Harms Family News

Well, Natalie is improving, but I finally have some answers as to what was wrong with her. Turns out it was not pneumonia after all. She did end up having a positive test for strep, and the breathing issue, not sure what is causing that, perhaps just her drainage. She is much more energetic today than she has been, and her temperature is NORMAL! It looks like we will be able to visit grandma and grandpa after all at the end of the week. Another excellent thing is that the van is not going to be expensive to fix, it looks like. We took it to a transmission shop, and they couldn't find anything wrong with the transmission. Tim did a little more research and it looks like it's a sensor, which is something he can fix. Praise the Lord! We certainly did not have the $1000+ to fix a transmission! I thoroughly believe God sent the transmission problems in order for us to come home and get Natalie some treatment and let her be home while she was so sick.

Well, we have been having quite the adventure. Natalie's had been running a temp through all of the Christmas festivities. On friday morning before our family picture, I called her pediatrician and they said they've been seeing a lot of strep. There was no way to get her in there before the picture or after we left for Missouri, so I decided to take her to the walk in clinic at Walgreens before our trip. We had family pictures at 10, which turned out great. The large family picture with Tim's whole family is on facebook. After lunch I took her to the walk-in. The Strep test was inconclusive - a bad strip. The lady said she had all of the symptoms so she prescribed the antibiotic. I was very happy, figuring Natalie would be well soon. We left around 4 to head to KC. It was pretty foggy, but it was supposed to get better as we traveled. It did not. It got worse. Then, the van started having serious transmission problems. We got as far as the Iowa 80 truck stop and stopped for...

Here's Natalie playing with daddy in our messy basement playroom. Silly me took the video vertically! Oh well, I thought grandmas and great-grandmas would want to see it anyway.

We've been enjoying a very white December. We got 8 inches Thursday night and another 6 predicted tonight. Natalie made her very first snow angels. She thought the snow was "mmmm, tasty." Here are some pictures. She picked this up and said "This is the Biggest Snowball in the whole wide world!" Megan loved this wrapping paper - it was the foil kind and did not dissolve when wet, so I let her play with it for a while. Natalie enjoyed a birthday party with friends at our local children's museum. Here are some pictures from that. Those buildings are made out of Legos

This morning Natalie told me "I really want my boogers to go away someday." Poor baby! I guess if we were doing Santa in our house that is what she would ask for!

Yes, we are still alive. We're just all a little under the weather. Not sure why, but we seem to be continuing to pass a cold around. It started just after Thanksgiving with Natalie, then she seemed better, but I got it, now she seems a little sick again and Tim is starting to get it and Megan is congested at night. Fun fun! No new pictures, but I am sure many will come as we enter our Christmas festivities. I am dreading Christmas week slightly - it's going to be so busy! On Tuesday we are getting together with Tim's extended family to celebrate his grandma's birthday (90 th ). That is occurring during nap time - yikes. Then Christmas day we do presents and food and such with Tim's sisters and parents. Then Friday we are doing a family picture with everyone (Tim's sisters and parents). Saturday we are leaving for Kansas City so we can see Joey before he leaves on Monday. I am praying we are healthy by then because if we aren't that is going to wipe out my...

I've been tagged by my friend Michelle , and have to follow the rules. Here they are: Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog.Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. 1. I have unrational fears on a regular basis - thinks like my kids being stolen out of my house in the middle of the night. 2. I wanted to be a cheerleader, mom, and teacher when I grew up - two out of three ain't bad! 3. I've always wanted to visit Australia 4. I've traveled all over the world yet have never seen the Grand Canyon or Mt. Rushmore. 5. When my family moved to Massachusetts, I went to six schools in three years - yes, it was bad. 6. I was afraid of my husband when we first met. Guess he got me over that! 7. I'm a complete sci-fi buff. I love Heroes, Stargate (all versions), Star trek, and ...

Today we are staying home, yet again, due to sick Natalie. She's starting to feel better though, and we were putting up Christmas decorations and she found a bucket and stick. She put the bucket on her head and held the stick like a sword and proclaimed herself a "knight." Then she told me a story: "Once upon a time there was a dragon named Brownie. He ate all the teddy bears in his mouth. Then he go to the castle and meet the good knight. The knight tried to find the bears but he chewed them all up in his tummy. The end." here's Megan's first ponytail:

One of my Frugal Mommy blogs is giving away a $100 gift card to Wally World. Check out Common Sense with Money for more information on how to enter.

I hope everyone has been able to spend time with loved ones over this holiday. I am beginning to enjoy it more and more. It is one of the few holidays that is not highly commercialized. We are visiting my family in KC, minus Joey, but plus one set of grandparents (my dad's parents). We did a quick trip to the KC zoo in spite of the cold on Black Friday. Natalie has been enjoying decorating Grandma's Christmas trees. This is her first year to really get into that. The decorations are a little low on the tree, however. She has said many funny things but one sticks out particularly. She was putting an ornament on the tree, and she said, "I do this one by my self." It fell to the ground and she said, "Maybe not." Not quite as funny without the adorable squeaky voice, of course. When we arrived we went potty first thing. She saw some wipes in the bathroom similar to what we use at home and said, "Grandma buy those blue wipes for me? That's very nice of...

Last night when Tim got home I had Natalie say her verse for him (see video below). He was duly impressed and said, "That was a good job Boo Boo (her nickname)." She replied "You're Welcome. I'll be here all night."

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Like any mommy, I get frustrated with my children. Both Natalie and Megan have been off for a while, and I haven't been getting much sleep because of it. I have to confess I have been struggling to be patient with them! Turns out they (and I) were in dire need of a visit the chiropractor. We went yesterday and they both slept through the night. Anyways, I have been reminded through the struggles of others how precious the life of my children is. If you are reading this, hug your kids, and please pray for these little ones: Macy - Macy is four years old and just went through exentsive open heart surgery. Her mommy and I went to college together. This is the second child they have had to put through the same surgery. She is in a lot of pain. Zach - Zach is 9 or 10 (can't remember) and the friend of a friend. He was in an accident caused by a drunk driver and suffered a serious head trauma. After spending a week in a comatose like state, he is now doing well and at home, but has...

My child amazes me! (What mommy doesn't say that :)) Anways, we were cleaning up and she came accross her Bible book, one that we have not read because it is too advanced for her. She was looking at the pics and saw Adam and Eve. Not sure how she knew it, but she pipes up "That's Adam and Eve in this book, Mommy!" Mommy: That's right. How did you know that? Natalie: Adam and Eve, Don't Eat Fruit That Tree! They disobey. Daddy: Who did they disobey? Natalie: They eat the fruit. Mommy: Who told them not to eat the fruit? Natalie: God Mommy: What happened when they ate the fruit? Natalie (thinking for a long time): They gets a time-out! Soooo funny. I had no idea she knew that much of the story. It's been my turn to do junior church, and I have not told Adam and Eve's story. We do have a Bible book that has it in there that we read from time to time, but I didn't know that she was listening that well!

I just had a very special conversation with Natalie. I had to discipline her because she did not obey what she was told. Afterward I gave her a hug and prayed with her. I told her she needed to obey her mommy and daddy because the Bible says "Children, Obey your parents." God wanted her to obey, and I wanted to teach her how. Natalie: Where does God live? Mommy: God lives in heaven. Natalie: I wanna go to heaven. I love God. Mommy: Well, if you ask Jesus to save you from your sins when you are older you can go to heaven. Natalie: With mommy? Mommy: Yes Natalie: and Daddy? Mommy: Yes At this point I felt the overwhelming need to pray, so we prayed that Natalie would understand how to become a Christian when she is older. Natalie: Goody goody goody, I love heaven. Mommy: That's good. Natalie: Is heaven very far away? Mommy: yes, heaven is very far away. Natalie: Ok , I watch a movie! Too funny. (She gets to watch a movie when we take long car trips). So experienced mommies ...

A facebook friend offered a link to an article by Cal Thomas that was published in his local paper (imagine!) The article is here . It is an excellent look at how Christians should view the changes occurring in our country, not just in our government, but in society as a whole. I have struggled with this in light of recent election results. I am not thrilled with our new president's views on several moral issues. I am happy that Proposition 8 was passed in California. However, deep down inside I believe it is only a matter of time before gay marriage, abortion, and several other moral issues are a part of my daily life. Is it really the government's job to fix these problems? Is it possible to "legislate morality" as they always talk about? These are questions I have been wrestling with, and the article provides a fresh take on our responsibility. Does this mean I will not vote or encourage my congressmen and women to vote morally on legislation? No, but it does put l...

I want to chronicle some of the funny things Natalie says so I can remember them later. On Friday we were coming home from story time at the library and she started singing "Jesus Loves Me" when out of the blue she said, "Jesus is mad at me." Floored, I didn't know what to say, so I said, "Jesus isn't mad at you, He loves you!" and she replied, "I'm just saying a silly thing." She is very excited about winter. She said today "Penguins love cold weather mommy!" Not sure, but she might think penguins are going to show up when it snows. She looked outside the other day and noticed that the trees are almost bare. She said, "The trees are almost done with their leaves, so it's almost snow time. Goody, goody, goody!" We talked about creation in Children's Church this past week. When I asked her what God made first she said, "creations." When she wants to ask why, she asks "why not?" This morni...

That's all I can say. look at these two pictures: Do you know who is who? Top pic - Megan 3 months old. Bottom pic - Natalie 6 months old. Crazy!

Megan got a nice bonk on her head today and I had to take her to the doctor. She now weights 19 lbs 10 oz. That was fully dressed, but still. Her carseat only holds 22 pounds. Time to start shopping for a new one. Sigh - taking a baby that cannot sit up in and out of places in the winter without an infant carrier is going to be a real challenge.

Ok, back to what I was saying. I spend a lot of time online, visiting blogs and facebook, when I need a break from work (which is also online). I see many, many people that were kids when I was in high school (younger kids) and have gone far from what we believe. These are typically third or fourth generation Christians. I am not talking about questionable things, but things that are definitely black and white in the Bible. Some things are wrong, no matter how you look at them, in light of Scripture. So I have been contemplating how this applies to me as a Christian mom. I must pray daily for guidance. I must work carefully to protect my small children from the negative influences I see out there. I must teach them about sin, what it is, how to discern it, and how to avoid it. I must be consistent in my loving discipline of them. The goal is not just to create well-rounded adults who fit in well to society. The goal is to create children who are settled and grounded in their faith and ...

I have been learning some things lately. As a teacher, I know that no one is ever too old to learn, so I don't know why it comes as such a surprise to me when I am learning new things. I'm also a writer, so I am going to write my thoughts as a form of therapy. 1) Trust - This election did not go as i had hoped, although it did go as I expected. Being from Illinois, it did not seem as though there were anyone else who could possibly win other than Obama. It is interesting to me how quickly we have gotten over our racial issues in this country. The Jim Crow laws that were so horrible were not that long ago, and today we are on the brink of having a half-black man in the White House. My issues with Obama were nothing to do with the color of his skin. There are so many unknowns about the man, and I do fear his ties to Islam. We can hide our heads in the sand about this, but the Islamic nation wants to kill all "infidels," which would include me as a born again Christian. ...

And I got it on tape! Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I am the mother of a thumb sucker! She also has to have her hands in her hair to fall asleep, then wakes up because she pulls her own hair when she twitches!

I picked up Megan's Christmas present early - she's not in need of anything "big" but loves to kick so I thought I woudl get her a kick gym. I knew she would be rolling by Christmas so I thought I would get it now. Here she is enjoying it. She loves to 'talk' to the bear. Too funny. Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

We enjoy dressing up, even if we do not enjoy all of the "extras" of this holiday. Anyways, here are my two favorite pictures of my girls in their outfits. To see the rest visit my facebook album at this link . I got some pictures of Natalie's little Friends, but for some reason I missed a few of them. Last night Natalie was up late and was quite grumpy. I had gone into her room to get her costume, and she saw me pull it out. She said, "Ballerina make me happy." We had to leave it in her room where she could see it. Potty training is still going well. Natalie has had a few accidents, but for the most part she is trained. Not at night though. I am definately looking for suggestions. megan is turning herself into a thumb-sucker. She pulled out her paci today and stuck her thumb in. Sigh - I was hoping not to have to cross that bridge!

Well, Megan is nearly three months old. Here is a picture of her sleeping. Yes. tummy sleeping is a big no-no, but I let her nap on her tummy next to me while I work. She sleeps on her back at night. I took her to get portraits done this morning. Those are posted below as well. The video below doesn't do justice to how funny she was being last night. She figured out if she kicked her legs her bouncy seat would bounce. She was cooing up a storm and kicking and kicking and kicking, until I got the camera out. Natalie wanted in on the action at the end too! The mess in the background got picked up pronto after they went to bed, just so everyone knows! Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Well, potty training is going well after two days. So far she hasn't had one accident and tells me when she needs to go! We even took a little trip "out" yesterday and she did fine. I don't know what i was afraid of. She's funny though - she gets a piece of candy if she goes #2 in the potty. That started when she was terrified to poo in the potty - on a side note to my mom readers who are ready to start potty training someday - candy is a bad idea because it's very hard to break that habit. Anyways, sometimes she gets very upset when she can't poo because she wants the candy. yesterday she successfully went #2 in the potty and got up and turned around to look at her rear and said, 'Thank you very much bottom!" Very funny! Megan is now entering 12 month clothing. I cannot believe it. For some reason it makes me sad that she is so big. She doesn't look like a little baby, but she's only 3 months old! She's very smiley though, especially ...

So, I have made the decision - no more diapers for Natalie! We will still put on a diaper at night because she doesn't wake up to go, but during the day, panties, here we come! Yesterday we bribed her to stay dry at church and she did, then this morning she was watching TV and came to tell me she needs to go, so I know she's ready! Wish me luck! She's getting funnier and funnier! The other day we went on a wagon ride with some friends at an apple orchard nearby. I told her we were going on a hayride, and she said, "I LOVE hayrides! Mommy, what's a hayride?" Too funny. She's also getting VERY observant and listens to everything we say - hard to talk about Christmas presents these days! Which reminds me - anyone have a great idea for a little girl for christmas. We don't have room for the Rose Petal Cottage, but that seems to be a popular choice. Any other ideas? I need to upgrade her toys - she is outgrowing many of them it seems. Megan is doing well t...

I took Megan for a check up a week or so ago and just realized I forgot to post her stats. She's a moose: Weight: 16 lbs 13 oz Height: 24 1/2 inches long. She's already wearing Natalie's six-nine month clothes, albeit inconsistently. Some things she can still wear 3-6 month, but not much. She seems to do best in one-piece outfits, because her torso is REALLY long and the shirt/pant sets seem to leave her tummy exposed. Other than that she is a healthy little girl!

Here is a video of the girls singing. well, Megan is actually cooing, but it's still cute!

Here are Natalie's pumpkin patch pictures from last year and then this year. She's sure growing! You can see my other pictures on Facebook. If you're not my Facebook friend post a comment and I will put the rest on here, but I think all my readers are my Facebook friends.

Napping! Yeah right, mom! I'd much rather be charming you with my bright eyes and smile!

We have had a busy weekend! It started actually on Thursday when Tim's sister and family were in town. Natalie loves her only cousin, and she had fun playing with Danelle. Not sure if Danelle had fun becuase she was very tired, but we did manage to capture a picture of the three girls, although it's not the best. Megan was hungry and the two older ones were tired! Saturday morning we went to a Health and Safety fair at one of the local hospitals. It was free and fun, so you can't beat that! Natalie rode a bike for the first time, which was fun. She didn't quite "get it" but she had fun. While we were there they had a big dressed up kangaroo character. Natalie was terrified of it. She literally tried to climb up my leg to get away from it. I felt bad because I couldn't pick her up because I was pushing the stroller. Each booth had little prizes and activities for the kids. She got to put on a finger cast and play life-sized Operation. She even won a Barb...