Regarding the Harrisons

A LOT of Catching Up to Do!

2010-07-10T10:27:00.066-04:00

So, I am a little behind since I came out of hibernation. Feels like I went right back in again! I'm going to blame it on being pregnant. Yes! We are expecting our 2nd baby January 2, 2011 (but let's all just say a little prayer for baby coming in 2010). And now that I am almost 15 weeks along and in my 2nd trimester, I am starting to feel human again. No more day-long nausea and having (yes having) to sleep 12 hours in a 24-hour period. So, I am resuming normal activities, like doing laundry and cooking. Philip has been amazing and would win the Husband of the Year award, hands down.

Avery hasn't slowed down one bit during this time. She is running and talking and playing and has turned into a little girl. Not much baby left in her. She's been having fun doing things that little girls can do. Like eating spaghetti all by herself....

In April, Philip's parents came to visit and we took a little day trip to Maymont, a park in Richmond (this is where Philip and I had our first date). There are lots of beautiful gardens to tour.

In April Avery got her very first haircut. She did so well!

Avery has loved the warmer weather and likes playing outside and on our screened porch.

Earlier this summer Avery got her first taste of corn on the cob. It took a little while for her to get the hang of it, but she eventually figured it out.

In May we were able to go to Florida for a long overdue visit to see family. We were able to go to the beach one day, and Avery hadn't been since she was 6 months old. She had a lot more fun this time. She loved getting dirty!

A few weeks ago we had a cookout with our small group. Between the 5 families, there are 6 (and 1/2!) kids ages 3 yrs to 10 months old. We love getting them all together. Pool time is always a hit!

Avery has also gotten to experiment with crayons for the first time - in her high chair only! But she seemed to like it right away.

She has always been a "daddy's girl." She even called me "dada" for a long time. She loves to be with daddy and be his helper.

We are looking forward to more fun adventures this summer!

Coming Out of Hibernation

2010-03-20T10:20:00.037-04:00

Hibernation is a state of inactivity and [metabolic] depression in animals... (courtesy of Wikipedia).

Yep. That's about right.

I used to love winter... the cold, the snow, the sweaters. I would say that I have done a complete 180 and now I loathe winter - the cold, the snow, and yes, even the sweaters. I think that it's because I am a mom now, and winter makes me feel trapped. Getting Avery all bundled up and all situated in her car seat just to drive 15 minutes, get her out of her car seat, keep her warm, run some errands, put her back in her car seat, drive 15 more minutes, get home, take her back out of her car seat and get inside before we freeze to death. And, it seems that there is only about 6 hours of daylight, which is just plain depressing. So, I am blaming my 2 1/2 month sabbatical from blogging on winter :)

In the last 2 1/2 months, Avery has grown up quite a bit! I saw her pass from babyhood to toddlerhood. She is a little girl now. She is walking/running everywhere, she's gotten another tooth, and she's started talking. Aside from mama and dada, she says uh-oh-spaghetti o's (which comes out uh-oh-scatackasa but is still adorable to us), ball, cookie (for cookie monster). We are enjoying every moment with her!

Here she is at 11 months old:

We celebrated her 1st birthday by dedicating her and then having a little birthday party. It was such a sweet day.

Steve Pettit did Avery's dedication and he made it so special. Avery's name means "one who leads elves" (we picked a winner, huh?) and can also mean "one who leads with character." But Steve took the "one who leads elves" meaning and made it so beautiful. Avery will be one who serves and leads the marginalized, the outcasts of society. She will love the unloved because God first loved her. The verse Philip and I chose for her life verse went right along with that (and we picked the verse before we ever heard what Steve was going to say at the dedication).

1 Peter 4:8-11 (The Message - we personalized it for Avery)
Avery, we want to encourage you to love others as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless - cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God will give you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let them be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything.

Dedication time was followed by CAKE TIME! This was Avery's first cake she'd ever tasted. It took her a few seconds to warm up, but after that there was no stopping her!

The Rhodes & Harrison families:

Here are some of our other favorites:

Family Fun!

2010-01-05T17:46:00.036-05:00

We had so much fun with all of Avery's "first" this holiday season. We went to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Philip's family and we had so much fun! Avery really enjoyed her first Thanksgiving dinner and we enjoyed watching her eat it!

And, Thanksgiving with the Harrisons wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a good game of hide-n-seek in the dark! Here are all of this year's participants.

I was so excited to put up the Christmas tree this year. I figured Avery would be enthralled with it and that we'd have a hard time keeping her away from it, but she wasn't that into it. She was, however, definitely interested in the decorating aspect of the tree. She helped us "inspect" the ornaments along the way.

We had our first big snow storm since I've moved here - over 11 inches! Our friends Dolly and Leland came over with their son Michael so we could all go sledding. Avery loved it!

This was the first time since we'd been married that we didn't travel for a holiday. So, we woke up Christmas morning in our own beds and then went over to my parents house that morning for breakfast and presents. I felt like a kid again as I anticipated our first Christmas with Avery. I was so excited! She didn't really know what was going on, but it was still so fun to watch her look at all the presents and play all morning.

Philip's parents drove in Christmas Day from Florida to spend the holidays with us and we had such a great visit. Avery got lots of attention. She really loves story time and she has a special connection with both of her grandfathers. They both are the only ones that can get her to fall asleep in their arms. They know how to "put the sleeper hold" on her. It works every time!

(Lucy wanted in on the action)

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with all of our family. It's so hard to believe that it is already 2010! We are so grateful for all of the many, many blessings and provisions from our Lord in 2009. God is good!

Months 9 & 10

2010-01-05T16:57:00.012-05:00

Wow. I am a BIG blogging slacker. Time to catch up!

Avery turned 9 months old on November 23rd...

...and before I knew it she turned 10 months old.

She has changed so much in the last 2 months. She now has 4 teeth, which she has discovered and enjoys grinding. It's the worst sound ever. She is also standing on her own all the time, and even took 5 steps on Christmas Day! She will be unstoppable pretty soon. She is a regular motor mouth - babbling and squealing all day long. Most of her words sound like cuss words, but we do hear a "dada" and an occasional "mama", even though I'm not sure she knows what she's saying.
She has such a sweet, happy little personality and we fall more in love with her every day!

Please Read

2009-12-21T08:39:00.003-05:00

Please read this blog entry from Freedom 4/24.

Freedom 4/24 exists to raise awareness of sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia and raise money to support Christ-centered ministries seeking to rescue women enslaved in the sex industry.

http://www.freedom424.org/blog/just-one-night/

8 Months

2009-11-07T06:54:00.031-05:00

Avery is now 8 months old.
Trying to take these monthly photos is nearly impossible. She's either got something in her mouth, or she's trying to stand up, crawl off, jump off, fall off - anything but sit still and smile at the crazy woman behind the camera. I'm waving my arms, squealing, snapping, and making all kinds of high-pitched weird noises just to try to get her to look at me. It's quite a scene!

Here were a few other attempts:

She is growing up so quickly. She has 2 bottom teeth, can crawl, pull up, and even stand alone for a short time. We find her in all kinds of places now.

Avery's favorite toys are her socks and shoes. She'll take off one of her shoes and try to chew on it all day. If she doesn't have a shoe on, she'll take off her sock and chew on it until it's soaking wet.

She has also started eating finger foods. She does pretty well, but she definitely drops more than she gets in her mouth. There is usually a nice little collection in her highchair when she's finished.

For her first Halloween, Avery was a butterfly, courtesy of Auntie Kim.

We are really looking forward to this month as she will turn 9 months old, experience her first Thanksgiving, and get to see family in Florida!

September

2009-10-07T20:18:00.035-04:00

September was a whirlwind! This month we went to the beach, Avery turned 7 months old, she met my good friend Marilyn for the first time, Aunt Josie came to visit, and we went apple picking! Here are some highlights:

Avery loved the beach and LOVED the sand. Apparently, it tastes great! I realized that the beach will never be the same for me (at least not for a long time). No more relaxing, napping, reading a book, listening to my iPod!

My good friend Marilyn came to visit and meet Avery for the first time!

Aunt Josie came to visit and we took a day trip to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville. What a fun fall-day thing to do!

The view from the top of the mountain is beautiful!

We are constantly amazed at how fast she is growing and how every day brings something new. She is crawling and exploring everywhere, and now pulls herself up on anything she can. Walking is going to be just around the corner!

This adorable hat is courtesy of Auntie Kim Kim :)

This is the best I could do for her 7 month picture. Getting her to sit still long enough to take a picture was quite a task!

August (part 2)

2009-09-01T21:33:00.026-04:00

It's so hard to believe that August is over and we are already in September! Where has the time gone!? August was a really fun month, filled with a lot of "firsts".

Avery turned 6 months old this month.

She also tried "real" food for the first time. This picture pretty much sums up her thoughts on peas. She was not impressed. She hated them so much, she gave them right back to us! (no, I don't have a picture of that.)

The day she turned 6 months old, she took her first real crawling movement. And now, a little over a week later, we will find her just about anywhere.

Today I came around the corner, and this is what I saw:

Avery and Lucy have become best friends. Avery LOVES Lucy and will crawl after her, mouth wide open. Lucy just lets her crawl all over her, pull her ears, whatever.

Caught in the act! These two get in trouble for this all the time!

We're headed to the beach in a couple days for a much needed week long vacation. I'll post more when we get home!

August (part 1)

2009-08-09T20:31:00.028-04:00

Here is a little of what we've been up to so far this month!

Happy Birthday, Unkie Wes!

Visiting Mimmy & Poppy in Greenville, SC.

Downtown Greenville.

Trying to figure out the whole crawling thing. She's so close! This position usually ends up in a face plant. She hasn't quite gotten the arm thing down.

Sitting up! She looks so grown up in this picture.

Love at First Bite

2009-07-29T20:59:00.011-04:00

Avery took her first "bite" of semi-solid food a couple of days ago and she was instantly hooked! She loves her rice cereal and will shake and cry if you don't shovel it in fast enough. I love this stage!

5 Months!

2009-07-23T20:49:00.029-04:00

These months are FLYING by! It seems like yesterday that I was posting her 4 month pictures, and today she is 5 months old. She does seem to change everyday. Now she rolls over and can cover a good amount of distance just by rolling. It won't be long before she figures out the whole crawling thing. She will laugh every now and then, but she squeals all the time. She can make raspberry/spitting sounds, and pretty much anything in her hands ends up in her mouth. She also will grab anything near her, including my face which just melts my heart. Each phase is getting more fun!

The other day she was supposed to be taking a nap, and when I went in to check on her I found her sucking on the top of her crib bumper.

Last weekend, we hiked to the top of Sharp Top, one of the Peaks of Otter. It was quite a hike to the top, but so worth it. The view was amazing!

Avery LOVED being outside. She squealed the whole way down the mountain. She fell asleep during the last few minutes of the hike. I guess being carried up and down a mountain can take a lot out of you!

The 4th Month

2009-07-06T17:06:00.018-04:00

Avery is now 4 (and 1/2) months old!

She LOVES her feet!

I love those mouth-wide-open smiles :0

She is now a full on finger sucker. You can tell when she's getting sleepy because those fingers go right in her mouth.

Avery's first trip to the Peaks of Otter - and mine!

Happy 4th of July!

Better Late Than Never

2009-06-08T20:53:00.014-04:00

Avery turned 3 months old on May 23rd, and I'm just now getting around to putting up her 3 month picture. Oh, well - that's the story of my life. So, here we go. 3 months old:

I think this picture is really funny. If she could talk, what would she be saying?

This weekend we had a cookout with our small group. There was a baby pool for all the little kiddos, so Avery got to try out one of her bathing suits.

I figured that since she LOVES bath time, and loves to splash and kick her legs in the tub, that she would also love the baby pool. Well, I held her and put her feet in the water and she SCREAMED. She was not having it. So, no pool time fun for her.

One of our friends lent us their jumper for Avery to use, so we tried it out for the first time today. She loved it! She loves to kick her legs and push off the floor, so this was great exercise for her.

Look at those little legs sticking out!

A jumper and her paci - that's all she needs!

Look What I Can Do!

2009-06-02T10:42:00.012-04:00

It is amazing to me how quickly Avery is changing. I feel like everyday I can see something new in her. She can now hold her head really well, which allows her to sit propped up. It's been a whole new world for her!

"Man, this is hard work. I think I'll take a nap."

She can also do this:

She rolled over for the first time, and now there is no stopping her! As soon as you put her down, she starts rolling and squirming. I have a feeling that in a couple of months we will be chasing her all over the place. This is such a fun stage and I love seeing her change every day!

Catching Up!

2009-06-02T10:22:00.011-04:00

There's a lot to catch up on! We went to down to Jacksonville over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate with our niece, Ashton as she graduated from high school! Congratulations, Addy! Here's the fam together.

Avery got to meet her Aunt Josie and her cousins Ashton & Will for the first time. Oh, she loved them! She got to meet the rest of the family as well. It was so fun showing her off! She loves her family. Here she is with her Mimmy:

And I'm pretty sure the feelings are mutual :) Her Mimmy and Poppy bought her one of those play gyms for her. I think she liked it. This picture cracks me up.

It's always so hard to say goodbye at the end of our visits. We can't wait until we can see everyone again!

My First Mother's Day!

2009-05-13T20:48:00.013-04:00

Sunday was my first Mother's Day - as a mother :) - and it was a really fun day! It started with Philip and Avery giving me a really sweet card and present. Philip gave me this ring, which has Avery's birthstone.

My mom and friends Lorraine and Alex were visiting and we all went to church together. It was fun to have 3 generations of girls together.

We all went out for lunch after church and then Philip and I participated in one of our favorite Sunday activities - a really long nap!

That night we went out for dinner and then headed to a park for a nice walk. Avery slept through all of the festivities.

And what better way to end the night than with a trip to Starbucks! No coffee for me, of course, but those double chocolate chip frappacinos are delicious! What a great way to celebrate my first Mother's Day!

Recent Pics

2009-05-06T18:16:00.013-04:00

Avery's getting so big and strong! She's holding her head up better and better every day, thanks to all of her tummy time exercises :)

Nap time with Daddy. When Avery sleeps, she SLEEPS!

Avery loves her Mimmy...

...and her Mommy!

2 Months Old!

2009-04-23T20:11:00.011-04:00

Avery is 2 months old today! She has changed so much just in the last month. She has started sleeping through the night (yahoo!) and smiles all the time now. She makes lots of fun noises and we've had some great "conversations". She's so much fun!

Look how big she's getting!

I love this picture!

Look at that smile!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T12:10:00.014-04:00

We had a great Easter Sunday yesterday. Philip's parents were in town and we were able to all go to church together. It was a wonderful celebration of our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

It was also Avery's first Easter. Take note of her Easter dress that her Uncle Wes bought her. Oh, and also her tights which are way to big for her. There's about 3 inches of tights hanging past her toes!

Here's a better look:

That was actually the best shot I could get of her. She's so squirmy!
The dress also had a matching hat, but it kept falling in her face - she wasn't a big fan.

We had a great visit with Philip's parents. This was the first time they had seen Avery since she was born. They just loved on her all weekend. And she enjoyed the attention... and falling asleep in Poppy's arms. Could she be any more comfortable?

Life as a baby is so hard :)

More Photos!

2009-04-06T12:23:00.012-04:00

Here are some of our latest pictures!
My mom waited a LONG time for grandkids, and now that she's a grandma (or "grammy"), she just can't get enough of Avery. Avery's face in this picture makes me laugh. Whatcha thinking about little girl?

My brother is the proudest uncle ever! He just hugs her and kisses her and tells her how much he's going to spoil her.

Dressing a little girl is just WAY too much fun. Here she is in her first jean skirt that her Mimmy and Poppy (Philip's parents) gave her:

And here's another outfit I love:

1 Month Old!

2009-03-29T19:05:00.012-04:00

I'm a little late in writing this post, but Avery turned one month old last Monday. She is growing so fast and it's hard to believe that she's a month old already! She had her one month check-up, and she was up to 8 lbs, 15 oz and 22 inches long.

Let's see how big she's getting!

Avery's aunt Carol bought her her first bows! And doesn't she look cute!

Bath Time!

2009-03-22T19:34:00.012-04:00

Avery's belly button FINALLY fell off and I was so excited to be able to give her her first real bath! We had planned on doing it Sunday night, but she had other plans. Let's just say that after feeding her, I went to change her and she was soaking wet - right down to her feet. So, bath time got bumped up!

This picture cracks us up:

I think that she really liked her first bath. But, who wouldn't like baths if you could wear these cute bath slippers afterwards!

Posing Already!

2009-03-22T19:15:00.008-04:00

We had a little nap time photo session this weekend. She's already learning to pose for the camera!

Posing for pictures is exhausting work!

Funny Face

2009-03-20T10:11:00.014-04:00

Avery cracks us up with all of the funny faces that she makes. Here are a few that we captured on camera:

And now, for some of her cute-face pictures!

Tummy Time and Other Fun Things

2009-03-14T10:46:00.012-04:00

Every day after Avery eats, she gets a few minutes of tummy time. Here she is exercising those core muscles. It's never too early to work those abs!

She moves so much that she squirmed right out of her pants!

Here she is enjoying the bouncy seat:

Just some more cute pics:

Thumb-sucker!

Growing!

2009-03-06T16:19:00.011-05:00

Avery had a doctor's appointment last week. Since her last appointment a week before that, she had gained 12 oz! WOW! That is some serious weight gain. The doctor said that she's doing terrific!

We had a little photo shoot the other day. Ooh, what fun it was!

Philip's Girls

2009-03-05T10:10:00.012-05:00

Philip is now severely outnumbered in our household - 3 to 1... me, Lucy, and now Avery. He doesn't stand a chance! I don't think he minds, though...

Here are some more photos from the last couple of days:

Sleepy Head

2009-03-01T16:26:00.012-05:00

I could watch Avery sleep for hours. She just looks so sweet and peaceful. Here are some of my favorite shots:

More Photos - I Just Can't Help Myself!

2009-02-28T10:07:00.015-05:00

Sorry everyone - every moment seems to be a photo opp!

Homecoming

2009-02-27T20:49:00.005-05:00

We are so thankful to be home and together as a family. Yesterday was such a fun day!

First car ride!

Best Birthday Present Ever!

2009-02-26T12:56:00.012-05:00

Today is Philip's birthday! And, we just found out that he's getting the best birthday present ever. Avery is being released from the NICU and we are able to take her home today at 4:00 pm! YAHOO! Here are some new photos of our sweet girl:

More Pics!

2009-02-24T18:15:00.005-05:00

Avery Update

2009-02-24T10:47:00.003-05:00

Hello, everyone! This is my first post as a mother! Just wanted to update you on our precious baby girl. She is doing well, but they did take her to the NICU last night due to a possible infection. She's in great hands, but please be praying for her (and us!). We are praying that she will get to come home on Friday.

World please help me welcome...

2009-02-23T22:27:00.003-05:00

Little Ms. Avery Grace!!!

6 lb 14 oz and 21 inches long.

Avery is still laboring down.

2009-02-23T20:33:00.001-05:00

Should start the pushing around 9 pm. I will try to get pictures up once she is here.

Fully Dilated...

2009-02-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

should be pushing soon.

About to start pushing!!!!

2009-02-23T19:11:00.001-05:00

Becky is now fully dilated and Avery is at plus 2. Going to start pushing in about 30 minutes.

Things are starting to move now!

2009-02-23T18:15:00.001-05:00

Becky is now 8 cm. Yahoo!!! Not too much longer.

No major changes...

2009-02-23T15:49:00.002-05:00

Becky is doing well but there have been no major changes. Just relaxing right now.

Still even closer.

2009-02-23T14:04:00.003-05:00

Epidural is in and Becky's water just broke. Still 4 to 5 cm dilated.

She is getting closer.

2009-02-23T12:36:00.004-05:00

Becky is doing great. The contractions are still 3 to 4 minutes apart but everything is going well. As soon as we have pictures I will post them. Will write more in a little while. 12:39pm

She is almost here!

2009-02-23T10:06:00.003-05:00

We are at the Hospital waiting on Avery to be born. Still a while to go. Check back later for updates.

Getting Ready!

2008-12-14T19:49:00.016-05:00

The countdown continues! Only 10 MORE WEEKS until Avery is here! We are so excited and have been starting to get things ready for her arrival!

There is still SO MUCH to do, but wanted to share our early progress. Here are some pics of her room!

This is what you see when you first enter the door - the chair where I will undoubtedly spend many a sleepy night feeding her, and the cradle that Philip's grandpa made.

This is her crib which we were SO blessed to have been given!

My friend Stephanie and I had a sewing day where she helped me start Avery's quilt!

Her wardrobe is already bigger than mine!
We are so grateful for all of the clothes she's been given!

We've still got a long way to go! But, things are starting to come together. Stay tuned for more progress pictures!

Ultrasound Photos

2008-10-25T17:43:00.010-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of our ultrasound from a couple of weeks ago. Here is our precious Avery Grace!

This next one is my favorite. If you look closely, you can see her profile!

Normally this would be the last time we'd get to see her before she is born. But, they couldn't get a clear shot of her spine because she was flipping and flopping so much (they like to get specific angles). So, we'll get to see her again in 2 weeks!

It's a GIRL!!!

2008-10-14T19:24:00.003-04:00

We had our big ultrasound today and found out we are having a girl! The appointment was amazing - we saw her heart, arms, legs, brain, and watched her do somersaults. It even looked like she was sucking her thumb. We are in awe of our great Creator! We will upload pictures very soon, but wanted to share our special news!

1 Down, 2 to Go!

2008-08-22T08:38:00.011-04:00

Well, I have officially begun my 2nd trimester. Wow, we're a third of the way there! I feel very blessed to have had a pretty easy 1st 3 months. No real morning sickness - just sudden waves of nausea that I had to talk myself through and were gone in a matter of seconds. I was very tired, often coming home and falling asleep on the coach until 8:00 pm, then moving in to my bed for another 10 hours of sleep. But that's really it. I am very grateful.

I had my 2nd doctor's appointment this week. I got to hear our baby's heartbeat again and then was given a whole bag of "stuff" - pre-registration form for the hospital (really??? already???), pamphlets and brochures on all kinds of stuff. This new phase in our life means a whole new era in decision making: names, doctors, birth plans, feeding - it's a long, long list! And it's a little overwhelming.

But, let's talk more about our baby. (Don't worry, only 6 more weeks of saying "our baby" - we will find out soon if it's a boy or a girl!) Here is what they are up to:

All of the vital organs are in place and starting to function
The most critical portion of development is already complete
Teeth buds are forming under the gums
Has begun kicking and squirming (we saw the baby dancing on our 1st ultrasound)
Bones are beginning to harden
Tiny fingerprints have formed
Can squint, swallow, frown, and possibly suck his thumb!
Now is about the size of a lemon!

What an amazing creator we have!

Baby's First Photo!

2008-07-24T17:09:00.008-04:00

We had our first doctor's appointment on Monday! It was a milestone that I had been waiting for. It was confirmation that, yes, there is something in there and, yes, it's growing and developing as it should! The appointment was amazing. We got to see the little life, all 2.4 centimeters of it. You could see the head, the little arms, and the little legs and feet. It was doing a little dance for the camera! And then we saw the heart beating. And then we heard the heart beating. It was so beautiful. The nurse gave us a picture of the ultrasound. Here is Baby Harrison's first photo:

I think it looks like Philip :)

Oh, Baby!

2008-06-21T15:44:00.006-04:00

Philip and I got some very exciting news on Tuesday... we're gonna have a baby!

I had made a doctor's appointment at my "girl" doctor about 8 weeks ago just for an annual check-up. I went on Tuesday thinking it would be just another one of those appointments. I was a couple of days late, but had all the symptoms that it was just around the corner. When I explained that to the nurse, she asked if I wanted to take a pregnancy test. I said, "sure", not really thinking much of it. When she returned with the doctor and the pregnancy test stick in her hand I knew immediately. I started to cry, the nurse started to cry and they both hugged me. Then, my doctor said something about being due around February 20th and then talked for about 10 minutes - and I didn't hear a word of what she said.

I tried to think of a creative way to tell Philip, who I knew would be waiting for me at home. But I just couldn't think of anything and I knew I couldn't wait to tell him. I got home just after he did. He opened the door for me and asked how my appointment went. I just showed him the positive test stick and told him "we're gonna have a baby!"

We are so thrilled and excited for this next chapter in our lives. We would appreciate your prayers for this new little life.

The Visitors

2008-06-10T21:07:00.014-04:00

About a month ago I was standing at my stove making dinner when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I opened the door to the screened in porch and this is what caught my eye:

The cutest little baby bunny! A few weeks earlier our precious little dog, Lucy, chewed a hole in the screen along the bottom of the porch. This little guy must have found it and hopped right in! I'm just glad I found him before Lucy did. Philip shooed him out the way he came in.

Last night I was getting ready to head out onto the porch to water our very thirsty plants. Lucy was at my feet ready to follow me wherever I went when I spotted something under the card table:

In case you can't tell, there are TWO of them this time! And they were just adorable. Here's a close up:

Philip managed to shoo them out the hole in the screen, but not after I tried to give them water and feed them lettuce. Actually, I was throwing pieces of lettuce at them and saying, "here, little guy!" It was pathetic. But, they are now (hopefully) back home with Mama Bunny and Philip has fixed the hole in the screen so we shouldn't have any more visitors.

Fore!

2008-06-07T17:21:00.010-04:00

Philip and I went golfing this morning with our friends Joel and Theresa. I use the term "golfing" pretty loosely. We performed golf-like actions at a golf-like course called Peaks Par 3. This place is basically 9 par-3 holes in someone's backyard. Perfect for those of us who rarely ever pick up a golf club.

We got there at 8:00 am and it was a sticky 85 degrees. It was hot and the bugs were plentiful, but we had a great time anyway!

After 2 hours and only a few lost golf balls, we finished up and headed for one of our favorite breakfast places:
...Koffee Kup. Yum. Can't wait for another day on the links!

Date Night!

2008-05-11T18:13:00.013-04:00

After the last 2 busy weeks and several days apart (Philip on a retreat and me at a conference in GA) we were in desperate need of a date night. Philip planned it all and we had a great time! We started out at one of our favorite local restaurants, La Villa. They have some of the best pizza in town! Then we walked on over to Putt Putt for some miniature golf.

It was close, but I won with a score of +5 to +9. Aahh, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat...

To celebrate my hard earned victory, we walked over to Dairy Queen. I can't go to DQ without getting a Butterfinger Blizzard. Yuuummy. I love me some Butterfinger Blizzard.

You know you're getting older when you can do all that on a date and be done by 6:30 pm. But, that left some time in the evening to play games, one of our favorite pastimes. We had a great night together and I'm so grateful to be married to a man that I can laugh and play with.

I'm Ba-ack!

2008-03-09T18:39:00.013-04:00

So, I've returned from my blogging sabbatical. Not sure if 12 entries qualifies a 3 month sabbatical, but so be it. Anyway, here's a recap on what the Harrisons have been up to since the last blog entry:

Late November: Philip resigned from his church administrator position and began the job hunt!

December: We celebrated Christmas in Maryland this year and enjoyed catching up with family and friends! Philip's parents met us in Lynchburg a few days later and we loved spending a few days with them.

January: I don't really remember January. What a blur.

February: We celebrated 2 birthdays this month. Philip turned 32 and our friends Mike and Anna welcomed their daughter Emily into the world. And, my good friend Megan came to visit and we had some much needed friend time!

So far March has been a great month. Philip got a project manager job at a local direct mail company and we were able to go away for the weekend to celebrate! We had a great time away together and now look forward to this new chapter in our lives. Philip starts his new job tomorrow!

So, stay tuned for more exciting adventures of Philip and Becky!

Thanks for the Reminder

2007-12-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

One of our friends once said to us, "Every now and then our dogs remind us that they are dogs." We had one of those reminders yesterday.

**Warning: The following story is not for those with weak stomachs**

While we were doing our yard work (see I Need a New Favorite Season) Lucy was running around the back yard with us, having a grand ol' time. I turned around to check on her, and noticed her standing a few yards away from me, covered in green "stuff". As I walked closer to her, I was hit with this overwhelming stench. I looked and saw that there was a pile of green "stuff" that Lucy had spotted, and decided to roll in. And it REEKED. And she was covered in it. Philip ran and grabbed her leash, and we carefully led her through the house and into the bathtub. Philip held her in the bathtub with her leash while I, wearing rubber gloves, bathed her. Meanwhile, the stench is getting stronger and we are both gagging. But, I had to take time out of the excitement to grab my camera and capture the memory:

Did I mention that somehow on the way into the house with Lucy I managed to step in a pile of brown "stuff"? That added to the smell that took over our bathroom.

Two baths later, the green stuff on Lucy (and the smell) was gone. Our best guess as to what the "stuff" was? Cat vomit or diarrhea. And that's when we remembered that Lucy is in fact, a dog. Thanks for the reminder.

I Need a New Favorite Season

2007-12-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

Fall was my favorite season. I used to love the colors of the trees, the brisk temperatures, the smell of apple pie. Until yesterday. Why? Because our new house is surrounded by about 25 huge poplars. Which means that in the fall, all of those trees shed all of their leaves. Right into our yard. We've debated on the best way to handle all these leaves - rake every weekend or just wait until they all come down?
Well, we raked one time about 6 weeks ago. Then we returned home from Thanksgiving to find the trees empty and leaves everywhere - 6 inches deep in some places.

So, yesterday was raking day. Philip got started on the yard and I ran some errands. When I returned home, this is what I saw:

Philip had neatly arranged all of our leaves into dozens of piles. Here are a few more perspectives of our yard:

And that was just the front yard! We spent several hours raking the piles of leaves onto a huge tarp and dragging it down to the back of our yard, where at some point in the coming weeks we will burn them. And, we didn't evenfinish them! But, by this time tomorrow, our yard will be clean as a whistle!

So, I'm taking suggestions for a new favorite season. What's yours?

Ready Or Not!

2007-11-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Philip's family. This was my first Thanksgiving ever not with my family. I did get sad when I smelled the turkey cooking. One of my favorite memories growing up was waking up Thanksgiving morning to the smell of my mom making her favorite stuffing. Yum. But, the Harrison family knows how to have a fun Thanksgiving and we had a great day together! About 24 of us got
together at Philip's parents house for a smorgasbord to beat all. I've never seen so much food! Two turkeys and a ham, plus 2 of every side dish you could imagine. We enjoyed eating and visiting. And then, time for the big game. No, I'm not talking about football.

It is tradition onThanksgiving night (and Christmas night) to play a big game of hide and seek - with a twist. Philip's parents live on the 64-acre campus of the Florida Baptist Children's Home. The offices of the children's home are joined to a 300 seat chapel. We head over to that building after dinner, all dressed in black, turn out the lights, and play hide and seek in the dark. Oh man, can it get creepy! There are several rooms with no windows at all, so it gets REALLY dark. We usually play girls vs. boys.

Here's Ashton (our niece) & I hiding:

My first Harrison-style Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to many, many more!

O Christmas Tree

2007-11-26T18:46:00.000-05:00

The moment I've been waiting for since November 1st finally came last night. Christmas decorating time. WAHOO! I have been eagerly waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, knowing that's when Philip would give me the green light to decorate! And, oh what a night it was!

I searched for our decorations among the sea of boxes in our basement, along with all of my favorite Christmas cds. Philip hauled up the tree (yes, it's a fake) and we rearranged the living room furniture to make the perfect spot to set it up. I put on the mood music (Celine Dion's Christmas album, followed by Harry Connick Jr.), Philip got the fire going in the fireplace, and we let the decorating begin! We took a break for some Chinese food, and then finished up while we watched Home Alone.

This is our first Christmas in this house (our 2nd one with each other) and I love how cozy it is. I love our home and I am so grateful to God for it!

7 Random Things About Me

2007-11-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Anna at Sincerely Anna tagged me for this meme! So, here it goes!

1. I have horrible short-term memory. I can remember things that have happened and conversations from years ago, but ask me what my husband just said to me 10 minutes ago and I couldn't answer you.

2. I get in trouble at least once a week for leaving my keys in the door of our house (see #1). Sometimes overnight.

3. I like to eat peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches. Try it!

4. I love socks. Warm socks. Preferably with colorful patterns. And, the higher the better. Here is a picture of the socks I have on right now!

5. I love smells. Let me clarify: I love GOOD smells. I buy most of my household products based on their smell. Right now my house smells like clean linen, courtesy of my many Glade plug-ins.

6. I have recently gotten into doing crossword puzzles (I know, how old am I?). Usually several in one evening. I only do the really easy ones, though. They make me feel smart.

7. The last random fact about me: I had a fajita quesadilla today for lunch from one of our favorite Mexican places, La Herradura. It was muy deliciouso.

XXXII

2007-11-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Philip and I just returned from an 8-day visit to Florida to visit his family. While we were there we celebrated my birthday (32 glorious years) and Thanksgiving. I love it when my birthday and Thanksgiving fall in the same week. It's the greatest week of the year! This year, for my birthday, I wanted to go to the Jacksonville Zoo. I've always loved going to the National Zoo in DC, and thought it would be fun to see what the one in Jacksonville is like. The weather was beautiful! Sunny and nearly 80 degrees! We had a great time walking around and dodging all the field trip kids.
Here are some of my favorite pics:

This elephant walked right up to where we were standing!

We got to watch them feed the giraffes!

We ended the day with lunch on the St. Johns river followed by a family dinner at Josie's (Philip's sister)! It was a great birthday!

Have You Seen This Man?

2007-11-12T17:39:00.001-05:00

It's Erik Estrada! Ponch, for those of you who didn't know his real name. There have been several Ponch sightings in Lynchburg. Philip recently ran into him at one of the Starbucks here. They shared a "hello". Another one of my friends ran into him and asked him if he was the guy on Mash!! Another one of our friends saw him at a local Mexican restaurant. Lynchburg has really arrived!

I Love New York

2007-10-19T20:48:00.000-04:00

In honor of our first anniversary, Philip and I had a long weekend in the Big Apple! We stayed in an apartment in Manhattan and lived the NY life for a couple days. We had a great time!

We arrived to LaGuardia Airport early Thursday morning and took a bus to the subway. We rode the subway to Greenwich Village and walked to our apartment. After we dropped our stuff off, we headed uptown to Times Square to figure out which shows we wanted to take in. After eating lunch at a very overpriced restaurant, we hit some of the tourist spots: M&M store, Hersheys store (hhmmm, chocolate...), Toys R Us and Virgin Records. We grabbed some NY pizza at a local shop and made sure we were back to the apartment for our Thursday night "Office" ritual.

Friday we got started early. We went to Central Park, shopped on 5th Avenue, and had lunch at Rockefeller Center. We then waited in line to win the "lottery" for a matinee showing of Wicked. Basically, you put your name in a hat and they give away 13 paris of tickets (well, actually they sell them - but for only $25 per ticket instead of $80-$150). We lost. We went back to try to win again for the 7pm showing. We lost again. We did some more shopping and found a cute little Italian restaurant in the village for dinner.

Here we are in Central Park. It was a beautiful day - 60 degrees and sunny!

Saturday was another beautiful day. We rode the subway back to Time Square to check out other show lottery times. We came across an Octoberfest type street fair with 10 blocks of vendors. We had fun looking at all they had and eating some good NY street cuisine - hot dogs and gyros. Yum. We headed downtown this time, to the World Trade Center site. This was the first visit to the site for both of us since 9/11. There's not a lot to see but it's amazing to see that they are still cleaning up. We couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in NYC when those buildings collapsed. We headed back to Broadway and this time tried our luck at winning the lottery for Hairspray. We lost. We did, however, get to see Lance Bass - who is currently starring in the Broadway show. That was our big celebrity sighting for the weekend. Lance Bass. Still undeterred, we ran over to Wicked for one last attempt at winning the lottery. There were at least 250 people there with the same idea. Needless to say, we lost. No Broadway shows for us. So, we spent our would-be show money on a nice dinner.

Here I am waiting to hear if our name is called for one of the Wicked lotteries.

We woke up early Sunday morning to catch our 5:00 am cab to LaGuardia Airport. Our trip to the big city was over but we enjoyed every moment of our weekend!

Our First Year

2007-10-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

Today is our one year wedding anniversary! We celebrated by going to NYC this weekend. More on that later. Philip and I were going through all that has happened in the past year. The highlights were: getting married!, going on our honeymoon - the best vacation of our lives!, going to Alpharetta, GA, a couple weeks later going to VA beach, a couple weeks after that MD, then Jacskonville. We then fixed up the house we were living in and put it on the market. We sold our house and bought another house. Then we got a dog. We went to Jacksonville and MD again, and then started remodeling our new house. After 8 weeks of no kitchen and washing dishes in the bathtub, our house was move-inable! Another weekend trip to GA (the mountains this time), a vacation to St. George Island, FL and an anniversary weekend in NYC! Wow! What a year!

The best part, though, was being able to live every day with my best friend. I am so thankful for Philip and I love and respect him more every day. Here's 20 reasons why:
1. He loves Jesus and has a passion for the local church
2. He makes me laugh... a lot
3. He is tall, dark, and handsome!
4. He loves his family
5. He loves my family
6. He works hard
7. He can fix anything
8. He protects me
9. He's rational when I'm not
10. He's athletic
11. He likes my cooking
12. He's good with directions
13. He takes great care of me when I'm sick
14. He's steady
15. He's genuine
16. He cares about people
17. He's wise & discerning
18. He's creative
19. He's a good dresser
20. He's loving & faithful to me!

The list could go on! It has been a wonderful first year and I am looking forward to many more happy years together!

We Are the Harrisons

2007-10-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

We are Philip and Becky Harrison of Lynchburg, VA! A little bit about us... we started dating in April 2006, got engaged 3 months later, and were married 3 1/2 months after that! And life has not slowed down since!

We both work in administrative roles at our local church. Philip actually hired me for this position when I first moved to Lynchburg in January 2006! We have a Jack Russell Terrier named Lucy who likes to go wherever we go!

Philip and I fill our time with house projects, traveling, cooking (& eating!), playing with Lucy, and visiting with friends (and now blogging). Check our blog for what's been happening!