"I may not be Handsome, but I sure am Handy"

My mom and Ryan on our girls day. Instead of a bridal shower Liz wanted to go out to lunch with the girls and go shopping for flip flops. So we did. This is Liz and Lynzie with baby Ethan.
The Harris girls, Kelly, Summer, Lynzie, and Liz (alright, technically Lynzie is a Valdez girl, but since her and Kit have been dating for like 2 or so years, we claim her).

This is Ben's super duper handy gate he made. We have a railing on either side of the stairs so we couldn't use a normal pressure gate, so he build one (without nails, only dowels). He put a spring on it so we can open it easily and it will shut on it's own. And it is tightly velcrowed (how do you spell velcrow?) to the railing so it won't leave any marks. Ben's motto it, "I may not be handsome, but I sure am handy". Although I disagree, I think he's handsome AND handy.


Ben got home from work and both the boys wanted to be with him, so he read them a book. So cute!

The Zoo/Dinosaurs

Like I said before...here we are at the Dinosaur museum in Ogden and at the Zoo. We had a good vacation. Hope you don't get sick of all the pictures. Ryan took this picture of Ben and I, he did a pretty good job ey?



Ryan and the Elephant in the background.

The bears
Ethan being SO cute! He loves being outside.

Memorial Day/ St. George

All right, let me first explain my weird order of pictures all the time. I can't figure out if it's my computer or my Internet, but it doesn't let me post pictures myself. Like I've mentioned I have to send them to Ben, and it also won't let me center them, so I have all these pictures with words in weird orders. Okay, I'm even confusing myself, bottom line...if it doesn't make sense or look just right, it's not my fault.

On Memorial Day we usually go to Ben's family's home for a BBQ, but they didn't have one this year so we had it at my house. We had BBQ hamburgers and Shayla and Shalleece's fabulous salads. Then we played the Wii. Ryan kicks butt at boxing, we have yet to find someone who can beat him. And I'm proud to say that I played Ben and knocked him out on the first round. Woo Hoo!

The next day on my birthday after Ryan's doctor's appointment we went out for dinner with my brother Brant at Olive Garden, I had yummy Chicken Parmesan. Then we went to Marble Slab Creamery (does it sound anything like Cold Stone?? I don't know how they got away with that name, but it is still good!). It was a good birthday. I'm 26 years old and I still feel 18! I wonder if I'll be saying I feel 18 when I'm 40?

We went to St. George on Wednesday. It took us a long time to get down there, with Ben being sick, and Ryan having to pee a lot, and I did too (that's what happens when you have kids I guess). I'm grateful we weren't going to California! That night we went swimming, and the next day we went swimming. Friday we went to Las Vegas so Ryan could go to M&M world. Ben and I decided we need to go on a getaway to Las Vegas and actually see other things besides M&M's. Saturday we went swimming again, and we ate at all my favorite places, The Pizza Factory (the one on Main St.), Jimmy Johns, and Larsen's froststop (I think that's what it's called). In Vegas we ate at Red Robin...I know all of you are thinking, why do we care where you ate, but food is my favorite thing, so it's a big deal to me! Anyway, we drove home Sunday, and Monday (yesterday) we went to the Zoo and to the Dinosaur museum (those pictures will come later). Ben went back to work today, and it SUCKS! He starts his MBA at the University of Utah tonight, he has class Tuesday and Thursday after work from 6pm to 10pm, and all day Saturday. We've had a very busy and super fun week. It's hard to come back from Vacation. I think people should get to vacation for at least a month, none of the week stuff! :-)

Ryan and Ben at M&M world
Ethan at the pool
Yummy M&M's and Ryan and I at Red Robin

Ryan laying out getting dry, the sun pooped him out!

Ryan at I at Larsen's, and Ethan and I at the park.



I think the pictures are pretty self explanatory.

Memorial day. Shayla with the boys on the love sac. And Shalleece and Ryan boxing. Don't you love the look Ryan has?

Happy Birthday to Me

I have a hard time posting pictures on my computer. Ben has to do it at work for me, so I don't have any pictures right now. So anywho, yesterday for Memorial Day we had Ben's siblings come over for a BBQ, and my mom and dad took me shopping for my birthday. Today is my birthday, and I had to take Ryan to his follow up doctor's appointment at Primary Children's Hospital for his leg. They still believe he has arthritis, they changed his medicine and we have another follow up appointment in 8 weeks. He also needs to have an eye appointment, they say arthritis affects they eye?? Interesting. So that has been my day so far. Now I just need to go pack for tomorrow. We're leaving for St. George until Sunday. I'll post pictures next week. Today was also Ryan's last day of preschool for the year. He had his birthday party today since his birthday is in the summer time.

Screaming

Yes, I am one of those mom's that let their babies sleep with them. I can't help it, they're so cute and cuddly when they're sleeping, and it's a bonding you will NEVER get back. But it has it's down sides too. For example, I am exhausted. I don't know if Ethan is teething or what, but I get maybe a total of 2 hours of sleep a night. I'm am getting really crabby. I can barely drive without wanting to shut my eyes. My eyes burn. I can't get motivated to do anything. So, Ethan is in his crib right now screaming his guts out. Ryan and Ben are sound asleep. You know, I know husbands have to work and all, but dang it, I work 24/7. I'd like to see Ben function the way I do on the sleep I have. I don't understand why he gets to take naps, when I'm the one getting up with the baby. So now, I feel like a HORRIBLE mother because my baby is screaming for his mom, he just wants someone to hold him...IS THAT SO WRONG? I'm sitting downstairs writing it all on my blog trying to postpone the time, because I know I'm going to buckle...why you ask? Because Ryan and Ben are sleeping like I should be, and it is not natural for a baby to scream like this, even if pediatricians and other mom's say, "it'll only take a few hard days, and he'll sleep on his own", bull crap...Ryan is STILL sleeping with Ben!!

ABC Tag

My ABC's

A. Attached or Single: Attached to what? I am married yes.

B. Best Friends: Ben

C. Cake or Pie: Chocolate cake, no other flavor.

D. Day of Choice: Fridays because it's almost the weekend

E. Essential item: My cell phone, I feel naked without it.

F. Favorite color: Red, but almost everything I wear or own is black.

G. Greatest accomplishment: My two kids, and getting my bathrooms cleaned every once and a while.

H. Home: Well, I've lived all over, but right now my home is in Riverton, Utah. I'd probably consider my hometown to be Tooele (Stansbury Park), Utah.

I. Indulgences: Chocolate & a Pepsi, and occasionally a pedicure.

J. January or July: Definitely July, we have two holidays, two birthdays, and our anniversary, and I LOVE hot weather. January is the worst month ever. Can we just skip it?

K. Kids: Benjamin "Ryan" (3.8 years) and Ethan Harris (7.5 months)

L. Life is incomplete without: My boys, Ben, Ryan & Ethan

M. Marriage date: July 19th, 2002

N. Number of siblings: 1 older sister, 3 younger brothers.

O. Oranges or apples: Apples, but I like orange juice better than apple juice.

P. Phobias or fears: My kids getting run over by a car, my house burning down, a burglar coming in while Ben is out of town, my kids or myself falling from great heights, spiders, snakes, and now because of Ben, sharks, someone kidnapping my kids, being buried alive...just to name a few.

Q. Quotes: I like a lot of quotes, how about the one from Encino Man, "Where is the Bathroom?", I always like to know where one is, just in case.

R. Reason to smile: A HOT summer day, and a pool to lay out next to.

S. Season: Summer time

T. Tag 4 friends: Anyone who reads this and hasn't done it yet.

U. Unknown fact about me: I have a really hard time talking to people. I'm always afraid they think I'm super dumb, when really I shouldn't care. I am also really uptight. I've just come to realize this so don't laugh if you've always known. I'm trying a lot harder to (as my mom puts it) "lighten up, and don't let things eat at you so much or you'll go grey early...and maybe you should take Vitamin B". Thanks mom!

V. Very favorite store: Target, I could spend hours in that store. I don't think I can ever move back to Tooele until they get one. Wal-mart just won't due.

W. Worst habit: Popping my knuckles, does anyone know how to stop??

X. X-ray or ultrasound: I don't care, they're equally not fun (I guess unless you're pregnant, and you're finding out what you're having, but have you ever had one of the vaginal ultrasounds? Yuck!)

Y. Your favorite food: Lasagna, or Steak and potatoes, I've been lovin' Navajo tacos a lot lately too.

Z. Zodiac: Gemini

Down on the Farm

Thanksgiving Point Farm Country
Last Monday was a beautiful day so we decided to go to the Farm with our friends Britni & Kyle. Here is Ryan in front of a Turkey (they are big ugly birds...I can't believe we eat them).
Ryan in and I in front of a sheep thing (it wasn't called a sheep, but I can't for the heck of me think of the name).
Ryan with a Clydesdale. And Britni and Kyle with a Clydesdale. We also had a "hay" ride. I never understood why people call it a hay ride. I think I've only been one ride with actual hay. We saw people picnicking at the farm...ew yuck! I could not imagine eating really close to the smelly pigs, turkeys, and everything else that stinks. The boys had a really great time. And we picked a perfect day to go.

I'm having a girl American Idol finale party at my house if anyone wants to come! Knowing my luck it will probably just end up being me with my muddie buddies. :-) How about that David Archuletta. Although I'm for him because he lives where I was born, but I think I'd listen to David Cook more.