Sisters

Ella is so in love with Harper. She lights up just seeing her every morning, and begs to hold her all the time. She tells me, "Mom, I love having a sister! We're going to be such big buddies when we grow up!" I wanted a sister more than anything when I was younger, and I hope and pray these two will grow up to be "big buddies"!

Fun, fun, fun!

We had some fun company over last weekend. Uncle Jared came up to hang out with us for a few days and, of course, to meet Miss Harper. Papaw, Mamaw, and Payton came up, too! Harper was excited to meet her big cousin! No matter that it was almost a hundred degrees- these three could still find things to do outside all day long. Action shot! I love this! They took turns cooling down with a drink from the hose... Mamaw stayed inside with Harper. You know she hated having to do that! =) Papaw got some cuddle time in there, too! Relaxing with some popsicles... Uncle Jared stayed until Monday afternoon. It was fun getting to hang out. That kid is a constant laugh! Ella and Cade loved having him around, too. Goofballs! Thanks for coming up, you all! Come see us again soon!!

Sweet boy

Cade was holding and loving on Harper last night. He absolutely melted my heart when, out of the blue, he said, "And Jesus, thank you bu-ful (beautiful) day and thank you baby sisser. Amen." Such a thoughtful and precious boy!

Two weeks

Harper, you are two weeks old today! I can't believe how much you have already changed. Your weight was up to seven pounds, ten ounces at the doctor this week- you're growing too fast, Sweet Girl! You're beginning to be a little more awake during the day, and we're loving getting to see those big, brown eyes more often. You are still so content and take all your big sister and brother's sweet (& aggressive) hugs and kisses without batting an eyelash. You make the most darling facial expressions and I could sit and watch you all day long! Little Harper, we love you so much! We thank Jesus every single day for blessing us with your new and amazing, little life!

Spoiled

Chris is such a great daddy and is doing everything he can to make sure Ella and Cade feel special these days. He's been taking Ella on bike rides and getting in lots of wrestle time with Cade. I feel so busy these days and am always wishing for more time to just sit down and play with them, so I really appreciate him jumping in and carving out the extra time. He completely spoiled them this weekend. They ran to Target and both ended up with new scooters. Cade got a new (you guessed it!) Lightning McQueen scooter and was all about helping Daddy put it together... He jumped right on and took it for a spin through the dining room. I am so impressed with how good he does on this thing for only being 2 years old! They couldn't wait to try them outside... Ella got a new razor scooter and she's awfully fast on hers, too! They both ended up with "scooter scars" that they're kind of proud of. =) Daddy also wanted to treat us to ice cream, so we went to (where else?) The Cone!! Cade was so excited! He was jumping around, saying, "Ice cream cone! Ice cream cone!" Then he walked over to this cone and said, "Mom! Cheese!" ha! I'm teaching him well! Yum! Happy girl Of course, we rode almost every single quarter ride. Cade loves this big Tonka truck. Ella wanted a picture with the Cat in the Hat... And once we were home and the big kids were in bed, Harper got some special time with Dad, too. So sweet! Thanks for spoiling us, Daddy! We love you!!

Loud and noisy

I was cracking up the other day as I was watching this- it was so unbelievably chaotic and noisy around here and yet, Harper just keeps on sleeping! I love pictures like this!

First bath

Harper was not a fan of her first bath, whether she was hungry or cold or because her brother and sister were loud and arguing over who got to stand closest to watch. ha! Her sweet, little scrunch faces made for some cute pictures anyways!

Impromptu picnic

After several days at home, we decided a little impromptu picnic was in order to cure Ella and Cade's cabin fever. They were so very excited! Cade couldn't wait to drink his "sun"... Ella kept saying, "This is so fun and cool, Mom!" I love that something as simple as a picnic is so special to them. PB & J! Playtime was next! The picnic ended with some races with Daddy. Go, Ella, go!! A little fresh air, sunshine, and family time was just what we needed!

Home

It's been nine days and we are slowly but surely adjusting to being a family of five. We are treasuring our time with little Harper- we know how fast this sweet newborn stage goes! I just can't get over how precious she is! Such a little doll. I know it's really too early to tell, but so far she seems like a pretty content baby. Of course, she sleeps most of the time during the day, but when she's awake, she's content to lay in our arms or in her chair and just look around. We hardly ever hear a peep from her unless she's hungry. She's most awake at night, usually between midnight and 3 am. I guess she's used to working night shift with me! I'm hoping that will change pretty soon, because it's making for one tired, overly emotional momma during the day! Anyways, we are all so in love with her. Ella and Cade can't get enough. They usually argue over who gets to hold her first in the morning or who gets to pick out her outfit for the day. Everytime she wakes up, they come running, wanting to kiss and love on her. It's so, so sweet to see them all together! Of course, my camera is working overtime, so ready yourself for picture overload in the next few weeks! I wish I could post every single one!!

We brought Harper home from the hospital last Thursday afternoon. Two very excited, little kiddos came running out the door to greet us when we pulled in the driveway. Ella kept saying, "Harper's here! Look, Harper, this is your house, and this is where you're going to live, and this is the couch, and this is the..." She couldn't wait to show her everything! I have a picture like this bringing home each of our kiddos. It's so amazing to see how our family has grown! Ella made a special "Welcome Home, Harper" sign that she couldn't wait to show us. Family of five =)You would have thought it was Christmas morning around here when we first brought Harper home. These two could sit and play with her all day! We received some really pretty flowers... Grammy hung out with us for a couple days after we came home. We love having her around and appreciate all of her help so much! Pap came up for another quick visit, too...There is never a shortage of ready and willing arms to hold this little gal. Cade constantly puts his little hands out and says, "Hold you baby sister!" He will actually sit like this for 15-20 minutes and kiss her probably 100 times. It is so precious! Ella is enjoying being Mommy's helper and also being #2 "in charge" when Daddy's at work. =) She really does a great job and has taken it upon herself to read to Harper everyday at naptime. Just because she's so pretty... My three sweeties. For some reason, I feel like this will be a picture that repeats itself over and over again in the years to come- happy kid, happy kid, screaming baby. haha! Harper's going to have to be pretty tough to hang with these two! Another just because...And even though we don't see them very much (except in the middle of the night!), Harper has the brightest, most beautiful eyes. I finally managed to get a picture with them open. I know you're itching to grab her up and squeeze her, aren't you?!! She is just the sweetest thing!