Ok, I finally figured out how to upgrade to the new version of blogger (thought I already had, but apparently not) so I gave us a new look! I'm still working on figuring out some of the other fun tools (slideshows, etc) and will try to get an update soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the new and improved Harvey family blog!
We are looking forward to a fun year and have resolved to get more organized in all rooms of our house and I am really looking forward to that. Hopefully we can decorate them while we are at it - after all, 5 years in a house should be enough time to paint and decorate don't you think?
holiday really got started on Saturday morning. We had our own Christmas at our house before heading up the mountain to Show Low. Brenna was very excited to see that Santa had eaten the cookies/milk that we left out and that he left her some gifts. The first words out of her mouth were "Thank you Santa!" 
it was adorable. We proceeded to open the gifts and then got packed up and headed out. We arrived at Grandma and Papaw Pearson's house and spend the afternoon making cookies and decorating the small tree planted just for Brenna out in the front yard. That night, Aunt Jamie and Uncle Josh arrived and we enjoyed dinner and some games with them. The next morning, we headed over to Grandma and Pepaw Harvey's house. 
We had quite the adventure as we went out into the woods to cut down a Christmas tree! We all had some new snow boots to wear (we didn't have any living in the desert) and it made the trip that much more exciting. In fact, the boots were such a hit for Brenna, that was all she wore the entire weekend. It was the first time cutting a tree for Brenna and me - although it was cold, it was fun. 
We found a good one, cut it down, had some lunch and then headed back home. The next day we visited our friends Mark and then the Penrod family. We went back home and watched some movies, and painted cookies. Brenna didn't make the most attractive cookies, but she had a blast! That night (Christmas Eve) we enjoyed a great meal and then heard the sleigh bells and sure enough, Santa had come. Brenna said "thank you Santa" after seeing each gift and really seemed to enjoy 
watching everyone else open gifts too. After gifts, she conked out fast, but the adults stayed up and watched more movies. Early the next morning, we loaded up and headed back to the Pearson house. We opened more presents (Santa found us 3 times!) with the family and played the rest of the day. Brenna even got to practice cooking now that she had a new kitchen! It was nice and relaxing to hang out and play with new toys. That night, we drove around the town to look at all the pretty lights on houses and in the city park. Wednesday we made the trip back home, stopping for a visit with Grandad and Aunt Sandy (and some great Globe mexican food). Then it was back to our regularly scheduled programming of work and daycare. We had a very magical Christmas seeing things through the eyes of our baby and loved every minute of it! Stay tuned for tales from new years eve. Brenna is much more aware of Santa this year. When he visited the daycare last week, she says she wasn't scared (I got a different story from the teachers). In the picture, she doesn't look happy but she doesn't look scared either. Regardless, she is very excited for him to come. We have been listening to lots of Christmas carols and when she hears "Santa Claus is coming to town" she starts yelling, "Santa is coming!" It is so magical to experience this holiday through her eyes - like we are children again ourselves. She sings "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty the Snowman" 
and loves carrying her stuffed Santa around (sometimes he goes to timeout, but most of the time, he gets to play with her).
That said, we participated in that good ole holiday tradition of baking Christmas cookies today (not really much waistline watching going on here right now, that'll come after the new year). Brenna got to help (really help) this year and she LOVED it! We pulled out some traditionally shaped cookie cutters and set up the kitchen table for easier access to a toddler. She really got into the project, 
she helped spread the flour on the cutting board, pushed the cookie cutter into the dough and with a "ugh" pushed it in hard, and sprinkled the decorations. She also enjoyed eating the results (duh!). The picture looks like she is really savoring the taste doesn't it? Stay tuned for more fun holiday activities!
As we prepared for Halloween this year, we allowed Brenna some input regarding her costume. We went through a number of suggestions (witch, princess, fairy, puppy, etc.) and the one that she kept coming back to was pumpkin. I was glad because I figure that I can only dress her as a pumpkin while she's little and still get away with it - and I found a bargain costume that was brand new! She looked precious and got to wear it to her daycare's fall party, to school on the day of Halloween and of course - to go trick or treating. She did visit a few houses and really got the jist of the whole trick-or-treating thing pretty quickly. She wasn't too shy to go up to the door, say the magic words and get CANDY! We got to walk through the neighborhood with our friends/neighbors which also made it easier for her - she had some friends to model after and learned quickly.
Earlier in the week we carved our jack-o-lantern. Daddy had the great idea of using Brenna's hands as a template for the eyes to the j-o-l and it turned out really cool! By now with all the weathering of the pumpkin insides, it looks like she had only 3 fingers, but that night it looked really good! Brenna enjoyed the carving part too - she got to help dig out the pumpkin guts and make a mess on the table. I realize that when I created this blog, the intention was to show some adorable pictures of our little girl. While that is fun, I am also realizing that this blog can be used for other fun exchanges of information. I have many friends that also have blogs (see the links to the right) and through their blogs, I've gone to other blogs of former classmates (who I've unfortunately not seen/spoken to since graduation), people I don't even know and relatives of these bloggers....I know, you would think that in my busy life, I'd do something better with my time. Anyway, the point is, I see fun stuff on these other blogs and thought it would be fun to add some new elements. I saw this questionnaire on the blog of a former classmate (really his wife maintains it) and it got me started:
1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I had just started my freshman year at UofA and was enjoying it. I was spending nearly every weekend driving to Show Low to spend time with Justin and had an enormous phone bill from talking to him on the phone so much. I was meeting new friends and learning how to be an adult - grocery shopping, paying bills, etc. I hadn't chosen a major, so I was enjoying some basic gen ed classes and realizing just how much you were expected to read in college...ick.
2. What was I doing 5 years ago?
I had just started working for MCAO as the HR Generalist. I was learning like crazy about HR and had a great mentor. We were living with Justin's parents while we waited for our house to be built. We were saving money, paying off bills and just doing simple cheap things for entertainment. We had just moved from Tucson to the big(ger) city and were adjusting to a different kind of traffic.
3. What was I doing 1 year ago?
We were well settled in our house and I was working for MCAO as an HR Manager. We were preparing for Brenna's 2nd Halloween, her ear tube surgery and the start of the holiday season. I had the ability to be working from home a couple of days a week and was enjoying the flexibility that gave me to take Brenna to daycare later in the morning and pick her up earlier in the afternoon. I had just joined a scrapbook group (we meet monthly to make a 2-page layout and buy products, taking turn playing hostess for Stampin' Up products) and loved having that one evening devoted to my hobby with some time away from regular responsibilities. Oh, and I was still wondering what in the heck was wrong with my randomly swollen foot.
4. What was I doing yesterday?
Yesterday was a normal weekday in the Harvey home. We all went to work (or school in Brenna's case). I worked on some standard projects that have been going at work, went to the Pets on Probation meeting at lunch (I'll be volunteering to walk dogs from a shelter run by the Sheriff's Office during my lunch break a couple of times a week in the downtown area thanks to a friend who is giving me the motivation to get my exercise in), worked more in the afternoon and drove home. We ate leftovers for dinner and hung out the rest of the evening. I did bath, Justin did books and bed....then sleepy time!
5. 6 places I would rather be?
On a long vacation somewhere relaxing
Comfortably wearing a smaller size of clothes
On a fun date with Justin
In an already cleaned/organized house
On the warm beach with Brenna and Justin
In some normal shoes - with a normal size foot
6. 5 treats I love
Just five??
Brownies
Peanut Butter M&Ms
Mexican food
Cheesy garlic bread
Pumpkin Pie (tis the season)
7. What would I do with a million dollars?
Pay off all our bills, buy a larger house, have the house professionally painted, have another baby, save, invest, save. Oh - and probably quit my job....
8. 5 favorite TV Shows?
Grey's Anatomy
Dancing with the Stars (I know - goofy, but Brenna loves it too)
Oprah
Any decorating show on HGTV
Desperate Housewives
9. Most memorable things right now?
The fun things that Brenna says to us, to herself, to her babies...adorable. The beautiful weather that we are having which allows us to have windows and doors open in the mornings and evenings. The fun fall decorations and getting ready for Halloween.
We have been working on potty training recently and implemented a reward system for when Brenna goes in the potty! She earns a Dora sticker for her shirt (or leg or hand or wherever she puts it) and a smaller sticker for her Potty Chart. She is very excited to get a sticker and frequently asks for one - even when she doesn't really have to go. But, she tries. She has gotten much more regular about it, but we're not quite ready for panties.
We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin and Chili Party at Schnepf farms 
this weekend and had a good time! It was a little windy but otherwise beautiful weather and got us in the fall mood. Brenna visited the goats, donkey, cow, sheep and pigs in the petting zoo (she wasn't as excited as we expected, more afraid), watched the hog races, had her first ice cream cone (pumpkin of course!), wandered in the pumpkin patch, got a spider 
painted on her face and enjoyed some time out and about.
Some of the fun things that Brenna has been doing lately:
-when we get in the car, she says to us "buckle, seat on" which means buckle your seatbelt. She repeats it until we do it.
- she has begun to figure out door knobs - especially the one between the garage and the house, she goes in and out when daddy is working out there
- she is speaking in longer sentences and shocks us sometimes with her commentary!
- she had her first haircut this last weekend (the outcome is not obvious, we know) but it was a fun, good experience for her.
We are getting all ready for Halloween, so stay tuned for our update! She definitely realizes this year that there is something going on with all the pumpkins around and the decorations in the house and the neighborhood. Should be fun!
On our last visit to Show Low, Brenna got to spend some time outside in the (much) cooler weather. 
This included some time playing in the rocks/dirt, time walking around the yard, checking out the fake bird in one of the trees and smelling the pretty flowers! Brenna really enjoys being outside and it is nice to have so much stimulation available when we visit Show Low.
Brenna really enjoyed walking on the balance beams, hanging on the bars and playing in a group with the parachute. What she didn't enjoy was the inflatable "track" where the kids were expected to bounce across from one side to the other - sort of just like the bottom of a bounce house. She was not happy at all to be on it when it was inflated and then didn't want to jump across by herself. But, overall, she had a fun time playing at the Little Gym and spending time with her buddy Mackenzie!
Throughout the building of the shed, she has been there - painting, drilling, all of it. She's always looking for some task that she can help with and Daddy is happy to oblige. He has asked her to relocate some of the supplies that he's using (even when moving them wasn't necessary) and she is quite the little helper! We are looking forward to the shed being done so that we can make some room in the garage and the house. It sure is nice to have a handy daddy!
She didn't talk much for him, but he asked if there were any speech concerns. About 15% of cleft kids need to have speech therapy so he's recommended an analysis so we're working on that. She also saw her ENT specialist and her tubes look great. At that visit, she was quite the entertainer for the crowd in the waiting room. She tried pushing on the windows next to the front door, saying "push, push" and when they didn't open, she told me "it lock mommy." So cute! 
She really enjoys reading, coloring and is learning to play on her own a lot more. She is also quite the talker, can sing us the ABCs, count to 10, sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, tell us her name ("Brenna Harvey") and tell us her age. I have a great video and I'm hoping that it works. It is silly and you'll hear my voice too (unfortunately) but it is cute!
Brenna turned 2 years old (awhile ago, I know) and we had all sorts of celebrations! Since her birthday fell on a weekday, she took cupcakes to school with her, enjoyed one of them that night and then had a small party 
with family and friends the following weekend. We can't believe how fast time is flying by but we love every minute (well most of them anyway) with her. She is so much fun to be around and she makes us laugh all the time. Among her latest adventures is her mommying (she has some 
things that she got for her birthday that assist with this), and her vocabulary which is improving hourly (at least it feels that way). She also moved into the 2-year old classroom at school and seems to really like it. She is learning to use the potty on a more regular basis - although the excitement has died down a bit. She is also starting to learn to drink from a big girl cup instead of a sippy cup, also going slow, but it is going. As a sidenote - mommy went to her 10-year high school reunion last weekend. Hard to believe how fast those 10 years have gone. It was a lot of fun to see some old classmates and to see how people have changed. There were some awkward moments and some feelings like I was in a time warp, but mostly, it was a lot of fun and a good excuse to get dressed up and have a grown up night out. 
Our friends Paula, Ryan and Conner (see the link to their blog to the right) came over to have some BBQ chicken and other fun 4th of July food and to hang out. Conner slept through all the fun in the water, but Brenna had a blast! 
She also enjoyed having some watermelon (she chewed on one slice for a good long time) and it was good that she was playing in the water since it can be so messy. We had a good time though and are ready to get the pool out again - it is just too hot without it. But the following weekend, Brenna got to play with the neighbors on a big water slide - the inflatable backyard kind. She had lots of fun playing with the neighbor boys Jeffrey, Joshua, Matthew and Jayce. She was pretty brave climbing up the ladder and going down the slide. She had a great time - so did the daddies that were playing too!
She says all sorts of funny things to us regularly and this weekend played on her own quite a bit. I saw her disappear from the living room at one point with her baby (mommy's old cabbage patch doll). I found her in the bathroom, preparing to give the baby a bath. She was talking to the baby about taking a bath and leaning her over the edge. Luckily she doesn't know how to turn the water on just yet, otherwise, we would've had one wet cabbage patch doll! She was also caught reading in her room again - this time for almost 30 minutes. She loves her books! Another sign of her growing up is her enthusiasm for potty training. We have our typical early morning and before bath potties, but today when we got home from daycare, she told me "I wanna peepee in the potty" so we ran to the bathroom and she did it! It was the first time that she'd actually told me before she already went in her diaper. It was a very exciting moment! 
Hi all! On Memorial Day (when we remember all those who are sacrificing, or who have sacrificed, so much for the lifestyle that we are all accustomed to) 
I though it would be fun to share some memorable moments - thanks to the adorable Brenna. We are also sharing some fun pictures from our trip to the mountains this weekend. We loved the beautiful weather and the fun adventures that it brought for Brenna. We got to visit with family and spend some quality time with everyone.
She brings so much joy to us and is becoming quite the intelligent little girl. We love to watch how much she learns in short time and can't believe how fast it is going!
Brenna had celebrated Easter before, this one was much more interactive and a lot of fun! She also recieved lots of Easter baskets (the bunny came, but lots of loved ones spoiled her too) and is very grateful for all the fun toys and clothes that she recieved. 
On Easter morning, she hunted eggs in the backyard and had so much fun - mommy thought she might lose interest, but boy was she wrong! When all the eggs had been found, she started picking up pinecones and adding them to her basket - what a cutie. S
he continued to hunt inside the house, in the front yard and would've continued if we let her (and had more time). Then we went to the Harvey grandparents' house and started another egg hunt and got another basket! We had some great food and company - not to mention the new hiding places for eggs!
It has been a long time between posts - I know that and I'm sorry! I know that many people check for updates on a regular basis and I've been slacking - but busy!
Ok, so onto Brenna news, which is what you are all logging on for right? She is growing like crazy and becoming such a fun person to be around. She entertains us regularly and is learning new things all the time.
Some of the new things that Brenna has been working on: potty training (she has used her potty chair once to actually go potty, the rest of the time it is a seat or a stool - it converts to a stool); identifying people she knows from pictures; talking on the phone (she used to just stare at it and now will say "hi", "love you" and "bye-bye"); playing peek-a-boo with herself in the mirror (very cute by the way); telling mommy and daddy what she needs/wants when she is hungry or thirsty or needs a diaper change. She also really likes to dance and wants the music on anytime that she can - she even dances with the stars on tv!
With the warming weather, she got to enjoy the playgrounds more and more. She would see one and beg us to take her to it - she loves sliding the most, but eventually swinging became fun for her too. We got to enjoy some of the nice weather later in February when we got together with some extended family in Tempe. Brenna loved the playground at that park and it was fun for the adults to get to visit too.
Unfortunately, as some of you know, some of Brenna's playing came to a screeching halt a couple of weeks ago when she fell from some bleachers and broke her collarbone. 
A very scary moment for mommy (daddy wasn't with us where it happened, so he wasn't as frazzled right away). It wasn't clear right away that she'd broken anything - I had heard worse cries when a toy was taken away, so I wasn't sure that it was too serious. Needless to say, she was babying her arm a bit, so we went to urgent care the next morning and confirmed a broken bone - her first (and hopefully last). The UC doctor scared us into thinking that she might have to have surgery, so it was a stressful weekend of doing nothing and waiting to see a specialist on Monday. During that weekend, she had her arm in a sling that was slightly too big, so she also had an ace bandage wrapped around her torso to keep her from moving her arm. Luckily, when we saw the pediatric orthopedic specialist, he gave us a better brace for her (more like backpack straps that don't restrict her as much, but just enough to help with healing) and told us that surgery would not be necessary - thank goodness! 
So, her little body will regenerate new bone and she'll be as good as new, but will have to avoid playing on a playground and slides for about 6 weeks - poor baby! But she seems to be doing VERY well and went back to daycare after a week off with mommy, daddy and Aunt "Mamie". We were so relieved that she wasn't injured more severely and that surgery was not necessary - she's been through enough of that!
Back in February, Brenna got to go play on the playground with her buddy Jason (see the link to his blog on the right). This is one of the adorable pictures of her and the sliding adventures that she had. Mommy didn't dress her for sliding that day (hence the skirt) but baby skirts come with handy little diaper-covering panties that don't make it so bad.
