Week #3

Our week started out rough for Harper, Camden and myself. We were all sick! Runny nose, cough, body aches, sick! I dubbed it a pajama day. The only reason we left was to get a coke (because this was the only way I was going to survive) from McDonald's. I brought Camden's train out to the living room and had to build a barricade to block the youngest one off from it

I also dressed Harper up for the fun. At least one of us looked put together and cute!

Tuesday Grandma Huston came over to watch Camden while I took Harper to get her half year pictures done. Harper did great a pictures a really charmed us with her great big smile! 

Harper also tried her first cheese puff...the baby kind of course. She didn't quite know what to think of it at first, but now she loves them! I have been trying to give her more finger foods these past couple of weeks because she is not a fan of baby food, we both aren't this time around. Camden always devoured his food. It doens't seem to be Harper's thing. We're working on it though.

She also has started to stand up to things and pulling herself up on toys. She's growing up so fast...I swear she just went from seven months old to a year.

I am currently trying to find my balance of being a mom and also having some crafts and stuff I can do in my "free" time. A.K.A- nap time or bed time. We decided to open up our pillow shop on etsy again. I made a cute pillow for Harper, Camden, and my new nephew Cole this week. I am quite proud with how they turned out. 

Wednesday Night we headed to Costco. For no real reason. I wanted to walk around. Camden wanted pizza, so it only made sense for us to go :) Thursday night we headed in to meet with the bishopric. One of got a calling...which I'll write about next week. 

Our weekend was pretty laid back...We slept in. Watched Disney movie. And were total couch potatoes for the most part. 

Saturday, we made it Cheesecake Factory. Just John, myself and these two crazy kids. We braved lunch with Camden not in a high chair. He did pretty well. And Harper only manged to spill her entire bottle all down her shirt...baby girl was soaked all lunch long. She is smart, this girl. We underestimate the things she is capable of. She twisted the lid off her bottle, which caused the entire mess. But she was Happy for the most part. 

After lunch, we put Harper down for a nap. John took down our Christmas lights outside because the snow was melted and the sun was out, and Camden and I lounged on the couch and watched Aristocats. 

Sunday, we slept in until 9:45am!!! Thats a big celebration! Especially with two crazy kids. We were all beat. Obviously. We skipped church. It was Stake Conference and well..we don't attempt that with two little kids. Then we headed to the Huston's to celebrate Grandpa Brian's birthday. Camden played with choo choo's. Harper played with all her favorite toys and the rest of us lounged around after stuffing our faces. 

We're home now, Here's to another week!

Week #2

Our week started out with a little bit of dress up time for the miss Harper. I'm not sure why, but getting ready sure makes for a better day. 

Harper is getting her half year pictures done this next week, so I purchased some stuff online. This bow being a real winner! We are such a fan of this berry purple color right now. I can't wait to see how her cute pictures turn out. 

This week we've started to have a little bit of problems with Camden's nap time. He recently started to learn how to open and close doors...so much he is obsessed with it and will go around the house and close all the door, to turn around and re-open all of them. Camden has been really good at staying in his bed when he is told, but this week he got daring and figured out just how much freedom he has. He came running out of his room and asked if he could watch Peter Pan. After many "Thank you mama's" I gave in and had myself a little Camden cuddle time on the couch. Harper was taking nap, so Camden and I got to spend all that time just the two of us. I like when I am able to get one on one time with my kiddies. I am able to give them their own undivided attention and I love it!

He even talked me in to giving him an otter pop A.KA.- pure sugar water! I was a real push over this day...

The next day was pretty low key. The weather has been really nice...like 45! Which is pretty good for January in Utah. While Harper took a nap Camden and I ventured outside.  He got a little Monsters Inc. Four wheeler for Christmas that I brought out for him to play with. The thing about Camden is when he has something on his mind, or a certain way he likes to do things, there is no changing it. The four wheeler would not work well on the grass, so I moved it to the sidewalk and he threw a major tantrum...MAJOR! So we headed back inside for a break. Once the kids had both taken a nap we went back out for round two, which was more successful the second time around. We took a walk around the block and Charlie joined us. While I am loving this weather for January, it also makes for some not so healthy air we are breathing. 

Happy Harper after her nap.

We played with her toys in her room while Camden finished his nap.

That night we decided it was time to hit the indoor pool. Harper loved it and Camden is getting better. It takes him a little time to warm up. I wasn't able to get any pictures of our pool adventure, but we are trying to go every week, so hopefully next time. 

Saturday we decided to go to the Home Show and take the kids. At first I thought this was a crazy idea, but both kids did great and we got home just in time for a nap. 

Then it was time to drop the kids off at John's parents so we could head out for our date!

We went downtown to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, but of course the wait was 40 minutes, so we went to Brio instead, which never disappoints. John said he didn't mind because he likes their food better. I don't know how long it's been since we have sat down to eat in a nice restaurant, just the two of us. It was nice! 

After dinner we headed over the legacy theater at Temple Square to see "Meet the Mormons". We wanted to see this when it was in theaters, but never made it, so it was great to get to see it for free. It was a great date night. We of course missed our kids, but we know they are in good hands, so that makes it easier to leave them for a few hours. I really enjoy the time John and I get just the two of us. And the Grandma and Grandpa's love the time they get with their grand kids. 

Today was low key. We attended out first sacrament with our new ward and it went really well. Our ward is MUCH smaller and i think that will be nice to get to know everyone better. We only had sacrament and then headed home for lunch, Sunday naps, and dinner before we headed to the Huston's to visit. 

Here's to another great week! 

Harper {6} and {7} Months

Harper is {7} Months now, which officially makes her more than half way to her first birthday! We love this little girl so much! She lights up the world where ever she goes...

Here was our little princess at {6} months old. 

Height and Weight

At {6} Months she weighed 16 pounds and was 26.5 inches long.  She is right in the middle for her weight, but falls in the 75 percentile for her height. Shots are never fun, but she did pretty well with them. No fevers this time! That is enough to celebrate.

Harper has grown into size three diapers and is also wearing 6-12 month clothes. She is so long, so we even have her in some 12 month leggings. Our favorite things about her are those chubby, oh so kissable, cheeks and I am a sucker for wrist rolls.

Health

Harper is a healthy little girl. We did seem to catch a few colds a couple of months back, but hopefully we'll be able to stay clear of any more sicknesses. 

Sleep

Harper has become a champ sleeper. She loves a schedule and has become really great at following it. We put her down for bedtime at 8:30pm and she usually sleeps until 6:00 in the morning. Once we give her a bottle and change her, she is back down until 8:30am. We did go through a rough patch for a week or so, when she was learning to fall back to sleep once she rolled over onto her belly. We were having to go in her room and soothe her back to sleep with her Binky several times during the night, but I've decided it's part of sleep training and now she is sleeping great! She is belly sleeper for sure!

We have even managed to finally get a schedule going during the day. She usually takes naps around 11:00am and then goes down for a nap the same time as Camden around 2:00pm. 

Eating

Harper was introduced to solids this past month...and she doesn't love them. I think she would rather have milk, or have our food. We are slowly getting used to them though and she is slowly becoming a better eater. We feed her solids once or twice a day and feed her 4-6 ounces of formula every three or so hours. 

She really loves puffs and yogurt melts and has started to hold her own bottle. I forgot just how wonderful this milestone is and at the same time how sad it is that she is growing up so fast. 

New Things/ Milestones

 Harper is ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE. She doesn't quite crawl yet, she "army crawls" and uses her arms to get her where she wants to go. I'm not sure she'll ever get those arms and legs going at the same time. She has tried and then ends up army crawling because she can move faster that way. She does love to get up on her arms and legs though and rock back and forth. she also loves to do the head stand pose.

She can officially sit up all on her own. Just a couple of days ago she went from the crawling position and sat right up. She loves to watch Camden play and she is also starting to enjoy playing with toys, or anything else she can get her hands on. Everything goes in her mouth! She is starting to talk (and screech) a lot. She recently said Dada and Baba. 

Harper had been amazed by her hands. I catch her watching them a lot, especially when she does a waving motion. Harper loves to grab her feet and has started to try and eat all her shoes. She is also learning how to pull her bows off :( 

She of course still loves her dad and squeals in excitement every time he talks to her. 

We love you Harper Doodle. You are truly a blessing sent from our Heavenly Father. Everyone admires you and your big beautiful smile. No matter where we go or what we do, you are always smiling and taking it all in. You smile at everyone! You make everyone feel so great. Don't ever lose that special thing about you! 

Resolutions for 2015- #1

This week marked a new year...2015! Whoa that sure happened fast. So, naturally with a new year come resolutions. This could possibly be the year of many resolutions, but instead of overwhelming myself, I decided to think of a few (5) resolutions to focus on.

1. Journaling, or in my case, BLOGGING. Each Sunday I want to document the week. Not just the big things, but the little day to day things We do with Harper and Camden. I know it will be so much fun to look back at these moments one day. 

2. Date my husband more. When I had children, I became a mom and well...have somewhat forgot how to be a wife. John I have promised each other that we will go a date twice a month where we will not discuss Children or Finances, we will simply get to know each other better. 

3. Go to the gym twice a week and do one aerobic class a week...so work out THREE TIMES A WEEK. This is a BIG one. I need to do this for myself. for my health. and for my family. 

4. Eat out ONLY once a week. We've struggled in this area...and we know it. Our only exception will be when it's a holiday week. Like birthday's and such. 

5. Enjoy the SIMPLE things. Enjoy the moment and simply. The famous saying has really rang true to me lately... "The days are long, but the years are short." It's no surprise that my babies are growing up. The last thing I want to do is waste away the moments with them. 

This past week was full of lots of family time and also a couple of play dates! Our week started off with a play date at the Lundberg's. Kelli was in town and we never miss a chance to see her and her cute family. It was low key. The Lundberg's have a huge basement and play room, so Camden was in heaven. The even had a slide that Camden and Will entertained themselves on most of the time. Lydia and Harper also enjoyed themselves while Kelli and I chatted about life. We chatted so much that no pictures were taken...next time though.

(Sitting up on her own)

My mom turned 53 years old on New Years Eve. The kids and I hung out at home until it was time to head downtown and eat at Brio to celebrate. The Horton's joined us and the food did not disappoint. We even had the same waiter that we had a year ago. With three kids you can imagine how crazy it got! We weren't really into partying much this year, so after dinner we stopped by the Huston's for a quick visit and then went home to put the kids to bed. The holiday's are exhausting! Once the kids were asleep, John and I relaxed on the couch and I fell asleep before midnight...I hate to admit this definitely isn't the first time this has happened. I was bummed when I realized I had missed the Taylor Swift performance on Time Square. 

Since John had New Years Day off we took the kids to G and G Huston's and headed to see a movie. We saw The Night at the Museum 3. It was a great show and a great day date with John. The Kids were exhausted again...we had done so much running that we stayed home the rest of the evening. 

Friday was another fun play date for the kids and I. We headed to Dana's house to play with Nash and Lola. Camden was again in heaven with all the new toys. We enjoyed some snacks and chatted. Dana and Mandee's cute mom gave Harper two adorable hats that she makes. She has wore them every day since!

We ended the night with take out from Cafe Rio and a trip to Ikea. My favorite store...not so much John's :) But we all survived. Here is Camden practicing closing his eye's for the Prayer at Dinner. This kid has a HUGE personality. I am so glad I am able to catch a glimpse of it on camera...he is constantly on the go. 

Saturday we had a neighbor boys birthday party and my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Brent's 50th Wedding Anniversary. They started dating in just 5th grade and are now celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Only 44 more years John and we'll get to celebrate that too! ;) I use to say when I was growing up that I wanted to be just like my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Brent. I found my love in 7th grade...so I'd say that's pretty close. 

They had a photo booth set up with a Polaroid camera. My family decided to snap a few shots with Grandpa Robert's. He'll be 92 in just a few short weeks. Did I also mention for hilarious John looks in this picture...one of the reasons I love him so much. He makes me laugh!

Here is to another week and making it the best it can be. 

Christmas 2014

I feel so blessed to have my little family forever. Christmas came really fast this year, especially since we had an unexpected event that landed me in the hospital for four days. Things are looking up now though and we will remember the great memories we made this Christmas season and we are also looking forward to a brand new year.

 I had this brilliant idea to take pictures of Harper and Camden in their Christmas Pajama's...they didn't turn out quite like I had planned, but they are perfect and even better than I had expected for our family right now. 

I don't think I will ever be able to repay my Heavenly Father for giving me the best husband and two beautiful, healthy children. I am forever in his dept. 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!