Monday, August 24, 2009

School Begins!!

School started last week, and maybe--just maybe--I can turn over a new leaf and try to be better about updating the blog. We also finally got my laptop and our wireless internet set up so now I don't have the excuse of not being able to get to the office and get it done. We shall see, I guess, but I do have good intentions :) As much as it goes against my natural bent, I am not going to worry about putting these pics in chronological order. Take it or leave it, mkay?!?!

At first I was kinda regretting the double stroller purchase because the one we bought didn't work with Harper's infant seat. But now that she is big enough to sit (or sleep, in the case of this picture), it works out really well.


Several weeks ago, Harper discovered her tongue. She spent about 20 hours a day poking it in and out of her mouth. How she managed not to chomp down on it, I'll never know. She has since moved on to new tricks but this stage was pretty funny.


Harper has started eating real foods like bananas, Cheerios, and Puffs. As shown in the picture, she is not perfect about getting things into her mouth 100% of the time.


I can't remember if I posted this or not yet but this was from back in May when we were over at a friend's house for a birthday gathering. All the boys decided they wanted to take a turn in the potty. Caleb did and was so excited about washing his hands afterward that he forgot to let me put his diaper and pants back on. Yes, he did streak through the living room naked, but we eventually got some clothes back on.


Caleb started swimming lessons this summer. He is still young enough that a parent has to be in the pool with him, so Aaron wins that opportunity. He was a Dolphin but has now graduated to being a Flipper. Between swimming class (Flipper), soccer (Cottontail), and school (Deer), Caleb is hooked up with the animal names.


We didn't do any real vacations or traveling this summer but we did venture to Porter for the Peach Festival. It was a toasty day but the kiddos enjoyed the parade and we all enjoyed the peach cobbler, peach tea, peach smoothies, etc.


We finally got Harper's name on the wall - just in time to remove the crib bumpers since she's pulling up on everything these days. So it was enjoyed briefly before the "look" of the room changed.


In July we went with Owen to the Splash Park in Jenks. It was an overcast day so it was a bit chilly but there weren't very many others there either so they had the park almost all to themselves. Oh, and photographer friends, be slightly impressed (emphasize slightly) in that I adjusted the picture settings to action so I could catch the raindrops in it.


Here is my new favorite pic of the kiddos. Those of you that are facebook friends have seen this, but I thought I'd post it here too...because it is just that darn cute!


Not only is Harper on the go with speedy crawling, she loves to pull up on anything and can even cruise around holding on to things. If Caleb was our careful child, then Harper is our "no fear" one. This was from the first few days of her pulling up, she now is bold enough to reach up and hold on to the top railing of the pack-n-play.


On the 4th of July weekend, we had some friends over for dinner and then all went out to the great fireworks in Keifer, OK. It's not too far from here and it is not as crowded - and is a much better show - than the ones I've seen in Tulsa. Caleb and I were hanging out on a blanket while Aaron and Harper watched from a lawn chair. She got a little fussy about10 minutes into the show but it wasn't because of the noise, it was because she was settling down to sleep...sure enough, she passed out in the middle of those huge booming fireworks.


Group shot from Keifer fireworks show.


Harper and Caleb in Keifer.


No real story to go with this, just a cute picture of Harper posing for the camera.


Harper now has 4 teeth, with more coming soon if the runny nose, drool, and slight temperature are any indication. Here's a pretty good shot of the bottom two.


On summer days when Caleb would play in the backyard pool, Harper liked to hang out in her Exersaucer on the back porch.


Caleb practicing his bubble-blowing skills from swimming lessons at home.


This is Harper with her god-sister, Ellison. Though they look a lot different in size now, the six months between them won't be a consideration in even two years.


Right before school started, a friend organized a tour of Krispy Kreme for the kids. Harper spent time with grandma while Caleb and I went to see how donuts are made. It was a bit challenging to keep the hands of ten or more 2-5 year olds in the right place, but we made it through and everyone got to decorate their own donut at the end of the tour.

Harper has officially transitioned to a "big girl" carseat. Still rear-facing but she outgrew the carrier/base option, despite our best efforts to squeeze her into it. It is Caleb's old Britax seat but we bought a cute new girly (waterproof!!) cover online to make it a little more "Harper". For Caleb, we switched to the Graco Nautlius 3-in-1. I am really pleased with it so far, for all you consumer moms out there who are about to outgrow a carseat but aren't ready for a true booster seat yet.


Two weekends ago, Harper was baptized at our church. Lots of family and friends were there to share in the special time with us. Caleb did a great job listening and being a good big brother, and he even told his sister, "Harper, I like your water hair." after the pastor had baptized her.


After church, the group of us all went out to First Watch to celebrate Harper's special day.


The evening before Harper's baptism, we had our semi-annual gathering with the Wilsons, thought it is now Wilson, Long, Beauchamp, and Walton. The Wilsons hadn't seen our new casa, so they ventured out this way and we enjoyed dinner and conversation together. We meant to get a big group picture but forgot, so here are two of my precious ones:


As of the 17th, both kiddos are at Riverfield - Caleb is in the Deer class and Harper is a Butterfly. Both are having great times in their classes and have FABULOUS teachers! Harper is blessed to have Ms. Canty, who was Caleb's favorite teacher when he was a Butterfly two years ago. Here's a few pics from the first day of school. Note the attempt to coordinate their outfits. I hadn't even thought about that complication but am already in search of clothes that would look good together for their school pics in case they end up in frames next to each other. HA!




Harper's hair is finally growing. It is still too short to do any pigtails and long enough that I bet the hairbands and bows I use pull at her little baby hairs. Here's a special hair day, this was right after nap.


Last weekend our Community had "Fallapalooza" - a kick-off to get our members and families geared back up for church activities as summer ends. Caleb will tell you that his very favorite part was the Jupiter Jump...and the cupcake...and the balloon guy.





Caleb has been working on his jumping jacks. Here's his most recent attempt.

This captures Harper's newest "silly face" - she breathes heavily through her nose and crinkles it at the same time.



Hmmm, what else??? Morgan and her hubby just moved to a new apartment in Edmond. It is closer to school for Brian and closer to Mo's new job at LifeChurch, which she just loves.

I am back on the Weight Watchers wagon and am even jogging a few days a week with friends at school. As far as result go, we shall see, I guess.

Though we didn't do much traveling this summer, we'll begin making up for it soon. Next week we will head out for extended Labor Day travel as we head to Texas and the OK panhandle to see some of Aaron's family. Then later, we'll go to KC for a family reunion, OKC for a wedding, and to the lake for a weekend too. PLUS...NFL and college football is about to start in earnest. So much for getting things done on teh weekends, eh??

Laptop battery is dying so I am going to spellcheck and publish this. Sorry for the two month delay. You still love me, right??