Love

I tell Harper I love him about 750,000 times a day. I asked him if I tell him too much. He said "No. You don't say it enough."  Works for me.

Mini Harperism

Harper: "Mom, do you think I'm cute?"
Me: "I think you're very handsome. Did someone say you're cute?" (Thinking it's a girl at school.)
Harper: "Yeah"
Me: "Who?"
Harper: "You. I think you're cute, too, Mommy."

My Cheerleader

SO... I FINALLY got a job!! I've been unemployed for an obscene amount of time. Seriously. But Tuesday, a company I temped for from November 2008 until March 2009, called me and offered me a job! One of their girls is leaving and I already know how to do half of her job. They were going to hire me back in February, but they had a hiring freeze and had to lay off a ton of employees. Being a temp, I didn't last much longer. I interviewed on Wednesday, and they asked if I could start right that second. I couldn't, because I had to work out after school care for Harper, but I reported for duty this morning. Yay!

When I picked up Harper from school yesterday and told him that I got a job, he yelled 'That's GREAT Mom! Can I get a Buzz Lightyear now?' He'd been so patient over the summer with not getting toys when we go to the store, I told him we'd have a celebratory mini spree at Target. Instead of Buzz, he picked out some 'Cars' cars and I bought a new pair of slacks to wear.

This morning, I took him to school. When I was leaving he said 'Wait! I need one more hug and kiss.' I squatted down, and that little bugger gave me the biggest hug he could muster and kissed me goodbye. I set him down and told his teacher, 'That's the best first day on the job send off anyone could ever hope for,' and turned to walk away. Harper yelled 'MOM!' And I turned around to see the biggest grin on that beautiful face and he was giving me a thumbs up.

Man, I love that kid.

Fundraiser Time!!

Harper is having his very first fundraiser! They have some pretty tasty treats and some neat Christmas gift ideas. Please check out the catalogues 'Gourmet Cookie Dough and More' and 'Happy Holidays'.

All orders must be placed by October 5th. If you see something you like, please send me a message and I will give you Harper's seller i.d., then you can log in HERE and place your order. Sorry for the cloak and dagger, but safety is my first concern when I'm posting personal information on an public blog.

Typical Conversations in Our House

August 24th. Background: My brother breeds dogs. We have just come back from a visit, where one of the dogs has had puppies. Harper has seen them nursing.

Harper: Did you make milk when I was a baby?
Me: Um, yes.
Harper: How did I drink it?
Me: Seriously? Do I have to answer this?

Eventually, I just got out the Baby's First Year book and we talked about it. I mean, it's nature, right? Nothing to be embarrassed about? But I admit it, I was. He's four!

August 28th. After dinner.

Harper: Wow Mom. That sure is a lot of food in your belly!
Me: Thanks kid. My self esteem was skyrocketing. Way to keep me grounded.

September 13th. Background: Harper was looking at one of his baby books and saw a picture of himself wearing a bib. He asked if we still had it. I said I doubt it, but if we did, it would be in the drawer where I keep the dishtowels. He dug through and found it. He insisted on wearing it with lunch.

Harper: Mom, do I have three of those boobs?
Me: Boobs?
Harper: Yeah, that thing I put on at lunch.
Me: Bibs, honey. Bibs.
Harper: Yeah, those.

A Brief Letter to My Best Guy

So here we are. Four and a half years old. I'm not sure what happened, maybe I sneezed or blinked, maybe I even turned my head for a second. Whatever it was, all I know is that suddenly, you've become a child. One who's big and reads books and states his opinion about everything and obsesses about words and what they say and doesn't. ever. stop. talking.

Oh the talking. I know I've mentioned the talking before, but I could never talk enough about the amount of talking you do. If you were a cartoon strip, I would get smothered by your conversation bubbles in two frames flat. You can out-talk me, my child, which is freaking unbelievable, because I swear sometimes I think I deserve a world record for my talking. And yet, the talking gene mutated when you were created and turned into this monster talking machine that favors the word 'why'.

My dreams are haunted by the why question. For that matter, so are my days. I can't answer anything without you asking 'why?' as a follow up. You ask me questions about things that you already know the answer to. Maybe you’re testing me? I haven't figured that part out yet.

You are amazing, smart, perceptive and hilarious when you choose to be. You're so funny, that you have been most of my status updates on Facebook this past month.

Since the day after your 4th birthday party: "Well, I'm almost five now." Well, you have a year to go, but yes, son, you’re on your way. On one hand, you can't wait to be five, six and seven, but on the other, you do NOT want to get older. You want to stay little forever.

I realized the other day that you and I, we're like an old married couple, we bicker all the time, and yet it's obvious to anyone who knows us that there's a deep love and respect there. And that's probably true. And if I have to bicker with you for the rest of my life, then I'm okay with that, because every night, I kiss you goodnight and you squeeze me so hard, that my heart practically implodes.

You're an amazing child. Someone said to me the other day, "You look like you're a good mom." The truth is? I'm not the good one. I'm just lucky enough to have you for a son. You make it look easy, kid. And I love that you make me look good. I hope I make you look good too.

Delayed Post

Well, this is kind of a delayed post. Should be interesting, too, since I'm trying out new publishing software. Fingers crossed that it looks just as great, if not better, than before!

But back in June, we went to Grandad's to hang for the day and take our annual pics.

H and Grandad played hide and go seek, concentration, and I believe a round of Go Fish. Harper wasn't super cooperative for pictures, but we got at least one good one in the bunch. And before we had to head home, Aunt Nancy and cousins Brad and Steven came for a visit.

Grandad ready for an action shot:

Good pic, but no Mona:

The winning pic:

Playing Concentration with Grandad:

A quiet ride home:

Dinner with the Richardsons

We had dinner with our good friends David and Sarah Richardson the other night. They have two girls, Karis and Allison. They played so well together and were absolutely hysterical.

Action shot

David teaching H to throw a frisbee

Allison disappeared for a few minutes. I don't know where she went, but Supergirl came in her place.

Sometimes girls win.

I wish I had a picture of it, but you can see they don't have a fence. When Allison would get too close to the drive (they live on a golf course), Harper would run down and get her. Holding her hand the whole way up. So sweet! I think she reminded him of Kenzie. He played really well with her.

First Day of School!!!

Harper has been SO excited for school to start! I hope it lasts all year. He gets to wear a uniform, which I'm excited about. Now, instead of hearing about all the cool clothes the other kids are wearing?, I'll just have to hear about the shoes.

Handsome as ever and ready to go! Posing here with Duke.

Official First Day of School portrait

H and Daddy making silly faces. I think Harper looks like he's doing the robot, but maybe that's just me.

Me and my little man.

Are we done taking pictures, yet, Mom?!

Two Wheel Riding Machine!

Harper called me from Daddy's today and told me that he had to take his training wheels off his bike because they were broken. "And guess what! I can ride without training wheels!" So I jumped in the car and went to the church parking lot by Jody's house so I could snap some pics of this historic occasion!

Harper said he had a hard time turning at first. But Dad would run in front of his bike and told H to just follow his feet. That's what he did and now he's a pro! Daddy has been running for a few months. I told him that it was just practice so he'd be ready for this.

Meet the Teacher!

Harper is starting Pre-K and we got to meet his teacher and check out his room. It's a huge room with lots of centers set up. A center just for cutting paper, playdough, a library, painting, creative play with costumes, blocks, etc. A four year old's heaven!

The Pup is Growing

Here are a couple of pics of Ianto. He's nearly 3 months.

Brookie J

My beautiful niece at five and a half months.

Bowling Buddies

Steven and I took Harper and Kenzie bowling. I had signed them up through www.kidsbowlfree.com and they got to bowl free all summer. We didn't really go all that often, but it was still a really good deal, and he loved it!

Letting the ball go

His "waiting and watching" stance

It looks like a winning shot!

Victory dance!

Harperisms of the Day

I made chicken enchilada soup and cornbread for dinner. Harper was poking around his bowl and kept asking if I picked out the potatoes. I said, 'I didn't put potatoes in it.'
He kept asking over and over about potatoes. Finally I said, 'Do you mean tomatoes?' He said, 'Yeah, the red things.'
I said, 'Look at my mouth TOH-MAY-TOH.' He said, 'Look at MY mouth POH-TAY-TOH.' Touche.

My mom came over for dinner and brought some Vanilla ice cream from Braum's (since my homemade ice cream ended up being rubbish). She said, 'Did you know that Braum's has Cake Batter ice cream now, and Brownie Batter ice cream?' ?!?!
After dinner, we were eating our ice cream, I said to Harper, 'Braum's has cake batter ice cream?! O.M.G.' He said, 'O.M.G.'
A couple of bites later, I said, 'BROWNIE BATTER ICE CREAM?! O.M.G.' He said, 'U.P.S.!'

The Best Birthday Gift...

...is a super hero. Who doesn't want one to help make a cake?

We celebrated Aunt Shari's, Conner's and my birthdays in July. In celebration, Harper and I made a rainbow cake. It was really fun and SUPER good. It was so good, in fact, that it turned the kiddos into super heroes.

We took two cake mixes and five colors (mixed two for six) to make a six layer rainbow cake.

Harper added the eggs...

...and the water...

We separated them into bowls and added the color.

It's pretty on the outside...

And gorgeous in the inside...

Tasty, too!


May I introduce the two newest super heroes:

And... Upside Down Goggle Boy:

Puppy Love

If you didn't know, we welcomed a new member into our family on July 1st. He is now 8 weeks old, he's an English Mastiff and we named him Ianto (sounds like yan-toh) and it is Welsh for John (def: Gift of God).

He's learning the ropes around here. I'm getting him on a routine for potty training. He knows where the food is (and thank goodness he can't get to it!). He loves his toys and most of all loves Mona. I think he could live without me and H as long as he had her. She, of course, could very happily live without him. I catch her playing with him in the backyard sometimes... dragging him around with her rope toy while he holds onto the other end. Wrestling... play biting, and warning bites every now and then.

It's a challenge, but he's worth it.

Here is a pic from when he came home. So little!


It's amazing how much he's grown in the last couple of weeks! Can you tell how much taller he is?

He's not going to fit here for long:

Or here:

This is a normal sight:

As is this. He'll be bigger than she is soon, but he'll know who's boss.

Cookie Monster

Harper helped me make cookies for Father's Day.

He measured things out. He counted the scoops.

He stirred in the chocolate chips.

He ate the dough.

*These were taken with my phone, so the quality isn't that great.

Harperism of the Day

Today, my stomach was hurting a little bit. Harper said he would get his doctor kit and fix me. He grabbed the thermometer and said 'Let me get my Mominator'. That's just awesome, right there. After he took my temperature, he said I was 43 pounds. Don't be jealous, ladies. I eat small portions.

It was an Accident

Harper came home from his first week of the Summer at Daddy's today. I took him to Riverwalk so we could get some ice cream and take Mona for an outing. My favorite part of the night was when we walked by the fountains...

I'm not going to get wet, Mom. I promise!

I'm just going to get my hair a *little* wet.

Oops! It was an accident...

How could I be upset with *THAT* face?

Swim Trauma

Tonight when we got to swim lessons, Harper's regular teacher, Eric, was there, but he was teaching some other kids. Harper and one girl had a teacher I hadn't seen before.

She was good, but from where I was sitting, it looked like she was teaching the stuff that Harper learned when he first started swim lessons. She said something to him and he got really mad and would scream everytime she tried to touch him. David, who runs the swim team, walked over to me and said Harper just didn't want to go under water. I told him to remind H that he'd get a sucker if he went under on his own. He passed on the message, but Harper didn't care.

The drama lasted about ten minutes, when finally, Dylan walked over to Eric, relieved him of his current task and sent him over to help Harper. Once Eric was in the water, it took about two seconds for Harper to smile and be all about swim lessons again. He went under on his own more than once. He paddled and kicked and had a great time.

Harper's used to Eric's teaching style and thinks he's pretty cool. So to know he was there, but have a different teacher who's showing you stuff you already know? Not very fun for a buddy. When we left, I told Eric that Harper and I are just creatures of habit. I hope it made him feel good to get in there and save the day.

Just Another Day at the Beach

Ang and I loaded up the boys and took them to Skiatook Lake for a few hours today. There's a small beachy area at Cross Timbers. They had so much fun! They had lunch, then built sandcastles, threw rocks, buried themselves... several times. We were going to fish, but I left H's fishing pole at home. Instead, we fed the HUGE catfish by the docks.

Adventureland

We went to Melissa's parents' house so her dad could change my oil and replace my brake pads. Harper and Gaby were instant friends and had a fantastic time. They had lunch, jumped on the trampoline, went fishing, ate watermelon, rode bikes... I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Happy Birthday to Jack!

Aren't their pull-overs cute? Angela made blue ones for Thomas, red for James and green for Percy. Of course, all the kids wanted to be Thomas, but they each took an extra one home.

Blue Dome Arts Festival & Mayfest

Harper, my friend, Melissa, and I met up with Jody at Blue Dome Arts Festival today. It was really hot, but Harper was SO good! He got his face painted with a strawberry ice cream cone. Later we found a nice shady area that was set up for kids to paint little figurines. Harper picked the baseball playing turtle.

Bad Blogger

So I am so beyond late with this blog that I'm guessing I'm out of excuses. But in my defense, the last month has included complete madness with my new job, stormy weather and power outages. Oh, also? I have been very busy couponing.

I will now be posting and backdating blogs all the way to April 4th just to try and get you all caught up.

Mother's Day Weekend 2009

This year, Family Fun day was on our agenda. Afterwards, we went to Leon's for lunch.

Running Man

I bought new hairbands the other day, but I think Harper thought they were headbands...

Thomas Party

Today was a Thomas party at Toys R Us. We met the Strodes at the store and stayed until we couldn't stand it any longer. They colored, played with trains, there was a story time and free stuff.

Lions, Pirates and Dragons, OH MY!

Angela came over with the boys today. Harper and Jack decided they needed to get dressed up and play outside. It was a little warm for the dragon costume, but H didn't seem to mind.


Do you like the chia pets growing in the backyard? Insane!

Easter Sunday

We had a late lunch/early dinner with our friends, the Strodes, on Easter. The boys had a ton of fun hunting Easter eggs, coloring eggs, wrestling, running and playing with trains.

Kung Fu Movie Day

Harper got 'Kung Fu Panda' from the Easter Bunny, so we curled up on the couch to watch it. How comfy are we?

Philbrook in April

Harper working on his next masterpiece.

Me and my little man.

Close up!

H and Mimi

I love this pic of H and my mom.


We were on our way home and decided to have Taco Bueno for lunch. They do a discount for people over 55, so I told Mimi to show them her i.d. Harper yelled 'I have an I-75!" I don't know if he meant the highway that runs through Tulsa, or if it was Bingo talk, but it. was. funny!

Crick

I went in to check on Harper tonight and this is what I found.

Little Fish

Harper was pretty tired on his way to swim class tonight. He said, "Mommy? I'm going to take a nap on our way there." I love sleep, why would I argue?

H is doing great at his swim lessons! He's learning to float on his back and "bob".

HTV

Jody gave me a bunch of videos of Harper. You can view them below or check them out on my YouTube page.

May 2008
Harper dancing and singing to Troublesome Trucks on Nana and PaPa's bed.


October 2008
Harper wants to show Daddy a trick with his hackey sack.


October 2008
Sometimes we make up words... sometimes, they sound a *little* like words that we're not supposed to say. I like how Jody tries to get him to say it again, but it's never the same word twice.


November 2008
Harper loves 'It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown' and can quote it pretty well. Jody turned the camera on him when H was watching, and he didn't know it.


March 2009
There is a Thomas the Tank Engine story called 'A Close Shave for Duck'. I recommend you look it up and read it, then watch Harper recreate it here. He's so smart!


March 2009
I love this video of Harper singing along to 'Surprises' while he eats a snack. So cute!


March 2009
Lastly, our favorite video... Turn down your volume! In this, Harper is screaming at Jody (for who knows why), then he shakes his head and says, "I'm so disappointed of you dad."


Remember, if you can't view these, please visit my YouTube page by clicking HERE.

The Joy of Snow

Well, joy for some, disappointment for others. We were supposed to go to Kenzie's 3rd birthday party today. However, when we woke up it was pouring down rain. I called Mimi and told her I'd be more comfortable waiting until it eased up a little, before getting on the road.

After about an hour, Harper and I were ready to go, and I heard the rain stop. I yelled, 'Harper! Put on your shoes, let's go!' Then I looked out the window to find HUGE snowflakes falling, really quickly, to the ground. And sticking! Now... the meteorologists predicted this, but quite honestly? I don't believe them anymore. But now? Well... maybe I'll take a little more stock in what they say.

Harper and Mona had a blast. They were so funny!

Snuggle Buddies

I take a picture of Harper every night while he's sleeping. This is what I found tonight.

Isn't he sweet?

Baby Bump

Harper asked me today if there's a baby in my belly. Um, no.

I think it's time to start doing some sit ups.

Spidey Eyes

Harper has started swim lessons... the only thing is, he doesn't really like to go under water. We bought some goggles, and he tried them out in the shower last night.

He didn't really like them. He felt like they were too tight, then he said they smelled funny. I took them back today and exchanged them for a remote control Percy.

I've also included a picture of Harper practicing his 'Blue Steel' look a la Derek Zoolander.

King of the Jungle Gym

Well, it's not a jungle gym, but Harper has really been into climbing lately. Here is his demonstration. Isn't he proud?

Phamily Phun Day at Philbrook

Today we went to 2nd Saturday at Philbrook. This is an event that takes place every month on, well, the 2nd Saturday. It's free admission, kids get art supplies, a mission (to find a piece of art in the gallery), and there are fun craft projects to do.

We picked up our art supplies.

Went searching for the art... Harper found a painting he liked and wouldn't turn around for a picture.

We painted...



Then had lunch in the garden. It was a little chilly, but Harper didn't care.

Swim Lessons

Harper started swim lessons today. He was so great! He got his kickboard and waited for them to start. He marched over to the side of the pool where they were going to do their lessons. He blew bubbles in the treasure chest. He kicked and held onto his kickboard... He was awesome! Going under water freaked him out, and he didn't like that very much, but I told him it takes time. He just needs to be brave and push through.

Two Little Sickos Sitting in a Tree; C-O-U-G-H-I-N-G

Well, Harper was spending the weekend with his Nana, when she called to tell me he woke up with an ear ache and wanted to come home. I was sick, too, laying on the couch, but I know, when you're sick, you want your mom... So bring him home. We'll be sick together.

His doctor called in some meds and I picked up some ear drops. When he got home, he took his medicine and played... you'd really never have known anything was wrong.

Until...

Bedtime. Now, I've been deteriorating all day. And while he was sleeping, he had such a coughing fit, he projectile vomited all over the place. Ugh... I just couldn't do it by myself. I called Jody and he came over to help. I got H showered off, the sheets changed and in the wash, while J held H and comforted him. Thank goodness! He went back to bed and slept uninterrupted until about 7:30 the next morning.

Next day, I'm SO sick. I pulled a Harper and called my mom. BEGGED her to come help. Poor Harper... I couldn't even comprehend playing with him. Fortunately, he was content to lay on the couch and watch a movie with me for a while. That killed enough time for Mimi to get to the house. She took good care of us for the last couple of days. He felt great and wanted to play. I'm glad it was nice enough for him and Mimi to play in the backyard.


I took H to the doctor and he said that Harper had the beginnings of an infection in both ears, so it's good we got him on his meds on Saturday! He also said that Harper will be good to go on his swim lessons that start Tuesday. Can I get a hooty hoo?!

I still have a thermometer in Harper's room and he picked it up tonight and said 'I need to take my temper tantrum.' 'Yeah, bud? That's temperature.' 'Oh, ok.' Funny bunny.

Donut Day

Today, Harper's actual birthday, we took donuts to school. We came to this idea, since he wanted to invite ALL of his classmates to his party. There are 31 kids in his class, so uh, that was a no.

Everyone loved it, though, so the donuts were a hit!

Harper is FOUR!!!

Harper turns four on Monday, so we had his birthday party yesterday. We. Are. Exhausted! It was an early day... party was from 10a til noon. There were a ton of friends and family and it was a wonderful day!

We, of course, had a Thomas themed party. I originally wanted to have Mickey, but Harper was adament... it was his birthday, so who was I to say no? His main request was he wanted a lot of balloons. Balloons everywhere. So that's what he got. Balloons in his bedroom, the living room, bathroom, hallway, and dining room.


I'm not going to upload all the pictures here, just a few highlights. I'll post a link soon to the pictures on shutterfly.com.




Today, Harper and Mimi had a great time popping the balloons. Afterwards, we went to Baskin Robbins for his free scoop of ice cream. He picked some crazy colored sherbet, then decided he wanted my cookie dough ice cream. Crazy boy... he'd better just pick the right one next time.

The Giving Tree

Harper forgot how much he loves the story about 'The Giving Tree'. When we re-read it he fell in love with it all over again. I heard him in his room reading it...

Thomas Jammies

I got Harper some Thomas jammies and he loves them! Even Mona looks happy.

Beauty Queen

Introducing my brother's daughter, Brooklynn Jane Harris. She was born February 17, 2009 at 10:10 p.m. Weighing in at 6 lbs 6 ozs and 18 inches long.

Not too shabby for three weeks early!

Valentine's Date

For V-Day I got to spend my day with my best guy. We went to a 3-D movie called 'Under the Sea'. It was scary in parts (snakes! sharks!), but we had a good time.

Afterwards, we went to TGIFridays for lunch. H had a minor meltdown, mostly because he was so hungry, but it passed quickly. Then he got to have dirt for dessert! Chocolate pudding, with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms. Yum!