My background should no longer be black.

...but it has been. And this blog has been silent. For a year. Funny, that I feel the need to blog again, after a year... Seasons of life, I guess.

The girls are 7 and 4 1/2. I have read back through some of my previous posts, and I'm so glad they are there. I feel like now I've lost a year of that. I'm going to try and not do the same this year.

As usual, a lot has happened in this year. 2011. I got my dream job. I work for Disney. It's as magical as one would imagine. It takes genius to make the magic. I am just helping the genius.. I am not said genius. I will say that I am blown away by the complexity and intensity of this job. Lord, help me keep up.

John has made me a hunting widow this week. Miley had surgery twice this month, and she has also earned her way out of our family. She snapped at Hardy over food. Kylee was in the way, and her knee was bleeding. She's going to find a new family to love. She is awesome. I pray that they realize that.

So the stats on the girls... Kayden is in First Grade. Kylee is home with me every day, and she is so smart. I am amazed by the two of them. I had no idea that I would ever make something so beautiful, and that it would be so perfect. Twice.

It's hard to summarize a year, you know? My photography is gradually growing, also. I was commissioned to do and sold an album to a firm decorating the inside of the Applebees that will be built down the road... whoa. I fell into that one. She Googled, found me, loved my work and called. I'm proud of it, but it's fleeting. I have to do a bigger and better project.. Always pushing...

Kayden is on a select softball team and is in voice. She is doing well with both...

Kylee is going to be a vet. No doubt. She is so loving and caring. She wears her heart outside of her body. She really is a little angel.

Sleep is calling. Pixie dust needs to be refueled (that's what they call it at work, when you are happy about anything Disney..), so I'm out. But, nice to see you again, blog world. I'll try to do this every day.. again... love. blessings and be nice to each other.

Haven't posted in ages. A lot of things have happened in the Harms family. We've done some inventory, and we are stronger, better and happier. This has been the worst and best year of our lives. We're starting over and it's great. The problem is that there are some around us that think they know better, and are negative.

I can't stand negative people. I think they make me angry. I'm at a point in my life, where I could care less about what people think. I certainly need to vent that, and this is the only constructive way I could think of. Funny.

I think, since we have a good thing going with the reconstruction of the Harms' household, I need to reconstruct my friends and family circle. The family that I am supposed to have has done it to me, so I will do it to them. I used to try and ignore the fact that some "family" was blatantly rude, but I won't anymore. If you leave me out, I will stop wasting energy on you. If you would like to give your two cents,then you better pay the entire bill. You all think you live in glass houses, so start throwing stones all you want.

Furious? Yes. Is it because I am growing up or something and becoming centered? Probably some of that and some exhaustion.

Anyway, I am running three marathons this season. I'm excited. I'll make sure to write about the craziness.

For now, have a Happy Halloween.

Crazy Month

This month has felt nuts. The girls are great. Kayden is having sporadic growing pains. Rubbing her legs and putting her in a warm bath seems to temporarily help. She usually wakes up in the middle of the night, and the cramps are so bad that she cries :-(. She's a tough kiddo, so I'm sure it hurts. I remember my growing pains being terrible, and John had horrible growing pains. She's eating a ton, and she really has the cutest sassy little personality. My favorite thing about her is that she has a huge heart. Last night, she kept saying that she didn't want Kylee to sleep in her room with her, and that she wanted to sleep in her bed by herself. No more than 10 minutes after she was in her room, she came out and asked Kylee if she was going to be quiet if she let her sleep in her room. Of course Kylee said she would, and Kayden asked her to come and sleep with her. I LOVE how much they love each other.

Kylee is talking a blue streak. She really has been speaking in sentences for about a year or more, but she really is funny now. I got up this morning, and she said "Now, why are you getting up?", and she turned her little hand up and cocked her head to the side. She's shy about talking around other people, and she even takes a LONG time to warm up to family. Finally, all of her teeth have cut her gums. I think the only ones that are not actually "in" are her top teeth after her canines. Not having all her teeth all the way in certainly doesn't stop her from eating. Her favorite thing to eat ALL the time is a Honey Bun. She calls them "Honey Bunnies". We slowly but steadily have weaned her off of her sippy cup. She doesn't need to drink anything to go to sleep at night, and I (and my dentist bill) am grateful for that. She's now drinking out of a big girl cup all of the time, and she doesn't have a problem with it at all. Whew.

Both girls wear "night time panties" a.k.a. pull-ups at night. I'm not sure why Kayden still has accidents. At this point if we remind her to use the restroom before she goes to bed and during the night, she usually doesn't have an accident. I still have her wear her night time panties at night, though. If not, my washer and dryer would get a workout! Kylee is still wearing them at night, but there have been quite a few nights that she wakes up dry lately. Maybe there IS light at the end of the potty tunnel!

Kayden is getting to where she loves to pick out her own clothes, and if I were to have picked out the same thing, she wouldn't wear it ;-). Echoes of my childhood and teenage years, for sure. I don't mind at all, though. She needs to have the freedom to figure out her own little style. Pretty neat.


John went and got a physical, and everything came out fine. I was surprised, I have to say, because of how much he smokes. I'm glad he's so healthy.

As for me, I ran my marathon. It was the most incredible experience. The last quarter of the race forces you to dig deep into who you are as a person. Training or not, at that point it is up to you and God. It is spiritual, for sure. Your legs are done. They have made the transition from tired to exhausted to numb to shear pain. Every step tests what you are "made of". It's not for the weak of mind, that's for sure. You have to override the natural instinct to protect yourself and stop running. When I finished, the first thing I wanted to do was plan my next marathon. I'm in recovery right now, and my first recovery run will be today. I need to strengthen my hamstrings. That group of three muscles is really the only group that was killing me in the days after. I highly recommend that everyone tries to complete a marathon at some point. The life lessons learned in that 3 to 4 hours are invaluable, and there is no way to describe it.



So that brings me to Christmas. I. Can't. WAIT! Kayden is getting a DSi this year, and she is going to freak out. It was a last-minute thing that she asked for. In fact, we didn't realize she was serious about it until this picture that John took of the white board in her class room:

A Reminder

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (2) Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. (3) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us---they help us learn to endure. (4) And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. (5) And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. (6) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (7) Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. (8) But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (9) And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's judgment. (10) For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life. (11) So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God---all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

I saw BELLA!

Kelli made the outfit she is wearing. I got to hold her, too, neee ner nee ner! The hospital was taking pictures when I walked in, so the timing couldn't have been perfect for me to take a few of my own. We're going to go back tonight with the girls to see her, again. She is beautiful, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, just beautiful :-)