think the All-Star dunk contest is tonight and we have it recorded. Don't ever think that married life isn't exciting ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Update Challenge

2009-02-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

Darren and I went on a little date tonight. We started at Barnes and Noble (who doesn't love that place?) and meandered over to Cheesecake Factory. I leave the Cheesecake Factory always thinking - why, why, why are there so many things to choose from? And why are their portions so big? We usually order two appetizers for dinner - which is plenty big.

I promise I'm getting to a point. We are leaving the Cheesecake Factory when we run into my friend Ali. She had met up with a group of friends and was walking back to her car with her roommate. I have not seen Ali in FOREVER and said as much - but then followed up with this embarrassing statement - "It's okay - I look at your blog all the time - I always know what is going on." (Which is true - could I be the laziest friend ever?). Then she replied - "I look at your blog too but you don't update it very often." She spoke nothing but the truth - why on earth don't I blog more? It isn't from a lack of having something to say, I always have something to say. Hmmm.

So here is my own challenge (can I make my own challenges?) I am going to update my blog at least once a week. Once a week, I will religiously update the Harris Happenings (even if there isn't a lot happening).

But right now - it's Saturday night. It's raining outside and I just want to cuddle up with this guy:

Tag - You're It.

2009-02-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged a few times and have never responded. This is in response to Lexi's tag a few months ago.

Name: Darren Lynn Harris

1. Where did you meet? Pierside

2. How long did you date before you got married? 4 years (on and off)

3. How long have you been married? 1 1/2 years

4. Who is smarter? Darren - definitely but I am pretty quick.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? Dimples

6. Who cooks more? Me

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Babe

8. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Darren, he is a better person.

9. What is his favorite food? Pizza

10. What is his favorite sport? Basketball - especially the Lakers

11. When and where was your fist kiss? November 2003 - his house

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Cuddle and cook

13. Does he have a hidden talent? He has an amazing voice but hates to sing in public.

14. How old is he? 31

15. Who said I love you first? First time - Me, Second time - Darren (we had a few dating periods)

16. Guilty pleasures? Pizza, chocolate chip cookies, A&W root beer

17. What do you admire most about him? His honestly

18. Do you think he will read this? No

Three's

3 Joys

1. Darren

2. Family

3. My new iphone

3 Fears

1. Losing Darren

2. Having to date again

3. Hurting someone unintentionally.

3 Goals

1. Run with Darren (he is fast - so improve speed to run with Darren)

2. Lose 10 lbs.

3. Write more

3 Current Obsessions

1. Hot yoga

2. Organizing

3. Mrs. Myers Cleaning Products - they smell yummy!

3 Random Surprising Facts About Me

1. When I stand, I always stand pigeon toed - but I don't walk or run that way - Just stand.

2. CSI - why did I start liking that now?

3. I just got allergies for the first time this past year - apparently you can develop them later in life - who knew?

Eight's

8 Favorite TV Shows

1. 30 Rock

2. The Office

3. House

4. Fringe

5. The Soup

6. Grey's Anatomy

7. How I Met Your Mother

8. American Idol

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Hot Yoga

2. Found new recipes for crock pots

3. Read the Book of Mormon in Spanish

4. Cuddled with Darren

5. Shopped at Fresh and Easy

6. Watched American Idol

7. Cleaned my tub

8. Woke up early

8 Things I Look Forward to

1. Girls weekend

2. Pandora on my iphone

3. Valentine's Day

4. Doing a race

5. Speaking spanish better

6. Organizing my house better

7. Being able to balance aspects of my life more effectively

8. Visiting the family in Utah.

8 Things On My Wish List

1. Travel more - no clue where.

2. Have a real dining room table.

3. Find a house to buy.

4. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours.

5. Be a better friend

6. Be a better wife.

7. Win the hgtv dream house :)

8. Darren to live a little closer to work.

I tag Nellie, Katie, Bethany

Birthday Wrap Up

2009-01-28T08:04:00.001-08:00

This birthday was great - turning 31 was better than turning 30. But it started out a little sad because the morning of my birthday, Darren had to leave on a business trip. No bueno. But I figured it would be okay, I was headed to Disneyland to meet my friend Sara for lunch and my $69 merchandise card (if you are a season pass holder and don't want a free ticket, they give you a gift card).

I was rushing because I was short on time and I was on the phone with Sara walking through the entrance to Disneyland, scanning the crowd. She told me she was standing to the left and I saw this:

Darren standing there with a giant lollipop. Turns out he wasn't leaving until Saturday but had packed a suitcase and told me that he was leaving for a few weeks. I was so surprised!!!!

So we spent some time at Disneyland - Space Mountain and then we headed over to the California Screaming and Soaring Over California. It was so much fun - there was hardly any wait and it was such a fun way to spend my lunchtime! I also spent my merch. credit on 4 dvd's - apparently you can't buy churros with the gift card.

Then that night, I had a quiet little dinner and Sprinkles cupcakes (thanks Nan!).

Perfect Day.

Feeling Nostalgic.

2009-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

I look at the blog decor8 on a regular basis, I like to look at pretty things but I LOVED today when she featured a Portuguese artist from a flickr page.

Ahhhh, I felt a little bit better about my lack of ability to speak Spanish because I could read the Portuguese on this site! Really well. And it reminded me of Portugal - my home for 3 years. It's strange how I miss it there sometimes, even though I haven't been there in so long. It was just my home for a while. But a very beautiful one.

This is the picture that sparked my nostalgia:

Bucaco Forest (Boo-sock-ohh)

*image borrowed from Beijoterias flickr page

Underneath the picture she wrote - Now I know that it is good to forget all you have walked. This is true - I have walked that staircase!

How many can you do?

2009-01-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

I saw this list recently - it makes me laugh and realize, that maybe I need a few more skill sets?

50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

I have a few of the basics down - build a fire without matches, change a tire, deliver bad news (I think I have that one), win or avoid a fistfight (I have given a black eye but prefer to avoid), drive a manual transmission.

What I need to work on? Travel light. Not so good at that one.

I can do 38 out of 49 (no need to count the alcohol one).

Uno Mas

2009-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

See? I am already learning. Work in progress.

12) Learn to play the piano.

Once upon a time I did. But I am not asking for a lot. I would just like to play some hymns.

2009 - Goals to Align

2009-01-19T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it rhymes, I may have stolen it from my friend Corey. This new year will mean a new list of goals I would like to accomplish. I took a few items off the list such as, "fit into a size 4." This has not happened since junior high and won't happen without surgery and an eating disorder, so I am going for something a little more realistic.

1) Run another half marathon.

I am not sure how many half marathons I have ran but I really love them. The full marathon is too hard on my knees but a half is fun and good to train for.

2) Olympic distance triathlon

The last one I competed in was a sprint, I would like to compete in something a little longer. And closer to home this time.

3) Learn Spanish

NO, really learn Spanish. I have tried to learn it without classes but I do need more structure. Darren, or Senor Harris has agreed to be my profesor so I can understand more at church.

4) NO SODA FOR A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is in all caps for a reason. I LOVE soda. Love, love love it. But I feel that we need to part ways for about a year. That and Darren bet me that I could not go without soda for a year. There may be a monetary reward with this bet. This includes all soda - even root beer floats. (his rule, not mine). The only thing I can have is an occasional sparkling water. I have survived 20 days so far, I'll be fine. Just 345 days to go.

5) De-clutter my home

I am throwing a lot of things away. Trying to simplify. (Might need to find a focus word for 2009 like Elizabeth, will think about that one).

6) Photography

I don't want to be a photographer for hire but if I am going to take a picture, I would like it to be a good one. Darren and I work a lot - so there isn't a lot to take pictures of but maybe when we slow down? (Have a suspicion that life never really does slow down - no matter what stage). Sign up for classes, learn to use photoshop.

7) Learn how to reupholster

-Random but I have always wanted to know how to do it. Would love to take a class.

8) Slow down

One of my greatest challenges. I always seem to be multitasking. Which doesn't always translate into getting a lot done. It mostly gets a lot of things halfway done.

9) Travel Somewhere New

I love going to new places, almost as much as I love going to familiar places. This year I would like to travel more within the mainland USA. But if the opportunity came to go to a new foreign location - I would be okay with that!

10) Family time

Spend more time with family. It lifts my spirits. I love spending time with people who play a constant role in our lives. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins - these are relationships that exist no matter where a person lives or what choices they make - family is a constant.

11) Spiritual Health

This has been a tough one for me this past year. Since we have been married it has been much harder to find spiritual fulfillment. Not because of marriage - which has been wonderful but because of the language barrier that I experience at church. It takes a lot of effort just to understand a prayer and sometimes I find that I go through 3 hours of church hardly understanding a thing, which is frustrating. This is one of the reasons I want to learn Spanish but I also want to find other ways in which I can grow spiritually by studying, temple attendance and more service to the members of the branch.

Whew. Goals that are attainable - I like it. It will help me put my year in perspective. I have a feeling oh-nine is going to be an adventure!

New Year, New Neighbors

2009-01-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

This new year has brought many things, I now have to remember to write 2009 on checks (very difficult task). But the nicest surprise are these new neighbors:

Lexi and Casey moved in right across from us! I could creepily look into their living room from my kitchen. Luckily, we are both rather private and keep our blinds closed. The benefits of having a sister live this close is always having a friend to bug. She is forced to love me regardless of how much I visit her. And truthfully we don't see each other as much as you would suppose. I think there was a 2 day stretch where I didn't see her at all - which is pretty amazing, seeing how our front doors are about 15 feet away. It is comfortable and nice to have her and Casey live so closely.

The new year always makes me think of new goals that I want to accomplish. But that is a whole post on its own.

Day 5 - Nov. 15, 2008

2008-11-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Our last day was perfect. It rained a little bit but we were able to relax, take a walk along the beach. One of the coolest parts of the walk were when we saw a HUGE sea turtle in the waves. It was a stormy morning and the waves were huge. This was over by the cliffs on the south end of the Shipwreck Beach. With each wave that came in, I just expected this turtle to be thrown onto the rocks. But each time the wave crashed, you would see the turtle swimming in place, as if the waves hardly affected it at all. Just amazing.

We spent the last part of the day exploring the west shore and eating at our favorite pizza place, Brick Oven Pizza.

Then we went as far west as the paved road allowed and found ourselves on a dirt road for almost 5 miles to reach Polihale State Park - a beach that the concierge told us that she would help to. There are not a lot of tourists. It was a gorgeous beach, the waves were huge (would never get in that water) but the beach never seemed to end. And seemed completely empty. We loved the rainbow and the light.

Darren at the beach

Can you see the rainbow in the background?

Nikki at the beach - sooo windy.

On our way back to the hotel, it really started to rain. Hard hard hard. Maybe it wasn't such a bad time to leave. I actually felt a little bit sad about the people unloading their luggage to this kind of weather at the hotel.

At the airport, relaxed, tan-ner (for us) and tired, we were glad we got the chance for a little adventure. As we sat in the plastic lounge chairs, we started planning our next adventure.

The End.

Day 4 - Nov. 14, 2008

2008-11-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

This is the day we woke up at the crack of dawn on vacation to drive to the north shore of Kauai. We headed to Ke'e Beach - which is literally the end of the road on Kauai. From there we hiked the Kalalau Trail to the Hanakoa Fall. It was amazing. We didn't have rain (like we did last time) and we made great time on our hike.

We even got in the water at the falls - which might have been the coldest water in the world. That waterfall might be coming out of a glacier.

I was a wimp and was in the water for about 2 seconds.

While Darren preferred to frolic.

We were sad to have the hike end. I would like to think I was mostly sad because I was pretty tired by the end of the 7 mile hike through humidity. Luckily Darren was a gentleman and offered to carry the back pack. I needed all of the help I could with my balance (which has ever been good).

Darren being a gentleman with the backpack.

Our hike could not have finished at a better time - we were climbing into our car when it started to rain! The north typically has a lot of rain, while the south shore is a little sunnier. Po'ipu was a little overcast, but no rain - we were lucky.

We soaked in the hot tub for our sore muscles. And to remove some of that red dirt.

But we had to hurry, we had reservations at the Beach House for sunset. Unfortunately though - since it was overcast, there wasn't much of a sunset. However, it was still delicious. It was a little sad though, it was our last night on the island.

Outside of the Beach House restaurant and our kind of sunset.

Day 3 - Nov. 14, 2008

2008-11-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

This was designated as a strict beach day. Which my really non-tan skin needed. We headed to Kiahuna Beach in front of the Sheraton Hotel. Not a lot of rocks, waves were not as crazy - so I felt a little more safe in the water.

Beautiful beach, right?

This a cliff we climbed up outside of the Hyatt - on Shipwreck Beach (the name alone makes me nervous in that water). You can see the Hyatt in the background.

We later were sitting on the beach when Darren fell asleep on the beach. I did what any loving wife would do in that situation. I

buried him in the sand and took pictures.

That night we were all set to go to the new James Bond movie but it was a tiny theater, the only seats were in the front - so we went to bed early for our hike the next morning. We had to get all of the rest we could.

Day 2 - Nov. 13, 2008

2008-11-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

We left Turtle Bay and O'ahu. We spent the day driving around the island and seeing various sights - like more shaved ice. We were even able to watch the Triple Crown Surf competition - it was pretty amazing.

Then we headed to Kauai - where we spent our honeymoon. Awwwww.

Back to the Hyatt - such a beautiful hotel. Simply gorgeous.

We were starving when we landed so we grabbed dinner at Roy's. Which was divine. Sushi and that souffle! It can't be shared. One of my favorite desserts ever.

Day 1 - Part 2

2008-11-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

After we put in a few hours of beach time, we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

It was so much fun and it made me sad that I didn't have some great cultural tradition. I basically can contribute big gulps to society. Maybe casseroles or microwave popcorn? I digress, it was beautiful and the church does an amazing job ensuring these cultures are celebrated.

Here is our little canoe tour of the various islands.

This is Darren in the male Taihitian dance. It was so packed I could only get an upward shot of Darren. The dance resembled an elaborate chicken dance.

Here we are before the lu'au began.

This is post lu'au - torrential downpour and Darren is over taking pictures. We are a tad wet here.

I would say the only bad thing was when it started to rain after the lu'au. Actually the rain wasn't the problem. The problem was I was wearing a dress and had to run through the rain to get to the final performance. It was a LOT of rain - the deep puddle kind. So I was wet, tired, and really really cold. Those fire dancers looked warm and I was a tad jealous that they got to handle fire. I knew I should have packed my Uggs.

Day 1 - Nov. 12, 2008

2008-11-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, we are back. From Hawaii where we just spent 5 very relaxing days. Lovely. I am going to post a little bit of what we did every day. WARNING - there will be a lot of pictures.

Day 1 - we flew into O'ahu. I have never been to O'ahu before, so we starting things right by stopping at Costco first thing and picked up a few provisions and headed to the North Shore to stay here:

Turtle Bay - What a dump. Okay, just kidding. It was beautiful, we had a great view from our room. Our first day we spent the morning exploring.

Me on a hammock with really really white skin - I had not been in the sun - YET.

Darren in the beach cottage area- everything was so green!

We were lucky to meet up with Clark and Kathleen - they were staying at the same hotel.

And the famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice. Wonderful. Worth a flight. It's a bold statement, and I stand behind it.

Day 1 was actually really long, so this will be done in 2 posts.

Almost there

2008-11-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

Here is Glenn Beck's take on marriage. Brilliant!

Going Viral

2008-10-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if my blog gets enough visits to make a difference but this blog post is long overdue. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we were encouraged to use social media to educate others on Proposition 8.

This is something that is near and dear to my heart and to my beliefs. Here are 6 reasons why voting yes on Prop 8 is so important for our generation:

1) Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage.

The California Education Code already requiresthat health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890)

Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage between any two adults is of the same worth, regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

2) Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries.

3) Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already had to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts because courts legalized same-sex marriage there.

4) Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

5) Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines. It already happened in Canada, a country that legalized gay marriage. A recent California court held that municipal employees may not say: "traditional marriage," or "family values" because, after the same-sex marriage case, it is "hate speech."

6) It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already lost (e.g., photographers cannot now refuse to photograph gay marriages; doctors cannot now refuse to perform artificial insemination of gays even given other willing doctors). Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money – that will be spent on such legal battles.

The following reasons were blatantly copied from the website: http://www.whatisprop8.com/

For me personally, I will feel as my right to have religious freedom will be affected if Prop 8 does not pass. I had forwarded emails to many people explaining what Prop 8 is, and have received hurtful and outrageous accusations that are filled with hate.

Hate is not the issue here. Not in the least. I can LOVE people who are gay. That does not mean that I agree with their lifestyles. I don't. I don't believe in many things that are becoming more tolerant in our world (pornagraphy, drugs, alcohol) but that doesn't mean that I hate people who have a lifestyle that tolerates them. Quite the opposite. I truly believe that every person is a loved son and a daughter of our Heavenly Father.

What has surprised me is that amount of angst that comes from the opposition. The opposition demands tolerance but is unwilling to show any towards our views.

Please take the time to review what voting on this Proposition means. You have a voice, you have the ability to choose. The following sites have a great deal of information regarding Prop 8:

http://www.preservingmarriage.org

http://www.whatisprop8.com/

Please pass the link along and encourage your friends to vote! Every vote matters.

One year???!!!!

2008-10-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

We made it to one year. If you want to be more accurate, one year snuck up on us. Life still hasn't slowed down, but let's be honest - will it ever? Tonight our celebration will be simple. Take out from Pei Wei, Baskin Robbins ice cream (hand packed) and we are going to watch our new Mary Poppins DVD (my choice, not Darren's) and go to bed early. Lovely.

PS - this what we looked like a year ago. Nothing has really changed except a slight weight gain :) Dang that ice cream!

Broken ribs are a pain (in every sense)...

2008-10-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Things got a little more complicated for Dad at the hospital today. The staff are still struggling to find a vein for Dad to get his antibiotics, so he may get a central line. His pneumonia has gotten worse, so his stay at the hospital will be extended. And last but not least, those darn broken ribs caused some more problems!

His doctors think that during a coughing spasm, one of his broken ribs tore a hole in his left lung (OUCH). They inserted a chest tube to help repair the damage, but this is a discouraging set-back. His pain level is back up and he is discouraged about this new complication.

Please keep Dad in your prayers. We want him home as soon as possible.

Newest Dad Development

2008-09-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Let me give you the latest Dad update:

He finished his radiation about 2 weeks ago. Over the last few weeks, he has suffered a few set-backs unrelated to his multiple myeloma (ie- broken ribs, yeast infection in the throat) but we were hopeful that he would return to the joke-telling, easy going, paperback-book-reading Grandpa Brown in no time.

We moved Dad to his new room downstairs (which looks great!) and due to fantastic organization on our sisters' part, helping Dad with his medications is a breeze. He has a new flat screen TV, a padded reclining glider, a mini fridge and a fancy smancy new hospital bed to make him comfortable. THe best environment for a recovery and the best way to keep Dad away from the stairs :)

However, recovery has been slower than expected. His tumors have shrunk, but he developed a blood clot in his calf and in his lung over the weekend. His appetite has decreased, and it is still difficult for him to take a deep breath (not because of his tumor but because of his broken ribs).

Our newest development? Today Dad checked into the hospital with a bout of pneumonia. The pneumonia is affecting the upper part of his lungs and he needs IV anti-biotic-therapy but he is expected to be home by the weekend. We are hoping there will be no additional complications and a special thanks to Misha who waited at the hospital for 5 hours until they managed to find a vein to give Dad his antibiotics. 5 hours? What type of needle were they using? A straw from McDonalds? Thank you Misha!!!

Changes for Lexi

2008-09-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Lexi - you get your own post about how I finally connected you to my blog. I regularly check her blog through bloglines, but she pointed out that there was no direct link to her blog.

This has been fixed. A nice new feature is the family section. (Lexi - being a sister - you are in the family section). Let me say how happy I am to have a sister live so close. But since I am older, there is this nagging feeling that I should do all within my power to tease her! Thus the title :)

I would like to give a shout out to a few newcomers in the blogging world. Welcome Nellie and Angela! You may notice that I typically list all couples with the girl's name first. This is for a few reasons.

1) The girls are typically the ones who actually post on the blog (excepting a few like Kent, Tim, Ryan).

Okay I lied. That is the only reason.

Birthday Boy

2008-09-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here he is in all of his glory.

Today is Darren's birthday. I felt a little bit of pressure because last year we were here:

No, that is not the zoo. We were in Kenya on safari in the Mara. Last year all Darren wanted for his birthday was to see a leopard.

Needless to say, a trip to Africa was hard to follow but I think I was able to make a big impression with a little crepe paper, a custom birthday hat and a birthday banner:

This is how our day went. Woke up and made Darren oatmeal pancakes with buttermilk syrup. We did a little church service by knocking on doors for Proposition 8. Then we were destroyed in a tennis game by Casey and Lexi. Our beating was followed by lunch at Fiesta Grill. Then we settled down and watched the BYU game and finally dinner at Houstons. (Which has the best ribs and hamburgers I have ever tasted!!! Two words - California Burger.)

All in all the perfect day spent doing things that Darren loves. And because he is 31 this year, I will list 31 things that I love about Darren.

1) How sweet he is

2) He is a great cook

3) He is a great example

4) He will watch chick flicks with me (sometimes without me, he watched Enchanted when I wasn't around).

5) I love his sense of style

6) I love his spiritual side

7) I appreciate how hard he works at EVERYTHING

8) I love that he helps out around the house

9) I love how smart he is

10) His tie collection (it is truly amazing)

11) How I can laugh with him all the time.

12) How hard he tries to do what is right

13) How he loves to travel

14) I love how shamelessly he likes me to scratch his back

15) I love how he never gets angry (at least at me)

16) I love how he loves to travel so much he is always planning trips

17) I love how much he loves wearing free t-shirts

18) I love how supportive he is

19) I love that he is the person I want to talk to the most

20)I love that he is obsessed with college football and basketball

21) I love that he is a great athlete (sometimes I don't like the fact that he runs a lot faster than me though)

22) I love how he is always wanting to surprise me.

23) I love how much he wants to cuddle with me

24) I love his family

25) I love that he loves my family

26) I love his example

27) I love how he helps me simplify things

28) I love how generous he is with everyone

29) I love how willingly he does his callings at church

30) I love how he is a night owl.

31) I love him and am so grateful to spend my life with him.

I love you Darren!

Silent Auction

2008-08-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Christian Nielson

My sister-in-laws are hosting a silent auction tonight to benefit Stephanie and Christian Nielson of Mesa, AZ. Stephanie is the author of the blog, nieniedialogues.blogspot.com.

They are the parents of 4 young children. Last week they were in a plane accident where they sustained severe burns over most of their bodies. They are in the hospital in critical condition and are expected to go through months and years of skin graft surgeries and rehabilitation.

I have come across Stephanie's blog in the past and was always so impressed with her style and love for her children and life.

We don't know Stephanie and Christian, but we want to help. The details of their accident can be found here. As of right now, their family is caring for their children during their long road to recovery, which you can read about here.

My sister-in-law Stephanie Waite is hosting a silent auction on her site adailyscoop.blogspot.com for a Kazuri bead necklace. All of the proceeds will go family. Our family was incredibly blessed by strangers in our time of need. We want to help others if we can.

If you can, please help us bless this family in during this dark time. Most importantly, please remember them in your prayers.

Welcome

2008-08-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to our family. Welcome home, little Harris.

Born: 08/21/08

Weight: 4 GB RAM

Length: 24 Inches

Darren was concerned that I needed a better computer to blog and a bigger monitor so I can look at more blog screens at once. I am certain I will now be capable of responding to emails in a more timely manner.

I am in love. And so is Darren, don't you think?

Good news!

2008-07-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Some may think it is strange to entitle the post - Good News!, especially since we are talking about Dad's cancer. But we know what we are dealing with: Multiple Myeloma/Plasmacytoma.

What is important is that the doctor believes that this is very treatable. We are hoping for good results and Dad is starting treatment today. He still needs to do more tests (of course) but Phew. Grateful to know and grateful for modern medicine.

Thank you for your prayers - they helped!

If you want to follow Dad's progress, we are updating his blog daily:

Phil Brown Updates

Dad Update

2008-07-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

So we know, kind of. Dad has stage 4 cancer and it has spread to his bones but apparently it is not terminal until we have:

1) discovered what type of cancer he has
2) exhausted all treatment options available

http://philraybrown.blogspot.com/

We are hoping for the best, but we are currently waiting. Again....Did I mention that I hate waiting?

Father's Day - A Little Late

2008-07-07T21:03:00.001-07:00

I love blogging. More specifically I love "blog stalking" others blogs. I am constantly checking various family members blogs ( Stephanie - I read your blog over and over :)). It is such a simple way to keep in touch with people. Okay, it is borderline lazy. I will say this though, there are some ways in which the blog is a form of therapy. My sister in law Stephanie writes the most amazing entries on her blog everyday, describing her emotions. She has said that it is a form of therapy for her, but it is therapy for us too.

There are other uses for blogs. My Dad has been going to a lot of Dr. appointments lately. And I have been calling up there almost every day. With 11 kids in the family, they almost need a calling service. One of my sisters suggested creating a private blog to keep the family updated. It would also be a way to update his medications, appointments and any news from the doctor. I jumped on blogger to register his name and was surprised to find out that the name philipraybrown (Philip Ray Brown) was already taken. Curious, I clicked on it and found this:

http://philipraybrown.blogspot.com/

It seems that 4 years ago, Lexi (little sister) interviewed my Dad for a school project. It was pretty concise history of my Dad. And it was so fun to read. He is a tad older. He is 72, not 73 as I was telling people - oops! When I called to wish him happy 73 - he asked why I was trying to add years to his life?

Dad in front of his favorite place. Whataburger. Have you ever seen a smile like that?

Since I missed Father's Day and his birthday (both within a few days of each other), I want to make a post about my Dad. Just share a little bit with you about him. I always loved my Dad but I didn't really appreciate him until I was older. He is a kind soul and the term "without guile" frequently comes to mind. I don't think that it occurs to him to do bad things. And his needs and wants are simple (a quality I wish I had). His favorite thing to eat is a japeleno burger form Whataburger! Like I said, his needs are very simple.

I am not the only person to see these qualities. My Mom's first impression of my Dad was that he was "so good." He takes after Grandma Brown as a natural storyteller and has a large supply of jokes. He has an amazing memory and I doubt if I have ever caught him without a book in his back pocket or his hands.

His most valuable possession is his testimony. His belief in his Savior is one of the guiding forces in his life and it was such a great example to his children. I remember him once telling me that he put the Savior first in his life, even over my Mom. When I first heard it, I was immature and in love with the idea of romance, so that was disappointing to hear. How unromantic. When I was older and wise enough to ask him to expand, he did so simply, "By putting the Savior first in my life, I am capable of loving your Mother more deeply than I ever would by myself." Wow. I can't tell you the impact that statement had on me and the qualities I sought after in a companion shifted to be more eternal, someone with a desire to do what is right. (Which I would like to say, I found :)) As I get older, I find myself seeking Dad's counsel more and more in my life, regretting I haven't used this valuable resource more.

In the end, I am more like my Mom. I am proud of that. She was a bright, energetic and fun woman. But I really wish I was more like my Dad, possessing all of the goodness that guarantees eternal blessings. I love you Dad!

Moving Forward But Not Moving On

2008-07-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

I struggle with posting on my blog in general but this post was hard to make for so many different reasons. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. From the accident, the ensuing sorrow, to the planning the service - everything came in a steady stream and it culminated with a beautiful service. The service was truly beautiful, Jon, Stephanie and their bishop were the only speakers and seeing how they were the two people who knew Camille best, it was perfect. It was brief (just over 30 minutes) but I came away in awe of Jon and Stephanie. Their faith throughout this trial has been a huge example to all of us. As far as Camille is concerned, I have no doubt as to her place in heaven. In Stephanie's talk she said that, "Camille will watch over her sisters throughout their lives to make sure they return to live with her again." I believe that our loved ones that pass on before us are a huge part of our lives and Camille will be no exception.

Let's talk about the title. In the aftermath of the memorial service, we have all had to return to our lives. I didn't really want to leave. I couldn't live in Vegas forever (although that would be great) because I have a life in California. But getting back in the swing of things has been difficult for me, I can't even wrap my mind around how hard it is for Stephanie and Jon. I didn't want to return to everything with the attitude of moving on. Because I am not. There is still a little ache. Although Camille was so young and little, her absence is huge. And there will always be an absence, until she is reunited with her family in the eternities. So because I can't keep things the way they were, I have to move forward. Things are happening all around that force my life to move forward. So I am moving forward but not moving on. Not forgetting but remembering. Reminding myself that is okay to cry sometimes and to take things at my own speed.

I find that more often than not, I am grateful. Grateful for sisters, especially Buffy (seriously Buff - thank you!) for dropping everything in her life to ensure that Stephanie had Camille's baby book completed by the funeral. I am grateful to all of my sisters who watched Buffy's kids so she could work and those who worked with her (I have a LOT of sisters). I am grateful to the Harris sisters and all of the work they did to make the service beautiful. Grateful for the Harris and Waite families. I have felt so much closer to my Harris family throughout this ordeal. Grateful to my husband for teaching me about faith. Grateful to the example he is to me. Grateful that Stephanie so eloquently posts everyday on her blog. Grateful to the friends and family that have expressed their condolences and shared similar experiences of loss. And mostly I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we are sealed together as a family and through His Atonement we will see Camille again.

Sweet Camille

2008-06-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is our sweet niece Camille Kathleen Waite. She drowned in a tragic accident on Friday afternoon. She was in a coma for 2 days.

After two days of prayers, priesthood blessings, and fasting on Camille's and her family's behalf, her parents made the difficult decision to turn off her respirator this afternoon after her body began to decline. Camille passed away peacefully in her parents arms.

We will miss our sweet Camille and her happy smile. We are grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the ability we have to be with our families forever.

Please include Stephanie and Jon and their little family in your prayers at this difficult time. If you would like to leave them a message of comfort, you can on the Waite family blog. They appreciate your words and support, even if you haven't had a chance to know their beautiful Camille.

Uncle Brent

2008-05-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

When I think about Uncle Brent a few things come to mind - ASU sports, Easter breakfast, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, glasses and lots and lots of newspapers. He was and still is such a good man. My heart ached to find out that after being in the hospital for 7 weeks and countless complications, he passed away at the age of 66.

Uncle Brent, March 2008

Let me tell you a little bit about Uncle Brent. He was my Dad's closest brother. Brent and Phil (my Dad) were the two youngest children of Joseph and Elda Brown. They reminded me of two peas in a pod. We were lucky enough to live a few miles away from Uncle Brent and Aunt Marilyn and their 6 children. His youngest 3 daughters -Angela, Mandy and Bethany - are some of my closest cousins. It would be safe to say I practically lived at their home and I probably spent days of my life begging my mother to let me play with Mandy.

One of my favorite memories of Uncle Brent was when I was a freshman in college. He had taken a sabbatical to research for a book and had moved to D.C. for a year with Aunt Marilyn, Mandy and Bethany. I went to visit him with a few of my sisters. One night we were up late and by we, I mean - Mandy, Bethany, Misha and Nikki, all of the older people were asleep. At the time, we were in a very young and immature stage where we would make fun of wedding invitations. Okay - that hasn't stopped but at the time there was a particular invitation that had arrived at my parents house. I hadn't recognized the name but I had found the layout and pictures to be humorous. As I was describing the invitation, Mandy disappeared into the kitchen and returned with the very invitation I was describing!!!!! At this point we start screaming and laughing hysterically. At 2 o'clock in the morning. In a townhouse full of sleeping people.

That's when we heard the footsteps. They were the heavy footsteps of a Dad who had been pulled from sleep by a room full of giggling girls. We heard him coming down the stairs and I seriously fought the urge to run and hide like a 6 year old. WE WERE SO BUSTED. Uncle Brent appeared in a robe with his hair crazy messed up and his glasses on crooked. On another person it would have looked silly but Uncle Brent was not a person who looked foolish. He didn't have to holler to get his point across that we were being loud. He just reminded us that we were being loud and to quiet down. I can't remember what he said but it might be something my Dad often said, "What's the matter with you?"

Why do I love this story? Because he felt comfortable enough to discipline me like one of his kids. And because that is not the first time I was busted by Uncle Brent or my Dad. :)

I love him and his sweet family. I am grateful to have known him. I am grateful my husband had the chance to meet him and I am grateful he is no longer in pain. I am sure he is having a grand ole time with Grandma and Grandpa Brown and my Mom and I can't wait to see him again.

Brown Boys - my Dad, brother Johnny, cousin Morgan and Uncle Brent

Moms

2008-05-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

This most recent Mother's Day was one of the more pleasant ones recently in my memory. We spent it with Darren's Mom and it was wonderful to see him enjoying her company. I will upload pictures soon from the weekend. It was the first (and probably last) time I ever witnessed Darren and Stephen switching places on their parents. And I can't even describe the AWESOME-ness of the moment. That is how funny it was, I got to make up a word for it.

Dad and Mom, Christmas 2000

But I digress. I am writing this post because I wanted to share some thoughts about Mothers. It is a topic I enjoy. Because although Mother's Day can be a bummer, I believe that for 23 years of my life, I had it pretty good. So I am going to share a story which is random and sweet and is one of my favorite memories of my Mom, since it happened right before she passed.

Let me give you some background. Out of my parents, my Mom was the mechanically inclined person. She was capable of changing oil, popping a clutch, changing tires, and knew all kinds of crazy things about belts and I have seen her hotwire a car. She talked shop with mechanics. She was THAT Mom. Not to say my Dad was a slouch by any stretch but it was typically my Mom that would ask her children about the well being of their vehicles and tires. She was very big on getting tires rotated and checked.

At this particular time in my life I had an '82 VW Jetta. I was fortunate enough to purchase this car for $100 from my brother Jeremy and his wife Kimmi. And it was a great car. It has its little quirks but it worked and served my needs in college. At this particular time, I got a flat tire. Not just a flat tire but more of a tire implosion (I think the tires were from 1982). Luckily, I knew how to change a tire (my Momma taught me right) so I put on the spare tire. Since it wasn't a donut tire, I had no intention of getting it truly replaced. This was a topic that worried my Mom greatly when she called me. One of the questions she typically asked during the conversation was, "Did you get a new spare tire? You should always have a spare tire in your trunk." To which I would breezily reply, "Yeah yeah, I am going to get one soon."

Around Thanksgiving, I called my Mom (which I must admit, I did quite often) and she answered the phone crying. When I asked what happened, she told me that she had been very stressed. She was planning Thanksgiving in Arizona for all of her Bluth cousins and wanted to play games and have some sort of a program. Well she had talked to a few family members who shot down all of her ideas. And she was stressed and discouraged and felt bad. At this point, she sensed my first instinct to call these people and let them know exactly how I felt about ANYONE making my Mom cry, and she made me promise that I would not call them. I was sad because I didn't think I could made it to Thanksgiving to help her so I did the next best thing I could. I called my brother Tim. I told him a short story about what happened and told him he needed to be at Mom's disposal for Thanksgiving. (She didn't say I couldn't tell other people :)) Tim promptly called Mom and told her that it would be a great time and he was there to help with whatever she wanted to do.

These events happened within the course of an hour. What do they have to do with a tire? I promise I will get there. On my way to work Mom calls.

Me: Hi Mom
Mom: Hi Nikki-gal - Tim just called me. You didn't happen to tell him what happened did you?
Me: I only promised not to call those people, I didn't promise I wouldn't call anyone else.
Mom: Thank you, it was a huge relief to get that call. That really helped.
Me: No problem. It will be a great weekend.
Mom: Where are you headed to right now?
Me: Work.
Mom: Did you get your spare tire?
Me: Ummm, yeah, I will get that when I get home. Huge priority.
Mom: Long lecture about how dangerous it is to drive without a spare.

I got off the phone as fast as I could and went into work. When I came out almost 6 hours later, I was surprised to find a brand new tire on my back seat. No note, just the tire. I never locked my car because who steals an '82 Jetta? If it ran out of gas, it would be totaled. But the tire was there. It came from Mom because she was the only person who cared. Which means my Mom jumped in her car, went and bought the tire. Since she is a car person, she knew which tire to purchase. Then she drove 45 minutes from Salt Lake City to Orem to put the tire on my back seat to show her love for me. She didn't call me, or come into my work. She just drove home. Some Moms make quilts and some Moms write eloquent notes to show their love but I am glad I had a Mom who simply bought a tire. And to me that's love.

As a little sidenote there was a great article in the New York Times by Thomas Friedman (thanks Corey). His mother recently passed and he paid tribute to her. At the end he wrote, Call your mother, I sure wish I could call mine. I couldn't agree with him more.

My Summer Secret

2008-05-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am willing to share it but it is hands down the easiest way to make Corn on the Cob. Why is it easy? No boiling water. It is easy peasy and I got it from that weather man in SLC. Don't even know his name. All I remember is this valuable tip. Valuable for a few reasons. 1) it is ridiculously fast. 2) it is ridiculously good.

Corn on the Cob
By - the old weather guy in SLC

Take a few ears of corn. Make sure you buy corn with the husks. You want to make sure you do not shuck the corn.

Put the ears of corn in the microwave. I was even so lazy, mine still had the plastic bag from the grocery store.

Microwave for 5-6 minutes.

Wait a few minutes before you start to shuck the corn because it is pretty hot. Discard leaves, silk and your corn is ready to be slathered with butter, salt and pepper.

Why this works - the leaves and silk work as a natural barrier for the corn to steam itself. All you need is heat. Can it work if you bbq it this way or just throw it on an open fire? I am sure it would work. I just don't have a lot of open fires around my house and it is faster to microwave it. :)

You can thank me later :) Enjoy.

C-town

2008-05-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Do you know what I like about Chicago? There are too many things to list. It is a big city but not too big. I feel that I could comfortably walk to anything in town. (Did not feel that way in New York). It is clean. And is a beautiful. Darren and I did a whirlwind trip. Complete with art museums, food, friends, Cubs game and shopping.

We were staying two blocks from Michigan Avenue - the Magnificent Mile. Take it from this shopper, it really is magnificent. You name it, they had a store for it. Our first stop in Chicago was at Portillo's. For a Hot Beef Italian Sandwich and hot dog. Which was so filling, we couldn't even eat dinner.
Next we just walked around and shopped. And saw the Silver Bean in Millenium Park. We next had dinner with the Lippencotts. And by had dinner, we watched them eat because we were still full from our afternoon snack. :) Even though we didn't eat, we did have a great time visiting them and their new baby.

Darren in front of the giant silver bean. And our bean reflection.

About 11pm and our appetites returned. Luckily for us, Grand Lux Cafe was around the corner and still open! So like responsible adults who watch what we eat, we helped ourselves to beignets and molten chocolate cake. DELICIOUS!!!

Saturday morning was just as fun. We visited the Art Institute of Chicago, I saw the building from Adventures in Babysitting, and we went to a Cubs Game! I have been to a lot of sporting events, but this was a BLAST! These fans take it seriously, despite how freezing it was. :)

We did the American Gothic pose:

And had a Ferris Bueller's moment - does anyone remember this moment from the movie?:
And I took a picture of the building in Adventures in Babysitting (sad but could not resist):
Our Wrigley Field moment - in the shade was the only moment we were cold in Chicago:
Afterwards, we of course had some more food when we had a stuffed pizza at Giordanos and more beignets at the Grand Lux Cafe. Then we spent more glorious time shopping...Ahhhh - what a great trip. Shopping, friends and food. How can anyone not like Chicago?
This is a picture of another late night trip to the Grand Lux Cafe - ahhhh. I can't wait to go back!

American Idol - the real deal

2008-05-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

What can I say? We were on American Idol. I think I've been "discovered" or I have just "discovered" what a cult TV show can do to a responsible adult if she is withing 3 feet of a celebrity. Let's just refer to my actions as star crazed.

Here are the rundowns of the events:

We had priority seating thanks to Elizabeth. No waiting in long lines.
We were on the floor next to Randy.
I shook Paula Abdul's hand.
Randy gave me a high five.
Didn't touch Simon but not for a lack of trying.
WAS ON NATIONAL TV and was right behind David Archuletta.
Realized how much Jason Castro did not belong on TV.
Had a sign but was standing so gave it to some little girls. I don't think it made it on tv.
Paula hugged my sister-in-law Elizabeth.
Randy said my brother-in-law Morgan was a funny guy.
You can't really hear anything in the studio.
Aside from not being able to hear much, David Archuletta has the best voice.
Did I mention Jason Castro is worse than I thought?
Talked to Syesha's parents - who were quite nice. Took a picture with them too!
Ryan Secrist is GREAT at his job.

All in all - it was the perfect day. We got to spend some fun family time with Elizabeth and Morgan and it is always a good afternoon when I get to leave work early and spend it with my husband! Thanks for the tickets Elizabeth!!!!

Here is some photographic evidence that we were in fact, ON TELEVISION. The pictures are poor quality because our TV is old but I am hoping Elizabeth will have some better ones from her TV.

Do you see us? I am to the right of David Archuletta. Darren is directly above David's head, Elizabeth to the left and Morgan right above Jason Castro's head. I don't want to brag but we are AMAZING!!!!

Terrible picture of me but still counts as proof. What was that face???

And I am off to a work meeting in LA for the next 3 days. Yipee! Otherwise this post would be much longer.

Happy Birthday Sis!

2008-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

What does the world do without sisters?
I have one who is 18 months older.
She let me be her shadow.
And never lost patience
(though she could have often).
I followed her constantly, and still am.
Most of my memories have her in them.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Mom!!!

Misha and Adam - Christmas 2007

Galaxy Quest

2008-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sadly - this post has been a little tardy. Note to self - get better about updating blog. A few weeks ago, we were invited to a Galaxy game. Thanks Katie and Tanner! The most important part of this is that I actually saw David Beckham! With my own two eyes and the zoom lens on my camera. And then as I was talking Katie's poor ear off we saw Kobe Bryant too! I do like soccer but sadly I am one of those fans that doesn't know any team names, or players or anything. I pretty much watch the World Cup with a lot of enthusiasm (once every 4 years), am blindly loyal to F.C. Porto and know David Beckham is legendary like Pele. Despite my pathetic knowledge, we had fun and were glad we got to spend time with Katie, Tanner, Reese and baby Beck.

The man Kobe. He loves all sports.
Reese LOVED the camera. And understands the game better.

Beckham
Beckham and his tattoo

The Nichols - Tanner, Katie, Reese, Beck

The Harris'

Quote of the Day Follow-Up

2008-04-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I went to Ikea with my friend Jenny. Here was how our conversation went:

Jenny: Hey I read your blog, that was pretty funny.

Nikki: Yeah, sorry about that. I sorta chucked you and Lexi under the bus.

Jenny: No worries.

Nikki: I can't even criticize - I know Kelly Ripa and I would laugh a lot together. And I don't think I am cool enough to keep up with him, but I would love to hang out with Owen Wilson for a day.

Jenny: I don't know about Owen Wilson, but I would love to hang out with Vince Vaughn.

Nikki: You're right. Vince Vaughn would be way funnier. I know I couldn't keep up.

* I am not sure why the last few days have had so many conversations about celebrities, but it has been highly entertaining.

An Extra Wedding Present

2008-04-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

My former rommate - Jen abandoned me and Sara so she could move to New York City to live a fabulous life. (And give us a place to stay when we come out to visit). However, Jen comes out to visit often and I was so happy that she was able to come out for our wedding.

Just recently she came out for another visit and brought me some great wedding gifts but some of my favorites were a bunch of pictures she snapped at the wedding. Here are some of my favorites.

My old roommates - Jen and Sara

And my favorite shot - of the beautiful shoes.

I am so glad she got a picture of the shoes. Like any woman, the shoes were an integral part of my outfit. Thanks Jen!!!!!!

Happy Belated Easter

2008-04-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

So this is a few weeks late but I believe it is still post-worthy. We had our first Easter together. Complete with a puffed pancake and a super clean house and an Easter basket filled with our favorite goodies. There might have even been an Easter dress for me to wear somewhere in there.

So the basket is not really an Easter basket but I loved it and it was on sale at Marshalls for $10. It looks just perfect for a picnic.

Quotes of the Day

2008-04-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

While watching American Idol, these were our conversations:

Nikki: I don't think Simon likes to be in the spotlight. I think that Simon is actually a super nice person in real life.

Sara: I know - I bet he is. He seems like it. I don't think he likes the spotlight either.

Jenny: I met him last season, he was so nice. His girlfriend is so so nice. And I want to say that if I ever met Ryan Seacrest - I just know I would be one of his best friends.

Nikki and Sara: (laughing because the comment is so awesome/funny)

Lexi: I know - I think I would be best friends with Ryan Seacrest too!!! And Justin Timberlake, I just know that we would be friends. His favorite ice cream is mint n chip - my favorite ice cream is mint n chip too!

Okay - besides the fact that this was a very fun conversation, I am glad the girls were over because Darren is gone again on a business trip.

Does anyone else out there have a believe that they would be best friends with a celebrity?