I love this girl.

    I am in no way prepared for her to be 10 months old next week. I still can't believe that she is walking any more than I can believe that she is a dancing, waiving, singing toddler. Last night, as we waited for Colt to get home from work, Harper and I sat on the deck and watched the children in our neighborhood. They were oblivious to us as they enjoyed the special play that comes only with summer evenings. I'm sure you remember how fun it was to be out late into the day- to enjoy games and popsicles with your best friends, always dreading the moment when your parents would come to call you inside. When I was a little girl, I loved summers in Utah- especially at twilight when I'd get a magical feeling of forever- like I was immune to the passing of time. Now that I'm a "grown-up" that feeling is gone, ironically, since I'm at a point now when I'd like time to pass a little slower... I'd love for the first months of my child's life to stop flying by. 

    As I was thinking this over last night, it occurred to me that someday Harper will be one of those kids. She won't need me like she does now and she will run off to play, not giving me a second thought. She won't need me to encourage her to be friendly like she does now. She won't need me to lift her out of bed in the morning, (hopefully she will run from her room to ours and jump in bed with us for a morning snuggle) choose her clothes or even comb her curly brown hair. Heaven forbid the day when she will no longer need me to dry her tears or calm her fears. As I realized this, I was a little sad to think that she won't always be here, hugging me and giving me sweet baby kisses. I'm starting to see why people have more than one child. The absolute true love that comes with motherhood is addicting. 

Yesterday in the Life of Harper

Harper, in my opinion, had a good day yesterday.

My mom loves dolls. She even collects them. My favorite one in her collection is a Cabbage Patch doll my dad gave her the first Christmas they were married. She passed her doll obsession on to me and through the years I've had countless Cabbage Patch, American Girl, My Child, and Madame Alexander dolls. I received a doll for Christmas every year until I turned 18. When my parents retired, some of my sweet dolls moved on to new homes where younger girls with more time for play are hopefully loving them. A select few were chosen for keeping. They are waiting at grandma's house for my daughter to grow old enough to play with them.

 Last week when my mom was in town, she taught Harper how to play with a doll. She can now hug, kiss, and feed her baby. Unfortunately, we only had one doll in this house. The poor thing was almost ripped in two yesterday as Harper and Abby (a girl I watch) fought over her. Last night we decided to even things up and get another doll. I could not resist choosing a Cabbage Patch Kid. I was so excited and I relished in the memories that came flooding back as I opened the package and smelled that most delicious signature Cabbage Patch scent. I even bored Colt with a description of every Cabbage Patch I've ever owned.

Harper loves her new baby. We got one that is just her size...

She also got a toothbrush...

AFTER brushing her teeth, she tried to sneak some candy from the pantry (we've got a ways to go on dental hygiene education)... 

Harper was tired from her busy day. When she went to bed (with her Cabbage Patch by her side, of course) she made sure to leave us something to do...

Uh-Oh!

This is Harper's "I know this is a no-no but I just couldn't help myself" face. 

It's the most adorable look of guilt I've ever seen. 

I've been sort of MIA on the blogging scene this week because my mom is in town and I've been spending most of my time with her. It has been so great. She has been over helping me the past three days. We can't go anywhere because of my daycare so we just snack and talk the day away. Oftentimes, there is more snacking than talking going on but that's fine by me. I just really love having her here. I wish Las Vegas was not so far away; I'd love to see my mom on a more regular basis. I miss her when she is not here.

It has been a really good week.

On Monday Harper discovered toilets and figured out how to lift the lids up and down. Am I crazy for thinking this is cute? 

On Tuesday we went to dinner to celebrate a good friend's birthday. Happy 25th Danni! You are awesome and we love you!

(Harper is wearing a Minnie Mouse necklace that I got when I was 3. It's the one and only item from an Avon catalog that I've ever owned. How I managed to hold onto it for almost a quarter of a century I'll never know.)

On Wednesday Harper relaxed.

On Thursday we went to the library and filled our bag with Harper goodies. She has been enjoying them since. 

Today my Aunt Janet came over and visited with my mom and me. It was great.

Happy Weekend!

Wow! There is nothing more amazing than feeling better after being sick for several days. I woke up yesterday, stood up, and didn't feel dizzy, nauseous, or achy. I wanted to do a little dance of joy. It was 5:40 in the morning, however, so I kept my celebration to a simple smile and prayer of thanks. Being sick is the worst, especially when you have a busy 9 month old. Even picking Harper up was painful and made me dizzy. I felt like a terrible mom for a few days and am so happy to be back to my normal self!

Our Weekend

Our weekend was pretty quiet and chill. I got really sick on Friday and have been achy and sick to my stomach since. I barely moved all weekend. Instead of going fishing or doing something else fun, Colt was a sweetie and sat around with me. We watched nature shows and laughed at Harper, who now insists on standing to eat and can't stay out of trouble for more than 10 minutes at a time. Colt looked at puppies online, dreaming of the day that he can get "his dog" while I re-read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The best part of the weekend was taking a most delicious nap with Harper on Sunday afternoon. We fell asleep together on the couch and stayed that way for a good hour. I loved it.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend and I think it's about time for Harper to have a pair of these:

The Little Blue Chair

Harper has a little blue chair.
It's been sitting around since February. It's been empty since February.
She discovered it yesterday.
She spent the rest of the afternoon with her chair.

She climbed on it.
She stood up.

She played played some music with her bells.

She dropped her bells and didn't quite know how to get them back.

She soon figured it out.

Finally, Miss Harper sat down in her little blue chair.

The Bells Are Still Ringing..

They are just a little further away, for now. I have been looking through past posts and realized that I've not yet addressed the issue of our wedding, which was tentatively scheduled for last month. We have been so caught up in Harper and our new house that getting married took the back burner. I also felt unbelievably overwhelmed with wedding planning. It really is not my thing. Colt, Harper and Hazel are my thing. I'd rather spend time with them than choose chair covers or bridesmaid's dresses. Colt and I mutually and happily decided that this summer just wasn't the right time for us. We still love each other. We are still completely committed and faithful. We are just not married... yet. As of right now, we are talking about something next summer. We are thinking of a small ceremony and some sort of after-party. That's all I have so far. Like I said, I'm not a wedding planner. I just wanted to update everyone.

This is us on Christmas 2008. I love him.

Little Steps

At 9 months and 2 days old, Harper took her first steps. Colt and I were shocked. We didn't see this coming for at least another month or two. She has been improving daily and is now quite capable of getting nearly anywhere on foot. It really catches me off guard to see this cute little person walking around our house. 

Belated

I just realized that in all of the excitement of Harper turning 9 months and learning to walk, I missed my adoption anniversary. It was last Wednesday (July 7). Two very kind, patient, giving, loving, and all around amazing people adopted me 21 years ago. Happy Belated Adoption Day mom and dad!

Last Friday...

We took Miss Harper to the Splash Fountains at Gateway.

She looked so cute in her wet suit (thanks Aunt Calli!)

She played for a long time.

She had a lot of fun.

Then she had a nap- a long one.

What a great day!

Were you THIS Cute When....

You ate your first snow cone?

Every Party Has A?

Welcome to my pity party.

For a brief moment, I need to vent.

I will keep it as short as possible,

mainly because I hate being negative.

I just need to get it out before Harper wakes up.

I hate crying in front of her.

This life is often frustrating for me.

Sometimes I'd like someone to take care of me.

I'd like to have someone lift some weight from my shoulders.

I'd like someone to say that I'm okay the way I am.

(clumsy, emotional, talkative, worried, and often overly optimistic)

I used to believe I was.

I am not so sure anymore and that makes me sad.

Sometimes I get sick of being the "yeah, that's great" girl.

Sometimes I'd like to do what I want to do,

like sit by the pool with my book

or go to the park with my girls and Colt.

(I love the park)

Today is one of those times.

But of course it won't happen.

Because in a world of selfishness, I choose to be unselfish.

Yes, I said choose.

Selfishness is not an uncontrollable genetic trait.

It's a choice.

Sometimes I wish more people would realize this.

As penance for my negative rant, here is a list of what I have been most grateful for lately:

Harper because she brings me joy and she is so cute with messy morning hair.

Hazel because she makes me laugh.

Colt because he brings me my favorite energy drink.

My neighbors because they have beautiful rose bushes.

Warm weather because I can wear minimal clothing.

Great blogs because they inspire me. Keep writing, please.

Some Very Sweet Tomatoes

One of my favorite restaurants is Sweet Tomatoes. For my parents and me, it is sort of "our place." We always go there when we are together. If we were movie/t.v. characters, Sweet Tomatoes is where we would often (and most certainly coincidentally) meet up for witty and entertaining discussions. Our show would be the best because instead of the stereotypical cup of coffee, we would catch up over soup, salad, and bread. My parents are in town right now and we decided to have a late lunch this afternoon- at our favorite place, of course. Today was special because it was Miss Harper Jane's first visit to Sweet Tomatoes. It's safe to say that she loved it. She ate everything within reach of her tiny hands.

Here she is right as we sat down. She looked her tray over for a minute and then...

she dug in...

to peas, noodles, mac' n cheese, cheese, raisins, pizza, muffins, and ice cream!

Happy Independence Day!

We hope your day was as delightful as Harper's!

Treasures of Mine

Meet my treasures.

They remind me of the three most important ladies in my life.

The jewelry box was my Grandma Beth's. She gave it to my mother who passed it on to me. I've loved it since I was a little girl. I keep only my most cherished items in it (a necklace I bought in Japan, my adoption ring, and the gold angel necklace my mom gave me).

The Hummel figurine was my mother's. She gave it to me when she moved to Vegas. It is titled "For Mother" and it just occurred to me today that the girl looks a bit like my sweet Harper. I can't wait until the day she brings me a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. Hopefully they won't be our neighbor's favorite roses or something. Hopefully we live somewhere near where wildflowers grow, which reminds me that I need to add The Lupine Lady to my list of books to buy Harper.

The Willow Tree figurine is mine. It was my favorite baby shower gift. It is called Angel of Mine. I'm so grateful for my cousin Lynette who gave us something that Harper won't stain or grow out of. I love it because it will help me remember that there is nothing more amazing than holding your own sweet baby (I have what is probably a very irrational fear that I might forget and like knowing that I'll have a reminder just in case). When I got it, I immediately thought of the other two items and knew that these three treasures belonged together.

I love these items. I love the women (and baby) they represent.

I'll pass these on to Harper someday. I hope that she will love them as much as I do.

In Remembrance

This is my friend Tarah. She died a few years ago. I miss her and always wish I could talk to her. I miss writing letters to her. I miss getting her letters. I'm so happy that her sister and I became fb friends because she has a whole photo album dedicated to Tarah. I stole a couple of the photos and today, in remembrance of Tarah, I bought nail polish and remembered all of the times we painted our nails while eating Doritos and talking about boys... This life may have been short for her but we are kindred spirits forever. Love you girl.