Katrina and the snake!

So here we are, living on more land than I have ever experienced and look what we find! I am thrilled to have someone like Katrina nearby. She never ceases to amaze me, she knows what snakes are good, what animals they eat, and why we shouldn't chop their heads off! As if that wasn't enough, she is even able to stick her arm inside the birdhouse where the snake was hiding out, grab his head, pull out said snake, and carry it across the road to safer places. Thank you my dear, may you enjoy your time here with us as much as we are enjoying you and your sweet family!

Summer Fun, Part 2

So, last night I had a wonderful visit and Girls Night Away with my dear Fayetteville friends, Blair and MeMe. I call them Fayetteville friends because as we discussed this weekend, we all met in high school, knew each other through college, but have only become close since then (sort of). It's one of those strange, yet wonderful, relationships that might not have made it through all the ups and downs of time, but by the grace of God He has kept our hearts united through time, miles, babies, more babies, and careers (even changing them). My mom commented that she was proud of us for keeping in such good contact, but I think of it as something even more. The Lord united us three in such a way and through such experiences that it's easy to be together. There was never an awkward silence, there was always encouragement, heart-level sharing, and much laughter. We stayed in a great and "green" hotel, had a great dinner, we saw the new Steve Carrell movie, "Get Smart." We laughed looking for water from a bottle in the hotel late at night, talked until way too late about marriages and the beautiful thing it is, slept until 8:30(very late), had an amazing free and "included" breakfast, spa-quality pedicures, though MeMe's was a bit better, shopped for a bit, and ended our adventure with a wondrous late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. What more could any girl want on a weekend?

A huge shout-out to our amazing husbands for taking the children without even a grump. Jeff gets the Diaper Award for changing one that actually looked AND smelled like hot dogs, Brian gets the Doctor Award for taking care of a sickly almost one-year old all alone (not easy!), and John gets the Creativity Award for making really good plans for Boy Day without any mommy suggestions! Love to you all- and thanks girls!
P.S> They are totally NOT pregnant anymore, I just didn't have any newer pics. Their babies will both be one this summer, and they look fabulous!

Summer Fun, Part 1

It seems there is much fun to be had in the Harrigan home. Last night, Daddy had a late meeting, so we played outside after dinner, got eaten alive by mosquitoes, but as you can see it was well worth it. Samuel had his first whole Popsicle, all by himself, while Benjamin was rolling around the driveway. If you listen carefully, you'll hear Benjamin telling me what to do with the video we took. "Put it on the computer mommy!"

Peter, Part 1- "AT ONCE"

Okay, so it seems that I have gotten very good at posting about my children. But as I read and am inspired by my friends' Kayla and Candace's blogs, I began to realize that I might have something else going on in my life and heart besides my children, as lovely as they are. :) SO, here is my first attempt to process through the ups and downs of a life in God through my eyes, and not my child's.

I spent the last year in a group called Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) studying the book of Matthew. I had a really great experience this year, as always, though something interesting has caught my attention. One week, one day, they asked a question about Peter. In the book of Matthew, there a great many events involving Peter's life and I went back and listed them in the order they are recorded there. Now, I won't get into them all right now, after all, it's only part one and who knows how many there will be. But, I did find a certain camaraderie with Peter, the Rock. He's a man who often had to put his foot in his mouth. He stumbled grandly, but found himself in the midst of the Son's prayers. He was the rock on whom the church was built. So, here's my first experience with Peter.

Matthew 4:18-20- "As Jesus was walking beside the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers. Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. . . . . "Come. Follow me." Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him."

Okay, so I am no great theologian, but I love the interactions we see with Peter. First, he's a fisherman. Nothing so great, makes a good living, is responsible enough to maintain a boat, always eats his omega-3's. He's out doing the daily grind, and an apparent stranger comes up to him. He is so overwhelmed by the presence of the Godhead, that AT ONCE he leaves everything he knows to follow. How I long for that! I am sometimes too cautious or too spontaneous, neither of the time being as connected to the work of the Lord as I long to be. You know? I am making the pros and cons list in my head, I am checking to see if it is "wise," and most of the time I am fighting off this thing called fear that resides within us. Peter had none of the above. He connected with the God of the universe, he was aware of what was happening, and most wisely, jumped on for the ride. No hesitation, no questions, AT ONCE.

Lord, help me to move when you move and stay when you stay. No questions, no worries, just ultimately at peace in your place, as long as you are there.

Watch out David Beckham!

So we have participated in our first team sport. What fun! It's called Bitty Soccer, we met 6 times over three weeks, we had 2 practices, 1 scrimmage, and 3 games. Then it's over! Not too much and just enough. I must admit I was a very proud mother. John and I watched as Benjamin kicked harder and with better aim than any of the others! (Well, maybe.) As we were walking out I was talking to another mother and we were debating this question. I want to pose it to all of you all out there and see what you think and what your experience has taught you. In life, I want him to learn to do things with excellence. To play to the best of his abilities, to not take advantage of the opportunity he has been afforded, and to grow in his skills and abilities. He really does have some athletic ability. I also want him to gain from team experiences, learning from others, and working together, depending on others. How do you balance that with love and humility? I want to encourage him but not push him. Challenge him but not stress him out. I don't want to be "that mom." You know? Anyway, we couldn't come to any valuable conclusions, so if you have any ideas let me know. Oh to raise sons in the 21st century. . . .

We thought this was really funny and should be shared with all we love and love to entertain. :) Summer has arrived in full force and we are most definitely excited. Love to all!

To the train!

Well, for a quick update we finally made it to the train at the zoo. This time it was a family affair, mothers get to ride free on Mother's Day. :) Sadly, of course, it didn't turn out to be quite as exciting as we had once thought. It was really fun and even better since we got to ride the tram too. We saw the tigers, cheetah's, kangaroos, and gorillas. What fun! Benjamin is already asking about when we get to ride again (and yes, it was that short of a ride!) Oh well, it's just one more proof that Jesus coming back will be really exciting, even more that the train at the zoo.

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first!"

Amen and amen!

More Arkansas Friends!

Though I don't have all the pics yet, I thought I would go ahead and share about the fun we had this weekend and the power of long-standing relationships. The Lord has been so gracious to give me wonderful friends, even ones who will stay around through all my craziness and wild-eyed Jesus talking. Blair Luper Wood is one of those who came into my life in 10th grade, as a sophomore in high school, and now as a wonderful mother she and her family came for a visit. Blair, Brian, Kate and Davis came up late Friday night and we had about the funnest day ever on Saturday. We went and ate pancakes and the International House of Pancakes (not prayer!) and then went to this great farm/playground/picnic place with a fishing pond. Check it out- Deanna Rose's Farmstead

Nonetheless, we had a ball and can't express how wonderful it is to be with old friends, but also how wonderful it is to be united in heart through this crazy ride called motherhood. Blair, it's a pleasure to be on it with you. You are great at what you do!

Arkansas friends. . .

Okay, so a couple of weekends ago, the boys and I went to Fayetteville and John went to a conference in Minnesota. While we were there, my mom was in charge of keeping a dear friend, Baby Josiah. Josiah is the son of my high school friend MeMe Hagers (and her husband Jeff). Anyway, it was hilarious watching the boys interact and I thought I would show you a choice picking of the weekends activities.
First we were a bit sad.



Then we had a great time! (in our matching pj's of course)



Then Samuel wanted to sit REALLY close, but our new friend didn't seem to mind too much.



By the end of the weekend, we all had lots of fun in the bath!



And we were a little bit tired after all the fun. . .



Nonetheless, I am ever grateful for my dear friend MeMe and love her more than I did the day we met, as long ago as that was. Though we live far apart, it was wonderful to get to spend time playing with and holding her baby. Though our hearts are joined in the Lord and motherhood, it still makes a difference to get my hands on that sweet one. I feel like I know him better now, and maybe he'll learn a bit more about his LiLi. Sweet friends. . . .

Are we big enough yet?

Before
After


Well, it appears that my youngest has taken the next step into toddlerhood. I am not sure which was a bigger deal. He slept through the night (until 6:30) in his own bed last night. He went through two outfits today because he had such fun playing outside. OR He got his first haircut today. Though it was sad for me, it was not as bad as Benjamin first (I was deathly afraid that his curls were going to get cut off and never come back!) Samuel was not all that enthused with the process, but I think it went really well and he looks just great. Thanks Deanna!