New Year Baby!

Welcome to the world, little one! Layne and Julie Harris had their little boy on New Years Day....the first one in Utah County for 2009! We are so excited and happy for them!


Friday, 02 January 2009
A tale of two babies: County's first 2009 birth wins by minutes
Ace Stryker - Daily Herald


At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, when most Utah County residents were sipping nonalcoholic bubbly or kissing loved ones, strangers Julie Harris and Christy Nielson were in the midst of the same ordeal.

Twenty miles apart, each woman was deep in the throes of childbirth. Their experiences were not identical -- Christy delivered by C-section, while Julie pushed -- but before the clock had struck 1 o'clock, each had introduced a new life to the world. Derek Harris was Utah County's first baby of the year, born at 12:31 a.m. at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.

"We got lucky, because he was two weeks early," Julie said of her 6-pound-12-ounce, 18.5-inch son as she cradled him.

But not too lucky, husband Layne joked -- had Derek been born just an hour earlier, he would have helped his parents earn a child tax credit worth up to $1,000 on this year's returns. Now they'll have to wait until they file their 2009 taxes in 2010.

"At least he's got a story now," he said. "He'll remember that more than our 1,000 bucks."

Julie said labor was easy -- she "pushed like twice" and there was her son. Layne said that may have been the easy part, but the couple had been concerned whether Derek would be on his way at all. They tried for five years before having their first child, Derek's older sister, 2-year-old Mylee. The two kids will share a room in the family's Spanish Fork home when Derek and mom go home tonight.

"We had to paint the pink walls brown to match both of them, Layne said.

The county's second birth came a mere four minutes later, when Jared Nielson was born at 12:35 a.m. at Mountain View Hospital in Payson. Coming in at 20 inches and weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces, mother Christy said he's "healthy and just perfect." She said she, too, had thought about the benefits of having the child earlier, but for a different reason.

"I was ready to be done," she said.

Because of the C-section, Christy will stay at the hospital for a couple days to recover before going home, also to Spanish Fork, to rejoin her husband and two other children, ages 5 and 20 months. In the meantime, Jared is proving to be a snuggler and a "singing baby," she said.

"He lays and hums and sings," she said.

That's a contrast to little Derek, who was "pretty wild inside me," his mom said. But since he's been out, he's been calmer, she said.

"We'll see," Julie said.

Layne said the birth has special significance because Derek carries the middle name of his paternal grandfather, Houston. Houston died in February, just a month or so before Derek was conceived, he said.

"We think he picked him for us," he said.

Both sets of parents say they plan to have more children. How many?

"As many as we need," Christy said.

Derek and Jared weren't the only Utah County births in the first hour of the new year. Shelby, a 3-year-old chocolate labrador belonging to Matt and Christie Gammell of Springville, has eight new puppies to care for. They include four males and four females, born about 12:30 a.m.

Tis the season....

....for snowmobiling!! I think the girls were even more excited to have snow on the ground so that they can go snowmobiling than they were for Christmas! So cute, I've gotta admit.....

Housley Christmas Party '08

The Housley Christmas Party

Because Taylor and Valerie are in the middle of packing and moving to Colorado, we decided to have a family party before Christmas and before they left. Lucky for us, Chris and Debi were in town with Sara and Donny, so it was fun to have them join us. We tried something a little different this year in that we had 3 "centers" or "stations" for the kids with crafts that each of us were in charge of. Mom, Jordan, Erin and Clayton did gingerbread cookie decorating, Brett, myself, Taylor and Val had the kids make reindeer using their hands as the antlers and Jenny and Kim had a storytelling center. We also had our annual "Ugly Sweater" contest, enjoyed dinner together and had so much fun reading the poems that we had written about each other! It's been 9 years since we've started the poem tradition (we draw names and you have to write a poem about the person's name that you draw) and I have to say, it's one of the best traditions that we have! We even included the Readings and the Atauia's and Donny got out his guitar and SANG his poem to Theran! It was fabulous! We even got him to give us an encore so that I could record it and I'm going to try and figure out how to post it on the blog. So much fun! Thanks to all for your participation...love you guys!

Help!

The Ken Harris Family

Turkey...yum.

So, we had Thanksgiving at our home this year with the Housley side of the family. We all pitched in with the cooking (and cleaning!)and I took on the all important task of cooking the turkey. Kindof daunting, but I'm pretty handy with the internet and its full of ideas on how to and what to cook a turkey with, so I wasn't too worried. Can I just say how great it turned out?! Not that everything else wasn't fantastic, cuz it was seriously ALL delicious, but the turkey was so moist and tasty, I was just so happy with how it turned out. The beauty of it all is that it was sooooo easy and if I can do it, ANYONE can! The secret is to brine the turkey. Its just a mixture of water, salt and seasonings and you actually soak the turkey in it for 10-12 hours before cooking. (the recipe says 1 hour per pound, but we had a 20 lb. turkey and I did it for 12 hours and that was plenty of time) After soaking for that long (I buy those Reynolds oven bags and use that to hold the liquid and the turkey) you rinse off the turkey, (very important to rinse it off because otherwise it will be way too salty)pat it dry, rub a stick of butter all over the skin and then put salt and pepper all over the skin. Put into a new bag, close it up, put 2 slits in the top of the bag and cook according to directions. I mean, you don't have to even cut the turky! It's literally falling off the bones it's so moist! So, here's the brine recipe....try it, you'll like it!

1 gallon water
1 cup salt (kosher is best)
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. pickling spice
1 t. black pepper
1 t. allspice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. tarragon

Dissolve salt and brown sugar in water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Allow to cool. Add vinegar and spices.

I am a Mother

"Motherhood is tough work, and there are days when giving two weeks' notice seems to be the best way-the only way-to escape the chaos. ... We go into motherhood expecting that it will require some strength; then we find ourselves in it and realize we're completely out of breath - with miles left to go. Indeed, motherhood is an extraordinary test of endurance and strength, some days requiring that we sprint, and other days asking us to swim uphill against the current."

I had to copy this quote from my sister in law Jen's blog, cuz I loved it so much. It's a quote from Jane Clayson Johnson's book, "I am a Mother." Jen goes on to talk in great detail about the ups and downs of motherhood and I'm tempted to copy that, too, but I'm not as noble as she is and anyone who knows me would know the difference! ;) I will say, however, that I do love being a mom to our daughters and feel privileged that our Father in Heaven entrusted me with these special spirits.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go tighten the 2 year olds straight jacket....

Answer to previous "Twins" Post

Here's that baby picture of the twins again....





and a recent picture.....


(by the way, everyone who guessed, guessed correct!)

I have Been tagged by my BEAUTIFUL WIFE of 11 years, (maybe she is still trying to figure out who I really am and what I like, so here it goes...) I love you Honey!!

8 Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Girls Next Door (Enuf said).
2. The Outdoor Channel.
3. Nascar.
4. What ever my wife is watching (cause all four tivo recorders are occupied recording my wifes shows).
5. What ever my wife is watching (cause all four tivo recorders are occupied recording my wifes shows).
6. What ever my wife is watching (cause all four tivo recorders are occupied recording my wifes shows).
7. What ever my wife is watching (cause all four tivo recorders are occupied recording my wifes shows).
8. Dancing with the Stars (yes, because all that hot dancing turns my wife on!!! and who can go wrong with that).

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:

1. Woke at exactly 4:45 am to my alarm clock and the excitement of going hunting with two of my daughters Sydney and Morgan, and of course my partner in crime Joel. (lucky to miss the Kendra saga of screaming MOM MOM MOM and thousand times) .
2. KISSED my sleeping beauty good-bye.
3. Set up for what was to be a great duck shoot with the kids. the kids think their DAD is awesome (shot 10 ducks and had a great time with the kids).
4. Fattened ourselve up on MC y D's.
5. Cleaned the duck boat while Sydney and Morgan proudly displayed theur catch (as Heather calls it) to all the kids in the neighborhood) (I think Morgan plucked out 50 feathers out of the spooner to give to her friends) (mom thoght that was disgusting)(as for me I thought it was cool).


6. Went to CABELAS with Kendra to give my wifey a needed break.
7. Watched BYU or should i say Max Hall hand the game to Utah (5 picks and 1 fumble) in their 48 to 24 loss.
8. Watched one of Heather favorite TV shows (Criminal Minds) I did it just so I could lay my head in her lap all night long, then the rest is history (you know what I mean!).

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Waking up to my wonderful wife every morning.
2. Playing with my 3 beautiful daughters SYDNEY \ MORGAN \ KENDRA.
3. Thanksgiving with the family.
4. Date night with H.
5. Snowmobiling with the kids.
6. Duck Hunting with my Bro.
7. Going to bed with my wife by my side.
8. Extra curricular activity once in bed.

8 Things on my wish list:

1. A happy WIFE - if mama ain't happy then nobody's happy!
2. A flat stomach .
3. Happy and healthy children .
4. Continued work at the office.
5. A great duck hunt.
6. Happy Holidays with my family and friends.
7. A shed to store all our junk!
8. _ _ _ you figure it out (hint: it starts with an "S" and ends with an "X")

Okay, I'm tagging nobody:)

I won the battle (but I'm pretty sure I haven't won the war...)

For those of you that know our 6 year old, Morgan, you know what a stubborn streak she has. (And where do you think she got that from?? Brett says its from me and I say its from Brett...neither one of us is willing to bend. ;)Well, she is a very determined little girl and when she sets her mind to it, she's not willing to change her mind. There have been VERY few times when locking horns with her that I have walked away victorious. Unlike Sydney, who still lets me pick out her clothes, Morgan has her own opinions about what she will and won't wear. I think I'm pretty good at letting her do her own thing (pretty good, but still have my own opinions about what she should wear!) and most of the time, she wears me down and I give in. Well, yesterday was another one of those days...I have just bought her some new clothes and she didn't want to wear them. (for whatever reason her little mind comes up with) I forced her into the clothes right after her bath and after crying for about 1/2 hour, she went downstairs and changed her outfit. And, I had also bought her some new shoes that she LOVES that she wanted to wear. I let her roll around on the floor and bawl her beautiful brown eyes out for an hour or so, then had a brainstorm. I explained to her that she had 2 choices, she could wear what I picked out and keep her shoes, or wear what she wanted and I was going to return her shoes. I continued to try and help her understand that I can't keep buying her new stuff if she won't wear it. All of these things cost money that dad works really hard for and we can't let it go to waste. Those were her choices and she could decide. Well, she sat there for a minute and you could tell there was some serious thinking going on. She's always thinking of ways to get out of things, so I could tell she was weighing her options. Finally, she jumped up, left the room, came back 5 minutes later wearing MY outfit and her favorite shoes. I could hear the choir singing, "Hallelujah!" and I felt like I was on top of the world! She had a smile on her splotchy, tear stained face and says, "I want to keep my shoes!" So, hopefully, this will be a lesson learned about choices and that sometimes it's not about what you want, but about sacrifice and what's worth it in the long run. I'm not so naive as to think that things will be different the next time we argue about clothes, but maybe a little easier. :)For the memory, I had to document it with a picture...

I've been tagged

Been tagged by Val, so here goes...

8 (only 8?!) Favorite TV Shows:
1. Brothers and Sisters (Sally Field. Enuf said.)
2. Desperate Housewives (Yes, Taylor, a guilty pleasure..)
3. Super Nanny (she has great tips and the show reminds me that my kids aren't THAT bad!)
4. Criminal Minds (fascinating to me, I love the "whodoneit" mystery stuff, but don't like the gore)
5. ER (still THE BEST and yes, Val I did see the episode with Anthony Edwards...fabulous! I miss him and Carter....)
6. Grey's Anatomy (been a little bit disappointing with the whole lesbian story line, but it looks like its probably over....)
7. Survivor (still hooked)
8. Dancing with the Stars (yes, I'd LOVE to do that show!)

8 (Ok, there are 9)Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Woke at exactly 7am to Kendra yelling, "Mom,Mom,Mom,Mom,Mom,Mom,Mom!!!!!)
2. Washed 2 loads of laundry (that have yet to be folded and put away)
3. Won a battle with Morgan (I'll blog about that later....)
4. Saw "Twilight" with my friends. (didn't want to, wasn't going to, especially the first day (I've learned that movies are never as good as the books, and Edward did NOT fit the role!)but who could resist a 11am show and lunch with my girlfriends?!)
5. Lunch at Guru's. LOVE the sweet potato fries!
6. Took a little "catnap" after the girls got home and they took Kendra out to play! :)
7. Went to dinner w/ my hubby and went to Home Depot to get some wood to make a bigger table for my family at Thanksgiving. (pretty ingenious idea, on my part, if you ask me...hopefully it will turn out!)
8. Went to Hale Center Theater with B and saw "Aida". I bought season tickets last year for Brett for Christmas and we've only seen probably 1/2 the shows but it's been a fun "date night".
9. Was woken up at 1:30AM (this should technically count for today, but I'm counting it for yesterday) by a phone call from Theran's cell! Some stupid recorded text and I'm still fuming as to why we got it in THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!! That reminds me, I need to call him this early Saturday morning. :)

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Hopefully squeezing in a nap this afternoon
2. Hearing about the pranks that our BYU vs. UTAH neighbors played on each other.
3. Jaylyne's lesson in RS tomorrow.
4. Taking Taylor and Val's family pics
5. Thanksgiving with my Family
6. Taking Theran and Kim's family pics
7. St. George
8. The next date night with my hubby

8 Things on my wish list:(not in order of importance!)
1. A clear complexion
2. A flat stomach
3. Happy and healthy children
4. Kendra to stop being so whiny and needy with me, only me!
5. My mom to find a man and receive the happiness that she SO deserves
6. To find the strength and determination to get up at 5:30am and go back to Yoga
7. To be content
8. To get my cold storage inventoried and organized SOON!

Okay, I'm tagging Jana, Colby, and Brett. :)

I can't smile without you

Well, we're back and had a wonderful weekend. The Barry Manilow concert was good, but what was even better was just hanging out with my husband. It was so nice to go back to the city that provides so many wonderful memories from our first years of marriage, our first home, our first child. The weather was perfect, the company even better and I just want him to know how much I appreciate his efforts to make it such a great weekend for me. I love you, hon.

UH HUH

IF YOU SAY SO, BABY.....JUST KEEP ON TELLING YOURSELF THAT.

Let me clarify....

So, yes, my sweet husband surprised me with a weekend away. I am so excited to get away with just him and enjoy some time together. But, I do not love Barry, nor is he my secret love, but I will admit enjoying his music and I do own his greatest hits CD. :) We will have a great time! Thanks hon, I love you!

HONEY

HOW BOUT SOME FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT IN LAS VEGAS!!!!!

NOVEMBER 14-16, 2008

ADULTS ONLY

LOCATION – COPA CABANA – LAS VEGAS

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW.....HEATHERS SECRET LOVE IS BARRY THE FAIRY.......SO I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE HER ONE NIGHT WITH HIM......HAHA

Why parents drink. (or REALLY want to drink!)

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to "Dad."
With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all the piercings, tatoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's not only the passion....Dad she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Stacy can get better. She deserves it. Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren. Love,
Your Son John
P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it is safe to come home.

What do YOU think?

For those of you who know my hubby and his twin, Joel, know that they are identical twins. I came across this baby picture of the boys and I can tell who is who....can you??

Yum!

Ok, so it wasn't a HUGE hit with the kids, but Bett and I loved it! Valerie asked for me to share any new recipes I have tried and liked, so here ya go!

PS. makes a ton, so you can freeze and eat later!

Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden)

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, diced (small pieces ~ 1 cup)
3 stalks celery, diced (small pieces ~ 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can V8 juice
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta (I couldn't find this, so I used small shell noodles)

1. Brown the ground beef and drain off fat.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute' for 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 50 minutes.
4. At 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is "al dente" or slightly tough. Drain water.
5. Add the pasta to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Halloween '08