Pre-school Easter Party

Today was Handley's school Easter party and she was really excited for several different reasons.  She was really looking forward to the egg hunt at school and was also really happy that it would be "just us" at her party since Sheila was going to babysit Harper for me.

The kids in her class were just as excited about finding the eggs and as soon as the doors were open all the eggs were found in less than 3 minutes.  Those are some fast egg-finding kids!

After the hunt we went back to their class for a pizza lunch, a cute Easter craft and a game.  Handley was happy to get to the car and start opening her eggs to find what kind of treats and candy were inside.  She was sweet enough to tell me she was going to share all of her candy with Harper since she didn't get to find eggs today.

However, Harper was having plenty of fun of her own with Addyson.  I love when Sheila babysits Harper for me because I know they are always going to stay busy with lots of fun activities.  Today was no exception.  They painted flower pots, planted wild flower seeds in those pots, played with bubbles outside, had lunch and even made cookies.  No wonder she likes going over there. :-)

Tonight after dinner we were outside watering the flowers with the garden hose and Handley thought it was funny to keep getting a tiny bit wet from the spray blowing.   Well, with hose in Daddy's hands that tiny bit wet turned into completely soaking.  Handley thought it was hilarious to try to run through the water as he was spraying the yard and he gave up trying to keep her dry.  Handley told me she didn't even need a bath because she had taken a shower outside! Harper thought it was all fun and games until her shirt got wet and then she wasn't so sure, but she kept coming back for more, so I guess she was loving it too.

Playgroup Easter Party

After a morning at the zoo, we were off to our neighborhood playgroup's Easter party.  Sarah's mom and nanny do a WONDERFUL job of throwing this party each year.  The girls were so excited to have their first egg hunt of the season.

Most of the kids before the hunt began

Handley and I kept explaining to Harper what she had to do and she seemed to understand.  By the time they started hunting for eggs, she took off and had no trouble keeping up.

 After all the eggs were collected, it was time for a little playing and some face painting!

Next, we moved up onto the deck so the kids could all paint bird houses.  I got Harper's paint smock on, went to help Handley with hers and when I turned around I saw Harper painting her face!  AHH!!!  I couldn't believe it and everyone started laughing.  I guess because she had just had her face painted by someone else, she figured that now it was her turn.  I quickly got her cleaned up and specified that this paint was for the bird houses, not for her face.

When all the painting was done it was time for yummy snacks and goodies.  These kiddos sure are lucky to have such wonderful experiences.  A BIG thanks to Jessica, Jennifer and Sarah for having us today!!!

***Be sure to see the post below about our trip to the zoo today.***

A trip to the zoo

Today we had last minute plans to visit the zoo with the Atkinson's and we had so much fun!  The last time we had been to the zoo, Harper was only about a month old, so it has been a while.  Both girls were super excited to get to go and once we were there, they had a ball!  Harper kept telling me she wanted to, "see another animal" and Handley was just happy to be spending the day with her BFF. Those two could have fun anywhere!

This was the view we saw most of the day...they were fascinated by all the animals. 

Giving her best lion "roar"

After seeing most of the animals we had a picnic lunch and then visited the petting zoo area.  Harper was braver than I expected with the animals, as long as they were laying down.  As soon as they stood up she was backing away and right beside me.

Handley loved brushing the goats and didn't want to leave.

The next stop was the playground for a few minutes and although it was busy, the kids still had lots of fun running around, climbing, and sliding.

On our way out we bought the kids cotton candy as a special treat. A few weeks ago when we went to the Hawk's game she wanted some, but we promised her the next time we saw some she could get it. Well, wouldn't you know the very first thing she spotted when we walked through the gates of the zoo was cotton candy?!?! I told her if she was good she could have some at the end of the day, so I kept my promise. :-)

Flowers, First Boat Ride, and Corn Hole

Our weekend started off with a busy Friday.  After gymnastics we headed to Home Depot to get some spring/summer flowers to plant and then home for a quick lunch so we could plant them before the rain moved in.  The girls had a blast and were actually a really big help!

The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and packing for the lake.  As soon as Robby got home I put the girls in their PJ's and we made our way through the downpour to the lake house.  It was chilly up there this weekend, but Robby was able to get a lot of work done on the boat, which was our main reason for going.  We also took some nice long walks, enjoyed dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and today we even bundled up for a quick boat ride (including a picnic lunch) out on the water.  The girls had so much fun this weekend and did not want to leave today.  Handley told me she wished she could spend every day at the lake.  

As soon as we pulled in the driveway we worked quick to get the car unloaded and change clothes so we could head to our monthly dinner club with friends.  Our hosts, Bryce and Sarah, cooked a delicious meal for us to enjoy and we even got to dine outdoors this evening.  I wish I would have taken more pictures, because it was a perfect night, but I was too busy catching up with everyone.  The highlight of the evening was the fact that Bryce was kind enough to get all the supplies for everyone to make their own corn hole game set...maybe he was just tired of us all asking him to bring his every time we got together. :-) Knowing about this project, Handley had brought her own tools today and when we showed up they even  had adorable little Home Depot aprons for the girls to wear and a mini corn hole set for the girls to put together!  

Aprons on and ready to work! 

Hanging out with Daddy and watching the guys use the power tools.

Because dinner ran longer than expected we didn't have time to finish putting together our corn hole set, so we will have to complete that project next weekend!  Handley wanted to know why we didn't get to play it yet, but I told her we would definitely have plenty of chances.  It makes me so excited for summer evenings where we can grill out with friends, play a little corn hole, and enjoy the awesome weather.

Leotard

We've had a busy and fun week.  In a nutshell it's been playgroup, school, playtime and dinner with the May girls, school again, lots of errands checked off the list, kid's night at a local pizza place tonight with friends (including face painting), and Harper's gymnastics.  My mom and dad gave her a leotard as part of her birthday gift and she was SO excited to wear it to her gymnastics class today.  She usually just wears her clothes, but as soon as she put it on she took off strutting around the gym.  She sure did look cute! 

Harper's friends, Reece and Jake, take the class with her and when they aren't swinging from the bars or walking on the beam they are rolling around on the mats together, cracking each other up and having the time of their lives.  :-)

Babysitting Parker

Spring break is over and today we got back into the swing of things with our regular routine.  After dropping Handley at school Harper and I went to her 2 year check-up.  She didn't have to get any shots this time, but they do a finger prick to take her blood and she didn't even flinch.  She watched the nurse the whole time and seemed in awe of what was going on.  She was happy because she got a band-aide.

Her stats were:
weight: 27 lbs. (55-60th percentile)
height: 34 inches (70-75th percentile)

The highlight of our day was definitely babysitting Parker for the first time.  Jen had a photo-shoot that rescheduled at the last minute and we were happy to step in to help.  It was a glimpse into our future and it was fantastic.

Their smiles couldn't be any bigger! 

Handley and Harper didn't want to leave his side and kept kissing him, singing to him, and loving all over him.  Harper was thrilled to help out with Parker and kept bringing me a burp cloth, trying to hand him toys and got super upset when I mentioned her nap-time.  She begged me, "One more minute Mommy...play with Parker."  I finally got her to sleep with the promise that when she woke up she could help feed him his bottle.  Shortly after that Parker broke in Hudson's nursery during his nap-time.  He is such a sweet and easy baby and the girls were so happy to have him at our house.  We can't wait to watch him again and it makes me feel so much better about how things will go come July when Hudson arrives.

Happy Birthday Harper!!!

Today was Harper's 2nd birthday!  I decided she shouldn't have to go through our regular crying when she enters the nursery at church on her birthday, so we opted to stay at home and just have some fun family time.  We took a long walk on the Silver Comet Trail and made a stop at the river to let the girls collect and toss in some rocks.  It's one of their favorite past-times and from the rock throwing we moved into digging in the mud.  Let me just tell you that was a big step for me in the direction of getting ready for a little boy.  We've NEVER done anything like that, but the girls loved it and stayed cleaner than I thought they might.

Unfortunately, Harper didn't nap today and that combined with a busy weekend did not set us up for a very happy afternoon.  Thankfully we had Harper's birthday buddy (and next-door neighbor) Calvin's 2nd birthday party to attend, so that kept her happy for a while.  It was a Curious George themed party so the girls picked out their monkey dresses to wear.

After the party it was major melt-down time at our house...what an appropriate way to ring in the 2's. :-)  I overheard Handley telling Harper at one point, "See, this is why you need to take a nap.  You are just too grouchy if you don't." Ha!

We sure do love our little two year old and can't get enough of her though!  I believe I've said this about her before, but the saying about little girls... sugar and spice and everything nice; that's what little girls are made of could not describe her more perfectly.  She's definitely got equal parts of sugar and spice.  

Here she is showing me how old she is - 2!!! (And notice that Ra-Ra is right there with her.) 

At 2 years old Harper:

• is still very attached to her Ra-Ra (giraffe lovey blanket) and it goes along with us almost everywhere we go
• loves her big sister and wants to do anything to be near her
• has inherited Handley's love of band-aides to heal any minor ailment 
• creates small sentences using 2-5 words and has an ever growing vocabulary
• loves taking care of her baby dolls
• is quite the negotiator when it comes to asking for "one more minute" to play or "one more candy treat" after she uses the potty
• has a very outgoing and fun personality, but in new situations and around new people she can become very shy and reserved
• runs instead of walking everywhere she can
• can count every other number to 10 (I say one, she says two, I say three, she says four, etc.)
• is stubborn, stubborn, stubborn and stubborn some more
• likes to tease Handley and taunt her with toys when she is pretending to share
• has a very tender heart and is super sensitive 
• loves to dance and be silly
• can create giant crocodile tears at the drop of a hat
• is strong-willed, testy, and antagonistic
• is still really attached to Mommy but is becoming more and more comfortable with other people
• sucks her thumb to calm herself and when she is sleepy
• almost always has a bag on her arm, a phone to hear ear
• is such a cuddle bug and always wants to be held
• loves life and everyone she comes in contact with

Happy 2nd Birthday, Harper!!!