Highlights of 2008

This year has been crazy at The Harvey House, and I had pretty much decided we would not send out our Annual Christmas Newsletter, but then decided that I would regret it if I didn't document our life in 2008. So here we are at the last minute throwing something together, so if our life in letter seems a little jumbled or hectic then we have done a good job at capturing what it is like around here as of late. Thankfully we have not had any major home projects this year, but Amy's sister Arin & her husband Troy, & their 3 lovely, BIG dogs lived with us for several months over the summer, while their new house was being built. It was fun having them and they actually still love our kids, even after seeing their true, TRUE colors so it's all good. We also took a week long trip back to Oklahoma in October to visit family. It was such a refreshing time for all of us and really made us wish we lived in the country. Maybe someday....but for now:

Ryan is still chugging along in school. We realize that most people who have gone to school as long as he has have Doctorates, but what can we say. He is transferring to the University of Utah this Spring and has applied to several Nursing Programs. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he gets accepted to the U's program but really we will take whatever we get. He is still managing Pearle Vision in West Valley. And serving as a counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. Ryan is holding strong under all of this weight and despite such a busy and demanding schedule, he does his best to make time for our family and tries to do whatever he can to help out when he is home.

Amy is still busy, busy, busy and wishes that just a few more hours could be added to the day. She is still working one day a week at Target and is not looking forward to working more once Ryan starts the Nursing Program. Amy finally got smart and turned her love of bargain shopping into a profitable endeavor thanks to ebay. Now not only does she get the thrill of snagging a good deal, she gets a double thrill when she sells it and makes money! After being released from the Primary Presidency earlier this year, Amy was called to serve as the Home, Family, & Personal Enrichment Co-Chair. It has been a lot of fun being involved with such wonderful activities and women.

Isac is 10 now & in the 5th grade. We are loving this year in school. He has a great teacher & the curriculum has reminded me why 5th grade was my favorite year in school. He is learning a lot and while science is his strong point, he is really enjoying geography and history. Isac is our creative child and we often marvel at the things that his mind comes up with. He loves watching Discovery Channel and his favorite is Survivor Man. He claims that when he is 18 he plans to move to Antelope Island and live off the land. Good luck with that Isac. His most exciting news of the year is that his parents were actually nice for once and gave in to his years of begging for a pet and allowed him to get a hamster. He also ditched the glasses for contacts. He will be grown up before we know it.

Emily is still our little fireball. Always the strong-willed child, at 3 she continues to keep us on our toes. She started preschool this year, & after approximately 3 weeks of screaming bloody murder everyday, she has decided that she absolutely loves it! She is always learning something new & we think she is brilliant. However our sweet little Emily has become such a tomboy that there are times when we worry about how she will turnout. Most days she will only answer to the name Lightning (McQueen), can frequently be seen wearing Spider-man clothes, & she is convinced that when she grows up she is going to be a dad. Emily is a good sister, always willing to cater to & take care of her brothers. She loves her daddy & is her mom's best friend.

Our little baby Mack is getting too big, too fast. When he reaches the 18 month milestone this month, he will go to nursery and opposite of the previous children in this family, he cries because he wants to GO to nursery and he can't yet. He has been such a joy to our family, with his sweet face and charming demeanor. He is a cuddler and gives the yummiest kisses. He LOVES to be outside and is obsessed with shoes because he has learned that they are his ticket to freedom. Mack is fascinated with anything that goes, mostly trains & trucks. We think he might be a long-haul trucker when he grows up and we wonder if we should have given him a different name.

At this time, with so much uncertainty, and so many challenges facing each of us and the world as a whole it is comforting to know where we can always turn for peace. We recognize that we are truly blessed and we acknowledge the love and mercy of a tender God, who has shown us the goodness of His ways and the truth that He is mindful of us all. We rejoice in the coming of His Son, even Christ, whose birth causes us to publish these glad tidings. With love and gratitude for wonderful children, a warm place to live, and food to feed us, we extend our love to you at this wonderful Christmas season.

Love, The Harvey's
Ryan, Amy, Isac, Emily, & Mack

I'm Mack

Tomorrow I will be 18 months old.

Today I went to nursery.
All by myself.

I loved it so much I didn't even notice my mom when she came to get me.
I think I might do the same thing next week, and the week after that.

Aren't I big?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMI!!!
I believe you should celebrate yourself today! Maybe you could go get your hair done or something fun like that. I think this perm would look nice, don't you?
However you choose to spend your birthday just remember that you're
Queen For The Day and that we love you!

Who are you?

It's days like this that make me wonder if this kid is even related to me.

Hungry?

Don't you just want to gobble this yummy kid up! We love our Mackey!

The Primary Program

Our ward had the Primary Program a few weeks ago.
Isac only has one more year to go.

Doesn't he look handsome?

He sang more this year than ever before, which isn't that much. However it is always fun to watch what they do sitting on the stand during the whole meeting without parents.
He wrote his own part this year.

"About a year ago my whole family went to the Hawaii temple for my aunt's wedding. I liked all of the gardens & flowers because they were beautiful."

And he even said it with such feeling & enthusiasm.

NOT, it seemed like maybe he was talking about a trip to the dentist or something.

Spaghetti Anyone?

ENJOY!

What?

Combing Emily's hair for church this morning I asked her how she wanted it.

"I want it like IRONMAN." was her reply.

How exactly would you do that....

And finally...

...the real reason we went to Oklahoma was to get some of this:The most delicious BBQ in the WORLD!
I wish I had some right now. I think Mack does too.

Home is where the heart is...

...and a piece of my heart will always be here. At my Ganny's.

A walk on the farm.

More of the Maize

Here is some of Ryan's handiwork to enjoy...


Isn't this adorable...I NEED one!It didn't take us long to see that Mack LOVES tractors.Isac digging in the GIANT sand pile. Do you think we could have one in our back yard?

Emi shooting the Pumpkin Cannon. Loved it.

Oh yeah,

and Isac took us on a hay ride.
Aren't we having fun wind & all!

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about it...

...but I still have a few things to post about our trip! We spent an afternoon playing at that the local park, Shannon Springs. We forgot to bring bread to feed the ducks, but the kids had fun walking around on the bridge, and they even had some of the old school playground equipment from back in the day!
This kid loves life!
The merry-go-round! Always a favorite...hard to believe it is still there. Not exactly the safest thing to have around.
Mack thought it was great that the ducks were so friendly, until they bit him. If you look closely you can see the look of shock & terror on his precious face as he is about to burst into tears.
The End.

Trick or Treat....

I guess Isac chose TRICK.
He threw up all night.
It was hot dogs.
I HATE throw up and I HATE hot dogs so this made for a pretty pathetic situation.
He didn't make it to the toilet the first time.
I am the mother that runs the opposite direction when the puking starts.
Thank goodness Ryan was home.
He shampooed carpet till midnight.
Not entirely because of the throw up mess.
I think he just was having too much fun.

Isac is feeling much better this morning but what a bummer way to spend Halloween when you're 10.
Let's just hope no one else in the family follows his lead.

Here is a preview of our little monsters' costumes:
We have Indiana Jones,Mack the Train Engineer, and Woody.
Happy Halloween!!!

More visits.

This is Isac with his first dad, Chris.We saw him twice on our trip.
It was kind of strange, but in a good way.
It was amazing to see how alike they are in random things & ways.
It was interesting to see a spark or connection between them, I don't mean to get too deep or personal, but it really seemed like they have always known each other and have a strong bond, even though we have VERY little contact with him and we haven't seen him in over 5 years.
Isac was only 5 at the time and alot has changed since then.
It was a little overwhelming for me but,
It was also important to me that Isac had the chance to see him.
I was appreciative that Chris took time out of his schedule to make a visit work.

And I don't really mind that Isac looks so much like him, I just hope he turns out acting more like Ryan!
Oh and this is his ME-ME. I am glad we got to spend sometime with her too. She was always good to us.