A few of my favorite things

What gets me through the days of chaos, noise, mess, and absolute joy that four kids bring? And don't even get me started on the fact of the TWO two year olds. They are the cutest things but add a unique curveball to almost everything. Anyways, here are three of my current favorite materialistic items of joy....

1. Pink Funhouse CD-I really like this CD right now. My favorite songs on it are "So What", "Glitter in the Air" and "I Don't Believe You" This CD is usually on between the hours of 12:30 and 2:30 on Mon. Tues, and Wed.when the older kids are in school and the little girls are attempting to take their nap. It is the ONLY time in basically the whole week I can actually get anything done around the house. On Thursdays I watch a neighbors kids and Fridays are early out days.

2. Breyers Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with my homemade hot fudge sauce. Delicious. Usually eaten each night while watching #3 below.


*I could only find this picture but the vanilla bean is the best!



3. I LOVE THIS SHOW! We have been watching the seasons on DVD lately and will watch a couple episodes each night.



* Scroll down more for addeded posts of the "girls room" and Ethans baptism.

Trio

Just in case you were wondering what THREE girls sharing a room looks like.

Big thank you to my mom for making the matching bedspreads. They look great. Also, this is DEFINITELY how the room looks 99% of the time. At least in my dreams it does :)




My favorite part of the room. A self portrait Lizzie did one of the first days of kindergarten. It hangs right above her bed. Notice her snazzy purple glasses.

Baptism

Yesterday (May 8th) Ethan was baptized. It really does not seem like he can be 8. I know we have had three kids since he was born but it still feels like he was just born or at least a toddler. Wasn't it just the other day when he was two that he threw our cordless phone in the toilet?:)

It was also a very busy day before his baptism at four- (I ran 8 miles, we got the house, yard and food ready, Lizzie had a dress rehearsal for her upcoming dance recital and we had another baptism for Ethan's friend at 2! Whew!)

Anyways, it was a great day with family and friends. I only took like 3 pictures which is so unlike me but here are the three :)

Our family- it is almost impossible to get a good picture with two two year olds.

The traditional and oh so flattering white jumpsuit picture :)

The boy and the parents

Black and White

Every spring we take pictures of our kids in the same outfits to watch them "grow" into it year by year. Here is a very small sampling of this years pictures....

Lilly Age 2

Afton Age 2

Ethan Age 8


Lizzie Age 6


I like how each picture shows their personalities. The last one of Lizzie reminds me of how far she has come with her fear of dogs. Her and Lucky are inseparable.

Proof that Jim was home too....



And of course the following picture by Lilly told me picture taking time is now up :)


Until next year....

dangers of educating yourself

So I have been reading a lot of books and articles lately about eating the right foods. I know that seems very odd coming from a girl that can down 2 to 3 huge bags of those Cadbury Mini eggs in a day. I am realizing how much I don't like the idea of all those weird unpronouncable names in foods we are eating.


Did you know
- we eat 7% more calories each day than we did 20 years ago
- Although "supersizing" seems like a good deal- you get 73% more calories for just 17% more cost but THAT IS 73% MORE CALORIES!
- An average 8 year old boy should consume 1800 calories a day. The Little Chicken Crispers kids meal at Chilis has 1,010 calories! That is 75% of the daily allotment!

Anyways the Harrison household is going to try changing a few things
-we are going to try and eat a more plant based diet (fruits, vegetables,etc. )I have been doing the Bountiful Baskets Co-op, Crossroads Co-op and a local one just to make sure we have lots of fruits and vegetables in this house. Also our juicer has been making tons of fruit and vegetable drinks.
- no meat during the day until after 6 P.M. and then red meat not more than once a week
- I am not drinking Coke (although I seriously crave that delicous drink) I may need to have it once a month though at Girls Night Out.

Natural is the best way to go and here are some foood that are amazing for your body

Swiss Chard
Eggs
Grapefruit
Quinoa
Bell Peppers
Almonds
Avocado
Garlic


It will take some time especially considering what we have in our cupboards.

I have especially been reading Eat This Not That. I have more books on hold for me at the library. There was also an article in the Salt Lake Tribune on Monday that by eating a plant based diet for 3 months and then eating meat and whatever else after 6 PM, a guy lost 35 pounds, lowered his cholestrol and blood pressure and got rid of his sleep apnea. Amazing!
Jim has been excellent at having only a plant based diet before six this week and has hardly had to take any insulin. And that has only been a couple days.

I am not sure yet how this will affect our Sunday night tradition of making chocolate chip cookies :)

Eight

Happy Birthday Ethan!


I cannot believe that Ethan is 8 years old. He is our oldest child and it really only seems like a little while ago he was born. He is an amazing kid.


Here are eight facts about Ethan-

- He absolutely loves to read.
- He plays the Star Wars theme at least 10 times a day on the piano
- He is 4 feet and 6 inches tall.
- He is very competitive and does not like to lose
- He likes to play Wii (obsessed is more like it but we limit his time :)
- His favorite food is basically everything.
- His favorite subject in school is math
- When he grows us he wants to be a fossil finder, archeologist,physical therapist, a missionary or a dad :)

To make his eighth birthday a little more special than the others, on April 10th we took him out to lunch with his grandparents to The Garden on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Building. Jim and I are so grateful for the influence and love these four show towards Ethan.







Happy 8th Birthday Ethan!
Love, Mom and Dad

Lessons

Oh piano keys..... I love and hate you so much.
I have always loved the sound of a piano and have wanted that sound in my house.

Ethan started lessons last November and I did in January. I have never had ANY musical instruction in my life. I knew nothing about notes, intervals, keys, etc. It has been a definite learning experience.
My piano teacher told me in the beginning that the hardest part of learning piano as an adult is it makes sense in your brain but to make your fingers do what they are supposed to is the trick. That is so true. I sit and stare and know what my fingers need to play but.... they just won't move as quickly :)
Ethan has taken to it amazingly well and where he practices for like ten minutes at the most each day I have to do at least 3 times that time and still feel so inadequate.
I still get nervous
playing for
the dog but I am learning and that is what counts -

Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

I did not do this post to get courtesy encouragement but to put out a reminder to do whatever you want to in this life. Reach out and expand yourself (even though it is hard, frusterating, and definitely rewarding). It's never to late to try new things.

And if you have kids..... get them in piano lessons :)