Fall fun!!

The end of summer came and went and beginning of fall means another school year for me.  We have been enjoying the beginning of the fall season and this nice change in weather.

Emily is now 9 months old and will be 10 months next week.  At her 9 month appointment she measured 30 inches and 21 pounds!  Still topping the charts in length and around the 80th percentile for weight.  Seems to be her growth is pretty consistent and predictable.

Last weekend we finally got a chance to go to Brainerd so that Emily could meet her Harrison GGs.  It was such a nice weekend with nice weather, great food and plenty of visiting.  We also went to a small town called Nisswa while we were there.  They have such a cute little main street and many unique shops.  Patrick and I enjoyed an ice cream cone while strolling and I picked up a few things that I couldn't pass up!  The weekend passed quickly and I hope we can make it back up soon.

Enjoying time with Harrison GGs!

Emily and I were also able to make it to my parent's house and enjoy another nice afternoon at the park by their house.

With September coming to a close, we're looking forward to some fun events that October has in store for us: Patrick's 10 mile run, Emily's diaper dash and my sister's baby shower. 

Happy fall!!
The Harrisons

Happy Birthday To...

Sammy!!

The story of Sammy started on May 8, 2006.  Patrick and I had gotten married a couple of months before that and decided we were ready for our first addition...a dog.  We looked at pet stores and considered breeders, but ultimately went to the Humane Society to find our newest member of the family.  When we arrived we saw a perfect little beagle.  He was on reserve, however, as someone else already had "dibs" on him.  We looked around for a while and were even considering a yippy little rat terrier (whew, that was close!) and by the time we made it back to this adorable little beagle's kennel, he was back on the market.  Whoever wanted him before couldn't take him home.

So, without having permission from our landlord at the time or talking about what they really meant by "unruly" on his kennel tag, we adopted him.  After convincing our landlord that allowing us to have a dog was a great idea, we took him home the next day.  He was a scared little puppy who had already been dropped off at the pound by 2 different families.  And after only one day of "buyers remorse" and trying to convince Patrick that we should bring him back, he was ours.  (side note: I tend to get overwhelmed by big life changes and want to bail, but I'm glad Patrick didn't let me bring him back!)

Now, since he's a pound puppy we don't know his real birthdate but they thought he was about 8 months old at the time we adopted him.  So, 8 months back from May 8 is September 8.  Hence, Sammy's birthday.

Happy 7th birthday Sammy!  Even with all of your shenanigans we still love you and are so happy to have you as a part of our family!

The Harrisons

All good things must come to an end

And that's exactly what this summer did...end!  Tomorrow is the first day of a new school year and while I'm ready for it in theory, I did find it a little had to think about leaving Emily every day.  First I started thinking about the fact that we really only see her for a couple of hours on "school days".  Then, I was cleaning out her dresser and closet today and got a little choked up about how quickly she is growing and changing.  I bought Emily's first little outfit last summer after we found out we were having a girl.  It's a summer outfit that I love.  However, summer has come and gone and Emily has grown and it should be put away but I couldn't do it.  So there it hangs in the closet for the next clean out day.

The end of the summer brought many fun events.  We went to the state fair and Emily even went on the giant slide with Patrick and I!  Our favorite new food was definitely the red velvet funnel cake but we still indulged in our long time favorites: pork chop, french fries, Sweet Martha's, ice cream from the dairy building and cheese curds!  It was a great time!!

Emily - 2012

Me - 2009

Chicken head!

Giant Slide!

On August 24 our friends, Lucy and Justin, got married!  It was a typical August day: hot and steamy!  The ceremony, on the endless bridge at the Guthrie, was beautiful!!  The reception was fun with good food, great friends and music that kept the crowd dancing all night.  It was such a memorable event and we're so happy for both of them.  Congratulations Lucy and Justin!

We wrapped up the summer with a busy Labor Day weekend.  We spent Saturday hanging with the Dalys (my side of the family), Sunday was Emily's first trip to Pathfinder Village and we had a BBQ with the Harrisons on Monday.  It was such a fun way to wrap up the summer!!

Visiting Great Grandma Daly

First ride in a golf cart

Withe daddy at the penny carnival!

Enjoying the petting zoo

Now it's back to work.  I'm looking forward to an exciting year at school and at home.  I'm also looking forward to fall weather (my second favorite after spring) and football season!

The Harrisons