Currently

Loving: Thanksgiving season. We had Preschool Thanksgiving yesterday and it was one of the cuter things I've ever been a part of.

I love Thanksgiving and wish that Christmas fanatics would stop trying to skip over it. I'm really excited to spend next week with my family in Vegas. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the few times that it's easy for me to get away and it can't come soon enough this year. A few days of rest and relaxation with my mom are just what I need to prepare for the busy holiday season.

Reading: Jesus the Christ. I decided to end this year with a month of Christ-centered reading. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below.

Thinking about: Religion and church and the constant conflict that I feel in regards to what I believe and what I don't believe. It's all very confusing and trying to reconcile all of my thoughts and convictions into one belief system isn't easy. I know I'm a Christian and I know that I love God. That's about all I know, though. The rest of it is just a great big mess in my heart/head right now. I'd like to start going to church again and I'd really like to see Harper learning about Jesus and what's right/not right. I just don't know where we belong. I was raised as a Mormon but don't know if that's the right place for us.

Working on: Accepting Harper's new haircut. She decided that she wanted bangs ("like Matilda") but didn't have the patience to wait for an appointment with our stylist. Apparently, her hair was in her face (that's her story at least) so she just went ahead and cut it herself. Awesome.

Looking forward to: Time Out for Women! My friend Misty and I are going this weekend and I'm really excited. One of my preschool moms is the director of the whole program and invited me to attend the SLC event and I've been looking forward to it for a while now. It's going to be an amazing couple of days, I just know it.

Less Tech, More Life

I'm making an effort to be more present in my own life. Having an iPhone makes it hard. I'm trying (really, really trying) to put my phone down more and spend more time actually being with the people around me. I'm thinking of making myself leave my phone in the kitchen at all times, unless I'm talking to someone, and to leave it in my purse when I'm out and about. I'm just really over it. I'm over the world being addicted to social media, games, and texting.

Truth be told, I'd be a much better blogger and writer if I spent less time browsing facebook and pinterest and more time reading and writing. In all actuality, I'd be a much better everything if I was on my phone less. Wouldn't we all?

I just really want to respect my family and friends, as well as myself and my own life, more by not always being on my phone.

But it's not easy, that's for sure. Smart phones are a hard habit to break.

So is TV. I don't watch a lot of television. I have a few shows that I record and watch in the evening when I'm reading the news or working out. Those aside, I'm pretty much television free. I've never been one to flip mindlessly through the channels, hoping to find something interesting enough to waste an hour or more of my life. The problem in our house is how much TV Harper watches. She watches more than I ever imagined a child of mine would, which is entirely my fault. I've fallen into the habit of always having the TV on for her and letting her watch whatever show/movie she wants whenever she wants. It's gotten ridiculous so I'm making a effort to really limit how much television she watches each day and to spend quality time reading or playing a game with her instead, which is a good thing since doing activities with Harper require me to put down my phone.

Something cool about limiting TV for Harper is that she hasn't even noticed. Instead of finding her bored and tuned in to another show or movie, I find her coloring, playing outside, and reading books. She plays- actually plays- is her room. She has tea parties. She fights monsters and works on her dance moves. She doesn't even realize she is watching less TV, but I notice, and not just literally either, but in other ways as well. Since I cut down on television, Harper has been happier. She has eaten better and has even gotten on a better sleep schedule. She's been less naughty and less emotional, which is an immensely good thing for everyone in this house. It's made a huge difference in her life. Mine too. I've gotten to know Harper better.  I've learned to understand her more and I'd even say that we have become good friends.

Having less technology on in our lives has helped our relationship to grow. We laugh together and talk more. We are both so much better off this way.

Basically, our family needs a lot less technology in our house and a lot more life. Games, books, crafts, toys, cooking, writing, working in the yard, going for a walk, cleaning, dance partying... I can think of countless things that would be better for us than wasting time with television or an iPhone, no matter how cool they are or how many amazing things they can do.

I feel like I'm not alone in this. I see a lot of people wanting, and trying, to back away from the never ending feeds of facebook, instagram, and pinterest.

What are your feelings here? Are you trying to do less technology and more life? If so, how are you doing it? Please comment with any advice or personal experiences- I know you guys are smart cookies and I welcome anything you have to say.

Here is a quote from Julliard faculty member David Dubal that I recently came across. It expresses perfectly the thoughts I've been having recently:

"We have let the internet rob our time and attention.

Today, children play technology instead of playing Mozart.

It used to be that the piano was the centerpiece of a home,

now it's television."

-David Dubal

I want Harper to be a hard worker, to be productive, goal-oriented, and self-motivated. I want her to be good- really good- at something and to appreciate the finer things in life. If this is going to happen, we are going to have to have a lot more Mozart and a lot less Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

I mean, seriously, if Harper was busy watching movies and Disney Jr. all day, she wouldn't have time to figure out that a teapot is the perfect place to store her bullets. 

All About Four Year Old Harper

Harper's birthday was just over a month ago. It's definitely time for an "all about Harper" post...

The thing that I really love about parenting is watching my child's personality develop, and what is really surprising to me is that Harper is who Harper is. She always has been. No matter how much she learns or changes or how tall/old she gets, Harper is still the same bright, loving, curious, mischievous, and strong-willed person that she has been since she was a baby.

She is the perfect mix of girly and adventurous. I'm not going to say that she is a tomboy because she isn't. No tomboy wears tutus or puts on as much eyeshadow as Harper did at Whitney's house on Saturday evening. One of the things that I love most about Harper is that she just isn't the kind of girl to let boundaries of any sort keep her from anything that she is interested in. She wants to shoot guns and play swords while listening to princess songs and she wants to wear a tutu and cowgirl boots while she's doing it and damn anyone who thinks she should do otherwise.

Seriously.

Harper is a hoot, wouldn't you agree?

She is also brave and very inquisitive (she woke up a few days ago and immediately said, "Mommy, I've really been wondering what orangutans like to eat.").

She is independent and driven by the chance to make her own choice.

She is sweet and generous.

She is friendly.

She is determined.

She is bright and willing to learn.

She is musical and artistic.

She is emotional and prone to intense bouts of anger, followed by tears and a need to snuggle.

She is fun and silly.

She LOVES to dance.

She is Harper and we love her.

Four year old Harper isn't too different from three year old Harper. She still loves Ariel and Cheetos and she still like to choose her own clothing. She has, however, had a whole year of exploration and experience and has a few new favorites (and not favorites) under her belt.

Harper loves ponies, going to the movies, the library, fry sauce, horses, cats (she really wants one but I'm afraid it isn't going to happen), animals in general, her gummy vitamins, butterflies, jewelry, scarves, Spider-man, painting, coloring, drawing, play-dough, our dogs, make-up, clip-on earrings, dancing, and singing.

Harper doesn't love potatoes, the blow-dryer, being forced to wear anything that she didn't choose, having a bath, the carwash, milk, and being ignored.

Her favorite movies are Annie, Matilda, Alice in Wonderland, The Last Unicorn, Fern Gully, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Adams Family, and Corpse Bride (the smart girl is obviously a Tim Burton fan).

Her favorite TV show is Sophia: Once Upon a Princess. She is really excited for the upcoming mermaid episode.

Her favorite books are Pinkalicious (anything from the series, in fact), Corduroy, Peter Rabbit, Claire and the Unicorn- Happily Ever After, Jemima Puddle Duck, The Invisible Moose, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. She also really likes any type of fairy tale or fable.

Her favorite foods are bacon and soup (she's her father's daughter, that's for sure).

Her favorite music is Lady Gaga, Rihanna, the soundtracks of Annie, The Little Mermaid, Rent, Wicked, and the first season of Sophia, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton, and The Chipmunks. She also loves (times about a million) Christmas music.

She enjoys ballet class and is getting ready for her Christmas recital (I'm also getting ready, for an intense cuteness overload).

She is good at cleaning up and is usually happy to help out. She can put her toys and shoes away, fold her blankets, hang up her jackets and bags, and organize her drawers. She is currently learning to make her bed and set the table.

Harper can recognize and write all of the letters and numbers. She knows the sound for each letter and can count to 40. She can also write her name, recognize lots of shapes, say The Pledge of Allegiance, sing and play a major scale, and recite about 10 nursery rhymes. Being her preschool teacher has been challenging in a number of ways, but I've loved every minute of it. I'm glad that she will be able to remember me as her first teacher in life. We have started with a little piano, too, and I'm excited to see how she takes to it.

Harper is 42" tall and weighs 41 pounds. She wears a size 6 in clothing (a part of my heart will never fully heal from the break that happened when Harper grew too big for the toddler section at Target) and a size 11 in shoes. She is currently working hard at growing out her hair. She wants it to be "yong" like Ariel's.

When she grows up, she wants to be Ariel but she doesn't want legs. She wants to be Ariel with a "real fin."

That's about it, I guess- my Harper in a nutshell. She's amazing, and definitely the best part of life.

Harper and Tucker are always so sweet to one another.

They seem to have a special relationship.

I think it's because they were babies together. 

Fall Cleanup

Harper and I spent yesterday afternoon in our backyard. I raked and bagged leaves while Harper played, collected "beautiful" leaves, looked for ladybugs, and sang. 

We have a beautiful big tree in our backyard. It gives us lots of shade in the summer and lots of leaves in the fall- 30 bags full, to be exact. It's a good thing (for Colt and me both) that I enjoy cleaning them up. It's hard work, but I don't mind. Work isn't something that I like to look at with distaste. Enjoying different kinds of work is part of my dedication to living a life of Diligent Joy. I especially like any kind of work that gets me up and going (there is nothing I like less than wasting time on the sofa). Having Harper out there with me made it even better. She was constantly running over to let me hear what song was playing on her iPod or calling me over to her so that we could look at leaves or watch ladybugs together. The girl never fails to make life more magical. 

Harper's iPod Shuffle is one of her favorite things. She puts her pink headphones on and dances and sings her little heart out. She has a big voice, just like her mama, and isn't afraid to use it. I'm just hoping that my neighbors enjoy her impromptu backyard concerts as much as I do.

Harper gathered quite the collection of beautiful leaves. She has been really into the changing of the leaves this year and can't wait to see the trees grow new green leaves come spring.

Halloween 2013

There is no denying the fact that Harper was one adorable Spider-Girl. She had fun trick-or-treating but was more excited about handing out candy at the door. She's a funny girl. She ate exactly one piece of Halloween candy last night and didn't ask for more. She's just not big on sweets. She's more of a Cheetos girl.

Earlier in the day, we had a little party with her daycare and preschool friends. She dressed as a kitty for it. Here she is with Cash, otherwise known as Donatello.

After the school day, Harper went from feline to super hero. She was super proud of her Spider-Girl nails and insisted that we dress Julie, her doll, up as well.

Hazelnut, our sweet Little Shmermaid, wasn't overly thrilled about Halloween.

She applied her own lipstick.

While we were waiting for Colt to get home from work, Harper insisted on "practicing" her trick-or-treating skills. She had been so excited all day about going out in the neighborhood "like they do on Hocus Pocus." I think it would have been more fun for her if we'd had some other little ones with us. After just a handful of houses, she was ready to head to grandma's house (she's a smart girl- she knows where the good stuff is).

It's not a day in Harper's life unless Ariel is involved in one way or another and I couldn't resist buying this candy bag even though Harps has a pumpkin bucket. Harper actually wanted to be Ariel again this year but I talked her into trying something new. 

The biggest treat of the night was stopping by Calli's house to see Pierce. Harper hadn't held him yet because she was too shy around his other visitors when we saw him (she insisted on meeting him behind a curtain at the hospital so that people wouldn't be looking at her). Last night, it was just us and so Harper had no reservations about holding/kissing/snuggling her "new baby cousin." She loved it and didn't want to put him down. She even cut my turn with him short by insisting that she needed to hold him because he likes her the best. She is crazy about little Pierce and kept telling me how much she loves him.

I didn't need to be told. I could see it in her face.

Currently

Loving: my new nephew. Colt's twin, Calli, gave birth to him nearly a week ago. His name is Pierce and he is precious beyond words.

Reading: A Farewell to Arms. I've accepted the fact that I most likely won't finish everything on my 2013 reading list but I'm putting in a solid effort, nonetheless. I couldn't say goodbye to a year without reading at least a little Hemingway.

Thinking about: How fast time goes. Is it really November? I can hardly believe that another holiday season is right around the corner. I can't even say how excited I am for this Christmas with Harps. She's a true blue believer in everything Santa Claus and we plan on having a whole bunch of fun with her while we still can.

Working on: Finishing up as much of my 2013 Bucket List as I can. I know I won't cross everything off and I've made peace with that. Still, I'd like to do a few more things. Harper and I spent an afternoon at This is the Place Heritage Park a couple of weeks back. We had a lovely time. The fall weather was perfect and made the park absolutely beautiful (making me regret sending my camera on the deer hunt with Colty) and my little lady got to trick-or-treat, ride trains, ride ponies, pet goats, make crafts, and run around in the playhouses. It's safe to say that This is the Place was definitely the place for Harper.

Looking forward to: a few things, actually: Disney on Ice (Paityn gave Harper tickets for her birthday and I can't wait to see the girls at the show next week), Thanksgiving with my family, Catching Fire (of course!), and Time Out for Women with my friend, Misty. We are going to the SLC event this month and I know it's going to be super fun.