what to do, what to do....

First thing's first... It seems like overnight, Max has been grabbing anything in sight, wanting to eat what we eat, and even holding himself up to sit! He can't sit up without the support of his hands yet but we know that that day is soon to come.  We feel like we're in some trouble, soon enough he will be into EVERYTHING! So I'm already in the mindset of  "let's babyproof".  Our house is pretty proofed already since we don't have much but there's definately things that need to be fixed before he starts scootin his booty everywhere. 

Also, if anyone has any advice about attachment to mom.  That would be great.  Because as of late, Max does not want me out of his sight..It was flattering at first but now it's getting crazy.  I feel like I can't get anything done! Is this normal for 5-6 month aged baby? I sure hope it's just a phase...

That's pretty much all that's new with Max.  Mike just finished up his semester with straight A's and has a full 3 weeks off! Wahhoooooooo! He really liked his classes and I'm happy for him but i'm ready for him to be home at nights for a little while. I love him and the hard work and dedication that he puts towards our family. Me? Well, i've just been a hardworking craft-making, mom.  I'm taking the next couple of semesters off, we just can't afford 2 students right now.  Hopefully by 2013 I will be back at school!

This probably seems like a way random post.  I feel like I'm jumping around, so sorry for that.  But before I go  I wanted to share a quote that I read today.  Everyday I get an email from "LDS Gems" with quotes in them.  Today's was really good. 

"In reality, there aren't many things in a day that are totally without significance.  Even the mundane and repetitious can be tiny but significant building blocks that in time establish the discipline and character and order needed to realize our plans and dreams.  Therefore, as you ask in prayer for your daily bread, consider thoughtfully your needs - both what you may lack and what you must protect against.  As you retire for bed, think about the successes and failures of the day and what will make the next day a little better.  And thank your heavenly father for the manna He has placed along your path that sustained you through the day".  -D. Todd Christofferson

xoxo, the Harrison's

my favorite time of day.

Lately, I've discovered what my favorite part of the day is.  It happens to be when Max is asleep.  I know this sounds weird, because I absolutely love playing and taking care of our little man.  But there's something special about that 15 minutes after we put him down.  Mike and I tip-toe in his room to check on him.  We always do this together because we love talking about how amazing he is.  Every deep sleep breath, those big chubby cheeks, and his sausage toes.  We hug for a bit and talk about how blessed we are to have him in our lives.  I guess it's just one of those things that parents can understand. But I hope that everyone I know and care about can have these same feelings someday.  Because it is simple incredible.  He is so precious to us.  He does new things every day that surprises us.  We are so lucky.

Just a little reminiscing going on.... 

Some new things that Max does:

-Rolls over, everywhere: Funny little side story: The other day I had just given him a bath and had set him on the floor to put his diaper on.  Like usual, I forgot a outfit to put on him afterwords.  So I went over to his room to pick something out.  I was gone for maybe 30 seconds.  When I got back, he was under the kitchen table.  It was the craziest thing ever.  I had to look around to make sure nobody was in our house and moved him! It was like overnight that he started rollin around.  Nuts.

-Has a "ooohh gaahhhh" conversation with you

-Grabs toys (& moms hair)

-Laughs & snorts

Anyway, sorry if this post was kind of jumpy.  There's just a lot goin on over here :)

xoxo, the Harrison's



feet in the sand.

So we finally made it back from our last trip... well... for a long time.  We had so much fun! I should have kept better track at what we did but it was a really simple trip.  Didn't really do anything out of the ordinary.  Some beach time, shopping, and sight seeing.  Mike, my dad and my little brother Tanner did go to Santa Clarita to see the Tumbler {Batman's car in the new movie} I would bet that that was Mike's favorite part of the trip ;)  So much relaxing on this trip and I miss every second of it.  Especially the weather.  Boy, is it hot here!!! My favorite memories were simply driving with the windows down, beach breeze coming through. I absolutely love that.  This was our first vacation as a family of three {besides the 2 day family reunion}.  Max' schedule was WAY off so we had a grumpy baby a lot of the time.  That was something to get used to.  So we spent a lot of time going somewhere to quickly head back to my dads apartment to get him down for a nap.  That was quite challenging but i'm so glad Mike was there to help me! {Last Cali trip I braved it by myself!}.  We are very happy to be home now... especially because our A/C decided to go out on the drive home.  Talk about miserable.  That was the only major setback of this trip.  I always look at the homes in Cali and wonder if the people who live there realize how lucky they are to have the beach and such wonderful summer weather.  If only one day we could move there...

 Our cutie pie about to eat lunch. carrots

 My sweet, precious boys.

 All of these pics my eyes were closed, but I still love them.

 He liked loved playing in the sand!

 Had to smooch for the cam...

 My sister Nicole made this in honor of our awesome waiter at our favorite restaraunt Mama D's, Dale. {This is excactly how he looked} haha.

Our little boy after a long battle to take a nap.

So glad to be home.  Can't wait to see that beautiful sunny California again.. till next time..

xoxo, the Harrison's

it's that time again!

My sweet little guy is 5 months old today! Here's a few pics from our shoot this morning:

Some new things that Max has been doing:

-Doesn't like when mom or dad are out of site

-Tried green beans and LOVES them!

-Rolls over occasionally from back to stomach and quickly from stomach to back

-Knows what his bottle is, and quiets down as soon as he sees it

-Knows his name

-Likes blankets on his face {this isn't new but he just loves it so}

-Sleeps in his crib now!

xoxo, the Harrison's

boys only.

We were all hanging out on a Sunday afternoon as a family.  I was reading a book and Mike was playin around on the iPad.  Max was just layin down enjoying a relaxing afternoon.  All of the sudden, Mike looks at Max and says "Bud! I have a great idea, let's make our first fort together!".  He then looks at me and says  "it's a boys only fort".  Oh my goodness, this is why my husband is the greatest dad out there. My heart was melting.  I continued reading my book and several seconds later I hear "this is where we talk about girls".  hahah.  Oh man.  I love my little family

This is a short post, but completely necessary.

xoxo, the Harrison's

ready for more

We decided that Max is ready for "solids".  As of yesterday, he has been having an insane appetite.. like hungry ALL the time.  He was just really cranky and we've noticed that he's  been interested in our food so we figured he was ready.  He maybe ate 10% of the food we gave him but hey, it's a start!

Here's our first experience:

 Above, is a huge snot bubble created by yours truly.

I was hesitant to give him food, mainly because that just means that he's only getting bigger :(

xoxo, the Harrison's

tryin a little harder to be a little better.

Something that's been on my mind lately... service.  Service service service.  It all started last Sunday when my best friend left for her mission and her topic was "Missionary Work" but what I got out of it most is service.  This has been a constant thing in my head. I guess it's something that I need to do better at, helping those around me.  There's just one personal experience that I can't shake from my thoughts. 

Story time: I was up at BYU-Idaho and was getting ready to fly home.  {I can't remember if it was home or a family vacay that I was leaving for} but that's not the point...  I had decided that I was going to head to the local Deseret Book for a good read on the plane ride.  I had nothing in mind, I just wanted something uplifting and entertaining.  When I got in the store I kept asking the employee about what she may suggest to take on this trip.  She led me to a few isles, pointing at things that may grab my interest.  Soon enough, we wound up at the front of the store where the "best sellers" were placed.  The employee turned to me and pointed out the window, where the parking lot was. For a split second I was nervous to look thinking it was maybe a burglary that was taking place in my car. There were several cars parked, one being my cute, red volkswagen bug.  She didn't know that the bug was mine but just wanted me to see what was going on in the parking lot.  As I looked out the window, I saw an old man like really old man.  He was in his Sunday best {even though it wasn't sunday} with suspenders and a hat.  I'm talking the old man that you will smile when you see because he's just so cute! But that's besides the point, this man was cleaning my dirty windshield.  I'm not talking just spray spray swipe swipe. Like, this man was doing a really neat job. The whole time, with a smile.  The employee began to smile as well and realized what a sweet gesture this was, I began to tell her that this was my car.  We both got all giddy at this sweet service that he had performed.  A few minutes later, I was back looking at books.. still amazed at the kind service.  After thinking, I decided that I needed to go thank him. Before I had the time to turn around and do so,  I heard an old mans voice behind me talking to the employee.  With a very excited voice he said to the employee, "Thank you for letting me use this Windex, that windshield was just so dirty.  I'm so excited to see that person's face!"  The employee didn't say anything to me about how it was my car and I kept quiet. Before I had the opportunity to thank the old man, I turned around and he was gone. I began thinking in my head; this man wants this service to be anonymous. How cool is that? He doesn't care to get a thank you, but he would love to see that person's face. 

 Little does this man know, he changed my outlook on service for the better.  I remember driving home to get my luggage that day with a big HUGE smile on my face.  I couldn't believe at the sincerity of this old man.  Not only was he helping those around him but he was OLD, how does he have the energy to do something like this? I will be forever grateful for this man.  I don't know his name, I don't know his history.  At the end of the day, he was looking for ways to serve others no matter his circumstances.  Now, I'm not sure why this story won't get out of my head these last couple of days but maybe there's someone that I need to help in the near future.  Maybe big, or small.  I hope that I can be better in this department because I always have room for improvement.  So the moral of the story, you never know who you're going to make smile, or even make a huge impact on them like this old man did.

xoxo, the Harrison's