Biggest Brother

Keaton is an awesome big brother to all. He is so willing to help and share his time and talents with his brothers and sister. He has such a kind heart. His mind is amazing, constantly finding different ways of doing things. His little brothers and sister look up to him. He has so much responsibility on his shoulders. I do not envy the pressure he feels sometimes. Being the example of good behavior and the one to blaze the trail is not an easy job. I couldn't imagine a more capable young man to take this job and do great things with it. Keep it up, it really is worth it.

Big Brother

Sam has been really amazing with Corbin. He knows that Corbin is such a special little person. I can see it in Sam's eyes that he will be so excited to teach his little brother how to ride the skateboard, bike, and how to play soccer. These two are will be on the go all the time. For now I am enjoying and loving the sweet still moments these two are sharing. Lots of love to you Big Brother!

Big Sister

Nellie loves having Corbin in her life. She is always willing to carry him. She is even willing to do his laundry (not her own, small steps). She loves to hold him and tell him, "It's alright".

One thing she has yet to sacrifice for any of her brothers are her fingers. One time I caught her holding him tight in her right arm and still sucking her fingers. Not the safest place to be Corbin.

Did I Mention

Just how fast it was that Corbin came to our family. I did however think to grab one of my phones with a pretty decent camera. As they placed him on the scale I barked orders to Justin to get out my phone and start taking pictures. For everyother delivery my sister has made it just in time to take some good pictures of baby and mommy along with others that came to see the new one. I guess this will have to do. Pappy was lucky to be in town. Justin called him, knowing he would be awake early. He was, and was headed out the door for the airport, so he stopped by and met his newest grandson. Everytime Pappy holds one of his new babies his eyes express so much of his emotion. His words don't compare to the look that he gets when he holds them and looks at the new body he holds in his hands. We are so lucky to have Pappy and his testimony of the Plan of Happiness

Blessing Day

Cousins

Aren't they cute

Nothing like the Pinewood Derby

to make the cub leader say, "I'm glad that's over." Keaton always comes up with the best designs for his cars. To bad there are limits to what you can do. He got middle place, which is a great improvement for the last couple of years. Thanks Pappy and Papa for helping get this great car ready.

This is what we see when we go outside

Pappy and his 30,000 bees in his backyard. This is only the beginning. He hopes to have over 100,000 in a couple of months.

Here is our garden, in the back left is corn, then crook neck squash, zucchini, lettuce, chili peppers, green peppers, green beans, peas, tomato, carrots, onions, (transplanted pumpkin and cucumber). Wish us luck during the harvest.

Our chickens: pink berry sparkles, blue berry sparkles and red berry sparkles. (Yes three names for 5 chickens) They will be excited for harvet too. They will get to get out and clean up all the leftover greens.

Do you see that? That is an apple, and Anna Apple to be exact. There are 5 on the tree. Vahooooo!

From Adam He took a rib

Well Corbin has had a cough ever since he was born. It has been getting progressively more substantial. I relented and took him to the doctor last week. They asked for a chest x-ray. The results came back today. His lungs look clear but he has an extra rib. This shouldn't make a difference as he grows. I told both Nana and Leslie and they both made the comment that we could make a girl. I would like to see them try.

edited:
APRIL FOOLS

April Fools Day

This is one of my favoritist days of the year. When I was young we would do the traditional physical pranks. I have heard of some doozies today. We used to have a tape of Wee Sing N Play. They sang a song about April Fools Day (it's a great day for playing a joke) So every year we must all say (and hear) at least once "There's a spider in your hair". Mom thinks she is sooo funny.

For a couple of years I was pretty consistently fooling my family. I would call each person and give them a story, avoiding the questions that would give it all away. One year I called my mom, while standing outside my apartment on Stapley. With the busy traffic going by I told my mom I was in an accident. For 15 minutes I had her really worried. Finally I told her April Fools. She said it wasn't very funny. After a couple of years, my sister, mom and dad would try to remind each other before I woke in the morning so they wouldn't be duped. I couldn't say anything without the response "April Fools".

This year I needed to be a little more discreet. I couldn't do it first thing in the morning. It couldn't be too drastic. It had to have only minor consequences. So be aware it is coming.

I


Heart Keaton

My baby is 10!

He is such an amazing person. Today all on his own he started helping me clean up the house. Amazing!

1. He loves Sam, Nellie, and Corbin
2. He is creative
3. He is quick at math
4. His testimony grows each day
5. He loves Cub Scouts
6. He is quick to help
7. He is a great reader
8. He learns quickly
9. He is ingenious
10. He is a good artist

A few things about Keaton

Keaton is so funny. He sees the world and has to conquer it. He gets excited about a new concept and just builds on it. He is loving airplanes, cars, anything that uses electricity and moves. He is growing out of his shoes so quickly. He has lost 6 teeth in the last month. I am surprised he can chew anything. He plays the cello so well. He loves to play the piano and figuring out tunes he has in his head. He can never find anything on the first try. He is always willing to look but whatever it is alludes him. He has great friends, he is getting more physical and liking sports. He knows what he likes. He is a great helper and a wonderful big brother. He is realizing as he gets older what a big responsibility this is and is taking it head on. Sometimes he gets fed up and done but usually it is at the end of a long day and he needs his rest. He is quick to fall asleep and then sleeps well. He sees opportunities to learn around ever corner. He is a picky eater. I can't even take the time to list all the foods he will pick around. I sure do love my Keaton. He has been a great friend and has made many things in my life better. Happy Birthday Keaton, I love you.

Spring Break

Monday
Day trip to The Joshua Tree (19 hours, wonderful memories)

Tuesday
Play with Friends


Wednesday
Build Chicken Coop


Thursday
Go to the Zoo with Granny

(I took a double take trying to figure out which one of these was my kid)

Friday
Play at friends, help Leslie with her coop, Late night with the Tenny's

Saturday
Luke Days with Pappy and Granny



Each night they would settle down (eventually) and all took turns with this wonderful guy.

Giveaway

Ok there are alot of these types of things online. I would love to win all of them but, You can't win if you don't play. Well linking from my friend to the giveaway it was about undergarments. Let me tell you this could not have come at a better time. Having a new baby brings to the forefront much need and desire for nice, comfy, and pretty undergarments. So I recommend going here if you are interested in great giveaways. Or if you too are in great need for the desired support under there!

Dead Computer

Beware of updating your computer. We did this last week and now have a 1/2 dead computer. (No blue screen of death, but close) Much trouble and money later we are up and running. Justin has access to all 6,000,000,000,000,000 of his songs and we have all our pictures. All good news, but it will take a little while to find everything again. This being said, send me an email with your blog. I didn't save all my bookmarks and like a kid that is bringing you your book all the bookmarks fell out in the living room. Thanks!

Due Date

This pregnancy was different from the beginning. I did not get sick. I was tired but that was because I was working 3 jobs, revamping my moms house, running 3 kids around and readjusting to the Mesa summers. We (loosely defined as Hattie) decided not to find out the gender of the baby. So the one and only ultrasound (I think I have had at least 3 with each of my other children) the tech turned off the screen when it was gender time. We suspected it was a monkey. I had some doctor problems with this pregnancy too. I started with the wrong insurance for the midwife that delivered Nellie. So I picked a doctor that was close by. Her office was in the parking lot at Banner Desert. About the time that I switched insurances and was planning on switching doctors also this doctor stopped seeing patients. One appointment she was working there and the next she no longer practiced medicine. I switched to the midwife I believed her office was at the same place. Not so, she changed doctors she works with and is now in down town Phoenix at St. Joe's. Worth the drive, I thought, till I needed to make my next 3rd to final appointment and found out she was going to be out of town till after my due date. Not worth the drive if she isn't even there. So I stressed for two days over who I could get to do a VBAC for me and where? At this point if the person was covered by my insurance and promised not to cut me open I was good. So, all my other children were early (Sam and Nellie were induced 4 and 2 weeks early, Keaton came on his own one week early.) I didn't expect to make it completely to my due date but I was going to try. I thought that the 11th would be a nice day and an 8 lb baby would be healthy and strong. Well 3 weeks ago all that was decided for me.

I woke up at 3 am thinking that if I had to go potty one more time I wouldn't have anything left for days. So I got up and got a drink and decided to check my email. The contractions were pretty persistent. So I checked 'signs of pre-term labor' online. They suggested watching a movie and relaxing to help the contractions go away. I couldn't even sit through the previews. I didn't think "this is it" yet. I was just restless. I thought a shower would be nice. I started timing the contractions in the shower. They were 3 minutes apart. About 3:40 I woke up Justin, thinking that if I was awake he should be too. After that it seemed to get really uncomfortable, really fast. I told him to call my sister to come sit with the kids. She is only 3 blocks away and her kids go to the same school. I thought it would work out well. 12 times calling her on both of her phones later we gave up and called my wonderful brother-in-law Jon. (Again 4 in the morning is not a time to try to figure out who to bother, we weren't thinking otherwise we would have woken up the neighbors) Jon's loverly wife helped to push him out the door and plenty of green lights and 3 red lights later he was at our driveway. We hopped in the car (about 4:30am). (More like crouched and grimaced into the car) Here was the choice, do we drive all the way to Phoenix and hope my doctor wasn't already out of town (I don't know if you've been to St Joe's but it is a maze. I was pretty sure that if we picked this option it would take 30 minutes to drive there, and an additional 30-40 to find out where we needed to be.) or go to the closest hospital and pray the anesthesiologist is waiting at the door for me. It was the closer option.

Justin drove up to the door. I got out and walked in. I pushed the automatic door button to the maternity floor. As the door opened a contraction started. I saw a nurse down the hall. I couldn't move. The nurse watched me and then the door started to close. She moved closer and pushed the button again so it would open. Th contraction ended I said, "I am having a VBAC, and I want an epidural." Yeah everyone says that. Well when she checked me I was already at a ten. (Did I mention that at my doctors appointment 7 days earlier there was no sign that the baby would come any time soon) This meant no epidural, no nothing. Not even a Tylenol. I love the epidural guy. Each one has a special place in my heart. I had reserved a spot in my heart for the new one that would be inducted, next to the others. Well there is an empty hole in my emotional well being. (I think that the nurses should lie to you. You know it could take the guy an hour or more to come to your rescue. If she would have lied to me I think it would have been better for me. Here is what they need to say, "He is on his way dear, he needs to finish up in surgery first. It'll just be a minute (what laboring woman can tell time anyway)") Good news, because I had started out the pregnancy with the doctor that went out of business they called someone she works with to come catch the baby. I had already done some of the paperwork early on. The doctor came in. Yelled at me and at 5:01 I had a baby. Justin was the first to say, "It's a boy."

He was a little purple and had the cord around his neck and shoulder. He soon pinked up and was very content with the world. He is a very good baby. He took the binkey and got the hang of it quickly. His brothers and sister just adore him. Everyone is very proud that he is part of our family.

That is the story. I was always jealous of my sisters labors. They seemed to go so quickly and she was always so brave (never having the epidural). I thought if it went that quickly I could do it too. Well, been there done that, don't need to do it again.

Pay it Forward

I want to play! Bekki is sharing the idea of pay it forward, sharing the good karma and love. Well I want to play too:

SO--Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a gift from me.

What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

So who wants to play?

Corbin Micah Harris

Surprising all, Corbin made his way into our family 3 weeks early. Not surprisingly he has come equipped with skills to survive in this family. He hardly ever gets startled at loud noises, doesn't flinch when 'jostled', a great sucker, and able to take command of the conversation.

Corbin Micah Harris
February 19, 2009
5:01 am
6lbs 12 oz
19.5 inches

Happy Birthday Corbin

Hattie had her baby today. It is a beautiful boy named Corbin. He was 6.12 lbs. and 19.2 in. long. Momma and baby are doing great. No complications and no epideral...YIKES!!! Hattie was amazing. As her hubby I was so prrrroud but I didn't have to do jack squat. Upon the Doc saying now she could brag about having done it with out Epideral Hattie said (In classic Hattie fashion) that's nothing to brag about.

Keaton

Sometimes our oldest doesn't get the attention that he needs. He is an awesome helper and is always willing to do what he is asked. (If he remembers 5 seconds after you ask). This last week he made up for is. He lost 3 molars in 4 days. Got in a fight at school, did pretty good for himself. (I couldn't find where he bled. I think his lip cracked a little, but not enough for what was all over his clothes. I think most of it was the other kids.) Got a 1/2 day suspension and lived to tell about it. He is also doing great in scouts. It happens to be at our house and last week when his leader couldn't come he helped me teach the older boys about electricity. He has been on a kick to make a car. I told him to start small and work his way up. He finally listened and is much happier with the results. The other scout leader couldn't believe that it was Keaton that knew all the ins and outs of the wires. She thought I taught him. Nope. What a great guy. I sure do love him.

Look what I made

This is baby Grace's (Jon and Denise's new one) Christmas present. Last year I made and elephant for the new baby Sydney. This year I have two new babies Grace Harris, and Calvin Jacob Parker. I think I will make him a .... (you'll just have to wait and see). I started this bunny before Christmas but along with blogging I haven't been up to much more than keeping things going in the house. I am starting to feel a little better after the accident. (which I didn't blog about, maybe soon) and I feel like making things. I have wanted a wreath like this for more than 8 years. I finally broke down and made one. I love it!!!Also I figured out a step to my bedroom. Before we moved from Flagstaff I got a vision of how I wanted to decorate my bedroom. Well we moved. I had to start all over because there are no vaulted ceilings. I wanted the dark brown incorporated into the room but thought it would be too overwhelming. I was surfing around on the internet and came across a company that sells decals you can put on your wall. $300 dollars later you could have something like this. Justin drew me a tree and I took 1/2 a day to paint it. I love it!! There are still smaller accents that are missing in the room, but I can't think of what they should be. Any suggestions, let me know. Now I am off to piece together a recession blanket. (I have kept many scraps from work to sew together for a picnic blanket. As President Hinckley said, "Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without")

Word of the Year 2009

di·rect

Pronunciation: \də-ˈrekt, dī-\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French directer, from Latin directus straight, from past participle of dirigere to direct

a: to regulate the activities or course of
b: to carry out the organizing, energizing, and supervising of
c: to dominate and determine the course of
d: to train and lead performances of
e: to point, extend, or project in a specified line or course