Kenny's Nine Now...

So yesterday was Kenny's ninth birthday. We had celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago with the family and I don't think he even remembered it was his birthday yesterday.

We decided to take he and Kale to OMSI for his birthday because he had been asking to go for several weeks now. We started out in the science wing where Kenny and I went to the chemistry lab and did some neat experiments. He really seemed to enjoy playing with beakers, chemicals and learning.

Next, we went to an IMAX Movie,

about elephants and orangutans and what people in the world were doing to rescue and save the babies when their moms were killed by poachers or their enviornment being destroyed. It was really cute and sweet but reminded us all of the importance of taking care of our world.

After that we went to the Video Game Exhibit, Game on 2.0 where we explored over 40 years of gaming entertainment; from the first commercial coin-op to the latest in virtual reality and 3D technology. They had Nintendo, Pong, Wii, Centipede, Pac-man, pinball... the list goes on and on for 125 titles.

After OMSI, Kenny picked Izzy's as his birthday restaurant, so off we went to eat salad, pizza, chicken, Jell-o, all the good stuff that kids like. Unfortunately, for mom and dad who are dieting, we could only have a small amount of salad and just a bit of dressing (and not even the good kind). But the boys sure enjoyed their meal...

Later that night, Grandpa & Grandma Ericson & Megan and Tyler came for dinner and desert. IT wasn't bad and Kenny seemed to enjoy it all (Kale ate earlier as he doesn't like fish). We had cake and ice cream and brownies with raspberry sauce... all things mom and dad couldn't eat. But seeing everyone else enjoying it made it a bit easier to "swallow".

Kenny is an amazing little boy.

He loves legos, playing with Bionicles, Hero Factor or any other toy that he can take apart and put back together. He loves riding his bike in the front yard and around the neighborhood. He loves playing with his little brother, Kale (although I think they are going through a bickering phase right now, and I hope it ends soon).

Kenny loves school. He started on Wednesday and loves everything about it. He has two "girl" friends and his teacher's name is Ms. Marvin. He loves to read and is currently enjoying a couple of series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites.

Kenny is an inquisitive little boy, full of life and always wanting to learn. When he finds something he likes, he REALLY likes it and eats, sleeps and breaths it. He is kind and considerate. He is ALL BOY and I don't think that will ever change, (at least I hope not). He loves to be the center of attention, but also loves to have "me" time and be alone with his things and his thoughts.

Kenny really loves music and singing. Unfortunately for him, he was not born with intonation. He is really trying though. He sings the hymns at church and joins in with the radio and even sings in the shower. Sometimes we have to ask him to "keep it down" because he gets so wrapped up that he doesn't realize that he is "screaching". We love that he tries and we love that he loves music and hope that he always keeps that love with him.

As Kenny's parents, we are so proud of who he is and who he is becoming. I am pretty sure that his Heavenly Father is proud of him too. He has had a few challenges in his life so far, and they haven't been small ones. He is still working on some, some will stay challenges his whole life, but he hasn't let that get him down. He starts each new day fresh, with a smile (that is missing several teeth) and goes at the world full force.

We love him and feel very blessed to have him in our family.

I know, I know... its been forever

So I haven't blogged for quite some time and so much has happened this year that I don't even know where to start to catch up. So I will try to catch up but I am not promising it will happen chronologically. I will also do my best to keep it updated with the current happenings in our ever-changing lives.

So we have moved to Vancouver, Wa and are no longer in Las Vegas. This happened over the summer and it has been a bit emotional for all of us. There is so much good in Washington - family, greenery, cooler weather, work, a simpler life... But we left some great friends back in Las Vegas that will not be replaceable and we have missed them a great deal in the last several months.

The boys are starting back to school on Wednesday and are they ever excited. They are tired of having to play with their mom and dad and want to make some friends of their own. That is definitely one of the hard things about moving during the summer. They have been able to play with their cousins a lot though and that has been a blessing and a saving grace. But Kenny misses Cassidy and wishes she was here to play with him.

Kenneth and I are getting ready to start the HCG diet and loose 30 -40 pounds in the next 30 days. I am looking forward to the outcome, although a little apprehensive about the limit of 500 calories. But having Kenneth with me should make it easier, a built-in support system, a friendly reminder, and a reality check when I need it most. I am so grateful for a loving, supportive husband and friend that keeps me working to be the best I can be.

The boys (all 3 of them) have had a lot of fun this summer and we have travelled a bit as well. I will try to bring you up-to-date on all these fun memories over the next few weeks as I work on our scrapbooks. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them.

Check back soon...

A quiet house...

So, last night the boys (all three of them) got in the car and began their LOOOOOONNNNNNG drive to the Northwest. One of Ken's best friends is getting married this weekend and he decided to travel up there to be at the temple sealing. He took the kids with him so they could see their grandparents and hand out with their cousins. They didn't even know where they were going until they were on the road.

I rented a "dance" flic and spent the evening curled up on the bean bag chair with the dogs watching the amazing choreography and wishing that I wasn't such a clutz. I have always been envious of those who could dance. It is such a beautiful way to express life and all it offers. I don't' have the ability to keep one foot in front of the other when I walk, little less try to put rhythm and movement to it.

I just ordered Chinese food and I am going to sit down and try to catch up on some scrapbooking. I really love to scrapbook digitally. It is fun, fast, easy and much more affordable then the traditional method, but I must admit, I miss working with the paper, ribbon, and other "real" stuff. I will have to find time to sit down and make some cards or something.

Below are some of the pages I have finished lately. I don't scrapbook chronologically so they are in no order and quite random. But I think they are great and thought you might enjoy them.

This is one of the photos that we had taken right before Christmas at Olan Mills. I love it because it captures that personality and attitude of my two precious boys. It also reminds me that they are not little anymore and growing up way too fast. I also love it because it is a great picture of me and I don't have a lot of those either. My favorite thing about the shot is the "I'm too cool attitude" of Kenny's face. It makes me laugh! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

These are some great pictures we took at the Bear Lake Family Reunion held in 2006. The kids loved playing in the sand and walking in the water. And my little Kale still had his long hair. Both boys have loved playing with their cousins since the very beginning of time. And if the noise I heard on the other end of the phone tonight is any indication, they still love hanging out with them and they get along fabulously.

This is us at Death Valley, Thanksgiving 2010. We stopped at a dry lake bed and were amazed at the "hard" ground. Even throwing a large rock didn't make much of a dent in the dirt. And you could run and run and run and not find an end to the dirt...

This is Halloween 2006. We took the boys to the elementary school where Nicky (Ken's oldest sister) teaches and let the trick-or-treat through the hall ways. They loved it and they stayed warm too.

This is my nephew, Thaysen. Meredith left a bunch of her pictures on my computer the last time she was down to visit. I started looking through them and found some great ones of Thaysen as a baby. The headphones are as big as he is but the face says it all. The boy is going to be musical, just you wait and see.

This is another one of the boys goofing off in Death Valley. They were posing and trying to look cool. Truly they are chips of the old, or should I say, young block...

I hope you enjoy these peeks into our life and family. Until next time...

Snow in Las Vegas

We woke up Monday morning to snow. Not a lot, but for Las Vegas, snow is snow. We don't get it often and so when we do we relish in it and enjoy the WHITE of it. It was wonderful and beautiful and wet. Unfortunately for all of us (the boys especially) it didn't stick for long and the day went on like any other day.

I loved the suprise of it though. It made me smile and was a great start to my week (which has been a long on so far...)

My Christmas Gifts arrived last night

And I am soooooooo excited. Kenneth got me a Cello and a Violin for Christmas and they arrived ... finally. The Cello is black and the violin is pink. Yes, pink. I am 35 and if I want a pink violin, I can have one. It has been 20 years since I played, and I am excited to get reacquainted. I am also looking forward to teaching myself to play the Cello. I have wanted to play the cello since I was little and now I am getting the chance.

We have a couple of young people in our ward that play and they have offered to help me learn. I need to take the cello into a music store and have them put the bridge on and string and tune it and then I should be able to get playing. I am also looking forward to torturing my family with screeching as I did when I was young....

I will keep you all posted and maybe if your lucky I will post a practice session sometime soon. Keep your fingers crossed and make sure you invest in a good pair of earplugs.

Our Family Photo Shoot at Olan Mills

On Monday, December 20, 2010. our family went to Olan Mills to have our family pictures taken. It has been 3 years since we have had them done professionally and I got quite a good deal on the package, plus, I got a CD with all the pictures they took and the copyrights to them so I can print them when and how I want to. Our photographer was fairly new to the industry but she took some great shots,many that showed our "Harmon Personality". Below are some of my favorites:

They turned out great. If you see any that you would like copies of, let me know and we can make arrangements for them to be printed and sent to you. I will be sending the family picture on the black and blue background to everyone once the package we ordered arrives. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them.

P.S. Kenneth and I still goof off regularly...even at family photo shoots.

A Goal for the New Year

So, looking back at my blog for 2010, I realized that I got off to a great start, but somewhere along the way, pretty much gave up. I have decided that for 2011, I want to blog more regularly and I want to try to make an weekly entry, maybe even two or three if I am organized enough.



I want to be able to keep our friends and family appriased of what we are doing as we are not together as we don't live close to each other. I want to share our joys and sorrows, accomplishments and failures, the good, the bad, and the ugly with all of you. I also want you to get the opportunity to get to know your grandkids, cousins, nephews...(whatever the kids might be to you) and stay acquainted with them as they grow.



As we have officially become foster parents, with the license and all, I want those of you who are not with us to still know the wonderful children that will be part of our family for a time. I want you to know them as we will know them. I want to share with all of you our love for them.



This is one of my "New Year's Resolutions" and I hope that all of you will help me with this. Your comments are appreciated and I love to know that someone is reading the blog besides me. We want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and let each of you know that we love you and pray for you regularly. We send you our best wishes for success, happiness and laughter in the coming year. May 2011 be a journey your enjoy taking.



Love ~



The Harmons!!