Fall Fun at the Fair!

Wednesday afternoon we went to the fair and had a great time! It normally costs $16 per person to get in (ridiculous!!!) but it's $2 on Wednesday if you bring 3 canned food items to donate. So it was cheaper and all for a good cause...win-win!

We enjoyed a few shows, ate some delicious and terribly unhealthy food, and Harper rode several rides. I'm so thankful we had a chance to go...especially knowing how much our lives are about to change!



Participating in the Backyard Circus...she was a butterfly ballerina


Waiting on Mother Goose...she was really excited about this one!


Harper and Mother Goose


Watching the pig races...which are quite entertaining!


Harper and Big Tex


Having fun on the elephant ride


The other little girl made this ride spin the whole time...harper's face was pretty funny!


Excited about the airplane ride


These monster trucks bounced like crazy...so she didn't love it


She chose to ride the roller coaster but teared up when she got off...saying she was brave but that was a little scary


Ending her night on the swings...the ride she wanted to do the most!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rapunzel and the Costume Parade

Whenever we purchased Harper's Halloween costume, we were given a flyer about a costume parade. I figured Harper would have a fun time, especially since she'd get to wear her costume a few weeks early. This year, she chose Rapunzel, and I'm pretty sure the main reason was because of the long braid you could get to go with the dress. She had so much fun getting dressed up on Friday. 

Once we got to the Disney Store, they had an employee who helped them make treat bags. We then went on a scavenger hunt throughout the store to find different characters, and if you found them all, you got some treats for your bag. After that, they had the parade. I'm almost positive Harper had no idea what was happening the whole time...the look on her face in every picture reveals that fact. But afterwards, she kept talking about how much fun she had walking in the parade. They just did a loop around the store, and only a few of the kids were actually dressed up. But it was a fun little outing for us, and I know Harper had a great time! 

 Rapunzel and her Mickey Mouse treat bag

 The man in the hat was the one in charge...he was a riot!

 In line for the parade to begin

 Not sure what is going on...but at least she stayed in the line

 Super serious about this parade thing!

 I kind of got a smirk as she walked past me! 

Some of the parade walkers... man in the hat told them to wave, 

which clearly doesn't make for the best picture! 

Celebrating Henley!

Several of my friends hosted a dinner last night to celebrate Henley's arrival. Of course, I only took 2 pictures, and one didn't turn out very well. The dinner was at Blue Mesa, and we ended our meal with delicious petit fours from Casa Linda Bakery! The hostesses were extremely thoughtful, knowing that we gave our big infant items to Taylor, so they asked everyone to bring Buy Buy Baby gift cards so we could buy the things that we really need... and then they blew me away with a new car seat as the hostess gift. Obviously I cried and was just so overwhelmed. It's amazing to have friends that see a need and instantly take care of it. The Lord has provided some of the most amazing friends to me here in Dallas!!! The party made me so excited for Henley's arrival! I just can't wait to see what she looks like! 3 weeks from today, that sweet baby will be in my arms!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

National Night Out!

Last night we headed down to our elementary school for National Night Out. This is one of our favorite events that the neighborhood association puts on. Everyone is encouraged to get out of the house, enjoy dinner, activities, and meet some of your neighbors. It was a great night!



Getting a butterfly painted on her arm...it didn't come off in the bath, so I sure am glad we did the arm and not the face!



So proud!



Enjoying a pony ride



The balloon master (what his button said!) made her a balloon ladybug bracelet



She used every single brush in the bucket to pet that goat



Obsessed with this bunny!!!! She loves anything soft, so petting this bunny was heaven on earth for her!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Big sister class...check!

If Harper wasn't ready before, she's definitely ready now. I remembered doing a big sister class before Leah was born, so I looked it up and Baylor had one. We went this morning, and it was so fun. The nurse let them each pick out a baby, and Harper picked the only African American baby. Clearly with the love I still have for Taylor, it about sent me over the edge. It might have not been intentional on her part. But she still loves looking at pictures of T, so I think it was on purpose.

They did several activities, like testing different toys based on their size for safety, changing a diaper, and swaddling their baby. They watched a video and then went on a tour of labor and delivery, the outside of the nicu, and the postpartum floor. Harper had a great time on the tour, carrying her baby everywhere with her! I can't wait to see her as a big sister....she's going to be fabulous!




Picking her baby



Learning about the soft spot by feeling gummy worms...and then getting to eat them!



Talking about what toys are safe for a baby



Practicing swaddling and changing a diaper



Checking out where the baby will be in the labor room


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Harper 3.5

For my memory's sake... Here are some things Harper is into at 3 1/2...

-When she wants to do a project, she calls it a "problerjet".

-She gags on just about any meal except taco salad and obviously sweets...it's quite the test of my patience! Yes, I'm being dramatic, but it is pretty terrible when it comes to trying new things! She gags at the sight of it if she has never had it.

-She had an eye appointment last week, and her farsightedness has gotten a little worse, but not enough to change her glasses prescription. He said it can still correct itself, but we won't see that change for several more years.

-She talks A LOT! I've taken her to the doctor with my the last few visits, with the understanding that she needs to sit and listen, especially while I'm talking with my doctor. Last week, as we left, she said, "I sure talked a lot in there, didn't I?" Yes... she did. Thankfully Dr Hays loves her!

-She loves to build forts, houses, and any sort of gymnastics "equipment" with the couch cushions. This used to drive me crazy, but now it keeps her so entertained, I don't mind the cushions being on the floor.

-I'm starting to think she has allergies, since she has a cough almost every day of her life! She also gets croup quite often... it is miserable for her! The attacks seem to only happen in the middle of the night, which is awesome.

-She's loving preschool! I get the full report each day of all the classroom happenings. It makes me nervous what she tells her teacher about me!

-I know I'm missing so much... but this is all I can think of right now. I blame my terrible sleeping habits, as in, I am just not sleeping at night!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thank you, Voluspa!

After the candle incident, I emailed the company just to let them know what happened. I didn't expect them to become as interested as they did! I answered all of their questions, sent in pictures of the candle and burn mark, and was so surprised when they said they'd like to pay to fix the damage. Now, I don't think they realized that you can't just cut a square of laminate and stick it over the burn mark. I had our contractor write up a bid and then we decided that we'd pay the difference to get granite instead of laminate.

Today was the big day, and it was done so quickly! I expected it to take several days and be out of a sink and stove for a while...but not with our fabulous contractor. Everything but adjusting the dishwasher was done today! I'm amazed at what a difference it has made. Sure, there are plenty more updates that need to happen in the kitchen...but this was a great start!

Before:





After:









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone