I just wanted to let you all know that today, April 28th, has been declared
"Robbie Day" ... Because the day that Robert Mark Harmon was born should be a universal holiday! I am just overwhelmingly grateful for this sweet day. Our little family wouldn't be what it is without Robbie...the way he kindly and patiently teaches and loves me and our children is amazing. He is always thinking of us and does SO much to build our family and bring us closer to Christ. I don't know what I would do without him! I LOVE ROBERT MARK HARMON!! Happy Robbie Day everyone!

I decided yesterday that being a mom is really the best job ever. Not like I didn't think that before, but yesterday it really hit me. I was on a conference call with a group of women who were all national winners from one year or another of America's Junior Miss... one of them is the editor of In Style magazine, another one is on broadway in Shrek, one of them is a dermatologist, another one is a pediatrician, one is a broadcast journalist, and another works for an agency in NYC...but none of those I mentioned are moms who stay at home (and only two of those I mentioned are even married and they're almost all over 30). They are a group of amazing women whom I look up to and love being around. So I had been on the call for about an hour generating ideas about marketing and a new direction for the Junior Miss Program, and the kids had been asleep but Bree woke up and I turned on a movie (her new favorite, The Wizard of Oz) planning to get off soon. She was eating peas and next thing I know I hear, "Mommy, could you please help me get this pea out of my nose?" :) I just smiled, hung up the phone and ran over there. Soon enough Gabe was up and ready to eat and as I sat there feeding him and calling the Dr. for a recommendation on how to dislodge the pea (it was way up there!) I just got the best feeling - there was nothing I would rather be doing! I was just so grateful to be doing something that makes a LASTING impact on the world! I would rather "market" how fun it is to eat vegetables than be on some important marketing team. I would rather be "the family cook" then the best chef at an expensive, well-known restaurant! And I would even rather be a "house-maid" then be traveling for business staying at all the nicest hotels. None of that compares really! I get to "work with" the most attractive, wonderful man alive, and get to teach (well, mostly learn from) the most wonderful children...and those children will hopefully grow up to love God, develope Christ-like attributes, live happy lives, and keep on giving to the world. What a blessing to know there is more to life than what's on TV. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the perspective it gives! AND I am SO grateful for a mother who was the best example of true, successful, motherhood.

P.S. I couldn't get the pea out, but I knew Robbie could...he came home and tried sucking it out with a little infant nasal clearing thing, which brought it down a bit. Then he put his finger over the nostril the pea wasn't in (stopping the air flow) and told her to blow. She blew, the pea shot out into her hand, and she popped it into her mouth!! Oh it was hilarious!

I thought I would share a few of my favorite things about this week:

COSTA RICA!! For those of you who were waiting to hear we found out this week we ARE doing a semester abroad from January-April 2010!! I can hardly wait! If any of you have any tips for learning Spanish let me know!

Grandpa Lon coming to visit! (Sorry for the cheesy picture dad, but it was so cute how excited Bree was to get someone to do play dough at 7:30 AM!)

My children who LOVE each other!

When Bree chooses her own outfits :) (Don't worry, we don't leave the house like this!)

Mary Poppins (This is Bree's FAVORITE movie...it's such a life saver when I need a second to do something for Gabe or whatever...she's always thrilled when she gets to watch it. She goes around the house singing, "Let's go fly a kite" or "Step in time step in time" and kicks her legs up... so cute! :)

Play dates (Cute Mya Robinson... they were sharing

"the sacrament" in this picture! After the water they told me they needed some bread to pass :)

My UNC boys (go Tarheels!! At the moment we are up by 10!)

And my very favorite thing is General Conference! Both sessions today were so wonderful and I know that I will be so sad, as I always am, when tomorrow is over. I am so grateful for such wonderful leaders who are so inspired. I just want to be so much better and am just thankful for repentance! (And I love that my husband will be home from Priesthood Session any minute wanting to be a better husband and father :) He doesn't have much room for improvement though!)

Raindrops on Roses...

Hello! After a month of thinking every day, "Oh I should post about this!" I am finally here! Here is an update on each of us:

BREE: Oh so cute! This month she moved into a "big girl bed". The first few days she was so excited and slept great, but then she started doing what she did before (this is our second move in the bed) sleeping on the ground by the door. So Robbie had the idea of making a little chart. The week before we had gone out for ice-cream and she loved it! So he told her that if she got five stickers we would go out for ice-cream again. It worked like a charm! (The days it looks like she missed were a consequence for not obeying.) Ever since she has slept in her bed! A couple weeks ago I got together with some of my girlfriends whose husbands were all doing their final examinations for dental school and were out of town in VA for the weekend. I was invited because Robbie volunteered to be a patient for one of them (and get a free filling! It was a great $ saver, except that the poor guy had to sit with his mouth open for 6 hours!! Jacob just wanted to do it right for the test, but didn't realize it would take that long! Was it worth it honey?) The kids played dress up and we had a blast! You'll notice though, Bree has on a different dress in each picture... every time she put one on she would notice one a friend was wearing and want that one! Funny, she's never even liked dressing up until that night?! Also this month we have had some warm days!! Oh I can't wait until every day is warm and sunny!! Bree's new favorite thing is making sand castles. Also Bree is just talking up a storm. She is so polite and is really just the sweetest thing! Here are a couple examples of things she is saying...

• While Gabe is sitting in the swing and I am cooking dinner... Bree- "Mom! Gabe say cracker!" Me- "Oh really? I didn't hear him say cracker?" Bree- "Mom! Gabe say cracker like this... " and she does the sign for cracker :) Me- "Oh, he did the sign for cracker!" Bree- "Ya!"
• Robbie asks Bree to say the prayer for dinner... Bree-"Heavenly Father, thank you day, food, mommy, daddy, baby Gabe, Bree Elizabeth Harmon, missionaries, President Monsont (she always adds a "t" to his name?), my chair..." Robbie- "Please bless the..." Bree- "food..." Robbie- "Please help us to be..." Bree- "happy..." Robbie- "And please help me to feel..." (Bree has been really sick these past few days so we expected her to say "better"). Bree- "My Savior's love..." It was the cutest!
  
• Me- "Bree that is a beautiful dress!" Bree- "Thanks!"

And this one is my favorite...

• Robbie had turned on one of my dance videos from college while she was getting on her pjs. He pointed me out and she was just fixated watching the dancing. Then suddenly she turned to me and said, "Beautiful dancing mommy!"

Gabe just lights up when Bree is around and always smiles at her! She loves him so much and I can't wait for her to feel better so that they can interact again! She is the BEST big sister!

GABE: He is just growing too fast! One thing I love about having a second child is I feel like I am enjoying it so much more! Robbie and I are just more relaxed about things and it's just so fun! He is sleeping so well and is just so happy! He is already a tar-heel fan and is cheering them on to what we think will be a big win this month! And the beginning of the month was his baby blessing! We had some dear friends, the Ashidas and the Lopezs, come visit our church for the occasion. Robbie did such a great job, he included everything that I would have thought of and I know it will bless Gabe as he looks back on it!

ROBBIE: Oh what a wonderful month this has been for my wonderful husband! He secured summer work with a health-care consulting company out of Glendale, AZ. He'll be able to work here and just travel a little bit. It should be good experience! Also, the biggest miracle (of our married life probably!) is that we were finally granted residency! We have been denied for the past 2 1/2 years, and have been praying (along with our families) that this time it would work out. The reason being that it cuts tuition in HALF!! So such a blessing! AND our last bit of exciting news is still in the works but I am so excited I can't contain myself...we may be doing a semester abroad in Costa Rica! We'll hear for sure on Friday, but we've applied and our chances are really good they say. We would go for Robbie's last semester of his MBA from January-April 2010. (They have the top Business School in Latin America and it was actually started by Harvard.) So be looking for news in the next couple of days! (Well, let's be honest, it may be in next month's post :)

ME: Really I am just SO happy to be back exercising! Though it's harder to find the time with two children and a busy husband, oh it's so worth it! It makes me feel normal again!

Happy March to anyone reading this!

First I have to say that I have the sweetest husband ever! I just saw his post today! Wow. I am SO blessed! (And wow that you actually posted something honey! Does that mean you actually look at our blog sometimes?!) As you can see, Gabe gets his good looks from his daddy! This is a picture of Robbie and Bree before going to the Daddy-daughter Valentine's Dance at our church. Bree was SO excited and they had a great time!

So I thought that even though blogging isn't the first thing on my list to do in the short (and mean SHORT) amount of spare time I have, I wanted to post some pictures of my beautiful son.

We are having such a wonderful time watching him grow, but especially watching Bree with him...

she just LOVES him! The cutest thing is how much she loves to hold his hand :) In the car, on the couch, while he's eating...I think it's because she always wants to hold her friends' hands, but they never want to. So finally someone who will hold her hand! (As if he has a choice right?!) Every time she holds him it's all about holding his hand too :) He is just the cutest little boy and we can't wait to see what he's like as he grows even more! Though, as a friend pointed out, the more children you have the less time you own for yourself, I am grateful that I have chosen this path and am trying to make every moment count! (Well, at least I am reminding myself of that when I am so tired and Gabe is sleeping but Bree is jumping off the couch!) God knew what he was doing when he let us be parents...adding a second child to our family is teaching me even more! Being a mom is the best!