Christina's Blog

my little pumpkins

2010-11-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

Colorado Trip

2010-10-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Colorado Trip -

Ella on the Zip Line

2010-09-27T20:36:00.001-07:00

She was so brave! I couldn't believe she wanted to ride the zip line but she loved it and asked "Can I do it again" She is my little adventurer!

picnik pictures

2010-09-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

More Scooter & skating time

2010-09-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Aren't they cute ~ The girls have enjoyed playing outside on their scooters & Ella got some shoes with wheels / they have wheels on the front & back of the shoe.

Ella was skating slowly and so I reached out my hand to her to pull her faster and she said, Mom if you pull me I'll never learn to skate. I was surprised and totally agreed. Good thinking Ella!

Backyard fun

2010-08-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Kiddie Pool has been a highlight of the summer! The girls love to play in it. The other day Kevin got a new sprinkler for the backyard and Ella has had lots of fun playing with it!

Liv got a Scooter

2010-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Kevin decided it was time for Liv to have a scooter! She was so excited to ride it!

This was a close one but she didn't fall! She stood up and said, "I'm okay"

Ella was ready to show her all her tricks and even ready to race her. Liv agreed to the race but didn't wait for Ella to say go - she just took off which Ella declared, "wasn't fair".

Just Testing

2010-07-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ella, Kennedy and Liv

Okay I haven't been blogging for a while now. Word press is much more sophisticated than blogger but not so user friendly. For me right now the only way I am going to blog is if it is easy and convenient.

Thinking of switching back to blogger -

Switching to Wordpress

2009-04-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone, I am finally switching to wordpress.com it is much better than blogger and that is were Kevin's blog is and he is tired of me whining about blogger. So I hope you follow me over there and check it out!!!

http://christinaharris.wordpress.com/

Pool Time

2009-04-26T17:22:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the pool with Hilary. The girls were really good!! We had fun and they were so cute! Hilary gave them a popsicle - Of course Liv loved hers but Ella's got melted because she was too busy swimming! Ella was a little fish and swam from one end of the pool to the other and jumped in and had a blast. Liv played on the stairs and tried to stay out of Ella's splash zone but she definitely had a splash zone of her own. Liv loved kicking. Can't wait to go back!

Sleepy Girl

2009-04-25T18:18:00.001-07:00

So tonight we had a leadership meeting and we were out past Liv's bed time. When we got home I started getting thier PJ's on then Liv disappeared. So I continued getting things ready for bed for them and a little while later I realized I was ready for bed but no Livia. So here is what I found in the livingroom. I actually think she would of fallen asleep there if I hadn't found her.

She was excited to see me though and ready for the camera! So cute!

Just Sayin

2009-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Okay this has been floating around in my head for a while so I'll share it with you and hope it helps. I follow Bobbie Houston on twitter. She is the wife of Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston. Anyway one day she twittered - "heart is in the right place but insecurities abound"

That totally described someone that I had been frustrated with and it made it so much easier to forgive and move on because I truly believe that person's heart was in the right place.

It also describes me and so many people I know. Sometimes we let our insecurities get the best of us and do or say things we normally wouldn't.

Kevin is really good at believing the best of people - I am the more skeptical one. When I can see straight through someone's facade I just think they are a fraud instead of seeing them for what they are - insecure.

This has really helped me keep a clear head about things and situations and made it much easier to deal with people that are just trying their best.

Mom & Dad's Trip to Italy!

2009-04-22T20:07:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of their trip! I have 150 favorites...I won't share them all at once but wait until they tell you all about it! They had a great time!

Liv loves shoes! Wonder where she gets it?

2009-04-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Liv loves shoes. She loves her shoes and everyone elses. If you take your shoes off and she can get to them she moves them around the house. We can't seem to ever find Ella's shoes because Liv has carried one off somewhere. Kevin has been missing one of his rainbow sandals for a while who knows where it will turn up. Anyway She found Ella's boots and went a walkin!

Matt Gilbert

2009-04-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is a lost picture I forgot to blog. It was from our Easter picnic where our friend Matt (who loves children) was helping is out with Olivia. You see Matt and Olivia share the same birthday and they have always had a special bond - as do Matt and most children!

Okay well actually Kevin tossed Liv over to Matt and I took a picture before he dropped her like a hot potato and he will probably never let me live this down that I blogged it! We love you Matt!

In Italy

2009-04-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well I just had to post a few pictures of where my parents are at in Italy. They have been gone for 2 weeks on a trip of a lifetime! They are having lots of fun and said we just had to check out this city that they have been in most recently. It is Portifino, Italy. They said the food has been really good except at one nice restaurant mom ordered a pizza with octopus on it. We talked to them on Skype a few days ago and Olivia just wanted my dad to hold her. She was so cute and she kept saying, "mon papa" like come on and hold me and squeezing her hands. Ella was telling me that she wanted to go to Italy with Mimi. Yes, Ella me too!

a few more easter pics.

2009-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Easter part 2

2009-04-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

Okay here is part 2 of our day.

Lunch and Easter egg hunt in the back yard.

Liv is so proud of herself!

Ella got some money in one of her eggs and she said, "Can I take this money to church and put it in the bucket?" We loved that she wanted to do that with her money!

I think she was beginning to zone out a little but I took her picture anyway because she was still.

right before we were done hunting the eggs liv dropped her basket. When the eggs fell on the ground some of them busted open and the candy came out. She was in shock. She didn't realize they had candy in them and then she was obsessed with opening every single one and eating all the candy. Up until then she was content just finding them and putting them in her basket.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T09:01:00.001-07:00

Here is our Easter so far:

Church was really good. We went to first service and came home but Kevin is still there at the 2nd service. Here is a picture of my bunny cake. It's not like the ones my grandmother used to make for the kids its a smaller version. Kevin doesn't like coconut cake so I knew if I made a big one that me & Ella would eat it all.

Here are me and the girls. We dressed like pink easter eggs... Liv's toes kept coming out of her shoes. Her big toe stayed in just fine but all the others kept coming out the top and it hurt her to walk like that so every few minutes she came up whining pointing at her foot. You can see it in this picture. I tried to explain to her that it's not always easy to be pretty.

She couldn't get the pez out with her hands she tried and tried. I guess you are never to young to know when all else fails...use your teeth!

Daddy met us at church and helped us to class and back to our car. He stayed to drive the bus to additional parking and Ella begged to be his copilot. She thinks it is so cool that her daddy can drive the bus.

My family looked so good today!

Here are the girls when they first woke up and took a look at their baskets. Liv just immediately dumped hers out to see what was inside and Ella gently picked her presents out of hers. So funny Liv was trying to see what she could eat first.

Here are their baskets. Liv had mostly candy and toys but Ella got a new necklace to wear to church with her Easter dress.

Gymnastics

2009-04-09T03:42:00.000-07:00

This week Kevin got to come see Ella's class. She was so happy he could come watch her. She learned how to stop in the middle of the balance beam jump up and keep going. She landed it first time. Its like hop but she went for it. But what can I say she learned to jump at like 3 months old. Also, she loves to jump off the end of the beam and some kids are really scared but Ella loves to do the twist jump. The teachers were impressed how brave she was!

Okay, we are still working on the front flip over the bar. Still didn't come natural this week but I think Kevin and I are going to try to build her confidence and help her learn it. It takes a little coordination with the arms and head that I think she is not used to. You kind of have to use your head for momentum and she is a little afraid.

Very slowly Sarah helped her over.

Easter Picnic

2009-04-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon was our church's easter picnic and Liv's first easter egg hunt. It is at a park near our church and it is mostly open fields. In one little area of trees they drop a bunch of eggs and let the kids pick them up and then the kids exchange them for a bag of candy. Ella and Liv loved the open space to run around.

She paused for a quick picture - Hurry mom I gotta go!

At first Ella's feelings got hurt by another little girl so she didn't want to hunt but then I went with her and she had fun. See all the kids dashing off to get their eggs.

Did I mention Liv loves the wide open spaces?

The next picture is of Kevin chasing her down for the 100th time :)

And the picture after that is Kevin saying, "okay mommy, its your turn"

She loved her easter basket. She thought it was a new purse!

She took her own time picking out what color egg to put in her basket. The more I coached her the more time she took! Once she found one she liked she put it in her basket and walked a few steps and took it out and set it back on the ground and kept walking. Didn't really get it.

No Pain, No Gain

2009-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

That is the title of the series Kevin and others have been speaking on the last few weeks at middle school. Yesterday Kevin spoke and it was really good! He talked about how it is not enough to look at ourself in the mirror and know what needs corrected (inside or out) and to immediately walk away and forget what we saw. We have to do something about it.

So for the past few months I have been working out 3 times a week at the gym with my friend Michelle. Not because I have discipline and devotion but because she does. Seriously, she is amazing. I am the queen of excuses and I can find one for anything I don't really want to do. But she has listened to me whine and put up with me. Until now... she can't workout every other day like she used to actually it is hit and miss so whenever she can't go I gladly set out but today was different. I went to the gym and did the workout as though she was there with me making me.

I know this is really pathetic but she counts the laps and reps and pushes me every time. Mostly I am whining and trying to quit but she keeps me going. But not today. I decided to make some changes and I know that it has to start with me.

Kevin says it is really hard to get queso out of his beard and that if he did get queso in his beard it takes like 2 or 3 washes to get it completely out. I know that is really gross but anyway he said its like if he looks in the mirror and sees queso and says, "ok, great. I saw it now I am done" but does nothing about it - he will be walking around with old gross queso on his face.

I know that is how we are on the inside and outside a lot of the time. I know that I should be doing a lot more than I am on the outside and inside. When that comes up in a conversation I conveniently say, "Yes, I know I should eat better, or I know I should spend more time with God". And its like that's it. Because I know I get the golden pass to exit the conversation. But I know that I walk away and immediately forget what I look like and what needs to be changed.

Like GI Joe says, "knowing is half the battle" well I have been half way there all along.

So, if this makes you think and do something please let me know. I am really trying to challenge myself to keep my commitments to change!

Gymnastics

2009-04-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

After missing 2 gymnastics classes Ella is finding her way again.

She definitely is a hands on learner. She doesn't like to go first. She likes to watch a few kids try something out before she is ready to give it a try.

She couldn't wait to get back on the beam. She is like her daddy and not scared of heights a bit!

She loves swinging on the rings!

Ella really wanted to do the front flip off the bars but it felt so awkward to her. She tried to make her body do it but nothing was natural about it. We'll be working on that one.

She was putting way to much thought into this move.

Happy Birthday Kevin!

2009-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kevin!!!

We love you so much! You are such a good husband and great dad!

Thank you for all you do for us! You da best!!!!

Kevin's Birthday Week!

2009-04-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is Kevin's Birthday he will be 29 years old! So everybody call/text him if you can. This week we have been trying to give him special treatment and do nice things for him. I made him his favorite smoothie for breakfast and his favorite sandwich for lunch and tonight his favorite dinner...catfish and of course his favorite desert APPLE PIE and chocolate chip cookies!

His favorite smoothie:

8 oz milk

6 whole frozen strawberries

1/2 peeled apple

1/2 banana

3 seconds of drizzling honey

His favorite sandwich:

2 slices of bread

little miracle whip on each slice

turkey on one side

extra sharp cheddar cheese on the other

bacon (crispy only)

very thinly sliced purple onion

very thinly sliced tomato

little bit of lettuce

light pepper

mustard in the center

His favorite Dinner:

fried catfish

fresh squeezed lemons

mashed potatoes

caesar salad

Papa's Girls

2009-04-01T19:02:00.001-07:00

So oddly enough we only got to see my mom (the girls call her mimi) for 2 days since she had a trip planned the same dates as ours to London and Paris. She had a great time with my Aunt Sheryl, Sister Janette and Niece Samantha. So the girls spent some time with Papa and they loved it. They are already missing our family and Ella just says I miss Papa and Mimi but since liv can't talk yet here's how I know what she is saying:

My dad always has a roll of fruit flavored certs in his pocket. The kids love them and even before they have teeth he holds it out for them to lick. Ella asks for a cert constantly and liv automatically gets one if Ella does. Well at the airport when we were saying goodbye dad gave me the rest of his roll of certs to give to the girls. I stuck them in the side of my purse. Well, today Liv spotted them. I pulled them out and gave each of the girls one. Ella quickly ate hers but Liv took her cert to the door and started pointing to go out there and then pointed at the cert. TRANSLATION: Take me to papa!

Our last few day's of vacation

2009-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

So here are a few more pictures from our vacation and our trip home.

This is Sarah my niece and Ella.

So Sarah says, "liv's hands are dirty" and I said, "she loves to wash her hands so can you help her wash them?" then a few minutes later ella comes running the living room saying, "mom, livia is in her diaper in mimi's sink and she is all wet. come and see" She was having the time of her life and did end up with clean hands thanks to Sarah!

This is us traveling through the airport. Ella loves the escalators but I can't take the stroller on them so we race to the elevator.

Ella loves the train at the airport.

This is daddy getting it done!!! He got both the girls to sleep the whole flight!

On Saturday it snowed a few inches! Ella loved it. It was the best kind of snow. You know the one that makes a great snowman.

Ella and Karianne playing in the backyard.

Here is the snowman

Liv didn't feel very good so she had to watch from inside.

My friend gave Ella this Ariel costume. She loved it and looked amazing too!

Catching Up

2009-03-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our Visit with the Sharpe's!

This is Addison swinging in the backyard.

This is baby Jayce. He is so cute.

Here are the boys. Kevin, Brannon and Jayce

And the girls, Me, Sheryl, Addi, and Rae Rae

Now a big sister too! The girls love their baby brother.

What can I say she loves the camera. She is so beautiful!

Ella and Michal at the farm. We came to see the new baby calves but couldn't leave out the cat. Ella loves their barn cat.

Liv loves the animals too. She wants to get in the pen with the horses.

Kevin and the girls as we visit my Grandpa

Beautiful Ella

Lunch with Kevin's Dad

Visiting the Fire Station.

Skiing

2009-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

The other day Ben and Kevin went skiing. They had a blast.

obviously I didn't go because only a few pictures exist. Kevin took some good video though he might post later.

I had this photo on my other camera and it was to good not to post - Kevin at the sand dunes.

Fun at the Colorado House

2009-03-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is Kennedy Kay she is so funny! I love to hear her talk. One of my favorite lines is, "Neber Neber, Neber do dat. and Neber Neber Neber say dat." And she tells the girls, "No Holla"

Liv refused to walk down the road the right way so I finally had to intervene.

Gigi loves her girls.

Oops! KK stepped in the mud..well it might not of been an accident.?

Liv loved the walk and finding things on the side of the road.

Our little cabin in the woods.

Gigi and Kennedy at the waterfall

We tried to put the girls up on the logs but Liv started fussing and KK was trying to get her to stop.

Kennedy was working on the tree

Liv had to try some of the snow. Of course. Everything still goes in her mouth.

Sand Dunes and Waterfall

2009-03-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

THE GREAT SAND DUNES

(tallest in North America)

There she goes!

That's Kevin and Ben way out there.

Heading to the sand dunes we saw some beautiful scenery.

We also visited a waterfall. Kevin & Ben were helping the little ones since it was slippery

The waterfall was frozen. Ella wanted to climb to the top...

Kevin did climb pretty high and slid down.

Please Pray for my family

2009-03-18T20:48:00.001-07:00

If you are reading this please say a prayer for us! We are being attacked right now with some sickness. Today I spent 4+ hours at the urgent care clinic with the girls. Ella has an ear infection and Liv has a touch of pneumonia. They are on antibiotics and other meds to help them feel better. We are supposed to leave in the morning for Colorado for the 2nd half of our trip so pray that the girls will feel good and have good attitudes.

Also, I still haven't fully recovered from my kidney infection and although I am feeling tons better this is a faster pace than I am used to and so far the last 2 nights one of the girls has cried almost the whole night = not much sleep.

Kevin is trying to keep our spirits up and reminding us to have fun...this is vacation!!! So here we go on our adventure.

Our Family

2009-03-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

We are so glad to see our family! The girls haven't felt their best they both have a cold but they are so glad to see everyone! This is my mom (mimi) holding her ella.

This is our adventure to the farm. Ella got new pink cowgirl boots from Stephen and Michal and got to pet the cow, horse, dogs and cat. She loved every minute of it.

This is my dad taking Ella on a 4 wheeler ride!

This is liv's late night dancing at the Harris's she shook it a little.

Ready Set Go!

2009-03-15T19:42:00.001-07:00

And we are off! We have packed and now we are ready for our VACATION!!! This is our first vacation of 2009 and we decided to compile a trip home to see our family with a time away to Colorado for seeing our friends who just had a new baby and on leave from Iraq.

Ella has been packing up all her toys and hasn't decided what exactly to leave behind. I tried not to tell her that we were going but Kevin told her tonight. She asked if she could sleep in our bed because she didn't want to miss out on anything.

I have to say a special thanks to Kevin for all he has done the last few days. After my whole ordeal this weekend I wasn't up for much. He was an amazing husband, and dad. Thank you Kevin for getting us through and off for vacation!!!

We can't wait to see everyone in Tulsa. See you soon!!!!

Plaaying at the beach

2009-03-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls playing at the beach. We had lots of fun the weather was perfect. Not too hot or cold.

Below is Ella flying her kite. She did really good and I was amazed at how long she stuck with it. But there at the end she almost took out a couple on the beach. I didn't think about what would happen with the kite came down...

Gymnastics

2009-03-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

This weeks Gymnastics class was really fun. Ella was the most comfortable there she has been so far. She is trying to follow directions but bless her heart some of it is like a foreign language to her. Here she is working on the bars. She naturally just wants to swing her feet up there so she is learning to use her arms.

This is her working on jumping with both feet at the same time. This doesn't come natural either.

Her favorite so far is the rings and as you can see below she is totally unaware of the camera.

Loves the dismount off the balance beam. I have to try to keep her from practicing her dismount on all our furniture throughout the week.

And this is grumpy. She usually loves going to class and watching Ella but this week she just sat in the chair with her snacks. Every time I tried to make her do something she just frowned at me. I have no idea where she gets her stubbornness.

Outside Pictures

2009-03-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was so hot. My car said it was 86 degrees outside, I don't know what the official temperature was but I know it was hot enough for ice cream. So after our trip to walmart to get bubbles we stopped at sonic to get a ice cream cone.

Liv got her own cone but couldn't lick it fast enough. As you can see we are still having issues with her smile. Its getting better but here she is smiling for mommy. Check out drip on her chest. Priceless.

Here is the bubble gun we got. Ella just loved it. She was so cute running after those bubbles.

Outside Pictures

2009-03-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

So we were playing outside, the weather here has been beautiful like high 70's and 80's. Ella has been playing with our neighbor who is 5 yrs old. His name is Lawton but she calls him Lot. This is a picture of her talking to him through the fence. They do this for hours. They love it!! She says she wants to marry him when she grows up but I keep telling her to leave her options open.

This is Liv getting a better look at what Ella is doing without actually getting off the deck to go see what Ella is doing.

We were having so much fun until....Liv decided to eat some dirt.

This is her enjoying some time away from the dirt.

Ella was trying not to smile but she just couldn't hold it in.

Happy Birthday Samantha!

2009-03-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Well in My family we go through birthday seasons. My brother has a birthday on December 3rd and my sister as one a few days later December 9th. And in July my nephew has a birthday on July 7th and my Grandpa has a birthday July 8th. Very few of us get to have our birthday week all to ourselves. Well all of that to say this is the March birthday season and today is my niece Samantha's Birthday!!!! Its not a normal birthday though it is her 16th birthday!!!

I love her so much!!! I wish I could be there to see her take her first spin in her new red AUDI. Well new to her but yes I said red Audi. But I may be just as safe out here in SC. Just kidding - I hear that she is a great driver.

So Happy Birthday girl! I hope that you remember this day forever!!! We love you and can't wait to see you - One week from today!!!!

Wedding Planning

2009-03-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Allison! She is engaged to AJ and they are getting married on June 6th! She is going to have an amazing wedding and I can't wait!!! She took us to the cupcake store downtown on Wednesday and we sampled some cupcakes for her wedding!!! They were the most incredible cupcakes I have ever eaten. Well lets just say it was Ella & Liv's dream come true outing!!! I can't believe I didn't get a picture of all of the cupcakes they had - its because I was too busy watching out for the little ones and their cupcakes. But we will be back there soon!! Here are some of the flavors: Praline, Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate (w/Andies mint), Butter Pecan, Vanilla, and Allison's Favorite Cheesecake!!!

Gymnastics

2009-03-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Here is Gymnastics Class Pictures for this week. Here is a quick hug Liv got before Ella went inside.

Here is Ella with her "dramatic pause" before her twist dismount off the balance beam.

Good Health Habits

2009-03-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Wondering what you all do as far as eating healthy + low fat + good tasting?

As far as it goes here we have to pick one. Are we going to have a healthy meal (I'm talking organic) with no butter, low sugar, lots of veggies and without high fat or dressings OR are we going to have a low fat meal with low-fat dressings and low-calorie substitutes OR just a good tasting high everything meal.

So far we usually mix it up and I have to announce to everyone, "This is Healthy so eat it" and then we go and blow it with Kevin's favorite Fried Fish and Mashed potatoes the next night.

So is it better to go with a low-calorie substitute as most diets recommend or to go organic and get rid of all substitutes and just deal with a different (bad) taste?

On the Today show this morning they had the author of the great book "Eat This not That" and he showed two of my favorite salads that are calorie disasters.

1. TGI Friday's salad Pecan crusted Chicken salad = 1,300 calories = 6 1/2 glazed donuts

2. Chilies Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad = 1,100 calories = Medium Pizza from Dominos

I couldn't believe it. I'm sure my other favorite salad is a disaster too. The Zackby's fried chicken house salad with honey mustard dressing. It is yummy though!

So what are you eating? I would love to hear your comments!

Sarah Lynn's Birthday

2009-03-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Sarah Lynn,

This is a birthday blog that I have to make. My niece who is turning 22! We are so proud of her!! She is beautiful, talented, smart, funny and looks a little like me if I do say so myself! She is very humble and has a quiet nature although you get her going and she doesn't stay quiet. Let me warn you not to mix her laughing and drinking fruit punch at the same time watch out or else...fountain!

She is not afraid to stand up for what is right even if it's not the most popular choice. She is one of the most reliable people I know! If you give her a task by golly she is going to get it done come hell or high water (those sayings really apply in this sentence).

She loves it when Kevin sings Taylor Swift so I told him he has to sing it today in honor of your birthday!!!

We love you Sarah!!!

Playing at the park

2009-03-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun taking the girls to the park the other day. Liv was so funny. She wanted to do everything Ella was doing but it wasn't as easy as Ella made it look.

Like the tire swing for example. Ella made it look easy but Liv just slipped through. Daddy saved her though.

Ella made this look fun too but she wasn't sure what to do....

And then couldn't figure how to get off of this thing~

And even though we were at a large playground of nice playground equipment Ella found that sliding down the big hill on a piece of cardboard was tons of fun!!

Liv didn't want any help on the slide. Although she obviously needed it. She finally figured it out ALL BY HERSELF!

Those were the perfect pants for sliding. She went really fast and wasn't sure if she liked it until she stopped at the bottom. Then she wanted to go again!

This was an almost disaster caught on film. Ella started skipping down the hill and it quickly turned into a run and then Kevin said, "oh no" and I was hitting Kevin saying, "hurry help her" and by some miracle she got control and stopped herself. We were sitting on a bench but we were too far away to have caught her in time. Whew...

Gymnastics Class #3

2009-03-01T13:45:00.001-08:00

Ella is so fun to watch at her class. She is totally confident and totally insecure at the same time. I am very proud of her for trying new things. Most of the others have been in this class for 6 weeks now and this is only her 3rd time so everything is new to her. She doesn't really know what she is doing but she gives it a try. I love that she is going to the Little Gym. She has 2 teachers who both know her. We are especially thankful for Sarah Richard for all she has done to help Ella and make her feel comfortable there. So take a look at her trying out the rings. She was so excited to see them set up when we got there. She also worked on the bar learning a back flip over the bar and back flip on the mats.

2009-02-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

Sarah Lynn,

She loves it when Kevin sings Taylor Swift so I told him he has to sing it today in honor of your birthday!!!

We love you Sarah!!

OH NO!

2009-02-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

I have some really bad news if you haven't already seen, heard, or tasted. Propel has changed their look and taste. This is bad news because EVERYONE in my family loves propel. Starting with my Dad. They have added antioxidants so I know that my mother-in-law will be pleased but it just doesn't taste the same. Don't really know what to do but I am going to resist the temptation to run to every grocery store and gas station to retrieve any of the "old" ones.

Daddy's Girls

2009-02-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

After Kevin gets home from work the girls try to talk him into going outside to play. They love to show him all the things they have been playing during the day.

Liv was showing off her abilities with the sword.

Check out this lean...only Michael Jackson can do it better!

She fell and got a bump on her head. She decided some time on the swing would help.

2009-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of Ella. We have been having lots of fun with her lately. She is growing up so fast!

At the beach with Aunt Janette

2009-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here we go to see the beach after a the girls had been in the car and shopping already. They were ready to run...

Ella can't wait to chase the birds but Liv couldn't keep up!

So she decided to try the sand while she was resting.

Ella didn't wait she kept going

This girl has energy and kept trying she tried running faster....

She even tried the sneak attack.

Ella Joy

2009-02-17T16:19:00.001-08:00

Today we went to gymnastics class #2. Ella was much more prepared this time. This morning we went and got her an outfit to wear and she looked forward to it all day.

Her favorite element was the bars. She could of hung there the entire class. Good thing the other kids had to take a turn. Ella kept trying to do a chin-up on the bar. I thought it was hilarious.

The photo below is the bear crawl.

She worked really hard on learning a cartwheel but it is much harder than it looks.

This is her trying to stick her landing.

The one below is her working on the lower balance beam. I have more of the tall balance beam. She did great - jumped right off the end and even did a spin move!

She couldn't get the concept of jumping with both feet from the spring board. Sarah (her teacher) worked with her and she got it!

Fancy Dancy?

2009-02-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

So Ella got a book and doll from Kevin's mom for her birthday called Fancy Nancy. You see Fancy Nancy likes anything fancy. And Ella loves to read the book and get all dressed up in anything she can find. This day she even got some of my stuff she thought was fancy. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "Being Fancy like Fancy Dancy"

Fun at the Park

2009-02-13T19:49:00.001-08:00

I realized something this trip to the park. I have two really brave girls. I mean Ella had a lot of fun playing and wasn't scared and didn't need any help and Liv wasn't afraid to give anything a try.

So I was amazed that Liv wanted to climb up the slide backwards. She could have just walked up the ramp but she wanted the challenge.
And she did it! She made it to the top all by herself.
And she stayed up there for a really long time. She kept and eye on me and Ella from up there but she didn't come down until....
She got tired. And then very, very, very slowly she slid down the slide. In fact she stopped here for a while and got very, very sleepy. I even went and checked on her to see if her eyes were open. After a rest she got down and played at full speed again. But wasn't interested in the slide anymore. So cute!
This is a close up of her thoughts about swinging. She didn't cry but looked very concerned.

You gotta love this face Liv is making. Priceless!!!

Ella loved swinging but Liv wasn't sure. She just wanted to try it since Ella was doing it.
This is Ella getting Liv for me. Liv kept trying to escape the playground area and all I had to say is "Well Ella I guess we better go" and she would run get Liv and play with her.

Weekly Update

2009-02-12T17:44:00.001-08:00

When I didn't hear Liv playing I went to look for her and here is what I found. She found a powdered donut that Ella had left behind. She was very happy with her findings to say the least.

Ella loves to have Tea Parties. So here is our most recent one. Decaf tea of course. Liv joined in with her propel.

Happy Birthday Karen!

2009-02-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ella's Favorite things about Mema:

1. Ella loves to swing with her in her backyard in Tulsa.

2. Ella loves to eat popsicles with Mema.

3. Ella loves to read books with her.

4. Ella says her most favorite thing about her is, "Because I love her"

My Favorite Things about Karen are:

1. She always thinks of others before herself.

2. She has loved me and included me in her family.

3. She is a great person to spend quality time with! I love to have coffee with her!

4. We can talk about anything for hours - actually we haven't ever run out of things to talk about.

5. I am always amazed at what Kevin talks her into doing - one of my favorites is when he talks her into being in his movies. Favorite scenes: Her playing the harmonica and sings "red river valley" which is from his Tombstone remake. Also, when her and her sister Diane played a scene where they were fighting. Hilarious

6. She has good taste when it comes to food!!! We love to eat at El Chico! mmmm... I miss good mexican!

7. Her patience and mercy for her son and grandkids ENDURES FOREVER! (the rest of us can't handle all the balls being thrown, wrestling, and running around the couch all at the same time)

8. She is a lovely woman and has a great smile :)

9. She loves God and is a great example of His kindness to anyone who meets her.

10. I actually saved the best for last. I can never thank her enough for the time she came to Charleston for the birth of Olivia. Kevin had sprained his ankle or according to Ella his "wrankle" and I had been put on bed rest and was about 6 weeks from my due date. Ella was basically taking care of us getting us drinks and helping with things like the phone and the remote. She was only 2 1/2 at the time but we were in bad shape. My parents couldn't come yet because they were planning on coming for a month when Liv was born so they needed to wait as long as they could. After about 3 days of us being in really bad shape Karen jumped on a plane and came here to help us. She was a great help to us and entertained ella for the first 5 days and she planned to go home on Thursday night so she could go to War Eagle with her sister and daughters but that night I had an overwhelming feeling that she shouldn't leave. Immediately when I began to tell her this she felt it too and changed her ticket to the next Wednesday. It was that Saturday morning when I woke up I knew that something wasn't right. Later that day we went to the hospital and Sunday morning we had Liv. Thank God she was here!!! Through everything I didn't even worry one minute about Ella and we could focus on Liv and everything she was going through!!! So #10 is Thank you Karen for being there for me when I really needed you the most!!! You are the best!!!!

Princess?

2009-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

So Sunday night Ella begged us to go eat at Moe's. We have been eating at home so much lately to save money and its much easier with the kids. But she was relentless. So we did just for her. Afterwards we went by Blockbuster and rented a movie. We let her pick one and she chose Cinderella III. She watched it a few times now and has been asking me to watch it with her and so finally last night I sat down with her and watched it. Half way through she leaned over to me and said, "Mom, you know I am a princess" I said, "Yeah, I know". She said, "But Mom I have been trying to make friends with the birds and they just run away from me. You know mom princesses can talk to the birds." I didn't know what to say and I was kind of laughing and then she looked at me and said, "Mom, who's going to be my bird?"

So I kind of told her that the movies were pretend but she didn't really buy it. I immediately called her Aunt Karey who loves Cinderella movies too!

I love Ella's imagination. You never know what she is going to say next!

Guest Post from Ella Harris

2009-02-06T09:14:00.001-08:00

This is what she said, " I love all of guys and I want to make funny faces for you to make you laugh." She thought of this all on her own.

Outside Pictures

2009-02-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

I know I post a lot of pictures of us playing outside but the girls are just so darn cute out there. So here are a few more. Ella didn't want her picture taken and tried not to smile and then tried to get the camera from me. Still I managed to get a few cute ones of her in action.

Liv loves it when Ella leaves the back door open and she can sneak outside without shoes or a coat. But I was close behind her with shoes, coat and hat since the temperature was in the 30's.

Teaching Liv to Smile for the camera

2009-02-02T08:22:00.001-08:00

Isn't this funny? This is what Liv does when we tell her to smile. She sees Ella smile really big and show her teeth and I think that is what she has been trying to do. I think it is hilarious and I can't stop taking pictures.

Movie or Book?

2009-01-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

While my dad was here he watched a movie called Kingdom of Heaven. We happened to own it but neither of us had seen it. Dad said it might of been the best movie he had ever seen. So of course we have to watch it now. Kevin turned it on last night and was so tired he fell asleep after like 2 minutes of it. I couldn't believe how good it was once I got past a few of the bloody fight scenes. Anyway, I am not finished with it yet but so far it has really got me thinking.

The knights take a pledge to be honest at all times, to do what's right even if it doesn't benefit them and to protect the helpless. It is so inspiring. Here is my favorite line so far: Your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God you cannot say but I was told by others to do this or to do that or that virtue just wasn't convenient at the time. That just won't suffice.

So if you are looking for a good movie and want to be inspired check it out.

Oh yeah here is the crazy thing - It is a lot like the book Kevin just finished reading called Tale of Three Kings. It was an awesome book! So there you go - A good book or a good movie - your pick!

Outside Pictures

2009-01-29T11:32:00.001-08:00

I am so grateful for my parents. They are not just my parents they are my best friends! They came to visit last weekend and we had lots of fun! The girls had a blast playing with my dad in the back yard. Here are a few pictures I took on his camera. It has a really good zoom.

Catching Up

2009-01-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Singing Happy Birthday to Ella.

Some of the candy at Ella's party
Yes this is Princess Leah!
Even the babies knew what to do with the light sabers. This is Stone who is almost a year. He loves to play with Liv. Kevin was proud of Liv's skills.
Ella's friend Savannah Grace. They had so much fun!

Coffee with Kate

2009-01-14T07:30:00.001-08:00

Last night was really fun! She was really sweet and humble and she has an amazing testimony! She mostly spoke about from the time she got pregnant thru the first year of all the kids.

Weekly Update Part 2

2009-01-13T07:24:00.001-08:00

Liv found the ipod and started saying "hello". Future iphone user right here!

This is kind of weird. This is how I found Liv when she woke up from her nap. I'm not sure how it happened she hasn't gotten her arm out before. The funny thing was that she didn't want me to fix it. She just wanted to watch a movie with Ella.

This is Ella playing with Jello. Actually Play-Dough but she can't remember that and she keeps calling it Jello.

She had to pose with daddy too after she saw me take a picture of Liv with daddy (below). She is daddy's girl though!!

Weekly Update

2009-01-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

Me & Liv. She actually saw the camera and posed. I don't really like this one of me but I couldn't resist because she was so cute!

Kevin had just got home from work and Liv has to get up on his lap.

This is the missing picture from the night we made the fire. Once was lost but now is found and I just had to post it. She loves having a fire and she always asks if we can have mushrooms. She has always confused them with marshmallows.

This is princess Ella in her skirt that Karey sent. It was one of the girls but Ella likes to say it was Brittany's skirt. I can hardly get it off of her. The last picture is one of Ella's cute outfits that I had to put on Liv. She loves the fur.

Making a fire

2009-01-08T08:16:00.001-08:00

this was New Years Eve. Kevin was in 80's clothes but he looked more like teen wolf.
Finally it is cold here at night and we can build fires again! The kids love it cuz they get to play in the backyard at night!
Liv finally is enjoying herself out there and not constantly trying to get the fire. Usually we get worn out chasing her and finally make her watch from the back door but she did good and sat in her chair. Yeah!

Ella's getting creative

2009-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ella has been my child that I couldn't get to eat good. Mostly when she was younger we had to work with her all the time. Now she has been going through a stage of not wanting to eat food but just to eat unhealthy snacks through out the day. So we have been working with her to eat real food. So today I made her turkey slices, strawberries and a few chips for lunch. She ate the strawberries and chips just fine. Finally, about 45 minutes later after I had told her 1000 times to eat her turkey all gone she says mom look my turkey is all gone. I said good Ella did you eat it? She said, no I fed it to Olivia.

OUTINGS

2009-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

LIV GOT SOME SAND ON HER HANDS...BRUSH THEM OFF GIRL!
Ella loved chasing the birds but she couldn't catch them.
Finally, she stopped for one quick picture...tiger girl.
Liv loves to get in my chair. She is so proud of herself.
Ella's new castle and the home of her oversized stuffed animals she got for Christmas!

What a week

2009-01-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week and a half. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Ella's Birthday, New Years Eve, New Years Day and my friend Sheryl came to visit. To say the least we have been busy. I feel like I have cooked more food in the last 2 weeks then I have in my whole life.

I am so grateful for all of the visitors this holiday season has brought our way. It was so special for my friend Sheryl to come visit. She is 7 months pregnant with Baby Jayce so her life won't be the same or I should say her schedule won't be the same for a while. We had a great time going to see a little bit of Charleston and just hanging out. We went to Isle of Palms last Monday and there was a boom really loud boom on the beach that they think might have been Seneca Guns which is a small earthquake. That was crazy. Even crazier though we took our lunch to the beach and the birds were trying to steal it out of our hands. I'll try to upload a picture but Sheryl is holding the best one hostage. There was a bird just hovering above her head while she was eating it was awesome.

So today I started taking down the Christmas tree and decided that the holidays are over for us. Ella is already asking when is Christmas coming again? Kevin told her a really really long time.

I'll upload pictures later of our outings. :)

Ella's Birthday

2008-12-30T18:35:00.001-08:00

Last night we celebrated Ella's 4th Birthday. She loved picking out a cake and opening all her presents. Liv tried to be a princess too but couldn't quite get the crown on by herself.

Ready for Christmas Morning

2008-12-30T18:15:00.001-08:00

Here are the girls they got new PJ's for Christmas morning. They loved opening thier new toys.

2008-12-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here we are on Christmas Eve.

2008-12-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here we are getting ready for our Christmas Eve church service. The girls looked so cute! More pictures to come.

Backyard fun

2008-12-22T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the last few days. The girls have had so much fun playing in the back yard. Today Kevin worked on our leaf situation in the back yard. This fall seemed to go by so fast we didn't get them all up yet. Since we got Ella a little jeep for Christmas he is trying to get them out of the way for her. I was too cold to stay out there so Kevin built me a fire so I could keep him and Ella company. Liv was inside taking a nap inside.

Ella loves to play like she lives in the garage. She says mom I gotta go to my house and she just stands inside the door and looks out at us and then pops out and says, I'm back. That is a picture of her coming back to visit me and liv at our house. That is her daily outfit right now. Ariel nightgown (she doesn't sleep in it, she sleeps in her silky one from the king girls) and dress up shoes.

That is liv in her adorable little dress that I got her to wear to the staff Christmas lunch. She hasn't been fond of dresses lately but I actually got her in it for the whole day. So cute! She even kept her headband on for a while!

Other Harris Happenings

2008-12-18T18:29:00.001-08:00

Okay these first two photos are the 1st quarter of the Bronco's game. We kept her busy eating until she fell asleep. She likes to hold her own hamburger.

The next two are at the mall we rode the carousel and
Ella loved it but Liv wasn't too sure. She after a few times around she looked like she was going to toss her cookies and wanted off. And of course the last one is the girls getting ready to go swimming. Ella couldn't wait to go to the pool and liv just followed her because she could tell she was excited and didn't want to miss out.

Bronco's Game Pictures

2008-12-18T18:24:00.001-08:00

Broncos Weekend...Pictures still to come

2008-12-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Pictures are still to come. I have got to get all the camera's, printers, and computers all working together in my house. That's my problem with the week plus gap in the blog spot. It's just difficult to take things apart with liv around. She is into everything and definitely notices anything new I am doing. She really wants to get that apple on my laptop. It lights up and she hasn't figured out what to do with it yet. So far she has tried to touch it, bang it, and lick it.

Anyway, this weekend was amazing!!! We took the kids to a Bronco's/Panthers game. So we drove 3 hours to Charlotte, NC and we got to the game about an hour early. So we got to see the players warming up. It was really cold so after putting as many clothes on the kids as possible I was just praying that I didn't end up in the car with them while Kevin watched the game. As fate would have it...because God loves Kevin, the kids were awesome. Liv fell asleep in the first quarter and Ella fell asleep in the 2nd quarter and we watched the game without any interruptions and the kids were all snuggled in blankets!!

I say God loves Kevin because we thought about going to this game but couldn't find inexpensive tickets or a babysitter so we had given up and then out of the blue a guy from church called with 3 tickets he wanted to get rid off and practically gave them to us. We know that God gives us the desires of our hearts and I think he knew that Kevin needed a Bronco's game.

After the game we went to our hotel which was only 8 blocks from the stadium. Downtown Charlotte is really nice. We ordered room service and then took the kids to the pool. Since we forgot Ella's floaties she was just sitting on the stairs until Kevin got the life preserver down for her and she loved it swimming around them pool until she was wrinkled. Liv didn't know if she liked the pool or not. It wasn't cold but it wasn't very warm so me and her didn't stay long.

Monday morning we drove to an awesome mall and had a great day shopping together. Kevin knew from the beginning of the shopping experience that we had to get Ella's imagination working for us or else it would be misery. So he rented her a car/stroller and she loved it. I mean for like 4+ hours of shopping she was easy. The mall had a kids play area so when the girls wanted out of the strollers we took them there and then to ride the carousel before we left. They loved the Bass pro shop and even got to see Santa...again.

On the way home both girls fell asleep and were perfect the entire ride. THANK YOU GOD!!

Now I am just trying to get caught up and get the kids back in their routine.

Amazing Anniversary!

2008-12-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

My Husband is incredible! Yes, after 8 years of marriage I am happily married! Not because he bought me diamond earrings, perfume, and other gifts but because he loves God, me and our family and is such a great example to us! Last night we had a really fun date night...dinner, shopping and a movie!

So yes, I got the diamonds. Yesterday morning I surprised him with a few small gifts for him and so he gave me a few gifts he got for me but wanted to save the earrings for dinner but in the gift bag for some other gifts I found the certificate of authenticity from the jewelry store and I said ooh what is this? Totally shocked he had to get them out!! Yeah! I enjoyed showing them off and wearing them to dinner!

Even though Ella had given me a hit about the diamonds I found out that she did keep a lot of other surprises. Kevin took both girls to the mall shopping for perfume, a crystal rose, to get my watch battery replaced, a coffee mug and house shoes. Then took the girls to chick-fl-a. Which if you know my girls is no small task to do all of that. Good job Dad!!

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we did some Christmas shopping with the family. Kevin decided we should split up to shop for each other. We split the kids up and Ella decided to go with daddy cuz he was shopping for mommy. So we looked around for a while. Liv fell asleep in the stroller which was awesome for me. As soon as we decided to meet up for lunch Ella came running for me and said, "mommy we did not get you a diamond." Kevin turned bright red and said, Ella I can't believe you said that. Kevin said no, we didn't get you a diamond. But they must of at least looked at them! Yeah! Now, I am even more excited about Christmas.

Sometimes on Christmas eve my dad used to show us what he got for mom. One year it was a special diamond necklace and we were so excited and couldn't wait for her to open it. I am glad that Kevin had Ella look at presents.

A few Christmas Pictures

2008-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

I just love the santa hat. We took some cute pictures today of the girls in thier Christmas dresses. I just can't stand it I really want to save them for a Christmas card but I'll probably end up spoiling that and sending them to everyone. It was really cold but thanks to Hilary we got them done!! Here are my little cuties.

Today's Message

2008-11-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

Kevin spoke this morning at shift and it was really good. He started a new series called intake which is all about what you watch and listen to. He talked about Lot and how his wife and family were too interested in the things of the world and how we need to stay away from the forbidden things and stay close to God. That is so true - He challenged us to look at our life and see if there is anything that we have been too interested in that is distracting us from God. I especially related to his message because of his example of Lot. See Lot made it out of the city but his wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. I thought about that for a while today and really asked God to help me evaluate my life. I thought about her and what was she thinking? She was Lots wife - I mean she knew better. She saw God use Lot and his family (Lot was Abraham's nephew). It doesn't matter if you are married to a preacher or in a family that has been used by God you can still be distracted if you allow it. This is something I wanted to pass along to you. After thinking about that all day I realized that I should never assume that someone is not struggling. God has been putting people on my heart to pray for lately and I think why am I praying for that person? I'm sure that they are just fine. But I should never assume. Just obey. I hope that you take a minute and just evaluate your life and just see if there is anything that you have been too interested in that might be distracting you from God or anything that you are watching or listening to that you should change.

Anyway, this morning I watched Ed Young before I left and he was talking about what kind of people we surround ourselves with and it was incredible too~ He asked are you surrounded by adders or ladders? Adders are a type of snake like a viper. He was saying that adders are slithery, secretive, and gossipers and will only bite but that ladders will encourage you, and help you out of the pit falls of life. I am so thankful when I look around. Just the last 2 weeks we have had some of our family visiting from Oklahoma. My parents, my sister, and Kevin's sister and family. They are definitely all ladders for us. God has used our family to encourage us. I am so grateful for them! Ed Young was talking about how God uses pits in our life to build character in our lives. Even though I don't feel like we are in a pit right now I definitely feel like God is developing character in our life. Ending all of this Ed was talking about being loyal to God. How we depend on God being loyal to us but we continue to fall because we are not loyal to Him. That's my last thought for you - Be loyal to God this week!!

Christina

Family Outings

2008-11-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the beach and around town and finally ended up at the mall to see Santa. What a great day with the family. Early this morning Kevin and Brian went out and got a few black Friday deals. We got a new camera and I love it. We will sure miss all of our visitors. Karey and Brian head home tomorrow. This morning Ella said, "I don't want Karey and Brian and the girls to go back to Tulsa. I wish I could see them everyday." Tonight Karey was talking to Ella and said, "we sure are going to miss you. I wish we could stay here longer." and Ella said, "but you don't belong here, you have to go back to Tulsa and take care of ginger (their other dog)." Sometimes Ella really does understand what is going on. She knows that they will be back to visit and we will see them again soon.

Oh yeah, Ella asked Santa for a princess castle and a big dog. - She found a giant stuffed animal dog bigger than she is and a Disney doll castle. I think Santa can handle that. I just hope it doesn't change in the next 30 days.

Hello, thanks for checking us out

2008-11-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

Here we are!

Trying to Simplify our life

2008-11-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the changes. I guess I thought that if I was ever going to change my blog name and info the sooner the better. This makes my life easier and keeps all of our info together.