Crazy...

Deep breath... inhale... exhale... repeat.

I am a wee bit on the coo-coo-birdy side today because I have packing and work and planning and fun and friends on the brain.

Miss Harper and I are headed out tomorrow morning for a big two week adventure. We're going to Kansas for a week and then Washington (state) for a week. All in the name of business, but we're squeezing in as much fun as possible along the way.

This post is an attempt to stop freaking out and to start enjoying the ride. It's going to be a lot of work navigating across the country with a toddler, but I'm starting to look forward to it.

I'll try to take photos so I can bring back some of the fun to you too!

October

I can't help myself

I was going to wait until the weekend to post photos, but I can't wait that long to share. :)

So much to share, so little time...

I have tons of beach photos and beach stories and beach treasures to share with you, but there simply isn't time until later in the week. Here's at least one photo from Grandpa Mark's collection to tide us all over.

We ARE still alive...and occasionally wet.

While I was in Missouri last week, Grandpa Mark sent pictures of Miss Harper playing in puddles. :)P.S. My cousin George is getting married to the most wonderful Natalie this weekend. Sending love and hugs to you both. :)

Harper 09-18-2009 16 months+

Harper 09-18-2009 16 months+, originally uploaded by shellypaints.

County Fair Time

This girl would have climbed right in with the cows if we had let her.

She also now says "animals" but it sounds like amm-mi-mull.

I haven't given much of an update lately on what Harper's up to, so I guess this is as good a place as any. Poor girl is going to have to live with her virtual baby book because this is the best I can manage!

Harper's "words" at 16 months: Harper (Haa-paaa), apple, book, animal, baby, bubble, hi-ya, bye bye, mama, dada, more, ball, banana (nan-naaa), march (this one sounds just like ma, so you have to see the accompanying high stepping to go along with it), "that" (a multi-purpose word she uses with pointing), ba ba (bottle), up, down, go, MaMa (Grandma - accompanied by pointing so I know it's Grandma and not me), PaPa (Grandpa), MeMe (Grammy), PaPaw (distinctly different than PaPa for my dad) often followed by huh-huh-huh laughing because that's what PaPaw does, Jack (for her favorite Jack's Big Music Show), TV (bee bee), and Yippeeeeeee!

Harper's animal sounds at 16 months: Animal sounds for cow (lately occasionally with do-do-do singing for the Hershey singing cows), sheep, wolf, duck, chicken (doo-doo-dooooo for the rooster), frog, bird, pig (sounds like nock-nock), horse, snake

Harper's antics and activities at 16 months: climbing stairs, opening and closing cabinet doors, running outside, standing on her tippy-toes to reach things, asking for a book at bottle time, spinning around to get dizzy, stacking blocks (a recent activity - she was only content to knock them down until lately), "singing", dancing, getting the TV remote and clicking her tongue or saying Jack to try to get us to let her watch her favorite show, twirling her finger in the air at the ceiling fan if it isn't on, points at her mouth and says "mmmmmm" if she's hungry

Harper knows where: her hair, ears, teeth, tongue, toes, belly, and nose are

Harper's favorite foods: bananas, strawberries, apples (the diced, cooked baby kind), pears, french toast with syrup, cheese, applesauce

Harper tolerates these foods because we keep putting them on the tray: pasta with red sauce and veggies, toast, cheerios, ham, turkey, yogurt

Harper will not eat: anything breaded or not of a distinct shape, anything spoon fed to her unless she's in the mood

Look Who's 90!

My sweet, sweet grandmother (AKA Grandma Freckles)... that's who's 90! She celebrated her big milestone with friends and family today. We couldn't go, but sent a card and a photo of Miss Harper. We're thinking about you on your special day Grandma!

Sweet Girl

I can't believe she's almost 16 months already.

Remember us?

Yes, we're still alive.

Harper and I went to Pennsylvania to visit my sister and her family over the weekend with my Mom and Dad. Harper was a pretty good little traveler.

Mom and Dad are here visiting until the end of the week.

While we were in PA, I let someone cut off Harper's hair. I am so sorry, dear baby. I did not know that woman was going to chop off your hair and make all of us cry. It will grow, sweet girl. I promise.

Before the PA trip, I went to the emergency room. That little trip was kind of the beginning of my blogging lapse. I was having some abdominal pain for a couple of days and finally went to a doctor. That doctor sent us to the emergency room convinced that I needed to have my appendix out. The ER doctor thought there was a good probability that needed to happen too and ordered a CT scan. Thank goodness for modern technology because it turned out to be only a burst cyst on my ovary. After a couple more days of pain and fatigue, I was pretty much back to normal. Here is a really bad photo of me with bad hair and no makeup in the ER. Looks like I let the same woman who cut Harper's hair cut my hair.

And now I am feeling a little bit under the weather with the sniffles. I'm hoping that whatever it is, it is short lived. I'd like to get back to things being a wee bit more normal around here.

Funny Harper Picture

I asked to see her teeth, and this is what I got.

Why my kid is on a break from TV

We're on day 3 of no TV for little Jack's Big Music Show girl. This was Monday.

And just like that...

You were right, Mom. We just had a big ole thunderstorm, and now it's a lovely 73 degrees outside. Amazing!

And when I went outside to get the mail (post thunderstorm), this little red leaf was in the driveway. I had to look around for a while to figure out where it came from. A few of the leaves on the neighbor's tree are already turning red. Can it be the beginning of fall already?!?

Blech.

Who ordered up this weather? It's not so much the 90 degrees part... it's the feels like 98 degrees that is not so cute. It feels like a rainforest outside minus the fun monkeys (they're all inside). And 59% humidity? Hah! Try 200% or so.

Here's how to get Harper to hold still...

Just turn on her show on the TV. Sad, but true.

And in case you wanted to see what my silly sweet potato looks like half cross-eyed, here you go.
Silly girl.

Guess Who Just Stopped By...

A 15 month old sweet little girl, that's who!

What does the wolf say?Where are your teeth?

What does the fishy do?Just laughin'.

A Little Journey

I decided to start a blog for my artwork. I've actively been working on several projects that I'd like to share, and I thought it would be nice to have a seperate place to put them. You can click HERE to visit the art blog where I'm just getting warmed up, or you can click on the Visit My Art Blog image in the side bar. Hope you'll take a look over there now and then!

And now, Miss Harper would like to take her rightful place as star of this blog. Here's a photo of our little celebrity from yesterday afternoon. She says, "HIYA!".

She's been doing all kinds of new tricks for us lately including even more new teeth (the molars on the right side are breaking now), climbing stairs, and saying new words like "apple".

Harper and her Birthday Horse

Harper and her Birthday Horse, originally uploaded by shellypaints.

Harper got a horsey from my parents for her birthday back in May. She's just getting around to figuring out how to get on it and play. Now we've attached a ribbon to the neck so she can pull it around (pretty much her favorite activity is dragging around any kind of string and seeing if she can get anyone to pick up the other end).

Take 2

don't be creepy revised, originally uploaded by shellypaints.

Perhaps I shouldn't be posting until the light of morning. The creepy triplets should have been stealing art! Duh!

Here is a link to the flickr group with all of the campaign artwork: http://www.flickr.com/groups/stopartpiracycampaign/pool/

Join the Stop Art Piracy Campaign!

don't be creepy, originally uploaded by shellypaints.

Marsha Jorgensen of Tumble Fish Studios started a campaign to bring awareness to art piracy after some of her work was used without permission.

Here's how it works:

Artists are creating special anti art piracy themed images for people to add to their blogs. The images link to the flickr group Marsha created.

You MAY copy my image for the sole purpose of displaying on your blog or website IF it is linked back to this flickr group www.flickr.com/groups/stopartpiracycampaign You may NOT use any piece of this image for your own artwork or any other publication or reproduction.

Pirates beware!