Happy 1st Birthday, Harper Laine!

My baby girl is 1! I've been in denial...probably why this post is pretty late considering her birthday was two weeks ago! The year has flown, and it's hard even imagining what she was like as a newborn.

Her favorite toy (and thing to say) these days is "BALL". For her birthday, her Paw Paw got her a blow-up house that you put balls in, and she's in heaven sitting in that thing. She's crawling all over the place and starting to pull up on things. I'm not sure how soon she'll be walking, though. She doesn't seem all that interested, oddly enough...she's rather scream till she gets carried everywhere she wants to go.

Bath time and making her brothers laugh are still her favorite things to do. She's mastered the signs for "all done" and "more", and she loves showing off her skills to anyone who will pay attention. She also loves to blow kisses and wave to anyone who walks by. It is a little awkward when she's blowing kisses to the construction workers that drive by on our street...

She has 4 teeth and it's looking like she has 2 more coming in up top. Or at least that's why I'm hoping she's started waking up in the middle of the night. She's also a crazy picky eater; I blame her dad. :) She knows exactly what she does and doesn't want, and what she doesn't want ends up ALL over the floor. We're going to have to work on that.

I went to my first Matilda Jane party (girls clothing) a few weeks ago, and let me just say that having a girl is SO much fun. Oh my. The more fun girl stuff I see out there, I am so loving having a girl to dote on.

This past year has been so much fun with Harper in our family. She makes us laugh, and she keeps us on our toes. I can only imagine what more she's going to bring to our family this next year!

A few misc...

 Ethan patiently sat still for me one morning while I played with different filters on my camera. He enjoyed acting out different emotions with his facial expressions. He's always been quite expressive with his face...we never wonder what he's feeling or thinking!

 Harper has been struggling to go to sleep lately. I think it's partly due to teeth and partly due to life is becoming more and more exciting! If I give her a book to look at when I put her down, it has seemed to help her calm down. I found her out cold one afternoon folded over her book and legs during her nap. It looked SO uncomfortable, but I was too scared to move her. With this hair-do upon waking up, I decided it couldn't have been too bad...looks like she slept quite well!

 And check out that "pony tail"! (not sure what to call it!?) Regardless, I was beyond excited to be able to do something with her hair. Now if I can just get her to leave them in.

Owen is continuing to come into his own. He's loving this warmer weather. He spends most of his day "working hard at his job" which consists of digging, playing in the sand box and driving his tractor in circles. He keeps talking about his "friend at work, John Michael, that is really sick". I don't know if I'm more worried about his imaginary co-worker or that that co-worker is really sick...

Grandma, Birthdays & Radiohead

 This past weekend, Chris and I took our first trip away since Harper was born, and it was heavenly! Grandma Debbie came into town to watch the kids, and they LOVED getting time with her. She even brought a birthday celebration with her - complete with cupcakes, candles and gifts for the kids. Owen couldn't have been happier to get another battery for his tractor (how many 3 year olds get excited about a battery?!?), Ethan hasn't wanted to put his LeapPad down since he got it, and I have a feeling Harper is going to love pushing her stroller around once she figures out how to walk. Thanks, Grandma, for the great gifts!

 Harper got to experience her first cupcake (I think), and you can tell by the pictures she was LOVING it. She really must love Grandma since she was willing to share with her...

Chris and I drove to Kansas City to watch one of our favorite bands, Radiohead play. Honestly, the silent car ride was almost as exciting as seeing Thom Yorke on stage. You know you're a parent when that's the case... We thoroughly enjoyed carrying on full, complete conversations, walking around downtown KC w/o strollers or frequent potty breaks, sleeping in, a leisurely breakfast made by someone else, and of course the music was phenomenal.

Thanks Grandma for loving on our kiddos and allowing us to get some much needed time away.

Owen is 3!

My baby boy turned 3 last week. Three seems a lot bigger than 2, for some reason. He's definitely seemed more like a little boy lately rather than a toddler. He continues to entertain us with his passionate, expressive, determined, quirky ways. He still seems to relish being as different from Ethan as he can possibly be - we can't decide if it's premeditated or it's just how he naturally is. Probably a little of both. He's incredibly helpful and always needs to be busy doing a project, and he knows his construction equipment like no one I know.   

All he's wanted for awhile now is a pair of overalls. I've never really wanted to put my kids in overalls (probably because they remind me of when I wore them back in Jr High/High school...a style better left in the past), but it's hard to say "no" when your son is begging for them. And they're functional, right? He hasn't wanted to take them off since he got them, so I guess it was a good gift. 

My Dad came and got Owen this weekend and took him to Oklahoma so Owen could be a part of the ground breaking of their new house. They'd planned to come here and take Owen to a hotel like they did Ethan, but this seemed to fit Owen's interests a little better! Owen packed all of his tools and tractor toys, and was ready to go as soon as I mentioned the plan. My mom said he was up at 6 ready to go to "the construction sight", and he and Papi were out the door to get donuts and head that way by 7:30! It sounds like Owen had a blast watching the constructions workers do their thing. I also think he enjoyed having Papi all to himself. Thanks, Mimi and Papi, for the fun memories!

I feel safe...

...with these super heroes running around the house.

11 Months

We can't be this close to celebrating a 1st birthday, right?!? I can't even get myself to think about 1st birthday stuff for Harper because I think I am in denial...

This fun little lady makes us laugh every day. She's turning into a "ham" as she's learning to make funny faces, crazy loud sounds, and to dance. She can say 5 words: Momma, Dadda, Bubba, baby, and yeah. The latest addition being "baby". That girl loves her babies! It's so fascinating watching her with them. She'll pick it up, hold it on her chest, rock back and forth and kiss it. The boys have never thought to do that. 

She's yet to figure out the crawling thing completely. She can get on her hand and knees, and she does an amazing "plank", but there's no movement forward on her hands and knees. She still manages to get into everything and always end up under a piece of furniture. 

She's also already learning to work us. She gives the BEST hugs and cuddles - right before it's time to go to bed. She's learned that if she cuddles really well, I'll hold her longer. And she's mastering the bottom lip when she gets sad - pretty sure Chris would give her a car if she could ask for one when she does that. She's going to give us a run for our money!

I am loving having a daughter. I never thought I would, but I am. Harper Laine has been such a blessing to our family these past 11 months!

Random

 Ethan & Owen generally play together, but lately Owen has started playing with Harper and she LOVES it. I look forward to seeing my kid's friendships form...

Daily Happenings: Ethan has started making up his own costumes so he can be whatever super hero he's obsessed with at the moment. Oddly enough, most of the costumes end up involving his underwear. This day he was Black Panther. Also, as a "winding down" activity before bed, the kids have started jumping off our bed into a pile of pillows. Just the thing to get them calm and sleepy, right?!

A Busy Farmer

The other morning I heard the boys talking, and it went something like this...

Ethan: I am Admiral Ackbar, and I am in charge of combat operations against the Galactic Empire. Who are you, Owen?

Owen: I'm nobody. I'm a farmer, and I need to go outside and feed my cows.

And that's a pretty typical day for my Owen. If he's not riding his tractor, he's feeding his imaginary cows, chickens, goats, sheep and Z Donks. (think he got some inspiration from his Paw Paw?!)

It has been so fun watching the boys be so incredibly different. Owen's favorite show right now is "Mighty Machines" - all they show is different construction sites and the functions of each machine. He claims to be "over Bob the Builder" too. I've learned not to question or correct him when he's talking about different types of machine .

AND this big guy has decided he's "over diapers" too. Last week, as I was changing his diaper, I could see him thinking really hard. He finally told me that his stomach was a cement mixer and he would only be putting cement in the toilet from here on out. That's all it took. I haven't changed a dirty diaper since then! He's had a couple of small accidents with peeing, but overall he's done AMAZING. I haven't had to do a thing...he goes when he needs to, has been waking up completely dry from naps and bed, and he's so determined that I don't even have to remind him. I knew it would have to be his idea, but I didn't know it would be so easy when he decided he was ready.

We're getting closer to 3 years old, and I feel like my Baby Boy is growing leaps and bounds!

My FIVE Year Old

I can't believe my first born is five! For some reason it seems sooo much older than 4. We've decided to one big birthday party for all three kids in March, so Ethan's birthday looked a little different this year. We woke him up the morning of his birthday to balloons and cupcakes. He got to pick what he ate for all three meals, and he received a few action figures as gifts. I think the biggest deal for him was that turning 5 means you get to sit with your parents in "big church". He was really excited to be a big guy with us that Sunday morning. (I hope the excitement continues...)

The highlight of his birthday weekend was from Mimi and Papi, though. (unfortunately I didn't get any pictures!) They came in town Friday afternoon, picked Ethan up and took him to a movie, then to Chuck E Cheeses, and then to a hotel where he got to swim and spend the night with them. Saturday morning he requested donuts in bed while he watched cartoons. He was in heaven. My mom said he didn't stop talking from the minute they picked him up to the minute they dropped him off! I think he enjoyed the one-on-one time! Thanks, Mimi and Papi!

Harper is 10 Months Old

My baby girl is getting big. She's continuing to grow up too fast for me. It's the small things like her being pretty much done with baby food, that makes me kind of sad. And packing up clothes that are suddenly too small. Of course, it's also really fun watching her turn into her own little person. She's going to be a little firecracker, I think! She's becoming quite verbal - if people aren't paying attention to her she yells. Loudly. I think with the influence of her brothers, she thinks that growling at people is a normal way to communicate too. She was playing with a sweet little girl her age at church (an only child), and Harper wanted the toy she had. So, naturally, she got in her face, growled, and took it. The poor little girl started crying. Oy. 

Harper is on the cusp of learning to crawl. She scoots and rolls all over the place, and for some reason she always ends up under the couch! She can get on her hands and knees and rock but hasn't figured out how to actually crawl. I think I'm pretty okay with that...although it's a source of major frustration for her. 

She loves dolls. It's really cute. She has one baby doll in her bed, and she knows exactly what I'm talking about when I say, "Let's go find Baby." Almost every night she's asleep holding her baby. 

She has two teeth in the bottom, and there doesn't appear to be any more coming in any time soon. 

She's quite strong and determined, we're seeing. Just try taking something from her. That girl has a grip!

Her brothers make her laugh like no one else can. She just watches them...and you can tell she's dying to keep up with them. I let Harper and Owen take a bath together the other night while Ethan was at the ER (he's fine), and I don't know that I've seen Harper laugh so much. 

Christmas 2011 Part 2 AND 3

 Yes, it's February and I am just finishing blogging about Christmas. I haven't been able to keep up very well (obviously!), but I couldn't not talk about our celebrating Christmas 2 more times after the actual holiday! That's how we roll...we like to draggggg it out and savor every moment...

We spent New Years Eve in Mulberry with Chris' dad and his brother's family. The day was full of playing basketball, watching football on tv, eating lots of food, the kids getting fun gifts, and I even got to go to a movie with Kerri and Alyssa. (that's exciting these days)  Harper got her first Holiday Barbie from Paw Paw (a yearly tradition for his granddaughters). She wanted it out of the box as soon as she saw it! Owen of course got lots of tractors and trucks, and Ethan a ton of superhero stuff.

The next week, Grandma Debbie and Lynn came to celebrate Christmas Part 3. We had fun hanging out with them on Friday night and showing them the new places to eat in the square and the newly renovated Walton 5 & Dime. Sunday the other Hoyles came and we ate lunch, watched the kids play with all their toys, and then hit the ice skating rink. Ethan got it his long-awaited Wolverine costume from Grandma, while Harper got her first real baby doll (whom she tried to eat her face off), and Owen got a tractor. (That kid hasn't gotten off of it since!)

Christmas 2011 was pretty wonderful! We're so thankful for all the fun memories with our family.

Christmas 2011

We started the holiday off by celebrating with just our family on the 23rd. We read the story of Jesus' birth and then had the kids come downstairs to see their stocking stuffers. The highlight of Harper's morning was the wrapping paper, of course. I know she had fun, but most of the pictures I got of her she was giving me really interesting faces. Owen had a very "yellow Christmas"...he got a box full of tractors, backhos, trackhos, etc. He was in heaven. And Ethan's favorite gift was the box of Legos. They'll probably be my least favorite as I step on them...

The 24th we headed to Stillwater to celebrate with my family at what will be the last Christmas in the house I grew up. (my parents are moving to OKC as soon as they sell their house) It was a little bittersweet, but with all the craziness of 15 people in one home, there wasn't much time to think about it!

Mimi as always did a wonderful job of picking out stocking stuffers for everyone. It was the first time I got to see the stocking she'd made for Harper - it was so cute. After we went to church Christmas morning, the kids opened their gifts together. Owen LOVED his cement mixer, Harper was thrilled to get a doll (the only gift she's been excited about to date!), and Ethan was excited to get a new Batman and Wolverine. The adults enjoyed opening gifts that evening when all the kids went to bed.

Micah & Harper seemed to bond over bath time. Just the beginning of a good friendship!

The rest of the time we enjoyed hanging out together. We spent time playing in the back yard where Jon and Josh had an entertaining wrestling match. The frisbee and football were thrown around, and the kids had fun playing together. Donuts were eaten, Aspen Coffee shop was visited multiple times, and there was a lot of laughter! And in true Dodson fashion, we all shared the stomach bug. It's been the gift that has kept on giving...I think we're ready to end that tradition and start a new one! Next year will definitely be different celebrating in a new town and a new house, but I think we've all agreed that as long as the same people are there, we're good to go!

December, where did you go?

Man, I have really not done a very good job of staying up to date. So here is a re-cap of the past month...

 After we got back from celebrating Thanksgiving, we busted out the Christmas decor and got in the holiday spirit. Well, all of us but Owen. He was in a terrible mood that whole day... We all managed to enjoy ourselves in spite of his tears!

 We also went to the skating rink for the first time. We were so excited when they opened it last year, but with me being pregnant and Chris having a bum knee, it didn't happen. This first time there I think we only made it around the rink twice, but we had a good time going at a snail's pace. Ethan tossed the blue "guide" by the end and was doing really well. I, however, needed a back rub after pushing Owen around! Harper and Chris enjoyed cheering us on.

 One of our holiday traditions is making decorating cookies with our friends the Marleys. Harper and her buddy Jett enjoyed chilling on the floor while the older kids ate more icing and candy than what made it on the cookies. As always, we had a blast with them. Next year should be fun with the two little ones running around...

We also had our annual Christmas party, and the theme was "Holiday Cheer". (aka: wear whatever you want) I loved the eclectic mix of attire that we had - everything from sweats to sequins. We also played "the favorites game", and even though it was a tad confusing, I think everyone ended up with some really fun gifts. I also can't help but mention that the women dominated in our own version of Taboo. I was especially thankful this year at our party b/c the Harris' were able to attend. It is SO good having them back from NE, and James' boisterous laugh throughout the night was a wonderful sound to hear!

2011 has been a full year...full of immense joy (Harper's birth!!!), tears as we've walked with good friends struggling, thankfulness as the Lord has been faithful in it all, and so much laughter with these three amazing little humans the Lord has blessed us with. We give the Lord the glory for it all, and we're looking forward to another full and blessed year!

"I'm 9 Months Old!"

This is the first time since Harper has been born that I have had that feeling of "MY BABY IS GROWING UP TOO FAST!". I don't know what exactly has happen to make me feel this way, but I find myself wanting to soak up every little moment that she's at this fun stage. I have even tried to cuddle with her at night before I put her to bed, but just like her older brothers, she will have none of it.

She's doing better at eating table food, and seems to prefer feeding herself than having someone else feed her baby food. (independent little lady - go figure) She can wave good-bye, clap, nod "yes" and "no" ("yes" is my favorite b/c you can tell she really has to think about it), roll all over the place, make kissy faces when you ask for a kiss, and she's started pushing up but hasn't figured out how to get on her knees yet. She loves pulling things out of baskets or buckets, and she can throw a nice left hook when someone (ie: a brother) gets too close. She also seems to really enjoy having an audience...she loves having people watch and laugh at her. Oh, and she got her first tooth! I felt like a horrible mom that found it WAY after the fact. Come to find out she was cranky for a reason.

Yesterday I took a box her her baby clothes and all her baby gear/toys to be stored (thanks to the Harris storage unit!), and I also lowered her crib down a notch. As I was feeling nostalgic about removing all the signs of a baby, I am also really excited to continue to watch this fun little person grow and change. She is only going to enrich our lives more every day and entertain us like crazy, and that is something to look forward to!

(Think Daddy is going to be able to tell this face "no"??? Doubt it.)

Thanksgiving 2011

We got to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year, and I'm pretty sure I haven't eaten that much in a lonnnng time! We started out the day celebrating with Chris' mom's side of the family. Man, those Smither women know how to cook!  After we ate, the kids had a blast playing with their cousins, and the adults enjoyed good conversation over full bellies. Debbie and her sister had a "grandma sleep challenge" while we were there...who could rock/sway/bounce their grandbaby to sleep first. :) Grandma Debbie and Harper blew all competition out of the water - Harper was out cold in just a minute or two. We were so thankful that we were able to get together with this side of the family even though we didn't have Nanny and her house to bring us all together.

Later that afternoon, we headed to Greg and Kerri's house for another amazing meal. Kerri flat knows how to cook, and she puts on some wonderful meals for the family. I'm so thankful for her mad cooking skills! The kids, as always, loved playing with their big cousins. Alyssa is by far Harper's favorite babysitter, and Ethan was Adam's shadow the entire time. Owen is pretty much stuck to Paw Paw most of the time too.

The following day we spent at Paw Paw's, and the boys were in heaven. Owen got to feed all the different animals, collect eggs, and ride tractors and 4-wheelers. He even found some old tractor toys that belonged to Chris and Greg, that when he wasn't outside on the real things, he was inside playing "tractors". Ethan loved playing with all the action figures inside, and playing outside with Adam. I even snuck in the latest Twilight movie with Kerri and Alyssa. Good times!

We have so much to be thankful for this year. 2011 has been full of ups (Harper being born!) and some downs (really good friends dealing with crazy illnesses), but through it all we've been reminded that the Lord sustains us in all things and that He's always good. We feel blessed and rich beyond measure. Thank you, Lord!

7 Months, 8 Months & a Baptism

 So we're doing a little bit of catch-up with poor Harper. The joys of being the 3rd child. She's had a busy last two months. She's mastered sitting up by herself - something she enjoys so much that it kept her up at night thinking about it. (or at least that's what I am blaming her waking up numerous times on!) She loves to clap, watch her brothers play, "dance" to music, and to be talked to. If someone isn't talking to her, she knows how to yell loudly to get attention. She's also finally figured out how to roll back and forth, thankfully. For about 2 weeks, she would get stuck on her belly, wake up and scream. (yes, I haven't been sleeping well these past two months!) She also loves to babble...we're hearing things like "Dadada", "Bub-bub-bub" and "Mama". I am sure she's talking about her family. Oh, and she's finally overcome her tongue thrust and seems to be enjoying eating baby food. She is still not taking any sort of bottle or sippy cup though...

This past weekend we finally got Harper baptized too. My mom made her a beautiful white dress to wear, and I am planning on putting it in a shadow box so Harper can have it as a keepsake. (I LOVE having a daughter!) Harper did wonderful during the baptism and her brothers did too. Thanks to Mimi and Papi for coming to share in the special day!

The LIghting of the Square

My parents try to come every year for the lighting of our downtown square. (Last year we were fighting a stomach bug, so they didn't make it.) BUT this year everyone was healthy and we had a blast hanging out with them. The guys played baseball outside and superheroes inside while my mom and I managed to fit a little bit of shopping in. I think Mimi and Papi read every book we checked out from the library at least 4 times to the boys, and Harper enjoyed being held and wearing Papi's hats. The square lighting was fun - we got to listen to a choir sing and the boys enjoyed dancing. After the lights were turned on, we took my parents to the original 5 & Dime/WalMart museum. I think the highlight for Owen, though, was playing on the construction site on our way back to the car after the night was over! Thanks Mimi and Papi for visiting!

The Nina & The Pinta

This past Monday, we decided last minute to head to Ft Smith to see life sized replicas of the ships The Nina and The Pinta. They travel all over the US every year, so we thought it would be fun to see what the ships that Christopher Columbus sailed on. It was quite the adventure... It took us awhile to get on the road, and about half way there Owen threw up. Had we been by ourselves, we would have turned around and gone home, but it killed me to make the Higley girls miss out. So after a lot of cleaning and much debate, we decided he had just been car sick and we headed on South. His clothes were covered, so we had to hit a WalMart before we went to the ships. I ended up carrying Owen into the store with just his diaper on, buying clothes, air freshner and Lysol. Good times. After he changed, we headed to the ships. We managed to catch a tour, and that helped keep the kids interested. (The people giving the tours actually live on the ships and sail them from place to place on the tour.) After about 30 minutes, we were done, so we stopped at a local burger joint for lunch. It was not fast food by any means, but it was good and the kids had fun talking about the ships. We ended up getting home 3 hours than we'd initially planned, and poor Elli's car seat will never be the same, thanks to Owen...but we made some memories!

I'm a Sucker

I came downstairs one afternoon after putting Harper and Owen down for nap to hear a faint meowing sound. And then I saw a grey streak in the living room with Ethan following behind laughing. (mind you, we do not own an animal of any sort) It never crossed my mind to clarify that we do not let animals into the house, but apparently I should have because Ethan was playing with a stray cat in my living room! I couldn't decide if I was grossed out or thought it was sweet. A little startled I reprimanded Ethan and told him to get the cat outside. He burst into tears, sobbing, "The cat is my best friend! He will be sad and lonely outside without me!" And my heart melted. A little. Next thing I know we're giving the cat a bowl full of milk and some extra lunch meat. I try to justify the treat by telling myself that the cat WON'T poop in our sandbox and he'll catch lots of mice as a "thank you" for the food. Regardless, that cat has become a permanent fixture in our backyard. I guess as long as he stays out there...

Halloween 2011

It was another fun Halloween as we celebrated with our neighborhood and a few friends again. We grilled out hotdogs, ate lots of candy, and had fun watching all the kids run around together in their costumes. Ethan started out the night as Captain America and closed it down with War Machine. Owen was Bob the Builder, and Harper was a cute lady bug. Owen wasn't overly happy most of the evening b/c he didn't like his overalls, but once he realized exactly what Trick or Treating consisted of (getting candy) Halloween became his favorite holiday!