Harper Update

This sweet girl has acquired some mad skills lately. She waives bye-bye, dances, stands alone, pat-a-cakes, and has even tried to take a step! We can't get enough of her or her crazy dance moves. It's like watching the cutest movie in the whole world, and the best part? It never ends!

BIG girl car seat!

She still loves waffles! Does it get any cuter than this? NOT EVER!

Turning the Page to Some New Chapters...

#1. I'm going to pursue my yoga teacher certification (finally). I've wanted to do this for years, always telling myself I'd know it when the "right" time came. That time is here. I feel it in my heart and soul. I feel something very powerful pushing me onto this path. I'm actually going to start a blog dedicated to this new adventure. I'll let you know when it is up and running.

#2. I've decided to take 3 well-chosen children during the day so that Harper and I can stay home together. I've been so grateful for my nanny position because it has allowed me to be with Harper while working. I'm selfish and spoiled now and don't want that to change so I'm going to have a small in-home daycare. I've rearranged my living room to accommodate play time/craft time/music time and I am so excited! I'll be starting on July 9. I already have one adorable little girl lined up. Now I'm just waiting for two more perfect children to find me.

I am sure going to miss little Theo, however. He is so sweet but is getting ready for 1st grade, which means he won't need a full time nanny anymore. This new situation is going to be amazing because Harper will get to be in her own house all day and she will get to make friends and learn some social skills.

#3. I've recently re-connected with the Pritchard family. For those of you who don't know, this is my birth-mom's family. I really hate the term birth-mom because it is impersonal and in no way represents what I feel for my 1st mother, so from here on out, I will refer to her as either Christianne or mom #1. My cousin Caitlyn is expecting and I was so excited to be invited to her baby shower. Harper and I made the trip to Gunnison and were so lucky to see so many family members. I was especially happy to see my Uncle Lon. I lived with him and my Aunt Becky for a time when I was small and I have really warm memories of them. It was really amazing to see him after almost 11 years and I hope that so much time will never pass again before we are together once more. His wife, my Aunt Becky, passed away a few years ago. I didn't hear of it until after her funeral and have felt so sad at not having seen her again before hear death. I don't want this to happen with any other members of the Pritchard family. Driving home from the shower, I was so happy and felt a new kind of peace in my heart, one that has been missing for a long time.

Father's Day!

We had a great day yesterday! I hope that Colt enjoyed his first Father's Day. We gave him a grill and a cooler full of goodies (shirts, treats, shaving stuff, grilling supplies). We had breakfast with his family at Porcupine and if you know Colt, you understand how happy that must have made him. He LOVES Porcupine. Later on, we enjoyed a backyard dinner at his Grandma Adams' house and had fun visiting with that side of Colt's family. It was a beautiful day and I'm so glad that we could spend it together. Harper, Hazel and I are so lucky to have Colt in our lives. We love him!

Breakfast!

Here we are at dinner. Harper and I look really warm, I know. We aren't sweating. We are just covered in sunscreen!

Playing on Grandma's Swing! What a happy girl she is!

To say that Harper loves ice cream is an understatement. She REALLY loves it!

And You Thought You Were Busy....

Since Harper started crawling, she has been a busy girl! I can barely keep up with her. I have lost count of how many times I have raced her to the book shelf or the kitchen drawers. We have baby-proofed as much as possible but she still finds trouble wherever she goes. She is especially fond of Hazel's dog food. I've lost count of how many pieces I've pulled out of her mouth. Heaven only knows how many she has actually eaten! Whenever she gets into a little trouble it is absolutely too cute to not photograph....

First time knocking the candy dish over... and first taste of a chocolate kiss!

In the kitchen drawer...

Taking a (very close) t.v. break... (note the ottoman blocking the DVD player. She can't seem to bang on it enough...also note the basket of untouched toys. Harper is just too busy for them these days.)

Thank goodness for her baby gate!

It took her two weeks to figure out where the chocolate kisses went. Don't worry, she can (and has) reach them.

Even busy Harper girls need a nap sometimes...

In Case Your Day is Lacking in Cuteness...

Fun Night

Our friends, Skyler and Danni, are getting married this weekend! We are so excited for them and had a great time celebrating at their rehearsal dinner last night!

Look at these cute boys!

A Good Catch

Colt went fishing and you can see from the picture below that it was a successful trip. I'm pretty sure this 31 pound lake trout made him happier than I ever will (or at least warranted a bigger smile). I told him that if he doesn't look this happy when I walk down the aisle on our wedding day, I'm turning around. Colt, his dad, and a friend spent last Wednesday morning with a fishing guide at Flaming Gorge. They had a great time and all three of them caught their biggest fish yet. It was so fun that Colt is already planning his next guided adventure.

SEVEN

Here it goes:
7 TV Shows I Love To Watch:
1. The Hills
2. The City
3. Glee
4. Nip/Tuck
5. ellen
6. Yo-Gaba Gaba (and not just for the Harper Girl)
7. Arrested Development (RIP)

7 Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Bought 2 new pairs of sandals
2. Bought Harper some new shoes/rompers for summer
3. Read my July Glamour from cover to cover
4. Wrote in my journal
5. Took a walk with my girls
6. Tried some new eyeshadows/make up looks
7. Made Hazel snuggle me to sleep (Colt's out of town)

7 Favorite Places To Eat:
1. Porcupine Pub
2. Red Butte Cafe
3. El Chihuahua
4. Kneaders
5. Jason's Deli
6. Taco Time
7. Betos (only for the nachos :)

7 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Harper's 1st Birthday
2. Going to Vegas in July (missing my family)
3. Skyler and Danni's wedding
4. My hair appointment tomorrow
5. Colt coming home Friday
6. The chalk art festival
7. My library holds becoming available


7 Things On My Wish List:
1. To have my parents move closer (wish wish wish!)
2. Teal blue Dooney and Bourke watch
3. Large Dooney Satchel in yellow
4. Living room furniture (sans slipcovers!)
5. An opal ring (to celebrate Harper's birth month)
6. To teach piano full time once again
7. To meet my pen pal (we've been writing since 4th grade!)

7 Random Things that You May Not Know About Me:

1. I love vintage furniture, especially Tiffany lamps... and I abhor boring furniture

2. I love going to the park

3. I am obsessed with Dooney and Bourke (you may buy me a present from their website at any time)

4. I don't like my birthday. I've dreaded it every year for as long as I can remember.

5. I'm a little OCD, but only when it comes to my wardrobe. My closet is organized by sleeve length and color. I iron everything I wear and I can't seem to own enough clothing. I have at least a dozen dresses with tags still on them hanging in my closet. I'm obsessed with cardigans.

6. I plan on becoming a yoga teacher (if only part time)

7. I love elephants

Is There Anything This Girl Doesn't Like?

May 31st, 2010: Harper's First Pancake!

Harper loved this pancake. Am I surprised? Not at all. She loves food. She has liked absolutely everything that she has tried thus far, including:

Rice Cereal (still a favorite)

Oatmeal Cereal

Baby Carrots, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Peas

Baby Pears, Apples, Mangos, Bananas, and Peaches

Whole Wheat Eggo Waffles

Whole Wheat Toast

Fries (don't judge me... it was her dad's birthday)

Bran Muffins

Cake (once again, don't judge)

Watermelon

Lasagna

Macaroni and Cheese

Pears

Grilled Cheese

Cottage Cheese

String Cheese

Cheerios

Fruity Pebbles (Her dad's cereal, not mine.)

Whole Grain Goldfish Crackers

Animal Crackers

Gerber Puff Snacks

Gerber Strawberry Yogurt Melt-aways

Frozen Yogurt from Jason's Deli (Cried when she didn't get enough)

Yes, our baby does love to eat and we LOVE our healthy baby!

Ahhh... The Library

It should come as no surprise to you that I love the library. I have loved it since I was a three year old girl who couldn't yet pronounce the L sound when asking her dad for a trip to the "yibrary." I love standing in an aisle, surrounded by books, and dreaming of how wonderful it would be if I could do nothing but read all day. I love the way library books smell and I love imagining who else has checked out the book I'm reading. Did they read it by a fire on a cold winter's day? Or perhaps they took it on vacation to a beach far from here and enjoyed it under the sun? Or maybe they were forced to read it by some poorly dressed professor with stinky breath? I mean, you never know...

Well today, I went to the library to grab some CDs that I had on hold for Colt. I wasn't planning on getting any books as I'd already planned my summer reading list. I'd intended to read the translated works of Hugo, followed by a re-read of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Pretty brave for a new mom, right? I can barely grab 20-30 minutes of reading time at the end of the day. During the day, my free time comes in 10 minute intervals. This is not really conducive to a reading of several masterpieces within a summer's time.

Good thing I decided to at least "window shop" the aisles of the Holladay Library this afternoon (and mind you, the library is the ONLY place where I window shop) because that is where I had a literary epiphany that I have been most excited about ever since. I don't want to spend all summer without a book in my hand but at the same time, I cringe at the thought of reading Les Miserables in 3-4 page spurts. The answer? POETRY. How perfect will it be to study poetry this summer? I can catch a poem here and there and not have to worry because 10-15 minutes is all I will need. I've liked poetry since middle school but have kept it on my reading back burner because I've always got a non-fiction/fiction reading list that is a mile long. The fact that Robert Frost, ee Cummings, Maya Angelou, Sylvia Plath, etc. will provide some beautiful verses for reading aloud to Harper is just icing on this most delicious cake. She and I can spend our summer with some of the most beautiful and eloquent souls that have ever lived. It's going to be amazing, I just know it.