So April and I have been friends for almost 9 years now. I can’t believe it’s been that long. The past 10 years of my life seem to have progressed at double speed compared to the previous ten. And I’ve heard the speed quadruples in the next 10. We’ll see.
We met in a Parenting Class at church that met in my home. Cade was just a few months old & April was still pregnant with Laurel. Later April told me she had thought I ironed James’s t-shirts because one night he had a nice crease on the sleeves of his t-shirt. I assured her that those creases did NOT come from an iron; most likely they came from being at the bottom of a LARGE pile of t-shirts my husband then possessed. I still laugh about that because my iron sees the light of day VERY RARELY and usually it’s out only to iron the perler bead creations my kids so enjoy. We have been friends ever since. April is very similar to my husband. I think that’s part of the reason we are such great friends. We have very different interests, but we see eye-to-eye when it comes to raising our kids. We’ve pretty much raised our children together. I can’t think of a time when my kids weren’t having playdates at the Harnishes. I love it! In fact, April was the one who first taught Cade to paint with water. I have a photo of that somewhere- I’ll have to find it & scan it in (see- it’s been a long time. That was before we had our digital cameras!). Well, last week April took the older kids (her 3 and my 3) and I took the younger ones (her 1 and my 2)- I think I got the easier part 
. She did a little Owl Pellet Science study with the kids. They were able to learn all about owls and they even dissected a real owl pellet! How fun! She is always doing fun things like that with the kids. April- thanks so much for being such a fun and faithful friend. Everytime I’m with you I’m reminded of how much I actually LIKE to be outside and enjoy God’s creation. I’m so thankful our kids get to grow up together!!
Well, Keagan & Amber & I had fun, too. We made a HUGE mountain of pillows and RAN down the hallway and jumped into our pile. They kept saying, “fun” and “more.” It was cute. Then we pretended to be animals and crawled through the house making animal noises. Then we painted with water and sidewalk chalk outside. Then we played with play-doh and made snakes and puppies (well, I made the animals and they smashed them). I took them to the library and we read together. It was such a treat. They reminded me a lot of Cade and Laurel and simpler times. April- do you remember what it was like to have just one? Seems like a million years ago to me.
Wow. I’m chatty today. I took some pictures of our fun day. And as soon as I get photos from April, I’ll update this post.
Here’s a photo of Laurel and Cade when they were just about the same ages.
And… this is Keagan’s new smile. He wanted me to show everyone. He’s very proud of it.
I really really like to dress this girl. I’ve had this idea in my head for about… 6 months. The inspiration came from Dena and Etsy. I bought the blue skirt at Gap in the spring and I just HAD to have a matching onesie for her (That’s right- it took me 4 months to finish a project. That’s about how long things take around here). If you want me to make one for your little girl, it will be $500. This took me WAY too long to make and I have to say… I didn’t really enjoy the process And don’t look too closely… I am in desperate need of sharper scissors!
I can’t believe it’s been THIS long & I haven’t mentioned Loretta! I’ve talked to my mom, my sister, many friends…. Hallie even came to visit & we didn’t even introduce her to Loretta. Well…. we have a new member of our family. He’s tiny and furry and actually kinda cute. His name is Loretta. That’s right. Loretta’s a boy. I don’t know why- that’s just what they wanted to name him (Cade mostly).
The kids have been asking for about a year. I was firmly against having an animal of any kind (I’m not an animal person, really), but they’ve been saving…and reading ALL about hamsters….and they pooled their money together and finally had enough to buy the cage, the food, the bedding, the water bottle and…. Loretta. We caved.
They carry her cage everywhere they go. They even took her in their fort this morning. Cade wants to clean the cage every day, which is fine with me! They take turns feeding her, er.. him, I get confused.
He/she is really hard to photograph. She’s really fast! This is the best I can do for now. **Thank you Hartungs for the ball- he/she loves it**
Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 8:27pm Posted in Keagan
Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 3:06am Posted in Books-Literature, Cade, Canyon, Chloe, Family, Keagan, Kennedy, Personal, Travel, Us- James & Emily
We woke up early in St. George, packed up & headed to town for breakfast. We had seen a cute place the night before & decided to stop there. It was Yummy. Great food, great town and the people were SO nice. I think I notice that every time we drive out of L.A. People seem to be nicer the farther away from Los Angeles you are.
I just had to take a picture of this old gas station. I wish I could travel back in time. Hasn’t anyone invented a time machine yet?
The Bear Paw Cafe. Kennedy ordered blueberry pancakes that were as big as her- seriously. And she ate almost all of them- that girl can chow.
This picture goes with day one, but I’m too lazy to go back & post it there. Plus, I just think he’s cute. This was after our evening swim in ST. George.
Our GPS as we drove into Zion National Park. I just thought it was cool. I was on the phone with my mom since it was her birthday. Your 52nd, right mom? Since I’m 29… that would make you 52. Works out, right? win.win.
Entering Kolob Canyon – Zion National. Such a beautiful drive.
We drove through the day from St. George to Provo for lunch and on to Salt Lake City. James took us to Antelope Island to see the Lake and a TON of bison. Is was so beautiful. I wanted to stay longer and explore, but we had some tired kids & still a bit of a drive before we reached our hotel. The photo above is the Great Salt Lake. There we a LOT of bugs, a LOT of birds and even MORE spiders.
1970′s style.
I wanted to stay here and take pictures for a while, but there were bison and antelope and even coyotes around.
I love this boy. He makes me really. really. happy. All the time.
I’m not really into photographing wildlife or landscape- that’s a HUGE photographic stretch for me. But… we needed some photos for proof and documentation.
Day Three: Sneak Peek.
BTW- Dickens is a brilliant writer. I didn’t want to stop reading.
We packed up (pack it up, pack it in- as we always say), loaded Cornelius (that’s our car’s name) and were on our way by 8am. We were aiming for 7, but 8 works with a family our size. James was so awesome. He planned the entire trip- hotels, fun places to stop, where to go for dinner, even a trip to the outlets for me:) Such a nice boy. Our first stop was only 5-6 hours away in St. George, Utah. We actually have friends there, but it turns out they were in Los Angeles that weekend:)
James wanted to stop and take a photo at each State sign. I thought it was a great idea!! But when we hit Utah, a few of the kids were asleep so we opted for a “boys photo” (minus Keagan).
All we did the first day was drive to St. George, eat at the Cracker Barrel (YUM), and swim at the hotel. It was HOT. Like 114• hot. Yikes!
Look at this handsome boy. I think this was just after James pushed him in the pool. Then all the others lined up so he could push them in the pool. I love summer vacations!!
SNEAK PEEK: DAY 2. SALT LAKE CITY. COMING SOON.
BTW: This vacation’s book of choice was Great Expectations by Dickens. I couldn’t put it down. James even had me read it out loud- he liked it too!
We call her Chloe Girl for some reason. I started it early on & it stuck. I was feeling the need for a little photo shoot with Chloe since she’s doing so many new things… grabbing her toes (my favorite stage), saying dadadadada, tatatatata, and squealing with delight! She JUST got her first 2 teeth!! I had no idea that was happening- I just assumed she was hungry, but apparently the fussing and late nights were due to teeth. Who knew?
We met Shay & Bethany way back in 2003…ish. Hallie recommended Bethany as a babysitter for us when we just had Cade & Canyon. I can’t even remember having only 2 kids. What did I do with all my time? I remember being overwhelmed then. It was overwhelming- anything more than you’re used to is overwhelming. Over the years we got to know Shay & Bethany more, we really enjoyed their company and one day they got married. There’s a LONG, crazy story about the drive to their wedding in Yakama with Shay’s guitar and 2 kids with double ear infections throwing up in the back of the car- had to go to the farm worker’s clinic for drugs, yadda yadda kinda story… Bethany came to work for us somewhere in there and let’s just say- she’s the best. All around- the best. Nice, funny, cute, Godly(probably should have led with that one), and now she’s a mommy. I’m so happy for these two. It was fun to watch them with their little guy on Friday night. They are smitten.
Here’s his cute face. Look at those BLUE eyes! His name is Titus which I LOVE. Keagan calls him “tidy.”
Chloe’s playin’ it real cool in this photo. Acting like she’s not interested. They learn so young.
In other news… I finished up my 3rd novel for the summer. Usually during the summer I like to read classics. So far I’ve read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath , In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow, and just finished To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I love reading, but I always miss the characters once I close the book. Jem & Scout became my closest friends and now that they’re gone, I really miss them. I wish I knew what happened to them after that last night. And can I just say, I wish there were more men in the world like Atticus Finch? Of course, if you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about. But (not to tell you what to do) you really should read it. This is my 3rd time through it & I’ve enjoyed it more with each reading. Probably because I’ve matured a little since my last reading- no funny comments mom! I just know she’ll finally chime in with a comment like, “matured? Are you sure?”
Speaking of my mother… her birthday is coming soon. I’ll leave with a little “sneak peek” of what may or may not be (part of) her birthday present:)
We are having a BLAST this summer. I was determined to enjoy every minute this summer & not let it pass us by. It feels like we’ve been on summer break for a LONG time. We’ve been to the beach several times, the pool almost every day, VBS (which feels like it lasted a month- that’s a good thing), playdates, coffee dates, spa days, breakfast dates, Thursday night dates with James, LOTS AND LOTS of summer reading (I’m on my 3rd novel, 3rd non-fiction, the kids have read so many books I can’t keep up and we’re on our 4th read aloud), park nights, friends over for dinner, 4th of July party…. you name it! We are having FUN this summer. I love it. But I have to admit, I’m REALLY excited for school to start up again. I still get giddy looking at new school books and school supplies. Okay- on with the photos. Sorry about all the blah. blah. blah.
This little girl is 7 months old if you can believe it. She’s just now starting to eat cereal and some veggies. It took her a LONG time to figure out the spoon. But now she’s got it & she’s gettin’ a little chunky, I’m not gonna lie. I like it.
We went to see Toy Story 3 with Papa when it first came out. Have I mentioned how obsessed Keagan is with “Ight Ear” (Lightyear). He FREAKS OUT anytime we see anything with Buzz or Woody or any Toy Story character for that matter. He calls Woody, “Woo-Tee” It’s super cute.
VBS this year was a “HERO” theme. The kids had a blast.. It was my 1st year NOT helping with VBS. I kinda missed it, but it was nice to hang out with Keagan and Chloe for a few hours.
We had the 4th of July party at our house this year & we were able to skype with the Worsleys. It was bitter-sweet. We’ve always spent the major holidays with them 
I miss them so much it makes me cry So let’s move on..
Want a fun way to hang out with friends & not have to clean dishes afterward? Grab dinner & take it to the park. The adults get to talk while the kids play- everyone is happy! No cooking or cleaning involved- win/ win.
Just because I think he’s really cute. And he’s one of the nicest boys I know.
Gavin & Christine at the beach. It was a little chilly on the 5th of July. Still fun.
James took Jaden & Cade on a mountain bike ride across the dam and down the mountain. Their faces were BRIGHT RED when they came home. This is the “before” shot- still happy, no red faces
by emily
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