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Harper – 17 Months

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It seriously so hard to believe you are nearing 18 months!   I was so good with your baby book the first year as there was a page for each month; however, at the 12 month mark the standard updates by the book are less frequent, and I find that I’m not documenting as much as I should.  So at 17 months, here is a snapshot of you!

–          Eating Patterns – You love food and eating and most food.  You remind me of Emerson’s eating habits.  You shovel food in so fast that usually I have to go get you a second round before I even sit down to eat my meal.  You pretty much love all fruits.  Vegetables aren’t your favorites; however, on occasion you will eat peas or corn. In fact, tonight you ate corn on the cob for the first time and you got a kick out of that.  You don’t like tofu or meat, but you are a big fan of pasta, chicken nuggets, fish (frozen), hot dogs, veggie dogs, cereal bars, waffles, and eggs.  You also like snacks and now know where the snack drawer is and often will go to it on our own.  You just switched to a booster seat this past weekend.  Daddy switched you a little earlier than your sisters, but I think Daddy was ready to have one less thing to wash each meal (the tray).  You are thrilled to truly be part of the table and you seem to be eating a little slower now that you are eating from a plate and with the rest of the family at the table.  You don’t drink milk anymore.  I took you off of it late October to for several weeks to see if that was the source of your upset stomachs.  When I tried to reintroduce milk and in cups (not bottles), you wanted nothing to do with milk anymore.  I’ve tried a few times here and there but you continually want nothing to do with it. 

–          Sleeping Patterns – You are an incredible sleeper at night.  You go to bed at 8:30 and you generally fall asleep within a matter of minutes…your bedtime routine consists of getting your pajamas on, brushing your teeth, and a story.  You rarely cry at bedtime.  You sleep for a solid 12 hours most nights.  You suck your left thumb still…perhaps that is part of the reason you are such an awesome sleeper at night.   Most days you take two naps.  Your one nap days are usually a result of your schedule being interrupted by your sister’s schedule.  Your naps are generally on the shorter side…if you take more than an hour nap, that is usually on the longer side for you.  I can’t complain though as your night time sleeping is so sound!

–          Physical Development – You began walking at 11 months and it wasn’t long before you were running.  You are always on the go – running to and from your sisters and the grown up that is trying to get you.  You began going down stairs backwards months ago and just recently started to walk down stairs holding the railing.  You are pretty proud of your latest accomplishment.

–          Teeth – You were late in getting teeth – it was 11 months before you had teeth and you basically went from no teeth to seven teeth in weeks.  I think three of your four molars are in now, but you barely let me take a peek without biting my fingers!  You started brushing your teeth shortly after you were one and loved brushing your teeth until recently – I think you really enjoyed the taste of the toothpaste. Just recently you have been putting up the biggest fight when it comes to brushing your teeth.  You want nothing to do with it and fight it like crazy. Avery and Emerson went through a similar phase around the same age (give or take a few months) so I am hopeful this is just a phase.

–          Language – Your receptive language is phenomenal.  Your verbal language in terms of real words is still pretty much non-existent.  You are extremely vocal and recently have been saying a lot of mama and dada and byebye but not a whole lot more just yet.  You know exactly what you want and do a lot of pointing and grunting to get it is what you want.  Recently you just started shaking your head a lot for “yes” and “no”.  It is so darn cute.

–          Bond – You have a special bond with Karolin and Grandma. You love for them to hold you.  As soon as you get picked up by someone who you adore, your left thumb goes in your mouth and you snuggle.  As much as you love to snuggle with some of your favorite people, you also have a select group of people who you want nothing to do with.  We joined a gym a few months ago with an awesome kids area and as soon as we walk into the kids area, your lip starts to turn upside down and you let out one of those cries that takes a few seconds to come out. For the first month you either cried the entire time you were there or if you weren’t crying, you still weren’t happy and you sat in the same spot sucking your thumb until it was time to leave.  More recently you have had a few times where you lay on the floor for a half hour straight refusing to move and a few other times you have actually played after crying for only a few minutes!

–          Personality – Your personality is awesome.  You laugh A LOT!  You are a tease and you find so much of what you do and others do funny.  You hold your own with your sisters.  They adore you and like to play with you and hug you.  You often mistake their wanting to hug and kiss you as them coming after you so you can be a bully at times.  You sometimes pull your sister’s hair or pinch and they never try to hurt you back.  You’ve gotten a few time outs and you do not like time out.  You know you are in time out because you did something wrong and you find it extremely upsetting.  You really do have an awesome personality and just thinking about you brings the biggest smile to my face and warms my heart.   Harper Paige, you are the one that completes our family!  We love you so much baby girl!

Hanukkah and Christmas 2014

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This holiday season with the girls was really special.  Avery and Emerson are at an age where they are starting to understand  the traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas. We did a lot of holiday related activities at home and they did quite a few at school as well.  At home, the girls made a Gingerbread House with Karolin and every so often I would catch them standing on a chair trying to sneak a bite of candy of the Gingerbread House. They also made Christmas cookies with Karolin on Christmas Eve.  With Mommy they made a reindeer face on a paper bag and snowmen out of stickers.  With Daddy, they made a menorah with beads.  At school, the girls made glittery Christmas Trees and snow globes and angel ornaments for the trees.

For eight nights the girls lit their menorahs and said the blessings.  Emerson and Avery say the blessing clearly and can even say portions of it on their own.  Honestly, I’m so impressed with how well they say the blessing and I wouldn’t be surprised if next year they say the whole thing from beginning to end all on their own.  The first night of Hanukkah we celebrated at Grandma and Grandpa’s house with my mom’s famous latkes.  After lighting the menorah, Emerson blew her candles out!  She thought they were like birthday candles and was embarrassed upon realizing what she did.  The girls were spoiled by my parents as my mom got the girls presents for every night of Hanukkah.  Justin and I are a little simpler and while the girls did have something to open every night (from at least someone), the majority of the girls gifts were fairly simplistic (i.e. simple arts and crafts) or a necessity (sneakers and boots as they each only have one pair of closed shoes that currently fits them).  The girls are at an age where they are truly appreciative of anything and everything that is a gift.  

Mommy and Emerson lighting the menorah! 

Family gathering after lighting our candles!

Time for presents!

We picked out our Christmas Tree in early December.  We decided to go with a real tree this year and of all days went to pick it out on a rainy day.

We kept the ornaments simple  and classy this year.

Nevis the Elf came to visit our family around mid-December.  At first the girls were skeptical but quickly they began to look forward to seeing where Nevis was in the house the next day after returning from the North Pole.  There was one day that Nevis hung out in the Christmas Tree and he must have liked the Christmas Tree so much that the next day, he sat in the same exact spot on the Christmas Tree the next day too!  Avery and Emerson thought that was SO funny!  Daddy didn’t find it as funny.  

Another time (on Christmas Eve) Papa was over and hadn’t yet met Nevis.  Harper apparently was pointing at Nevis so Papa picked up Nevis without anyone seeing what he had done and next thing we know Emerson was crying hysterically because Papa had given Nevis to Harper.  Papa did not realize that Nevis had special powers that could be lost if he was touched!  Thankfully, this time all it meant was Nevis needed a nap….thankfully he retained his magic power this time!

This year I took each of the older girls with me on separate occasions to do their own shopping at the Dollar Store for their sisters and Grandma and Papa.  They each had a great time picking out presents for others.  Avery’s were actually a little more practical and Emerson’s were a little more fun.  It was a fun time as I think they each enjoyed the one on one time that they rarely get and they both enjoyed being able to choose their own gifts to give.

Christmas Eve we went to church service at Vienna Presbyterian Church as we have for the last three years. This year we actually made it through the service without having to accompany an unattentive child out of the sanctuary.  The girls wore their new Hannah Anderson dresses and looked super adorable.  I had wanted so badly to get a picture of all three girls together in front of the tree but we weren’t so lucky. At least we got one cute one of Harper on her new trike from Gigi!

We attempted a few family photos when we got home.

Christmas Eve the girls put cookies out for Santa and eagerly went to bed so that Santa could make his way with his reindeer. 

Christmas morning the girls woke up and actually wanted to get dressed before going downstairs.  They went down the stairs slowly in anticipation of what Santa had left them. While I didn’t think the girls received that much stuff, it literally took us all day to open presents as we opened presents in three rounds…stockings first, followed by breakfast and cleanup, followed by Santa’s presents and some presents under the tree, followed by a break while Harper took her morning nap, followed by more present opening in the afternoon, followed by an incredible dinner of beef tenderloin, followed by more present opening with Grandma and Grandpa. Here are a few favorites from the events of the day.

 

The day after Christmas the family including Karolin went to Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Light’s. The girls loved seeing the lights and dancing to the music and light show. A little blurry…but a picture of the five of us!

Two days after Christmas we went to Richmond to visit Rita and Justin’s cousins and the girls had a great time.  Harper wore one of her new outfits from Zara and I think she looks so cute probably in part because this is one of her very OWN outfits!

It was a great holiday season and we are ready for 2015!  2015 – SERIOUSLY…WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!?!

My Little Lady Loves

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I’ve feel like I’ve been slacking on my blog the past few months.  The last few months have been tough….I’ve always been able to balance being a working mom quite well….the last few months have been tougher to do that since becoming a mom and going back to work.  I took on a new role at work in September which has had its challenges and then in October my grandpa and Justin’s mom passed away adding to more time away from the office during busy times in addition to the normal grief process.  Add in the normal day to day activities of children (school, doctor’s appointments, playing nicely with each other followed by a fight leading to timeouts), constant runny noses and a sick mommy who was already having a difficult time accepting that turning 35 brought physical changes to my appearance that I truly wasn’t expecting coupled with the normal hustle and bustle of the holidays, there just wasn’t much time left over. 

As busy as I am, I am acutely aware that I will only ever have one moment in time with my girls when they are a certain age and while at times it is hard and some nights I look forward to the girls bedtimes so I can have a moment to myself (even if that moment is to clean up their toys or put away dishes), the flowers still largely outnumber the weeds and I want to remember these special moments with my little lady loves.

Emerson – Emerson is becoming quite the young lady.  She is such a helper around the house and has really taken to pretend play recently.  She likes to be the Mommy especially to Avery and Harper.  She also likes to be the Mommy figure for Harper especially when Harper is eating and needs more food. She enjoys school and loves talking about Ms. Kristen and Ms. Denise.  She loves doing artwork at school.  She is quiet and reserved; yet, when she wants to be the center of attention she can be often demanding that Mommy or Daddy or Avery or Karolin do something a certain way and if something isn’t done exactly as she says, hands go on her hips and her theatrical gestures are in full effect.  She is so animated and talks with her hands.  She loves to eat and is a slow eater…usually the last to finish a meal as she savors each bite.  She can be shy and sensitive at times and when she is she has the sweetest look in her eyes as she tries to look away from you. She speaks well although sometimes when she goes into theatric mode, she starts talking in another language…while it can sound like mumble jumble, Emerson has informed us, she is speaking in “Germany”. She is sweet and cuddly and lovable and her personality is just one piece of the puzzle that makes our family so incredible.

Avery – Avery is our jokester…our constant comedian….our child who always has an idea….the one who sometimes never stops talking especially in the car…the one who will ask the most random questions as mommy and Daddy are shutting off the bedroom lights at night just to procrastinate.  Avery is the one who tells us she has to go the bathroom in a restaurant and as soon as we get in the bathroom “changes her mind”.  Avery is so sweet and cuddly at times and knows just the right thing to say.  She is sensual and smart and speaks very well – often saying things that I can’t believe are coming out of a three year olds mouth.  Avery enjoys school and likes talking about Ms. Denise and Ms. Kristen and while she is doing great in school, I sense that she isn’t as loud and demanding in school as she is in home. Avery loves art and stickers.  Avery loves to procrastinate especially when it comes to getting her contacts in, getting dressed, or brushing her teeth. Avery still loves milk so much to the point that she will often not eat her meals if she has had milk first. Avery is somewhat of a picky eater and eats when she is hungry and doesn’t eat when she is not hungry. She is usually the first to finish a meal and is rather impatient as the rest of the family finishes their meal.  Avery is strong willed, but the truth is on occasions when she isn’t around (i.e. she is at Grandma’s and Papa’s), it is only a matter of minutes that Justin and I look at each other realizing that the silence is more weird than it is nice….and thus Avery too is just one piece of the puzzle that makes our family so incredible.

Harper – Harper is 16 months old already….and while not quite a toddler yet, not completely a baby anymore.  She is growing so fast…watching and learning everything that her sisters do, wanting to be a part of it.  She prefers many of her sister’s toys to those that are more age appropriate.  She sits back with her left thumb in her mouth and takes it all in.  She doesn’t yet speak…saying the occasionally mama probably only a handful of times, but she understands and is receptive to everything. She grunts a lot as a form of communication and sadly we all (including Avery and Emerson) know what her grunt is communicating, thus making it easy for her to not use her words.  She loves to be picked up by an adult especially when Avery and Emerson are near…she likes getting the special attention when they are around.  She also isn’t the best sharer….Avery and Emerson love playing with her and like to pick her up and Harper generally wants nothing to do with hugs and kisses and death holds from her sisters as she isn’t quite certain yet if their affection is going to be in a loving manner or in a manner where they are trying to manipulate her.  She loves to eat and has recently found the snack drawer and freely attempts to get her own snacks now.  She no longer likes milk as I stopped giving it to her for about a month to test if milk was the source of her stomach problems. After a few months off of it, she no longer wants anything to do with milk. Three out of her four first molars have come in and while there has been a lot of drooling the past few months, there doesn’t seem to be any true discomfort with teething.  This little girl who loves to snuggle with Mommy, Daddy, Karolin, or Grandma is growing up right before our eyes.  She completes our family puzzle.

Last night the five of us were eating at Fosters.  As Avery sat beside me, she asked for a kiss, which I gladly gave her on the cheek.  As I kissed her, Harper let out a grunt and leaned her body and cheek towards me – she wanted a kiss too!  Meanwhile Emerson was sitting diagonal from me quietly eating her onion rings – once she finished she gladly told us she was part of the “clean plate club”.  As Emerson was eating, she accidently bit her finger….with a pouty face she asked for ice as she does at home.  When I told her there was no ice, she responded by saying “there is…there is ice in my cup mommy”! As Avery finished her meal before everyone else, she asked for her hands to be wiped so she could go play in the back (the arcade).  Harper meanwhile sat in her high chair and ate with her fork.   Even the server at Fosters commented on how well behaved the girls were.  And both prior to the meal and after the meal, Avery and Emerson found the Santa’s and their faces lit up with pure joy and excitement as they told Mommy and Daddy what they had found. While times have been hectic recently, I truly adore my family and the times we spend together… dinner at a burger joint – such a simple thing – but so many wonderful memories being created and shared together.

“Second” Haircuts

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For the girls second haircut (well Emerson’s second….one including myself could argue it was truly Avery’s first true haircut), we took the girls to a full service salon.  I couldn’t bring myself to take them back to Cartoon Cuts.  While I’m glad we went there the first time, it was so chaotic and not only stressful for me and Justin, but also for the girls.  I researched hair salons that cut children’s hair and ended up making Avery and Emerson appointments at Salon Nordine in Reston.  While the salon is huge, we went on a Sunday and there were only two hair stylists working….needless to say it was very quiet and calm and the hairstylist and the shampoo lady were very patient with Avery and Emerson.  Emerson was supposed to have had her hair cut first; she was excited as she waited with Daddy.However, when it came time to sit in the chair to have her hair washed, she ran away.  She was adamant that she was not going to have her hair washed.  Avery hesitantly went first. She started in the chair with a pouty sad face but quickly began to enjoy the head message and the smiles started to emerge.  She was great in the chair getting her hair cut.   Emerson finally gave in to getting her hair washed and cut….(a lot of cookies were eaten during the process for both her and Emerson).  At first she was truly enjoying the experience.Although half way through, she was getting fidgety and ready to be done. Both girls had their hair blown straight!  Who are these girls!!Harper even had a few bangs cut.   Our salon outing was followed by lunch at Rio Grande and checking out the Christmas Tree at Reston Town Center. 

A Bumble Bee, A Monster, and a Pumpkin

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This year there was no stress in figuring out what the girls were going to be for Halloween…because all on their own Avery decided she was going to be a purple monster and Emerson decided she was going to be a bumble bee.  Harper didn’t make her own decision but when I went to the Halloween Store for Avery and Emerson’s costumes, there was so much to choose from that it made the decision for her to be a pumpkin quite easy.

Halloween fell on a Friday this year.  We started the evening mingling and eating dinner at a neighbor’s house followed by trick or treating and a bonfire in the cul-de-sac. The girls went to only a handful of houses – I tried to encourage a few more houses but they felt they had enough candy in their pumpkins!

My little pumpkin…

My scary purple monster…

My cute little bumble bee…..

Our crazy awesome family….

Avery and Emerson made it to past 11:00 at the bonfire and it was 11:30 before they got in bed.

Saturday afternoon we went to Udvar Hazy for about an hour.  We hadn’t been there since February 2013.  Last time we were there Harper was in my belly (just barely though) and Avery and Emerson were wearing the very same outfit that Harper was wearing today.  We didn’t even take the camera as we were really just enjoying ourselves with no agenda.  Here are my three babies…Harper is just not a fan of posing for pictures with her sisters….we’ll get there one day….but for now I cherish my “babies”…frowns and all!

 

Rest in Peace Grandma Brenda

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How do you explain death to a toddler? In the course of one week Justin and I have had to explain the concept not once but twice to Avery and Emerson.  Last Sunday they attended the funeral of their Great Grandpa, Papa Mac.  The day before the funeral and after the funeral we gathered at my Grandma’s house; there were a lot of people and a lot of typical Jewish food, we told the girls we were there to celebrate the life of Papa Mac.  They understood that Papa Mac was not “at his own party” and he wasn’t coming back.  They knew he was in heaven, although I’m not certain that they understand that heaven is any different than going to the store. 

Five days after Papa Mac’s funeral, Justin’s mom Brenda passed away after a long and courageous battle with ALS.  And with that less than a week later, Justin and I again had to tell our girls that another one of their relatives, their Grandma Brenda had gone to heaven.  While death is certainly all around us and a normal part of the life cycle, the truth is it isn’t normal to have close family members pass away on a “regular” basis….and within 5 days made me feel like my girls were going to think, “okay, who is going to heaven next week Mommy?”

We explained that Grandma Brenda was in heaven.  They asked why, who drove her to heaven?  They asked when she was coming back.  We explained the concept of forever and that Grandma Brenda would be in heaven forever.   It’s odd but even at 3 years old, once we got down to Virginia Beach, neither Avery nor Emerson once asked where Grandma Brenda was.  They knew she was in heaven and wouldn’t be with us as we celebrated her life.  They knew that Grandma Brenda was now with Papa Mac in heaven forever….

Justin eulogized Brenda and did a great job.  Avery was his helper as she darted up the church stage to be center stage with Justin as soon as he made his way to the podium.  She definitely helped lighten the mood and helped Justin get through his eulogy.  As Justin said in his eulogy, when Brenda received the official ALS diagnosis in the summer of 2007, we all knew what that meant. The average life span from diagnosis of ALS is 3 – 5 years.  Brenda’s symptoms begin probably close to 2 years prior to her official diagnosis.  When Justin and I got engaged in spring of 2007 and were planning our wedding for the following year, we wondered if we were making a mistake by planning it for September 2008.  Was a year and a half to far away?  We decided to have an Engagement Party Labor Day Weekend of 2007 largely in part so that if Justin’ mom was not around for our wedding she would have participated in our wedding celebration in some capacity.  Well our wedding came and Brenda was there…she was in her wheelchair and she couldn’t eat any of our food, except maybe the mashed potatoes, but she was there and she was overjoyed to be there.  Justin and I never expected she would be around by the time we had kids…we waited  a few years before we had kids and it never crossed our minds once to rush into having kids just so Brenda could be around to see them.  So we were overjoyed when the time came to tell her about the news of her next TWO grandchildren….and we were overjoyed when she was not only still around to meet them, but that she was also able to make the trip (her last trip to Northern Virginia) to visit them in the hospital.  And could you imagine our thrill (and hers) when Christmas 2012, when the girls were just over 1 years old, that we told her that Avery and Emerson were going to be big sisters.  Since the girls were born, Brenda was not able to travel as she has been confined to a hospital bed in the house for pretty much the last three years with time in her wheelchair occasionally.  We were able to make the trip to Virginia Beach a few times a year and she loved seeing her granddaughters.  And with modern technology FaceTime allowed her to see the girls on a regular basis….at least every other night since the girls were born. We were told by many of people at her funeral that Brenda loved to show off pictures of Avery, Emerson, and Harper on her IPAD.  She would just scroll through the pictures and show everyone who came to visit. 

So right now, the fact that Brenda is gone seems surreal…we knew this day would be coming and for years thought this day would be sometime that year and each year she would amaze us and be around for the next….we said several good byes and it got to the point where truly we didn’t know when this day would actually come.  It came….and it was peaceful in a way….it’s still hard to believe that we won’t be Face Timing with her tonight or tomorrow or ever again.  But she is with is…she is with us in spirit and she is running around smiling and talking and laughing and watching over us…ALL those things that she hasn’t been able to do in her body since her ALS diagnosis.  I feel sad that the girls will grow up without her – she would have spoiled them like no other especially with her shopping habits.  There are going to be times, I’m sure many of times, where we will feel her void but I can only hope that we will feel her presence at the same time.

Brenda, even though you never complained of your condition or your diagnosis, we know you were in pain…you are pain free now and for that I am grateful….you can now do all those things that you have dreamed about doing the last 8 years….Rest in Peace Grandma Brenda.

A Great Grandpa

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I was fortunate to have grown up with my Papa Mac being a big part of my life. He passed away one week ago at the ripe old age of 90.  He lived a full life.  I’m so glad that he got to meet all three his great granddaughters on several occasions and glad we were able to capture these precious moments.

Papa Mac with Emerson when she was 8 weeks old.

Papa Mac with Avery when she was 7 months old.

Papa Mac with Harper when she was 9 weeks old.

I also spoke at  his funeral yesterday….here is a copy of my eulogy.

Here I am questioning myself….why am I not more upset about your death….I’m sad your gone but I don’t have this sick feeling in my stomach about it….and I know the reason….It’s because you lived…you lived a full life that was rich in quantity (you were 90 years old) and quality!  You were a simple man; your greatest pleasure in life was your family.  In recent years as you became less mobile, your face would just beam with joy with each family visit. 

Your family was your pride and joy…..a loving wife of 65 years, 2 sons, 2 daughter in laws, 3 granddaughters, 1 grandson, plus a bonus grandson by marriage, and 3 great granddaughters who loved talking about Papa Mac.  I’m so fortunate that you were able to meet them and they were able to meet and know you.  You were proud of who you were and your roots.  You were proud of your parents and your siblings and when you told stories of your youth your face would light up; you remembered the stories like they were just yesterday.

As my Grandpa, there were two recurring stories that you loved to tell me….and each time you told it, it was like you had never told it before….I’m not sure if you didn’t realize you had told it before or you truly just loved the story that much…I tend to think it was the latter….anyway, the first was with regards to my birth…..35 years ago!…you  would always tell the story of hopping on a plane right away upon my birth to meet your first grandchild…and then how you were able to identify me right away in the nursery with my full head of black hair.  Then there was the story of how I would run down the hall at the Rotunda (the condominium I lived in until I was five) every time you came to visit. 

When I was a kid, you would come visit me and Lauren in Virginia a few times a year.  You would drive down in your Caddy and stay for a few days….although by the size of Grandma’s valise, one would have thought you would have been staying all month.  And a special gift for me and Lauren, often clothing, would accompany you.

For many of my childhood and my teenage years we would spend Thanksgivings together…you, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Russell, Mary, me and Lauren, and a few years Michael and Caroline before I went off to College.  On years that were seasonably warm, we would hang out outside in your “yard” as we waited meal time.   In between visits we would speak on the phone…for many years it was weekly and while in recent years the frequency has been far less, one thing still remained the same…each and every call would end with the both of us saying, I love you.  I will always know how much he loved me…and not only me, but also how much he loved his entire family.

Papa Mac was a real Jew…he loved to eat (incase you couldn’t tell from his belly)….he loved Italian Food and Grandma’s famous cooking….although he didn’t like cheese, something I’ll never understand….I have vivid memories of some of the edible goodies he and Grandma would bring with them on their Virginia visits…such as the famous Rainbow cookies and a good ‘ol Entammen’s Black-out cake.

Softball was my passion growing up and Papa Mac was one of my biggest fans.  He even played on his own softball team in Concordia!

Papa Mac’s long term memory was insane….he even had a great memory and liked to tell stories of his earlier years and of his parents and 5 siblings.  He was a sports enthusiast and would always love to talk about sports….especially those Terrapins.  He was funny too…although I think sometimes it was truly unintentional…. In the hosptial 10 years ago, he would flirt with some of the younger nurses.  One of the ladies’ names was Roma, and I remember Papa Mac telling her she was his favorite tomato! 

It was over 10 years ago when my Papa first met Justin, my husband.  I don’t know why but a lot of people get the name Justin confused with Jason….Papa Mac was no exception.  Sometimes he would call Justin Justin, other times Jason….sometimes he was quite aware that he would confuse the two…other times not as much…he liked Justin….he would often ask how his job at the bank was…often times I would humor him…but Papa I’m here to tell you one final time, Justin doesn’t work at a bank:).  But the important thing was that he liked Justin and considered him his second grandson.

While I know that this short eulogy in no way captures everything about you that was so great, I do know that you were special to each and every one of us who are here today in different ways.  You were also quite special to many other family and friends who either couldn’t be with us today or departed before you.  And while you were so special to all us in different ways, I can say with certainty one common thing we all share is that we are going to miss you.

 RIP Papa Mac

Pumpkin Patch Fun

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This weekend we went to a Pumpkin Patch in Reston.  We had an AWESOME time! 

The girls had a great time going up and down the slide…Avery especially!  It was $3 per kid all day so the girls could go on and off of it as much as they liked. Emerson was afraid to climb up it the first few times but after about the third or fourth time on it, she mustered up the courage to actually climb up to the top and once she did, she was unstoppable.  Literally every time Avery would slide down, she would beam with excitement and shout out “I did it all by myself the first time”….she was so proud of herself. 

She even started a trend and started to go down head first…soon after many of the older kids were trying to copy her….go ahead my little trendsetter!

Harper happily ate her snack and took things in while Avery and Emerson did “big girl” activities.

She did get her turn on the slide…

The girls had fun watching the baby animals….they even fed the baby goats leaves!  Emerson was really into it and thought it was funny…Avery thought it was funny as well; however, she was a little scared to get too close to the fence. The roosters kept saying “cockadoodledoo” and the girls would repeat after the rooster!

They had fun riding the train…although Avery had a moment right before she was going to get on where she refused to go….so Justin ended up having to get on and ride with them and Avery rode on his lap the entire time.  Both girls were smiles the entire train ride!  Harper sat with me and watched her sisters go chugga chugga choo choo.

We treated the girls to some fresh popped popcorn.  They had to wait patiently while a fresh batch popped.

They found some seats in the pumpkin patch to eat their snack.

They picked out some pumpkins!

And they wanted to display their affection for their little sister….who wasn’t so fond of the situation.

It was a great little pumpkin patch and we all had so much fun….can’t wait to go back…so much so that we may even have Karolin take them one day during the week this season!

Not A Baby, But Always My Baby

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Ms. Harper Paige!  While I still call you baby, the truth is, you’re not a baby anymore!  You have been walking for nearly 3 months now….and you are fast.  You like to runaway especially if you know someone is trying to pick you up or get you to go in a certain direction.  You run away and just laugh…you think it is funny and the truth is…it is funny!  You like to play with your sisters….they are rough with you…and you can surprisingly handle it…you are almost as rough right back at them.  You have developed a temper recently…especially when you don’t get something you want or if someone takes something away from you like a toy or something you shouldn’t have been playing with to begin with.  You have even recently started biting when you are mad or don’t get your way!  The first few times it was kind of funny just because you are on the young side to be doing so, but after the first few times, it wasn’t so funny anymore.  The main victims are your sisters….they are really good though and they don’t bite you back…even Avery who still sometimes has her own biting problem…the victim being Emerson.  You have been known to pull their hair as well, something else they are not a big fan of!  You grunt a lot…especially as a means of communication.  You say mama and dada on occasion but not really with meaning.  You understand pretty much everything though and I don’t think you are in a rush to talk….I guess you are satisfied with your sisters doing all of the talking. You love playing with your sisters and they adore you…they especially love to get up in your face and give you huge hugs….you’re not the biggest fan of their hugs as their hugs resemble very tight squeezes.  You have learned how to turn around and scoot down the stairs…you have been climbing the stairs for well over a month now…another task that you think is funny especially when you are supposed to be in the kitchen with mommy and you run away to escape up the stairs. 

Your hair is turning curly as I was certain it would….your hair is much lighter than when you were born, but not as light as your sister’s hair.  You are a pretty good eater although you don’t really like vegetables….and if there is a food you have been known to throw off your tray, its vegetables.  You drink about 18 ounces of cow’s milk a day now…I nursed you until about 11 months and frozen breast milk got us through just after your 1st birthday.  The switch to cow’s milk was no big deal for you.  Your sleeping is great….you go down about 8:30 and sleep for up to 12 hours…..you stopped getting up at 6:00 a.m. after Mommy stopped nursing you.  You still nap twice a day for the most part….although sometimes your morning nap gets derailed by your sister’s ballet class or their pre-school pick-up.  You still suck your thumb; although, not as much as you used to.

And while you are no longer a baby, you are still a joy.  While you go to sleep unassisted, one particular night earlier this week, you woke up crying about 45 minutes after I put you down.  I’m not sure what was wrong but it was so out of the ordinary for you that I went in your room and quietly picked you up. You peacefully layed your head in my body and we rocked….I forgot about the dishes that awaited me in the kitchen and the laundry that was waiting to be folded….in that moment it was just you and me baby girl!