15 month update... 3 weeks late!

Poor Harper absolutely hates going to the doctor. She cries the whole time anyone is in the room with her, and then happily waves goodbye when they announce that they are finally leaving. She will then play and be as sweet as can be... until someone else enters the room. I think the nurse felt so bad about her sadness that she brought her a "prize pack". It was filled with toys that Harper has no idea how to use because they are for 5 year olds! It made me laugh! She is doing great developmentally and grew a lot since her last appointment.

Her 15 month stats: (Obviously for my own records!)

Weight: 24 lb 1 oz (75th percentile)

Height: 31 1/4 in (75th percentile)

Head: 45.5 cm (45th percentile)

She is also feeding herself!

Even though it is a complete mess,

she insists on doing it herself!

And she couldn't be more proud!

Tonight, Auntee LC helped her practice the piano

But by the looks of this picture,

I think we know who was having more fun!

Wicked!!!

Thanks to my Mother's Day gift, Corby and I went to see Wicked on Friday night. I had no idea what to expect, except I knew it would be wonderful (like all of the other musicals we've seen at The Music Hall)! First of all, the story line was very creative, the singing was phenomenal, and I laughed a lot! It was such a great evening...just the 2 of us. Harper had an equally fun night with her babysitter Sarah! She works in the nursery at church and enjoyed being with Harper without her screaming her head off (which is what she used to do at church every single week!).

Two things happen whenever Corby and I go to see a Broadway Show. Thankfully we only see about 1 a year, so this doesn't happen very often! The first is that I determine whose voice I loved the most (this time it was Elphaba) and then pray that night that I will wake up with the same singing ability. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet... but I will not give up on that one! The second thing is much worse...for everyone involved! Corby thinks that he needs to go throughout his day as if he is in a musical. And his songs get worse and worse as the day goes on. It happens every single time, and it is just awful!!! But I guess I will take the good with the bad and continue to enjoy seeing these amazing shows!!!

Bulky

For Harper's swim lessons, she has to wear 2 pair of special swim pants under her swim suit. To say that putting her suit on over the pants is difficult is quite an understatement! It certainly isn't the most flattering look either! Thankfully every other little girl looks the exact same way, so she isn't the only bulky babe in the pool!

Taking the term muffin top to a whole new level!

A close-up view!

Lil Ri Ri is Married!!!

We traveled down to College Station, TX for the weekend. My friend, Risa, was getting married, and it was so fun to be a part of it all! Corby's parents came to meet us from Houston to take care of Harper during all of the festivities. It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy everything, knowing she was being perfectly taken care of! She had so much fun with them too, and she definitely wore herself out! In fact, one night she was so tired, Gama asked her if she was ready to go "night night" (about an hour earlier than her usual bedtime). Harper responded with "nigh nigh" and did her sign for please. How precious is that?!?!? So Gama put her to bed and she didn't make a peep!

The wedding was so much fun, and I think the highlight was when Mr. Holland was summoned to the stage by the band... He shocked us all with his hilarious dance moves! He's definitely someone that I would've never thought could move like that. Fortunately they had a wonderful videographer, so it is saved forever! My camera battery was dead with the charger in Little Rock, so LC sent me these! Enjoy!

I have no idea what life would be like without her...

I hope I never have to experience that!

Enjoying our time at the rehearsal dinner

Me and the beautiful bride!

At the wedding... about to hit the dance floor!

Too bad this isn't a video clip...

LC and Corby had a dance-off using the chair as a prop!

It was ridiculous!

I love that she caught our laughter!

It was hilarious what had just happened!

I love Katie Garton!!!

My man... looking sassy!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy Father's Day to the greatest Dadda in the world!

Harper is such a blessed little girl. Not only does she have a father who loves her very much, he makes sure she knows it every single day. It is so much fun watching this relationship grow. She absolutely adores him, and how could she not?!?! He has definitely become a "softy" since having a daughter, and I just love it! He now cries at the "Who gives this woman?" in every wedding, picturing himself giving Harper away. Also last night at a wedding I was in, he watched the traditional father/daughter dance and said he couldn't wait to do that with Harper...but they would need to take lessons first. I'm sorry, what? You may not know Corby well, but that is the last thing I would've ever pictured coming from his mouth. She has changed him, and I love it. I love watching him be a father, and it certainly makes me love him more and more each day. Happy Father's Day, Corbs.... Harper and I appreciate your love and faithfulness to this family more than you will ever know!

Harper's First Swim Lesson

Today, Erica and I took the girls to their first swim lesson. We are doing lessons this summer at Emler Swim School, and I'm hoping Harper will enjoy them more and more each week. She wasn't interested in the teacher taking her away from me, so the whole pool heard about it a few times. The room was also really warm, so her glasses kept fogging up, and I know that annoys her. She went under the water several times for 1 second at a time. By the end of the summer, she should be able to stay under for 10 seconds... I'll believe it when I see it. I don't have any pictures because we were in the water together. Hopefully Corby will be able to come one time to watch her and take some pictures. I'm excited about this time together, with her learning something new.

Little Leah is Married!

To say that we are exhausted from the big wedding weekend is an understatement! We didn't have any tasks to accomplish the week of her wedding, but I still feel like we were always doing something! Harper was sick in the middle of the week with a fever and an upset stomach! Therefore, the sleeping in my room was very interrupted! While the girls were getting manicures on Thursday, Mike took care of Harper and Eliana. We assured him they would nap the whole time... oops! Harper definitely threw up everywhere in her bed, and poor Mike was the only one there to take care of it. That probably wasn't the "welcome to the family" he was looking for!

Lindsey and I hosted Leah's lingerie shower on Thursday night, and it was so much fun! Our evening ended with karaoke... so obviously it was a fabulous night! Leah and I entertained everyone at the restaurant with "A Whole New World" from Alladin. It was really special!

The rehearsal went well, except Harper cried the whole way down the aisle. After her horrible night of sleep on Friday night, we decided on Saturday that it would be best for her to walk with me and Eliana would walk with Lindsey. That was the best decision we have ever made! I wish I had Harper on video because she was so precious. She walked very slowly, looking at every row of chairs. Once we got to the end, she turned around and tried to walk back up the aisle to look at the other side of the room. She joined me by the stage, but when she slipped on the stairs and hit her face... it was ALL OVER! I scooped her up and the babysitters were at the front to get her. But I was so proud of her... and Corby was too! He just cried and cried watching her come down... it was precious!

The actual wedding was just perfect. We had a few issues during the getting ready process, but everything ended up working out. We had a missing bridesmaid's dress for about an hour (probably longer), and Leah was so stressed about it. But Corby and Brandi (a family friend) ended up finding it buried in the corner of my closet at my mom's house! My dad did a beautiful job with the flowers! I don't have any pictures of the sanctuary. By the time I got my camera during the reception, it had all been taken down! My mom's best friends did all of the catering, and it was fabulous. They graciously did this as Leah's wedding gift from them, and let me tell you... best gift she's ever received! I wish I had individual pictures of everything they made! It was truly spectacular! I'm sure everyone thought it was professionally catered! All in all, the day was just what Leah had dreamed of! They are now in Mexico, enjoying their week together! Here are a few pictures from the weekend... somehow I didn't get very many at the wedding!

The wedding party at the luncheon on Friday

Mom, Lindsey, Leah, me, and Gran-D

The only family picture we have from the week!

How did I not get one at the wedding?!?!

Leah and Michael enjoying their rehearsal dinner

Corby, Leah, and Chris...

They love her so much!

Sisters!

The BEAUTIFUL bride!

Eliana did this while everyone else got ready!

Kickin' her feet up before heading down the aisle

Her Bridal portrait

Part of the reception food table

Eliana was enthralled by all of the dancing

Annalise came for the big day!!!

It was so fun getting to be with her!

The newlyweds

This is what Harper did during most of the reception

Eliana was obsessed with taking apart the roses!

Heading off from the reception

Most hilarious part of the day... one of the guests, a good friend of Leah's,

was wearing our bridemaid's dress and almost identical shoes!!!