The main reason that I have decided to start this blog is due to my absolute lack of memory. It amazes me when I try to remember little things about each child (mainly Adam since he is that middle one) and it all is like a blur. Also, since we haved moved once a year on average, life is always changing and eventful for the Harrison household. Basically, I plan to use this as my journal so that we might have a record of life during these crazy toddler/child days. To give a summary of where we are right now, I have decided to cut and paste the "Christmas letter" from this past year ........that I never got a chance to send out. Here it is:

Happy New Year!
We try to send out a newsletter and picture to everyone about once every three years so here we are in 2007! The most exciting event in 2006 for our family, as you all know, was the birth of Annabelle Leah Harrison on October 4th. We are all enjoying doting on our sweet baby girl. We also built a “spec house” which is on the market as we speak (spread the word to anyone you may know who is in the market to buy a beautiful house in a great neighborhood). For the first time since Seth and I met, we have been in the same house the entire year! (which we plan on putting on the market this spring).

Rowdy-- that is the word I use to describe the boys most often. They spend their days wrestling each other, fighting in “wars” (usually against the Philistines), riding bikes or “hunting” in the backyard. Caleb is 5 years old and Adam turned 4 in October. Caleb loves dirt bikes and four wheelers but Adam is obsessed with them. The highlight of their year was taking 2 trips to Seth’s family’s hunting land in south Georgia, “Bear Creek”, where they spent the weekend riding four wheelers, fishing and camping. It has been wonderful to watch them with Annabelle. They both really love babies and are very sweet and helpful with her. They take turns pushing her around the house in her little “exersaucer”. Adam loves to hold and kiss on her, while Caleb helps me out by doing little things like keeping her pacie in while we drive.

Speaking of Annabelle, she is three months old now and quite a joy to have around. She is an easy, laid-back gal who has been working on using her hands lately and pushing up while lying on her tummy. Her most notable achievement to date was entertaining Billy Graham over my shoulder at his grandson’s wedding last week.

As I mentioned earlier, Seth built a beautiful house this year and has kept busy with work and “side jobs” to provide for the rest of us this year. He did some really great pitching (and hitting) for his baseball team this summer. Besides spending the year pregnant and giving birth, I am learning to play the guitar which I love! I am also back to teaching a couple of aerobics classes during the week to get us out of the house some.

So, there is a little snapshot of the Harrison family. We love you all and appreciate all of the gifts and meals we received this past year for Annabelle’s arrival. We haven’t had to buy diapers yet and the closet is still full!

Love,
The Harrisons

Oh yeah, it turned into a NewYears letter. Since then, we have put our personal house on the market along with our spec house and are desperately praying that God will send some buyers as our savings and home equity are dwindling with each month. I read somewhere that the real estate market is the worst it has been in 10 years or some crap. We have a showing next week for a famliy that likes the neighborhood already and so hopefully we will get a contract. Until then we will just be hanging, up to our eyeballs in debt, waiting for the next move.

Now, I really want to make sure that most everything I write is somewhat upbeat and that I do not just spew my rantings and whining about life. I will make sure that I always write well-rested and fed. (but not over-fed) We have a running joke in the family about my psycho journal that my my teacher, Ms. Hood, had us keep in 2nd grade. We were supposed to write during the mornings before class started and I always chose to write on my "bad" days when I had been spanked or we were late or something of that nature had happened before school. You would have thought I was from the worst home in town! I do think that Ms. Hood saw through me and got a real kick out of my entries. So, I won't do that here.

That's all I have time for now.