Harms Family News

I have an addiction, and probably not a healthy one. I seem to be drawn to blog stories about sick kids and babies. Recently I have found the story of Baby Stellan . It makes me so sad to see the struggles these mommies go through. Over the weekend I was so frustrated with Megan because she just didn't sleep well during the afternoon nap time. I have a decent amount of work to finish before we leave for KC on Wednesday. I got a little frustrated with Megan one time when she woke up and responded in a less than loving way (Think hollering at the baby for waking up - yeah, not proud of that one). Anyways, these blogs have reminded me that life is but a vapor, even for children. I am going to work harder at enjoying my kids and showing them that I love them each and every day, no matter how crazy they make me! If you are a mommy, hug your kiddos extra tight today!

Ever experienced it? Today I am. Natalie was coloring on her chalkboard in her room and Megan came crawling in saying "mamamamama" (the only thing she says these days). Natalie said, "I'm not momma, meggie (her nickname for her sister) Mommies don't color, they work." Hmmm, I most certainly can color? I admit, work has been busy the last few days as I am earning the money for our next KC trip, but does my child really think all I do is work? Finding the right balance is so hard! Ahhhhhhhhgh! the Mommy Guilt!

Have you ever made an unexpected friend? I have. You can meet her at her blog . My earliest memory of this gal is from junior high or early high school. She had a perm. I had short, unruly curly hair. We were returning from an infamous "bus trip," either with the youth group or the high school, I cannot remember. I was anxious to get off the bus, but I was near the back. I was trying to push my way to the front of the bus, and this gal had her legs across the aisle. She would not move. I was so very annoyed. I don't remember much of the conversation, but I remember being so very annoyed. Sounds like the great basis for a friendship, doesn't it? But God has a great sense of humor. As we moved upwards in the high school, high school girl pettiness stepped in. I had a good friend, and this gal was her best friend. That meant that she was better than me in the High School hierarchy that we all know is so pointless. I disliked her, but only because she held the coveted b...

My children bring me so much joy, and these pictures show that they can experience joy too. We enjoyed a wonderful vacation with my family, and I did take work off for the most part and was able to relax along with them. No sick kids this time either. Neither girl was impressed with fireworks. Natalie Loved the poppers, which is what the picture is from, but beyond that she was not impressed. She was even scared of smoke bombs. I was a very fearful child. I remember forcing my parents to leave a Wild West show at some amusement park because there were guns and I was scared. I wonder what the best way to parent my fearful child is? I do not want to force her to do things she is afraid of, but I don't want her to spend her life riddled with fear. God has not given us the spirit of fear, yet she does not yet know God, so is this promise something to teach her? This is something to pray over, I believe. Natalie's imagination is blossoming. It is so much fun. I love seeing her prete...

Natalie is in princess mode these days. When she wears a dress, she looks at the color and asks "Which princess likes pink (green, blue, etc.), Mommy?" If I do not come up with the proper Disney princess, she gets very upset. The funny thing is, she still will not watch the movies because they all have scary (to her) parts. Yesterday I bought the girls some new jammies for the summer, and it just so happened the best priced pairs I found had princesses on them. Tonight, Natalie was in full princess mode. "Mommy, I'm a princess! I'm Sleeping Beauty because I love pink! Mommy, you are a princess too!" "I have to be the queen, Natalie." "Why?" "Because when princesses grow up, they become queens, and I'm grown up." "Oh, you can be the queen." She was then quiet for a while. "Mommy, the princess movies have mean queens. You are not a mean queen. You are a nice queen." As I was tucking her into bed, I said, ...

I have been thinking about my youngest child a lot lately, perhaps because she is going to be turning one very soon. I love her to pieces. She is such a good baby, rarely fusses, and is very easygoing with all of the stuff her sister and I drag her to. She loves to screech/scream, which can get quite annoying, but she also seems very intelligent. What has struck me recently is how much of a stranger she is to me. In her little life, she spends more time with me than any other person in the world, yet I feel like I barely know her. She is so different from her sister. Natalie was a snuggler and loved to sit on my lap and read books. I felt like I knew her well at this age. I knew she loved books, carrots, cheerios, and her doggies. I am still discovering Megan in many ways. Perhaps it is because she is a more independent personality, or perhaps it is because she is not my only responsibility and Natalie is very demanding at three. I don't know, but I am so excited to discover her p...

I haven't been blogging very faithfully because, well, I assume all of my blog readers are on facebook and can see my pictures there. However, I do realize that I also use this blog to chronicle our busy life, so I need to be more faithful. Natalie was injured at school on Monday. She doesn't seem too worse for the wear, but it looked pretty bad, as you can see from the pictures. It has healed up nicely since then! Megan loves black olives. She sticks her finger in the hole and pops them in her mouth one at a time. It is very cute. Natalie is becoming more and more vocal. A few days ago she was having a fit at nap time (nap is becoming a struggle and she sometimes really fights me). She woke up Megan prematurely. I was unhappy because of the grumpy baby and looming deadline. She saw my unhappiness and Megan's tears. She went to her sister, enveloped her in a hug, and said, "I'm sorry I woke you up Megan." Then she came to me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorr...