Easter, gone in a blink!

HAPPY EASTER!!!! Harley had a fun time looking around the house for her basket. She didn't have a clue what we were looking for but was sure happy when we found it!!! I love looking at the Easter pictures in my baby book and I'm excited for Harley to have those same memories. I also made some baskets for Bryant, Emily, Grama and Grampa Howell.

I hunted Emily down and convinced her to join the party here at the Howell's for Easter. We had tons of food, a fun egg hunt and a pretty darn good time! I was kinda bummed that Easter fell on Conference this year but Bryant and I had a little scripture study and I actually got a bunch of Bryant's family together to go to church with Bryant's mom. I straightened her hair, got her all dressed and ready to go and the minute we were loading into the car she decided she "couldn't possibly" make it. They tried to call it off but there's no way I got Harley and I ready, and had other people in the car waiting for no reason! So guess what? THEY WENT darn it!!! I really couldn't tell you if any of them had been in years. But I think standing in the back of a packed Catholic church listening to things none of us understood still gave Easter deeper meaning! We talked on the way home about how the important thing that our different religions had in common, was that we believed we had a savior who died for us. No matter what our Christian tittle, we know that having those same beliefs bring us closer together. It was a really nice 7 minute car ride!!

Amen Already!

The last few nights we've started letting Harley take a turn saying prayers before bed. The first time she only repeated a few words. This is something like how last night's went;

Me:Dear Heavenly Father,

Harley: Heben Fodder

Me: Thank you for this day,

Harley:Thanks day!

Me:(smiling) thank you for momma,

Harley: THANks MOMma!

Me:(kinda laughing) thank you for daddy,

Harley:daaaddyyyy,

Me: Please bless we sleep good,

Harley: Sleep good,

Me:Please bless we have no bad dreams,

Harley: (sigh) silence

Me:(laughing again) in the name of Jesus Christ,

Harley: Chriiiis

Me: Amen.

Harley and Bryant together: Amen!

Another funny thing she's been doing is trying to sound out words. I'll help her enunciate by saying something like, "fa fa fa fork" or "la la la light" she'll copy me and make me feel so smart. Then she walks around the house saying, " lalalalalalala SPOOON." and "sah sah sah sah sah MOM."

I love seeing her little personality blossom. Someone at church yesterday said, " Doesn't she have the sweetest spirit?" I of course replied, yes. Then he said, "I could hear her 'AMEN' over everyone Else's." Harley is that reassurance I need sometimes that I'm doing something right.

Get OUT!!!!

Dear Family,
I tell you this story to tell you another.....

Harley had a doctor's appointment Friday and ended up needing some shots. She got a double dose-er in one and a flu shot in the other. She took 'em like a champ and cried for maybe 30 seconds. The bummer was her waking up in the middle of the night with a temperature of 100.4. I'm told that fevers are common for baby's after shots so I didn't worry too much. Unfortunately I'd stayed up until around 11:00pm that night,(I have a baby monitor in my room so I can hear Mom Howell get up at night. When Dad Howell stays up and watches TV all I hear on my monitor is the news, obnoxious commercials and whatever TV show is on! So I have to wait for him to go be for I can.) waiting for Dad Howell to go to bed. When I went to check on Harley before I turned in, she was whimpering and started to cry. I stripped her down to her diaper and got a cold wash cloth that she didn't tolerated at first,but eventually kept telling me, "back, back mama." I'd lay it on her back and she'd whisper, "Tank oo, tank oo mama, tanks mom." I'd finally gotten Harley to sleep and decided to just crash on the couch, next to Mom Howell. About an Hour later(2:30am) Mom decided to go potty. I'd taken her, got her situated in her chair, given meds and sat back down only for her to decide she needed to go again. Needless to say it was beginning to be a LONG night. Luckily, Franny(Bryant's oldest sister, 25 yrs to the day) got up shortly after that to take a shift and I got to crawl into my bed. Poor Harley woke up at 6:00am with another fever and got more Tylenol, another cold wash cloth and half of a Popsicle. We stayed up until around 7:30am and went back to bed(where I was dead to the world) until about 10:00am.

Now to the story I wanted to tell but had to tell the other to get to.(follow that?) Harley's been stuck in the house for two days straight because of her continuous fever and was about to go crazy if we didn't GET OUT!! I got she and I dressed for the first time in two days and we headed to Auntie Em's. I knew I'd just catch her getting back from church and hoped she give us the sanctuary and sanity that we were desperately seeking. Of course we got to pet horses, play with dogs and eat homemade potato soup with bacon(yummmmmy!) So this post is definitely a thanks to my sister for saving the day and stopping Harley and I from having utter and complete meltdowns!! After soup we headed to Scenic Shores just down the way, to swing the swings and slide the slides. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my family that lets me pop in and unload. Thanks to you all for always having room for a few more. Oh and did I mention yet that I love you all? Update you soon, Love Manda Moe!

A morning Lula-bye

This morning I woke to a SCREAM from poor Harley J. She apparently was helping Grandma Howell let Daisy in and somehow didn't move her hand before Grandma shut it in the door.......Hard! Needless to say it was very sad. Bryant's sister Francis(Auntie Franny) was super sweet and didn't wake me when Harley decided to get up an hour early at 7:00am, had already fed Her pancakes and eggs and had stepped away for half a minute. I jumped out of bed and rushed to a very sad daughter who asked me while crying, "Nigh night?, rocky rocky? Rocka baby in top top? Pleassse, pleassse!" Which interpreted means, "Rock me in my rocking chair and sing 'Rock-a-bye baby in a tree top' so I can fall asleep because this is all to much for me!" I asked her back, " You want to go back to bed?" Still sad and crying she assured me, "yeeeaaahh". So that's what we did. Rocka baby in a top top. It still makes me smile and kinda giggle just thinking about how I started my day and how she ended her morning. Poor baby.....

Killing time till summer comes

Something to do to pass the time! We've had a few cold but sunny days these past few weeks and we took the opportunity to get Uncle Buck's little quad out and let the kids go crazy! Harley loved riding the quad as long as SHE was driving. After,we had a picnic on the porch with ham and cheese sandwiches, string cheese and apple slices... yum! My favorite part is that my daughter wanted her nails painted and helped put on my make up and then couldn't wait to go get dirty! By the way, I had my ultrasound appointment Monday and found out we're having a.......................Baby!

Ha ha just kidding, it's a BOY!!!!! ( as mom would say, "I'm so funny, I kill me")!!!

This Journey Called Life

Hello friends and family. I've decided to just give a quick update on life here in Howell Town. Bryant's mom was diagnosed with a lung disease called COPD(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)a few years back. It's pretty much chronic bronchitis and emphysema from about 50 years or more of smoking. Recently she came home from the hospital only to be admitted again yesterday because she refuses to quit. This will be her 3rd stay in less than 12 months. At this point we're told that if she doesn't stop smoking immediately, she'll continue to get infections in her lungs that her body can't defend. Her lungs need steroids to open and enable her to get and use oxygen, but being on long term steroids has weekend her immune system and bone density to an untreatable degree. So in a nut shell we're told this disease has run it's course and Mom Howell is on the last leg of her journey.

We're also struggling with Bryant being away, dealing with responsibilities in Yakima. Needless to say, he'd much rather be here with his mom and family for what little time is left and isn't able to. Other than these recent trials, we've been getting along okay. Harley's been talking up a storm and is getting so tall! I can't believe she'll be two this year. My belly's getting noticeably bigger and we'll be able to find out what the baby is in less than two weeks!!! I've been struggling with mixed emotions from pregnancy, and the above mentioned situations but realize how grateful I am for the knowledge that I've been able to obtain young. The Word of Wisdom and The Plan of Salvation have given me a perspective that most of the people around me are oblivious to. I'm grateful I have these things to comfort me. So family, add the Howell's to your prayers tonight and know we love you all.

Some of This and That

We made it over the mountain for Halloween so Harley's first trick-or-treating experience could be with family. This year she was a Dragon. When we bought her costume we were told to go home and try it on to make sure it was perfect because they would only be excepting returns for one more day. I was a little nervous of making her wear it more than once but I did want to make sure she could walk with a big tail and the hood wouldn't cover her eyes etc. Silly me... We got it on and it was perfect. The only problem was trying to get it off. She kept running to our closet mirror and checking it out! She wore that thing the rest of the dang night!

Halloween Day is also Kamden's Birthday(Harley's cousin) so we had a fun weeny roast and costume party for Him.(He's Alfalfa) Later we went to trick or treat Jen's neighborhood where Harley thought it was actually more fun to go into houses rather than stop at the doorway!

Not much else too exciting going on. Here are some other pictures of the windings down of summer.