It's Great to Have Friends!

When my sister Jennie and her family arrived, their dog Lottie also came with them. Kiahna fell in love with Lottie! Kiahna loves cats and dogs, but then she gets frightened when they want to jump or chase her. Lottie, however, can not jump and she doesn't run very fast! So, Jennie, if Lottie ever needs a home, just call Kiahna!

P.S. My sister Lori is holding Kiahna and Lottie. Kiahna looks just like Lori did when she was her age. If Kiahna continues to favor Lori, this is how Kiahna might look 20+ years from now.

Christmas Unwrapped

By 8:00 AM everyone was up and ready to open presents. All the girls sat in a circle so they could open up presents at the same time. They were EXCITED!

Gwyneth volunteered to help unwrap Christmas presents! She also volunteered to play with all the leftover wrapping paper and boxes!

Later on that evening, we went down to the Fayetteville square to look at all the lights--a breathtaking sight! It was a perfect end to a special day!

Better Late Than Never

For the first time in birthday history, Aliya's pictures were not actually taken ON her birthday. Instead, they were taken today--four days late. Originally we had Aliya's birthday pictures scheduled in the morning on her birthday, but both Aliya and Kiahna woke up with flu-like symptoms. Having pictures taken would have been torturous for them. I decided that I would be an obsessive, insane mom if I dragged our kids out in the cold weather while they were feeling under the weather just to take some traditional pictures. Instead, I rescheduled the pictures for today.

We love you, Aliya! You're beautiful!

Love, Daddy and Momma

Happy Birthday, Aliya!

Today is Aliya's 5 year birthday. We went to Cracker Barrel for Aliya's birthday dinner. Our present to Aliya this year was a small fish tank so that she could bring Peter home (see The Story of Peter for details).

After dinner we rushed over to Petsmart to find Peter. We only had about 20 minutes to look before the store would be closing. I helped Aliya search for Peter. I went through the top two shelves without finding him. About halfway through the third shelf, I held up an orange Beta fish and asked Aliya if this was Peter. SHE SAID, "YES"! I showed her a few more fish just to make sure she was sure... and she was. This orange Beta fish was Peter!

We took Peter to the cash register, and Aliya paid for it with her birthday fish gift card. She had a smile from ear to ear. When we were walking to the car, she held Peter underneath her coat so that he wouldn't get cold.

When we got home, Niah helped Aliya get her new tank set up. They washed everything and then decorated the tank. Finally it was time to put Peter in his new home. I poured him into the tank, and we all watched him for several minutes just swimming around in his new home. I think that Peter is going to be very happy--I know that Aliya is!!!

Happy Birthday, Aliya! We love you very much!

--Daddy, Mommy, Niah, and Kiahna

Home for Thanksgiving

Last night we arrived back in Oklahoma after spending the Thanksgiving holiday with our family in Arkansas. We had a wonderful time! The day before Thanksgiving, my sister Betsy and I jogged 4 miles! Can you believe it? It was really cold, but we decided that we should prepare ourselves for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. The day after Thanksgiving, I also went to the gym with Alex (my brother-in-law) and worked out for 80 minutes. I think this might be the first holiday that I won't be GAINING any weight--now that's an accomplishment!

For many years now, we have decorated for Christmas during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That's exactly what we did in Arkansas. The kids enjoyed putting up the tree and decorating it with all the ornaments. Niah is responsible for arranging the nativity scene, and Aliya was responsible for putting the angel on top of the Christmas tree.

The best part was when Niah got to climb up in the storage space above the closet in Nana and Papa's room to put back all the empty Christmas boxes and bins.

It didn't take long before Aliya discovered what Niah was getting to do and of course, she had to join in!

The fun couldn't stop there--Taya and Kiahna also wanted to "help". They wanted to stay up there much longer than either TJ or I wanted to watch them. After several minutes we finally made them come down.

We had a great time, and we will be returning in December to spend Christmas there. But before we return, we will be celebrating Aliya's 5th birthday!!! According to her calculations, she has been waiting a VERY LONG TIME!!!

What a Mess!

Kiahna found a tube of Aliya's lipstick. Unfortunately, her aim isn't very accurate yet! I guess she thought that her legs and arms needed color, too! I think it's really difficult for kids to understand that they are being scolded for doing something wrong when they see that their parents laughing at the same time.

A Natural Adventure

Today we went to Martin's Park in North Oklahoma City. I had signed the girls up for a "Eat Your Backyard" class this afternoon, but when we got there, we found out the class was actually earlier in the morning. We were all very disappointed. The girls were going to be learning which plants and trees were edible and which were poisonous. They were also going to get to sample a selection of backyard treats.

At first I thought that we had made this trip for nothing until we discovered the Nature Discovery room. It was full of science displays, projects, and hands-on activities. The girls enjoyed observing objects underneath the microscope. There were also reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Kiahna enjoyed getting to touch everything without being told "NO, NO, NO!!!" At one point, I even let her walk around "by herself". She didn't know she was being watched! I realized once again that she really is not a baby any more.

After we got finished with the discovery room, we walked on a few of the outside trails. Our nature adventure was cut short because Kiahna had a dirty diaper and the diaper bag got left at home. We decided to hike it on over to Walmart for some diapers. We also decided to get the girls an ice cream cone at McDonald's since they were so disappointed in not getting to eat leaves and plants. When it was all said and done, they still were able to come home with a full belly!

Field Trip Day

Today we visited 3 different museums. At noon we started at Harns Homestead. TJ went with us because he didn't have to start work until 2:00 PM. Harns Homestead is basically a collection of historical buildings such as a mansion, work house, barn, stable, and school house.

Niah and I have been reading several books written about this era of time. Seeing these historic artifacts up close in person made the stories come alive.

The mansion was considered one of the finest in those days. I did not see the sign "NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE" until after I had taken a few. I think the flash damages the wallpaper coloring.

The girls were interested in the school house. The seats did not look very comfortable. We read a list of rules for both the teacher and the students. The rules seemed very harsh. I probably would have had many lashes for breaking the rules!

We had a picnic lunch underneath the trees. Aliya raved about the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches--she said, "Mama, these are SOOO GOOD!" Niah was not as impressed--she had to take a sack lunch almost everyday of school for the past several years! Kiahna was just happy to have chips for lunch!

After lunch we visited the barn and the farm house. Then TJ had to leave for work, and we continued on to the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Aliya loved the waterfalls and streams, Niah was thrilled to see a real coconut and banana tree, and Kiahna loved the butterflies.

We sat on a bench to rest, but Kiahna wanted to sit on the stairs instead!

After we walked around the outside pond and gardens, we decided to walk up to the Oklahoma Memorial Museum. This museum was not as much fun as the others. It was very devastating to walk through and remember the tragedy that happened on April 19, 1995.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum. If you haven't been to the museum, I would recommend it--but make sure you bring some Kleenex! The hardest part for me was listening to the stories of the parents who lost their children in the bombing. Most of the children that were in the daycare did not survive.

Even though the museum is a difficult reminder of a very tragic event, it also is a reminder of the value of life itself. I am thankful that my children are a live in the pictures and not just represented by a bronze chair. I need to always remember that.

Go Fish!

Aliya has been learning her alphabet, and what better way to learn than to play games? We had so much fun fishing for the alphabet letters! We had to be careful not to catch the sharks! I am sure that the neighbors were wondering what was going on with all the noise that we were making!

Weekend At Aunt Jessica's

We returned home tonight after a wonderful, fun-packed weekend! The girls had a blast, but I also think the adults did, too!

On Saturday we went with Aunt Jessica and "Mr. Ken" (Jessica's friend) to the Dallas World Aquarium. Getting to the aquarium was the fun part because we rode the train!!! The girls were excited to ride a real train that went through tunnels--just like a real Dora and Diego adventure! The sad part is that we left the camera in the car, and we didn't notice until after we had boarded the train.

The aquarium was indescribable--it was just awesome! The aquarium was built in 3 layers, and the path spiraled down to the lowest level. It was awesome to observe all the hundreds of animals at different angles. The shark tank had an underwater observation tunnel that was really cool. The sharks actually swam all around and above you! It truly was amazing--an absolutely wonderful treat!

When we arrived back at the train depot, we got the camera out of the car and took a few pictures. Aunt Jessica spoiled each of the girls with a souvenir from their adventures--Kiahna had a baby jaguar, Aliya had a mermaid doll, and Niah had a dolphin key chain.

We had a great time, and the girls didn't want to leave. Aliya finally agreed to come back home once we told her that we would come back again in just a few weeks.

A Nature Walk

TJ, the girls, and I participated in a fall foliage tour at the Will Roger's Nature Park in Oklahoma City. There were a few other families with children, but everybody else seemed to be in a much older generation.

A large variety of plants and trees were showcased on this 2 hour tour. We attended this event as a homeschool field trip to expose ourselves to the botanical side of life! We learn many interesting facts. For one, I did not know that many species of trees (like hollies) have both male and females. Sometimes a person won't know until the tree is older whether or not it is a boy or a girl--apparently, it is not as simple as lifting up a branch to find out!

We also learned about when and where to plant certain variates, how to pick trees for good fall coloring, and which plants survive best in our Oklahoma climate. We did take a few detours along the way so that the girls could feed the ducks in the pond. Aliya also enjoyed rolling down a hill or two. Kiahna loved the pond and the bridge the most--she called them "Diegos".

The tour ended at the edge of the pond. There was a lookout area right by the water. The girls and I sat on the bench and watched the geese and ducks swim in the pond. The next thing I heard was a crack, a thud, and then Kiahna screaming! She had fallen backwards onto the stony ground, head first! TJ (who was 15 feet away) arrived in less than 1 second--he had heard it, too! She wasn't bleeding, but we couldn't find a bump. We decided to take her to the ER just to make sure she didn't have a skull fracture or any internal bleeding.

We went back to the ER again--Kiahna's second time in less than a month. It took less than an hour to get checked in, see the doctor, get a CT scan, the report, and to check out. Kiahna was fine--no bleeding or fractures. We are very blessed! We are now home, packing for our weekend trip to see Auntie Jessica. The girls are VERY excited! Hopefully we will come back home with some good pictures to post.

Meet Alex

Today we went to Petsmart and picked out "Alex" to bring him home. Niah wanted to change the rock and decoration so that Alex would have a different home than Martin. Even though having Alex is exciting, the girls still miss Martin. I know that Alex doesn't replace Martin, but it is nice to have the tank empty any more (see Harris Insights--Tragic Loss for more details).

Lesson Learned

Kiahna learned a very important lesson today--BEADS DO NOT BELONG IN YOUR NOSE! Earlier this morning, Kiahna came crying to me saying, "B...B...B" and pointing to her nose. I wasn't sure what she was trying to say. Finally Niah figured out she was saying bead. I looked in her nose and didn't see anything. She kept saying "DeeDee B nose" (translation "DeeDee put a bead in my nose"). I thought that maybe DeeDee had tried to put one in Kiahna's nose, and now Kiahna was just tattling. I pretended to take out the bead that DeeDee "put there", and Kiahna seemed relieved--for 2 seconds. Then she continued to complain.

I asked Niah for a flashlight and when I looked in her nose again, I saw a pink bead hiding up in her left nostril! I laid her on the bed, and I got out my tweezers. With Kiahna's excellent cooperation, I removed the bead in 15 seconds with only 3 tries. Kiahna immediately quit crying.

All of this reminded me of an incident many years ago when Niah was 2 1/2 years old--I had to leave work to take a small Lego out of her nose. After having the Lego removed from her nose, Niah never put anything in her nose again. I am expecting that Kiahna has also learned her lesson and will never put anything in her nose again.

Happy Birthday, Kiahna!

Two years ago today, Kiahna Renee Harris was born. She instantly had a special place in each of our hearts. Today, that place is still there--it's just gotten a lot bigger.

Today Kiahna proved once and for all that she is no longer the little baby we once held in our arms--she is a big girl with her own thoughts and her own words.

She modeled for her pictures--she knew exactly what to do. She loves being in front of the camera--just like her 2 big sisters!

Tea Party

The Harris Family

Kiahna loved her "Dora & Diego Party". She was very excited about the cake, but she didn't understand what to do with the candles. Aliya came to the rescue and helped her blow them out!

Kiahna was very excited about all her presents...but she pretending she was shy about it. She knew the party was for her, but at the same time, I think she thought it was too good to be true!

We had a fun day. Kiahna was old enough to enjoy it, but not really old enough to understand it. Next year she will not only understand it, but she will begin to remember it!