Harper is...one of a kind

Harper has a wonderful little friend named Anthony...yes, she calls him her boyfriend.
On the way to preschool, "Hurry up Mommy, Anthony will be so worried if I am late"

"I am going to marry Anthony, I will make him so happy"
At the park with Anthony, "Anthony, you going to marry me?"  He did say, "yeah"


Some other quotes...
Very seriously, Harper comes up to me the kitchen and says in a loud whisper, "I need you to tell me all Lily's secrets or I'll lose my incredibleness"

At Mammy's house, Jason described the taste of a mint oreo as being "like Heaven" so when Harper was asked what she wanted for a treat, she replied, "I want that cookie that tastes like Heaven"

Our unsung Hero

Most people might think Moms are unappreciated, that they don't get the recognition they deserve. Sometimes this is true, sometimes I feel this way but not very often. I think this comes from Jason being very vocal about how much he appreciates what I do as a wife, a Mom and the manager of our home. I also think it's because I truly love what I do. Not scrubbing the toilet or cleaning up diaper blowouts (thank you Haley Mae) but most days, I love the busyness of our house and the chores that go with. I love picking out the girls clothes, talking with them while I make breakfast, fixing hair, hanging out in the driveway waiting for the bus, taking walks with the littles, one on one time with Haley while Harper's at school, grocery shopping, sneaking in some sewing while the littles nap, etc. The girls see all I do because I do it with them...the girls don't always see all Jason does for us. He goes to a job where he does feel underappreciated and undervalued because he wants to provide for them, pay for college and keep me at home forever. He gives up cable TV instead of cutting back on saving for college. When he takes over practicing speech with Sissy, he gives her undivided attention instead of trying to squeeze it in between homework and dinner and constant interruptions. When he review Math with Lily, he takes her in the office and gives her the time she needs so no one ends up frustrated or impatient. He reads books like "Barbie, a mermaid tale" and  over and over and over and the girls will never know how much he hates that book. It is a ridiculous book. And I rarely read it. But he does. He has the patience and desire to teach them to ride a two wheeler and to play Uno, to repeat the rules a million times until the girls get it. 

I thought on the day we got married, I couldn't possibly love him more. How wrong I was...10 years later, 4 kids, moves, the day to day that can sometimes feel like Groundhog day, I'm amazed at how my love for him has multiplied. He puts us first, our needs and our happiness. I'm so proud to have him as my husband. I hope the girls can look back at this blog/this post and know how much he strives to be the best father and husband he can be.

Snowy Hanukkah

I don't even know if I'm spelling Hanukkah right, that's how little I know about it....
On our way home from our "group" flu shot, Lily asks...
"Whats Hanukkah?"
Me, "Well...you know how we have Christmas? Well, Hanukkah is a different kind of holiday"
Lily, "Yeah but what is it?"
Me, "Ummm...you know how we know that Jesus is the son of God and that makes us Christians?"
Lily, "Yeah"
Me, "Well, Jewish people don't believe that Jesus was the son God, just that he was important so they don't celebrate Christmas. The celebrate Hanukkah instead"
Lily, "Well, does Hanukkah have snow?"
Me, "What?"
Lily, "Does Hanukkah have snow?"
Me, "Ummm...it's in the winter so sometimes it snows"
Lily, "That's good"

Thank goodness for Google...

Our Lily

If you ask me which child is the most "high maintenance", Lily is my girl who comes to mind. She's not defiant, doesn't carry much attitude, isn't mean spirited (most of the time) but she can be a challenge to "tame" at times. Likes to be the one who's talking, has trouble waiting, a little sassy and sometimes I have a tendency to focus on these instead of the wonderful gifts she has...I was reminded of a few this week.

Lily & I were on a grocery shopping date, she loves to hold the list and find stuff for me especially if I let her go down the aisle by herself...we were walking down the aisle and an elderly lady dropped her coupon and without even a prompt from me, Lily picks it up and very politely asks the lady, "Is this yours? I think you dropped your coupon" The lady thanked her and Lily says, "your welcome, have a great day" As ridiculous as it sounds, it got me a little choked up. We teach and teach and teach and model kindness, helping others, and every once in awhile I get to see a peak at the payoff.

Last night, after showers without being asked Lily combed out the little girls hair because she knows I have to battle Harper to get all the tangles out and as she says, "So you don't have to hear Harper whine"  She must have had a muzzle on Harper because I didn't even hear her yell once.

Such little things but I can't wait to see how this girl continues to grow....