Harper and her Pals

Play group kiddos at the Arboretum.
Lincoln and Harper sorting their Easter Eggs at church.
Brooks and Harper at the Arboretum. So sweet he always runs to hug her and loves to hold her hand.
Harper and Hadley hanging out. Don't they kinda look like sisters.
Harper and Adley. We love when she comes to visit.
Harper and Brooks at the Arboretum petting zoo. They both wanted to brush the goat.

Not the best blogger on the block

I haven't been the best blogger on the block but have been busy running around, playing hide and go seek, and just enjoying life with our little bundle of energy and joy.

Harper is so much fun and is talking up a storm these days. She always surprises us with her new word or phrases. She said gucamole the other day and I couldn't believe it. ..I was cracking up laughing. She also likes to put multiple words together like mommydaddy and is starting to put two and three words together like Bless you Mommy and Mommy Funny. Pretty amazing to see her little mind working and hearing the things she picks up.

She is very animated and loves to say WOW and WHOA and just cracks herself up. She is quite the little actress...I wonder where she gets that from =)

She is also LOVES the park and the swing and enjoys playing with her playgroup friends and her best friend Brooks. She is learning to share and doesn't like it some days.


Here are a few pics from Easter and just everyday life.

Harper playing with one of her favorite toys a mini easel. She love to color and organize her chalk.
She loves to sit in her BIG GIRL CHAIR and read books especially her little baby bible

We had a great Easter this year. The celebration seemed to go on and on..one Easter Egg Hunt after another (our house, church, gg-pops). It was so much fun to see her interested and excited.
Adam and I hid her Easter basket, as was my family tradition growing up, and she had so much fun hunting for it. She loved finding the eggs and then realized all the goodies inside. She went straight for the candy without opening the wrapper. Too funny.

When I ask her what Easter is about she says JESUS. I know she doesn't understand yet but one day she will. I just think it is so sweet it warms my heart.

I just love this picture so sweet

Our play group. I love these babes and gals. They are such a blessing and so much fun to spend Thursdays with.

1. 5 years old....WOW!

A year and a half...wow! I can't believe it.

Harper is such a beautiful, fun, strong, caring, loving, compassionate, obediant, charasmatic little girl.

We love her so much and it is hard to believe that she has been in our lives a year and a half tomorrow. Time flies when you have a toddler. Adam and I know how precious this time is and make the most of every opportunity.

We love our family time together on the weekends. We love taking Harper to Dunkin donuts on the weekends, going to the pet shop to see the animals or going on a leisurely stroll around our neighborhood. I know these moments aren't any different than most families lives but we thank God for every moment he gives us.

Now to share about a few fun moments the last few months:

* Harper loves to dance and sing and we love it when she makes up her own songs. She has such a sweet voice
* She loves to read books especially Abby Cadabby and Humpty Dumpty with her daddy
* She loves to play peek a boo, hide and go seek, and loves when we chase her
* She loves the show Wonder Pets and will sing the theme song....Wonder Pets Yeah!!
* We have bible time in the morning and she loves her bible. She loves Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve, and Abraham
* She loves to say hi to anyone and everyone and gives out the best kisses, the way she puckers her little lips is so sweet
*She says "bye bye" and "night night" when we put her in her crib like a big girl all ready for bed
* When we pray together I ask her who she wants to pray for and she always says her Gigi and Pops
* She loves to sort things and play with her crayons
*She loves her little car that we got her for Christmas
*She loves to take baths and loves to cuddle in the shower with her mama

Some Pics to Share

Harper all bundled up to go and see Santa
The Fam at the Ice Exhibit right before Christmas
Pic of Harper with my dad's work out headband on haha
Scott and Shannon Wedding in October
Scott and Shannon Wedding in October

Crazy Week

Okay so this week has been a little crazy to say the least.

We got in a car accident on our way home from church last Sunday night. The guy decided to hit and run and then came back 30 minutes later and is now refusing to call back his insurance company. This most likely means that we will have to file under our insurance which = NO FUN

Then....the water heater went out on Monday and we had no hot water all week long in freezing cold temperatures. We called the plumber to find out that....

We had a MASSIVE leak under our house with about 3-6 inches in some places of standing water = NOT GOOD

With all that said it has been a bit stressful. It has been a rough few days but this morning I remain thankful for a God who cares about all the details of our lives.

Thankful that we have a place to stay until things get fixed, thankful that I have an extra car to drive (our friends the Netzer's have let us drive their car while they are out of town, and my dad is out of town this week so I can drive his car). I am thankful for the little red flags along the way that alerted us that something might be going on with our house (ie: a strange sound coming from our master sink a few months ago, the wood floors starting to curb upward, the hot water heater going out, the little wet spot I found in the corner of our garage). All of these little things led us to question that something was not right with the house.

God was preparing my heart for all this earlier this week when I was reading through John Ch 10 about the way that the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep. He watched over us, he protects us from danger, he guides us, he lays down his life for us, he leads us beside still waters, he provides green pasture for us, he wipes away our tears. So fitting for such a time as this. It was also a sweet reminder of the way that in the midst of the suffering in Hatti that God is still in control and he watches over his sheep.

All that to say...I do feel a perfect peace in the midst of a little storm. I am thankful for the friends and family who have been willing to pray with me over the phone (thanks Shelby for answering my cry for help hahah), called to check on us, and been willing to help however needed. I am greatful for a husband who does not stress easily and leads our family well.

These are the things that really matter. Houses, Cars, the luxeries/convienences of life are worthless if you don't have something more substantial. I am reminded to build my life/our home on the firm foundation of Christ and on relationships. Thankful that I can have hope in the midst of a frustrating few days.

Marathon Pics

AFTER THE RACE. MY LEGS WERE PRETTY STIFF

THE MARINES LINED UP TO HELP


AROUND MILE 22. STILL FEELING GOOD BUT LOOKING GROSS =)
Here are a few pics from the Marine Corps Marathon that I ran in at the end of October. They are a little late. I am trying to play catch up before the New Year starts!

It was my 3rd Marathon and I finished in 4 hrs and 28 minutes, which I was happy with. Adam cheared me on and we had a great time exploring Washington DC. It is such a beautiful city. The marathon was very humbling as there were thousands of service men and women running alongside us and serving us water, food, etc. I am so thankful for these men and women who fight to protect our freedom.

Harper First Birthday Pics...Long Over Due

So I had a sweet friend take birthday pics of Harper and I have been meaning to post them for the last 2 months but now that Harper is walking my time is somewhat otherwise occupied =)

Harper is 15 months soon to be 16 months and is the joy of our life. She is so vocal and has the sweetest spirit and most joyful countanance. She is everything we prayed for and so much more.

Lately she has been impressing us with her slang terms and her impressive vocabulary hahah

Wow...and COOl and OHHHH and are some of her new favorite words taught to her by her daddy =) She also loves to name all the animals and give the sounds they make. Horses and lions are her favorite....neigh....and roar are some of her favorite sounds. She also says hot, cold, and squinches her face, up, down, ball, cat, dog, no (uh oh), please, spoon, eat, bluberries (or something that sounds like it), more, papa, gigi, EE, purple, pink, baby, and lots more.

She also had been signing up a storm. I am so thankful we taught her sign language because it has helped her to communicate and kept her from getting frustrated at times. She is very annimated.

She loves people, has never met a stranger and loves to dance, and seems to be interested in art, colors, and BABIES. Everyone that is a kid no matter what age is a baby hahah.

She is very tenatious yet cautious and is very happy and easy going.

A funny story of late:

I was putting her in her car seat to go and run and errand and I smelled a strong mint flavor coming from her. I checked around to see what it was and noticed that she had a tic tac in her mouth that she had picked up from the ground and was happily sucking on it. It was pretty funny.