Harris Family

Christmas

2012-01-15T21:47:00.002-07:00

I am finally getting some Christmas pics posted. (PICTURE OVERLOAD)

We started out December by going to cut down our tree. Such a fun tradition we've been able to do for the past few years. I must say, Josh found a winner this year, we loved it!

Our boys aren't the most adventurous. They stayed inside the car while Daddy did all the hiking. Tyler gave him the thumbs up on the tree to cut down though.

Yeah, they finally got out for a few minutes...until they decided it was too cold and got right back in the car.

Josh and the boys putting on the ornaments

We spent some time bowling with some friends. I love the holidays!

"Elfie" brought Tyler and Tanner a gift when he got to our house from the North Pole. An elf hat, movie and a new ornament. Tyler made sure Tanner knew that "Elfie saw that" whenever he was naughty. They loved looking for Elfie every morning.

Santa visited our neighborhood. Tanner squirmed off his lap pretty fast but Tyler is at least coming within a foot of him...while hanging on tight to Dad. So much progress!

We got to go see Prancer and the beautiful lights at the Botanical Gardens. Tanner LOVED looking at the lights! That might have been my favorite part about this year. I enjoyed driving around at night just so I could hear him "oooooo" a lot.

The boys in their Christmas jammies. (Well, Tanner's aren't new. Just wrapped up some he's worn a billion times. The fun is ripping that paper anyways, right?)

Christmas morning is so fun!!

Tanner showing me his yummy candy

Wouldn't be Christmas without watching "A Christmas Story" at Gma and Gpas

Tanner making his typical mess of food (I love Will Ferrell in the background!)

Grandma and Grandpa got a cool new car at their house and the boys had a great time riding it.

We loved our low-key, stress-free Christmas and only hope it can be this fun every year! Happy 2012!

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and in between...

2011-12-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great time helping make sugar cookies for Halloween.

Trick or Treating was great! We took the boys downtown to a really cool street! Tons of people, lots of candy, amazing decorations - it felt like we were in a movie. Tyler was pretty cautious (shocker!) but still had a good time.

Just one of the houses

A view of the street. Kind of hard to see but there were people up and down both sides of the street. It even got a lot busier as we were leaving.

Just a cute pic of the boys getting ready for bed.

We were able to squeeze in one BYU game this year. Next year we will hopefully go earlier in the season so we don't freeze.

The boys making apple turkeys

Tyler dancing and Tanner licking the beater full of pumpkin cookie dough. (Don't worry, no eggs involved)

We were able to go to Grandpa and Grandma's new house for Thanksgiving.

Tyler and Carson spent a lot of time outside building their own house with all the scrap wood that was there.

That's just a little bit of what we've been up to. Now we are deep into Christmas prep and loving every second of it!

Dress up

2011-10-23T21:14:00.000-06:00

I thought only girls liked to dress up. Not so. Tyler LOVES to watch different movies dressed as the characters. Thank goodness it's October and costumes are pretty easy to find.

This one is his actual Halloween costume.

And this one is Josh's Halloween costume.

Not really dress up, but I love how anything he puts around his big head is super tight!

Loving Fall!

2011-10-23T21:05:00.000-06:00

We have had such a nice warm couple of months. I am really not looking forward to it getting cold. This was just a month ago. The last day we were able to get the pool out.

These two have so much fun!

Josh turned 33! Yikes!

Tyler "won" a Tae Kwan Do class. He was totally not interested...but at least he got a cool uniform!

Tanner's favorite thing to do right now. Dump EVERYTHING! I was going through Halloween stuff and somehow he dumped the entire box of Cheerios on the ground...and then thought he was really funny throwing them. Such a BUSY boy!

The boys continue to pick and eat tomatoes like candy.

Tanner will sit himself down in the tomato plants and go to town. Red, green, rotten...he doesn't care.

He loves to get all of my hair bands and put them on like necklaces. I think he has every single one on.

FOUR

2011-10-23T20:49:00.000-06:00

I can't believe this guy is 4! We just had a little get together with family at Chuck E Cheese. The boys and I had never been there before and they were in heaven! Tyler ran from game and game and Tanner LOVED the buttons and lights. Such a fun place! Who knew?

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!!

All Growed Up

2011-09-08T22:00:00.001-06:00

Tyler started preschool this week and he was SO excited! He loves his teacher and asks everyday if he gets to go to school. Yesterday wasn't a school day and he was very upset about it.

Today was "share" day and he was supposed to take his favorite toy to show his class. He didn't want to take anything but finally decided on an old broken fire truck. When I picked him up I asked him about what he "shared." He said "I just showed it." Apparently he thought he had to take something to actually share with the other kids and wasn't about to take a nicer toy.

Baby T is ONE!

2011-08-17T11:16:00.001-06:00

Our little monkey turned 1 the other day. Quite possibly the fastest year I've had to date!

He loved picking at the eyeballs on his cake.

See?

The presents were pretty fun too.

Love that kid! Happy birthday little man!

Camping

2011-07-24T21:15:00.000-06:00

We can say we went camping at least once now. We'll see if it happens again this year, but we had a great time with our friends this weekend!

The only picture I got of the adults. They were busy getting our foil dinners and yummy cobbler ready!

Angie and Maren

Dallin loving the ketchup!

Tyler and his buddies Cam and Brynn

Tanner sporting the headlamp

All sticks became guns and swords. The guys even got in on it and started making machine gun sounds. :)

Had to stop at the ice cream shop on our way home. Bubble gum ice cream anyone?

Thanks for a great time Wycherlys and Givens! Let's do it again next year!

Our Summer So Far...

2011-07-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

We are having a great summer and there is still another month and a half to go! So fun!

Tyler took swimming lessons...big work in progress, but he can at least blow bubbles now (as long as water doesn't touch his nose or eyes).

The boys LOVE playing together. They both get so excited when the other one is awake.

Tanner just turned 11 months, has finally learned how to clap and wave, and has 8 teeth.

My brother and his cute wife got married. SO CUTE! Love you guys!

Isn't he so handsome?

Some of the cousins (missed you Carson!!)

Tan-man

Family Reunion

4th of July - I think Tanner has had enough.

Yep, pretty sure... (Tyler is a little concerned about his brother)

Seriously, people? Please take me home!

Josh did his first triathlon. However, they cancelled the swim portion the morning of the race so it doesn't count. Sorry sweetie, gotta do it again.

The boys loving their bath (Tanner is a fish and refer to the first picture for Tyler)

We went to the Boise Zoo!

"I'm a turtle!"

Tyler was completely calm with this snake in his face. Because it was smaller than him and didn't make noise, he thought it was pretty harmless...until the guy holding it firmly told him not to touch the face!

Squishy Face

2011-05-28T20:23:00.000-06:00

I cannot get enough of this kid and his squishiness! Cutest little bobblehead I've ever seen.

April and May at a Glance

2011-05-15T22:47:00.000-06:00

My brother got married last month and I have been hoping to get a good picture of the two of them but this is best I could do. Congrats Casey and Sadie! We get to add so many new people to the family this year, I love it!

Tyler and Carsen stopped running around long enough to get a picture

All the new cousins...minus Tanner

A trip to Utah MUST include a trip to IN-N-OUT burger

On May 4th we celebrated out 10 year anniversary! It is really weird looking back at our pictures. I swear we haven't gotten any older.

We decided to ditch Ty and Tanner and do all the fun, active things we used to do before kids! On Friday we went to dinner and a movie and then Saturday we got up and played racquetball, then tennis, and then went golfing. I was pretty dang tired by the end of the day, but it was a blast!

Mother's Day was lovely. The boys brought me a super yummy breakfast in bed.

Me and my boys

Last of all, Tanner turned 9 months. That has flown by so fast! He is a ton of fun right now and just loves to climb all over anything. He laughs at everything Tyler does and tries to keep up with him.

We've had a busy month or two, but are loving every second of it!

Easter

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

We had a fun filled - egg filled - candy filled weekend!

Saturday we had our annual neighborhood Easter Egg hunt

Tyler getting ready to color eggs

The boys Easter morning

Finding the eggs the Easter Bunny hid

Then we went to some friend's house for dinner. Thanks Scott and Stacie! They have the funnest house with lots of animals and places to explore. Drake, Tyler, and Sydnie

Tanner's first four wheeler ride

Tyler hunting for more eggs

Tanner just loved being outside. Love this kid!

He's At It Again

2011-04-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

Josh ran Robie again. All 13.1 miles of it. Crazy guy! He even talked his dad into doing it with him this year. Here are Eric, Cliff and Josh (and Ty, of course) before the race.

Moses and Kaylee from "The Biggest Loser" ran it too! I love that show!

And they're off!

He finished in 1:52. One race down...many more to go.

Hells Canyon

2011-04-03T21:33:00.000-06:00

We have been pretty boring the last few months but now we have quite an action packed spring/summer and are looking forward to it!

This weekend we went to Hells Canyon and Tyler loved every second exploring, fishing and looking for wildlife. He definitely made the trip worth it!

This is a two-room bed and breakfast we stayed at. (Josh and his mom are on the grass roasting marshmallows.)

Three wild turkeys just on the other side of the fence.

Tyler fishing

He caught a catfish...thanks to the nice men next to us that had been fishing for 6 hours and had one to spare!

Family pic near Hells Canyon Dam

Tyler spotting the mountain goats

Tyler and Grandpa exploring

Let the Madness Begin

2011-03-13T19:44:00.000-06:00

Okay. Selections have been made and we are ready to play!! Anyone is welcome to join our group on espn.com tournament challenge. Our group is public so just search for "JT3 Harris" when you create your bracket.

Good luck and Happy March!

Sickies

2011-02-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Go away nasty germs. I want my happy boys back. We have definitely done our part to keep the Walgreens pharmacy open these last couple of weeks. And, thank you Redbox for placing yourself outside of Walgreens. That helps a lot.

In the meantime, here are some pictures. Tyler cannot wait for Tanner to be big enough to wrestle.

Tanner cannot wait to be big enough to turn around and grab brother's face too.

They do have cute moments. Ty loves to help feed Tanner. Secretly he hopes Tanner won't finish all his food so he can eat it...which he does often.

And...Tanner turned a whopping 6 months old! Now that's crazy.

2010 Wrap Up

2011-01-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

We had a great 2010! Just a quick catch up in pictures:

Ryan and Angela's wedding! Congrats guys! Unfortunately I didn't really get a picture of the cute couple, just us girls ~~freezing~~ waiting patiently to see them come out of the temple.

We went and cut down our own tree again this year. Okay, so I stayed back at the car with Tanner while everyone else trudged through 3 feet of snow to find the perfect tree.

Great find...except for the fact that the back half was missing. Which actually ended up turning out great because it fit up against our wall perfectly. I think we will try to find those kind from here on out!

After our huge snow day I finally convinced Tyler to help me build a snowman. Snow around here only lasts a couple days so you've got to play while you can. Good thing we hadn't cleaned out our garden yet. Dead tomato vines make great arms and the frozen tomatoes that fell off those vines make great buttons!

It's not Christmas without some cookie makin!

Our traditional Cranor family Christmas party in Pocatello. Tyler was finally willing to get close to Santa! Yeah for progress!

He scored big time with the pillow pet. Who knew they were all the rage? Not me. Thank goodness for Santa.

Uncle Chad was excited to give the kiddos a car to keep at Grandmas and share. So FUN! Unfortunately, my child is afraid of anything that moves. Really, ANYTHING. So wearing the po-po hat was pretty cool too.

New Year's Eve festivities. Our friends were in town so we got together for some yummy food, Weinhard's Root Beer, a mean game of poker, Jana opening a gift that contained a mouse, and a bunch of crazy kids who all stayed up WAY too late! (Really wish I had a picture of the mouse. That will be talked about for years!)

Bring on 2011!

Do Your Cheeks Hang Low?

2010-11-15T15:48:00.002-07:00

3 months

Tyler's Prayer

2010-11-14T20:52:00.003-07:00

"Please bless the football game tomorrow, bless the football leaders and the football guys and the Bronco Stadium. Amen."

I think we may be watching a little too much football around here. :)

Life of a 3 Year Old

2010-11-08T21:32:00.003-07:00

Tonight Tyler was a little too quiet for a few minutes. He came around the corner saying "I'm a scary Batman! This is my Batman costume!" Thank you to whoever invented WASHABLE markers!

He has also finally discovered dressing himself. However, he will ONLY wear basketball shorts. This particular outfit was his 5th one of the day and the shirt is inside out and backwards...I'm sure he pulled it out of the hamper. Never a dull moment. LOVE IT!

Our October

2010-11-01T21:08:00.005-06:00

Our October was a very busy one full of family and fun times!

Tyler and his two cousins Ashley and Carson. (Tyler split his head open on some cement behind our shed. Luckily it just needed a butterfly bandaid).Tanner's blessing day.

Tyler's 3rd birthday! Nothing but Toy Story for this little man! Thanks to all our family who came for the fun weekend.

Josh turned the big 3-2.

On Tyler's official birthday he wanted to go to Old McDonalds (aka McDonalds) and the local game center. It's great that he will ride the rides without even putting a quarter in.

We signed Ty up for a little class called "Amazing Athletes". He goes once a week and LOVES playing all the sports.Here he is on the speed ladder.

And of course, Halloween. Tyler insisted that I be Jessie and Josh be Bullseye. We had fun coming up with the costumes!

Tanner had no say and he was an adorable monkey.

Our friends had a great Halloween party - thanks Wycherlys!

Family pic

The Boys

2010-10-03T00:10:00.002-06:00

Just because Tanner looked a bit creepy in the last picture I posted, I had to post one that he was actually looking at the camera. Love them!

College Gameday

2010-09-28T15:54:00.003-06:00

On Saturday ESPN came into town for the big BSU vs. Oregon St. game. I figured this is a once in a lifetime thing (sorry Broncos - not much faith that they will be back anytime soon) so we HAD to go and experience it!

We packed up our two rugrats at 6:30 a.m. and headed down to the stadium. Tyler was so excited! Tanner slept the entire time...love him! Since we had two kids and a stroller we weren't too concerned about getting super close. It was still a great spot and the big screen made it pretty easy to see what was going on. In fact, Josh and Tyler were able to get on TV. They went down lower and were waving when the camera went to the far right. Tyler loves to watch it over and over on TiVo.

The closest I'm going to get to Kirk Herbstreit. (Sorry Melissa - this was the best pic I could get). I am seriously considering applying for a job with ESPN. I would like to be the girl that takes care of Kirk's microphone. Taking it on and off didn't look that difficult. Really, how much experience would one need?

And here is one of Erin Andrews for the fellas. Josh is applying for the job of her police escort. (He was so jealous.)

Brotherly Luv

2010-08-30T21:55:00.003-06:00

We are loving having Tanner! He is such a pleasant baby and as of today he weighs 6 lbs. 8 oz.

I can't seem to get any other pictures because this is how Tyler is all day. He LOVES his baby brother and tells him that several times a day. If it would only stay that way... Tanner doesn't always love it.

Meet Tanner

2010-08-15T11:54:00.004-06:00

Tanner was born nice and early Friday morning. He is healthy and we are so happy to have him here!!

Our 5 lb. 10 oz. little runt. Me in all my puffy glory.Our family

Tyler meeting baby brother. Heading home with the boys!

Anyday...

2010-08-11T15:57:00.002-06:00

Tyler is anxiously awaiting his baby brother. I love the kisses he gives my belly several times a day.

Saints to Sinners Winners!

2010-08-02T22:45:00.002-06:00

Josh did a bike relay this last weekend called "Saints to Sinners". Their team "We Abuse Crack" rode 507 miles from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas and came in FIRST!! It sounds like they had a great time and are already planning to do it again next year. Way to go fellas!

(I'm so glad they opted to change out of their spandex shorts for this picture) :)

Where Did June Go?

2010-06-28T16:11:00.002-06:00

Here is our update for June. Apparently it's the end and I haven't posted for a really long time. So...Josh and Tyler went on their first father/son campout. It was lovely to have a night all to myself - maybe they could make that a monthy activity. Tyler finally graduated to a big boy bed. Since he never climbed out of his crib I kept him in there as long as possible. It was nice having him caged in for so long. He's done great though -he won't get out of bed on his own and still calls for me in the morning. I certainly can't get that lucky twice, right?
Family reunion on great-grandma's farm. I'm pretty sure there is a code being violated by having so many kids on a broken trampoline. Amazingly enough the kids stayed away from the hole and no one was hurt. There was even a spring or two that flipped off and managed to miss people and cars. Weird.

At the local parade. Whenever something cool came by Tyler whipped out his cell phone and said "Oh, I gotta get a picture!"

Then Josh threw a fabulous surprise party for my 30th birthday! It was so fun to have my family show up - I had no idea they were coming! I don't have any pictures of that yet, so I'll have to post those later.

That's our month. See you in July!

Runnin' Fool

2010-05-16T13:25:00.004-06:00

This is all Josh has been up to the last couple of months. He ran Robie Creek half marathon in April and decided that since he was running so much he'd keep training for a full marathon.

Travis, Josh, and Spencer after Robie. So yesterday he completed his first marathon! Tyler and I got to watch here at mile 18 and then the route turned back around and it was mile 21.

Here he is running through the finish line. You can't see it very well, but he finished in 3:48 - very impressive to me! Josh and Brian after their first marathon - way to go fellas!

Two Recipes

2010-04-27T13:51:00.002-06:00

Here are two different quinoa recipes I've tried and think are great! FYI - rinse off your quinoa before you cook it.

This first one is from my friend Jana (thanks!!)

3/4 c. quinoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. frozen corn, cooked
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 c. salsa
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. cilantro - chopped

Combine quinoa with 1 1/2 c. water and heat to boiling. Stir in salt, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.

In large bowl combine corn, beans, and salsa. Stir in quinoa, lime juice, and cilantro.

(I also added chicken to mine and made it complete meal. Very yummy! Tyler thought it was a bit too spicy so I should probably try mild salsa next time.)

The second recipe I got out of my SELF magazine awhile back. I use it as a side to fish or chicken a lot.

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, 2 minutes
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (I use 1 Tbsp. dried)

Bring quinoa and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover; simmer until quinoa absorbs liquid, about 15 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes. When quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in onion, pine nuts and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

(I realize pine nuts are a bit expensive and I've made this dish without them several times, but I really like the flavor and crunchy texture they add.)

Favorite Things

2010-04-15T22:15:00.000-06:00

I have discovered some great things lately that are too good not to share. Not until I was done with this post did I realize that everything revolves around food - I'll blame it on the child growing inside me. Hope you're hungry.

First up, OROWEAT SANDWICH THINS - love these little 100 calorie thingies. We use them for everything.....well anything that requires sandwich bread or a bun. I get them at Costco, but I see them at pretty much every grocery store now.

2) QUINOA - pronounced (keen-wah). This is an amazing food! Loaded with protein and other good stuff (google it if you want all the deets). I buy it in bulk at Winco, but I've seen a big ole bag of it at Costco. I've tried a few different recipes that are fabulous. If anyone has one for me let me know - I'm still experimenting.

3) BLENDTEC BLENDER. You may have seen the You Tube videos "Will it Blend". YES, it does blend EVERYTHING beautifully. My hubby is never in the kitchen and he has used this almost everyday since we got it for Christmas. Thanks mom and dad!

4) PLAIN YOGURT (Greek yogurt if I want to splurge). I substitute this for pretty much anything that calls for mayonnaise or sour cream. It's so versitile - love it! Get the greek yogurt if you want the added protein and a thicker consistency. (I'm sure there are other benefits too, but I really don't care too much at this point.) Otherwise a big ole tub of plain works lovely too. (I've never actually tried this brand but it was the only picture I could get to work...you get the idea.)

5) Okay, last one. I LOVE the ZIP 'N STEAM BAGS. I use them all. the. time. I have a steamer that works great, but to throw some fresh veggies in these bags and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes is amazing! The smaller bags are even great for Josh to take to work in his lunch. There are recipes that use chicken and fish, but for now I think I'll stick to vegetables. Alright, that's all. I have some new favorite recipes I've tried too, but that will be for another day.

The Verdict

2010-04-01T14:52:00.001-06:00

Tyler is going to have a.....BROTHER! We are so excited to welcome another little boy into the family!

March Madness

2010-03-14T21:09:00.004-06:00

It's MARCH!! We just got signed up with ESPN again so anyone that would like to fill out a bracket in our group, please join! It's a public group so just go HERE to sign up and search for our group to join which is JT&T . I believe the official rules are up to 3 brackets per person. But one or two would be great as well - just play and let the games begin!

Heading to School

2010-03-12T15:06:00.003-07:00

So I'm lacking blog material, but I thought this was cute. The other day Tyler asked me to help him put his backpack on. Then he grabbed Josh's hat and said he needed his cell phone. He was "just joggin to school". I didn't think he'd go too far, but thought I'd better follow just in case. He only went down about 3 houses and then I convinced him to come back to the house because it was too cold outside. How does he know about school anyway??

Here You Go.

2010-01-30T14:55:00.004-07:00

You asked for an update - here you go.

Coming in August.

SPOILED

2009-12-29T15:24:00.002-07:00

I guess that's what we get for Tyler being only one of three grandchildren on my side and the ONLY grandchild on Josh's side....one spoiled kid for Christmas.

Santa is very grateful that there is no pressure on him yet though.

Thanks for this AWESOME golf cart Grandma and Grandpa C! And thanks for the car I've always wanted Grandma and Grandpa H!

Really, how could you resist this face?

Now we just need some warm weather to enjoy all the fun toys!

Christmas Festivities

2009-12-21T08:01:00.002-07:00

We went to a live nativity the other day and you can kind of see the camel in this picture. This was right before he head bumped Josh in the chest.

The obligatory picture on Santa's lap at our neighborhood party.

Tyler's not liking it too much.

"Okay, really...get me off this guy's lap!"

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T21:46:00.004-07:00

This year we had the chance to go cut down our own Christmas tree with some friends. We've never done that before and it was so fun! (Maybe because I wasn't the one doing the cutting)

Here are the boys cutting down the first one. Pretty sure these were wolf tracks...part of the reason I didn't get out of the car until I absolutely HAD to.

Ty and I braving the cold. And watching out for any wildlife that might be eyeing us.

Our lovely find.

The finished product.

So, a little bigger and more sparse than it appeared in the mountains, but we love it because we drove an hour to walk through the snow and cut it down ourselves with great company!

Before the Holidays

2009-11-24T14:37:00.003-07:00

I was going to post this before we left town and couldn't get my pictures to post correctly. So, here is what we did BEFORE Thanksgiving came along.

Kate, Tyler, and Maren made apple turkeys! Josh ran another half marathon!

"Tibby" BROKE...it's about time! (For some reason that is the name Tyler has called it forever)So long Tibs! We'll miss you.

Grip It and Rip It

2009-10-20T20:01:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Little T!

2009-10-19T13:55:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Tyler is 2! We had family in town yesterday, so we celebrated early. He has been really into golfing and loves to go with us whenever we go, so it seemed very fitting to do a golf themed birthday.

For the last few months Ty has been saying "Daddy, I wanna go goffing...tomorrow."

But now he says, "Daddy, I NEED to go goffing...right now."

Maybe a little premature, but Josh couldn't pass up these clubs. If the weather cooperates we'll try them out today.

He loved all the presents he got (thanks Grandmas and Grandpas and Carson!) He went straight to the scooter and soccer ball when he woke up this morning.

Happy Birthday Tyler! We love you!!

Family Vacay

2009-09-17T13:20:00.007-06:00

We went on a little family vacation to the Oregon Coast last week and had a great time! We stayed a few days in Portland with my aunt and uncle and then stayed a few days in Seaside. It rained a couple of days, but the rest of the time it was perfect!

Here are a few pictures from our trip (totally not in order):

Tyler in downtown Portland.

Josh holding a LIVE crab!

Josh and Ty walking on the beach. Tyler HATED getting sand in his toes so most of the time he was being held."Chunk want baby ruth?" The GOONIES house in Astoria!

Family pic at Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach.

Finally, on the last day Tyler was willing to dig in the sand...just a little. In front of the Portland LDS Temple. Such beautiful flowers!

Tyler and Uncle Bob looking at a giant turtle at the OMSI in Portland.

Not at all afraid to touch all the reptiles.

In front of the Pittock Mansion. Aunt Lorena and I toured it - it is AMAZING!

Tyler in front of Multnomah Falls.

Banana Oat Bars

2009-09-02T19:46:00.005-06:00

I found THIS great recipe from La Bonne Cuisine and have made a few changes to fit our family's likes, allergies, how healthy we're feeling that day, etc., etc.

Banana Oat Bars:

2 cups quick oats (or regular broken up)
1/2 c. shredded coconut
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Ground flax seed

(A lot of times I'll add wheat germ and millet. It just depends on what I have on hand from Winco's healthy bulk section. HOWEVER, if you put more of the dry stuff in, add a little more banana or applesauce to balance out the moisture)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together and place in a greased 8X8 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool. Cut into bars and serve.

Is He For Real?

2009-08-23T22:52:00.005-06:00

Can ya guess who got a hold of these veggies?

I was picking goods from the garden yesterday and went inside for a couple of minutes. I should have known better. It looks like a dang animal was eating my food! Nope. Just my child.

In Tyler's defense...the pear looks real. (it's one of my decorations)

Our Family

2009-08-22T18:42:00.006-06:00

Our friend Melissa is just starting her photography business and wanted some practice. We volunteered and I must say, she is amazing! (if anyone in the Boise area is interested, leave a comment and I'll get you her information) THANK YOU SO MUCH MELISSA!!

DETERMINATION

2009-08-08T21:40:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately, that is a quality only displayed when food is involved.

July

2009-07-21T15:34:00.013-06:00

We have had a very busy July so far and are loving every minute of it! We spent 4th of July on the farm. Tyler had his first experience lighting fire works and he LOVED the pop-its. But what kid doesn't?

Waiting for the big show.

The next day Tyler and I continued on to Eastern Idaho and spent a week with my family. The main reason I went was to see my good 'ole college roommate Hilary from Michigan! She was coming through for a family reunion and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see her. It's been too many years!

And look what she brought me! I LOOOVE my new bag! HERE is her website - go check out her cute bags.

Also while there I decided to do a bedroom makeover for my parents ("Design on a Dime" style) and somehow talked my brothers and sister-in-law into helping out. It was definitely a project, but I had fun doing it. I'm pretty sure they were just happy to see me go by the end of the week!

BEFORE:
AFTER:AFTER: (My wonderful cousin LIZ did the vinyl lettering monogram. Thanks a ton!)BEFORE:AFTER:We hit Lava Hot Springs swimming pool while we were there too. Tyler found Ashley's goggles!Last weekend we went camping again. The weather was perfect and I couldn't get enough of that view!It's hard to see, but Tyler and Kate are holding hands over by the tent. SO CUTE!Cam, Lily, and TyLily (holding Mr. Calapitter), Annie, and Tyler

STAY TUNED...WE STILL HAVE 2 MORE WEEKS OF JULY LEFT!

Camping

2009-07-01T22:32:00.012-06:00

Last weekend we went camping with a few friends. (Tyler and Lily)

It was so COLD at night, but a lot of fun and hopefully we can do it again soon...well, as soon as we get a bigger tent so I don't continually get kicked in the side from Tyler because the only spot we have for him is in the middle of the flat air mattress. As you can probably guess, there was very little sleep that night.

I had no clue this kid was so dirty until I caught a glimpse of his face by the fire. I'm glad the flash worked in the tent - I've never seen him with dirt on his face!

Our family (awkward picture - it was the best we could do)

The Wycherlys

The Taylors
The Atwoods

The best part: S'MORES. Dang, those tasted good! All the kiddos loved them as well.

Tyler is really starting to think he's funny. It's funny.

You Can't Tell Me TV Isn't Educational!

2009-06-18T22:06:00.004-06:00

For the first time the other day, Tyler sat through an entire "Sid the Science Kid" episode while I got ready for the day. (Don't judge. He really doesn't care to watch much TV and if he does, it's usually sports for about a 5 minute span.) When I went to check on him he wanted to show me how they would sneeze on their arm to keep germs off their hands. It's one of my favorite things he does - and he does it several times a day! (Please ignore the food and water on his shirt - lunch was smashed between the chair and his big 'ole gut!)

Reunion on the Farm

2009-06-17T15:14:00.007-06:00

Last weekend we had a family reunion on Josh's side. His Grandma Stockham is always excited to have everyone at the farm. It was so fun to see all the cousins and now there is a new generation of little ones which makes it that much better! Tyler has not stopped talking about "Gate Gamma big tactor" (Great Grandma's big tractor) since.

The men cooking the delicious dutch oven dinner. I wish I had a picture of how many dutch ovens there were!Tyler couldn't get enough of all the farm toys. He took anyone that would go with him to see the "big tactor". I don't have a very good picture of him in it. (dang)The golf tournament was great but the weather was SO disappointing! We all got soaked.Tyler's favorite people...Uncle Zach and Jen.

The kiddos LOVED picking eggs from the chickens!How many kids can fit on a trampoline?

Just chillin' at the picnic. (I was still freezing from golfing!)The Harris family with Grandma Stockham.

He's Growing Way Too Fast!

2009-06-11T23:13:00.003-06:00

This is what we've been up to lately. Parks, parks, and more parks. Tyler loves it when he sees outside toys and hates it when I drive right by without stopping. Such a mean mom! But this is his favorite thing to do at our neighborhood park - swing on the bar. He could do it for hours if I'd let him! I hope his little hands don't slip...

Proud Daddy

2009-04-28T15:02:00.008-06:00

Tyler is very into sports right now. Luckily the golf and "nennis" channels are right next to each other on TV so when the weather isn't cooperating we can at least watch it being played.

A little out of focus, but you can still see his amazing form - Josh is so proud!

Mr. Cool

2009-04-22T14:21:00.005-06:00

We found these sunglasses yesterday that Tyler got from my parents last year. He would not take them off. From 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (except for a nap) these were glued to his ginormous head. I only say that because we found out on Monday that his head is in the 93 percentile!

So, needless to say, they leave some pretty good marks around the ears but he loves them and I'm not about to take them away.

Cheese.

Robie Creek

2009-04-20T15:10:00.007-06:00

He did it! Josh ran a half marathon. Supposedly it's the toughest half marathon in the northwest...just sayin'. :)

Not only do they charge you to run this grueling race, they also charged me to take a bus to the finish line to get ONE picture of this dumb car that decided to drive down the mountain right next to Josh as he was finishing.

I totally should have jumped on the hood and got some great shots all the way to the end...why did I not think of that before? Oh well.

He did an amazing job (2:02:31) and I am so proud of him!
WAY TO GO BOYS! Nate, Josh, and Josh

Our Easter

2009-04-13T22:07:00.010-06:00

We had a great weekend! On Saturday we had dinner, colored eggs, and had an Easter egg hunt at the Hope's house. (Thanks for hosting Lana!)

Tyler is trying to figure out why his egg is blue.

Tyler loved looking for the eggs and caught on pretty quick to what he was supposed to do. He especially liked the ones that looked like basketballs, footballs, golf balls, soccer balls and baseballs. He couldn't care less if it had candy - he would rather throw them or hit them with his golf club. Tyler, Natalie, Sydnie, Shelbie, KayceeThis was one piece of candy Tyler wouldn't let go of. Thank you STACIE for giving him this ring pop that he believed was his binkie for the rest of the night. It was so hard to pry it out of his mouth when we got home. Easter morning. Tyler LOVED his "ma mow" (lawn mower). He pushes it around everywhere and will even give up food to play with it. Shocking...I know.

On Sunday after church (being a rookie mom I totally forgot to get a picture of Tyler in his Easter clothes) - we had dinner with Josh's family and they were so excited for Tyler to find more eggs. The perks of being the only grandchild.

Every egg to himself!

Thanks to everyone for a great Easter! Especially Grandpas and Grandmas!

Congrats Little T!

2009-04-13T22:04:00.005-06:00

So a week late, but Tyler won our March Madness Bracket...really, he did. Too bad it wasn't entered in one we could have actually won money on. Oh well, there's always next year. Thanks to everyone who participated! We had a lot of fun!

My Hard Workin' Man

2009-04-07T15:18:00.006-06:00

Just thought I'd let you all see how much Josh has done in the past 2 weeks. When he gets an idea, there is just no stopping him.

First step: Cutting out the sod. (less mowing = more quality time on Saturdays...good thinkin sweetie!)

Second: Build garden boxes. (a HUGE thanks to Dan for helping with this project!)Third: Plant a couple of trees. (Another HUGE thanks to Fisher for digging in the rain!)Wait....still not done: Minor detour on the initial plans -break out half of the patio. (I must admit, that was impressive!) To Be Continued....

We just had a ginormous pile of rocks dumped on our driveway - pretty sure I know what we will be doing for the next week. It can't take any longer than that because the curbing and patio get poured soon. What an ambitious fella I married.

In between all these projects he has been training for a half marathon that is less than 2 weeks away.

Keep up the good work dear, I'm here to cheer you on anytime!

Peanut Boy

2009-03-25T14:57:00.006-06:00

We've had a pretty low key month or two. Here are a few things we've been up to.

We discovered Tyler is allergic to peanuts. I swore I was going to listen to "the Doctors" (I love that show) and wait until he was at least 2, maybe even 3 years old to give him anything peanut related. But I got impatient when all my friends were saying they gave their kids peanut butter at 9 months and they were just fine. So I felt like a paranoid mother and decided to give Tyler some. I waited until a Saturday when Josh was home just in case we needed to rush him to the doctor. We gave him some peanut butter and there was no reaction whatsoever. I was so excited and couldn't wait to make PB&J sandwiches. It was going to be so much cheaper than ham and cheese everyday.
A couple days later we had an activity at our church and ate some peanut butter cups. I gave one to Tyler and not 10 minutes later his lip started to swell and he was scratching his eyes. Luckily there were a few nurses around that helped us know what to do. His airway wasn't closing off so we watched him for a few more minutes and then decided to take him to a medical center just down the road. By the time we got there, he had huge hives all over his body! Poor little guy. They gave him a shot and this is a picture of him shortly after we got home.

His left eye was so puffy...okay, pretty much his whole face!This kid LOVES to golf! Everyday he wants to go outside and play "goll ball"We went to the high school basketball tournament a couple of weeks ago and Tyler put his hand over his heart for the pledge of allegiance. Pretty much the cutest thing ever!My parents were so nice to let Tyler stay at their house for a few days. He got to play with his cousin Carson and loved it. He still asks for "Car" everyday. We'll have to pawn him off again soon!So that's what we've been up to. We can't wait for spring weather so we can enjoy being outside again!

It's Here!

2009-03-15T22:52:00.006-06:00

The greatest time of year has finally arrived! We love March Madness in our home and try to get into it as much as possible. After being ranked #21 in the nation on espn.com's leaderboard three years ago (yes me, not josh...and yes, I will continue to bring it up until the day I die) - the excitement of it all has escalated! We love to fill out brackets and keep track of all the games.

So, this year we thought it would be fun to invite as many people as we can to be in our group and whoever ends up in first place will get a prize. Probably a small prize, but nonetheless a prize. Go to this link: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/groupfind?entryID=870374 and in the search box type in HARRIS BLOG. If you don't already have an account (it's free), just sign up and fill in up to 3 brackets. I am still working on my other two. :) You only have a few days to do it so go now!

Thanks for playing!

Special Olympics

2009-02-18T22:04:00.005-07:00

The Special Olympics World Winter Games came to Boise last week! It was so fun to go to the festival downtown and experience a few events throughout the week.

Tyler all bundled up not quite sure why he is out in 30 degree weather. I was all excited to get a great picture with athletes from another country, but the only team I could find on this particular night was an Alpine skiing team from Liechtenstein and they hardly spoke any English. So this was the best shot I could get after my attempt at talking to them!

The Flame!So I cut off the top of his head, but this Coca-Cola bear was the coolest thing!

At the floor hockey event we found a team from Kuwait. These guys were so fun and wanted to take tons of pictures. Especially with the babies. Tyler wasn't having it though - he screamed louder than I've ever heard him scream before because they kept taking him out of my arms.

Drake was a little more cooperative than Tyler.

USA vs. Afghanistan floor hockey. It's kind of hard to tell, but check out the size difference. It looked like 20 year men playing against 9 year old little boys. Who knows, maybe they were. USA vs. Egypt

At the speed skating event. This was the best picture I could get - the place was jam packed with people and we ended up sitting on the floor because the seats were full. At least it was the front row.
I loved this picture! The skaters are representing Chinese Taipai. Such a great experience for us to get to watch these wonderful athletes!

Say Cheese!

2009-01-21T14:20:00.009-07:00

How fun! Tyler has finally decided to smile in pictures instead of just stare at the camera. I didn't think it was possible.

Here he is saying "cheese". Thanks Grandpa Cranor for the cool train shirt - it fits perfect!
Tyler loves to carry around this racquetball racquet. And for any of you who don't check my friend Jana's blog - you missed out on the lovely picture she posted of my child. So I'll add it here too:
We were playing games one night and we looked over from the table and saw Ty trying to eat Lily's art - a marshmallow snowman. As many of you know, he will eat anything! Especially if it is right in front of his face.
Yep - you got caught!

White Christmas

2008-12-30T10:46:00.006-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Christmas. We spent a few days in Pocatello with my family. Everyone was there this year and it was so cute to watch the cousins play.

Christmas morning: Ty found his basketball hoop Santa left. He was actually more interested in Ashley's kitchen set she got.
I loved Tyler and Carson's matching pajamas! They were so cute running around in them all day.
Grandpa and Tyler

Grandma and Tyler

I really don't remember the last time it snowed as much as it did. We went skiing on Friday and did a quick visit to the grandparents on Saturday but other than that we didn't go outside. Way too windy and freezing cold on that side of the state!

The boys were outside shoveling the walks and throwing snowballs at the window. Tyler and Carson thought it was so funny!

Of couse it ended up being a big snowball fight. (Todd, Chad, Josh, and Casey)

My mom bought these cute matching outfits for the kids so we could have pictures taken...yeah right. We tried coaxing Tyler with food.

Okay, give him a ball.That's going to have to do. Thanks Uncle Casey for taking the pictures!

Once There Was a Snowman

2008-12-12T09:22:00.006-07:00

Tyler's favorite word right now is "noman". He walks all over the house saying it and gets so excited when he sees one in the store. But, since we can't seem to get any snow around here we decided to make one out of Play-Doh. There are blue snowmen...right?

He also likes to say "Ho Ho Ho" whenever he sees a Santa. So I tried to get it on video. You can hear the little "noman" at the end too.

Giving Thanks on the Farm

2008-11-30T22:20:00.005-07:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving! It is always so much fun going to Grandma's farm...as you can see from this first picture. Uncle Caleb and Tyler could hardly contain themselves.

We really do have a great time. A lot has changed since Grandpa Stockham isn't with us anymore, but we were excited to show Tyler as much as we could.

First stop...the tractor. Where'd the cows go?

At least we saw some chickens.

Thanks Grandma Stockham for having such a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!

Hodge Podge

2008-11-13T22:17:00.003-07:00

Here are a few things we have been up to. A couple of weeks ago, the weather was absolutely gorgeous so we packed up Ty and headed to a local golf course. It was beautiful with the fall colors that surrounded us! We were paired up with two other guys and I'm sure they were thinking "oh great, we are stuck with a girl and a baby!" But Tyler did awesome and just watched the entire 9 holes.

Last Saturday we left Boise nice and early to get to the BYU game. What a perfect day for football! Kind of a boring game, but it was fun to take Tyler to his first game plus we had some great company. We really wish we could have seen more people while we were there.Playing ball with cousin Kandace

Halloween

2008-11-02T17:47:00.003-07:00

Creative post, I know. But here are a few pictures from Halloween. Ty was dressed as a bee. He HATED having the hood on.

Football, Pumpkins, and Leaves

2008-10-28T12:18:00.008-06:00

What a great time of year! I thought I'd share a few pictures from the past month. Tyler's favorite things to do right now are "muscles" and "touchdown". He usually puts these two actions together. Everytime he sees a game on TV or a football at the store, he throws his arms up in the air. I don't know if it's because he was born during this time of year and was forced to watch football during the first few hours, days, and months of his life...but I'm thrilled that he likes the game as much as we do!

He also loves pumpkins...they had these mini ones at Walmart - so cute!We went to the neighborhood park yesterday and there were tons of beautiful leaves! I had to get a picture. (Looks like I happened to dress him in the exact same outfit...plus he is in need of yet another hair cut!)

Name That Tune

2008-10-26T13:57:00.005-06:00

I just had to blog about this Halloween party we went to because I thought it was such a clever idea! We had to dress up as a song. I was very impressed by the songs people came up with. They really end up being simple costumes, but very original.

Here is our costume...anyone guess what we are?

(ICE, ICE BABY)

Nikki and Jana (WITH THEIR HUSBANDS THEY MADE "CAT SCRATCH FEVER" AND "NOVEMBER RAIN")

More of the group: Stacie ("HAD A BAD DAY"), Brandon ("HOW TO SAVE A LIFE"), Josh, Fisher (GUY FROM A BEASTIE BOYS SONG), Rich ("SURF WAX AMERICA"), Eric (THE NOVEMBER HALF OF "NOVEMBER RAIN")
Jennette ("THE SWEATER SONG"), Me, Nikki, Jana, Stacie

We had a great time eating yummy food, pumpkin bowling, and spending time with friends!

My Baby is 1!

2008-10-19T22:11:00.008-06:00

I can't believe how fast a year went! I hate to see Tyler grow up so quickly, but at the same time I love to watch him learn new things everyday! I figured with a boy there is a good possibility of having a lot of "sports" and "truck" parties in the future so I decided to do something that I knew I could only pull off once. I threw him a "duck" party. (Since that was his first official word - I thought it was cute!) And by "party" I mean just with Grandmas and Grandpas...since they are really the only ones who care that the babies turn one! Besides Mom and Dad, of course. Here are a few pictures from the day.

The cake:Ty very intently reading his card.What's in there?Chowing down on the beak!The lovely mess! He actually didn't do too bad. I think I made more of a mess cutting it up than he did eating it. Enjoying the gifts!

It was fun to be with our families - thanks for coming!

The Big 3-0

2008-10-14T09:31:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to wish Josh a Happy Birthday! It must be really hard to hit the 30 mark - that was a lot of candles to blow out! Hope you have a great day!

Love you! (I made him pose with his cake. Can't you tell he loved it?)

You can actually see the smoke coming from the candles. :)

Domestication Sensation

2008-10-01T21:27:00.003-06:00

I bought some peaches from a local farmer's market and decided to finally put the canning lessons my mother taught me to good use. Here are my canned peaches and freezer jam! I'm kind of scared to open and eat them because I am afraid they look better than they are going to taste. Not sure why...just don't want to disappoint myself after all that hard work!

So, since I have an abundance of peaches I am trying to find every peach recipe I can. Tonight we tried a yummy chicken recipe from the Food Network. (Bobby Flay to be exact). Thought I'd share because we loved it! (I halved the recipe for our little family). :)

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SPICY PEACH GLAZE:

2 cups peach preserves or jam

1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 small jalapeno, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 chicken breasts

4 ripe peaches, cut in half and pitted

Combine Spicy Peach Glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1/2 cup. Preheat grill. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place skin-side down and cook for 6-7 minutes, until golden brown. Turn over and continue cooking for 5-6 mintues. Brush both sides with the peach glaze and continue cooking an additional 4-5 mintues. Place peach halves, cut side down on the grill and grill for 2 mintues. Turn over and brush with the reserved 1/2 cup of peach glaze, grill for 3-4 more minutes until peaches are soft.

Here is a picture of the peaches. I didn't think to take a picture until the chicken was already almost gone - so just picture this yummy, juicy glaze on top of chicken too!

More Firsts...aka Brag Post

2008-09-17T22:06:00.006-06:00

Tyler took a whole 5 steps on his own today! Forget crawling...although he did figure out how to crawl about 4 days ago, it is way too much effort and he knows that walking is so much more fun!

He also figured out how to clap and for the last two days has clapped at everyone he sees...right after he waves to them.

Besides "dada" and "mama" Tyler's first official word was "guck" (duck) soon followed up by "gog" (dog). He will recognize those anywhere. (This is kind of a creepy weird looking duck if you ask me.)
Ty went to his first "Thunderbirds" air show. He is always pointing out things in the sky so we thought it would be fun to take him. Josh grew up going to these shows and was excited to take Tyler.

You can kind of make out the "Thunderbird" planes in the background.Can't figure out how to crop this darn kid's head...they did some incredible tricks!

Spitting Image

2008-09-10T12:01:00.003-06:00

I used to think Tyler looked a little bit like both of us. After I took this picture I couldn't believe how much he looked like Josh. He's getting so big!!

One Last Shindig

2008-09-04T21:37:00.003-06:00

Josh's brothers headed back to college last week so we had a little family dinner.

Tyler couldn't get enough corn on the cob. I think the last kernel was finally pooped out yesterday!
He wouldn't stop sliding down the highchair...on purpose. Now that I think about it, how rude that I got the camera instead of helping my child. The boys - Caleb, Zach, Tyler, and Josh

Cheapskate.

2008-09-01T20:52:00.005-06:00

Eclectic. That's the word I used to describe our bedroom decor. Then I realized it was actually just a hodge-podge of junk and I really needed to do something about it. We were very fortunate to inherit some "free" furniture from family, but after 7 years of the same ole stuff, I'm ready for change. I'm in the middle of trying to figure out exactly what I want and this was my first project I tackled. It was by far the smallest and I knew it wouldn't overwhelm me. I really want black furniture and the price of a new set makes me ill, so I spent $6.00 on some sand paper, primer, and paint and this was the result. Sure you can still see some dings here and there, but hey...it was $6.00.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Cause for Concern?

2008-08-26T08:49:00.002-06:00

I don't know if the audio is going to work on this, but I told Tyler to dance and.....

More August Fun!

2008-08-22T17:27:00.004-06:00

It feels like we have been gone all of August. One more week and we have football season...which we are extremely excited for, but I can't believe the summer is almost over.

Last week I went to Utah for a wedding while Josh went on his annual hiking trip with his dad and brothers. I don't have any pictures from that yet, but here are a few from our other adventures.

Tayton babysitting Tyler at the Mt. Timpanogos temple during the wedding.
Congratulations Brooke and Zac!
Hanging out with Jade
All tuckered out after a hard day of play.
Staying entertained during the LONG car ride home
THANKS TO SYDNIE!

Our first visit to Eagle Island. This is such a fun little place and only about a mile from our house. I'm pretty sure we'll be spending a lot more time here!Can't get much better than the White Trash Festival...I mean, the Western Idaho Fair!Waiting to see "Chicago" in concert. Tyler and Ava having a good ole time...can I get another pronto pup?

Family Reunion/Island Park

2008-08-07T10:32:00.007-06:00

This last week we had a couple of family reunions. If I knew how to do a slide show, I would. But oh well. We were in Eastern Idaho for the first one and it was so fun to see everyone! Here is Tyler with his cousins Ashley and Carson. This is the first time they have all been together at the same time - so fun! Getting a picture of all three smiling...not happening.
Me and my brother Casey
We took Tyler to a petting zoo and this monkey was so funny. She kept looking at him and "talking" to him. It was like they had some weird communication going between the two of them.

Tyler with Uncle ToddWe also went camping in Island Park. I grew up camping there, so it was a lot of fun to take Tyler and show him all the stuff I used to do. (yes, I realize he won't remember it).
Josh getting ready to go fishing

Josh and all my brothers

Me with my sis-in-law Kendra and nephew CarsonMy "Happy Gilmore" castTyler actually found a few naps during the week...thank goodness!

Me and my GINORMOUS brother Cody (really the bank of the river sloped really bad and we were standing there and realized that he looked HUGE! He is already 6'4"...this makes him look even more freakish!Tyler cooking with Grandma"CHEESE" Carson was so dirty, but so cute!Lauren with Tyler. She was such a good babysitter and this is the one person that Ty actually would go to.Check out those brook trout!I really liked this picture of these two looking at the river.Tyler with GrandpaJosh and me fishingMe and cousin Liz

Day o' Free Entertainment

2008-07-30T13:47:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday we decided to go explore downtown Boise. Josh is familiar with it, but I have only been there once since we moved here. So we first checked out the farmer's market. Didn't buy anything, but I think those are always fun to see. There was a little water feature in the middle of it all but Tyler wasn't all that impressed. Then we went to the greenbelt and saw people floating the Boise River. Josh took Tyler down by the water and he would have jumped in if he could. He loved it.

Then we went to the Nature Center and saw a bunch of fish.
Last we decided to go to the YMCA to go swimming. Josh was so excited to take Tyler down the slide, it was very cute.
So, as I've finished this post, I realize that we were around a lot of water that day. I guess that should have been the title, but oh well. There ya go.

Just for fun

2008-07-21T21:59:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple of new pictures. Tyler's big thing right now is waving to everyone and everything, especially cars, I love it! His first experience with Tiger's Blood snow cone. He loved it and his lips were so RED!

It's About Time!

2008-07-13T15:03:00.003-06:00

We finally cut Tyler's hair! There was a point in time that I thought it was cute. But it has just gotten way too out of control, as many of you have seen. Nasty thin, old man, over the ear hair. So we trimmed him up and bit and he's starting to look like a little boy.

Starting to get annoyed...hurry! Didn't take too much off the top, but it's a little more clean cut now!

Fourth of July

2008-07-10T15:30:00.005-06:00

I'm a little slow getting this post going, but these are a few of the fun things we did in Wendell, ID for the Fourth of July. It is a very big holiday on Josh's grandparents farm!

Taking Ty for his first ride on the four wheeler. He was scared at first, but loved it after a few minutes.
Josh teaching him how to shoot off bottle rockets

Family Picture
Can't be the Fourth without some watermelon!
All geard up for the fireworks. Tyler loved it, he just sat still and took everything in.
I love how the flag is in the background!

Tyler's Photo Shoot

2008-07-01T16:57:00.003-06:00

LOVE HIM!!

Summer Fun!

2008-06-29T22:07:00.005-06:00

We have been trying to get a little more excitment in our lives...here is what we have come up with.

Feeding the ducks

Swinging on the swings (Ty loves going as high as possible)

First swimming experience. Tyler doesn't look too excited but he really did love it.

Going for a bike ride.

Okay, we are pretty boring people - but what do you expect? There's only so much to do with a kid attached to the hip. Tyler has started waving, saying "mamamama" and "dadadada" and has a fit if he isn't standing up.

AND I AM LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT!

2028 Masters Champion

2008-06-25T22:36:00.003-06:00

That's right. Tyler is a Masters Champ in the making. It was so cute, we went to the driving range tonight and Josh was very excited to get Ty golfing. He just sat and watched us the whole time...wait, isn't that how Tiger got his start? Anyways, I thought it was adorable.

JUNK KING

2008-06-16T22:53:00.000-06:00

We had our adult Pinewood Derby church activity last Saturday and you'd never believe it by looking at our car, but we took 4th! The first car Josh built had a bit too much epoxy leakage into the wheels so we had to hurry and get another kit. With 45 minutes to make a new car, this is what we...Josh came up with. There were no weight limits so we used a golf club weight, loaded it full of fishing sinkers, and electrical taped the crap out of it. Then we painted Shake-N-Bake on the hood with whiteout. Hence the title of this post...we won the "JUNK KING" award.

Chicken?

2008-06-02T10:22:00.005-06:00

So, I decided that it is time for Tyler to add more variety to his meals. The cereal, fruits, and veggies have been great but, being that we are not vegetarians, I was excited for him to try some protein via meat! I bought some chicken in a jar baby food and decided to give it a shot. Upon buying it I thought "this looks absolutely disgusting" so I bought it anyways. I opened up the jar yesterday, about gagged at the smell, and kindly put it in my child's mouth. I wish I could have got a picture of the look on his face because it said everything I was thinking. Needless to say I only gave him a few more bites and figured I wouldn't torture him anymore because if I wouldn't eat it, why make him? So then I ask...does anyone have any suggestions on good brands or types of meat to give a 2 toothed baby? Any ideas are welcomed!

See Josh Run

2008-05-26T21:50:00.005-06:00

Not too much has happened the last few weeks. We are still working on getting our house put together. For some reason it takes a little bit longer with a kid. I figured since I was at home all the time I'd have it up and running in no time but....I guess I was wrong. I think people just have this whole motherhood thing figured out way faster than I do or something. If you have any suggestions I am so open to them!

Anyways, here are a few pictures of what we've done. Josh ran in the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon a week ago. He ran the 10k and I am so proud of him! We are looking forward to doing a few of these this summer. Since I've never been much of a runner I think I will start with the 5K....fun run/walk?

Tyler loves watermelon and has just figured out how to pick it up and feed himself. Such a big boy in his new highchair too!

Just hanging out watching dad work in the yard. For the record, the glasses and hat lasted about 5 minutes!

Update!

2008-05-06T09:29:00.002-06:00

It's amazing the amount of things that can happen in a 2 month span. Nothing too huge, but the day to day events sure make life exciting! Let's see...Tyler is growing so fast! He is now 6 1/2 months old and changing everyday. When we first moved here he had a big eczema flare up -it's kind of hard to see in this picture, but he was broken out all over his little body.

Luckily we were able to get into the dermatologist and he is doing better.

Tyler also started to eat solid foods. Everytime we sat up to the table to eat or opened a banana he would lunge for it. Since everything was in boxes, we had to improvise...(heaven forbid I go buy anything!) - bumbo for his booster seat, towel for his bib, and mini rubber scraper to feed him. Luckily we had the correct food and he didn't seem to mind!
I know Easter was so long ago, but that landed in the last couple of months as well - Tyler was spoiled by a few Easter Bunnies!

Yet more about my child....he is sitting up on his own really well. It's amazing to me how fast things like that happen. One day he can't do anything but fall over on his head, and two days later his balance is almost perfect. Unless, of course, Tyler is just advanced.

Josh's brother Caleb returned home from his mission to South Africa last week. It's fun to have him back! Tyler is wearing a hat that says "Cape Town" on it. His head is just a little too big for it. :)

Last weekend we were able to go to Utah for some friend's wedding. Congrats Talia and Austin!

And lastly, we are in our home and still trying to get unpacked. It's a lot harder to move with a kid...why didn't someone tell me that? Oh well. Tyler loved helping Josh mow the lawn the other day. He was kicking and jibber jabbering the whole time, it was so cute.
One more picture of Ty and Josh -

Now you are all caught up!

FINALLY!

2008-04-14T20:56:00.003-06:00

Well we finally signed on a house! After a whole 2 weeks of looking at the 6000 homes that are for sale in Boise, we decided on 1. We actually didn't even get to all of them, but we were pretty burned out and just wanted to get out of boxes and get on with being settled in our new place. It's not the house that we have always dreamed of, but it is ours and we will make it a home! :) So, after we are moved in and get our computer out of a box, I will post pictures again!

Boise Bound!

2008-02-28T21:24:00.005-07:00

The rumors are true. We are moving yet again. Just when we get comfortable somewhere, life takes us down a different road...hold on and enjoy the ride has become my new motto! We absolutely love it here but Josh has been offered a job in Boise being a Supply Chain Analyst. Sounds pretty official I know but I'm sure he will be playing more than working. That's how the last 2 jobs have gone anyway. He is so sad to leave his current job and the friends that he has made there, but we feel like this is the right time and right place for our family. So...when you all decide you want to make the dreaded trek across the desert to come to the city of trees (is there really such a place in Idaho?) then please know you are welcome at our home ANYTIME! Or if you are just passing through (Brad and Kim) stop and grab a bite to eat and say hello! We'd love it! To our wonderful friends and family that are already there...we can't wait to see you and hang out again! Go Broncos!

I'm It!

2008-02-12T13:00:00.004-07:00

I have been tagged by 2 people now...quite awhile ago, so I guess I'll try and play. There were different questions on each so I will take a few from each one!

10 years ago:
I was a senior in high school and looking forward to attending Ricks College after graduation.

Age I will be on my next birthday:
28!

5 things on my to do list today:
1. Go to Josh's basketball game
2. Have lunch at Olive Garden in Salt Lake with girls from high school
3. Pack our home
4. Sell our home
5. Probably go to Costco (since that is a weekly activity)

Places I'd like to visit:
1. Mexico
2. Chile
3. New York City

5 Places I have lived:
1. Chubbuck, ID
2. Rexburg, ID
3. San Juan, PR
4. Idaho Falls, ID
5. Pleasant Grove, UT

Jobs I have had:
Hostess at Perkins Family Restaurant and Bakery
Surveyer at David's Phone Center (a.k.a. telemarketer)
Stripper (floors...dirty people) and carpet cleaner at the housing at college
Dental Assistant

Favorite Place:
Since I haven't been too many places it's not hard to choose. Kauai, HI

That's about it. I'll get more pics on soon!

Winter Woes!

2008-02-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I wonder if winter is ever going to end. According to Punxsutawney Phil, there are still many weeks yet to go! Everyday I wake up and just hope that the sun will be shining but....it's not. Just a few more inches of snow. In fact, on Sunday some churches were cancelled. Who ever heard of church being cancelled in Utah - the buildings are a block away! Unfortunately, ours wasn't one of them. Do you remember when you couldn't wait for snow storms so big that school was cancelled and you could play outside all day? To be a kid again! I wish I would have taken a picture of all the snow we have had over the last week but instead I just took more pictures of Tyler!

Ty got all dressed up for the Super Bowl Party!

Best Pals

2008-01-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

By the time Josh gets home from work I'm pretty sure Tyler is sick of being with mom. So, he and Josh have some great playtime. The other day they were so cute, I had to take pictures!

Tyler has graduated from sitting to standing on Dad's hands. Josh likes to show off to anyone who is willing to watch...actually it doesn't matter, he will show you anyways! Playing UFC. Tyler gets a kick out of it!

Submission hold!

When the playing was done Tyler got a few lessons from "The Dangerous Book for Boys"

Happy New Year!

2008-01-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

2008 - How fun to start a new year! I love being able to think of the year ahead and try to decide what exciting things we would like to do. Not that we ever get around to doing them...but it's fun to wish!

Here are a few pictures from the holidays. Poor Tyler's head is getting flat from the many hours of being in his car seat on road trips. We did, however, have a wonderful Christmas at the Harris home in Boise. It was also fun to get together with friends that we haven't seen in awhile.

Here is a picture of Ty on his first Christmas. He is wearing a Santa outfit that Great-Great Aunt Ida bought him. She sadly passed away on New Years Day, but we are so glad Tyler got to meet her at Thanksgiving. She was a dear aunt who we will miss so much!

This is the stocking that Santa brought stuffed with so many fun things! I've never seen such a huge stocking!

Meeting Uncle Zach who lives in Hawaii. It was fun to see him for the holidays!

Fisher thought Ty was quite boring. He suggested we put some batteries in or something!

Great Grandma Harris and Tyler. So cute!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2007-12-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Christmas is such a great holiday. Time for family and friends, goodies, and giving. We love the happiness it brings! We went to our church party the other day and Tyler had his first experience with Santa. Nothing too exciting...obviously Santa didn't think so either!

We also got together with our Jeff, Jess, and Kara Bench and had to take pictures of the kiddos!

Open up and say "ahhh"

And I Thought I'd Be Bored!

2007-12-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

This last month has been quite busy for us as I'm sure it is for everyone this time of year. Tyler has had a lot of firsts. Mainly his first road trip and first holiday. I really wish I could say he has had his first full night of sleep or his first day of no crying...wait, does that ever happen? Oh well. :)

Josh's Grandpa Stockham from Wendell, ID passed away on November 13th, so we made a road trip for the funeral. He was a great man and will surely be missed. Here is a picture of Ty with Great Grandma Stockham.
The following week was Thanksgiving and we traveled to Pocatello. We have so much to be thankful for! It was great to get together with family and friends - we love the holidays. Here is a picture with Great Grandma and Grandpa Hill and Great-Great Aunt Ida.

The last of our month was spent with even more family as we gathered for Tyler's baby blessing. It is so great to have the support of such wonderful families! Thank you all so much who traveled and participated in this event with us!
Tyler is wondering what kind of a smile Josh is giving. He actually looks a little bit sleepy. Hmmm...I know it wasn't him who got up to feed the baby twice that night!

Group shot in our clubhouse.
Here are just a couple of fun pics. Playing with dad and being annoyed with me for photo shoots!
Watching ESPN with Josh. We got to get him started early.
Check out that head control!
Tyler and Maddox Brooks

The Joys of Motherhood

2007-11-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

I guess this is what you do when you become a mom. Take lots of pictures and then show them off to everyone! Our camera batteries died and I had to capture his wonderful smile so I grabbed my phone and this is what I came up with. Tyler has grown so much already we can't even believe it. It seems like every other day Josh and I find something that has changed and we just try to cherish every moment. It was a hard adjustment for me, but I love being a mom and couldn't imagine life without him. I'm pretty sure I won't be doing it again anytime soon....but I wouldn't change it for the world!

He's Here!

2007-10-24T20:39:00.000-06:00

Well here he is! That thing that has been growing inside of me for 9 months is finally here and I can't even believe it! Tyler was born on Oct. 19th weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz. Labor was just as I pictured it (not a very pretty picture I must say). From my first contraction to his delivery was almost exactly 12 hours. You can probably see little marks on the side of his face where he was welcomed into the world and brutally attacked by long silver salad tongs. Poor little guy. He has already managed to find his thumb and fingers to suck on.
Josh has been an amazing dad! I didn't even change a diaper until just yesterday, too bad he has to go back to work. I hope you all enjoy our pics. Now I will have a lot more to post!

One week and counting...

2007-10-16T21:44:00.000-06:00

Counting down to no sleep and our lives being totally over...so we've been told. Here is one picture of 8 1/2 months. A lot of people have commented that I have swallowed a basketball, so we had to compare. Yep, more like 2 or 3 basketballs! The official due date is October 23rd but we will see how right on that is. Anybody want to wager a guess? We will be sure to keep you all posted!