Recap - especially for Dad

We had a very busy weekend. BP is out of town so this recap is especially for him (others are allowed to look too).

First, we celebrated Collin's 5th birthday like cowboy rock stars with a hay ride, face painting and cowboy cake...


Next, we decorated Sophie...

Then, I worked a puzzle with Collin and Uncle Ryan...





Then, I petted some horses and looked at some llamas...
And, finally, Nana and I just chilled for a while.


All the while, we were wishing you were with us.

Sponge Brain Square Pants

Harper's vocabulary is exploding! I swear she is saying 25 new words a day. It's so fun to witness.

Last night we were driving by the grocery store and she said, "KROGER!" She now says things like "Mama, more toast" and "Sit down!" and "Watch TV?" I know, I wish she didn't know what the TV was too, but please save your judgement because sometimes the TV is very helpful. It just is. The "sit down" is especially cute because she pats the ground next to her as she says it.

Another favorite is "monkey" which is what is responsible for the delight above. An real-live monkey from the zoo, not just the word.

Whaaa Daddy?

Good luck in LA, Daddy. We miss you here.

Potty Training

So, our pediatrician recently suggested that we put a "Harper-sized potty" in our bathroom to gauge her interest in potty training. Last week I found her telling Puppy and Michael* to "tee-tee." See below. *(Michael not pictured.)




She seems pretty proud of herself. I think she suspects she's figured it all out...

Ahem...

This morning I walked into the kitchen and witnessed Harper open the kitchen drawer where I keep the napkins, carefully remove one, wipe her nose with it and then gently return it to the package of napkins.

Harper Goes to the Art Museum

What?! The weekend's over? Dang.

OK, I'll get to it. This is from last week. Just a little something to keep the wolves at bay. And by wolves we mean you guys and your voracious appetite for the latest from the littlest Phillips.

Last week we went to an art museum and spent some time in the interactive kids portion where Harper did some drawing and some building and some abstracting and some light redefining of the very nature of art itself.

Here are some not especially good pics of her doing that.

Joy to the world. All the boys and girls.
--Us

A Little Something Cute for a Friday

Harper Hates Empty Calories/Capitol H.

We tried last May with cupcakes and this past weekend Amanda tried again when she enlisted Harper's help in making cookies. But there's something about sweets that sends Harper into hysterics.



In other news, we took Harper down to the park in front of the Capitol to play. She was enthralled with stories of the Tennessee Militia of 1908. Or maybe just her reflection.

Do not freak out

I know we haven't seen many of you in a while, but don't be alarmed: This is not a new sibling that we have failed to tell you about. Regular shoppers here at the Harper Hut will recognize this lovely little stunt double as Aneliese from our sister store "Bug and Bit."

Though their ages differ, they have roughly as much hair and probably the same number of teeth and, when you dress them up in matching pink pajamas, hilarity and similarity ensue.

We hope wherever you are you are also dressed in matching pajamas and hugging someone cute.

Urban Babies Wear Black

For Those About to Resolve, We Salute You

Alright, people. We've got one more weekend to really get our batteries charged and then it's off to the 08 races. Amanda covered her new year's resolutions, so here are mine:

--To have more pictures taken of myself in wooden cutouts like the one above and to use the postal service more.

Harper's resolutions as transcribed from a recent conversation are as follows:
Cheese! Carmie! Cracker? Cracker?? CRACKER?!
...All done!

Those are pretty good. I might actually change mine.

And if your resolution is any way related to being pushed around in a box, then this next video is going out to YOU!


Be careful out there.
-Harper's Folks

Happy 2008!

Well, on this first day of 2008 (gulp) I reckon I am not the only one lamenting the fact that years seem to go by like weeks these days--a reality that's more glaringly obvious than ever since Harper joined us. She adds a new feature to her repertoire almost daily now. Some things are less noticeable to the layman, like how her hair seems to grow a remarkable amount overnight. Others are much bigger, like how she now adds "mommy" or "daddy" to her sentences. As in, "thank you, Mommy." She actually thanked me for putting diaper cream on her bottom last week, which was such an unexpectedly sweet moment that I had to fight back tears as I said, "you're welcome, Harper."

So, in an effort to keep all of our Harpertown followers a little more up-to-date on her warp- speed blossoming, we've updated Harpertown a bit for 2008. Please note the newly added "Loves" and "Snubs" feature on the right side of the page and the addition of Evelyn Nugent and Gus O'Brien's blog links. Welcome Evelyn and Gus! We're so glad you're here. We look forward to watching you two grow up with Harper Mae the same way we grew up with your folks. Wow.

Here's to an incredibly happy and peaceful 2008 everyone!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays too!

It's been an eventful and lovely holiday season so far...

First, Harper picked out a Christmas Tree.


Then, she "helped" decorate the tree by removing nearly every ornament in her reach and then, more often than not, breaking them. She also discovered the joy of relaxing around a musical snow globe with her Dad.


Then she partied down with some Christmas tree cupcakes with her friends, Ava, Cate, Gavin, Ben and Alexander at a lovely brunch hosted by our friends Tiffany and Kevin.



Then we traveled to East Tennessee to celebrate Christmas with Mac Daddy (aka Mackie), Grammy and Harper's cousins. This is where Harper discovered that Christmas time truly is the most wonderful time of the year. After she opened a ridiculously wonderful amount of gifts, she walked around and around the tree saying and signing "More, More, More...peeaas?"


Merry Christmas to all Harpertown followers! We wish you all the warmest of holiday times.

Well the weather outside is frightful

but the fire is so delightful. I love that song. It's not snowing here today, but it's raining and feeling very holiday/winter-cozy.

A little something from Harper's winter collection for y'all to enjoy. Thank you, Flavia!

Guess Who Looks Just Like Her Mom as a Baby?

A Saturday Threefer

Happy Autumn, everyone.

Yello?!

You don't have to be able to pronounce yellow for it to be your favorite color.

Far too long

You know when you REALLY need to call an old friend but the thought of all the catching-up you would need to do is so daunting that you just keep putting it off? Furthermore, you sort of half hope that you'll get voicemail so you can leave a few tiny morsels of info and at very least relieve your aching mind? If you know that feeling, then you understand why the blog is so out of date...

Anyway, here's the voicemail. "Hey! How are you?! I am so sorry I have been so out of touch. Things have been CRAZY, crazy, crazy but we are slowly starting to emerge from the fog. ANYWAY, Harper is doing great! She was Dumbo for Halloween (see picture above), she's started saying 'Bless you' when she or anyone around her sneezes, she colored part of our new banister with a black crayon yesterday, and she has learned to say Carmine's name (much to Carmie's chagrin). She chases Carmie around very close to constantly repeating 'CARMIE, CARMIE, CARMIE' over and over again. The only thing that can divert her attention is 'Sash' the cat. Anyway, I've prattled on long enough. I hope all is well with y'all. We think about you all the time even though I imagine it's hard to see that from our lack of correspondence. Chat soon!"

One year ago?!

How is it possible that this picture was taken only and at the same time an entire year ago? It just doesn't seem possible. It doesn't seem possible that she couldn't say anything in this picture and now she says my name (Mommy) no less than 45 times a day. How is it possible that today she told me she wanted more milk and equally emphatically that she didn't want ANY carrots? NO! NO, Mommy! No!


In this picture I can still make out the soft spot on her head and today when I asked her if she was ready to go to school she said, "READDDYYY!!!!" with as much enthusiasm as if I had asked her if she was ready for Elmo to live with us forever. (She's really fond of Elmo.) She now runs and jumps (kind of) and dances on her Daddy's shoes and hugs. Well, she thinks hugging is placing your head against someone else's head but it's very similar in sentiment.

She talks close to incessantly and if you listen closely you can very clearly make out every tenth or eleventh word. She sings and mocks and gives high fives and sometimes I even find her pretending to read on her own. I mean, really...it just doesn't seem possible. She tells me to put on my shoes and she knows that her cat's name is "Sash" (Sass) and that two comes before three, but still isn't quite sure that it comes after one...or if one exists at all for that matter. She knows that ducks quack and cows moo and that anyone who isn't taller than she is a "baby."

She's tremendous and she's almost 18 months old, and I cannot for the life of me remember what we did without her.

Just a little something to brighten your Tuesday