Harper is 6 Months Old

A half a year has gone by since my little lady was born...that does not seem possible. At all. It's been a fun and fast 6 months...

She's becoming more and more vocal - to the point where we're having to talk over her at dinner. Owen has even told her she's loud, and coming from him, that speaks volumes (pun intended). My favorite thing right now is her belly laughs. Her brothers and our neighbor, Emma, can make her laugh hysterically. It's a beautiful sound! She also loves to pat things. When someone holds her she pats their arm. When she's at the table, she pats it. When she lays in her crib to go to sleep, she pats her tummy. Maybe we'll have a drummer?!

She's finally rolled over (from back to front), but mostly she likes trying to sit up on her own and take in everything. She's sitting pretty well on her own, but her head does seem to pull her over. (I took her in for her 6 month well-check, and she's in the 10th percentile in weight, 15th in height, and 70th in head size. A true Hoyle baby.)

She tried eating "solids" for the first time last week, and it hasn't gone over very well. She has a serious case of tongue thrust, so nothing is staying in right now. She still doesn't take a bottle or a sippy cup. Surely one of these days she'll be able to eat without me!

A Visit from Mimi

Mimi came to visit last week and it was so fun having her around for two days! She managed to whip together curtains for my room that I have been too scared to start myself, as well as getting some good time with the kiddos. Thanks for the visit, Mimi!

Oweo

I'm having fun playing with my new camera and trying to figure it out. I'm also realizing that the whole editing process is a completely different world that I'm going to have to try and learn too. I have no clue what I am doing right now, but I'm having fun trying... This picture was pretty cute to look at while playing in Photoshop. (I am sure I have bathrooms or something I should be cleaning right now...)

Guy's Morning

As much as it pains me to have the men in my life wearing OU paraphernalia, I have to admit I think they're pretty cute all dressed up together. They all decided to don their red for a Saturday morning donut run, while Harper and I had a quiet morning at home. I guess she and I will have to wear our OSU orange together and go for quiche or something.

Rosemary Beach 2011

We took our first family vacation as a family of 5 this past month as we went to Florida with my brother and his family. Flying with 3 kids seemed a little daunting, but we decided it was worth trying with a beautiful beach as our "prize". (sorry this post will be annoyingly long and full of lots of pictures!)

We flew from Tulsa and met my brother's family in Houston. We were so excited that it worked out for us to fly together at least one leg of the trip, and we felt a little sorry for the other passengers as we had 6 kids 5 years old and under with us! The kids, however, did amazing and I think they could have been happy with just a family trip of flying on airplanes. I think one of the more comical times of our trip was getting all our luggage at the airport when we arrived. Between the two families we had 12 bags (thank you Southwest for letting us check so much stuff!), 2 double strollers, and 6 really excited kids. I felt like we were the 3 ring circus entertaining all the people in airport. At one point I had a woman ask me if they were all my kids. Right.

We got to the house around 5:30, unpacked our bags and headed straight to the beach with the kids. The sunset was gorgeous and the kids couldn't believe how much cooler this was than just riding an airplane! Ethan had no qualms about jumping right into the water, and it was so fun watching his complete joy swimming in the water. Owen was a little more hesitant, but he was thrilled to play in the sand.
Our first morning there we ate and headed straight out to the beach. This was Harper's first time to see it all, and she wasn't overly impressed. I think it mostly had to do with the fact that she was NOT feeling well. She did grab a handful of sand and try to eat...so she was checking it out!

True to form the boys approached the beach very differently! Ethan was in the water the minute we got there and didn't get out till it was time to leave. Owen, however, was not a fan of the waves and chose to let them touch him a little bit - if he wasn't busy "cooking" with Claire in the sand.



All the cousins got along wonderfully. Jack and Ethan picked right up where they left off last time, and they loved swimming together. Claire and Owen were the most surprising buddies of the trip...they both have the tendency to play in their own world and not with other people. Fortunately, their worlds meshed well together, and they both seemed to love playing together. By the end of the trip, Claire was calling Owen "punkin' " and Owen called Claire "Clairey". It was pretty cute.


We went to Seaside one afternoon for lunch at the Modeco Market. We also hit a fun ice cream shop that was on the Today for having chocolate dipped key lime pie (it was wonderful!). We also were sure to hit "The Sugar Shak" that was around the corner from our house. It was every kid's dream full of candy for any taste. One morning we walked to The Donut Truck only to find it closed, so we settled for powdered donuts from a convenience store to appease the distraught kids. They seemed just as happy with the donuts, but we adults were saddened because they did not taste as good as we remembered from our childhood!
The last night Chris and I went on a date to Cafe 33 (Jon and Katie went to The Red Barn the night before), and we enjoyed some AMAZING seafood and a beautiful walk on the beach afterwards.

It was such a wonderful vacation, and we are so thankful that we were able to share it with our family. I am pretty sure we're all ready to go back in 2012!

A Harper Taco

Sometimes I wonder if Harper should be a little less laid back. I was making dinner and Chris was playing with the boys, and Harper was content on her mat. Little did we know she was IN her mat... It scared me a first - until I saw her face.

The Rest of LABOR Day Weekend

The rest of our Labor Day weekend was pretty relaxed. Saturday morning we went to the farmer's market and ate crepes for breakfast. Owen loves watching "The Crepe Lady" make our food, and he spend the rest of the day pretending to be the Crepe Lady making us food. (we need to introduce him to a crepe making MAN) We enjoyed spending as much time outside as possible and soaking up every minute of the beautiful weather! On Monday, we went to the lake with our friends. I wasn't sure how to handle a boat and a 5 month old baby, but we borrowed a friend's infant life jacket and decided to try it out. Harper is mostly very chill about things, but as soon as that boat got going she was NOT happy. I think she and I lasted 5 minutes on the boat till I took her home. When the wind hit her face she couldn't breath, and when she'd catch her breath she'd scream. I was sad to leave the boys and Chris on the boat and miss out on the fun, but it wasn't worth it. I guess there's always next year... All in all though, it was a perfect Labor Day weekend. Now on to our Florida trip to finish telling summer good-bye!

Starting LABOR Day Weekend Off Right

Chris had Friday off, so we decided it was time to head down South and visit Paw Paw on the farm. I forgot my camera, so I didn't capture a lot of the fun we had, but I did get some of it with my phone camera. The boys had a good time collecting eggs, and I am enjoying the fruits of their labor with almost 200 eggs in my frig now! (thanks, Paw Paw!) They visited and fed a lot of the animals on the farm, rode the four wheeler, and they even got to see some of their cousins for a little bit.
We also made it down to the creek. It was Harper's first time to be down there, and after she realized all she needed to do was lay back and enjoy the ride in her boat, she was happy as can be. I think Owen preferred being around the animals and on the 4 wheeler, but he did enjoy floating down the creek with Chris and his big brother. Ethan, however, loved every minute of the water and enjoyed the rope swing. It's fun that they both have different aspects of the farm that they REALLY enjoy.

Artistic Spiderman

I've been inspired by Pinterest lately to do some re-decorating, and painting the kitchen was something I did two weekends ago. I also painted the chalkboard and cork board that were in the mudroom a cream color and then moved them into my new blue kitchen so the boys could draw on it. Ethan broke the chalkboard in by drawing me a picture. When he was done he said, "Mom this is a picture of you. It shows how I feel more in love with you every day." Ah, he's going to make some woman very happy one day with his romantic side. As long as she can handle his mood swings...

5 Months

My girl is closer to 6 months now than 5 months, but better late than never, right?! It's been a fun last month as Harper is becoming more engaged with her surroundings. She's really close to rolling over, but lifting her head up seems to be a really big task thus far. (she graduated to the 60th percentile in head size at her 4 month check up...35th in weight and 20th in height) She still has refused to take a bottle, so I am attempting to get her to start a sippy cup. It's been our breakfast entertainment watching her try to get the cup to her mouth. The boys do not understand what is so difficult about it! She's obsessed with her hands and constantly has them in her mouth. I keep trying to give her a pacifier thinking it might be an easier habit to break, but she'll have nothing to do with it. She also seems like she has a lot to say if she could just get the words out. When someone talks to her, she gets her mouth all ready but all that comes out are coos. It's pretty cute. I am hearing that she looks a lot like Owen these days...with a smaller head. Thank the Lord.

The Many Faces of Ethan

I found a good tutorial online on how to make eyes in pictures stand out/sparkle. The whole photography and image editing world is completely overwhelming at this point, but I decided I need to at least try it out. I asked my trusty model, Ethan, to head outside and strut his stuff so maybe I could get some good pictures of his eyes. (I promised a cookie if he would stand still and not keep running off) He's my very emotionally in-tuned child, so it was hilarious asking him to show me "sad"...give me "angry"...how about "happy"...."sad"..."scared"? (I've always thought him watching Thomas the Train and observing all their moods and faces helped develop this side of him, but Owen has watched the same thing and could care less about emotions. He seems to have two emotions: happy or really unhappy...) I'm not sure I got any stunning photographs, but I was able to start playing around with making his eyes stand out a bit more, and we both enjoyed a nice cookie after all the hard work!

Brothers

The boys are having more and more fun playing together these days, but Ethan still is a bigger brother who enjoys getting a rise out of his little brother. This particular day they started out riding together and singing as they went down the street. Until Ethan started going down the driveways. Then anytime he'd go up an incline, Owen would freak out thinking he was about to fall out. Ethan would laugh a horrible laugh, Owen would scream...then they'd be fine...till the next driveway.
Harper is taking notes for now. I'm sure she'll put all that she's learning now to good use some day soon.

Grandma Debbie

Chris' mom and her husband, Lynn, came to visit last weekend. They drove the "bus" here, and the boys thought it was the coolest thing being able to drive around in a vehicle with a bed, couch, kitchen and bathroom in it. That really is the way to travel! The boys loved playing on the bus and drinking peach water (a Grandma Debbie trademark drink). We had a fun Saturday that started out with crepes and smoothies at the Farmer's Market, and then the boys took Debbie and Lynn to the pool to show off their swimming skills. That afternoon a random rain shower hit, and the boys entertained us all with a dance party in the rain. It was so fun having them here and making memories! Now if we could only talk them into borrowing their bus to take a few trips of our own...

My boys

It's been sooooo hot lately. We've stayed inside more than usual because of the heat, and it's been fun watching the boys entertain themselves and seeing just how different that looks for each of them. Regardless of the heat, Owen wants to be outside mowing or playing in the sandbox. This particular day he was playing "Dad" and was wearing his stuffed dog in his "moby wrap" (aka shirt) as he mowed. Ethan, however is completely content sitting inside imagining a whole world with his action figures or acting something out himself. As Owen was mowing, Ethan was pretending to be Han Solo in a blizzard looking for Luke Skywalker. It seemed a little weird getting all the hats and gloves out, but whatever it takes to help out his story!

Look out your window...are pigs flying?

My mom is an amazing seamstress. She made me clothes growing up, and now she's making all her granddaughters adorable clothes. Since having a daughter of my own, something has sparked me to be creative in a new way, and I had an urge to learn to sew for the first time ever. (I never thought I'd say that. Ever.) While we were in Stillwater I had my mom teach me how to sew a VERY simple dress for Harper. It is by no means perfect, but it's a small step in learning! I put it on Harper to wear to church today, and it was fun seeing her wear something I'd made!

Mimi's & Papi's

This past week Chris had a business trip, so I decided to take the kids to OK for a few days. It just so happened that Jon and Katie had a trip planned as well, so their three kids were already staying at my parents. I decided we could go "help out" with things, but I am not sure how much we helped out rather than adding to the chaos!

The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. My parent's family room was in a constant state of disarray as Jack and Ethan had chairs, tables and stools overturned to make camp sites, doctor's offices, and who knows what else. Claire and Owen actually played together for the first time too, and it was really, really cute. Owen had his lawn mower and Claire had her shopping cart, and I think they logged several miles going in circles over and over again around my parent's fireplace. They went on "dates" to get coffee and cupcakes (with sprinkles), and the last day was spent with Claire lying on the couch making a grocery list for Owen to go to the store for her. (I have no idea where they're seeing this modeled...)

We also spent a lot of time at the pool, although I wasn't brave enough to take my camera there to document it. The kids loved swimming, and I think my mom and I enjoyed having them get their energy out somewhere other than inside the house! My dad was wonderful as he watched the Lily and Harper while we went to the pool. The sweet younger girls spent a lot of time observing the craziness put on by their siblings!

My mom amazed me as she managed to feed all nine of us, keep a relatively clean house, AND teach me to sew all in the meantime. (I'll have to blog about that a little later) She's truly superwoman. Thanks mom for all that you did for us!

Harper is 4 Months Old

My little lady is 4 months old - where is time going?!! She continues to be so easy and sweet... Her hands have become her new favorite toy, and when they're not in her mouth, they're grabbing for anything remotely close. She has started getting bored just laying around, so we put her in the bouncer and she has LOVED it. I think it helps that she can have a full view of what her brothers are doing... She's started belly laughing too, which has to be my favorite thing a baby does.
She's still sleeping like a champ at night, and we're starting to work on a little more consistent naps. The poor thing gets dragged all over in the mornings when there are things to do for her brothers; luckily she rolls with it pretty easily.
The "rolling with it" causes her to be tired some days, which is why she can fall asleep in the strangest positions. These are just a few of the places she's fallen asleep!

Bye-Bye Plugs

It was a big week for Owen; he told his "plugs" (aka pacifiers) good-bye forever and ever. I think Chris and I dreaded getting rid of them more than Owen did. It had turned into a crutch for us when we needed him to be quiet and go to sleep. But after he cried for an hour in the car on the way back from Tulsa b/c he wanted a plug, I decided it was time to be done. We waited for a trash day so he could watch the trash man come and take them away. He loves watching the trash men anyway, and it was just a plus that someone else could be an unwitting scapegoat! We talked it up for a few days, and then on Thursday morning we collected all the plugs, put them in a baggy and I let Owen put them in the trash can. He waited all morning for the truck to come. His patience paid off; while he was playing at a neighbor's, he heard the truck and managed to see it take his plugs away. He was certainly a big talker as he told everyone his plugs were gone for ever and that he was a big boy now. That talk ended as soon as it was nap time. I'm pretty sure he cried for over an hour and it sounded something like this... "Me want my plugs! Me no like that trash guy! Bad trash guy! Me never sleep, ever ever again! Me need my plugs NOW!" I should have gotten some audio... That night it helped that he was over tired b/c he fell asleep pretty quickly...only to wake up a midnight crying. That lasted about a half an hour, and then he was done. The last two naps have gone smoothly, and last night he slept all night. It really wasn't as painful as I had anticipated, thank the Lord! Now on to potty training...yeah, right.

4th of July

We had an incredibly fun and memorable July 4th holiday weekend this year. My dad's side of the family had its first ever reunion, and almost everyone on the Dodson side made it. (My rough estimate is that 37 people were there!) My cousin, Becky, and her husband, Brian, opening up their house to all the insanity, and fed us all almost every meal, had rooms/beds for three different families, clothed several kids, provided entertainment, and organized the entire weekend. (THANKS, Carlozzis!!!) It was so fun seeing all of the cousin's kids play together, and Owen even became very attached to a couple of my uncles. ("Hey, Unca Bob. What you doin'?") My kids had a blast with so many people to play with, fun things to do, LATE bedtimes, and great food to eat. (They now think that Sprite should come with every meal...) Even us "big cousins" were able to go out one night while our parents watched our 12 kids. It was a blast hanging out with everyone, and the major rain storm that we had to run back home in will forever be a fond memory. (minus my graceful run-in with a sidewalk that resulted in my sliding across concrete and almost breaking my toe!) I am so thankful for family, and it was such a good reminder that although it takes work to make things like this happen, it is so worth it for the memories and the relationships that get strengthened.
One of the things we did while we were there was go to the OKC zoo. I think the sea lion show was by far the boy's favorite thing, but they also really enjoyed seeing a lion up close, and they were pretty pumped to see a baby elephant too.
We came back the the afternoon of the 4th pretty much exhausted, but we made it to a cookout hosted by our friends the Walkers, and we came back to our driveway for some sparklers and to see some of the fireworks put on by the city. It truly was one of the best 4th of July holidays we've ever had!

The Kiddos

The boys have really started playing together, and I love it! It's hilarious hearing their imaginations work together. They've been on a recent kick of "going camping". Owen packs all the food in his Thomas the Train back pack, and Ethan packs all the guns they'll need to protect themselves from "the bad guys". Last week they were "headed to the mountains" and they needed some hats and gloves. This is what they put together.
Harper has started cooing and chatting when someone talks to her. It's pretty cute. I think she has a lot to say...