Grandparents

When I was growing up all of my grandparents lived in Illinois. My mom's dad died long before I was born and my Dad's dad died when I was very young. I have a few blurry memories of him, some of which I think may have been orchestrated from pictures I've seen of him. So I grew up never knowing my grandfathers well and visiting with my Grandma and Nonie for a few weeks out of the year. Looking back I wouldn't trade that concentration of visits for anything and I have very fond memories. But I can't help but think how lucky my girls are. They have 2 grandfathers, 2 grandmothers and 2 great-grandmothers all within a 1 hour drive. Wow...talk about speical!

Easter Bonanza

I fondly remember last Easter when it was so warm that Harper stripped down and had a naked easter egg hunt. Although this Easter didn't bring us scorching temperatures it did bring a lot of extra celebration.

To get us in the Easter mood Lebanon hosts their Easter egg hunt a full two weekends before Easter. This early event gives us an excuse to get together with all our friends and start the excitement for the Easter bunny.

I think the most exciting thing about Easter this year for Harper was that was that we had a sleepover at the Houston's house on Easter eve. Emily is very high on Harper's list of amazing people and she was absolutely thrilled to be spending the night at her house. She even convinced us that she would sleep nicely on an air mattress on the floor of Emily's room. That didn't work out so well for any of us but she still had a blast. The next morning the girls searched for the eggs the Easter bunny had hidden and poured over their Easter baskets together. It was perfect.

Playing with Harper's new magnatab

Don't worry P, next year you'll be right in the thick of things!

Beautiful Cousins!

Following our Easter celebration at the Houstons we went to Brattleboro to have an Easter egg hunt at Nonie & Papa's. To make this even more special Nancy & David were visiting on their way to Maine.  Harper is at a great age to enjoy the company of visitors and I think they really enjoyed her.

More fun with the magnatab

This Easter was a huge exciting success and we all had a lot of fun.

Dear Crayola,

Thank you. At 8:30 pm, on a school night, when my baby is teething and won't go to sleep, i am so thankful you make washable markers. So washable in fact that a wet washcloth does the trick and I don't have to run a full bath. Thank you.

Love, Katharine (Mom to one very proud marker covered 3-year-old.)

The Family Bed

We never envisioned that we'd have two little girls sharing our bed with us for part of the each night. In fact when I was pregnant with Paisley I swore up and down that I would not get her used to sleeping with me. And yet here we are almost 7 months later and she's cuddled up next to me in bed while I write this. I expect Harper will join us in a few short hours.

Some nights when Paisley really isn't in to sleeping in her crib I cuddle her up with Harper until I come to bed and she's totally content. It buys me a little time to watch a show or take a shower. I'd be surprised if they don't choose to sleep together often as they grow up.

I'll take these snuggles as long as I can get them!

Lucky Lady

It's not  unusual for our friends to ask now and then if they can stop by the fire station with us when Will's working. All of Harper's friends know her daddy's a fireman. Andrew talks about it when he reads firetruck books with his mom and Jackson says firemen are brave, heros, who are very tall. (That one made Will's day.)

Our girl....she says...what's the big deal guys...I see firetrucks so often...they let me WASH them! Lucky lady!

Budding Talent

Spending most of the winter indoors or exploring mountains of ice cold snow makes us especially anxious to get back to the playgrounds. We watched for daily signs of snow melting. One park actually had piles of plowed snow directly in front of it teasing us even as the weather started breaking 50 degrees.

But now it's all clear and we're back to the park routine. Every night we ask Harper what she wants to do tomorrow and she almost always answers "go to the park" her full answer is usually "go to the park with papa" but I digress.

The best thing about getting back to the park is testing our skills. Feeling out the slides again and sharpening our dormant park skills. It's also a chance for us to see if the inch or so we've grown since the last park trip helped us conquer a new skill. This year Harper is able to climb up to the platform to the big slide with ease. At the end of the last park season she was doing it but it was hard and after a while she couldn't muster the strength to pull herself up and she needed a boost. This year, she's up without difficulty and doesn't even hesitate before sliding down the slide. She's getting so brave!

But the big accomplishment came with the "Lilly pads." The are a series of yellow plastic stepping stones that you can walk across. They take balance and confidence. Harper has always enjoyed them but always asked for a hand. With a little coaxing our girl gave it a go solo. And boy did she do good. She felt good too. That smile across her face was priceless. The kind that warms our heart from the inside out. Nothing like the pride of accomplishing a new skill.

First trike peddling and now this. I think this is going to be a summer to remember!

Sisters

I'm an only child. I grew up dreaming about having a sister or brother but it was never in the cards. When I was pregnat with Paisley a little part of me hoped that maybe, just maybe this baby would be a girl and I could give Harper a sister. Such a gift.

It hasn't been until recently that I've realized the magnitude of this gift.

They laugh together and take comfort in being together. People can say that someday they'll fight and bicker but I don't care. Because today they look like this and I'm engraving these smiles into my memory forever.