Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Thanks








Another delayed post... Here are the things we are thankful for as a Harvey Family. I didn't actually take any pictures of our Thanksgiving festivities, so you get our thankfull-ness collages instead.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Halloween....I know it was a Long Time Ago

I know. Halloween was almost a month ago. Here are the pictures of our little celebration here in Texas


 

Dancing Spider Witch from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.
I thought all babies just had an innate sense of rhythm and liked to move it! move it! because Bella has been doing so since she was old enough to wiggle to a beat. Now I'm thinking Bella has a penchant for dancing because Brax is ten months old now and hasn't yet shown any of the aforementioned symptoms of dance enjoyment. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Video Time


Bella Singing from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.
When I read books to Bella that are written in verse I usually make up a tune and sing it to her instead of reading it to her (it would be appropriate to thank Heaven that you aren't around our house to witness this). Now Bella demands that I sing every book, whether it rhymes or not. Apparently she likes to do the same. Many of you Seuss-ologists out there may recognize her recitation of an excerpt from Hop on Pop.
*note: I know I should have warned you that she is on the potty in this video, but it doesn't show anything shady so I chose not to.


Braxton Caterpillar Army Crawl from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.
Brax has developed and perfected a unique style of crawling that looks like a hybrid between an army crawl and a caterpillar scoot. I don't know why, but he likes to drag himself across the floor and has been doing so for several months now. I thought some of you might want to see it. He's actually pretty efficient at it now.


Brax is Up from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.
He is up now! He actually almost knocked himself out the other day when he crawled into the bathroom, pulled himself up on the tub, and landed inside it head first. It's a good thing the tub is always empty unless someone is in it. He escaped with no injuries besides an imprint of the bottom of the tub stamped on his forehead. Also, this video was taken just before nap time. As you might note, his smile wasn't forthcoming. That's his version of ornery. I'll choose it over crying and fussiness, every time.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Birthday Time!

 Ryan and Bella did a better job making and decorating
a birthday cake than I have been known to. Yum Yum
Funfetti!
 Since my birthday was on Sunday we didn't
have the option of dining out. Ryan made a 
fabulous chicken enchilada dinner. He's been
hiding his cooking skills.
I got several generous contributions toward my 
DSLR plus some snickers (Bella chose them) 
and some really cute sandals. Thanks everybody!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Labor Day Continuted...

I know we are long past labor day, but I thought some family members might enjoy some pictures of our day with the Darley side. I would especially like to thank Shay, Ellie, and Chloe for queuing up to hold Braxton all evening, thereby supplying him with an endless supply of human binkies. Those are my favorite pictures of the evening. Brax misses that.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Labor Day Weekend Excursion

 Brax and I had a Mommy-Son adventure on Labor Day. We left the hubby and first born behind to go to Utah, for an extremely important wedding, but in the down time while we weren't at the wedding, Brax got to meet all the family members he's heard about since birth. He took a shine to them pretty quick.
 
We also got to meet the newest Stodd, Calvin Ryan (He's named after my hubby-- it's just a lucky coincidence that Calvin's daddy has the same name-- Haha). Calvin and Brax will be best friends. Mandatory.

I'll put up more pictures as I can. We already miss you guys!
On another note... We've just moved for the 5th time (yes FIFTH) in our 3.5 years of marriage. If you want/ need our new address, let us know.

Monday, August 16, 2010

It's About Videos

Brax is busy learning to be mobile, and does the army crawl better than I can.These videos of him performing were really hard to come by because Bella has gained quite a talent for shielding Brax from the camera. Every time I hit record- even if Bella is all the way across the room- she somehow puts herself between me and my intended subject. These are the snippets I managed to capture between shots of her pink corduroy dress. Hopefully you will appreciate how much work it was to get them. 

Monday, July 12, 2010

Birthday Boy Hubby


Ryan just had his birthday and can now rent cars without paying extra for his youth! Yay! Here in Sugar Land we were having flash flood warnings and pouring rain all day (fall out from Hurricane Alex), but that didn't stop us from venturing to Red Robin for his birthday dinner.
Bella was excited to see Jayhawk there (she thinks the Red Robin mascot is a Jayhawk- Ryan has brainwashed her) and had all kinds of fun around the restaurant while I fed Braxton. Ryan had registered on the Red Robin website and so they gave him a free meal on his birthday. Yayhoo!
We love you honey! Happy Birthday!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Blessing Suit


I know this is a little out dated (in proportion to Braxton's life span thus far, 1 month is a long time), but here is a belated picture of Brax in his baby blessing outfit. My mom made it for him and he was super cute in it. I would love to tell you that his blessing was amazing and inspiring, but the truth is that I couldn't hear much of it over Bella yelling, "What eee Daddy doeee?" over and over until the blessing was over.

Braxton is now 5 months old and he is still as sweet as ever. We started feeding him rice cereal a week ago and he is such a good eater! He doesn't clamp his mouth shut to prevent food from entering. He doesn't grab the spoon and fling it all over me and the wall and everything else within a 5 foot radius, and he swallows more than he regurgitates. It's amazing. Bella could absorb a few of those qualities and I wouldn't complain.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Nice to Meet You


My Dad had a connecting flight here in Houston on his way to, and from, Ireland. On his way there we went to meet him at the airport, but his flight came late and he had to run to catch his next flight, so we didn't get to see him. Luckily he missed his original flight on his way back through and his new itinerary included a 3 hour layover here. Ryan was recovering from driving 40 hours in the past 3 days, and Bella was recovering from church (Sundays are hard on her sleep schedule), so I let them sleep and took Brax out to meet his grandpa. I think they liked each other. Love you Dad!

Also, my sister Julia came home from her mission the next day. I wish we were close enough to go see her, but that will have to wait until September. Welcome home Sis!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Memorial Day Memories

Sad news: my sister broke her hip.
Good news: she had to take 3 weeks off of work and got to go visit her mother-in-law, whom the couple hasn't seen since their wedding, almost a year ago.
Good news: her mother-in-law lives in Texas, just 4.5 hours from Houston.
Good news: her husband has a brother and sister-in-law who aren't opposed to near-strangers staying in their house, and they also live in the Dallas area.
Good news: we don't have to pay for a hotel and we can see my sister shuffling around with her walker first hand.
What a fun weekend! I was so happy to see Alicia and get to know Ryan and his family better. Being so far from family has made the opportunities to see them much more valuable to us.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Brax's 4 month check up


I realize that many of my posts are Bella-centered, so here's one for Braxton.
Saturday was his 4 month birthday and today we had his checkup. The stats look like this:

Weight: 12 lbs 11 oz (10th percentile)
Height: 24.75 inches (50th percentile)
Head: I don't remember (25th percentile)

Brax started rolling from stomach to back the other day. He did it about ten times in a row. He is still the best baby in the world, as in- if every other baby I might have were guaranteed to be like him, I would pop them out in a flash. He loves to talk (so far it's a lot of ooooooooooh ooooooooooooh oooooooooh) and smile. For some reason he loves getting dressed. He puts on the biggest grin every time I pull something over his head. He is super patient with his hyperactive big sister, even when she sits on him and tackles him (her version of a hug and kiss).
We love you Brax!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Graduation!

It's official! We're just waiting for the diploma in the mail!
Doesn't my hubby look sexy in his cap and gown?
These are his classmates. Congratulations to them too.
These are his biggest supporters
Since the graduation ceremony was in Kansas not many people were able to do the 15 hour drive to get there. Me, Bella, Braxton and Ryan's parents were enough excitement though! Congrats Honey! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Party Animals


We did a small birthday party for Bella while we were in Kansas- small, as in just one friend- because Bella seems to get overwhelmed by lots of kids. Asher was not only her honorary guest at her 2nd birthday party, but he was also her first friend ever. When he started playing with Bella more than a year and a half ago he called her "Bubba" and tried to share his sippy cup with her. Now he speaks in full sentences and she has a sippy cup of her own! As I said in the previous post, Bella LOVED playing with Asher. We are so happy that he and his family could come to her birthday celebration at the park. I'll post graduation pictures next.
p.s. Yes, it is a picture of Bella's first *kiss* and we hope there won't be a second until her 22nd birthday.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Terrific Twos



As I mentioned in the last post, our little princess had a blast on her second birthday. Bella Chased Asher around, we went to Mass St. and had pizza (Bella eats it upside down), had dessert at Silas and Maddy's, and she had a shopping spree. The breakfast lady at the hotel had a surprise for her too. She put two candles in a cinnamon roll and sang happy birthday to her. I'll post party pictures next.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Houston Weather, Nummy, Nummy!


One of my favorite parts about living here is the gorgeous weather. It's fabulous about 8 months of the year. We've been going to the pool almost every day and Bella is in heaven. She starts putting on her swimming suit at about 10:00 every morning without any prompting. I can't hold back my laughs when she puts her legs in the arm holes and gets the bottoms around her waist like a belt.

Recent Major Events

I've been delaying this post because I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I'll do it anyway.

First item of business- RYAN GRADUATED! He now asks that we all call him "Master of Public Administration." His favorite part about having his masters is... No more homework. My favorite part about him having his masters is... No more tuition. You are amazing honey! Congratulations Sweet Heart I am so proud of you!

Second item of business- BELLA IS TWO YEARS OLD! She is a ball of energy at this point, so that hasn't changed. Here are some facts about Bella:

Favorite Food: Coclit (Chocolate)
Favorite Outfit: Pleemming Suit (swimming suit)
Favorite Character: Dora/ LeeMiMi (it's a tie between Dora and Ariel)
Favorite Animal: Monkey
Favorite Person (besides Mommy and Daddy of course): Gama (Grandma)
Favorite Activity: Pleeming (Swimming)
Favorite Book: Dog Go! Dog! (a.k.a. Go Dog! Go!)
Bella loves: reading, riding her bike (it's really a riding toy, we just call it her bike), hiding from Swiper, running around and screaming, repeating EVERYTHING we say, layering on every pair of panties in her drawer, pulling Jayhawk around the house in a shoebox, giving hugs and kisses, collecting random things (like paper, cards, bags, pens, bibs, cups...etc.) and hauling them around with her everywhere she goes, singing, jumping, dancing, making messes, being clean, nose in the eye, going outside, playing at the play ground, teasing us, watching Dora and Little Mermaid, and going to Nursery at church.

She had a blast on her birthday. We did a little birthday party for her (tinkerbell themed)and we only invited one family because lots of kids seems to overwhelm her. We were in Kansas and she hadn't seen this friend for almost a year, but she chased Asher around his house, yard, and park until it was time to go to bed. She had him giggling like a school girl, except when she stole his stick. I wish the Spaulding family could come be our neighbors. It was really fun seeing you guys again!

Third item of business- SHE MADE IT ONTO THE CHARTS! Bella had her 24 month check up and she now registers on the charts.

Weight: 22.14 lbs (3rd percentile)
Height: 31.5 inches (4th percentile)

Congrats Baby Girl! You are such a joy. We love you to pieces!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter Fun

Egg Hunt 2010 from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.


Bella's Easter egg hunt was much more successful this year than last. Braxton didn't participate much though since he can't even roll over yet, let alone go searching for plastic eggs. Anyway, we decided to put stickers in most of the eggs instead of candy. That was the best $1.99 investment we have ever made.
Those stickers kept Bella quiet through the entire first session of General Conference, and she was still playing with them 10 hours later when it was time for bed. Yes, they were slathered on every surface in our house including carpet, couch, sibling, and our limbs, but she LOVED it. It took us half an hour to clean them up. The first thing she asked when she woke up this morning was, "Where did the stickers go?" They are in the garbage, Love.

Another Trick up her Sleeve

Cartwheel Attempts from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.


We showed Bella how to do Cartwheels. I think she lacks the upper body strength, and a couple other things. I'm confident she'll figure it out sometime in the next couple years.
On another note: I've felt 10 times better than I thought I would recovering from a C-section, but every now and again I discover things that I can't really do anymore, like a cartwheel. The incision area is really tight, so I have to bend my legs when I do it. Bella will have to find someone else to show her how to do it right.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

2 Month Results for Braxton


Monday was Braxton's 2 month birthday. He spent part of it at the doctor getting shots and measurements. Here is the final result.

Weight: 10 lbs 11 oz (up 15% from his 2 week appointment. Now he's in the 25th percentile)
Length: 22.1 in (25th percentile)
Head: 38.4 cm (25th percentile)

According to to the numbers, his height, weight and head circumference are very proportionate. Way to go Brax!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Put Me in the Zoo


We took Brax to the zoo for the first time a couple weekends ago. I can't say he got much out of it, but Bella sure enjoyed it. This time she not only knew the animal sounds, but she did the accompanying animal dance too. Her favorites are the monkey and tiger.
The carousel was still her favorite part. The cougar wasn't her first choice. She wanted the tiger, but an ambitious little boy with the same hope was quicker. Bella had to settle for the tiger's stripe-less cousin. Brax had to ride whatever animal was next to Bella, which happened to be an anteater. I don't think it lessened his enjoyment though.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Interview with Bella

I set up an interview with Bella for those of you who want to know how Bella is these days. It was hard to get her to stay still very long, so I hope you don't get motion sickness. Bella was working hard doing somersaults before I did this (see the previous video), as is evident by her messy pig-tails. Also, this video is like four minutes long, so get your popcorn ready and go to the bathroom before you hit play.

Interview with Bella March 19, 2010 from Cecilia Harvey on Vimeo.

p.s. if you notice the scabs and bruises on her face don't dial the DCFS. She has become very daring/ reckless in the past two weeks, which includes jumping off beds and landing face first. We don't beat her, and we try to stop her ahead of time. Alas, the girl is faster than we are.

Gymnast Bella


I got a book yesterday called The Toddler Busy Book. I find that I don't have enough ideas to keep this girl busy. The book suggested gymnastics. I had no idea she could do somersaults at this age.

Terrific Two

These two have been almost nonstop cuteness. Bella loves her baby brother. She likes to help him hold a pencil and write his name (at least HER version of his name), and give him hugs and kisses. She can't go to sleep until she does.
I've got more material coming, including videos, so check back!
p.s. I realize those pictures are a bit small, so you might need to double click to see it up close.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Welcome Little Harvey #2!


Braxton John Harvey is here and he has a name too! Little Harvey #2 went almost 3 days without it before we decided what to write on his birth certificate.

As many of you know, I was scheduled for a C-section on Feb. 1 but on Jan. 22, at 3:30 a.m. (yes, in the morning) Braxton decided he'd had enough of the womb and he started to come out. It's a good thing we were planning on a C-section anyway (per my tailbone injury) because baby Braxton was breech.

Weight: 6 lbs 8 oz
height: 19 inches

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Do as I'm Doing...Almost

We sang "Do as I'm Doing" for the closing song in FHE last night. Bella wasn't too concerned about doing what we were doing, as much as dancing. She had more fun than most kids do with this song. Who wants to roll their arms when they could swing them, and twirl, and jump instead?