May 2017-On the Road AGAIN | The Harris Family Blog

Ahhhhhh….a girl and her dog. Having a tea party. In their pajamas. If Walter appears furious in this picture, it’s because he drinks his tea with milk and we were out. His level of sophistication astounds me.

So, this next topic will surprise exactly zero of you. The Harris Family is moving…..again. We’ve put our house on the market and have begun the search for new digs down the street. In DENVER. Arrrrrgggghhh! We are following our fearless leader, who is closing the Fort Collins portion of the company and consolidating all operations to the Denver warehouse. We aren’t totally sure where we want to be in Denver. If you ask me, Cherry Creek or Hilltop are superb options….close to the warehouse, close to the mall, centrally located. Perfection. The crotchety old man person in this relationship would not fare so well there, I’m afraid. There needs to be more space between him and the nearest neighbor, for both of their safety. Can you imagine the first time the neighbor’s dog pooped on the lawn or their teenager threw a beer can in our driveway. Yikes! So, we’re focusing our attention a little more “suburban” if you will….Parker, Castle Rock, Centennial. John and I LOVE looking at houses, which makes the arduous process of hunting for our next home a bit more fun. If we weren’t lazy and unhandy, we could make a fortune remodeling houses and get our own show on HGTV. We’d be exactly like Chip and Joanna. But, I digress.

The part of moving that I do NOT like, but have become a pro at is the packing. I am a purging fool. Deliver that dumpster to my front yard and I will fill it to the brim with all manner of stuffed animals, broken toys, and “treasures” that John has accumulated since the last time we did this (<3 years).

However, I knew that this move was going to force me to do something that I had been dreading for the past 10 years. I had saved every baby onesie, blanket, cute shoe and piece of baby paraphernalia from three kids, and carefully stored them in labeled crates. It was finally time to come to terms with the fact that I was done having babies and donate those goods to someone who needed them. But, first I emptied them all out, curled up in the fetal position atop a big pile of footie sleepers and cried tears of nostalgia.

I kid.

Sort of.

Each year in May, the world celebrates what SHOULD be the most important holiday of the year. Not everyone celebrates Christmas…or Easter…or Halloween. Or Cinco de Mayo (discovered this on a trip to Cancun for the “festivities” after college). But, everyone has a mother, and thus MOTHER’S DAY ought to be a universally important day, full of the fanfare and attention given to the other holidays. I dare say it should trump all of the others put together.

Obviously, I am not shy and quiet about my hopes and dreams for my day, and so Mr. Harris and the kiddos do a great job of making me feel like a Queen. Based on these next few photos, I should be given a class on photography, or a new phone. But, I was showered with flowers and cards. Then taken for sushi and a family mani/pedi.

But, what every mom REALLY wants on her special day…..is a nap.

Look at that….isn’t he precious? S%&%*#.

May also brings the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. It’s the end of having to pack lunches, and thank goodness because food is getting scarce around here. Most days, these are the lone items that I’m forced to whip into a tasty and nutritious meal….

Thankfully for my children’s growth and development, I am well versed in the way to Dairy Queen for post-school sustenance….

My cute little bunny finished up her first year of preschool, and thrived under the direction of the Miramont staff, much as her brother and sister did before her. They run such a fantastic program, and when mothers of young’ins ask me about where to send their kids to preschool, I don’t even give them another option. It’s the best there is in Fort Collins.

Note: This is not a paid advertisement:-)

On a side note, this is was the weather on Malory’s graduation day….on May 18. I felt sad for all of those cute little girls in their summer dresses.

Now, if anyone needed proof of the long-believed rumor that John tries to push his poor wife just to the edge of her breaking point, close to checking herself into the looney bin, there’s this….

“Oh, good idea. Let’s sell our house, move to a new city AND add one more dog to our family. That’s all a piece of cake. No problem.”

But, he’s a beagle and if you rewind a few years you’ll remember how much I loved my beagle and how much I miss him. Plus, he was in a pet shop…..alone, and cold and hungry. Cue sad music and pleading children and I folded like a cheap suit.

But, as cute as he is….he is still a puppy. Puppies are A LOT of work. Guess who’s job it was to do said work? Guess who got up every 45 minutes for those first few nights? Guess who cleaned up every puddle and pile? If you guessed the guy who brought him home, you are wrong.

He got a hold of Jackson’s report card.

He destroyed his entire bed while he was in it. Seriously, I was gone 15 minutes.

But, for all of the destruction there’s the snuggles, the skunky puppy breath, and the naps. He is very good at naps. If I wasn’t so busy with this moving business, I’d take one…or 10.

I think he’ll fit in just fine….

Hang on for next month…..it’s about to get CRAZY!