I'd like to be here...right now.

As I sit on the couch on the verge of tears because I can't figure out where Harper hid my debit card and I'm so tired it hurts to stay awake, I'm dreaming of an island destination such as this.  Even if just for an hour, wouldn't it be lovely? 
Although, if I can't locate my debit card, then I'm not even going down the street.

April, in December...

I knew I would find it, eventually.

I lost the memory card for my camera a while back, I've been searching for it everywhere!

The card had pictures on it from Harper's 2nd birthday party.

 We had her party at our church, they have a nice playground.  Too bad it was blazing hot outside!

A little too hot for April, if you ask me!

I can't believe how much she's grown up since then.

She has more hair, she's a lot taller, and she talks non-stop!

Check out those pigtails...I was pretty proud of those! She finally had enough hair to do something with it!

Now she likes ponytails and barrettes...such a little lady!

She looks more like a little girl now too, not really like a baby anymore.

She's growing up.

Somehow I'll learn to deal with that!

Christmas, Christmas time is here....

Getting my house ready for my parents to visit, they'll be here tomorrow.

I'll admit, I'm not much of a housekeeper.

I'll do what I can to make sure it's reasonably clean, but some of the more meticulous cleaning jobs often fall by the way side.  

Like dusting.

I hate dusting.

We have a lot of dark furniture so it really shows. Luckily, Harper thinks it's fun to help me.

I choose to capatalize on this while I can, because let's face it, she won't always feel this way!

As I was cleaning, I decided to get out my camera and take a few shots of the tree.

I'm still not great with my camera.  I don't like the way pictures look with the flash, and I don't have any training with using the camera.  It's been a lot of trial and error. Mostly error!  But oh well, I'm learning.

I can't wait for Harper to open her gifts! She's getting some gems this year.

There are quite a few gifts under the tree, Harper will love it.  

I am thankful for a lot this year.  My parents will be here and my sister and her husband will spend Christmas with us as well.

I am thankful for what I have.

I am thankful for what God, in His infinite wisdom, has had made me wait for, and for all the wonderful possibilities to come.

Merry Christmas and take a moment to be thankful.

Merry Christmas! (a little early!)

Brandon let me open one of my gifts a little early...this was probably a result of frequent questioning about what my gifts were.

This makes me sound greedy.

I am not.  

I do, however HATE surprises. Even good ones, like Christmas presents.

It literally brings me pain to anticipate a surprise.

I'm not really a control freak in any other part of my life.  But I do like to know what to expect.

We've all been there, opening a gift in front of someone, and they're watching you anxiously awaiting your reaction. You rip the paper open, to reveal a gift that you're not excited about. Not one bit.

And they're you are, knowing that you have about half a second to show excitement and elation. 

Awkward.

Anyway, I opened one gift of Brandon's choosing today. Vintage cowboy boots! I LOVE them!

I was going to post a picture of them, but it's late and I did not take a nap today...so maybe later.

good clean fun

This Thankgiving was one of firsts.
First Thanksgiving with no extended family in attendance, first time to prepare a Thanksgiving meal all by ourselves, and the first time I got to do something crafty with my sweet friend Ashley!

My parents stayed in Arizona for Thanksgiving this year. It was a little sad no to have them here. Maybe it is time to start some traditions of our own!
My family, my sister and brother in law, and Ashley's family all got together. We even prepared the meal all by ourselves! No frantic last minute calls to moms or grandmas were made. We were pretty proud of ourselves! Ok, we did cheat a little...we ordered our stuffing from Fresh Market...it's so delish...I know I couldn't make it better!

After everyone was settled in to their post feast comas, Ashley and I went to work...making felted soap! They are so pretty, and it was so easy! We got the idea from Anthropologie. I bought Ashley some felted soap for her birthday. They smell amazing! She called me a few days later and said, "Dude, we can totally make these!" (And yes, she does say "dude" all the time!) They turned out just perfectly! We are going to use them as Christmas gifts.

All in all, it was a great holiday. I missed my family, and they missed me. The break went by far too quickly...but hey, it's only 3 weeks until Christmas Break!
So let's get to it! Have a great Monday!

WOW

I say wow, because well, it has been quite a while since I've posted anything. I am anxiously awaiting the coming holiday season! I'm not sure how many of you do this, but, we hung Halloween lights! They are purple, orange, and green. Harper loves them! As soon as we get home, she asks me to turn on the lights. She then proceeds to perch in front of the window and stare. I love that they make her so happy. This will be the first holiday season that no extended family will be joining us. I have to say, it makes me a little sad. It will be a good thing to begin our own holiday traditions, but I'll miss my family! Anyway, it should be an interesting next few months, and I invite it in with open arms!

Love

I kept Harper home from daycare today, so I took this opportunity to play around with the camera. My brother in law knows a little about cameras and is trying to teach my about depth of field and other "photography" things. He looked at some of these pics and said I had successfully achieved depth of field. They are not the best pictures, but it's a start.

On another note, I discovered today that my daughter has learned a sign! We were eating ice cream (a perk of staying home with mom) and I asked her if she wanted some more. She made the sign for more and then opened her mouth awaiting her next bite. What a smart little cookie! There is a little girl at her daycare that uses some signs, I guess she's picked a few up from her. I was impressed and I am taking this opportunity to brag on my daughter : )