Harper's First Day of Preschool

9/1/11

This sleepy-eyed girl had her first day of preschool on Thursday. She was so good-natured about letting me take her picture 15 minutes after she woke up... as long as she could hold 'her' camera!  Such a big girl. Where has the time gone??

I know, I know, she is the cutest. thing. ever.  

She even let me take a picture of her at school.  

My cousin Michael came to stay with us on Friday night.  He was barely in the door, and Harper said, "Michael, come to my room!  I want to make you pretty."  So he let her.  What a good sport.  

B holding her Kelton.  Please keep this little guy in your prayers!

Sooooooo.

I've been MIA.  To say the least.  Updating my blog has taken a serious backseat to my life.  Or lack thereof.  Is anyone going to read this anymore?  Doubtful.  But one can always hope.  So, here's a glimpse what's been going on.

1.  February 18th -  Found out we were pregnant with Sixlet #2!
2.  February 20th - got baptized with my husband at Willow Park Baptist Church.  That's right - after 32 years as a Methodist, I joined a baptist church.  And we LOVE it.
3.  March 4th.  HORRIBLE all day morning sickness started.  And didn't stop until sometime in late April. Awesome.  No, really.  I wore those Sea Bands for my nausea for weeks, 24 hours a day.  I had little scars.  Kinda funny.
4.  Learned that my sister was pregnant again in March.  That's right, we did it again.  And before you ask, "did you plan this?", rest assured we didn't.  You can't plan that.  But somehow, my sister and I did it.  Twice.  Her due date {was} November 6th.  Mine, November 1st.  I'll get into the was part in a bit.
5.  May 8th - My precious girl turned 3.  Hayden and Harper had a Toy Story 3 birthday party at our house May 7th.  Have I mentioned how. much. I LOVE her?  No words.

6.  May 21st - Harper slept in her big girl bed for the first time.  *sniff*  Yes, she slept in a crib until she was 3.  Don't be jealous.  Or hateful.  That quilt?  My mom bought it at an antique store for me when I was little for my first big girl bed.  It's special.  

7.  June 6th - Doris, my beloved caretaker of Harper since she was 12 weeks old, let me know that her last day would be July 8th.  Cried for a couple weeks I'm pretty sure.  Love you, D.  Harper started at a private preschool on July 12th.  I'm happy with our decision, but it was not made easily.  Not an easy decision, trying to decide the right place for your baby.  She still has her mornings where she is hesitant, but overall, she has adjusted extremely well.  Still miss our Doris, though.    

8.  We found out my daddy is in a-fib.  A cardioversion was attempted to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm, but it didn't work.  Another cardioversion will be attempted at a later point, but for now, he is doing good.  And other things have been going on.  Please keep him in your prayers!  

9.  Okay, now for the was part.  My beloved sister (who some may call my other half, and wouldn't be wrong) who was pregnant (yes, was) and due a week after me.  Her water broke 6 weeks ago, when she was 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  She was admitted to Baylor All Saints and has been on bed rest.  Until this past Thursday.  Got a message from my sister saying they might be having a baby.  Without going into a ton of detail, B had to have an emergency c-section at 29 weeks and 4 days (here is her caring bridge site so you can go read all about it: www.caringbridge.org/visit/bsmith).  Kelton Creel Smith was born at 11:16 am.  2 pounds, 9 ounces, 14.76 inches long.  I got to see him last night.  I am in love with him.  He is tiny.  He is working hard to breathe.  But God has been watching over him and big things are in store for this little guy.  Please keep Kelton, my sister, David, and Hayden in your prayers.  

My sister and I last weekend at the hospital.  You have NO idea how much fun the 2 of us have when we have a camera.  

So that's where we are.  I'm still pregnant.  It's a blessing.  Even though this heat is unholy.  My feet?  Swollen.  But I'll spare you a picture of those.  Here's my belly.  A few weeks ago.

And here's my girl.  Because you just have to see a couple pictures of Harper.   Beautiful.  

making my dream {almost} a reality.

For the past year  For the past couple of years  Since I can remember, I've wanted to take pictures.  I remember finding an old camera of my grandparent's, the kind that used the flashes that you had to put on top and they spun around, and I wore that thing out.  I got a pink LeClic camera when I was 9 (please, someone, tell me you remember those..!) and went through countless rolls of 110mm film.  I progressed to asking for a 'black' (my word for more professional) camera when I was about 12.  Justin got me my Canon for my birthday 2 years ago, and this is something that has been hanging around in my head since.  No, I didn't go to school for photography.  Yes, I still have a LONG way to go.  But, I have to start somewhere.  I have to start.  Because this is something that I really, really want to do.  And someday, hopefully in the not-so-distant future, I can say that I am a photographer.

So, with that being said, I've had a few practice sessions.  A pregnant belly and a couple of family shoots.  But last week, I had my first paid session! :D  I took pictures of my dear friend Debi, her husband Tim (who I have known since I could breathe), and their precious little boy Layne.  I am in the middle of starting a blog for my photos, but for now, they will be here.  Here are a few of this precious family.  More to come later...

take a guess...

...as to what my favorite color is.  These are just a few things around my house... :)

happy halloween!

From the cutest Dorothy EVER!!

question is...

Q: What happens when you give Harper an entire carton of blueberries, then leave her alone??
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A: THIS.

At least she's creative...! :)

back in business. sort of.

random thoughts...

1. Yes, I am a bad blogger.  My computer was out of commission for a long time.  She's as good as new now (can computers be gender specific?).  But another part of that problem is that I don't want to sit down at the computer to blog.  I am dead at the end of the day, and all I want to do after Harps goes down is be lazy on the couch.

2.  Harper has now gone since last Thursday morning without a binky.  BIG deal.  I think I was as attached to those things as she was.  It has been really easy, however.  Maybe I should have addressed the issue a long time ago...?  Oh well.  I did it before she was 3.  Leave me alone.  I still have 2 in my purse.  I look at them and want to give one to her... haaaaa.

3.  Working on potty training.  She does great for Doris.  For me?  Not so much.  Only if she is in the mood.  I'm picking my battles.

4.  She is ALMOST 2 and a half years old.  My joy.  There are times when I get SO frustrated with that girl... she is so headstrong.  Have NO clue where she gets that.  But on the flip side of that, she is so incredibly loving, so funny, so spunky, so full of life.  Love her.  LOVE.  We read to her every night before bed, and she has started reading to me.  She has a couple of her favorites memorized, so she reads them.  Aaaahhhh, my heart.  Need to get that on video.

5.  We had a great weekend this last weekend.  Got to eat lunch on Saturday with Hayden and B, went shopping (by myself!) with Britt, had Britt and the fam over for dinner on Saturday night, church on Sunday, then trick-or-treating with the Smith's.  Halloween was SO much fun this year!  They totally got it.  Hayden would even just walk right into the house as soon as a door opened and go straight for the candy.  He's got a sweet tooth, bless his heart!

6.  Yes, I have a ton of pictures to catch up on.  I will get to that, hopefully in the next few days!  Got Lightroom.  So excited to start using it.

7.  Harps recently got put on her first antibiotic, for a cold that would not go away.  I think she was sick for close to a month.  Well, that first time on an antibiotic, and she got a rash.  This was no ordinary rash, let me tell you.  Head to toe, red, itchy, raised.  She didn't look like Harper.  It was so sad.  The doc has also marked her chart as amoxicillin allergy.  Sigh.

8.  On Saturday, she was carrying her Bible around.  I asked her what the Bible said, and she said, "Jesus!"  So sweet.

9.  A couple Harperisms:
                    bebena: banana
                    tattub: bathtub
She still says "hold you" when she wants to be held.  When she's excited about something, we get an "oooooooooookayyyyyy!".

I will leave you with a picture of my loves - taken at the beach.  Going to sit on the couch.
                  

                                                         South Padre, September 2010