Labor Day Fun

We had a great Labor Day weekend this year. The kids and I missed Joe as he was in Texas for the blessing of our new nephew, Jackson a.k.a. "Jack" Weight. He had such a good time visiting with family and loving on the baby. (Yes, I'm still jealous because I haven't got to hold him yet!) Looking at the picture, you'd think Joe was the proud father, but no....he's just next to my awesome sister-in-law, Megan and Joes' brother, Sam, is in the back, behind them.

The kids and I did lots of chores in the home (which was fun for me, but not-so-fun for them). On Monday we decided to venture out and have some real fun. We headed to the Hogle Zoo since it had been a year or two since we had gone. I'm not sure who the real "animals" were. If Kelsey is not careful, she'll get locked up herself!

The baby elephant is not so little anymore, but is sure cute!

It's much easier to take a 14, 11 and 9 year old to the zoo than it was when they were smaller. I never had to carry anyone, run to the potty before an accident or dry off tears!

Seriously, these kids are crazy!

This silverback gorilla was pretty impressive. This is about the only pic I got of his front side. I think he was sick of the humans because he kept his rear end facing us 98% of the time.
Help!!! Get me out of here!!! I think this monkey says it all. Seriously, by the end of the visit Morgan and I decided the zoo is really depressing. We felt so sorry for these animals all locked up in small cages and bored to death. I just wanted to run around and free them all....but I guess that would actually cause a bigger mess. :(
One final matter.....Congrats to Morgan who is now on the yearbook committee! She had a hard time choosing between wind symphony and yearbook committee, but the choice was made and we think this will be a fantastic opportunity for her to expand her talents.

Drop-Off at MTC

Joe, and nephews, Tyler and Mitchell

My nephew, Tyler, aka ~ Elder Harris, reported to the MTC this Wednesday, September 1st. He will be serving in the Seattle, Washington Mission. We spent a couple days with him before he reported and had such a good time. Wow, I have an awesome family! Good luck Ty...we love you and know you'll do incredible things.

You can follow Elder Harris's adventure on his mission blog (yes, I'm tending to two mission blogs right now and love it!).

http://www.priesthoodpower.blogspot.com/

It's also under my "Fabulous Family" to the right, for future reference.

It's That Time Again

Can you believe it's that time? The kids are headed back to school once again. We had a great summer but I'll be the first to admit that life is not as fun when mom is working! All those years I was a "stay-at-home," and I didn't quite appreciate how good it was. Alas...the seasons change and you have to move on.
Morgan is a 9th grader this year. Even though that's officially a "high schooler," she is still stuck in the middle school this year. She is sorely disappointed since 3/4 of her friends she shared GT (her gifted-talented program) classes with for the past 4 years are now in the new high school in Saratoga Springs. I'm sure she will adjust and make a whole new group of friends. We love her and are so proud of the decisions she makes. She's one smart cookie and a big helper.
Kelsey started 6th grade this year. It's her last year in elementary! She is still in the A.L.L. program (which is not offered in our elementary) so she's carpooling with a group of kids to the other side of Lehi. Kelsey is such a sweetie and she is sure maturing fast. We were watching home movies the other night and I couldn't believe the changes she's gone through. I miss the cute little bouncy girl that couldn't pronounce her "R's". She's still cute and bouncy, but in a different way. She is also such a help around the house and a good loyal friend.
Our little guy, Jake-O, isn't so little anymore. He started 4th grade this year. He was our only child who was ready to go back to school and EXCITED! He's liking his new teacher and all the friends he knows in his class. Jake is all boy...he would play Wii, computer games, and watch TV 24/7 if we let him. He's enjoying Scouts and has recently found he loves climbing rock walls. He also tried laser tag for the first time this week and thought it was awesome. He is a "mama's boy," or at least I like to believe that. He is very kind and affectionate and a joy to be around.
Last but not least, wanted to share some of Kelsey's art work. Our LDS stake had a talent show at the end of the summer. They encouraged everyone to enter something. Kelsey sat down and sketched out some of her favorite Disney characters. I thought she did pretty dang good for not tracing them (which is the only skill I can do). I'm excited for her to get into Jr. High next year and get into some art classes. Since I lack the "artist gene" I haven't been able to help her truly cultivate that talent.

Life is good! I love my family and the joy they bring me. I have had some great trials and growth in my own life in the last 6 months. (Employment related.) Even though I don't enjoy the trials, I appreciate the opportunity it's given me to humble myself and rely on the Lord. He is truly magnificent and has heard my cries. I am glad to say that things have worked out for the best and I am again experiencing the true joy life can bring. Thanks to my family and friends for putting up with my craziness and helping me through this crisis. I love you all!

Summer Visitors

I love living in Utah where many of our friends from across the U.S. have relatives..... meaning they visit Utah on a regular basis! We had more visitors this week. Nick Hullinger and his sweet wife, Julie, were visiting from South Carolina. Nick is an old family friend and is very dear to our hearts! I actually shed tears the day I heard he was in town. Nick was very close to my family in Missouri and was adored by all of us, including my parents. He is truly one of my favorite people in the world. It was such a joy to visit with them and catch up on life. They have two beautiful children and have made a great life for themselves. Thanks Nick and Julie for stopping by and visiting! We love ya.

Pioneers, Bears and Old Friends

This morning Morgan headed out on a trek for Stake Youth Conference. This has taken weeks of preparation, including Morgan sewing bandannas (to help the stake leader), participating in a 10-day spiritual trek, walking several times a week and learning of her own pioneer ancestors. Morgan went on behalf of her Great Great Great Great Grandma, Caroline Hopkins Clark (1831-1900), who traveled from England and crossed the plains. Morgan got to read her journal entries and get an appreciation for the sacrifices she made (including losing her husband and several children to death).

As we dropped Morgan off this morning I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. I am so happy she can have this opportunity and get a deeper appreciation and love for our pioneer heritage. I am so grateful for my family legacy.

In true teenage style, Morgan didn't enjoy dressing in pioneer clothes. She was not happy to take this picture, but I threatened that I wouldn't take her to the church if she didn't. ;) It helped that we were almost running late....more pressure.

Jake advanced to a Bear this week in Boy Scouts. He earned his Wolf Badge, a gold arrow, and 5 silver arrows. It has been so fun to see him grow and learn in Boy Scouts. Here he is getting a paw painted on his face, symbolizing his advancement to Bears. We have enjoyed and appreciate his leaders and have had a great experience so far. Thanks Julie & Nichole!
Jake pinning on a Wolf pin. That's why Boy Scouts is so awesome. Your son earns the badge and you get jewery! (Well, I guess moms probably have a lot to do with the sons earning their badge.)
All the advancing boys got to scarf down pie without using their hands. Jake was actually the first done and was licking his plate waiting for the others to finish. (Too bad we don't feed him food at home.)
After scarfing down pie, the boys ran through a tunnel symbolizing their progression to the next level.
Finally, we had the joy of meeting up with old friends this past week. Dustin and Angie Irlenborn were in Utah visiting family and we were able to see them for lunch. We know them from Missouri back in our younger years. They were married shortly after us and we attended the Springfield University Branch together. Their oldest child, Austin, was born 9 days before Morgan. After sharing our miserable pregnancies together, Angie and I were bonded for life! Things haven't changed much in 14 years.....as Angie and I ended up shopping together after lunch. Some old habits are too hard to break. :) Thanks for stopping for a visit. We are blessed to have gained such good friends throughout our lives!

Harris Family Reunion

We had a Harris sibling family reunion this past week in Durango, CO. What a fun time! We spent the week at a campground. My brothers' and also Tammy's family stayed in tents. In usual fashion, my family and Debby (and Curt) rented a cabin. I still thought I was roughing it since the cabin didn't have air conditioning. Never mind it had fridge, stove, TV, bathroom, etc. We were definitely roughing it. :)

The week was so much fun and went by too fast. We spent a day in Mesa Verde National Park; another day at Durango Mountain Resort riding the alpine slide, jumping on the bungee tramp, and hiking up Coal Bank Pass; a day at Durango's rec center climbing a rock wall, playing walleyball, basketball and swimming; and our final day we hung out at a park playing games. It was a joy to spend time with my siblings and nieces and nephews. I have an incredible family and am so grateful we can spend eternity together. My parents left behind a legacy of hard-working, honest and kind people. I am honored to be a part of them. Love you guys!