Friday, April 29, 2011

The Littlest Merman

Now that I’m finally done making my sisters wedding invitations, I finished a scrapbook page that I started a few weeks ago.

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Tony was changing Harper’s diaper and watching whatever Landon had on the tube at the same time when he stuck both of Harper’s legs in one pant leg. I just love the look on Harper’s face; such confusion!

This is just proof that men don’t multi-task well…I mean, can you even really call that multi-tasking? Would watching TV really be considered a task?

No, I think there was really only one task here. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

How He Rolls

Landon got a cool toy for Easter.

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It took about 2 hours to blow up, but it was totally worth it.

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He and his friends take turns pushing each other around the yard.

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The best thing about it?

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It has to stay outdoors because it won’t fit through the door into the house!

That Easter bunny is S-M-A-R-T!

Time Well Spent

Today, the wee one and I felt like taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

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I wasn’t really in the mood to go anywhere though, so I just put a big blanket out under our tree in the front yard, and we hung out there. He was happy to suck on a piece of ice while I took a billion photos.

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I imagine this is what the front garden looks like from a rabbits point of view:

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When he finished his ice, he was ready for his milk:

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He was so content to lay there drinking his milk while watching the wind blow the leaves on the tree. He ended up finishing the whole bottle, and then was ready to play.

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We ended up being out under that tree for nearly an hour. I can see this becoming part of our routine.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter Adventure

We finally got a break from the rain yesterday. We’ve had nothing but overcast, rainy gloomy days for awhile now and we really needed a break. So, after the kids found their Easter baskets (which I didn’t take a single photo of, I video recorded instead) we packed up our stuff and headed out to Patapsco State Park for a little adventure.

We were going to do a picnic lunch, but by the time we got everything ready to go it was just easier to stop and eat before heading to the park. After lunch, we drove out to the park and then decided we wanted to walk down to the river. We found the white trail down, but for some reason we let Landon lead…so shortly after finding the white trail, we lost it and ended up forging our own path through the woods. We made it down to the river and sat on the rocks and rested for awhile.

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Once we were all cooled off, we thought we’d take a walk down the train tracks.

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As we were walking and talking about whether or not the tracks were still in use, Zoe, Landon and I heard this faint noise coming from the ground. All of a sudden it dawned on me and I yelled to Tony who was way ahead with Harper to get off the tracks. We all jumped down to the side of the tracks and watched as our question was answered.

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Once the train passed, we decided to turn back and find the path back up to the parking lot. It was quite a hike and Harper had had enough and was ready for a nap. It was a nice way to spend a gorgeous afternoon and we got home just in time for another big thunderstorm!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Harper and the Bunny

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I just had to get to the mall yesterday to have Harper’s picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I wondered what he would do when he sat on that giant bunny’s lap, and we all busted out laughing when he started pinching the bunny’s chest…that was the last thing I thought he’d do! Cry, stare up at it’s face, wiggle to get down had all crossed my mind, but give us a funny look and pinch the poor guy, not so much.

I just love the look on his face. He looks slightly confused and a little mischievous…but of course, adorable. I wish it would have been warmer though, that way he could have worn one of his cute spring outfits. Maybe next year.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Coloring Eggs

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My kids love Easter.

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Dying eggs is one part that they really look forward to each year and no matter how many I boil for them to color, it never seems to be enough.

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This year I gave them each half a dozen to dye on their own, and left 3 each for myself and Tony. I didn’t think I’d need any for Harper considering he’s only 8 months old…but, he begged to differ.

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(Promptly after his taste test, he slammed it on the table. Twice.)

Brace-less

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Today was a big day for Landon. After a year and a half, he is braces free! We completed the first phase which was to straighten up his four front teeth (which included wearing head gear). He was really excited to get them off, and 2 o’clock couldn’t get here quick enough. After getting the braces off, the first thing he said was “Wow, my teeth are really soft!” I can still remember getting my braces off all those years ago, and I thought my teeth felt slimy! After looking in the mirror he said he couldn’t believe how big his teeth were. I guess when your teeth are hidden behind those metal squares for a year and a half you forget how big they actually are!

Jump

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Baseball 2011

Baseball season has finally begun. For Landon that means 2 baseball teams; we signed him up for a team, but the coach thought he was great in the field and asked him if he would also join his travel team. Landon was flattered and really excited about the offer, so Tony and I talked it over and figured we let him give it a try.

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Saturday was supposed to be the opening day parade and the kids’ first games, but as luck would have it, it got rained out. Sunday turned out to be a pretty decent day though and the travel team had their first game.  

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We didn’t know he had a game until early Sunday afternoon, and Landon wasn’t exactly thrilled when we told him he had to go. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play baseball, he was more concerned that he had to travel an hour away for the game. He hates long car rides…anything over 10 minutes and he starts freaking out.

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This is his first year doing kid pitch and he was a little nervous about that. We’ve had so much rain that they’ve only had 3 practices and Landon missed one when we went to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival, so he’s a little rusty. Add that to the fact that he’s never practiced with the travel team (or even met any of the kids!) and he was a ball of nerves on the ride to the game. His coach had him play outfield and third, two positions he’s never really played before, but his dad told me he did a good job. (It was really cold out on Sunday, so I opted to stay home with Harper.)

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They ended up losing 12-1,(mostly because the other team could hit) and ended the game at the 4th inning. The boys really need some practice…and we have rain in the forecast for the next 4 days. I sure hope they can get some practice in before their first tournament next weekend!

Pure Bliss

Nothing comes close to the sweetness of a sleeping baby.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

First Sleepover

Tonight, Landon is at his first sleepover. One of his friends from the neighborhood is turning 10, and there are 8 boys down there celebrating. I’m not sure why, but I was extremely hesitant to let him spend the night somewhere other than here in his own bed, but I relented when he assured me he was ready.

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I’m just not ready for him to be that grown up yet. So grown up that he can just go spend the night somewhere and be ok without me tucking him in. So grown that he just grabbed his toothbrush and sleeping bag and barely turned to say goodbye.

He told me he thought they were going to stay up all night playing and watching TV. I told him I asked his mom (which I did) and she said that she was going to tell them when it was quiet time..I embellished a little when I said that it was going to be 9:30pm. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when 9:30 passes and they’re still going crazy! I can’t wait to hear about it all tomorrow!

Another Rainy Saturday

This past weekend we had another rainy Saturday, so we ended up just staying home and doing our thing. Or things, really.

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Zoe and I worked on my sisters wedding invitations. We couldn’t do too much because we are waiting for the details to be finalized, but we did get the hardest part done, and she and I both felt great about that!

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Harper took long luxurious naps, and was in a terrific mood all weekend. I think he knows the secret to happiness is a good rest. Now if we could/would all do that!

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Landon and Tony played this game, and I ‘m pretty sure Landon won. For some reason, when I went downstairs to take pictures, those two started acting up…

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and Tony ended up getting a big smooch on the cheek. Harper just sat on his sissy’s lap playing with Nerf bullets. He didn’t know what to think about me sticking them between his toes, but in true Harper form, he didn’t let it bother him too much.

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Ginger’s Nap

Harper no longer uses his Boppy, so when I saw Ginger all snuggled up on it during our last rain storm, I figured I’d just let her keep it. Isn’t she sweet?

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Saturday, April 16, 2011

A Bud from My Bud

Look what Landon brought home from school on Friday.

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He said that his class planted the bulbs back in the fall, and that his teacher let them go out and cut them so that they could each bring one home as an early Mother’s Day gift. Tulips are my absolute favorite flower, so it was a perfect early Mother’s Day present for me!

Spring Stitches

Here’s another little project I wanted to make for spring.

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I saw these spring cross stitch patterns at marthastewart.com and thought they’d be simple enough to get done before spring was actually over…and I was right! A bunny, watering can and trowel, needle and thread and a bird on a branch.

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I didn’t really have an exact plan for what I was going to do with them once I finished, but somewhere in blog land I remembered seeing some cross stitch projects hung on the wall in the hoops, and thought maybe that would be a good idea. So, I bought a few in spring colors and hung them right inside the door to the kitchen.

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I know they aren’t all that darn exciting, but I do love having little homemade things around; they just make me happy. 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Peek-A-Boo!

Where’s Landon?

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Not up there…better look around the couch…

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There he is!!

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Where will he go next?

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There he is!

Landon started playing peek-a-boo with Harper this morning, and we thought it was just adorable the way he would bend all the way forward to look for him around the couch!

He also does “the lean” whenever I’m trying to take pictures of him; only the see Momma taking pictures lean is to the side…like this:

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Man do I love that face!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

8 Months

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Time sure does seem to be moving quickly. I swear the older I get the faster time flies!

To celebrate his 8th month, here are 8 important Harper facts.

  • He’s teething. Big time. I can see the outlines of both bottom teeth, they just haven’t pushed all the way through yet; but they’re coming in and it’s a very messy experience.
  • He sits up without any problem now. He still falls over, but now it’s because he’s trying to get something that’s just out of his reach. It’s probably out of his reach because he’s thrown it or not supposed to have it, but you all know that story.
  • He still doesn’t seem to interested in baby food. I still feed him daily because I figure eventually he’ll like it, but sometimes it is a real struggle. I have found that he seems to tolerate like yogurt, but even that can be a hit or miss situation.
  • He loves to scream. Loudly. And often.
  • Bath time is still a favorite, and now it’s even better because he can sit up and play with his toys while splashing in the water.
  • We have a pretty good schedule going during the day. It’s basically wake up sometime between 5:30-6:30am, eat/play/poop till Landon goes to school, then first nap sometimes around 8:30-9am. He’ll usually sleep until 10am, then has his yogurt around 11am….then it’s chores with Mom, playing toys and maybe more pooping. Around 1pm, sometimes 2 he’ll take a nap and then be up by 3pm. After that it’s dinner around 5pm (whatever baby food I’m torturing him with) chaos playtime with everyone else and then bath at 6 and bed between 6:30 and 7pm. And then I nearly die of exhaustion.
  • He is fascinated with the dog and Landon. They are like two wild creatures that he can’t understand but knows he wants to be just like.
  • As of today he is pulling up on whatever his little hands can reach. Namely the toy basket in the living room. As long as we hold it still, he can reach up and pull himself to standing. It’s awesome and terrifying at the same time…I was still just getting used to him rolling around and now this!

April Fools Pranks

The two little kids made me laugh yesterday morning.  I was upstairs getting things ready for school when I heard them talking about how ...