Elsa's Blessing

Elsa Szeles

Siblings together for the special occasion: Jackie, Tammy, Sean & David

David, Tammy, Jackie & Sean

Uncle Brandon

Aunt Tammy

Aunt Cassia

Aunt Jackie

Grandmama

The Happy Family: Carla, Elsa, Everett & David

Its so wonderful to get everyone together especially when we are welcoming a new member to our family. Elsa has such a sweet spirit and her blessing was very touching. As one might easily guess we took dozens of pictures probably too many in fact here are just a select few. We must of had 5 different cameras going at a time. We love you Elsa!

Lego Mania

‎479 pictures later we have the "start" of a stop motion Lego film!!! My goodness is it A LOT of work! So proud of Jordan and Aidan they have great ambition, creativity and imagination!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. It is a great joy to see the beauty and kindness that is all around us. We have been amazed by the love, compassion, and concern for our family by others. This has been an incredible Christmas season so far. We have indulged in many treats, gazed at Christmas lights, sang carols and fun songs at the top of our lungs, we have been touched by scripture stories and great Family Home Evenings, we’ve made presents and shared our joy and smiles with others. We have felt the Christmas Spirit everyday since Thanksgiving and it warms our hearts with such an incredible glow that it could melt the snow filled streets of Utah. We are grateful for the challenges and obstacles we have overcome this year and the abundance of blessings we have received. It has been a wonderful and unpredictable year. A year filled with thousands of happy pictures and we know that the Lord was with us every step of the way.

At this time last year one could hardly guess that we were going to make a huge shift in our lives by moving back to San Diego yet here we are! Jordan went from successfully completing 6th grade and elementary school to thriving and progressing in 7th at De Portola Middle. He has particularly enjoyed his gateway to technology classes, building Lego displays for the Santee library, scouts, guitar lessons and being back home again surrounded by family and the beach.

Aidan completed 3rd grade as a confident leader, progressed in his Hip Hop dance classes (giving us an awesome performance before we moved), is learning the piano, has earned so many belt loops in scouts that he needs to actually wear 2 belts, and has enjoyed making new friends in 4th grade at Kumeyaay Elementary. He misses his friends dearly in Utah but is so glad for all those he has met here.

Noah has changed the most over the course of this year. He went from an energetic 4-year-old making friends and playing in preschool to a strong confident kindergartner happy to lead and learn each day. His eyes light up as he recounts all that he is learning and understanding about the world around him. He enjoys exploring his new surroundings at school and at home. He is learning to read which to us is like witnessing a miracle. All 3 boys have been wonderful through all our transitions in making a new home.

Brandon and I are very happy. We could sit in the San Diego sun all day. We truly took it for granted before but now we cherish each moment and talk about it maybe too often. Brandon is in financial services and dedicating his time to building an office here which has its challenges but in time he will be established and see the fruits of his labor. Speaking of labor, with all the boys now in school it was time for me to return to work. I am now working in the maternity ward of Scripps Mercy Hospital as a newborn photographer. It has been a pleasure and an honor taking these sweet babies first photos.

As we reflect on the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, during this season let us take a moment and remember all the blessings we have been given.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
The Harrisons
Brandon, Jacqueline, Jordan, Aidan & Noah

The Nutcracker A Christmas Tradition

My serious little "nutcrackers"

We had the idea of going to see the Nutcracker performed by the California Ballet at the Civic Theater in San Diego to get us into the Christmas Spirit. Mom and Dad were generous enough to buy the tickets and we got an incredible deal from Groupon to boot. It was well worth it. We were not supposed to take pictures during the show which is why there are so few. The boys loved the performance especially the Russian dancers. We all had a wonderful time. We laughed, we were intrigued, and entertained it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Ms Tina's Christmas Party

Jordan and Aidan take lessons from Ms Tina at Desert Rose Studios in Santee. They go every Wednesday night from 6:30 until about 7:30. Jordan plays the guitar and Aidan the piano. They had quite the "musical" Christmas party. They decorated an ornament to put on the tree, the students performed, they served refreshments and of course they got to goof around and try other instruments for the fun of it. Noah especially loved having a turn playing the drums, bells, and trying on silly hats. The all had such a great time. In fact I think Noah will be asking Santa for a drum set!

My new job

My uniform

I am so excited about my new job! With all 3 boys in school we thought it might be time for me to return to work. Not only would it be rewarding but it would help us financially. I worked for the census bureau this past May also but it was a temporary position, the job I have now can be a permanent position and/or career. I feel very blessed to have found a job I would enjoy so quickly. I LOVE my job. Sure every job has its pros and cons and of course it is work but all things considered I am very happy. So what is it!?!?!? I am a newborn photographer at Scripps Mercy Hospital in the Mission Hills/Hillcrest area. I am actually right down the street from my mom who works at Francis Parker lower school, in fact we were able to have lunch together just the other day. I trained at Scripps La Jolla this last week and will begin at Mercy on Tuesday. As with any job in the beginning there is so much to learn that one can get overwhelmed and frustrated but I am learning quickly and will find my balance & rhythm soon enough. I am very confident with the photography and handling the newborns (it is the sweetest thing in the world!!!) its just the computer software, paperwork etc that I really need to get a handle of. I did 5 portrait sessions yesterday right in the hospital room and it was incredible. These babies are amazing! It has also been so interesting to work right along side the doctors, nurses, and other staff in the maternity ward. I was so surprised how similar this position is compared to my census job if fact I have to gather a baby census report every morning at the nurses station. I still knock doors except instead of houses its hospital rooms, I still gather census data instead of family info its about the baby. Its as if my census job prepared me for this position! Below I added a little bit about the company I work for.



Our365 is America's leading provider of professional, high quality in-hospital baby photos, taking the first official portrait of over 2 million newborns every year in partnership with more than 1,900 hospitals. The treasured Newborn Portrait is reproduced in a variety of affordable baby photo products. Baby's Newborn Portrait photo session is also posted to baby's first web page where family and friends can see the precious little bundle. Our365’s WebNursery gets over 12 million page views every month. Additionally, on Our365.com, the family will find a wealth of valuable, fascinating information on raising baby. Our365 believes miracles happen every day, 365 days a year. And, every day, Our365 is here to help families share the good news.

Celebrating with a Turkey Dinner

Grandmama and Pampie are so generous to us. I think its because we provided such adorable grandchildren, never the less, they deserved a great turkey dinner on us for all that they do. Though we were having a heat wave in December and it felt like summer the meal was delicious and we ate our fill. I truly enjoy baking and cooking so it was a treat for us all!

San Diego Sunshine

I feel like I have been kissed by God! I am indeed spoiled to live in San Diego. I am tempted to put shorts on and its December! I went on a gorgeous walk, got a good workout, listened to my favorite music and admired the beauty all around me. Such a great moment! I absolutely love it when I can feel the warmth of the sun all over me, its the most comforting feeling in the world.

Grateful for food storage

I am so very grateful for food storage. Now I am not talking about 50 pounds of wheat, beans etc I am talking about storing everyday items that your family already enjoys! Anytime I am at the store I stock up on some of our favorite things. With us all being a little sick and not feeling up for a trip to the store (besides its the end of the month and we are really tight right now) I just walked to our garage opened our pantry and this great feeling came over me as I "grocery" shopped in our own storage with my grocery bag! Brandon's Irish Spring Soap, V-8 splash juice, TLC granola bars, sleepytime herbal tea, animal crackers, Uncle Ben's wild rice, even my favorite dark chocolate oatmeal cookies. Its just such a wonderful feeling to save, plan for a rainy day and have some of things you enjoy on hand. They say if you are prepared you shall not fear and sure enough we have what we need. Since moving from our house in Utah to this apartment in California we have not had our big freezer (its not allowed here) however there is plenty in our pantry and I am indeed grateful!

Time to Decorate

One of our holiday traditions is to start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Here are just a few pictures of our tree, lights, and stockings. We love having a tree in the window which meant taking the leaves out of our table to make it smaller. We were quite cozy squeezing in together to make it work. Though one is unable to see the decorations on the tree clearly from these photos, we got several comments about how nice our tree looked and what a delight it was for all those who passed by our window including all the apartment office staff who saw it everyday. It so nice when you can spread holiday cheer!

Thanksgiving

My Dad's (pampie) strict diet such an inspiration!

Noah all ready for the big feast!

He loves the drumstick refers to it as a dinosaur bone.

Jordan, Brandon, Jackie, Grandmama, Aidan, Noah and Sean

The boys in the van stopping to see Grandma Andy

Feeling lucky & blessed

* These pictures were taken earlier in November at La Jolla Cove when were having a heat wave here in San Diego.

Every now and then when I wake up I expect to be in my house in Utah and then I remember oh yea I moved back home to sunny San Diego. I have openly admitted on too many occasions how much I miss my house there, we created such a lovely home and apartment life is just not the same HOWEVER I have felt so blessed and so lucky to be surrounded by family and friends again and the weather oh the weather has been heavenly. I really took it for granted when I lived here before. I would hear of snow, blizzards etc and it wouldn't mean anything to me but now that I have actually experienced the bitter cold and gorgeous snow for 4 years I know and fully understand what they are talking about. Though Noah keeps asking when its going to snow here in San Diego and how much he misses it I can not help but feel grateful for the warmth and opportunity to be outside more. In fact we went to Legoland just 2 days ago and I know we could not have done anything remotely similar in Utah at this time of year. I am just very grateful for the San Diego sun , the beautiful flowers that cheer me up year round -- I find myself staring and admiring plants like I had never done before--and the warmth of familiar faces. I received this email from KSL news in Salt Lake this morning and though I feel bad for my Utah friends I feel very happy to be right here in San Diego.


National Weather Service issuing a blizzard warning for much of the state. A strong cold front is expected to arrive in Northern Utah by 2-4pm, in the Wasatch Front between 3p-6p, and then through the rest of the state. Expect the wind gusts to blow between 30 and 50mph as the front arrives. Bitter cold air should move in quickly, with temperatures in the teens tonight. Single digits possible tomorrow morning. More snow is possible along the Wasatch Front tomorrow morning as well. Highs tomorrow could stay below 20. Lows Thanksgiving could drop below zero if skies clear. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to drive in this storm. If it is necessary please give yourself extra time and take extra precautions while on the road.

Be safe out there!Your KSL.com Team

With Thanksgiving tomorrow I really hope people shopped early! I am about to make pies myself it might be a cool 65 here but I will just throw on a sweater and dare not complain!

Manners Luncheon

My sweet Noah

Daddy and Noah

The name cards were adorable however it was actually Nov 17th rather than the 18th


Noah's class

The place mat Noah made

Mommy and Noah

Noah has such a great kindergarten teacher. Over the past couple of weeks they were learning about table setting, table manners and the importance of these social functions. They put all their skills to good use today at the "Manners Luncheon". It was wonderful and such a great idea especially right before Thanksgiving Break. They had a delicious traditional Thanksgiving feast together as a class and were able to invite their parents to show off their good manners and enjoy each others company. The luncheon was very well put together and such a nice time.