July Photo Dump

I thought July was spent indoors, A/C, sitting on the couch, being lazy.  But looking back at the pictures, it looks like we actually did quite a bit.  We did spend most of our time with each other, just hanging out and relaxing together.  Harper got to enjoy her new birthday toys and lots of one on one time with us.  Cody and Harper played all month long - she is going to miss him when he goes back to work.  

One afternoon, she decided to color her new Frozen purse she got from friends for her birthday.  She did a great job, other than the beady, creepy eyes.  

It's amazing how much different a 3 year old is from a 2 year old.  She is more coordinated, more independent, and can do so many more things than before.  She has learned to play soccer, though we only play at home.  She rides her scooter great, though I may hide it soon if that horn gets honked one more time.  And she is fabulous at puzzles.  She can put together any of her puzzles in about 5 minutes.  And she remembers where every piece goes - she has a good memory!

We have tried to spend some time outside, even though it's definitely getting hot.  It truly hasn't been a miserable summer, so we are thankful for that.  Cody worked on the four wheeler some and used it to work around the pasture.  We enjoyed the new pool and swing set from the shade while Harper played.  She definitely needs a friend nearby, it stinks playing by yourself all the time!  And Mimi came to visit for 2 days while Gary, Taylor, and Carleigh were on mission trip.  It was a really good trip and we got to relax and just enjoy some good time together.  We spent a few hours one night just talking about grammar and words.  

Harper is changing so much.  That will be a whole separate post on her being 3.  She is remembering things and understanding things about her world.  She read a book about going camping and there was a bear in it (not a mean one, just a bear).  She began waking up in the middle of the night, telling us there was a bear in her room.  She wasn't necessarily scared, but she just kept talking about the bear.   For a solid month, she woke up in the middle of the night, sometimes staying awake for 1-2 hours at a time.  It was rough.  One day at nap time, she got her camera and told me that she was taking a picture of the bear in the corner of her room.  One day at nap time, she told me her doll was sick and needed some oils.  As much as I love that she trusts the oils to keep her well, we don't have enough money to waste oils on baby dolls.  Stinker!  She loves playing with Cody, more than me even now.  She could play hide and seek with him for hours, though she usually tells you where she's hiding.   She also loves that she gets to play with her cousins all the time.  They are all girly girls and dress up, play dolls, and play great together.  They are so cute together!

This girls seriously has her own flair.  She is always running around the house singing and dancing.  Songs about nothing, about what she is doing at that exact moment.  Dances that have lots of turns and twists and get down on the ground and be crazy moves.  She is a nut!  She likes to dress up and be fashionable too.  We had friends over the other night for about 3 hours and they counted that she changed at least 7 times in that time period.  She loves clothes, especially dress up clothes and fancy clothes.  She also loves matching.  I swear I'll get her into better outfits eventually.  

We went to Sandy Point for dinner one Sunday evening and had a great time playing in the water and sand.  She loves the water and beach - she could have played in it all night.  It's fun for us to get out there and just relax and eat.  

Plus, Jessica and baby Cayden came to see us before school started.  We miss them all the time and Cayden is getting so big!  We went to lunch and that boy scarfed food down like it was the last day on Earth.  He is such a good boy though, seems to always be smiling.  And Harper loves him!

My stupid mistake one night of putting a cooked, hot casserole dish on the stove and accidentally turning the burner on underneath it.  It cooked that dish until it literally just exploded.  Dinner that night was a goner!  So sad...

Backyard Renovations

We took a break from working on the backyard for most of July.  But we had two main projects left to finish, so Cody did those in August before school started back.  He leveled the patio and filled all the cracks.  Then, he painted over the whole patio with this stuff called Deck Over, that is supposed to hide all the cracks and such.  It definitely didn't.  But the rustic red at least adverts your eyes so you don't see all the imperfections of a 30 year old patio.  Then, he and Buddy tore down the old patio cover.  It was all sorts of demolition derby.  He took the old cover and put it by the pond so now we have a pre made deck to sit on out there.  A few weeks later, he put up the new patio covering, almost all by himself.  I was so proud of how he designed it and built it all on his own.  He is quickly becoming the master craftsman.  He picked a tin roof, which we love because it reminds us both of rainy nights when we were kids.  He did get some help, a little from his dad and I, and lots of good help from Harper.  After the patio covering, he built the new deck over the old garden.  It is perfect for our patio table and allows us to have way more room on the patio.  It is perfect and he did it in less than two days.  I was seriously impressed.  Our backyard is getting so close, I love it.  I can't wait to sit out there all fall.  

Kite Flying

The few hours after nap time are usually the longest for us.  It just always seems to drag on.  This day, Cody suggested that he take Harper outside to teach her to fly a kite.  I'm not sure if he even knew if it was windy or not, but he thought she should try it out.  They went outside and were able to get it in the air for a short bit, but it always seemed to fall pretty quickly.  Harper loved watching Cody run the kite around trying to get it in the air.  And even though she wasn't quite big enough or tall enough to hold the kite, she didn't mind.  She just held onto the string and laughed at the crazy kite.  

Hagerman Museum

Our play group went to the Hagerman Wildlife Museum in Sherman.  It is a museum of stuffed big game animals, as well as a few small game animals.  Harper got to see lions, giraffes, elephants, buffalo, bears, etc.  Up close, without being too afraid.  She wasn't scared until the polar bear at the end made a roar sound.  She had fun running around with her friends, Anna, Aaron, and Seth.  She is going to miss them when they go to school.  We sat around and talked after going through the museum twice (it's pretty small).  Finally, the kids got bored and went outside to play on the animal statues.  

Splash Pad with Camilla

While Rosanna was home adjusting to a new life with baby Clementine, we invited Camilla to go to the splash pad with us.  We only have a few weeks left of summer, so we need to take advantage of it.  They had a blast.  Peyton and Hudson from church joined us, as well as our normal play group.  All the kids had a blast and we got to enjoy being outside for awhile.  

Clementine is born!

Our bible study leaders, Jeremy and Rosanna Pilcher, had a baby at the very end of July.  Clementine Blythe is the best baby.  She sleeps all the time, hardly cries, eats well, and only gets up once at night already.  She is precious and has a full head of hair!  Camilla, Harper's friend, was nervous about getting a little sister, but she is great with her.  I got to visit Rosanna in the hospital and see Clementine at 1 day old.  She was so tiny!  Then, Cody and Harper got to meet her about a week later.  Harper is such a great mommy and already loves babies.  She wants to hold Clementine every time we visit and actually does a great job.  They are both so precious!

Breken's 4th Birthday

Breken had a fireman birthday at the Ark for his 4th birthday.  He is getting so big, I can't believe he will be in school in a year or so!  All the kids ran around like crazy and had a blast.  Harper was so happy to see Breken and Bane, and glad when Avinley got there so she had a girl to play with.  We got to visit with the Rode's, the Hunts, and the Niederkorns.  It was a great day and I think the parents had fun too.