Miss Independent

First of all, if you were a Pi Phi at Arkansas, then you will agree that anytime you hear the words "Miss Independent", you instantly have visions of the rush skit in which the studious dancers ripped the scarves right off of their necks to then swing them around their head. Who choreographed that?!?! And more importantly, who told them that was a good idea?!?! But seriously, anytime I hear Kelly Clarkson singing that on the radio, that's all I can think of!

Today I decided to let Harper try to feed herself at lunch. She was more interested in putting her fingers into the applesauce container.... so this will obviously take time. But it was a big step in her becoming a "big girl" in my opinion. She also has a love for opening cabinets and pulling every single thing out of it. I'm sure this is something all kids are obsessed with. So I decided to clean out some random cabinets we have in our den and fill them with her toys. This has given her hours of entertainment!!! Her toys finally have a real home! It has also given us the opportunity to work on cleaning up. I sing a silly clean up song, and she has a blast putting everything back in the containers.

She is definitely doing more each day... taking more unassisted steps, saying more words, and not crying when I drop her off at the gym. That last item may not be a big deal to you, but it certainly is for us!!! In the past I could barely get through my workout before they were coming to get me. Today she waved bye to me and went about her business. We had a nice long run with stranger anxiety (I think mostly because she couldn't see), so I am certainly glad she seems to be moving on!

Checking out her utensil

She did this only twice

Pulling out all of her books!

And for some really fun news (that you may or may not care about)... I'll be teaching preschool at a program called Jubilee Junction starting in September. It is at Trinity Fellowship and is only 2 days a week. Harper will also be going, but she will be in the Mother's Day Out program! It is one of the few programs that has both preschool and MDO at the same time. I will be teaching the 3 year old class, so I am really excited to use my major again! I think this change will be great for everyone in the Pardue household!

Who does Harper look like???

My mom has been really busy looking through old pictures for Leah's wedding slideshow. Some of them have brought me to tears because I was laughing so hard, and other have brought extreme joy to my face.

This one brought both...

I'm sorry... am I holding Harper??? Their eyes are a little different, but I think they look so similar! I know people say she has some Corby in her, and I agree... but you can't deny the Daniels in her! Now, you may have not even noticed that Leah and Harper look alike for my ridiculous get-up. I have no idea why I was wearing those sunglasses or the bandana under the collar of my shirt. But I do remember loving that outfit!

The Future Mrs. Leah Jacobs...

This weekend, Leah, had her Fayetteville wedding shower. It was at my best friend's house, Aubrey (Aunt Barbie), and she did an AMAZING job!!! Leah was so thrilled with the entire afternoon! We also had a great weekend getting to be with Leah, my mom, Aubrey, Michael, and his parents. It was a busy weekend, and I was sad I didn't get to see some of my other friends in Fayetteville. Here are some pictures from the shower... enjoy!

Leah with the fabulous wreath!

The presents area

I loved the lampshades hanging from the ceiling!

Treat bags for the guests and

leaves for people to write something encouraging to Leah

The food table

The keylime cheesecake cupcakes I made...

they were quite delicious!

The punch and water area

Leah with her hostesses

Me and Aubs

Leah with her new mixer!

My mom saw this on a blog, and it was from Riff Raff...

It names different places on campus,

with Kimpel Hall (where they met and got engaged)

being the largest on the sign

Her bedding that the hostesses got her

Some of Leah's friends that were there...

They've got the sorority pose down!

Leah and some of her bridesmaids

This picture just isn't complete without Lindsey and Eliana!

Leah, mom, and Mrs. Jacobs (Michael's mom)

Harper and Kay-Kay... they are besties!

A trip to H-town

Corby had a seminar for work on Monday and Tuesday in Houston, so we made a long weekend trip out of it. Harper had so much fun with Gama and Pop-Pop, along with Major and Mellie. In fact, this girl is a dog lover!!! She has no fears when it comes to the size of the dog. And the more face licks she gets, the funnier it all is to her! She also got to play with her cousins Will and Ryley... probably second or third cousins, but we'll stick with cousins for simplicity. She was exhausted after her play date... if only they lived closer! I forgot to take my camera, so I don't have any pictures of them. Such a bummer! The weather was really nice, so we spent a lot of time outdoors.

The bow didn't last long...

She loved chasing Mellie...

But Mellie wasn't a big fan

Riding the rocking horse

Playing in the bounce house at Pop-pop's office picnic

Walking with her daddy

An intense game of ping pong

Taking a quick break for a sip of milk

Walking around with Gama

On display with the giant boot

And the traditional Texas blue bonnet picture

We're officially in wedding season around here, and our traveling is about to begin. Harper and I are heading to Fayetteville this weekend for Leah's shower. We are SO excited... especially because we get to stay with Aunt Barbie (my best friend, Aubrey!). We're hoping Harper sleeps better this trip than she did this past weekend. She definitely prefers her bed to the pack and play!

And for rather exciting news... Harper has teeth!!! She went 13 months of her life without any, and she now has 4 making their way out! She has always been an "all or nothing" kind of girl, and this is obviously no exception. We've dealt with a pesky fever and a cranky girl, but we're making it! She seems so intrigued by them though. They definitely make her look like a toddler now.

It was bound to happen...

When we were baby-proofing, we used a locking system on some of the cabinets that are absolutely off-limits (gas line, electric knife, cleaning supplies, etc). But I decided to leave 2 cabinets unlocked so that Harper can feel a sense of independence and stay safe, all at the same time. They are basically filled with tupperware, sippy cups, and a few non-perishables. Anytime we are in the kitchen, she gets to work! She pulls everything out as quickly as she can, and it's never been a problem.... until today. As I was cooking, I looked over and it appeared that someone learned how to remove lids... the corn meal lid, to be exact. She didn't pour all of it out, and it was a very quick clean-up, so honestly I didn't mind. She enjoyed playing with it while it was on the ground too. And of course I had to take a few pictures!

Oops...

Checking out what was left!

In other news, the glasses are still going well and are quite a hit. She has never received so much attention in her life, and she is loving every minute of it! I, too, have talked to more people out in public than I usually do. We have heard so many comments, and I want to make sure I keep track of some of my favorites.

As Mare was checking out at Gap, the saleswoman said to me, "Are those real or just for fashion (in a rather northern accent)?"

-Fashion? Seriously? Who would ever put fake glasses on their 1 year old for fashion's sake?

-Honestly, we get a lot of "Are those real?" questions. At first I was so shocked that people

really thought they were fake, but now I realize how odd it is to see someone so young in glasses... so it's just not the norm.

At Costco, the lady checking us out said (in the most country voice I've ever heard), "Oh, poor thing...I can't believe she already has to wear those things!"

-I quickly chimed in about what a blessing they are because she can finally see... I never want Harper to think they are a negative thing. These really are the worst comments to me!

I also have my cookie cutter answer for "How did they figure out what prescription she needed?" and "How did you know she needed these?". It used to be very detailed, but now it is short and sweet! We are still so excited at what a difference these glasses have made!!!

Tia Leah came to visit!

Tia Leah made a weekend trip out of a school trip to Dallas, and we loved every minute of it! Harper had so much fun with her... and her cleaning my kitchen (very thoroughly) wasn't too bad either! While Corby enjoyed the Master's, we had fun at the mall and Wisteria. If you live in Dallas and haven't ever been to Wisteria, you are missing out! We found some really cute hostess gifts for one of her showers, and they were such a good deal! Anyway, we loved having Tia here, and we already miss her. She has just a few weeks left until she graduates and then only 2 months until she gets married. I really am so proud of her for working so hard in school. To say that she has had to overcome trial after trial is an understatement. Her life has been anything but easy, but her reliance on the Lord has gotten her through it. I hope that Harper learns from her Tia what it means to trust in the Lord when everything around you seems to be falling apart. I seriously could talk for hours about how proud I am of my sister (both of them actually... but we'll post about ZZ another time!) Little Leah... we love you!

A Whole New World...

The glasses arrived this morning, and Harper couldn't be happier! When we went to pick them up, she was obviously very uneasy... you know how she is with people that she thinks are doctors. I don't believe Mr. Bill is a doctor, but she sure treats him like one. I had her in my lap playing with a stuffed animal, and he slowly put the glasses on her. She instantly looked up, quickly around the room, and began to giggle and talk. He said he had never seen a child not instantly pull them off their face, and that this proves how poor her sight really was. She has made it abundantly clear that she needed these. That was over an hour ago, and she still hasn't touched them. She has been cruising all over the house and enjoying her books more than ever. I have been fighting off the tears all morning, wondering if her poor eyesight is the reason for her unhappiness. Even if that isn't the reason, I am so thankful we figured this out early. She is definitely seeing her world in a whole new way today!

Don't worry... the attitude and sass are still here!

Sporting her new glasses with a little milk beard

Enjoying one of her favorite books!

Easter Weekend

Oh, how I love long weekends! Corby was off on Friday, so we spent the day together as a family. We did our usual, story time at the library at the mall, so Corby could see how she interacts with everyone. He loved watching how independent she is there! If you know her well, you know it's a minor miracle for her to be okay leaving my side! We spent the afternoon at the park and simply enjoyed being together as a family. On Saturday, we headed out to the arboretum to get some Easter pictures in her dress. I am OBSESSED with her dress. It was given to us by a fabulous family whose little girl had outgrown it. She will be wearing it a lot!!! The arboretum was really crowded, but we met some friends there and enjoyed the afternoon. My camera died, so I don't have any pictures of Harper and Annie... Once Julia passes them on to me, I will post them. Their outfits were the same colors, so they looked really cute! And today, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord. I know that many people get wrapped up in what they're going to wear, cook, etc... and it's very easy to do that. I guess it helps that we wear our preschool volunteer shirt to church every week, so we never have to worry about our clothing options, but it certainly helped keep my focus on the Lord and His sacrifice to not be worrying about the way I looked. That may sound silly, but I really used to be so into my Easter outfit... so I'm really thankful for the simplicity of our church. We ended our evening with a home group dinner. Everyone brought something, and it was delicious!!! It's kind of nice to be in a group where no one has family here... we can always count on being with each other for holidays. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend too, and that your perspective remained on the real reason for Easter.

Checking out her dadda!

She had a serious job of handing us each piece of grass...

She would've done it all day long!

Just wanted to show the detailing of the dress...

I just love it!

Checking out her Easter basket

And obviously most interested in the empty egg

than can double as a tiny cup!