Bye bye jungle!

I wanted to title this post "Welcome to the Jungle" but blogger wouldn't let me do strikethrough text in the title. Anyway, I think the last time I posted on our yard was October of 2011, 5 months after we moved it. This Sunday marked our two year "house anniversary" and boy have we been working hard on the front yard the last month or so. To look at the 'after' pictures you'd think we were done. I'd say these are not really 'after' but more like in progress. Jason and I guess we're probably between 75%(his guess) to 85% (my guess) done so let's split the difference and say the front yard is 80% complete.  Here is the 'before' picture from October 2011. I tried to add arrows but instead you get numbers. Here is what we have done so far.
1 & 2: taken out those awful junipers and replaced them with grass. Junipers in your yard are of the devil. Their limbs reach out and grab you and scratch you. No joke. Anyway, now my sweet HG has a yard to play in.
3 & 4: took out the evil privet hedges along either side of the yard which walled us off from our neighbors (whom we like) and made the yard look much much smaller. Plus privet is a non-native, invasive species that all three of us happen to be allergic to. Good riddance!
5: took out the overgrown Indian Hawthorns (and one random boxwood) and replaced them with knockout roses. Now burglars and cockroaches can't hide in the overgrown bushes next to the house (seriously, in our home inspection they listed getting rid of those or cutting them way back).

Ta da! Isn't that better? 

I don't post this to get you guys to give us a pat on the back (though it couldn't hurt, right?) but more to encourage us to keep going! We still have two more bushes to remove (one is right up next to the house and the other is right behind Harper's head in this picture), some MORE bushes to trim (I just trimmed the azaleas and pruned the snowball bush way back...camellias are next!) and I plan on repainting the shutters and the front door (which doesn't really count as yard stuff, but still). When we bought the house we loved the yard but I still remember when we were standing in the front yard trying to figure out if we wanted to make an offer saying "I'll get rid of these bushes and trim this and....". So we knew we were in for a lot of work. We love having so many mature plants but a lot of the yard just hadn't been cared for in some time before we bought it. I call it my secret garden and I do feel like Mary from that book! We are making the yard come alive and making it functional for our family!

 Have you guys done any major yard work lately? Anyone need a pile of brush for a bon fire? 

Harperisms 2013 2.0

I love kids. I always have. I love working with kids and hearing the hilarious things they say or do. I love being a mom and laughing out loud at the hilarious things Harper says, which of course, are the MOST hilarious things ever! Here is another sampling of Harperisms, from February, March, and April!

*I need some shoes on...like my black shoes or my blue shoes or my brown shoes or my red shoes....
      (I have no clue where this girl gets her love for shoes!)

* Me: "Peeee yoooo Toby!" (after Toby had passed gas)
   Harper: "No, he not bad. He stinks!"

*I love getting the chance to debate my two year old! Like when Harper is saying a friend's name wrong:
   (PS- Not actually posting the little boy's full name because I didn't ask his mom for permission!)
   Me: "His name is John E....."
   Harper: "No, John B...."
   Me: "John E...!"
   Harper: "No Mom, it actually John B.... say it John B.."
        Clearly at two she knows better......

*On the way home riding in the car:
  HG: "Which sticker you want Mommy? "
  I see a purple sticker in the rearview mirror so I say "The purple heart"
  HG: "No, you want the green heart".
  Me: "okay" (clearly we have already established attempting to argue with the 2 year old is futile)
  HG: "I no have a green heart sticker!"
               !!!!!
*"Hatapillar" (we love that she says caterpillar this way!)

* Harper had been playing with some pretend money and was passing it out to Jason and I.
   Jason: "Harper, I have some money for you."
   HG: "I have my OWN money!"
              If only she'll say this at 16!
*"That yucky. Restaurant is dirty. You NO touch wall. You hear me? Mommy? You no touch wall in bathroom. You get germs!"
    (I love this because it a) shows how I am slowly making my child OCD and b) she never follows her own advice! What is it about public restrooms that make them so attractive to kids to touch every surface?!?!?

Seasons

We all go through seasons in life...no, I am not talking about weather based seasons. Since January the 'season' that I have been in has been one of refinement and growth. When I became a Christian I thought that from that day on I would have things figured out. I never thought my life would be perfect or easy but I thought my walk with God would be a smooth one, one that progressed in a gradual up-hill rather than up and down. Well, that's not the road I've been on. I don't think it's a road most people take. When reflecting on my relationship with Christ I always think that if I treated a spouse, friend, family member, etc. the way I treat my relationship with Jesus, our relationship would probably be irreparably broken. But this is the beauty of the gospel. God loves me. That period is important. There are no conditional statements that follow. He loves me. He loves you! Even in my darkest places, even when I put everything else first, even when my faith is just a checklist of things I think I should do, He loves me. Right where I am.
With Mother's Day fast approaching I have been thinking about parental love. Harper has started asking us (usually when she has gotten in trouble) "You still love me?". It breaks my heart to hear her ask, as if her having an accident before she gets to the potty would ever change my love for her. We've started telling her "yes, of course we love you. No. Matter. What.". And in thinking on this I realize that being a parent gives me a tiny glimpse of how God loves us. I am not perfect. I fall short of the glory of God daily constantly, but my success or failure is not what God uses to measure His love for me.  He loves us. NO MATTER WHAT.

As you celebrate Mother's Day this weekend keep this in mind. I will strive to live life in such a way that God's grace and love overflow onto others. I will not let God's unconditional, unfathomable love be an excuse to do things that I know are not His will or do not advance His kingdom. But I will live in the mindset that my shortcomings are just an amazing reminder that, even with my flaws, I am loved.

Top Ten list...

So the month of May is a very fun month for me: Mother's Day, our anniversary (8 years!), and rounded out by my birthday, plus sprinkle in the birthdays of some fabulous friends and one fabulous sister in law and it is a month of celebration! Anyway, with so many gift getting opportunities happening in one month what would a girl ask for? Jewelry? The traditional 8th anniversary wedding gift of bronze (!?!?)? No. What I would like is an iPhone. And my 'sweet' husband keeps asking me reasons why an iPhone would be helpful in my life. Notice I didn't say reasons why I NEED an iPhone. Let's face it, I've functioned for 30+ years sans iPhone with no trouble. So I really don't need an iPhone. I just want one. Jason (who ironically has an iPhone 5) joked that I should make a blog called "reasons I want an iPhone" because I keep texting/calling him with reasons. So here goes.
10) Next time I am in a strange city and my gas gauge says 'E' I can find a gas station without having to stop and ask random strangers for directions (this has seriously happened...possibly more than once!)
9) I will be able to look up directions/alternate routes when I am in unfamiliar areas or when I am stuck in traffic without having to pull over and consult a map (or a random stranger, see #10)
8) It would be a great help to be able to use Siri for reminders..I often think of things to add to the 'to do' list on my hour long commute but forget them by the time I get home. Or really to use Siri for anything so I can be 'hands free' and be a safe driver since I spend so much time in the car.
7) Having email contacts available on my phone would be an awesome help for meetings, etc.
6) Being able to have a back up form of entertainment for Harper while we wait at a doctor's office, etc. would be lovely (usually she tires of my books and songs and drawings if we wait longer than 30 minutes)
5) All the helpful Apps available...like Angry Birds and Awkward Family Photo ;-) Just kidding! There really are amazing apps that would help with work, life, etc.
4) I would be able to capture important moments on video (which I am unable to do on my current phone)
3) I would love to be able to listen to my iTunes music while I run (and not have to use ye old walkman since my iPod is broken and I am unable to run without music)
2) It would be helpful in case of an emergency to have my phone with me while I run (since, of course, I'll have it hooked to my ears while I listen to my iTunes).
And the number one reason I would love to have an iPhone is......
1) My sister in law has called my phone a 'Zac Morris phone' (if you don't get this reference, see this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBWneSL5MWI ).

But seriously, hopefully you see this as the funny list it is. I do not covet an iPhone and certainly don't NEED it to make my life better or to keep up with the Jones...though my notoriously anti-tech mom has one. I am fine with my dinky phone but if a certain husband was looking for a certain gift for his very deserving wife....I might know of a thing or two! ;-)

2.5

This is overdue by less than a week (Harper was 2 1/2 on Sunday) so I feel like I am on top of things! Also, I have had so many blog postings going on in my head but when I get a few minutes to sit and write them I just never feel like I have enough time to devote to what I want to say. So be on the lookout for more soon (hopefully).

2 1/2 is a milestone age for sure, but it is not like when Harper was younger and she made such huge, obvious changes every month (or week sometimes). The changes are much more subtle, at least to Jason and I who see her every day. We sit at the table at dinner sometimes and just stare at her with our mouths open, shocked at how grown-up she is and wondering when that happened! I love our family dinners, though, and appreciate the time that all three of us (4 if you count Toby sitting under Harper's chair begging) have together just to talk. So, here goes Harper 2.5:
The biggest, most obvious development is...HAPER IS TOTALLY POTTY TRAINED!!! She had one accident yesterday, but it was the first one in 2+ weeks, and was sort of due to circumstances beyond her control. She is on spring break this week and I had planned to use this time to put her through 'potty training bootcamp' but I ended up not needing to because thanks to peer pressure she got potty trained at school! All of her friends would go potty and Harper desired so much to go with them and be a 'big girl'. It really didn't take that long to happen either, it just...sort of happened. We were consistent about only big girl panties at home and they did that at school, too, and before I knew it- ta da! So yeah, no more diapers (except at nap and night). I am so proud of Harper but it is a sad moment because the diapers are really the last reminder of 'baby' left.
Another big change between 2 and 2 1/2 is this phrase we hear a LOT now: "I want to do it...by....myself!". Which I love and hate at the same time. The fact that Harper is independent makes me happy (and reminds me of myself!) but sometimes she does not need to do whatever it is by herself because of safety, timing, etc.
Harper also has really begun to develop her pretend play/imagination skills. She LOVES to read (well, be read to) and I think this has helped. I can't stress enough the importance of reading to your kids, no matter how young they are. Anyway, no soap box, back to Harper. She pretends mostly with her stuffed animals and acts out things she has recently experienced. Sometimes she just pretends with herself (i.e. she just woke up and told me I was the mommy kitty and she was the baby kitty). Sometimes she pretends things are other things (the sash on my bathrobe becomes a rope that helps her climb up the mountain which is our bed!)

It is so neat to see this begin to develop in her and I can't wait for lots more fun playtime!

Her appetite is still ferocious most days. She still loves pasta, fruit, and cheese best of all. She has a sophisticated palate for a two year old and also likes pheasant, amberjack, tofu, and risotto. Now that she's awake I need to get to it. I can't believe this sweet, funny, silly girl is already 2 1/2!

Blowing dandelions in the yard (you're welcome neighbors!)

Playing outside on a spring day!

Pretending to read to Pink Bear.

*Two more things! Harper LOVES cooking..actual cooking (she loves to help me or her Grandmother) and she has also started really getting into singing. She tries hard to learn the words and sing along to just about anything...which means we have to be really careful about what she listens to! Her favorite songs right now come from a cd of kids worship songs that the church gave out a year ago. She likes the "silly" song the best!

Harperisms 2013

Out of the mouth of babes!

1) (to Toby, with her finger pointed accusingly) "You poop outside. You no poop inside."
(just for the record, except for a stomach virus, Toby has NEVER pooped inside!)

2) Harper: "Daddy, fix this for me."
Jason: "I can't right now." (because he has fake grass all over our living room getting it ready for hunting...)
Harper to me while I am cooking dinner: "Mommy you not really busy. Help me."

3) After pitching a VERY long fit in the car because she didn't get her way:

 "I no happy". 

*Oh, really? The 10 minutes straight of screaming didn't give it away!*

4) After eating crackers with hummus and an orange at my parents house (which is 5 minutes from my house): 

"I hungy. I want snack."

(me) You just ate a big snack at Grandmother and Grandaddy's house, it's almost dinner time. 

"I hungy at home."

(meaning, I want to eat snack at MY house, too!)

5) After repeatedly asking my mom to "open other door" while they were driving. Finally, mom realized she was talking about the sunroof. She opens the sunroof...

"Hey sunshine! What 'cha been doing?"

Christmas 2012

I realize there has been quite the absence on the blog front. Part of this is due to a lot of exciting changes in our lives and the business of the holiday season. At the end of November my parents found out that my dad got a job close toAuburn so they began making arrangements to move! Fast forward several weeks and they moved to a house within a few miles of us that they had never seen that I 'screened' for them (#trust #nervewracking). Plus, we moved Harper's school to one in Auburn to save on daycare costs, let her avoid the hour commute in the car, and to give her a chance to have a little more social time with kids her age. We were heartbroken to leave her old school because we loved and trusted the teachers there and felt like she excelled with them. But we knew enough about her new school to make all of us feel comfortable with the change. Now...on to Christmas! Here it is through pictures!

 Jason ran his first 5k with me, the Toys for Tots race! (he beat me, too!)

Our Christmas card. A friend said Jason wins best husband award for agreeing to it! I say Harper wins best toddler award since she cooperated for the picture!

 Harper's Nonnie and Poppa went with us to help us pick out a tree! They were great sports keeping her entertained and sweating in the hot weather!

 Harper and Toby loved the tree this year and managed not to knock it down or break any ornaments!

 Harper refused to get within 3 feet of Santa so this was the closest we came to a picture with Santa, a picture with the Georgia Aquarium's Scuba Claus!

 Santa came on Christmas Eve! He brought Harper an art table, art supplies, and a lazy susan to hold all of her crayons, markers, pencils, paint, etc. And to quote one of my all time favorite Christmas movies "SANTA! I KNOW HIM!"

 Harper knew just what to do when she saw her presents! 

 After Christmas at our house we went to Nonnie and Poppa's house and had Christmas with Jason's family and with Harper's new cousins! (Whom she called her sisters...which might take some explaining if she ever says that to people that don't know us well!)

 My parents got Harper a balance bike for Christmas. These things are awesome and she is already figuring it out pretty well! No major falls but she is not allowed on the street until we get a helmet (and wrist guards and knee pads Jason says).

 I got to see my sister at Christmas, too! So fun to have a whole week with her!

Harper is already playing while Jason goes through the fun Christmas morning tradition "putting the toys together". Unfortunately someone (coughcoughme) didn't realize it said 'some assembly required'. Oops.