Monday, September 21, 2009
San Jose de Gracia in Las Trampas
We took a trip along the high road to Taos and stopped in some villages and towns along the way. Here is a visit to a very old church (by American standards)in Las Trampas. It was very special.
More Santa Fe
We spent Saturday strolling all around Santa Fe, and finishing up with a DELICIOUS dinner at Rio Chama....complete with the most amazing wine, "Coeur Blanc". Yum.
I thought this was touching.....if only we all could.....
The gang at dinner.
Candles I lit for my loved ones at the Cathedral.
I thought this was touching.....if only we all could.....
The Cathedral in Santa Fe. Stunning.
Do you know the way to Santa Fe?
I know the song is "San Jose" - but I thought it was cute! :)
Nick and I are......ON VACATION!!!!!!
A while back, Nick and I had the joy of attending a charity dinner for pediatric medical research. On a whim, we put in a very lowball offer on a silent auction item - a week-long vacation in Santa Fe in a lovely condo donated by someone. Well. We got it! So fast-forward months and months and here we are on vacation - along with my brother Patrick and his girlfriend, Jillian. The condo is lovely, the city is great and we are having a lovely time! Plus, instead of paying a hotel chain or a landlord, the money all went to pediatric medical research so we can literally say that we are "doing it for the kids"! :)
Speaking of kids, we miss Kate and Liam TERRIBLY. But Nia and Gramps are staying with them and they are having a great time. We have been "skyping" with them over the computer so we get to see their cute little faces and have conversations that way. While they would have loved a lot of the activities that we have done so far, there is a lot that is not age-appropriate for them, too. Some of the hikes have been too dangerous so far and I must say it is nice to enjoy a late dinner with adult beverages! :) Plus, now that we have a peanut in school, it is not like we can take her out of school for a week!
Lots of pic to follow!
Nick and I are......ON VACATION!!!!!!
A while back, Nick and I had the joy of attending a charity dinner for pediatric medical research. On a whim, we put in a very lowball offer on a silent auction item - a week-long vacation in Santa Fe in a lovely condo donated by someone. Well. We got it! So fast-forward months and months and here we are on vacation - along with my brother Patrick and his girlfriend, Jillian. The condo is lovely, the city is great and we are having a lovely time! Plus, instead of paying a hotel chain or a landlord, the money all went to pediatric medical research so we can literally say that we are "doing it for the kids"! :)
Speaking of kids, we miss Kate and Liam TERRIBLY. But Nia and Gramps are staying with them and they are having a great time. We have been "skyping" with them over the computer so we get to see their cute little faces and have conversations that way. While they would have loved a lot of the activities that we have done so far, there is a lot that is not age-appropriate for them, too. Some of the hikes have been too dangerous so far and I must say it is nice to enjoy a late dinner with adult beverages! :) Plus, now that we have a peanut in school, it is not like we can take her out of school for a week!
Lots of pic to follow!
Nick and the top of the Hill of the Cross of the Martyrs
Cross of the Martyrs
Nick and Maggie at the top of the hill of the Cross of the Martyrs
The Plaza in Santa Fe
Nick - with the only "cougar" I will allow to get near him! :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Kindergarten Kate
Well. It is finally here. Kindergarten!!!!!
I cannot believe that we have a kindergarten girl! Kate is so very excited about being at the "big school" this year. She woke up full of energy this morning and ready to go. Waiting for her downstairs at the breakfast table was her American Girl doll, dressed up in a surprise outfit to wish Kate a good day. The outfit was a replica of Kate's very own school uniform! Kate was so excited.
Gramps came by to spend some big boy time with Liam (they took a stroll to the diner around the corner for breakfast) while Nick and I took Kate in for her first day - as well as a little parent orientation class for the grown ups. It was a successful first day. She does not go full day until next week....they like to ease them into it (ease Mom into it?! :) Kate is ready to learn. She is regularly devouring chapter books and is especially looking forward to "library class, computer class, and recess".
It begins! We are so proud.
I cannot believe that we have a kindergarten girl! Kate is so very excited about being at the "big school" this year. She woke up full of energy this morning and ready to go. Waiting for her downstairs at the breakfast table was her American Girl doll, dressed up in a surprise outfit to wish Kate a good day. The outfit was a replica of Kate's very own school uniform! Kate was so excited.
Gramps came by to spend some big boy time with Liam (they took a stroll to the diner around the corner for breakfast) while Nick and I took Kate in for her first day - as well as a little parent orientation class for the grown ups. It was a successful first day. She does not go full day until next week....they like to ease them into it (ease Mom into it?! :) Kate is ready to learn. She is regularly devouring chapter books and is especially looking forward to "library class, computer class, and recess".
It begins! We are so proud.
Liam's First Day of Preschool
Liam is ready to rock preschool! He was so excited to head to school and did not show a single sign of 3 year old separation anxiety. In fact, he could not wait for Nick, Kate, and I to leave him alone with his buddies and his favorite teachers! He is such a good schoolboy.
Nick surprised Liam by meeting us at school to drop him off on his first day. Liam was SO excited when he saw his Dad waiting for him and ran full speed to Nick for a giant big boy hug. He had a great day.
Nick surprised Liam by meeting us at school to drop him off on his first day. Liam was SO excited when he saw his Dad waiting for him and ran full speed to Nick for a giant big boy hug. He had a great day.
He found his name right away - was so excited that his nametag was his favorite color , GREEN!
Heading in to drop off Liam!
Liam was so excited to see his Dad waiting out in front of school.
Liam and the insanely huge (and GREEN) backpack that he insisted on! :)
Ready for 3-Year-Old Preschool!
Up a Lazy River With You!
To celebrate the last days of summer, Nick and I - along with Gramps - took the kids for a spin on the boat. It was a nice afternoon on the St. Croix and we had a nice time. The kids love to help Gramps drive!
Monday, September 07, 2009
Fun at the Fair!
It is that time of year again! Time for the Great Minnesota Get-Together! The State Fair!
We had a GREAT time there as a family this year. Here are some pics! Be sure to check out the next post that follows our quest for "food on a stick". Please note we did not sample all the food on a stick (only one, actually!) - just photographed the signs.
We had a GREAT time there as a family this year. Here are some pics! Be sure to check out the next post that follows our quest for "food on a stick". Please note we did not sample all the food on a stick (only one, actually!) - just photographed the signs.
Kate ate her customary Corn-on-the-Cob 'neath a "Texas Star"
Kate petting a bovine beauty
Liam LOVED the tractors
Here we are waiting for Nick to bring us some yummy Fair Fare! :) Love the face Liam is making.
Nick with the kids on the way into the Horse Barn. Kate was SO excited. See the horse behind them? She had no idea - then it walked by her and she lost her mind with glee!
...On a Stick!
The Harris Fam went to the fair
Saw horses and pigs while there
Along with Nick
We sought foods on a stick
And lots of fun we did share!!!!!!
So...Nick and I took the kiddos to the Great Minnesota Get Together - the 2009 State Fair. As I have mentioned in other posts in earlier years, the Minnesotans looooveee to serve their food on sticks at the Fair! I don't really understand it, but they like to top each other with what they can manage to serve on a stick. People talk about it constantly during fair season. So, we decided to go on a quest for the "On a Stick" Fair Fare! Enjoy!
Saw horses and pigs while there
Along with Nick
We sought foods on a stick
And lots of fun we did share!!!!!!
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So...Nick and I took the kiddos to the Great Minnesota Get Together - the 2009 State Fair. As I have mentioned in other posts in earlier years, the Minnesotans looooveee to serve their food on sticks at the Fair! I don't really understand it, but they like to top each other with what they can manage to serve on a stick. People talk about it constantly during fair season. So, we decided to go on a quest for the "On a Stick" Fair Fare! Enjoy!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Good times. Good friends.
As I mentioned further down on the blog, my dear friend Erin came to visit with her wonderful husband-to-be, Joe. We had an absolute blast. The four of us went to Stillwater, MN for the afternoon where we browsed antique shops, had a lovely lunch, and then proceeded to talk a walk on the chilly side when we suited up and tried out a new ICE BAR. Yes - that's right. A bar entirely made of ice. The seats are ice, the glasses are ice, the bar itself is ice. I think all the wasn't was the floor. It was a hoot. We had a great time bundled in our parkas in August while we boogied in the ice bar. Too fun.
We followed the ice bar with a game of croquet and a swing or two on the hammock with the kiddos. It was such a fun weekend full of laughter - as it always is with Erin. I cannot wait for their wedding!
We followed the ice bar with a game of croquet and a swing or two on the hammock with the kiddos. It was such a fun weekend full of laughter - as it always is with Erin. I cannot wait for their wedding!
The gang at the Ice Bar
E & M enjoying a frosty (literally) beverage
Kate getting her prep on
Liam and Gramps in the hammock
Erin and Joe turning the hammock into a thrill ride. Hilarious - the kids loved it. Surprisingly, no one fell off!!! :-)
Friday, August 21, 2009
A nap, a nap, my kingdom for a nap!!!
As you may have guessed by my lack of posting, things have been quite busy around here! The summer - or what was supposed to be summer, but mostly consisted of temps in the 70s - has flown by and here we are at the (almost) end of August. I have tons of pics, many memories, and a LOT on my plate. I am happy as can be, but, admittedly, exhausted! :)
I am trying to recap all the tales since my sister and her kiddos left. That was SUCH a fun-filled three weeks! There was a great trip to Indianapolis complete with a wonderful visit with old friends and me also getting the chance to work at Theta HQ for a day or two. We had a visit from one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world, Erin Fech, along with her wonderful fiance, Joe. That weekend was so much fun that my sides hurt from laughing for days. There have been loads of outings with the kids, a visit from my parents' friends from the Dominican Republic, a visit this weekend from my college buddy, Drew, and so much more. Nick has been very busy with work but managed to get in some great personal time practicing his golf swing and hitting the golf course now and then. He also is in a fun Darts league here in the Twin Cities, and gets some good time in with some fantstic down to earth people throwin' darts and chatting. He is pretty darn great, if I may say so! I am glad he is doing something other than work because he is so good at his job and there is so much to do (not to mention the fact that he has one of the strongest work ethics of anyone I know) that he could easily sleep at work if he wanted to! :)
Oh. And somewhere in the midst of all this, I started back up with classes after a short 6 week break. So....phew!
The kids are getting ready to start school in September. Kate is SO excited. She will be in Kindergarten (!!!!!). Last week we went and got all of her school uniforms. She looks so adorable. I cannot wait to take pics of her on her first day! She is very excited. She got her haircut - at her request - and says she feels like a big girl ready for school! She certainly IS ready. She is reading up a STORM. She is plowing through chapter books and loves to read aloud to Liam, too. She is helpful and bright and sassy. A dream.
Liam is a ball of energy. Whoever coined "terrible twos" had no flippin' clue what they were talking about. "Insane Threes" is more like it. He is very much asserting his independence right now. Which is great. It is just not that great when we need to get out of the house and he insists on dressing himself, putting everything on backwards and inside out with shoes on the wrong feet and has a meltdown when I try to encourage him to maybe NOT wear his underwear backwards. *sigh* Sharing is hard, not having the same skill level as his sister is frustrating, and the only food groups as far as he is concerned really should be popsicles and yogurt. It is a joy. :-) I have had a lot more days lately when I REALLY wish he napped! :)
That said, he is a delight. When he is not being Mr. Stubborn, he is the lovey-est, sweetest, funniest boy. He is SO smart, too. One of his favorite things to do is workbooks and at 3 years, he can write all his letters, knows their sounds and spell a few words. He really does not have a care in the world for television, which is a-ok with me. He plays and plays and plays. Cars are the preferred toy. He loves to help me, too! Unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry....he is a helper. Except when it is time for him to clean up his toys on his own - then he is suddenly striken with a bout of paralysis and becomes spontaneously deaf as well.
I am wondering how he will take it when he is apart from Kate so much once school starts. He has class twice a week, but Kate is full day, every day. He will miss his best buddy. Luckily we have all sorts of fun activities planned. Liam will be taking swim lessons, chinese lessons, and go to an open gym with all sorts of sports and activities. Kate will be doing swimming, ballet, and chinese on top of kindergarten. Possibly piano - but not sure yet on that one.
I will continue to do Masters program, thesis work, Theta work, and Ever After Gowns, all while I gulp sanity saving cups of coffee and zip around in the minivan. Nick will be working and working, no doubt, with his Darts league going strong and his basketball group picking back up in the fall. We all stay busy and happy, and dinner time together is all the sweeter for it. Lots of travel coming up in the fall both professional and personal, but I will try to keep things updated more regularly!
Pics to come!
I am trying to recap all the tales since my sister and her kiddos left. That was SUCH a fun-filled three weeks! There was a great trip to Indianapolis complete with a wonderful visit with old friends and me also getting the chance to work at Theta HQ for a day or two. We had a visit from one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world, Erin Fech, along with her wonderful fiance, Joe. That weekend was so much fun that my sides hurt from laughing for days. There have been loads of outings with the kids, a visit from my parents' friends from the Dominican Republic, a visit this weekend from my college buddy, Drew, and so much more. Nick has been very busy with work but managed to get in some great personal time practicing his golf swing and hitting the golf course now and then. He also is in a fun Darts league here in the Twin Cities, and gets some good time in with some fantstic down to earth people throwin' darts and chatting. He is pretty darn great, if I may say so! I am glad he is doing something other than work because he is so good at his job and there is so much to do (not to mention the fact that he has one of the strongest work ethics of anyone I know) that he could easily sleep at work if he wanted to! :)
Oh. And somewhere in the midst of all this, I started back up with classes after a short 6 week break. So....phew!
The kids are getting ready to start school in September. Kate is SO excited. She will be in Kindergarten (!!!!!). Last week we went and got all of her school uniforms. She looks so adorable. I cannot wait to take pics of her on her first day! She is very excited. She got her haircut - at her request - and says she feels like a big girl ready for school! She certainly IS ready. She is reading up a STORM. She is plowing through chapter books and loves to read aloud to Liam, too. She is helpful and bright and sassy. A dream.
Liam is a ball of energy. Whoever coined "terrible twos" had no flippin' clue what they were talking about. "Insane Threes" is more like it. He is very much asserting his independence right now. Which is great. It is just not that great when we need to get out of the house and he insists on dressing himself, putting everything on backwards and inside out with shoes on the wrong feet and has a meltdown when I try to encourage him to maybe NOT wear his underwear backwards. *sigh* Sharing is hard, not having the same skill level as his sister is frustrating, and the only food groups as far as he is concerned really should be popsicles and yogurt. It is a joy. :-) I have had a lot more days lately when I REALLY wish he napped! :)
That said, he is a delight. When he is not being Mr. Stubborn, he is the lovey-est, sweetest, funniest boy. He is SO smart, too. One of his favorite things to do is workbooks and at 3 years, he can write all his letters, knows their sounds and spell a few words. He really does not have a care in the world for television, which is a-ok with me. He plays and plays and plays. Cars are the preferred toy. He loves to help me, too! Unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry....he is a helper. Except when it is time for him to clean up his toys on his own - then he is suddenly striken with a bout of paralysis and becomes spontaneously deaf as well.
I am wondering how he will take it when he is apart from Kate so much once school starts. He has class twice a week, but Kate is full day, every day. He will miss his best buddy. Luckily we have all sorts of fun activities planned. Liam will be taking swim lessons, chinese lessons, and go to an open gym with all sorts of sports and activities. Kate will be doing swimming, ballet, and chinese on top of kindergarten. Possibly piano - but not sure yet on that one.
I will continue to do Masters program, thesis work, Theta work, and Ever After Gowns, all while I gulp sanity saving cups of coffee and zip around in the minivan. Nick will be working and working, no doubt, with his Darts league going strong and his basketball group picking back up in the fall. We all stay busy and happy, and dinner time together is all the sweeter for it. Lots of travel coming up in the fall both professional and personal, but I will try to keep things updated more regularly!
Pics to come!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Summer Miscellany
We have had the Morris family here for three weeks. It has been WONDERFUL. Basically the children played nonstop for 3 weeks. Here are some random snaps.
Dress up is very big with the girls. The boys were feeling left out. Here is Liam playing dress up in his Dad's old Captain desert uniform from when Nick was at PSAB in Saudi Arabia. Nick gets SUCH a huge kick out of this and just loves it.
Kate is getting so big I can hardly believe it. She is so smart and sweet and funny. She and the cousins made forts out of the bunk beds at Nia's and I regularly found all the kids sitting around Kate as she read aloud to them of her own volition. 'Atta girl!
Here is the cousin Sweet Baby Emme. She is such a doll. What good GOOD baby. We love her oodles. And Kate is especially dear with her.
Liam and Mia - born one day apart. They got along beautifully. All the kids did!
Kate, Jack, and friend Annabelle in the pool. TONS of pool time.
Dress up is very big with the girls. The boys were feeling left out. Here is Liam playing dress up in his Dad's old Captain desert uniform from when Nick was at PSAB in Saudi Arabia. Nick gets SUCH a huge kick out of this and just loves it.
Kate is getting so big I can hardly believe it. She is so smart and sweet and funny. She and the cousins made forts out of the bunk beds at Nia's and I regularly found all the kids sitting around Kate as she read aloud to them of her own volition. 'Atta girl!
Here is the cousin Sweet Baby Emme. She is such a doll. What good GOOD baby. We love her oodles. And Kate is especially dear with her.
Liam and Mia - born one day apart. They got along beautifully. All the kids did!
Kate, Jack, and friend Annabelle in the pool. TONS of pool time.
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