Christmas 2009

We began celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve with Jordan's family. We had a yummy dinner at Grandma Resch's home and then opened presents. Sarah got a aquadoodle from Grandma Resch and Great-Grandma Opal and she also got a stocking full of goodies! Jordan and I got money for our basement, Anna got a bedspread set for her new full size bed she's taking once her new bedroom is done, and Robert gave Jordan Jazz tickets. It was a great Christmas Eve spending time with each other.

When we got home, Sarah left a plate of cookies out for Santa and a glass of milk. She was so excited to leave something for Santa that on her last sleepy breath, she whispered to me, "Cookies and Milk for Santa, Momma." It was so cute!!

Christmas morning came and I was up at 6:30am. Normally I'm up and about at 4am or so, but I contained myself this year. I got ready, forced Jordan to get up, packed for Logan, made breakfast, and then decided to get Sarah up at 7:30am to begin opening presents and to see what Santa brought her.

Sarah walked out of her room, down the hallway, and into the living room. Her tired little eyes were still drooping, and she could hardly pick up her feet. But, she managed to walk into the room and see a toy kitchen Santa had brought her. It took her a minute to realize what it was, but once she did, there was no going back!!

Santa also brought her a bedspread (she got a big girl bed too), a toy laptop, a play tent, books, and some more toys and chapstick in her stocking. Sarah made out like a bandit. She was especially excited about the chapstick. She loves to put on makeup like mommy, only problem is she's 2 and has a severe lack of coordination. But, it's cute to watch her do everything mommy does.
After Santa presents we quickly ate breakfast while it was hot. After which, we finished opening presents. We didn't do much this year since our main gift is our basement. Jordan, however, got me a new fishing pole since Daisy snapped mine in two this summer. Let's just say I was so mad I contemplated donating Daisy to the pound for a while. But, I simmered down long enough to realize it was an accident. I would just have to wait for a new pole...and wait....and wait some more. But, I finally got one!! Jordan got some clothes from me and some movies as well. Anna got a Twlight Game, lotions, and MS Office 2007 from Jordan and me.

After presents, we hurried and finished packing and headed to Logan for Christmas Day. Once we got there, we hurried off to Grandma Thorne's to visit her. I always make sure to get a gift for Grandma to give Sarah and this year Grandma gave her a Mr. Potato Head and friends toys. Sarah loved mixing up the pieces so the dog was half cat and the cat was half dog. She can be so silly at times.

Then we rushed back to Nana's and Bompa's, fed Sarah, and then put her down for her nap. Since Sarah was sleeping, Jordan and I decided to visit Grandma and Grandpa Harris. We gave them a beautiful picture of Sarah Marie and they gave me a food saver vacuum machine and Jordan got a neat little backpacking stove called a pocket rocket. He's excited to try it out on the next camping adventure with his priests.

After visiting them, we went back to my parent's home and had a nice Christmas Dinner with a Honey-Baked Ham Lindsey brought with her from Arizona. She just quit her job, so this was the very last Honey-Baked ham we'll have...for probably ever. It was very, very yummy. After dinner, we assembled in the living room and exchanged gifts to each other. It was great fun getting together with all my siblings, save Jon who is in the Philippines.

Then came 7pm and Jon called us. We got the video on Skype to work and we actually got to see Jon!! It was so neat to see how well he's doing and how happy he is serving the Lord. We only got to speak to him for about 30 minutes, but that is better than not at all. We're also lucky that we got to see him as well, not just hear his voice. Jon was pretty funny with some of his words, which happens once you've become fluent in another language, and said it was giving him a headache to speak English. His English was pretty good, only a few times did I have to fill in the blanks with him.

After letting the kids play with their gifts for a while, it was time to put Sarah down for bed. I quickly gave her a bath, put her in her jammies, and sent her off to bed in Jon's room. The next morning we got up, ate breakfast, got ready for the day, and caught some after Christmas sales. We went to Sam's Club and got wrapping paper for next year and some solar Christmas lights for my front yard. After that, Jordan and I went back to Nana's while the rest of them continued to shop.

When they got home, we went to Bear Lake to check on the cabin and so Justin and Lindsey could see what it looked like now that we've remolded it. It was cold, but I still thought it was warmer there than it was in Logan. We had hot soup for lunch and then decided to go for a short walk on the frozen beach. What we saw when we walked down to the water was really neat. A high wind storm had come through and pushed all the ice off of the lake. It looked like glass shards were lining the beach, frozen solid from the cold winter air. It was beautiful. We had fun throwing the ice shards and walking around the beach. The sand was also frozen and where the water had come up during the windstorm you could see water stalactites and stalagmites.

After Bear Lake we went back home to relax. Everyone came back to Mom's for pizza dinner. Jordan and I decided to go to Sherlock Holmes after Sarah went to bed. It was a late movie time, but it was worth it. Sherlock Holmes was a great movie and I really enjoyed it. I wish I had better seats, but I was the one who wanted to wait for popcorn :o).

Sunday came all too fast and it was time to head back home. We left in the morning after packing all of our things up. We hurried and got ready for church, ate some lunch, and were off to church. Jordan took Sarah home since her nursery teacher wasn't there and she would've refused to go. Anna and I had to stay, of course, for our Primary callings.

After dinner, we set Sarah's big girl bed up. Jordan and I hid it from her as much as possible so when she saw the entire bed put together she'd be very surprised. She's been asking for a bed for a while now, so I expected her reaction to be a big, excited surprise. But, what we got was a dull, "what the heck is this and where is my crib?" reaction. All well, she better get used to a bed now.

We didn't give Sarah a night light, so I think she's too afraid to get out of bed right now during the night. She slept well, all through the night, and then come 7:30am Monday, Sarah turned on her light, walked out of her room, and into mine and announced, "Morning Momma!". It was so cute!!! At least it wasn't 6:30am, right?

I had a floating holiday on Monday so I didn't have to go to work. Anna helped me take down Christmas and then we went to the store to get Sarah a waterproof mattress cover and some new pillows of her own. After which we ate lunch, then Sarah went down for her nap. Well, I should say we tried to put her down for her nap. Since she could see everything in her room, all she wanted to do was play. I finally got her to go to bed a quarter to 4pm and then she only got to sleep an hour before I had to wake her up to get ready to see the lights on temple square.
We met my family there, toured the lights, and took some really great pictures. I love seeing the lights on temple square. My mom was really excited because this was the first time in a very long time that all of her family was there together on temple square. We were only missing Jon, but he was there in spirit. After seeing the lights, we went to Typhoon restaurant at the Gateway. Since we had a party of 14, it took them nearly 45 minutes to seat us. Poor Aiden was hungry and fussy. But he wasn't too bad once he got some food in him. It was so late for Sarah she didn't want to eat at all. After dinner, we went home. My dad spent the night because he's commuting to SLC for his work right now. We're hoping in February he won't have to do that any more, but we'll see. I'm always glad to have Dad around.

Now it's back to work for two days and then I'm off till the new year. I'm really glad I've got to spend this much time with Sarah. I really miss her when I'm at work and wish every day I could stay home with her. Hopefully one day soon, we'll see what the future brings to my small family.

I hope everyone else had just as great of a Christmas as I have. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by family and loved ones all the time, but especially around Christmas. I love the spirit of the season, the reason for the season, and the feeling of the season. Merry Christmas everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jordan!!!

Well, it's official. My honey is 28 YEARS OLD TODAY!! Two more years and we'll really have a party!!

Just had to announce it to the world that Jordan was born 28 years ago here in Salt Lake City. Good thing too, otherwise I'd probably be some old dog woman (not cat 'cause I'm really allergic) and living on my own somewhere on a farm being a hermit and reading books all day. Without Jordan my life would really be boring and meaningless (not to mention I wouldn't have the cutest most beautiful daughter ever!!). He's truly my one and only and I'm grateful to have found him before some other girl had a chance to snatch him up. Happy Birthday Honey! Love you much!!

Harris Christmas Party &Jordan's Mini-B-Day Party

Well, Christmas is almost here. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by this year. We started off the day going to visit Grandma Thorne at Sunshine Terrace. I forgot my camera, silly me, so I'll have to bring it with me on Christmas. While we were there, Larry and Nola met Sarah Marie for the first time. It was a great meeting and Sarah wrapped Uncle Larry around her little fingers so quickly he was even surprised himself! It was great seeing them again and I hope to meet up with them more often.

After that, we got ready for church. Sarah has a beautiful dress Nana gave her this year for Christmas. It is a deep purple and looks so beautiful on Sarah Marie. I simply cound't resist taking pictures.

Church was wonderful, filled with a lot of music and special messages. We were only able to stay for Sacrament Meeting because Sarah needed a nap if we wanted her to be the sweet little thing we know her to be. She gets cranky when her nap is missed and I wanted her to enjoy the evening with her cousins and second-cousins.

Before the Harris Christmas Party, we had a little one for Jordan. Jordan turns the big 2-8 this year. I know, I know. He's 28 and I'm 26 and we've only got 1 kid. Well, we feel blessed to have the one that we do and when more decide to come, well, we'll gladly welcome them in our home.

Jordan got a new sweater, church shirt, tool set, and fishing flies. Now that he has some flies of his own, because mine don't like to get lost or snagged, he can go fly fishing on Strawberry and at Cottonwood. Now all he needs is to find his dad's old fly fishing rod and get a reel. He has been waiting a while to show me his "crazy-mad fly fishing skills". I bet he's good. Jordan tends to master whatever he puts his mind to.

Sarah this year was selected to be a manger animal. The first year she was a sheep. Second year she was a bunny. This year she was the cattle that gave Christ her bed for the night. Isn't Sarah the nicest cow ever to live? The cutest too, I would say.We all had fun dressing our little kids up for the nativity story. Abby this year was Mary. I sang a solo this year in the nativity, "I wonder as I wander". Since it was all last minute and I didn't have time to think or worry about singing in front of anyone, I was completely calm. Last minute deals really calm me down--odd enough.

I would list all the other kidos, but there are too many!! My grandma and grandpa sure love them all. In fact, when Santa came this year to the party, Grandpa asked for more great-grandchildren. Well, I have plenty of cousins who could do all the hard work :o).

When Santa came down the elevator, all the kids were so excited. They were squealing and screaming Santa's name. It was great fun. It's so neat to see their little faces light up each time they see Santa. It reminds me of how I used to be when I saw Santa Clause. Santa was special this year, just like last year, and gave each of the kids presents. (Sarah saw Santa at Sam's Club on Saturday and she was so excited to see him. When I took her up to him, however, she started to cry. She told me later it was because she was scared. But she was really good the second go around. Nana helped her get her present from him, even though she was apprehensive, and then Sarah was generous enough to give him a hug and tell him thank you. Isn't she a sweet little girl?! I couldn't have asked for better.)

Santa then had all the adults sit on his lap and tell them what they wanted for Christmas. Well, of course Jordan and I asked for a finished basement. We're getting there, slowly but surely. Becca and Adam asked for a cruise, which they are taking in January. Liz and Mike asked for more time....Who wouldn't want that? Somehow Nana and Bompa escaped sitting on Santa's lap this year. I wonder what they would've asked for? Probably more grandkids, to see Jonny-Boy, and to have Justin and Lindsey with us that night :o). Well, Justin and Lindsey will be with us on Christmas Day. Jon still has another 10 months in the mission field before he's back home. And we're all looking forward to that day.
After Santa came, Grandma and Grandpa Harris gave gifts to all the little great-grandkids. Sarah got an adorable outfit! Since Jordan and I had to leave, the hour was getting late and we had to drive back home, we left and promised to visit Grandma and Grandpa come Christmas Day. With everyone there, it was hectic (as you can imagine) and noisy. But, the Harris Party has always been about getting together, sharing time with one another, and having a blast doing it.

Basement Update

Well, the drywall is up!! Can you believe it?! We've been working on our basement for years now and it is finally all coming together. With a vow to have the basement done by the new year, we just may make it. We still have mudding, painting, carpet, tiling, and cabinets to go....but we're slowly getting there. Unfortunately now comes the time for more expensive things. Well, we're getting there. Can't wait for my movie room!!!

The first picture is looking back from the stairs to the north. You can see the pantry and further back to the east will be Sarah's playroom under the stairs. Becca is going to be really nice and paint it for me :o).

This is looking into our family/movie room. On the wall we're going to have a large screen where we're going to have the real movie experience. Speakers are going to be mounted in the wall so you won't see speaker boxes everywhere. I love the fireplace! Come next Christmas we're going to have our family Christmas room downstairs and everything upstairs will be formal. Exciting!!

Here is our bathroom. I'm so excited for the tub! It is an overflow tub so we can fill it up to the rim! Soaker tubs are awesome!

Now comes the joyful work of tiling. Jordan says we're doing this on our own, so let's hope we can figure it out. Yeah....

Christmas Decorating

Well, that time of year has come again. I begged Jordan for weeks to put lights up on the house, but he hasn't done it. He's been busy working on the basement nearly every day after work, so the lights might not get up this year. I can't go on the roof, Jordan has banned me. Must be a man-ego thing. Hopefully though, we get something up besides my wreath.

Inside, however, is a different story. I had to call a neighbor kid to come over and help me get my tree down from the top shelf in the garage (Jordan was at work and hadn't taken time in the last week to get it down). After the tree was done, the decorating was really quick.

Sarah was so excited to have a tree inside of the house. At first she called it a castle. I guess it looks like one, in the imagination of a 2 year old. I had Anna give Sarah a tutorial of how to place an ornament on the tree. It was quite cute.

After Sarah learned how to properly hang an ornament, she was ready to go. Nothing could stop her! I had to hurry and grab all the glass and breakable ornaments before she took them and tried to hand them. With her tiny fingers she dropped more than just one ornament while helping Mommy decorate.

After the tree was done, I put the other decorations up around the house. Now my entire home looks and smells festive. With the new snow outside it really is beginning to feel like Christmas.

On Sunday morning, Sarah woke up early. Jordan was already working on the basement preparing for the sheetrockers to come, so I had to get up with Sarah. I changed her into her day clothes and brushed her hair. Then, I decided to look half-normal and brush my hair and get ready for the day. I let Sarah have free rein over the house for a few minutes while I readied myself. As soon as Sarah entered the family room, she ran back to me, all excited with glittering eyes. "Santa came! Mama, Santa came!"

Of course I was taken aback. Santa doesn't come till Christmas, not weeks before. I naturally thought Sarah meant she found presents under the tree that we'd placed their the day before. I hurried and followed Sarah into the room, her running, jumping, skipping slowing me down. Sarah immediately ran to the tree and pointed to a Santa ornament. She squealed with delight, "Santa, Mama! Santa's here!"

Sarah is indeed the cutest little girl I know. Jordan and I are truly blest to have her in our life. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter child.

Then came time to get ready for church. Since it is December, Sarah got to wear her Christmas dress. It is so cute! I had to do her hair as well, so I grabbed my curling iron and tried to entertain a 2 year old while curling her hair into ringlets. She was good too, except for the last 4 curls. She was antsy and wanted to get down. But, what a cute girl!!!Sarah and the rest of us (save having lights put up outside) are ready for Christmas!