Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the world. Thank you Daddy for working so hard for us each day. We know it's hard and not always fun but we know you do it for us. Thanks for the car wash rides, trips to Chick-fil-a, geese chases, hiding and seeking, couch throwing, swing pushes, and lots and lots of kisses and hugs. We are so lucky to have you as our Daddy!

Still Celebrating

You'd think from all these pictures that I had one heck of a birthday celebration. I guess there is an advantage to having your party one day and then your actual birthday a few days later. Twice the fun, twice the cake, and more presents to open. I especially wanted to point out Daddy's psychic skills. Just look at him staring at that candle. It looks as though I blew the candle out. In reality, it's Daddy's special psychic stare skill that blew it out. So I've concluded. Apparently, his stare had to stay transfixed on the candle to keep the flame extinguished. I, however, turn my bewildered gaze toward the camera while thinking, "what in tarnation just happened?" I am a bit freaked out to say the least. Then there's Hannah, in awe and quite thrilled by her Daddy's super power. What if she too possesses the super power? Then we'll be like the Incredibles...except I'm not too sure what my super power is...or Mommy's. This could be an interesting year. All I know is I sure want Daddy around if our house ever catches on fire.

Simply Irresistible

My new wheels. What can I say? They're simply irresistible. It's a big hit with the ladies. Take our friend Lucy, for example. She loved it. So much so that she was willing to ride on the back with Hannah. Folks, it isn't a two seater. It's just so irresistible one doesn't mind losing a bit of comfort just so they can take a spin. However, I myself actually can find it resistible right now. I'm just lacking the skills I need to ride a mean trike. To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing that Hannah can outride me. I need some training, I know. I need some alone time to work my magic on it. Yet, alone time doesn't quite exist in my world. EVER. So, for the time being, I may find this trike resistible. But just you wait. One day, I'll break out the wheels and show you some mad tricylce riding skills.

Cousins

Here we all are...cousins on Mommy's side. That's Kyle, Brooke, Allie, Hannah, and Me...Grant. Yep. And that space to my left, well that's for Harman baby number 3. Yep. We think it's a girl. We sure do. Either way, we'll love it...boy or girl. Mommy says we have to. Looks like Kyle and I may be outnumbered. However, if Mommy can push out a boy, well, you see it will be even. 3 boys, 3 girls. I like balance. I think Kyle does too. So Mommy, if you're reading this...a third boy would really help out the balance. But, I'll still love it if it's a girl.

Grandmama

Like I said before, we love our grandparents. Here I am just relaxing with Grandmama. She sure is great. I wonder if everybody is as lucky as I am to have such great grandparents?

Mickey Mouse

After enjoying being conductors for a bit, we got to eat my cake. But not without singing and blowing out the candles first. I did a good job. Phew. I was nervous. A lot of attention for that event. Then, it was on to presents. That was fun too. I was most elated when I opened my Mickey Mouse for Grandma and Papa. After looking back on it, I'm a bit embarrassed. I could hardly contain myself when I saw Mickey Mouse hiding under that wrapping paper. I shouted, "Mickey Mouse!" quite loudly. What can I say, I'm a die hard fan. He now sleeps with me every night. I even took him for a spin on my new trike from Grandmama and Grandaddy. We were both a bit nervous. All in all, it was a great party. Can't wait to see what's in store in this new year of my life!

All Aboard!

I had a transportation party. I guess you figured that out already after having seen the cake. It might as well have been a train party though. And that's okay by me. Thanks to Grandmama, we each got our own conductor hat, whistle, and bandana. We were official conductors. However, Allie and Hannah, being the prisses they are, turned the bandanas into princess paraphanelia. Go figure. They thought they were Cinderella. You know, when she's cleaning and stuff. Don't ask me how I know that. Seriously. I love the movie Cars. I do. Ask me anything about that.

Mommy's Moment: 20 Weeks

I'm twenty weeks. That means, of course, the anatomy ultrasound. Except, not for us. We're one of the weird few who like to wait. Most people think we are crazy. We hear comments like, "Wow, you must really be patient," or "We're just really planned people and have to have everything ready. We can't wait." Well, to those comments....we aren't really patient. There's, of course, that strong desire to find out at every ultrasound (and folks, with this squirt there have been so many already and at least 2 more to come...we'll see how patient we are :) ) And secondly, John and I are far from spur of the moment people. I'm laughing now as I picture John and I recklessly making last minute plans. A few weeks ago, our gracious friends watched Hannah and Grant for us so we could go on a date. When they arrived at our house they asked us what we were going to do. We surprisingly replied, "we don't know yet." They laughed as they said sarcastically, "You and John are spur of the moment people!" Everything will be in place. It's just that the clothes baby will wear for those first few weeks will mostly consist of yellow and green and he/she will be sporting a PLETHORA of ducks. For some reason, ducks are neutral. Good thing I like ducks. Good thing baby has no clue. His/Her room is neutral so it goes with every baby we have. So, there you have it. When you shuck it all down, we just like the surprise on D-Day. It gives me a bit more incentive to push (as if the contractions weren't incentive enough).

But, the ultrasound went well. The best news is that my placenta has moved to a "happy" place. I had marginal placenta previa (I had it with G-man too) but this time I had a few minor complications with it. That's no more. Yay Placenta! Also, baby is already measuring on the "large" side. Let's not forget that the G-man weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 12 ounces (and they wondered why I had hard time delivering him). Hence, why I'm getting another ultrasound at 32 weeks. They seem to think it necessary to remind me each visit that often times babies get bigger after each pregnancy. Thank you, I'm well aware of that. If we do see this baby will be a heifer, I will hopefully be induced a week early. I'm not a fan of inductions but I'm also not a fan of delivering 10 pound babies. If I had to choose, uh, induction...hands down. We'll see though. Nothing ever goes as planned and when it comes to havin' babies....you gotta go with the flow.

Finally, I've added two twenty week belly shots. First off, it's rather odd taking a picture of yourself. Do I smile? Do I look serious? I chose to just look crazy. It was awkward. Secondly, I know that my tummy doesn't look big. You will not be the first to say/think that nor will you be the last. I attribute my slow growing stomach to the long torso the Lord equipped me with. John thinks I'm crazy for the number of times my long torso comes into conversation. My height, I attribute to my long torso, not my legs. Thus, shirts are often difficult to find to suitably cover its length. And sometimes I have to buy short legged pants. Crazy right? Sometimes I think I'm proportioned oddly but hey, I'm "fearfully and wonderfully made." And thus, my babies have a large area to grow in. They can stretch out for awhile. I like to think they appreciate this. It's got to be a bit cramped growing in a belly. No economy size for my babies. Nope. They get the full suite at no extra cost. So, grow baby grow. You've got the space. Just keep it under 9 lbs this time.

Great job if you got this far reading my pregnancy post. You're a true friend.

My Cake

May 20th has come and gone. That means so has my birthday cake. I love cake. I especially loved this cake. It not only had icing on it. It also had CANDY on it. And, to top it off, it was a train! Hannah and I enjoyed finishing off the unused icing. I decided to save some for later. But then I realized I would need a longer tongue to reach those far off places. Shucks.

Hard at Work

Daddy is a hard worker. So, Grant and I thought we'd be of some help to the guy. We grabbed our rakes and brooms. We rolled up our sleeves. We got to work. I was a bit more successful than Grant. I don't think he realized a broom doesn't really work on grass. I hated to break it to him though, so, I didn't.

Papa Time

What can we say, we love our Papa (and all our lovely grandparents for that matter). A few weeks ago we headed to Birmingham to celebrate Allie's fifth birthday. Since then, I've been preparing for my own birthday. I've made it a point to be very clear to Mommy what all I would like for my birthday. The list is long. But I digress. Back to Papa. To Grant, Papa is a movie star. Yes, a movie star. When he awakes at Grandma's and Papa's the first word out of his mouth is, "Papa." He repeats this word several times a day. Papa makes us laugh. He calls me a "goobert." Apparently I say it wrong but they all go with it. He talks like Donald Duck. And he does a great job at playing the "Bad Guy" while I claim the title "Princess." Papa, we love you!

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

Mad Skills

Having an older sister, I catch on to things pretty quickly. Or at least I like to think that. It may just be that Mommy is avoiding trivial bickering by letting me do things Hannah does. Let's take drinking out of a big boy (or girl) cup for example. I'm not quite sure when Hannah officially began drinking out of one but I know it hasn't been for too long. Now, check me out. I've got it down. And I'm only two (and a new two at that). Also, I overheard Mommy tell a friend they I've learned all my colors a lot faster than Hannah did. And, I even surprised Mommy by helping her count to ten the other day while playing hide and seek. Amazing huh? I guess this next little squirt will be a genius based on the combined knowledge Hanny and I will unknowingly pass down to him/her. We'll just have to see. Or it could just be that I'm a stinkin' genius.

An Adjustment

So, Hannah and I are roomies. Here's how that has affected me. Long nights = unexpected naps at unexpected times in unexpected places.

Big Boy Bed

It's been a month since the big switch. I'm talking about my big boy bed. It was a bitter sweet time for me. Sweet because I got a roommate...my favorite sister. Bitter because I missed the comfort of my crib. Mommy would say, "Let's go to bed," and I'd point to my old room and start walking toward it. I was a little disappointed when Mommy told me that was no longer my bed. These pictures capture my first night in my big boy bed. I was uneasy. Daddy tried to console me but I was skeptical. I cried a bit. Mommy came in to check on me. I was stiff as a board in the same position she left me in thirty minutes before. But, since then, I've gotten braver. I like my bed now. I refuse to sleep under the covers. It's just weird. I've been converted to being a pillow user. They're awesome. And, a little disclaimer: I did not pick the pink pillowcase. Somehow we (by that I mean Mommy) have misplaced the green pillowcase I was supposed to use. And, one month later, I'm STILL sleeping with a pink pillowcase. Oh well. Let's just say it's been an adventure moving into a room with Hannah. From watching her eat pennies to jumping off the bed and taking every diaper out of the drawers, to late night conversations, there's never a dull moment. And, you can't beat hearing "Grant, I love you," from my favorite sister as I doze off to sleep.

Mommy's Moment: A Farewell to LOST

Well, I've never spoken of LOST before on here. And, I never will again after this. But after watching the finale I thought I'd write my opinion down and get my thoughts out of my head. Those of you who know me well know that I L-O-V-ED LOST. I started watching it from season one six years ago. John and I were newly married. I was hooked. I liked that it was a show that inspired deep thinking, making connections, and developing complex characters that in some form or fashion you can relate to. It was great storytelling. I'll admit, I over thought most everything on the show so much so that after each episode I would dream about it. Sad, I know. But I loved the puzzles, the mysteries, the odd connections. So, when I watched the finale last night I was a bit disappointed that most of those mysteries and puzzles never got solved. I realize that it wasn't the writers' intent to answer all those puzzles. Instead their focus was on character development and resolution. But even in that sense I was disappointed, mostly in the "flashsideways." Perhaps it's because I can't "rejoice" in their depiction of the afterlife. And I know these aren't Christian writers and I knew it wouldn't end with a Christian perspective. That would be naive of me to think that (although many viewers think it did end with a Christian perspective). But, their "reunion" seemed unpowerful and honestly, a bit silly to me. And I really don't know what I was expecting as far as how they would reconnect...but it wasn't that.
There are things I can appreciate about last night's finale. I can appreciate Jack's character's redemption (in the REAL timeline). I love how they have taken his character over the past six years and followed his ups and downs. I was so glad to see him find purpose and peace. I thought it was awesome how they ended the show with his eye closing. PERFECT. IMPACTFUL.
I am glad Kate and Jack finally expressed their love for each other. I think that was necessary...moreso for Jack's character. I'm not a big Kate fan but I feel like that needed to be expressed between the two of them for some closure.
I'm glad Claire is going back to be with Aaron but the way in which it happened was weak. One moment she was insistent on not going back and then with a few quick words from Kate, she upped and went. For a two and a half hour season finale maybe more time could have been given to develop this change of heart.
As for what needed to be answered...the list could go on and on. Walt, why Aaron was born in a purgatory state, what's up with Jack's fake son, why is Ben left out of the circle of friends on their way to heaven, what was up with the Egyptian mythology and the statue, what was the island, why did it move...so on and so on. I feel like a lot of their puzzles were more of a tease now to keep us watching. And they did. And I'm not regretful of that, just disappointed. But perhaps they're coming at it with a real life perspective in the sense that we won't ever have all the answers to the great mysteries of life and we have to be okay with that. Even as a believer this holds true from a Biblical viewpoint. As Christians, though we are certain of our "ending (not an ending that is dependent on our good works as mentioned by Jimmy Kimmel but dependent on the work of Christ on behalf of us)" there are many mysteries in life and life after this earth that we won't be able to understand. But we live by faith. Not faith in an unknown though, thankfully faith in the One who knows all things and who we know to "work all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose." On this I can rest assured.

Thanks LOST for six intriguing years. It was worth it.

What are some of YOUR thoughts??

Race Day

The fam afterwards (did I mention we got glow necklaces too?)
Mommy FINALLY finishing the race

Waiting and Waiting with Balloons in Hand

The Start: Can you Spot Mommy? (And Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Tutti and Mr. Torey?)

Upon Arrival at the Race

I want to run. Mommy has been running semi-frequently and it's got me thinking. I'm thinking...I'd like to run. Every time Mommy goes out for a jog I ask to go with. But it seems that I'm too little. However, imagine my excitement when I heard Mommy was going to be in a race. A race! It sounded exciting. She said I could watch. WOW. So, on race day, Daddy took me and Grant to watch Mommy run. It wasn't quite what I expected. To start with, when we arrived I couldn't find Mommy. There was quite a large crowd of people that showed up that day to race as well. I even shed a few tears as I scanned the crowd. Daddy found me and Grant a spot on the wall and finally pointed out Mommy in the sea of runners. I waved ecstaticly. And then, they were off. And then, they were gone. Out of sight. This wasn't what I was hoping it would be. Where was Mommy? Daddy walked me and Grant to the finish line. And we waited. And waited. And it began to rain. And I began to get cold. Wearing my designer dress (not really) with matching shrug wasn't my best choice for the event and weather. I regretted that decision. The highlight of the wait? Balloons. Grant and I are big balloon fans. It kept us entertained. And then finally, FINALLY, we saw Mommy cross the line. And that was it. That was it? Watching the race was a bit disappointing. I wanted to see Mommy run a lot. I wanted to run with her. But, nonetheless, I was excited. I waved ecstaticly again as she crossed the line. I like to think of myself as her biggest fan. I want her to feel like an Olympian as she crosses the line. I think she did. And yes, that's a ten year old boy behind her. We'll just say, she's not in the shape she used to be in. We'll keep that between you and me. The BEST highlight of the race? A Chick-fil-a dinner afterwards. Hands down. Next time, I'm lacing up my Nike's and hitting the road with Mommy. I've been practicing and I think that it will make for a much more fun racing experience. . .for me and for Mommy.

Mommy's Moment: Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

It's hard to believe that today Grant turns 2 years old! Before having kids I always heard how fast time flies when you have kids. Now I really believe it. Sometimes I just want to grab the clock and hold it there so I can soak in a few more minutes of this season of life (and sometimes I want to do the opposite!). In this past year Little Buddy has changed so much. Here's a few developments from the past year:

*He walks...and runs...the most precious run you've ever seen.

*He says "Mommy (Daddy) ah-lu" (love you) at least ten times a day (I'm not kidding).

*He throws fits...big fits...fits that will test your patience and your whole philosophy on disciplining. I could camp out here for awhile. Let's just say Little Buddy can stand his ground for over two hours on a simple issue as putting magnets back on the fridge.

*Thankfully his strong passion also crosses over to positive characteristics like giving hugs, patting (he loves to do this), and loving people. He gets along well with most everybody.

*He doesn't like to disappoint. After disciplining he often comes and hugs me and tells me yet again, he loves me.

*He knows most of all his colors (this surprises me because I don't think Hannah did at this point).

*He's an AWFUL eater. At one point he'd eat chalk but refuse any vegetable. Now he eats broccoli and thankfully has given up the chalk. I've given up in the "forcing him to eat" department. Maybe an unwise move. We'll find out.

*He loves Mickey Mouse.

*He loves his sister and will do just about anything she does (not always a good thing). He calls her "Hanny."

*He says "hold shu" and enjoys to be held and carried (sorry to disappoint the little man in a few months).

*He L-O-V-E-S to sing. His most requested song "I Love You Lord" which he tries so hard to sing along to, most of the time just ringing in on the last syllables of each word.

*He's a bit of a scaredy cat. He doesn't enjoy being tossed into the air or being pushed to high on the swing. I'm hoping this is a phase.

*He's an avid thumb sucker.

And I could go on and on. Mostly, this post is for me to remember this little guy at this age. I always thought I'd remember certain things about Hannah at this age but I'm so sad to say I quickly forgot alot of them. All the more reason to write it down. I am so thankful that the Lord chose me and John to be Grant's parents. I know it's cliche but he is such a blessing. My biggest prayer is that the Lord would draw him to Himself at a young age and that Grant would grow into a godly man who loves the Lord and glorifies Him through his life. In my heart of hearts (though I don't always feel this way when days are bad and long) I am honored to be a part of this little guy's life and I pray the Lord would give me and John wisdom in how to be good stewards of his life while he is with us. Happy 2nd Birthday Grant. We love you!