Harper's 1 year pictures

Well you know I'm a huge advocate of my friend Andi's photography! She does an AWESOME job and is always so patient and sweet with Harper....probably even when she shouldn't be! ha! And, as always, she over-exceeded my expectations on Harper's one year pictures! It was one of those super HOT days, so we decided to shoot late afternoon and it was p-e-r-f-e-c-t! Harper was in the best mood and she was just hamming it up for the session! Here are a few from her session and you can hop on over to Andi's blog to see a few more! These are quite possibly my fave so far! Sweet girl and Baby Stella.....bless! :)

And, we decided to shoot at the newly renovated courthouse in Woodbury because I knew Harper's Papa would really appreciate it and cherish these forever....

Temper Tantrum 411

Okay...so I'm having a little bit of a dilemma! My sweet baby has started throwing fits....and it's absolutely KILLING me! Typically it's when she's getting tired, but that's still no excuse. Now it drives me crazy when parents act like they have no control over their kids....please don't think I'm that kind of parent! Harper knows what "no" means, but like any kid, she doesn't always listen. So, if any of you out there reading this have had the same issue, what did you do? I mean I just feel like she's so young to be throwing fits....is she? This is obviously my first....so I need help! ha!

Another friend suggests that she loves this book and I'm thinking about buying it to read while I'm on the beach. Have any of you ever read or know anyone who has read this book? Is it worth a read?

Now let me say...we do believe in spanking, and Harper does get little spankings occassionally. But I think she's too young to be spanking all the time, so we redirect, distract, and do anything else prior to spanking. That's why I'm hoping this book or some of you will have some suggestions for me! Thanks!

xoxo, Kara

Date Night!

Well, I don't get many date nights....so I have to choose them carefully! But, this one was even more than I expected....it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!! However, this was not just an ordinary date night! I went on a date w/ two of my all-time favorite gals to see our all-time favorite vampire!

That's right....we went on a date to see ECLIPSE and it was WONDERFUL! Brandon thinks it's hilarious that most nights I'm out by ten at the latest...but I can stay up until 2 am to watch a stupid movie about vampires and warewolves! ha! And, I totally see his point, but it's ooohh soooooo good!

If you know me at all, you know I am NOT a fan of leaving my baby when I could be spending quality time with her. I hate leaving her every day when I have to work...so I DO NOT leave her when I do not absolutely have to. But, when the movie is at midnight, I'm able to put her to bed and then leave. That way, I don't have anything to feel guilty about...and I think THAT is why I am able to enjoy myself so much! And, Brandon is totally okay with it as long as he doesn't have to go! ha!

We were joking inside the theatre that by the time they get all the movies out, all the teeny-boppers will be middle-aged. lol Which means I'll be a senior citizen! ha! If you wanna make yourself feel old....go to a Twilight movie and stand in line w/ a bunch of teenagers! lol I always say I'm afraid I feel out of place...so that's why I take 2 kiddos with me! lol I just love it...and Edward! OH MY! I just can't help myself! lol How many of you are Twi-lovers? And, of course, the infamous question....are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

xoxo, Kara C:

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

Yes really...I'm back! I had decided that I wasn't going to blog anymore because I feel like it takes time away from Harper. But then I realized that I missed it...and the only 2 readers that kept up w/ us missed us too! ha! But, most of all, I miss having our life scrapbooked to look back on one day! I can't tell you how many times I've gone through the archives to find something...like how much Harper weighed at 3 months! Now, I'm sad that I missed the last few months of her first year. But I'm back....and I'm ready to blog!

I don't know that I'll go back and try to blog about everything I skipped, but I'll definitely be hitting the highlights....especially her big birthday bash!

I'm happy to be back and I hope there are still a few people who check on us...and maybe more will start once we get back in the swing of things! I can't lie...I've been busy and having lots of fun during my blogging break (of 6 months! ha!) but I'm ready to share!!! So check back daily for the next few days! I promise not to disappoint!

xoxo, Kara C:

Baby Name Mania!

I LOVE BABY NAMES!!! Like seriously, I sit around all the time thinking about cool names that I could potentially name my children one day….it’s sad I know! Ha! I usually don’t participate in Kelly’s SUYL weekly topics, but this was one that I just couldn’t pass up….plus I am trying really hard to get back into the blogging trend! So here goes…

Obviously, you already know we have one daughter named Harper Claire. (Hence the reason I began reading Kelly’s blog when I discovered she had a daughter w/ the same name!) I don’t really know how on earth my husband and I ever finally agreed on a name. Boy names were done! We had decided on our son’s name before we even married. But, the girl name…not so much! I had always thought I would name my little girl Kenadie (Kennedy w/ a twist). But when the time came, that name just didn’t do it for me. Plus, it seemed like every time I would look in our local newspaper, there was a little girl named Kennedy in there. So, that name was out. We went through what seemed like hundreds of names…and either one or both of us just didn’t like it. Then, we ventured back to fall 2007, when I heard the name Harper on an MTV commercial and fell in love. Brandon said, “Now that’s a name I like!” And, I thought, “You know…I do too!” So we talked about it for a few days, and it just seemed right. And, since her first name was one that could be used for a boy or girl, I wanted a really girly middle name. I really wanted to use a family name, but just wasn’t coming up with anything. Then, I thought of Claire. My great-grandfather’s name was Clarence, so I just knew that was it. We started referring to my growing bump as Harper Claire, and it suits her to a T!

Now, as far as future baby names go…we…or should I say I…think about it all the time. I’m always coming home and asking Brandon if he likes any of my new names. Being a teacher, it’s very hard to find cool, unique names for your children. There are some names that you would never name your kids, can I get an amen on that? Lol And, then there are some that just seem to fit! So, as some of you already know, if we ever have a son, his name will be….

Knox William (or Michael)

Knox is the middle name of one of my first cousin’s who passed away from diabetes. We were super close and I knew from that moment, that I wanted to name my child after him one day. The William and Michael are the names of my and Brandon’s dad…so we haven’t fully decided which one to use! And, if we were to ever have another boy, I love the name

Liam Michael

…but that is subject to change. I love all the trendy names right now: Kiptyn, Kellan, Mattox, Kortez….so who knows!

Now for the HARD part….girl names!!!!! Ahhh….why do girl names have to be so difficult? I have a really hard time w/ this because I have so many sweet monogrammed things, that part of me really wants to stick with Harper’s same initials so that I can reuse all of her stuff. Then, part of me thinks…but once they’re teenagers, everything won’t be monogrammed! So, do I really want to do that? I DON’T KNOW!!! I know it’s stupid of me to worry about now since I don’t see any more kiddos in our near future, but it’s something to think about, right? Like the boys’ names, I love all the trendy names: Finley, Piper, Willow, Stella….but Brandon isn’t big on any of those. And now, some friends just named their little girl Stella, so that’s out! I kind of hesitate to put this out there, because the girl name industry is sooooooo competitive! Ha! But, if I were to have a little girl anytime soon, her name would most likely be…..

Hollyn Caroline

I just think it’s cute and sweet and sounds like a Kara-name! lol But, if I were to decide not to go with the HCF initials, other names I absolutely love are….

Emersyn
Kimber
Isla
Chaney

SEE WHY I STRESS OVER GIRL NAMES?? Haha Oh well…I will cross that bridge when the time comes! Thanks for stopping by and I can’t wait to explore everyone’s baby names!

Xoxo, Kara C:

OH MY!!!

Has it really been since February! It can't be so!?!?! I have had soooo much going on, plus major computer problems and camera problems....so I am coming back very SOON! I love blogging and I've missed it so much...so I am happy to be back! I'm so tired right now that I just wanted to say that I'm coming back bigger and better than ever...but it's just going to take me a few days to get everything ready! So, if there's anyone still out there who checks up on us....keep checking! Lots to come soon!
xoxo, Kara C:

Just this once....

This is a beautiful email I received one day and I just had to share! It is so true and has such a meaning to all the busy mommmas out there. Enjoy!

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry,

and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink,

and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off,

and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble

when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up,

or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookie ,

and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal

so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late

while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray,

I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children,

the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms,

and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly,

and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer.

It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.............

SEE! I told ya....love it!

xoxo, Kara C:

Fun in the sun at Lincoln's Place!

A couple of Saturdays ago, it was our first real "spring-y" day and Harper and I just had to get out of the house. Brandon has been working like crazy lately, and not coming in until later at night (one reason for the lack of blogging), so we were tired of being cooped up! So, I knew my mom would be at home, so we called to see if she'd like to join us at the park for a little while. I ran a few errands in town and then headed to Woodbury. Of course we have parks in McMinnville, but not the same kind of park that I wanted to take Harper to. Many of you have heard me mention how our first son will be named Knox. Knox is the middle name of a very special cousin of mine who passed away when I was a senior in high school. He was my first cousin and he was also a diabetic...like me! He helped me more than he ever knew when I was first diagnosed. I'll never forget the night we found out. We had been to eat dinner and my mom just knew something wasn't right with me so she finally broke down and took me to their house so we could check my sugar. When they checked it, the meter wouldn't even read it. It just read HIGH. That meant it was over 500. So, we knew what that meant, so we just sat in my uncle and aunt's bedroom floor and had a little crying session. It was then that Lincoln (who was 7 at the time) came over and crawled in my lap and said, "It's okay, Kara. If I can do it, I know you can!" Well, that's the moment I decided there was no need to be crying. He was so special to me, and I think about him everyday! That's why I can't wait to have a little boy to share this heritage with.

So, when he passed away, there was a committee formed who wanted to do something special. They decided to "fix up" a local park and make it a fun place again for kids again. AND THEY SOOO DID IT! They renamed the park Lincoln's Place and it is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!! So, Harper's first park experience just had to be there.Here we are standing by the sign and you can see my parents names under the committee group. This place means more to me than anyone will ever know! As we arrived at my parents house, I found out that my two cousins were there to play too. We had so much fun with them.Rachel even took Harper down the slide for the first time and she LOVED it!Although, I think swinging was her favorite!We even attempted to ride the pony.....but it was not a success! ha!We had a wonderful day and I can't wait to spend more time there in the future.  Thanks to all of my family who joined us there to make one of Harper's "firsts" such a special memory for me!  If you're ever in the area, you should definitely stop by and check out Lincoln's Place.  I definitely see some future birthdays taking place there and I can't wait!

xoxo, Kara C:

The many hats of Harper...

One of our neighbors and one of Brandon's friends on the volunteer fire dept. (well his wife actually) made Harper this sweet little hat.  I usually don't like hats on her, but this one was sweet!However, since she's not used to wearing them it was difficult for me to get a good picture of her in it because she kept doing this...hahaha!  Guess that's what I get for not putting them on her.

Then, one day while I was at my parents' house, I starting searching.  Brandon's parents always have all this stuff from when Brandon and his sister were babies and I knew my mom had some stuff so I started looking.  I found several sweet dresses that Harper had already outgrown, but I found another thing that I loved!!!  It was a little sweater and bonnet, so I brought it home to try on her!I LOVE IT!!!  Even if she does look like Laura Ingalls! ha! :)

I'll have to put more pics of her up w/ the whole ensemble!  It really is too sweet and I can't wait to take it for her 9 month pictures!

Coming soon....

HAS IT REALLY BEEN A MONTH?  Oh my...I feel terrible!  BUT, I have soooooooo many things to share...and I'll get it done soon!!  I can't wait...I have lots of pics to show you of my growing girl!  Check back soon!

Happy Birthday Daddy Brandon!

My sweetie-pie turned the big 33 this month! Since he doesn't like to make a big hoop-lah (like my word?) about his birthday, I decided to just have a few people meet us at a local restaurant where we usually go every weekend anyway. It worked out p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y and he was definitely surprised. We didn't make a big deal about it and I thought it turned out so nice.

Since he is a volunteer firefighter, I decided to let that be the theme of his cake. It was between that or a tractor, but I figured he'd had a lot of tractor cakes in his lifetime. The cake was AWESOME!! I told her I needed one to feed 15....and I think it would've fed 40! ha:) It was so perfect and tasty, and it was cheap too....that's always a plus! Everyone kept saying how they thought it was a toy firetruck and they had no idea it was a cake! Of course the girls kept wanting to get as close as possible to the cake so they could keep their eyes on it...

And, we decided to pose for a family picture only to realize we had our niece! ha:) And, then looked what else was going on in the picture......I about laughed myself to death when I saw this picture....I was afraid her mom might kill me for posting it, but it was too difficult to resist! Priceless, right?

As Madelyn was leaving, she was loving on me, so we decided to pose for another family picture...brother and sister....

And then we tried to get one of Harper with her best little friendie, Annabella, but Harper was totally over it! She wanted down! And NOW! ha:)

It ended up being a really fun night and we were so thankful everyone came out to celebrate his birthday. We truly have the best friends and family anyone could ask for! Happy birthday, honey! Hope you had a great one!

Harper is 8 months old!

My sweet little girl is getting sooo big! I still can't believe that eight months have passed since she arrived. She is our world! Brandon and I don't know what we did before she came around...we must've been really boring! ha:)

I was packing up some of her clothes that don't fit anymore and I could've cried when I had to pack up the bow she wore home from the hospital....

so I decided, just for kicks, to put it in one last time...OOOOOOOOhhhhh, how my heart broke! :( It makes me so sad that she's growing so quickly. I want her to develop, of course, but I just wish these baby days didn't go by so quickly!

However, I love how Harper is growing, changing, and doing new things everyday! She is at the age where she is so much fun! It's hilarious when we leave her playing in the living room to run in the other room for 2 seconds, and when we return, she's no where to be found! I just have to laugh when this happens because as soon as I yell her name, here she'll come crawling around the corner! She is the joy of our lives!

At 8 months, Harper is:

-wearing size 2 diapers

-wearing anywhere from 6-9 months clothes

-crawling and pulling up everywhere and on everything!!!

-babbling all the time (da-da is her favorite) :(

-has her 2 bottom teeth completely in

-eats 3-4 six ounce bottles each day plus cereal w/ fruit for breakfast, veggies at lunch, and veggies and a fruit/dessert at supper

-LOVES her yogart melt snacks

-takes 2 naps everyday and sleeps around 10 hours each night

-is really beginning to "play" with her toys

-is the absolute highlight of our lives!

Harper Claire, you'll never know how much you truly mean to your daddy and me. I'm so thankful that God chose us to be your parents because you are such a special baby to us! You're a social butterfly and loved by so many people...I hope one day you'll know how blessed you are! Love you baby girl!*By the way, Harper had to be a little model for the shop where we get many of her clothes and all of our things monogrammed, so that's where the pics came from. You can see their full post here.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'll have to say that this was the absolute BEST Valentine's Day ever!! Not only did my husband get me tulips and an hour massage (LOVE IT), but we sooooo enjoyed spending the day w/ Harper! She is getting to be more fun with each and every day that passes. Of course, she didn't know it was any special day, all she knew was that she got to play with something VERY fun....

TISSUE PAPER!! I'm pretty sure that is one of her favorite things right now! ha:) She could not have cared less about her presents, she just liked the wrapping. So, after I assisted her with getting all of her goodies out, I let her have a ball.And my beautiful flowers from Daddy...I wanted to have a family picture on Harper's first Valentine's Day and well...it just did not work out as I wanted...We did the timer thing and that didn't work, so I opted for a good picture to at least have....well...a picture! ha:) Harper looks tired, Brandon looks scared, and I look pasty! Lovely! lol

After church, I decided I needed to get a picture of Harper with all of her goodies since I've done that every holiday! I am quickly seeing how having a busy 8 month old is not quite as easy to get her to be photogenic as it was when she was itty bitty! BUT, while I was getting everything ready and before I got Harper ready, I caught her doing this....She had pulled her new capris off the couch and was chewing on the tags. It was so cute so I just had to take a picture! So I finally got her all ready and just knew I'd get a cutesy picture....and here's what I got...Gees! Can't a girl get a break? All I needed was a little smile....but I.WAS.NOT.GETTING.IT.FROM.HER!! No ma'am! Oh well...these will have to work! Since you can't really tell anything in this picture, I wanted some closer up of her goodies.After all was said and done, I think she was happy....cause THEN she decided to flash me one of these....Oh, how I love my little Valentine! Hope you had a happy day with your loves!

xoxo, Kara C:

Harper is 7 months old!!

Well, technically, she's 7 and 1/2 months old now...but better late that never, right? ha! :)  Harper is growing waaaaaaaaaaaay too fast, as I say every month, but we are enjoying her so much!  She's gotten to be quite a little handful but it's so cute.  She is into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!!  It's so funny...if you leave the room for 2 seconds, you better run back and check on her just to make sure she's not under the couch or playing w/ the computer! lol

So, what all is Harper up to at 7 months:

-She still sleeps wonderfully at night and usually takes a few naps through the day!

- She eats cereal and fruit for breakfast, 2 veggies at lunch, and usually 2 at night.  She usually only takes around 4 six ounce bottles each day.

-She is a crawling machine and (at 7 months) she was trying to figure out how to pull up!  She definitley has the hang of it now.  She finally realized how to do it Sunday 1/24 and hasn't stopped since.  She stands up everywhere now!

-She smiles all the time and is such a happy baby!

-She is definitely beginning to get her own little personality.  We now KNOW if she doesn't like something or isn't happy!  It's funny to a point...but she's gotten to where she'll throw little fits...that's where it stops being funny! lol

-She lights up when either of us come in the room...and it really is the sweetest thing I've ever seen!  :)

Well, it looks like I'll be doing her 8 month post soon! ha! It's sooooooooo hard to believe that it's been almost 8 months since we had the sweetest blessing on Earth!

xoxo, Kara C: