new tooth, save the pennies!

Kennedy cut her first tooth on Thursday. That might explain part of why she's been trying to keep both of her fists in her mouth all the time. Given the fact that Audrey is only about a year ahead of Kennedy dentally, and that I wore braces twice, Tim has been through them once (and needs another round) Kennedy and Audrey will be in braces at the same time. Yeah!

Time goes by...

I really don't know what happens somewhere between 7:30 am and 8:30 pm. I guess I feed kids, do some chores, change diapers, feed kids, settle arguments, feed kids, change diapers, bathe kids, put kids down for sleep, feed kids, feed myself, then sit for a few minutes and think about all the things I need to be doing while I sit there trying to gain strength to tackle the stinkin' list in my "AA type" brain. And all that is just on the days I'm not working; I lovingly deligate all that without the self inflicted standard and guilt trip to Tim until I come home in the afternoons. I have classified myself as "AA" type which is highly uptight about the way it is done, to the point it's not worth doing. I think I get that from my folks, "anything worth doing is doing well (a.k.a. perfect)." So, I managed to clear off the computer desk of my to-do pile and had a few minutes to post.
SO, I had a working interview for a DH position p/t 2 saturdays a month last Saturday. How does it make me feel when I leave the interview at 1:30 and the doctor says, "I'd like to hire you, I need to get to my next patient, bye" then 3 short hours later the job I supposedly was hired for was posted on C-list, again. Um... your opinions? I'm not sure what to think.
Audrey is going through a phase right now. I think she's teething, but she isn't due for more teeth for a while, so lame excuse. She can't be pms-ing because she's not there yet (like i said someone keeps speeding up the clock), so hopefully she'll come out of it soon. Last night as I was changing her diaper for bed, she exclaimed, "We're going to Disneyland tomorrow!" I asked her who told her that, she said "Daddy!" and I heard Tim call from the other room, "No I didn't!" Apparently Audrey is also going through her "inconceptual truth stage" (Lying through her teeth) and if it weren't so stinkin' funny how blatantly she fibs, I'd be upset. For example, I sent her in to ask Tim if he wanted to go on a walk after dinner tonight; she runs to the bedroom and asks him and he says, "I have to do homework." Audrey runs back with enthusiasm and says, "Daddy says YES!" (Tim calls, NO I DIDN'T!).
Emma must be eating fertilizer, because she's growing like a weed. Her shoes are all "pinchy" and her shirts show her "button" and her shorts are all super short. Any hints or tips on fall sales (or summer end of season) let me know.
Kennedy is almost rolling over. If she wouldn't get so screamy about being on her back, she could do it, but she has no patience for the view straight up from the floor and screams the minute she lays down. Thanks to a friend who lent me her "Bumbo" it's a lifesaver.
Tim is taking an English class. I am no help to him. Look at my grammer, puntctuation, and thank heavens we don't get checked on blogs for plagarism or works cited references. He just trucks through it, luckily he has smart friends. That is a tip I picked up along the way, hang around smart people, they.... I don't know make me smarter? Or the... Something. Well, I want to invite all who have actually read through this terrible long post to comment, let me know you came along, I love this blogging thing, even more so when I have time to do it.
Peace out.

Childhood

Kennedy. What more can I say.


I enjoy the words that come out of my kids mouths so much. Audrey never ceases to crack me up. She is always the first to say "Naaaaoooot" meaning "not me, I didn't do it" and she sings it like a disney princess. She'll even do this when I have seen her do what she says she didn't. It's great. Emma likes to just tease and be teased. Honestly, if they didn't tease each other, I'd be worried. We came up with aliases for the girls tonight over dinner. We decided Emma is "Screech" for her alienesque screem, Audrey is "Twister" for her ability to twirl like a princess and recover in record time, and Kennedy is "Bubbles" due to her amazing ability to blow spit bubbles, which Emma and Audrey never actually did. Tim made killer chili and I made rolls to boot and we had lots of fun after Church tonight. Once I can get the kids to get it through their brains that we are NOT WATCHING A "KID CHANNEL" then they go and play great. Pictures of our newly renovated play room to come, stay tuned.


As for the amazing process of "de-junking" our house, we rediscovered this amazing piece of furniture my parents gave to us, well as a filler for our house, to get it out of their garage, then never really took it back, then said, it officially belongs to us. I don't have a before picture, but if I come across one, I'll post the before with the after (in your mind's eye picture yellowed oak stained with wood grain and lots of water spots). We had it painted and moved it to our front entry way. It looks AMAZING. Thanks Mom and Dad.


Here is a picture of how we sometimes pass the time, Rob and Tim playing some "shoot-em-up" game on X-Box 360 with Kennedy chillin' out in the middle.



I live for the brief moments where everyone is happy, relatively sweet smelling and dry and on my lap. They are brief moments. I love my family so dang much it hurts, and I often feel like I don't make the most of them. Well, good thing we have new beginnings, like Anne Shirley said, "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." Good ol' Anne.

Make up time...

Kennedy keeps us laughing, she is getting really good at hers...(laugh, that is). This is what our house looks like when it's clean (HA)



Emma and Audrey goy their hair cut last night. It was so much fun. The gal who cuts our hair does it out of har mom's house and they had 2 week old yellow lab puppies. The girls loved that.

Audrey in the process of her hair cut (notice the pink wash sink, she was thrilled about that!)

After the cut of 4 inches and BANGS! She said she was ready for the BALL!!

Emma with her long pre-cut hair. It was down to her elbows!
Emma after her cut. She cut off 6 inches and added layers again. It was a long time coming. She has amazing hair!

Audrey tucked herself in, or under the bed, er... Emma's bed. Audrey's bed is on the left side of the video. Emma reported the next morning that she was singing the whole time (scroll down to hear her song).





Audrey likes to hang out, well "nakey" so if she's not wearing her dress ups she's wearing her birthday suit. I never cease to be amazed at what she comes up with. I caught rockin' out the other day, and I had to capture it. A few explanations, though she usually beyond explaning; she wanted to try panties that day, emphasis on the word try, they haven't been back on since. She has a bandaid over a spot on her leg where she was the vicitim of a moster mosquito. She came up with the song (ABC's/Twinkle, Twinkle) on her own as well as the jig. Nothing is out of her realm.



Another nakey video. I don't realize she's without chothes until I upload the video on my computer and the moment has passed. Oh well, its hot outside. The story behind the cheer leader dance is we went to a basketball game where cousin Kelsie was cheering. We were a little late, and Jr. High basketball games aren't long, so in the literally last 2 minutes of the game Audrey saw Kelsie cheer and saw the basketball players make one basket and she talked about cheer for weeks on end. Now when she's asked to do her cheerleader dance, she throws her arms up and shouts, "GO TEAM, GO TEAM!!"

Sent from Heaven

Okay, 2 super sweet confirmations that we (Tim and I) are doing something right here. On Saturday evening we went swimming and came home and Emma was passed out asleep before bedtime rolled around. Audrey was still awake and demanded we follow through with our night routine ( scriptures, prayers, hugs and kisses, brush teeth, and tuck-tuck- tight). A new element I've added to this routine just recently is personal prayers. My girls are too short to reach the top of the bed when they kneel by it, so they just sit by the bedside. Emma was already zonked in bed when I was done helping Audrey brush teeth so I was just going to tuck her in and walk out. No, she wouldn't have it. I almost tripped over her in the dark because she was sitting by her bed saying, "Fada...day...Emma...Kendy...Wobby (Rob)...Tah (Tara)...Gaga... Gacob(Jacob) ...Ali... Mommy... Daddy... Happy...Jesus AMEN!" I could barely get her into bed before the tears started falling. She is so sweet, and that was her first prayer all by herself.

Then this morning Emma was on her way to school and for some reason Audrey was throwing a huge fit. I couldn't understand what she was saying "PED!!" and finally after Emma was gone and Audrey calmed down enough I said "Show me" and she knelt down and started her prayer. She wanted to say family prayer. She is so sweet, and a good reminder of what's important. I hope you all remember your prayers too!

School Days

Getting pictures for the record, Emma's so cute, and Audrey's a Hoot!

That backpack is huge on her!

Getting in the car (it's already nearly 90 degrees at 8 a.m.)

Tim walks Emma into the school and her classroom for her first day.

It's a big day for the Harpers, today was the first day of Kindergarten for Emma. She was so excited to go, she chose her favorte breakfast, M&M pancakes. She had her hair braided without complaining once, Audrey got dressed and hairstyled and we were out the door. It was a quiet day at home with just 2 kids again. Tim picked Emma up and when they got home she burst through the front door and said so exitedly, "I LOVED IT!!" Tim walked her into her class this morning and picked her up after school. Audrey was excited too, she knows Emma's teacher's name is Mrs. Dean. She had a fun day at home making messes with mom. Wow, life comes at you fast, and Emma is so excited for tomorrow. I love her enthusiasm for it all. I love being a mom. She is so nonchalant about it all. Here are some of her first day of school comments:
"We ate in the cafeteria, it was good, they had food there."
"There are two playgrounds in case one gets full, we can fill up the other one."
"I found 3 cousins in my class, I wasn't shy at all!" (she knew 3 kids in her class)
"I wore my shoes and socks ALL DAY!"
"There's even a nurse in my class, if I get sick, I'll be okay!"
Good luck to all those who get started or back to school in the next few weeks.

My Three Beauties!

It's not sooo hot.

Well, I think it may be a defense mechanism, but I really don't think this summer has been as hot as previous summers, nonetheless, I sure wish we could have spent a week at Mack's with the Mixes. I cried a little bit out loud, but mostly to myself. It is like a puzzle in my head... I try to think how do I get from here to there, right now, and forget that it isn't an event to get there, but a process, but it just didn't work out this summer. We watched our home movies set up there, and it will do. I think of my own memories growing up vacationing with my family and I want my kiddos to have that ache for family like I have when I think of playing in the river and playmill fudge and big springs and old faithful. The good thing is, I realized that childhood is fleeting, and whatever the sacrifices it is worth it. So, one day I will look back and miss where I'm at right now, but right now I miss where I'm not. I guess, now I just needed to get it off my chest, that it really sucks having missed the reunion at the cabin and reading blogs with pictures of kids growing up in the woods and my kids aren't there, or me or Tim. Who knows we might make it up there later, but the family there is what makes it. Okay, I'm done whining, hopefully someone can check on my tree on top of Sawtelle, and enjoy this picture I took of the cabin when I was in high school and tell me nothing has changed. I'll be okay till next summer when my sponsorship has come through and we are independently wealthy enought to go to the cabin and be.