the best christmas gift

The Harker's had an amazing Christmas this year. Surrounded by friends and family- it doesn't get better. Remembering the true meaning of CHRISTmas is the most important part. How grateful I am that my Savior came to earth. That He was born in a lowly stable to loving parents. His life on Earth has changed everyones' lives for eternity. I love my Savior, my Brother.

I can't help but think of my son. How blessed we are to have a loving, healthy baby boy. Also, how blessed Leo is to be born to parents who love him, who would do anything for him and who love each other.

Our Christmas gift from Leo came one day late this year. But it doesn't matter. I will cherish this memory forever. The video above depicts the first time Leo gave us a deep belly laugh. It was a laugh I had never heard from him before. All I could think was, "I wish Braden could see this." He was at work at the time. But no worries because Leo did an encore for him later that evening.

My baby boy is growing up!

sledding 101

Another first for Leo this Christmas season- sledding! We bundled him up tight and carried him up the hill. He took a ride down the hill with grandma and fell asleep on the way down! Don't worry- it was a slow, controlled, and safe ride. I guess the slight jiggle of the ride relaxed him. So while he slept through most of it, he had a great time!

Disneyland!

Leo took his first trip to Disneyland! We saw Santa, rode the carousel, ate some delicious food at the New Orleans Cafe, and watched the parade. He had a blast! Papa and Nana we also there to share in all the excitement. We made some great memories that day.

Also, while in California we had a great time visiting with family and celebrating the holidays! We are back to snow country now, where it definitely looks and feels like Christmas.

as the seasons turn.

Goodbye beautiful Autumn. I miss you so much already. Your vibrant colors and your crisp air made me smile everyday. Until next year.

Fall in Cashmere is, to say the least, amazing. The apple, pear, nectarine, and cherry orchards are beyond beautiful. I absolutely love living around them. It's organized nature. These gorgeous trees all perfectly set equidistant apart from one another with their offspring of bright green, red and pink fruits stretching across the land for acres. It is quite serene to stare at. Especially from an airplane. Oh, I love it.



Cashmere is beautiful in the winter, from my warm house staring out the window. Once you step outside and drive on those icy roads, it's not too pretty. But at least the orchards are still gorgeous even though they are naked now. And kind of dark and creepy looking with their kinked branches. They look like something in a Tim Burton movie. I love a good dark-creepy Tim Burton movie, probably why I like the orchards in the winter.

I am very grateful for the beautiful place in which we live.

6 months + spokane.

I can't believe I am typing this. My little Leo is 6 months old!

This past week, I swear he has grown by leaps and bounds. Stats: 17.5 lbs (50th percentile). 26 inches long (50th percentile). head circumference- I can't remember but I do remember he was in the 40th percentile. So his head may appear large but it's actually not!

Not only has he grown physically but intellectually! He is very curious about everything around him. Reaching for everything. Of course it all goes straight to his mouth.

He is also starting to play with the concept of pushing himself up onto his knees and hands! No no no no no crawling! Mom and Dad are not ready!

Last week he decided that he no longer wants mom to rock him to sleep anymore. Which is so sad, just another manifestation that he is growing up. He arches his back and begins to fuss if I rock back and forth.

He still does not sleep through the night. Leo is waking up about once a night to eat. Doctor says there is nothing wrong with it. He says if Leo is hungry then keep feeding him and that he is still young. I don't mind it, it's kind of a part of my life now. I wake up at 3 am every night whether he is up yet or not. Darn you internal alarm clock. But it would be nice to sleep through the night again. I might decide to change that eating schedule soon.

He can basically sit up all by himself now. He is a little dangerous in that Bumbo. He likes to head dive out of it. He just did it right now... no joke.

A new game! I put his binkie in my mouth, Leo stares at it confused, takes it from me and puts it in his. It's really too cute.

Also, while he is playing on his own in his bumbo or his jumpy chair (our new fun toy!), he will pause and look around the room to find us and once he does, he gets soooo excited. As if he is saying to himself, "This is so fun, Mom and Dad should come play with me too. Where are they?" (looks around the room) "There you are! Look at how much fun this is!!"

Leo likes to do this laugh. But it's not a belly laugh it's more like a courtesy laugh. It might be in one the videos I have uploaded. He does it quite often. Braden claims he gets it from me and all I can say to that is I get it from my mom! haha.

Sometimes I can't take how much love, happiness, and cuteness this little bundle of joy exudes. I mean honestly, I think it's so much deeper than we mortals can understand. It is divine.

Last week we went to Spokane, WA. Braden had training there for work and I decided to go along. It was nice to go somewhere I had never been before. Oh yah and they had three malls! That's three more than my town. After going to each of the malls twice, Leo and I got pretty bored. Three days in Spokane would have been plenty, we were there for nine!

On the positive side, our hotel was right next to River Front Park. And the fall colors were beautiful. (see Leo and fall leaves photos above). It was really nice to walk around the river.

Thanks to my sister and bro-in-law's suggestion we went to the Wolf Lodge Inn. It's about 45 minutes away from Spokane in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. It doesn't seem like anything special. In order to get there we drove down this tiny, two lane, windy road. There is nothing around it, probably for miles. Inside there is a huge fireplace with a blazing fire going. It was so warm and cozy. It felt like a comfy cabin in nowhere land. Oh and then there was their steaks. They are cooked over an open fire and they are HUGE portions. Let's just say that was the BEST filet mignon I have ever tasted. Oh man my mouth is watering just thinking about it! YUMMMMMMMMMMM. The highlight of our trip to Spokane by far!

Sorry about the ridiculously long post. If you have made this far, CONGRADULATIONS!
Oh and today it's snowing. Our first snow. I am not looking forward to winter with a baby but I must say that it is absolutely beautiful outside!

yum yum yum

Zombie Apocalypse Survivors.

We had a great Halloween!

I couldn't be happier that it's over. I get so stressed over what we will wear, where we will go, if we will just stay home...blah blah blah whooooo cares. You have no idea how many times I went hunting for Halloween costumes this year. Only to be talked into being a "Zombie Apocalypse Survivor." Gotta love my husband and his love for all things ZOMBIE, like the new AMC series "The Walking Dead." (Honestly, it's totally awesome, gorry but awesome- you gotta DVR it.)

I, like every other first time mother, was searching for the cutest costume for my little kitty- to no avail. None of them are cute enough. You may be offended by the fact that my 5 month old child has a "bloody injury" on his head and his costume is not something to "awww" over but, there is one important thing you are forgetting... IT'S HALLOWEEN! Aren't things supposed to be over-the-top scary, frightening and silly? Yes.

Anyways, I can now move on with my life. Although I am ready for Thanksgiving, I am definitley not ready for Christmas.... bah humbug.

P.S. My sweet baby boy will be 6 months old in about 2 weeks... tear.
P.S.S. In the collage: Our awesome friends - Lane, Jannica, and Kim Larson.

little kitty.

My baby is 5 months!

Leo has found his feet, and he loves to play with them. He will hold his feet up for me while I am changing his daiper. What a gentlemen, eh?

I have got him back on a schedule now (the move kind of threw him off a bit). He still wakes up once a night to eat. Eventually, I would like to ween him off that but for now it's manageable.

His vocabulary is growing. He says mamama, dadadada, and bababa. Of course it's all baby gibberish for now, but it's still cute to hear his voice.

He can now roll from his back to his belly! He loves to sit up in his bumbo and look around.

We recently bought him some Dr. Seuss books and he loves those. Oh yah and he also loves to scratch things. It seems as if it is his way of feeling the texture of things. So that's what he loves to do to the books, scratch at the cardboard pages. He also loves to scratch at the wall while I am changing his daiper or scratch at mom's denim pants. He is my little kitty.

Braden is working alot more now, so our time together as a family is cherished. Also, it's great to be able to get a little bit of a break on his days off. Braden will go get the baby at about 730am and they will go play so that I can sleep in. Even an extra half hour makes all the difference.

We went on a walk along the river at sunset the other night. It was the perfect evening for a walk. Fall is definitely here. The leaves are changing and there is a chill in the air now. I love it. I am not ready for winter AT ALL, so please, Fall, stick around for a little longer this year... please.

That's all for now.

4 month mark.

4 months is here. (well, technically now it's 4 months and 14 days)
Leo had his check up the other day. He is a happy healthy baby. He is weighing in at 15 lbs. 6 oz. and he is 25 inches long.

Leo the lion is no longer just something we say around this household. This little baby growls on a regular basis, sticking true to "Leo the Lion". He growls when he's happy, when he's sad, and even when he's bored.

Gosh, time is flying by so fast. He is rolling over, standing up (with assistance), grabbing at everything and putting his fists in his mouth. Oh and now he's bald. haha. He was born with so much hair and now he has this large shiny bald head with a tiny patch of hair on the back of his head. I have contemplated buzzing it off but I think I'll leave it alone. What if I shave it off and it never grows back?! My poor kid.

Anyways.... we are having so much fun together as a family. We love every second we get together.

Leo truly knows who we are. It is such a precious thing. Whenever I speak Leo looks all over the room until he can find his mama. He just stares at me while I talk. Same thing happens when Brady speaks, except Leo gets a HUGE grin on his face while he stares. It's the best.

Leo is getting more adventurous in the tub he loves to kick and splash and play. I cherish the bath time. It's mommy and baby time. Just the two of us spending time together. So much fun.

No solid foods yet, says the doctor. Thank goodness. Honestly, I am totally not ready for solid foods yet. Too messy, I am not ready for the mess.

Sometimes Leo gets really excited. This usually happens whenever daddy is around or right after he wakes up from his nap while I am changing his diaper. He gets really excited flailing his arms and legs all over the place. And the best part is when he takes in a really big breath and sticks his arms and legs out straight and shakes. Almost like he had a jolt of sugar shot through his body or something. It's so funny.

Leo is an amazing son!

Now, I need to figure out what he is going to be for Halloween!!

it's true, we moved.

yes, we moved to washington a couple of weeks ago. let me just give you a sneak peek at what we get to see everyday.

we live in the foothills of these :



nestled next to this:



surrounded by rolling hills covered in these:



so to say the least, it's beautiful. every move is an adjustment and we are adjusting. but the gorgeous view outside our door makes it all much easier. everyone is welcoming and very kind. so far, so good.

braden got a job transfer and i am able to stay at home with my handsome boy, Leo. we are very blessed to have come upon the situation we are in now. it's a new, fun adventure for our family and we are happy because we are together- as a family. of course, we miss all our friends and family back in salt lake.

leo is getting sooooo big!! he's is just so much fun. we are lucky to have such a good baby boy. he smiles at anyone who gives him attention, but he smiles the biggest for his daddy. brady will just be in the room and leo stares and smiles. he admires his daddy, it is so sweet. if you work hard enough, he will give you a good belly laugh. he is such a joy, my superbaby.




honestly, we couldn't be happier.

who's baby is that?

can you guess who's baby Leo is? that's right- he's mine. haha. I need to do this same thing with Braden's baby photo as well. i absolutely love that this baby is mine and the proof is there for everyone to see. minus the yoda ears and flock of seagulls hair-do.

baby & i

p.s. we are in the process of packing up and heading to WA. the house is a mess and i am stressed to the max! we are excited for new adventures but sad to be leaving the home to so many wonderful newlywed memories. salt lake city will always have a special place in our hearts. so long Utah.

family fun

on tuesday (our family's saturday) we took an educational family fun trip to.... Kennecott Copper Mine! neither of us have been there before and we figured it would be fun to learn about the largest copper mine in America! which by the way you can see from space! here are some fun facts about the mine:

• Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine has produced more copper than any mine in history - about 18.1 million tons.
• The mine is 2-3/4 miles across at the top and 3/4 of a mile deep. You could stack two Sears Towers (now known as the Willis Building) on top of each other and still not reach the top of the mine.
• The mine is so big, it can be seen by the space shuttle astronauts as they pass over the United States.
• By 2015, the mine will be at least 500 feet deeper than it is now.
• If you stretched out all the roads in the open pit mine, you'd have 500 miles of roadway - enough to reach from Salt Lake City to Denver.

we thought there would be a little bit more that just a tiny room of artifacts and a 16 minute informational video but hey, it got us out of the house and we learned a lot.

the look out point is amazing. i am sure it is impossible to grasp just how large this mine is from the visitor's center location. i wish we could have drove down in it. the trucks they use to transport the rocks make semi's look like tic tacs.

we also got to watch and feel them blow up a couple of spots on the mountain. they fill the holes with 1000 lbs. of explosives! yah the whole mountain shook.

Leo had a great time and learned a lot as well. haha.

cheers to our first family educational outing.

tres mes.

okay, my babe is 12 weeks old!
3 months
i can't believe it. he is the sweetest and most cute baby ever! we are so in love with him.

i don't really have too much to update.

he is holding up his head very well on his own now. still a little wobbly, you gotta watch him because sometimes he will just throw his head backwards without forewarning and he expects you to catch him. he likes to keep us on our toes.

he has lots of fun outfits that fit him now. so mom just gets to play dress up with him all day. (yes, boys can play dress up too!) i can never decide what to put on him because there are just too many cute options! as pictured above in these adorable denim overalls with a baby blue car onesie. i must say i absolutely hate overalls, but on Leo they are oh so cute.

we are still working on his schedule and the bassinet to crib transition. progress.

that's all for now. time to snuggle with my leo.

so close

happy baby

how can you not fall in love with this smile? i do, everyday.

dos mes.

Little Leo is 10 1/2 weeks (i missed the 2 month mark... oops). the pictures above are courtesy of Victoria Harris from Fotofly Studio. thanks again Victoria. he was about 6 weeks in those shots. he is much chunkier now.

he had his 2 month check up two weeks ago. doctor says he is doing great. at the appointment he weighed 10 lbs. 15 oz. and was 23 inches long. i think he is heavier now. the not so fun part of the appointment was the shots leo had to get. i have never heard him scream so loud. poor little guy. but we did get to snuggle the rest of the day because of it. that part was wonderful.

he is smiling a lot now and every once in a while a giggle will pop out. the other day braden and i had glass coke bottles and when we clanked them together for a toast, leo started laughing. we kept doing it and he thought it was too funny. it was such a precious moment. who would have thought two bottles clinking together could be so funny.

our new goal is to get him on a schedule. we are trying to stay consistent and it seems to be helping him sleep through the night! of course not when i am home though. of course when mommy is working graveyards on the weekends he is sleeping through the night for dad but he wont do it for mom during the week. what is up with that? that's okay. we will get there.

he is still sleeping in the bassinett in our bedroom. the first night i started our nightly routine, i also tried putting him in his crib. yah... that back fired. he was never able to sleep for a decent amount of time so we were basically up all night long. when i say we i mean me and leo. so i learned to take it one transition at a time. once we get this schedule thing down, we will move onto the crib.

he is awake for most of the day now and he is so much fun! it's really challenging to get anything done around the house now because all we do is play with leo. he is such a happy baby and he loves to talk now.

the other day he found his hand in order to soothe himself. it was the cutest thing ever. he would begin to cry and then remember, "oh yah i can suck on that thing thats attached to me." he couldn't really figure out how to suck on his thumb or fingers and he hasn't done it again since but it was adorable.

he is super wiggly. he loves kick and wave his arms all around. yesterday i came home from work in the morning to find leo sleeping on his tummy! we always put him to sleep on his back. he must have turned over in his sleep! i was so shocked. now we have to get him to do it while he's awake. leo is officially on his way to being mobile... i should start to baby proof the house but i probably wont because i am denial.

that's all the updates for now. leo is perfect. and we are perfectly happy with him in our life.

much love.

thanks again to all those who came! much love.

an all american blessing

"hi"

mommy & baby
daddy & baby
all of the Leo Harker's
grandpa leo & baby leo
our family

braden blessed our beautiful baby boy on the fourth of july. it was absolutely perfect. why? because we are a-mir-e-kan. we would like to thank all of our wonderful family who traveled near and far to support our family on this occasion. and also all those who were supporting us in your hearts from a distance.

if you noticed, leo is wrapped up in a blanket on the group shots. that is because right before braden blessed him, he exploded all over his adorable blessing outfit.... of course. this was only the second time he had ever leaked outside of diaper and OF COURSE it had to be this day and all over his white blessing outfit. bummer. and mom was not prepared with a back up outfit in the diaper bag. so he was a naked little baby wrapped up in a tiny blanket. haha. oh well, things like this make life memorable.

because he pooped all over his blessing outfit on the day of, we got out all the stains (when i say "we" i mean my mom- thanks mom!) and had a little photo shoot a couple of days later. gotta love that patriotic back drop. he is so cute.

leo really is such a great baby. he is going through his crying phase right now but it's really not that bad. his routine is eat, burp, diaper change, smiling happy time, crying, and sleep. last night was his first night in his crib. leo did great but mommy... well i didn't like it. i think he will be back in the bassinet tonight. i missed him too much. he was all alone in that big room. he needs to be with us for a little longer, he's not even 2 months yet. so anyways there is my justification.
he is getting big way too fast. he is smiling so much now and sometimes he will let out a little giggle. for whatever reason he is always so happy in his bedroom, specifically his changing table. we place him on the changing table and an automatic smile pops on his face- so cute.

leo is a perfect completion to our happy family. i love love love my leo.

un mes.

leo has reached the age of one month. WOW time flies. i cannot believe we have been a family of three for one month already! leo is such a good baby boy. we got really lucky. he is so adorable and lovable. i am pretty sure that brady and i have transitioned to leo's schedule now. but he is constantly changing so he is hard to keep up with. these are somethings we have learned about this new boy in our life so far:

leo's likes:
- snuggling with mommy & daddy
- being swaddled really tight
- his soothie
- falling asleep while eating
- falling asleep listening to the heart beat on mommy or daddy's chest
- mommy's singing
- making silly faces
- his tongue
- peeing on mommy, daddy, and himself
- car rides
- mommy and daddy's kisses
- his swing
- his vibrating baby bouncer



leo's dislikes:
- when his soothie falls out of his mouth
- getting his diaper changed
- when mommy wakes him up from his cat nap to continue eating
- being burped
- taking baths
- when mommy plays with his cute feet


he is growing so fast. we are cherishing every moment.

i love this boy more and more everyday. how did i get so lucky to have such a beautiful happy family? i have been so blessed.

the boy with a million faces

i have always been told that i have the funniest facial expressions. brady also has hilarious facial expressions. we seemed to have passed this characteristic to our kin. this little boy has the funniest faces. brady and i just watch him and crack up. what i have posted above is just a taste of what this boy's face can do. i will have to do my best to capture more.


speaking of funny: last nights episode of bachelorette was the funniest episode ever! it had brady and i rolling. that guy is a total freak. where do they find these people? well atleast it keeps us entertained. that's what they are supposed to do right?

5.19.2010.

birth story

tuesday, may 18, 2010.
morning:
my last doctor appointment before my due date. he checks me- dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. he also sweeps my membranes, hoping to get things moving. i hoped he would just admit me and shoot me up with some pitocin. but he wants me to go into labor on my own. dang it.

afternoon:
the doctor suggests eating some spicy foods to get things going- brady and i head to lunch at pei wei. i get the spiciest thing on the menu...it was gross. contractions begin- they are getting stronger and closer together by the hour. brady begins to get anxious and wants to head over to the hospital.

evening:
we check in to the hospital. they hook me up to all of the monitors. concensus: contractions not strong enough or close enough together. the nurse tells us to take a walk for an hour and see how we progress. brady and i take a walk around the hospital in the rain. it was so refreshing. check back in after the walk, contractions still not strong enough. the nurse sends us home but tells us she expects us back that night. i prayed she was right. as disappointed as we were to be sent home, we were so excited to not have to miss our shows- LOST, gLee, and American Idol.

wednesday, may 19, 2010.
4 am:
i wake up to same contractions as the night before. i get out of bed determined to get things moving on my own. i walk up and down the stairs several times. it works- my contractions intensify and are much closer together.

5 am:
brady and i pack up our things and are on our way to the hospital. as we are driving to the hospital, i can see brady step on the gas more with each of my contractions. i have to remind him to slow down and calm down. haha.

6am:
brady and i are checking in to the hospital again. my contractions are so bad at this point that i am kneeling on the floor with my head on my knees in labor and delivery. meanwhile, braden quickly feeds all of my info to the lady.

630 am:
the drugs are being administered but still not strong enough. i am shaking uncontrollably from the pain and squeezing the life out of the handle bar on the hospital bed. i opted for that rather than braden's hand because plastic is stronger than bones. my method of coping with the pain was closing my eyes and putting myself somewhere else. my eyes remain close for most of the labor. finally the anesthesiologist arrives with my epidural. for the record- anyone who has ever said that the epidural is painful- they lie. once the drugs begin to work i start to feel warm and fuzzy. this feeling does not last long because my contractions get stronger. the nurse checks me and i am still dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced.

730 am:
my epidural can no longer keep up with the rate that my contractions are progressing. the anesthesiologist comes back in to up my dose. thank goodness the drugs have finally caught up.

815 am:
i begin to feel extreme pressure on my tailbone. i notify the nurse and she checks me- dilated to a 10 and 100% effaced. she heads out of the room to tell the doctor that i am ready to start pushing. brady was amazing throughout the entire labor- never had a freak out or panic attack, until this moment. as the nurse heads for the door, brady puts his hands on his head and nervously says, "well, what do i do? what do i do?" haha i had to just reach over and grab his hand. he calms down and refocuses.

930 am:
i have been pushing for a little over an hour and feeling like all this work and not much progress. my labor and delivery nurse tells us she can see the head! i am able to feel the hair on his head. my son is soon to make his debut. i think to myself, "this is it." the nurse grabs the doctor.

936 am:
a couple good pushes later, Leo Thomas Harker is born. the doctor places the tiny warm stranger on my belly. in this moment i look up at brady. his face says it all- shock, pride, and complete awe. i feel exactly the same. everything seems to be really quiet as brady and i stare at each other and at the beautiful little boy i am holding with tear-swollen eyes. we had truly just witnessed a miracle. i will never forget this moment.

total time in labor : 3 1/2 hours. not bad for my first time but too fast for my liking.
i am so grateful that braden could be there to support me and comfort me. also, my labor and delivery nurse was fantastic. her relaxing techniques were my saving grace. overall, an amazing miraculous experience.

we could not love lil Leo more. it's official we are now a family of three.