Having the Time of My Life

Two Little Trolls

2012-01-21T01:33:00.000-08:00

Two little trolls named Allie and Sloane

Two little trolls who will not let alone.

Two little trolls, devious and mischievous

Breaking and dumping, and completely oblivious

Causing stress and messing messes quite grievous.

Two little trolls reeking havoc in halls, in kitchens, on rugs, on couches and chairs.

We clean up each mess as we pull out our hair.

So pray for us, we’re slow, we’re tired and our heads are a spinning

And lets hope it’s a phase end, and not a phase beginning.

Two little trolls, grab a quick bite to eat.

I am sure the huge mess, was never their intent,

We’re just glad they didn’t add a bit of two percent.

Two little trolls playing with knives

Sharpened edges, risking their lives,

But the mischief survives

And the mischief still thrives

But these sorts of things usually happen in fives.

Two little trolls, now onto the pasta

Oodles of noodles from egg to spaghetti, rigatoni, fettuccini and even macaroni

What ever should we do with troll Alley and troll Sloaney!

And lets not forget, the onions the garlic and popcorn,

Scattered with bites and peels all forlorn.

Can’t a mom, just get a small break,

and have two little trolls that aren’t such a headache?

Two little trolls, with a craving for bread,

The loaf gave quite a fight, but ended up dead

Destroyed and demolished, what to do next?

why face painting Sloane’s face, with green, blue and red.

What is a day for a troll without a few good books,

But of course not for reading, nor looking nor chattering.

But for spreading, and shredding, and skittering and scattering.

And go ahead, load up your truck with our chocolate chips,

I know your addicted trolls, but now we have zero!

Zilch!

Zip!

Oh two little trolls, what did you do now?

This mess, well this mess is a real moon jumping cow.

Seriously!! Cream of wheat all over the place!

We vaccum and vaccum, and dump case after case.

We had to wash the entire couch and the chair.

Now don’t you give me that glare!

And of course Christmas, it doesn’t come with its share

Of destruction and mayhem, we are quite aware,

But tipping over a tree was quite an assault,

But at this point baby, it’s your own darn fault.

Two little trolls, keeping are hands full to the brim

Sometimes you wonder, when will we ever win?

They are cute as a button, with personality that shines.

We guess we can take the mayhem, the messes and whines.

We will survive, we’ll move on, and we will make-do.

I just wonder

What comes next?

Ohhh, just a little baby doll voodoo.

A couple of cool animations

2011-12-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

Work has definitely been busy, but a lot of fun. For years I have been talking about using animation for media, and for years it would get shut down one way or another. It was quite a mountain to climb, but the view has been breathtaking.

The Book of Mormon piece was a blast to work on. Maybe had it's fair share of sleepless nights, but I think it was worth it. (Well, unless you blame it for causing the Palsy, but my theory is that it was strictly coincidental.) It was a great group to work with, and I think it turned out excellent. A huge plus for the animation effort.

And of course the Coat story is a bit closer to the heart for me. After multiple rejections of animated ideas being pitched, I knew we needed to just create something, something simple something short and to the point to show how animation can be used. So a couple of friends from work who also wanted to work on animation formed the Animation Underground. Our goal was to create an animation, as our own personal project, outside of work to show the benefits of animation. We would meet during lunch, discuss script, make assignments, and it was extremely slow going, but eventually we had a solid script, a decent animatic, and even some music, testing the waters the whole time to see if any organization would want an animated piece. After about a year of this, finally there was a need within the Mormon Channel, they wanted to fund the project. Of course timing could not be any worse.

Mid October:
Mormon Channel: "This would be the perfect piece for a Christmas Message, can we have it Dec 1st?"
My voice: "Yes! Definitely! We can make this happen!"
My thoughts: 6 weeks???? 2 minute animation????? are you insane!!!!!!

Apparently my voice and thought process do not collaborate much. It was a whirlwind, but I loved every bit of it. Once again, had an amazing team of artists that did an amazing job, and worked so smoothly together. I couldn't be happier. It was rather satisfying to see your work go from idea, all the way to completion. Of course as an artist, I could pick apart my work with never ending changes, fixes, or spotted flaws, but honestly, it has been a great way to finish up this year.

(P.S. please share the Coat story with anyone and everyone. The more views it gets the greater the possibility that I get to do more.)

Fall Shenanigans

2011-11-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pics of some of the happenings the last few months. Some cute faces, some temper tantrums, some odd outdoor napping behaviors, and a couple of birthdays. Party on.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween once again. Here are a few highlights. Had the task of taking photos at the Trunk or Treat event, had a great deal of help from Lowell Harris (thanks a bunch), had a lot of fun running the spooky treatment though. Went out for Tricks or treats, and came back with loot (thought it was funny dressing like demons, and maimed grotesque zombies and all manners of evil creatures, and the American Fork Temple was in the background). Plus I liked how Allie wasn't just a skeleton, but a skeleton princess. Genius.

Trip up the Canyon

2011-11-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

The kids took a trip up the Canyon a few months ago with their Grandpa Harris, and he got some great shots. Of course Sloane was a real treat, not even a decent shot to photoshop in later.

1st day back to school

2011-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday Afternoon

2011-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Just Dew it

2011-08-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up!

Camping Trip

2011-08-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

We went camping. What more can I say than cozy tents, upstream exploration, hammocks, sneaking cookies, bacon, bacon and bacon, with a side of delish greasy eggs. We had fun.

The Banana Stand 2011!

2011-08-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Banana Stand 2011 was a party. Saw some good friends, had some delish bananas, and endured the heat with several prescriptions from the Dr. (Pepper that is). This is the third year, and despite the long hot hours, it's been great for Andrew. It's fun watching him take part in it all. Ooh, and plus we added one killer new T-shirt.

We added "The Killer Bee" to the menu. It is a chocolate banana with honey and cayenne pepper. Most were afraid of the spice factor,
but it was not long before Andrew felt he had to try it, to promote it as a manager. and he did. He liked it.

And here is the coolest T-shirt ever! "Bite me, I'm delicious!"

Congratulations Andrea and Sean!!

2011-08-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Andrea and Sean! It was great being part of your day. We loved it, the kids loved it, we had a blast. Sorry we didn't wear more purple, with the exception of Allie, we don't have a lot of purple around the house. But it was in our hearts, so please accept our purple heart. We are all very excited for the both of you!

I let Andrew take a camera for a while and he got a lot of great shots (for example, the pic of the temple above).
It was kind of fun watching what he thought was picture worthy.

Here is an example of Andrews photography. For whatever reason he got a shot of each chandelier he came across.
Oh, there are a lot more images, I just posted a few.

Party at the Kids Table!!

He would be getting in trouble right now, but you have a lot of leverage when the activity was started by adults (thanks Rachel).

I'm pretty sure that was apple juice.

A few production photos

2011-08-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Had a few shots from the Mormon Message production.

The girls loved having their hair done. At first Allie was not sure about the whole thing, but when she realized what was going on she loved it.

A lot of production is the "hurry up and wait". Sebastian waited patiently as the girls rode in circles around him.

Some pretty sweet camera equipment, and what draws her interest?

Andrew's photos

2011-07-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew went out with his Grandpa Harris on a photo-shoot, and he took a long a camera for himself. It is always humorous to see what he thinks is photo worthy. Here are a few that he shot. My favorite is the three legged dog he saw.

Mormon Messages

2011-07-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Both Emma and Allison had the opportunity to get a taste of the actors world. We were casting for this Mormon Message, and while working with the producer on another project, she was looking at pictures of the two girls and she asked if Emma could cry on cue. I had never thought about it before, but I knew Emma was good at tears. One time she teared up because some dude on Wipeout purposed to his girlfriend on the show, or when Polly Pocket got sent to boarding school. So I went home, asked her if she could cry, and sure enough within minutes she had tears. So she and Allison got cast in the short film.

Emma said she was nervous at first, but it didn't take long after being introduced to craft services with all the twizzlers you can eat, and having someone do hair and make-up, that she told me she wanted to do it every day. Allie was a bit shy at first, but once she got comfortable with "fake mom" and "fake dad" she did great. That was also their names the rest of the shoot. Fake Mom and Fake Dad. I also had a lot of fun because I got to spend the whole day with my two girls.

Check out Emma's adutidion

Sloane is introduced to the Chocolate Dipped Frozen Banana

2011-07-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

mmmmm, dee-lish

a few random photos

2011-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

1, 2, 3 and 4

On a cold spring day, Allison realized the vents blow out warm air. So naturally she set up camp directly over the vent with the quilt to capture all the cozy air. Genius.

Oh this was a treat. The car wouldn't start, and realizing it was the battery, I figured it must be dead and needed to be replaced. So I took it in, and the guy said he would test it out. The battery was fine, and he told me it was probably corrosion. Then he told he has seen worse, but it definitely took a strong second place for caked on corrosion. He then proceeded to give a few tips to clean up the corrosion. But the lifesaver was the bearded greasy guy in line behind me. "Coke! Pour Coke right on there and it'll clean it right up." Thank you stranger. So on my way home, I picked up a Coke, took a sip, then proceeded to clean my horribly corroded battery cables. Sure enough, Coke! Coke cleans it right up.

Having fun with Grandpa Harris. Nice Silly-band toupee, I am sure it will catch on real quick.

Sloane is catching on quickly. She sees Allie coloring and insists she color too. Luckily Allie was excited to have her join in.

OWe got our money's worth out of these. Well at least I think so, not sure how long he had them, but we like to think we got our money's worth.

An early Dr. Pepper fan

2011-05-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Don't you take my Dr. Pepper!!

The Easter Pre-School Extravaganza!!

2011-05-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Day before Easter we went to the Easter Carnival sponsored by Allie's pre-school. They had games, activities, prizes, luke-warm hot dogs sans condiments, pretty much the usual event experience. The kids loved it, it was a nice pre-holiday celebration. A bit cold, but that didn't slow the kids down much.

A dash of Salt

2011-05-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

We now have first hand experience of why it is called the Great Salt Lake. That's a cuss-load of salt. And amazingly flat. Found out one of the treasures of visiting the Salt Flats is making a pit stop in Dell. It's pretty much a gas station, a run down hotel, truck and bus. But great for photos. Plus the gas station is no normal gas station, they had the usual sugar foods and caffeinated beverages, but also had milkshakes and a whole realm of fried foods including shrimp. A rather unique picnic if you will. Big thanks to Lowell for snapping these shots (i'm actually in a couple of them).

You gotta respect it!

2011-04-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Thought about trying this but figured I can't afford being banned from the building. Maybe Rachel will try it though.

A great Easter message

2011-04-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

I was privileged to work on this message. A big thanks to all the creative minds that went into this message.

I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...

2011-04-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

Happy baptism day Emma!! Thank you to all that stop by to support her.

"...and I will know that I am clean now, and I will dance and the band will play.. "

- Brandon Flowers (Magdalena)

Kangaroos have to eat too.

2011-04-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

I just love finding these random setups. You just have to love number 3.

Emma's Birthday

2011-04-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

I once asked Emma how she was getting so big, and she replied by saying she kept having birthdays. Despite the implications of allowing one more year to go by, it is always fun to celebrate these kids. Happy B-Day Emma! You're Awesome!

Sloane at 1

2011-03-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

February Photoshoot

2011-02-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

We took some time to get a few more pics of the kids. Lowell helped out on this one. I find when we need some good photos of the kids, it takes an army of attention-getters to get the younger ones to look in the right direction. And as challenging as it seemed, he got some great shots.

(take note of the last photo, we had some M&M's for a bribe, and Allie just ended up helping herself. so much for our leverage.)

A few things from Jan and Feb

2011-02-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

Andrew was getting more excited about football, and since there is no Utah team we went with Rachel's two favorite teams from growing up in Chicago and living in Pittsburgh. We taught that you become a fan win or lose (da Bears!). But unfortunately we were able to put that to the test this year. It was tough watching the Bears lose, and even worse watching them lose to Green Bay. But it was still fun watching a couple of games. It was fun seeing Andrew get into it. And at least we had the Steelers in the Superbowl to cheer for, but also ultra-sucky to see Green Bay win. We had to play a few scenes from Wipeout to help change the mood. Nothing can make you laugh like seeing people bouncing all over the place on the big balls.

So Andrew had an ear infection, and opted for the liquid medicine over a pill. It really made us laugh to see the dosage a boy of Andrews age needed to take in liquid form. It was like the 2L size. What a laugh. It might be hard to tell it's size from the picture, but if you compare the cutting board in the background, it should give a sense of scale.

"Miss Becky says no throwing snowballs" - Allison (I wonder why Miss Becky told Allison that?)

Our little lady Allison. Going to town on chocolate batter, and lining up animals as Noah would.

"I'm painting cookies mom" - Allison (we found her going to town frosting some Valentines sugar cookies).

Trip to the Mountains

2011-02-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

We took a trip up the canyon for some winter time photos. The mountains are just so cool and it is so fascinating how much snow is up there. Realizing we were walking on five+ feet of snow was kind of crazy.

Biggest downside was we went up kind of late, so we had just a little bit of time to shoot some photos, but the kids wanted to stay and sled. Actually I kind of wanted to go sledding to, but it was getting late.

It's just so cool to get up in the mountains and realize how small we really are. These particular photos are from Lowell Harris. I posted some of mine on my photography blog, and the Herssocute blog. It's nice having two photographers on the scene, because each person sees things a little bit differently.

FANGS!

2011-01-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sloane's teeth are coming in. First the bottom two in the middle, and then her FANGS! Does this mean we have the same devil or angel personality to look forward to? Allie has already done her fair share of mischief for the both of them... so we hope.

One more from our photo shoot last weekend. (thanks Lowell Harris)

The Spirit of God like a fire is burning...

2011-01-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

I am pretty sure that Stake conference was canceled? I looked it up in the Stake Calendar, and it still listed the Provo Tabernacle as the meeting place.

Okay seriously, sad to lose such a cool historical building like this, but it was made of wood and laqure. Judging by the photos of the production lights outside with all the icicles, I don't think we will be using those lights at work any time soon (not to mention the load of other equipment our group lost.)

I think it just sort of seems surreal to see something you are so used to being there all the time, and then it's gone. I think I am fascinated by the photos, so I had to post a few. (Thanks to Lowell Harris for the photos, I was at work when this was going on.)

Fall Shenanigans

2011-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

Campfire up the canyon

Sweet outfit Emma! It becomes rather entertaining to let them dress themselves.

Fun trip up to Snowbird.

The humorous eating habits of our kids (especially Allie). And yes, that is a large chunk of Parmesan cheese Allison is eating. We often find our cheese with large teeth marked chunks out of it. At least she is getting her dairy.

More toys in random places. I guess Polly Pocket and her boyfriend went hot tubbing in our fall Chex Mix.

Andrew and Emma went on a photo shoot with Grandpa Harris.

Allie's preschool trip to Pumpkin Land. She loved it. And yes, Allie did get her head stuck in the Scarecrow one. Not the bat so much, but definitely the Scarecrow. It took some work to get her head back out. Nice work Pumpkin Land.

A Killer concert

2010-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you front row.

Brandon Flowers came to town, and there was no way we were going to miss that. We are huge fans, definitely victims (aka Killers fans, get it?). His music is awesome, lyrics poetic, and the guy just has a passion for his music and performing. Unlike the Killers concert, we were THE front row, which was awesome! Surpisingly we could still hear afterwards. Maybe its the four non-stop talker/whiner/crier/yellers we take care of everyday that conditioned our ears.

Mummy knows best

2010-11-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween once again! Love the festivities of the holiday. We have been watching scary movies for most the month, even though they can be some of the dumbest shows on earth, they still make the holiday fun (how morbid as I think about the movies we watched). We made some of the ususals, caramel apples, caramel corn, Halloween Chex mix, had some sugar cookies donated by Kathleen. Which makes me wonder why we do this? Cynics claim Valentines day was a holiday invented by the card and flower companies, well maybe Halloween was a holiday created by dentists all around the world who were mutually backed by the diabetes supply companies to ensure they stay in business. Seriously, how much sugar can one individual consume?

mmmmm, it was worth it.

School Halloween parades! Always festive!

I think it would be cool one year, for all the teachers to go zombie, so when the kids show up, they try to eat their students brains, and the kids have to find ways to escape the schools, and if parents show up to save their kids, the teachers bite the parents and then the parents turn into zombies. It would be awesome. Basically you know any kids coming back the next day would have a resiliency worth educating. Improving our school by natural selection.

Now onto the ward Halloween party. I would say it was fun, but they totally switched it up and made us miss the Trunk or Treat! What the?! that is the only reason we go to ward activities, the loot of candy! Oh well, next year we will hit the trunks twice to make up for lost loot.

You can't tell from the pics, but I shot several pictures of our Halloween McyDees breakfast (no real connection between McDonald's and Halloween, but it was greasy good). You may also notice the kids still in their costumes. The Mummy outfits were so obnoxious to get on and off, we told the kids to just sleep in their costumes. It help add to the authenticity of the costume. Plus they were ready to go as soon as they got up the next morning.

And then the clouds rolled in. At first we thought we would brave the rain. We went to Grandma and Grandpa Harris's neighborhood, and luckily Kathleen had some giant umbrellas. But still we were getting wet, and the kids were getting cold. So we called it quits. But an hour or so later, the rain let up and we went back out. The one thing I enjoyed the best about being at the in-laws for Halloween was that there was someone at the house to hand out the Candy. So Rachel bundled up Sloane, and we set out as a family. Yeah, I think that is what I liked the best...

... oh yeah, and the sugar loot too.

SNOW DAY!!... well sort of

2010-10-31T22:03:00.001-07:00

So we had some October snow, which only means one thing....

BREAKFAST!!

We thought she would grow out of this by now, but sure enough, no sooner did she see the snow before she was asking for a bowl and spoon. Though cool and refreshing, not sure how many daily vitamins you get from snow.

Mmmmm, back for seconds and thirds.

How do you kill flies at your house?

2010-10-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

We had a bit of a fly problem, but we took care of it.

Why all the flies you ask? Well the other day, Andrew body slammed the screen door, bending it severely, and is has never been the same. He couldn't just walk into the house, but wanted to take one leap from the edge of the step into the house, forgetting the one detail of checking whether the screen door was open or closed. It was closed.

So anywho... the screen door doesn't really shut, and the flies help themselves in. But we figured out how to deal with them.

Late Night Lullabye - Thanks I-15 Core Project

2010-10-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what's worse, adding an extra hour to my daily commute home, or this freaking lullaby! I shot this video at 1 A.M. just walking distance from our house. Amazing how every single construction project in Utah was dreamed up and approved all at once, to create one lovely orange clad city scape to drive through at 3 mph. Thanks UDOT!

Allison's Preschool Fall Festival

2010-10-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

The pictures turned out real well. You know, the camera I was using was amazing, because looking back at these pictures, it looks way more fun than it actually was. We busted our butts to be there, the kids were so excited to go. Rachel left before I got home because I was stuck in BYU sucky game traffic, and even once I got to Orem, I had to fight construction which seems to be absolutely everywhere. But I made it just before it was ending. Just in time for some lukewarm hot dogs in buns twice their size, chips sitting in open containers and we fortunately missed out on the watered down kool-aid, we just had water, which was actually very refreshing. But we like to show our support, and we are very thankful for Allies preschool organization, and what they do for us. We still had a lot of fun being there.

Check out the new Herssocute Blog - It's the coolest!

2010-09-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

So we started a new blog to show things that have been made and photos that have been taken. Kind of like our own little portfolio for the projects we enjoy doing. The blog will primarily focus on the projects for the Herssocute Etsy store, but we figured it would be a good place to post any other projects and fun things we like to do. In case you were curious, the name "Herssocute" actually came from Emma when she would describe Allie wearing Rachel's skirts. So the name stuck. Kudos Emma.

Herssocute the Blog

Quote of the Day

2010-09-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

"...when I grow up I'm going to have twins, and I'm going to name one Left and one Right. hahahaha"

-Andrew

(this conversation started when we were just shootin the breeze with Andrew and he started talking about being a dad and having kids, and mentioned he wants to name one of them "Michael Jackson Zombie", and of course the conversation evolved.)

Back to School

2010-09-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well time for back to school and some back to school photos. It's crazy how fast these kids grow up.

Allie's Animals

2010-09-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of having children is the random and often humorous discovery of toys in strange places. Allie seems to have the most creative episodes. Such as finding three snakes curled up with some of Andrews toys. Of course I wondered, are the snakes getting cozy with the other toys, or are they eating the other toys. But Allie made sure it was known that the snakes were eating the other toys. Kudos Allie, for knowing the proper method of constriction.

And another random happening. I love the bus, it's usually a signature Allie piece.

Okay, the next episode does raise some eyebrows. Warning, if you are faint of heart, please turn away now. But this one surprised me.

So after staring at the setup for most of the day, I finally got a chance to ask Allison what the other animals were doing, and sure enough, all the animals are eating the monster monkey, as it was explained to me. Hmmmmm, carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, all coming together to devour one monster animal in harmony. Ohh sweet little Allison, that is so cute. (Does anyone know a good psychologist?)

I am sure there are more to come. Our little Allie never seems to stop.

Summarizing Summer

2010-09-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Thought we would post a few summertime photos! What the?! Wasn't it just June? Hmmm, Despite time slowly, consistently disregarding my constant requests to slow down, life moves on.

So to try and take a break we went up to Thanksgiving Point to consume lunch. Not bad. Kind of windy. And very hot. The kids were playing in that water contraption thing whatever it is, and got soaking wet, only to dry out by the time they walked back to our table. So it worked out.

Oh, and Sloane has really discovered people food. She will reach her arms out like that the whole time while you try to eat. A very persistant little girl.

and what is summer without a good thunderstorm. Well this one was okay, but it was one of the better ones comparatively. Still a sucky storm season.

And of course, some hanging out....

This last photo actually describes an activity called "jumpee". I lift Sloane up in the air shouting "JUMPEE" in my embarrassing, and possibly slightly annoying high pitched baby voice. And when at the pinnacle of her journey, Sloane then drops her quart sized drool bomb on whatever kid that happens to be there. That's my favorite part.

Oh yes, Sloane finally discovered the baby hidden in her play toy. She still hasn't figured out how it got there.

Here we have an intricate battle scene, where all the boy oriented toys decided to gang up on all the girly style toys, and launch a major attack. The girls leading with their troops of Littlest Petshops and Polly Pockets, backed by an immense charging wall of looming stuffed animals. But do they stand a chance, against the clone army, let by captain Rex, and other highly skilled generals, navigating not only republic battle gear, but droid artillery and bionacles as well?

Of course, all I see is a big mess.

Well, summer has been good. Probably not the most ideal, could have used a bit less stress, but still good none the less. It's these blasted kids. You want to be grumpy, but then you go back and look at the pictures of them smiling, and you can't help but let that affect you. You cant help but be pulled in by their wonderment, their excitement, and energy. It makes you want to say, "screw you time! You think you are so tough with the birthdays and making us older and what not. But you know what, not today. Today, my kids are not any older, today my kids do not have any birthdays, today my kids are mine. And I am going to enjoy it. Thanks kids. Rockstar!

Sloane's half birthday

2010-08-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

SLOANE! at 6 months. :( She is growing too fast. But an absolute delight. Seriously, it's like medication. You get down in the dumps so you find her an she takes one look and flashes that enormous grin, and you can't help but feel good about yourself. So here are a few pics to capture her 6 monthness. (Thanks Lowell Harris Photography)

And how can you have a photo shoot without little 'Z'

Slip N Slide

2010-08-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Was there a July? I don't even remember, anyways, the kids had a bunch of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house on the classic Slip N Slide. I am sure Grandpa Harris had fun as well (just ask him how he got the water to freeze frame like it does).

Banana Season

2010-06-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Good times! Lets have some more!

WATERFIGHT!!!!

2010-06-18T22:57:00.001-07:00

What's more fun in the summer than a fun water-fight.

Apparently the sun won the fight. How was I supposed to know!! The Utah sun is harsh. I never wore sunscreen as a kid, I never got burnt like that. It must be a combination of Travis's skin and the Utah sun. So if I have one word of advice... wear sunscreen...

A Little Too Early

2010-06-18T22:41:00.001-07:00

I guess 6:00 is a little too early for these girls.

The Poppy Place

2010-06-08T23:38:00.001-07:00

So we went out on a photo adventure. Heard of a place where Poppy plants grew all over the place, so we had to check it out (thank you Grandpa Harris). Here a a few photos from the adventure.

The Art of Tornado Allie

2010-06-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a child's creativity outweighs the emotional aggravation that instigates the enforcement of discipline. Allie has a way of walking this very fine line. When I saw this, I knew I had to enforce discipline, but deep down inside, there was a tremendous sense of pride for her creativity. (I don't think she even got a time-out for this)

I love the way the black sharpie contrasts the white painted doors. The reflector is nicely placed, accented well with the sharpie patterns. The three pennies pull in a level of emotion that makes this piece just moving. I never would have thought of glue sticks as an art medium, but Allie has brought the glue stick to it's full potential.

And the Tornado continues. Apparently the Horses needed some dirt to play in.

Oh yeah, and the choco-sludge she created with a cup of quick powder and a few tablespoons of milk. I am not sure how full that cup was before we found her.

One chocolicious time-out. (Rachel had to put her in a time out because she didn't want Allie seeing her taking pictures. It may communicate the wrong thing to our little artist).

No, I didn't upload the same picture twice. REVENGE OF THE WALL ARTIST! Yes, she revisited the scene of the crime to accent her work with brown sharpie, and re-attaching the reflector.

More shennanigans.

Throw Andrew and Emma into the mix, and things spin out of control rather quickly. We actually found these pics on the camera which apparently Emma shot. But Allie was basically chucking toys at Andrew and Emma as they took shelter in the nearby bunk-bed. She always knows the best toys that get the best distance and cause the most damage.

Its not funny you little punk! Ahhh, how can I resist, we love you Allie!!

Already Working over Grandpa

2010-06-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

It looks like baby Sloane is already learning to work over Grandpa.

Allie's game is well polished. I think one time Grandpa Harris went for his glasses and they were gone, not realizing Allie had already swiped them at an undisclosed time before hand.

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hope all had a good day. We tried to chill as much as possible. Crepes, Creme Brule, super yummy dinner (spinach artichoke stuffed chicken with steamed greens). All in all it was just nice spending time with one another.

the amount of flowers may seem overkill, but it was our anniversary as well.

The Stephanie Nielson Story....

This was a truly a choice experience to be involved with. As the Mormon Messages on YouTube grew, I knew that Stephanie's story would be a great piece to share. It seemed most the news channels and even Oprah focused so much on the drama of the accident, but nobody really touch the spiritual side of it, and to me, that is what was so amazing about the Nielsons. The more I thought about the experience they went through, the more aware I was of how our spirit is who we really are. Luckily, when I approached them, they were already fans of the Mormon Messages, and were more than willing to let us into their lives for a couple of days.

It was also amazing how the whole piece came together. With Chris Clark and Patrick Parker (two fellow co-workers and brilliant filmmakers) we were able to brainstorm ideas how we thought her message should be shared, and how it would connect to her audience. We were able to execute our vision, and it was amazing how many committees reviewed the final cut with little or no changes. it was like an anomaly in the typical committee review process. So it was a lot of fun to be able to start a creation from start to finish, keeping true to how we envisioned how it should be.

Thanks again to the Nielson family. You were truly inspirational to work with.

Enjoy the video.

P.S. A lot of people ask about the music. It is Mindy Gledhill.

P.P.S. We did agree that it was very cruel of us to have her make a snow angel, when her blog clearly states that the cold hurts her burned skin.

Some of Rachel's Creations

2010-05-08T07:15:00.001-07:00

So we are now adding baby blankets to our Etsy store. It only makes sense because Rachel is like a baby blanket making machine. A Blank-o-matic. I leave for work with piles of random fabric all over the place, and come home to 32 hundred neatly finished baby blankets. I do have to admit, it makes the place pretty cozy.

The Grand Sand Dune

2010-05-06T22:00:00.001-07:00

So a few weeks ago, before the re-birth of winter, we went out to the Little Sahara. Grandpa Harris took Andrew and Emma out there to explore, and it sounded like they had so much fun, we all went out there on a weekend. Let's see, the best way to describe the experience is..... well, sandy. Sand everywhere. Tons of fun, but a painful reminder of how I need to exercise more. It is painful enough climbing a near 90 degree hill, but in sand, that cuss hill takes an eternity.

Oh yeah, were were there all of two seconds before Allie thought it funny to throw sand clods at the camera.

The process of rolling down a sand hill.

OH, this next sequence is fun. First you can see how eager Allie was to climb back up the hill. I was obliged to help, but I nearly died of exhaustion. Seriously, I came to the top of the hill chanting "water". But the way down was a lot more fun. The hill was so steep, and the sand so loose, it was like swimming down the hill. I could dig my arms in the sand and swim downhill. So it was like a sled ride for the kids. It was also kind of cute on the way back up the hill, Allie started freaking out about sliding back down, so Emma came to her rescue. Rock on 'M'!!

It wasn't long before I realized the sand a few feet below was a little more moist, and was easy to form. So in my attempt to distract the kids from dragging me up one more cuss sand hill, I made sand thrones for the Sand Princesses. Andrew was a punk, so I just buried him.

There was one major casualty. The wind picked up, and blew the M&M's over. I swear I could hear the faint sound of taps in the distance. RIP M&M's

Baaa Baaa Yummy Sheep

2010-05-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

In preparing Sunday dinner, I had invited little Allison to help, in hopes that it would keep her from teasing her siblings. On the menu, leg of lamb roast, and as I prepared it, Allie kept calling it "kicken" (aka chicken). So I explained to her that it was lamb, like a sheep.... Baaaaa! Of course I have to use sound effects to communicate the type of animal. Allie loves sound effects, so she quickly realized what sort of animal I was talking about. Of course she kept repeating "BAAAA" over and over again. Thank you Allie, for taking dinner to a presonal level.

Winter, it's the new Spring

2010-05-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics to sum up the week.

As much as Rachel and I enjoy the cozy nature of a snowstorm, it seems to me these tulips were not in accordance. I like the last photo, almost like the tulip was peaking out the door to see if the snow was still there.

Happy Anniversary Honey!!

2010-04-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

EXSCARED! - Quote of the Day

2010-04-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

"I'm exscared. Do you know what that means? It means I am excited and scared at the same time."

-- Emma, on getting her tooth pulled.

Random Acts of Randomness: A Unique Bus Ride

2010-04-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I ride the bus to work, I close my eyes, and rather than the dry, semi-industrial slash construction zone scenery, I can see a lush forest of green with running waters. I can see country side colors, and rocky mountain landscapes. Even then, sometimes that gets old and then the world becomes painted in bright and unusual colors, nothing remains it's shape in reality, and animated shapes and creatures populate the open space. Roads become way higher than possibly engineered, giving a sky-scraper-top view of the city below, with criss-crossing pathways that twirl and loop with endless directions. Oh! The places you'll go...

Eastertime!

2010-04-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Ahhh Easter, time for Spring, time for tulips, pastels, chocolate breakfasts and... snow? What the what! But despite our wintery encore, we still had a great Easter. Naturally starting with the Easter Egg hunt. Andrew and Emma really got into it. Allie gets into it until she realizes the little plastics eggs have chocolate in them. Then it's breakfast of chocolate bunnies, and sugar coated anything.

We had some fun this year. Apparently the Easter bunny hid clues in eggs as to where there were the Easter gifts. So the kids were running around the house as they would get one clue, which led them to another and then onto another, etc.

THE FEAST!!

The food rocked!! Not much more to say on that. Except the fact that the kids are growing an ever stronger liking to lamb, which sucks because then Rachel and I have to share. Last year Emma downed like a whole rack of lamb, and now Andrew is catching on. Blasted kids... they're supposed to like mac and cheese, ramen noodles etc, and not the good stuff!

Some pics from Sloane's Baby Blessing

2010-04-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

So a bit late on this post, it was like two weeks ago, but we really appreciate the love and support from friends and family, and just want to say thanks to all. A special thanks to Sloane's Grandma Deming for making the blessing dress. The dress was just stunning. Thank you.

I feel like a Trash Can

2010-04-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

Andrew was sick today. The downside was finding a puddle of drool marking my side of the bed. The upside, we got to hang out and just talk. Sloane even spent some time hanging out with us. It did make us laugh when he said he felt like a trash can. I can only assume it was his translation of "feeling like junk". But I thought the trashcan comment was the more descriptive. Get well soon pal!

Rachel spent most the afternoon hanging out with both Andrew and Sloane. Andrdew would come in and out of sleep, and sometimes was rather incoherent, which we feel bad for him, but at the same time, it was kind of humorous. It was nice hanging out, and somehow in between it all, Rachel did an entire scrapbook for Allison. When it comes to projects, her speed really is uncanny.

Andrew just wanted to be where everyone was. If we migrated upstairs, that is where he wanted to go. If we went back downstairs, he would drag his green blanket, his animal pillow, and himself down to the couch. He just wants to be around us, which is really cool. I hope nothing changes.

PVZ!!

Of course it was my duty to entertain Andrew while lying motionless on the couch, so I hooked up our iMac to the TV and played a little Plants vs. Zombies. The zombies didn't stand a chance.

Now, time to throw the sheets in the wash.

More photo fun... just ask Andrew

2010-04-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

Lowell Harris Photography

WHAT??!! I have to take pictures!! You know it pal!! Rachel's Father is a fellow photographer, so between the two of us, our poor kids are subjected to lens abuse more than they would prefer. I don't mind because we end up with some great photos. Here is a collection from a couple of recent photo shoots by Lowell Harris. (Thanks again, the photos look great!)

Allie was a pain in the cuss as usual, so the only way I could get her to stand still was hold her upside down. The girl never stops moving! It's like sports photography. But Lowell still got some great shots.

And a funny photo...

ROCK ON!!

Compare and Contrast

2010-03-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, this weekend went fast. So we had Sloane's baby blessing yesterday (Thanks to friends and family for your support, it was nice to see everyone! ) But at these times you can't help but wonder what this little person will look like, so you drag out all the old photos and look at each one, and compare, place photos next to one another, run forensics etc etc. So here is a comparison chart of each one of the kids. We know who we think she looks like, but I am sure we will see all too fast.

P.S. More blessing day pics to come.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

"I gotta go in to work today, I need get this Plan of Salvation thing approved"

- Travis

Baby Drunk

2010-03-25T07:51:00.001-07:00

I think my exhaustion is reaching new levels. It’s like my body threw the “bypass agency” lever and now starts to function without my consent.

I woke up this morning with a headache, and a confused look on my face wondering, what did I do last night? I knew I was up late with baby Sloane, but I couldn’t remember exactly what, when or where. I was so confused. Rachel, who thankfully keeps it together when she is sleep deprived, started asking me the usual questions, and I knew when I sat down to feed Sloane, but I couldn’t conjure the smallest of memories from after that.

I remember waking up in our big cozy chair at one point wondering why I was sitting in the chair with Slaone, and not in bed, I think I looked at the clock, but couldn’t figure out how to read the big and little hands, I think I thought I was crazy for not being in bed not realizing I was most likely feeding Sloane at the time.

But then my mind starts racing, I was supposed to take the trash out, did I? Did I change Sloane’s diaper? I had to fix some photos, did I even start those? Then the fear. That dream about using the trash can as a bathroom, please just be a dream.

So whatever my plan was for getting anything done last night, well apparently it was changed, but totally worth it.

New Feature: Random Acts of Randomness

2010-03-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

So I am adding a new feature to the blog called Random Acts of Randomness. As a daydreamer, my mind tends to wander a lot. And somehow, I have wandered into the idea that it was socially acceptable to verbalize many of the random things that wandered through my head. Luckily I have found myself around people that have enjoyed such random creativity, and have encouraged such behavior. So I thought I should start sharing them on this blog to see how genius my ideas are, or find out if I need psychological attention. In any case, random thoughts are always good for a laugh. For example, here is one such thought:

Keeping Warm:
I think it would be funny to get one of those ski masks that cover your whole face except the eyes and mouth, and wear it next time you go to the bank. Just walk in, deposit some money, maybe comment on it being cold outside then leave.

Saturday Morning

2010-03-22T00:33:00.001-07:00

Rachel: "I need to go to Joanns, I'll be back etc..."

Travis: " I have it all under control, plus I can get a bunch of chores done."
- stare at Sloane
- watch kids watch TV
- watch TV
- okay, get my act in gear, get something done.

Travis: "Since I didn't make you breakfast, and it is already lunchtime, I am making you pancakes for lunch. I repeat, this is not breakfast, this is lunch."

Kids: "We want chocolate chips!"

Travis: mmmm, chocolate.

Kids: chomp chomp glurp

Travis: uggghhh
- Stomach not feeling too well

Sloane: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Travis: Hmmphff
- still a million things to do. one productive and healthy Saturday morning

Hanging out with Sloane

2010-03-19T22:13:00.001-07:00

I slept on the couch last night. Haha, not what you might think. But I took the first shift with baby Sloane, which means I fed her around 1:00 1:30. Finally around 2:30 she was ready to go to sleep. But apparently my mad daddy skills at getting Sloane to sleep were equally as effective on me because the next thing I knew I was waking up near 7 A.M. with baby Sloane cozily resting in my arm on my chest. Sometimes I think we spoil her by holding her so much, but last night, I felt more like I was spoiling myself.

Pride and Punishment

2010-03-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

I got off at the wrong stop today on my way home from work. I was supposed to get off at the American Fork park-and-ride, but unfortunately, I got off at the Lehi park-and-ride. Now this wouldn’t be so bad except the bus was still in the parking lot when I noticed my egregious error. But a strange pet peeve of mine is running after a bus. If I drive up to the bus stop, and the bus is there almost ready to pull out, I refuse to get out of my car, and run like a turkey trying to catch the bus. So running after the very bus that I so mistakenly exited seemed completely out of the question. So I stood there, nodded at the bus driver as he passed, acting as if I was waiting to cross the street to my car, and watch my mode of transportation drive off into freeway-dom.

No worries, there should be another bus in the next 15, 20… okay 30 minutes. But as I sat in the violent wind and freezing rain, I thought to myself is it worth it? Is the pride worth it? I mean my only shelter is this thin plexi-glass shelter that works more as a wind tunnel than a shelter and the wind was particularly violent, I was like in a mosh pit with Mother Nature, it literally would push my around. I mean, it was strictly pride that stood between me; and the warm, muggy but comparatively cozy bus. As I thought about me freezing in the rain, and me turkey sprinting towards the leaving bus I realized, the pride is totally worth it. No way am I gong to be that guy.

So with pinked ears, runny nose, and numb fingers and toes, I waited. It seemed like a long time, but another bus eventually showed up. I was able to get on the bus, with my pride nicely tucked away, intact in my leather messenger bag, ready to get to my car. Well at least until I had exchange several salutations with several guys I knew from work.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

"That's one scratch-n-sniff sticker you don't want to be!" -- Rachel

Some daily happenings around the house, mostly Sloane of course.

2010-03-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Sloane has become well adjusted to home life, well for the most part. I think Allie is an experience that just takes some time to get used to. But she is doing well and healthy and as cute as ever. The other kids lover her, and constantly shower her with love and attention, of course Allie might give too much attention, but loving none the less.

Okay, the photo with the pacifier, it shows how eager Allison is to help out and make baby Sloane feel as comfortable as possible. Whenever Sloane cries a little, Allie hunts down a pacifier and shoves it in her mouth. You can see how Sloane tried to protect herself in her semi-slumber state.

Yeah, it is pretty standard for us to gather around and just watch her. It totally cracks me up whenever I hear Andrew talk about how cute baby Sloane is.

SAY CHEESE!!!!

yeah, we take a lot of photos, and you can see here that she is already learning how to shun the camera. "No photos, no photos! Talk to the hand!!"

ALLISON!!

I don't know how many times we yell out her name. Wether it's dumping a box of cereal in the TV room or poking out the babies eyes, Allie seems to know how to get attention. This picture made me laugh, so many captions could go with this photo.

Can't count the times we come down early morning, only to find Allie has already helped herself to breakfast. Usually it is some kind of candy or chocolate.

ALLIE's ARK

Allie is always lining up her animals, or gathering them around something. I was rather impressed with how straight the line was the animals were making.

LAMB

Well we needed some food quick. Mmmmm so good........... twice.

Sloane's second photoshoot (She better get used to it!)

2010-03-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Okay one of the first of many photoshoots to come. It's kind of late or otherwise I would think of more to say. But today I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Baby Sloane is now here!

2010-02-21T23:48:00.001-08:00

Well past due to get these pictures posted, but here they are. Baby Sloane was born Thursday, Feb 11, weighing in at 6lbs 6oz. and 19.5 inches. No complications, things went well, and now we are getting up every 2 or 3 hours in the night to keep the bundle of joy happy.

Here are a few photos from the birthday.

Waiting.......

And baby Sloane is here!

Winter Adventures

2010-02-04T20:50:00.001-08:00

Went out on some winter adventures. We went up to the mountains to check out some of the winter wonderland. It was so refreshing and crisp. It was pretty cool because at one location, the sun was out, but there were ice crystals just floating through the air. Awesome stuff.

Oh, then we stopped at one place where Andrew and Emma took off up a crazy steep hill. So what else to do, but follow after them with a camera. The cool part is there was enough snow and steep enough that you could slide down on your butt. Risky carrying the camera, but totally fun. Allie was a laugh, it's like she had never been in deep snow before, and didn't know how far she would sink in, so she would freak out every time she started to sink in. It was all a lot of fun, and we can thank Kneaders and Grandpa Harris for the Hot Chocolate afterwards.

DECEMBER!

2010-01-18T22:10:00.001-08:00

And now a few pics from December. Mostly Christmas related surprise surprise. We did have fun. Had some time off from work, which was nice. Had a few epic nerf battles, which made me realize I am getting old and out of shape. Good food, (which unfortunately contirbuted to being out of shape). But it was nice. But I should just let the pictures speak for themselves.

NOVEMBER!

2010-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Well, yes, this may seem a bit behind, but always moving forward I guess. So November came in an absolute flash, like seriously, it's like the year of 2009 sneezed and we went from October to December. So, in memory of November, here are a few pics.

Ahhh, cute, Allie is playing with electricity again! Actually it reminds me of the time a couple years ago when Allie decided to suck on the laptop charger, which gave her a little shock. Since then she would point to any charging cables and say "hot!"

Hey, I know what sounds good for breakfast, dirty snow. Mmmmm. Allie definitely is a fan of snow, and we are doing our best to encourage her to make healthy snow choices.

Ahhhhh, Turkey day!!. I still want to puke mashed potatoes and gravy. But it was all delish!

Oh yeah, we had a few pics of Emma's Thanksgiving school program. Of course you can't have a stage without Allie heading up there first.

You know, I had no idea that my kids were trying tricks like this until their Grandpa caught it on camera. I guess what you don't know never hurts, until you have to pick up your crying kid off the asphault, and cart them to the ER because they wiped out on their bike.