Choo Choo

This is a greeting from our family. Keep in mind we just woke up.
Happy Holidays Everyone!

This year we were very blessed to experience Christmas on our own. Being only four weeks away from delivering the baby my doctors wouldn't allow for us to travel back home to Utah. With this new adventure we decided we would find out what kind of traditions we wanted to begin with our own family. For Christmas Eve we were invited to an awesome couple's home in our ward, the Luce's. We had such a great time being adopted into their family. At their home we ate delicious soups, homemade rolls, assorted jellos and yummy brownies with ice cream. Parker had fun watching some other children play and even got involved in some of the rough housing. As part of the Luce's tradition we went caroling to a few of their neighbors homes. Willie and I had never participated in caroling such as they did. We had fun taking their neighbors treats and singing to them. The weather was warm enough that we didn't really need to even wear jackets. I do miss having the snow around. After caroling we went back to the Luce's home and had the yummy dessert and were visited by some carolers from the ward. Their style of caroling was different, they used violins, recorders and a guitar. I'll tell you what, that was some great caroling. By the end of the night the Luces had given Parker a Christmas present, a little Tonka train and a book. Sister Luce knew that Parker was starting to get into a phase of liking trains. Willie and I are very grateful for the example shown to us by the Luce family. We are grateful for their hospitatlity and their love. We do miss our family very much, but on Christmas eve this year we enjoyed our ward family. Thank you to the Luces!

Christmas morning.
Every morning since we put up Christmas lights Parker has been so excited to turn them on when he wakes up. I miss the times when I would go into his room and I could hold him and cuddle, that's all over now. Christmas lights are a big thing in our home. One distraction on Christmas morning was the little train we set up for Parker to enjoy. He was cute coming out of his room excited to see the lights, but when he saw the train he became even more excited. We kept a good eye on him the whole time. After about half an hour of playing with the train we decided it was time to put it away (Parker stepped on the tracks and kept pulling the engine off). It's a nice little set so we had to make sure it can be used for future Christmas'.


Parker was so good to help Willie get the train back on the tracks. We had a fun morning.


After getting Parker away from the train we moved on to opening the presents. I think Santa did good because Parker played with everything he received from him. We did good ourselves, Parker liked the things we got for him. After looking back we received many books, which is awesome. We really want our kids to enjoy reading. Parker loves bedtime because his daddy reads to him.
Parker loved the train. Maybe we can find a more kid friendly one for next year.The boys look good in this picture. I promise though I was having a good time.Christmas Eve I was working hard to get some stockings made. My friends convinced me I should make my own stockings. I borrowed one of their sewing machines and got the stockings to the point where they would hold something in them. Thanks Camille. I was pretty proud of myself for getting through as much as I did all on my own. Although I wouldn't have been able to begin if Camille hadn't set her machine up for me :)


Willie and I are very grateful for this holiday season. We love the wonderful music that is played and the great hymns we get to sing. I am grateful for my Savior and His birth. As we go through the years one tradition we want is for Santa to bring three gifts for each person; each gift representing the gifts given to the Savior. We hope to always teach our children about Jesus during Christmas and we want them to know why we celebrate the season. There are a few other traditions we would like to do, but some things must remain a secret.

Our new crib.

A pack n' play is great and I think we could have kept Parker in it even longer if the new baby weren't coming so soon. So after 17 months of living here on this earth Parker has finally received a real bed. We bought a convertible crib in case we ever need to convert it. Parker has done really well in transitioning into his bed. The first few nights he cried a little more, but we think he may have been teething too. He does pretty well at sleeping in a new place, considering we travel so much. Parker and Willie did a great job at putting the crib together. Parker learned a new word in the process as well, 'twist'. He loved helping Willie twist the screwdriver to get the screw in. We think Parker has enjoyed his new bed.
Here is Parker helping Willie 'twist' the screw into place.


Parker didn't understand that the mattress should be used before laying in the crib. Maybe we were just working him too hard.

A new tradition

Willie and I don't have the means to store a fake Christmas tree. We don't mind one bit. We like to have a nice fresh tree in our home. We love the smell that it brings. This year we thought about finding a tree farm where we could cut our own. I looked into a few places online and found a great one just a small drive from us. Willie had taken his final exam and we decided to take the moment of Monday night and have a Family Home Evening activity of getting a tree. Hunters Christmas Tree Farm was great. We wouldn't mind going back next year. Parker absolutely loved the place. They had a big old dog that Parker had fun saying 'woof' to. After a short visit with the dog we took a small trek and went in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Parker ran around the trees laughing and playing peek-a-boo. He found sticks and rocks that he could hold onto too. He was having so much fun running around, he fell plenty of times getting his entire outfit for the day dirty. Willie was eating up Parkers excitement. After some time we found the tree we wanted. For $30 we didn't think it was too bad. Willie had the honor of cutting down the tree. He helped a young man to haul it up to get bundled before being put into our trunk.

After getting our tree in the car we let Parker play on a tractor they had at the farm. We also enjoyed some hot chocolate. A fun thing we learned is that the family that ran the farm was LDS. On the way home we saw the most beautiful sunset. In Georgia we don't see too many sunsets and I really miss seeing them. Luckily I had the camera with me to capture the moment. Overall our family home evening was a great adventure. Our family had fun beginning a hopeful tradition of cutting our tree.

Starting the Christmas Season

A tradition in our area of Atlanta is the 'Festival of the Nativity.' We had heard about it last year, but we never knew specifics and even if we did we didn't make time for it. This year we made sure to visit. We had a friend playing her violin for the music concert that was also being held at the same time. The gym was set up with the many many nativity sets while the chapel was being used for the concert area. We want to keep Jesus Christ in our thoughts as much as possible during the Christmas season. We hope that Parker and our other children will learn that Christmas is about Christ and giving of ones self. Willie, Parker and I had a great time at this activity because we saw so many nativities and listened to good church/Christmas music. This is a tradition we would like to do every year that we are in this area, hopefully we will be around next year. ;) Willie and I won't be traveling home for the holidays so we are able to begin our own traditions. This will be a fun year to experiment with some ideas we have had. I am very grateful for this holiday season and all the joy it brings to my life. I love seeing Christmas lights and snow (if there is any). I hope that the season is good to everyone and that the light of Christ shines in your life. Merry Christmas everyone!

Out of commission / Thanksgiving

After our fun filled week of being in Utah I brought home a little treat with me. A few family members chipped in and gave me a cold. It never fails, you travel and come home with a sickness of some sort. This one is brutal; I really can't take any medications because I'm pregnant. So because of this sickness I have not blogged as soon as I would have liked to. So without further adieu here is our Thanksgiving trip.

During the week of Thanksgiving I recognized many blessings in my life. I love this holiday season because it helps me to remember what is most important in life. In my life I have been blessed more than I feel I deserve. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to travel back home to Utah for Thanksgiving. I was able to spend time with many family and friends. I as well as Parker learned a lot of new things. I geared myself up and asked my grandma for a short sewing lesson, the reason for this will come later. I helped my sister to decorate an apple pie. This was great fun. My mom loved it because this is the sister that I hated sharing a room with. Parker learned how to bowl, 'pound it', and he learned a couple of new words. Willie joined us midweek and we loved having him back in our sights. He didn't get the opportunity to golf this time even though the weather was great on Thanksgiving.


We had so many photos from the week that we combined them into events and then posted them as slide shows. We hope that you enjoy our week in Utah.




Parker was taught by his uncle Jer how to 'pound it.' This is Parker 'pounding it'.

I taught Parker 'Popcorn Popping' just before the trip. I have to say, this video doesn't do his involvment justice anymore. He loves this song. I need to teach him one for the holidays now.

Child labor.

It's great to have a kid who loves to help!


Parker has been a peach to have around these days. He loves to help out. He was especially excited to get up on the chairs and wipe off the kitchen table. Earlier that evening Parker wanted to help wipe down the kitchen, although he was upset when I wouldn't let him clean the whole kitchen.














Parker has been known to help with the laundry. One day he was so excited to help that he fell into the washer while the water was filling up the tub area. That was a fun morning, especially since we were heading somewhere really quick after the load went in.



















We sometimes make Parker do all the cooking too. He doesn't ever complain and he cooks all the good stuff like pancakes and cookies.

Election day.

7:57 a.m. Sandy Springs: Krista Harrison plays with her 15-month-old son Parker as they wait in line the the North Springs Methodist Church precinct to cast their ballots in the 2008 elections. Exiting voters reported an hour and 50-minute wait there. Phil Skinner/pskinner@ajc.com

Parker and I made it onto the Atlanta Journal Constitution web page. We were pretty excited. I decided to add the text from the page just in case you can't connect to the link which is http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/
elect-atlanta-votes-morn/

Our own photos follow. Congratulations to Obama.

Our newest additon.

I absolutely love the newest addition to our family. We got it for a steal! Craigs list was good to us after about a month + of searching. We bought this beauty for $200. It comes with six chairs and has a butterfly leaf! When we got it home I was so excited. We can now fit four people comfortably at our table, with the food on it too. Our little old table now serves us elsewhere (a study table). I know some people may wait for many years to have a decent table. Willie and I waited for over 3 1/2 years. This matches the hand-me-down furniture we have in our apartment. So we don't have to upgrade that stuff for awhile. Yeah for our new table!!!

Halloween Fun

Halloween has come and gone. We didn't do much but we made sure we took pictures of Parker in his cool costume. First off the costume was craftily done by one of our friends last year for her little boy. The homemade dinosaur fit Parker perfectly and he didn't complain about having the hood on (most of the time). We picked a pumpkin out one night and tried to carve it. Unfortunately it was so thick that all we could do was cut open the top, clean it out and scratch the surface of the pumpkin so it looked carved. We never did get to light it up, the carving tools wouldn't even make a dent. Next year we will do better about picking out a pumpkin. We took Parker trick-or-treating to the ward trunk-or-treat. He had a good time roaming around in the parking lot. On Halloween we visited with a few friends and played some games. Not too bad for Parkers second Halloween.

Apple picking. . . sort of.

We headed North to Ellijay, Georgia. Hillcrest Farms was a fun place to visit with our friends, the Smiths and Pagets. We went to pick some apples but missed the picking season by a week. No worries though, there was plenty to do without picking the apples. We enjoyed a fun horse race at the beginning of our day. Well, at least those who were watching enjoyed. Willie and our friend Joe were picked to participate. They were good sports about being involved in the horse race. The video below explains. Willie's horse won. In last place was Joe, but his horse followed the rules and did everything he was suppose to.

Hillcrest Farms had a small petting farm. Parker loved it. He was first introduced to baby chicks. He wanted to grab their heads, so we just moved on to the bigger animals. I loved the little chicks, it was a cold day and they would snuggle up to each other. We saw goats, chickens, a calf, bunnies, and some sheep. Recently we ask Parker 'what does a sheep say?' He will reply 'ba'. Then he gets excited because we get excited. Parker loved chasing the chickens and petting the goats. One of the little girls didn't like when her hair was being chewed up by a friendly goat. As good parents we all just laughed at how funny it was.

Though our day was full of fun events, Parker had the best time while on the tractors. He really loves to get behind a wheel. Throughout the day we would make our way back to the tractors so he could have another go at driving. This boy really can spend hours playing with a steering wheel.


The last of our activities were taking the kids down a 50' slide (I think that was the length). Parker didn't like the first ride down, but he went down a couple more times and enjoyed himself. Then he went on a much smaller slide and did really well. The little guy was getting very sleepy by this point, but we still had to get some apples. We went inside the store and picked one of every kind of apple they were selling. Who knew how delicious they would all be. We enjoyed experiencing all the different tastes and textures found in the apples.

Berry Patch Farms

Parker and I went to Berry Patch Farms. A place not to far from home. We went with our pals, the Merkleys and Salmons. Our spouses were not invited. . . just kidding, they had to work. It was a chilly day but I think the kids had a good time. To get to the pumpkin patch we took a hay ride driven by a cool tractor. Upon drop off the kids were able to pick up some small pumpkins then we worked our way up a small hill to the bigger pumpkins. After spending a lot of time with the pumpkins we took the hay ride back to the beginning and visited with some penned up farm animals. The biggest hit with the kids though was a fun old red tractor. All the kids were fighting over the driver seat. Parker was devastated when I pulled him away to go home. We didn't buy a big pumpkin but Parker took home one of the sweet little ones for a pricey $1. Berry Patch Farms was a fun place to visit.

Fall Break

Georgia Tech had fall break on Monday and Tuesday. Willie and I were able to take advantage of one of the days and head for Stone Mountain Park. After a rough night with Parker teething we woke up ready for a relaxing day as a family. We love to have days where we don't have too many cares and we just want to spend time together. Stone Mountain was fun even when our plans changed a bit. We had planned to visit the back part of the park because we had never been there, but after being pulled over by the police we found that the whole back portion was closed for repaving the roads. (We missed the sign). Once we decided to take a walk that would lead us to the lake everything was great. We ate lunch on the grass in front of the carving of the confederate men on the mountain. Parker played with rocks and on occasion kept one for sucking on. I guess we don't give him enough to eat. We found a cool water wheel and small waterfall that Parker loved. We spent a lot of time playing in the water. After our walk back to the car we were a bit tired, but very grateful for a beautiful day.

Wicked!!

Willie and I were able to go on another date. We have been wanting to see 'Wicked' for a long time. Last year Willie purchased the cd and we have loved the music from this play ever since we were introduced to it. We weren't able to take pictures inside the Fox Theatre, but that didn't stop me from taking video. :) The three hour play was awesome and we loved every minute of it. I only thought about Parker once. I usually have a hard time leaving him when Willie and I go somewhere.
For those of you who don't know, the play 'Wicked' is about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda to Good from the 'Wizard of Oz'. It's the story of how the two knew each other and what life was like before Dorthy came along. I recommend that if you get the opportunity you should go see it.

The Fox Theatre in Atlanta was really cool. It had sort of an Egyptian theme to it, but then it also felt like you were getting ready to watch Aladdin. The ceiling was blue like the night sky and it had stars to light it up a little. We were excited to experience such a great play in the Fox Theatre.

Dancing Through Life.

As many of us know little kids just love to dance. We have too many videos of Parker dancing and we have finally decided to share a few of our favorites with you.

Ultrasound

Here is an ultrasound introduction to baby #2. Parker enjoyed watching his little brother on the tv. We took a little video of Parker watching because it makes it more fun.

Little Helping Hands

Parker has been helping around the house a lot recently. When we first moved in to our new place he would help me push boxes around. He now helps to move the laundry basket over to the washer and dryer. He has been so helpful in allowing me to fill up his bottle with milk. I give him the lid to the milk and then when I'm done pouring he will put the lid back on and put the milk in the fridge. He does great when there is less than half a gallon. We haven't filmed him putting his diaper in the diaper champ but once he has been changed he knows right where to put the diaper (we need to make sure it actually goes in the champ). Parker loves to help sweep up the floor too. If there is music he will even do a little dance for you. More to come on Parkers dance moves! We are working on getting him to stay on the ground while we vacuum. The vacuum can be a scary thing every now and again. Parker has been learning to brush his own teeth. After we brush his teeth he will take the toothbrush and suck on it and even brush most places other than his teeth. He loves the taste of the Thomas the Train toothpaste. We have also introduced utensils to our little dude. It sure helps out when Parker can remain a little more clean during meal time. He really likes to use the fork and always likes to have it in his hand even if he doesn't use it much.

Parker was really helpful on night when he went to bed an hour early. We weren't quite ready for him to be going to bed, let's just say we were a bit surprised during dinner.

The happiest day this year for Willie!

Willie was so excited the day he decided what to do with his birthday money. He called me up and said, 'I've decided what to do with my birthday money.' I just had a smile on my face thinking it had to do something with golf. I didn't realize that it would be tickets to the practice round of the last PGA tournament of the year. Willie really LOVES golf. He was such a sweetheart and invited me to go with him. We gave Parker away for the day and we traveled down to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA. The top 30 players of the year were invited to this tournament. I loved being behind the camera or behind the scenes because I could sit back and watch Willie get as excited as a little kid in a toy store. Our favorite picture of the day is of Willie and Ernie Els, who knows, baby number two may become Ernie Harrison. The day was filled with fun and Willie had a smile on his face nearly every second of the day. Thanks to those who gave Willie the opportunity to see Phil, Ernie, Jim, Stewart, etc...

Parker and his great hiding place.

Parker loves to get into the cupboard on a daily basis. When we first moved into the apartment he could roam through all the cupboards at his level. Now he is left with one of the smallest ones. He likes to take his toys and put them inside. He plays hide and seek. One day I knew that Parker was in the kitchen with me but I thought that he had left. I asked Willie where Parker was because I thought he was getting into some trouble. Then I heard a faint little knock on the cupboard door and just had to laugh. Parker sure did trick me that time.

Chattahoochee Adventures

There are no pictures for this all too wonderful adventure. I wish we had taken the camera with us. We decided to go on a walk that took us from a playground to a loading dock for rafts and canoes. At the dock there were ducks and geese, a great place for little boys to become adventurous. Along with a friend and her son we made the short trek to the riverside. Parker was becoming a little more daring and he decided to step into the river a little. He was enjoying going in and out of the Chattahoochee river. His little friend was throwing rocks and was also enjoying the water's edge. As I was talking to my friend we looked over at Parker and found that he was going in a little deeper into the water. I became nervous that he would get his shorts wet, but I just let him keep playing. Parker lost his balance and we thought that he had gained it back when all of a sudden he fell face forward into the river. He was soaked except for the top of his head. I stepped into the river and pulled him out. I thought it was the funniest thing. I was just laughing. Poor Parker only wanted me to hold him, because he had just gotten wet. I didn't want to because he did just get wet. We didn't have anything that would get him dry. I didn't even have a jacket for him. Luckily, my friend lent us her son's jacket. Parker was a great kid and he never cried. He even enjoyed walking around without any pants. Parker was the first in our family to take a dip in the Chattahoochee, Willie and I would rather not swim in the river. I hope this story has entertained many of you and hopefully there will be more to come!

A morning of hiking

A day as Superman

Parker was given this shirt from his grandma. I thought it was great! We had a lot of fun on Superman day. I got a big kick out of watching him walk around.

Introducing Baby Boy #2

Well it's official, we are having another little boy. We were a little shocked, but we are very grateful. He is growing and developing well. Names have not come up yet, we'll let you know what we decide when he comes. Baby number two's due date is January 26th. We have been blessed with this little boy. Parker will love having a brother, we just need to start getting him excited for it. The pregnancy has been good, at least now that the first trimester is over. The baby is moving around when I stop moving, which means I don't feel him much except for at night when I'm going to bed. Parker keeps me occupied. We are glad to accept the new one, even if he comes out funny looking.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend we had the opportunity to spend time with my family. We traveled up to Star Valley, Wyoming to visit the Combe cabin. Parker did really well getting to know the family again. He was in a deep conversation with his uncle Brady. They had a good long talk.


This was the first photo we took of the three grandkids born in the same year. Kaylee on the far right was born first, then Parker a couple of weeks later. The cute chunk, Logan, in the middle was born about five months later. Crazy that they are all about the same size. Parker was having a rough couple of minutes, he did not want to be on the couch.

The next few photos show an activity that we got to do with two of my sisters and their husbands . Shooting a gun was an experience, let's just say I was a bit nervous and broke a couple of main rules. We were so determined to go shooting that we went in the very chilly rain. As you can see Willie got a little wet.
I shot my sisters 22 and never did dare to shoot her husbands 45. I think in my life I will just trust that nothing bad will happen. :)
























We don't have pictures of Willies favorite activity, but he finally got to go golfing over this great vacation. Parker got sick just before we left the cabin, thankfully he recovered before we flew home. We suggest that a midnight flight not be used if you plan to sleep. We had loads of fun with the family and we loved seeing them all. We had a lot of entertainment from the grandkids. As usual we had a lot of food to eat, this seems to be tradition if we go to the cabin. We are very grateful that we got the opportunity to go back to see my family. We miss them so much, and Willie's family too, of course. One adventure we took during the vacation was something we hadn't done for a very long time but it is a requirement when going to the cabin, it's golf ball hunting. Basically we don't like to buy golf balls and there are a few places where people loose a lot of golf balls, so we went hunting and came back with a bag full. We hope to make the journey to the cabin again soon. We love the memories that are made there.

Golf Practice

Parker and Willie had great fun one Sunday afternoon. Parker has been practicing with his swing, but chooses to watch his dad hit golf balls at the door. Our little dude even laughs when he gets nailed by a stray/aimed ball. With all the golf practice these two do Parker should be in the Masters Tournament by the time he is 18. I say 18 because he needs to get through high school first. Willie and Parker have a lot of fun together.

Parker's FIRST birthday!!!

Parker turned one on July 30. We didn't do much for his birthday. We, unfortunately, didn't have any family around to celebrate with them. Just before Parker's afternoon nap we took him to a local park to have fun. We've decided that he should be a good driver in the future. He loves to play with the steering wheel. Later in the evening we had some of our friends over to celebrate with Parker. They were sweet and sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. Parker didn't enjoy his dinosaur cake as much as we had hoped he would. Too bad for him, it's the last time we'll let him get the chance to dip into a cake like that. :)


One of Parkers favorite gifts came from Dad, he received some new golf clubs. More to come on his improvements with the clubs; Willie keeps Parker practicing until bedtime! Parker loaded up on new toys and from the grandparents he received some new clothes for the fall.

It's crazy looking back on Parkers life and seeing just how small he was when he was born. We have enjoyed the first year of being parents. Parker has been such a great kid and we couldn't have asked for more. We are so blessed to have one of Heavenly Fathers children in our home.

Well everyone, as you can see I don't update this very often. I still don't know my way around yet, and it will take a lot of time. So bear with me as I learn to blog. I don't get much time on the computer to be fixing the page up. Have a good one.

Jared & Rachels Wedding

July 25, 2008. We traveled to Houston, Texas to be a part of the Allen wedding. Willie's older sister Rachel married Jared. We are happy to have a new member in the Harrison Family. We enjoyed the wedding in the temple. Parker wasn't able to attend (he's a little young). We had great baby sitters though. We had fun at the reception that night. Parker looked great all decked out in his tux, might I add that Willie looked handsome too. Willie's youngest sister, Anna, caught the bouquet and Jared's youngest brother caught the garter. How perfect.

May Vacation

Our trip in May was a blast. After two fun-filled weeks we made it back to Georgia. My little sister got married to Brady Munns. We spent time in Logan, Utah with Willie's family. Then we headed for the 'Happiest place on Earth'!

Eight months old!

Parker is looking more like Willie when he was little. I'm starting to wonder what kind of features of mine Parker has. I think he is one cute kid. Parker has been fun to have around.

Our Little Dude!

Parker is our little blessing in life. He was born at the end of July. Parker is growing up more and more every day. He can now stand up and get down on his own. He has even been learning to walk around. He is a great kid and now he is even better because he sleeps more through the night. His first tooth came in and that's when the sleeping got better, yeah!