Paint sample fun

I got this idea from my friend, Erica. Home Depot has a Disney paint brand and the samples have Mickey Mouse on them. Since they are free and are a great way to teach Harper her colors, I got some when I was there the other day. They are a hit!!! When she understands the game memory, I will get 2 sets of each color to create a game for her. I might even take them to get laminated so they last longer! Free fun...I love it!




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Stuck...

As I was cooking dinner, Harper started screaming from the other room! I went in and found her stuck! Her foot got inside this toy, and she clearly couldn't get it out! It actually took a while to get her foot out, but I obviously had to take a picture first! That's what all good moms do, right???




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This girl is funny!

Harper is making me laugh more and more each day! Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today that cracked me up!

In case you didn't know, she's single and fabulous

...according to her hat!

The poor guy doing the wiring had to endure Harper

peeking in every few minutes to giggle,

mention that he's wearing a hat,

and then say thank you.

Traditionally, these tongs are for her grill in her kitchen...

she prefers them as a necklace!

This wasn't what we had in mind when we got her this car!

She prefers to walk beside us while we push her baby around the house!

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Preparing for Demolition Day!

For those who don't know, we have needed to do some remodeling since the day we moved in. We loved this house because of the potential of the "back room". It is 400 square feet, and it's hidden from the rest of the house. It was going to be a great playroom... that is, until it flooded the day after we moved in. It was apparently built in the cheapest way possible, and the previous owner "had no idea it had a leaking problem". Yeah right! So here we are, 4 years later and probably after 15 bids... we finally have someone to fix it! We had to fix the water issue before fixing the room, and that has taken a while. Money doesn't grow on trees around here, so this has simply taking longer than we would've liked. But Monday is the big day!!! I'm so excited about the possibilities of this room! My den and living room will no longer look like Toys R Us has thrown up all over it, and it will be a great place for Harper to play! But for now, I have a TON of work to do! It has been my storage room for the last 4 years, and I can be a bit of a pack rat! I've worked all morning, yet, it looks like I haven't done a single thing! The attic, garage, and our guest room will be completely full by the time the room is empty! I guess we can't have any guests for a while! And after everything is complete, I will be having a garage sale!

A look from the den...

And from our bedroom...

If you look closely,

you can see the wall coming down on the left!

And this is what I've done so far...

I completely forgot about all of our games!

It's like this is Christmas all over again for me!

Taking care of Neta

Harper has a cabbage patch doll named Neta Elease. We didn't name her...it's what her birth certificate says! In the last few days, she has become more interested in taking care of her. All evening yesterday she worked hard to convince me that Neta needed her diaper changed. She kept saying, "baby diaper! Poo poo!" I gave her a clean one and enjoyed watching her "change" the diaper! Here she is...hard at work!



Later she had some crackers and tried really hard to feed Neta! At one point., I'm pretty sure she was really letting Neta have it! I think she was frustrated that she wouldn't eat. Now she knows how I feel!


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Christmas Recap

Our Christmas was definitely one I will never forget. It was one of the best, but it was also one of the worst. With the death of Anthony constantly in our minds, it was hard to enjoy anything going on around us. But at the same time, Eliana and Harper are both at such fun ages, their love for all things Christmas helped brighten our spirits!

Harper and Eliana had such a great time together. This is the first time that they've really played together! And of course, the 3 husbands had a great time together too! They really are so ridiculous... but they keep us laughing, so we're thankful for that! It is so great that they get along so well. They are constantly making up games, pretending to be a band, or playing catch phrase (their personal favorite!). I'm thankful my sisters both married such great guys... and that Corby gets along so well with them! Christmas day was full of both joy and sadness. The Riggans were supposed to come over for Christmas dinner, so it was hard thinking about why they weren't there. Christmas will never be the same for them, and that makes me so sad!

Other than being with the Riggans and celebrating Christmas, we dealt with sick little girls. Eliana was the first to get sick. She thankfully went to the doctor on Monday and got an antibiotic for her ear infection. She was also extremely congested and hardly slept at night! To say that Lindsey and Chris are completely exhausted is an understatement! On Tuesday, Corby came back to Dallas because he needed to work on Wednesday. Well, at 2:30 am, I heard Harper crying/coughing. I figured she would fall back asleep, but after a few minutes it got worse. I went in to the room, and she wasn't coughing... she was struggling to breath. Each breath was so loud, and I was terrified! I woke up my mom, and we determined that she needed to go to the emergency room. Once she was checked by the nurse, he took her straight to the back... going ahead of a little boy in the waiting room. That told me that she was really sick. She apparently had croup, even though she didn't have any symptoms the night before. After 1 failed breathing treatment, the doctor said she needed another one. When they do a treatment, you have to wait for 3 hours before leaving the hospital. But apparently the rule is that if a child has 2 treatments, they need to remain at the hospital for the rest of the day. Well... Anthony's funeral was at 11, and this was at 5am. When I was told I had to stay the rest of the day, I lost it! Corby left to come back to Little Rock at 5:30 because the doctor said she could have to stay overnight. She thankfully responded to the second treatment and the steroid and her breathing was back to normal. The doctor came in and said we just needed to wait until 8:30 and if she was still fine, we could leave. I am so thankful for such a kind doctor! I obviously wouldn't have left if I thought Harper needed to stay, but she truly was a different child! The Lord healed her, and I am beyond thankful!!! She slept so much better on Wednesday night, and so did I! We were both exhausted!!! On Thursday, she complained that her ear hurt, so I was concerned. In the past, she is always right. We took her to my old pediatrician, and she had an ear infection. Needless to say, we are ready for her to be healthy!

Anthony's funeral was amazing. Both Tony (his dad) and Maggie (his sister) spoke, and they both did a phenomenal job. Anthony lived his life to the fullest and has always been such an inspiration to me. Now, more than ever, I feel like I need to be doing some things differently in my life. He loved the Lord with all of his heart, and reading so many of his emails and letters to his family challenged me in so many ways. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. His life will continue to challenge others to love the Lord more wholeheartedly and love others as well.

Here are a few pictures from the week. I honestly didn't take very many, which is frustrating! I can't believe I didn't get any group shots! Oh well... that just reveals how busy we were, I guess!

Harper loves Daisy so much...

but Daisy doesn't feel the same way about Harper.

She knew Harper couldn't get to her!

Kissing baby Jesus

Stockings and Santa gifts

Pretty excited about her morning candy!

Her elephant-on-a-stick!

These were eventually put away because they became weapons!

She loved her presents from the Riggans!

When I told her who they were from, she said "Sad, I be happy".

She did go to their house the first night,

and we told her that they were sad and she needed to be happy.

She didn't forget that either!

The boys and little girls playing in the play room

Tickling the ivories

Such a diva!

I love how she's laying down while she draws!

This toy is hilarious! She loves the microphone!

The rody was also a popular toy!

Even though the weight limit is 400 lbs,

it is made for little people!

I bruised my knees so badly riding it in the kitchen!

This might be a highlight for me!

When I got my haircut, I planned to dress up like Chris.

It definitely gave everyone a good laugh!

Then Mike decided to join in on the fun!

The next night, Chris came downstairs dressed like me!

It is so weird to see his hair down!!!

Rocking her new outfit from my Aunt!

This was the only picture I got in her Christmas dress.

Apparently it was a little boy's birthday at church,

so she enjoyed a cupcake with BLUE icing on it!

Yes... it was everywhere when we went to pick her up!

Thankfully it all came out!

And this was in the E.R.

She asked for her hat and then said "home".

She thought if she wore her hat, she could leave!

She isn't a cuddler, so I did enjoy our snuggle time together!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from Harper and her Rody!!! She has been bouncing all afternoon!


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