Summa, Summa time!

It's been hot, sunny and FUN!  

Here's what we've been up to:

Evening bike rides around the neighborhood

Sprinklers in the front yard

Neighbor's swing-sets and playdates

The POOL!

 Children's Hands On Museum (indoor fun!)

Frozen yogurt with these two sweeties!

Movies (Turbo)!

Milkshakes...(a first)

Friday night pizza making

SPAIN-ish Math

The month entire of July we hosted a visitor (a colleague of Dr. M's) from Spain.  Wendy is a young Spanish woman, working on her PhD math research and visiting the US for the very first time. She arrived on July 3rd, so she was able to join us for all fourth of July festivities.  She rented an apartment by campus, borrowed a bike and really embraced the whole 'Southern/American' culture. Not only is she passionate about math, but also cooking!  She shared her expertise with us by cooking several meals together (pics below). While she was here, we also welcomed two more Math colleagues (David and Erika), whom we have known for years.  It was great seeing them, getting caught up and spending time together.

Spanish Empanada

Salmorejo

Spanish Feast: Spanish tortillas, gazpacho, tuna/bacon croquetas, carlota de cafe (dessert) and tarta crujiente de manzana (dessert, not pictured).

Wendy reading to Eli and his friend Jackson

4th of July!

This was a total whirlwind of a holiday.  Dr. M returned from his trip on July 1st (his flight the day before was cancelled, so he was a day late).  A little over 24 hours later, Grandma and Grandpa D arrived at the airport.  The following day Dr. M drove back to the airport to pick up a Spanish exchange student who's spending the month of July here to work on math with Dr. M.  The next day was the 4th of July!  As if that weren't enough, we decided to pack the 4th with as many activities as possible...that morning we had a big pancake breakfast at the house and invited Wendy (the Spanish student), we all went to see the matinée of Monster's University (E's fave), to a play-place for lunch, back to the house to prepare the fixings for the BBQ cookout we were hosting just hours later.  We had sparklers, smoke bombs and poppers for the kids to throw while we ate, drank and enjoyed company.  It was a rainy couple days, so the option of camping out on the hill to see the firework display was out of the question.  We did, however, decide (at the last minute) to drive downtown, park the car and wait for the show to begin (we did have to show Wendy the 'true American' 4th experience, after all).  The drizzle cleared momentarily so we could watch the fireworks from the back of the minivan.  It was almost 10pm by the time they were over, the kids were exhausted (so were we) but it was worth it.

Father's Day

Dr. M left for his trips the day before Father's Day, so we didn't really get to celebrate.  I did, however, sneak a few cards into his luggage for him to find the next day and E made a super cute "My Dad" project at school that I emailed to Dr. M. It was sad not having him here to spend the day with, but while he was gone we Skyped frequently and when he returned we greeted him with lots of love and hugs!  HAPPY (late) FATHER'S DAY to the best Dada we could ask for!

Three looong weeks in June....

I'm so happy the month of June is OVER!  We had some exciting things like our anniversary and H's birthday, but Dr. M was out of the country for work 3 of the 4 weeks (Nova Scotia, Spain, Romania)!  We all missed him.  I totally admire and respect single parents...the hardest job I've ever had is keeping up with two kids under 4.  Good news is that I had some help...Grandma W came to my rescue the last week!  After dealing with H's pinkeye, E throwing up in my bed at 3am, losing my debit card (which I recently found!), locking the kids in the running car (and having to call 911 to get them out), getting them to and from school on time, keeping them fed, dressed and entertained daily and bathed....while trying to keep myself from looking completely homeless and exhausted...Grandma's visit was very welcomed! While keeping up with the kids I also managed to convert H's crib to a toddler bed because she was climbing out and I was concerned for her safety (did I mention that she also cut her two eye teeth during these two weeks too? She was a mess).  I bought a new refrigerator and I sold the old on on craigslist all by myself!!  The old one worked just fine and it's actually a complicated story as to why we 'needed' a new one, but the new one is awesome!  I also managed to strip all the wallpaper off of the guest bathroom AND paint it before Dr. M got home!  Yay ME!  I really can't believe all that I got done in just two weeks...no wonder I'm exhausted!

To stay busy we:

Played in the fountain!

 Grabbed some tasty snacks at Krispy Kreme...

...and FroYo (after the Farmer's Market)

Saw our very FIRST movie at the theater (yay for free summer kids movies)!

Did Friday morning gymnastics (the trampoline!)

 Bought new kid-sized camping chairs!

Grandma W came to visit!!

 Manis and pedis for E and H :)

This is what H was doing instead of napping!  Climbing OUT of her crib, emptying her dresser, taking her diaper off and thinking the whole thing was hilarious...

Harper turns TWO!!

That sweet little lady of ours is TWO years old!  Oh, how she has changed our lives...  That sweet little smile, those curls, her blue, blue eyes her tight hugs, her little giggle and that sassy personality!  She's a character, that's for sure.  Harper brings joy to everyone who meets her.  They can't help but smile when they see her sweet face and curls.  She's reserved at times, but also very social.  She's still a mama's girl, nursing multiple times a day, but overall has become a good eater.  She loves broccoli and anything dairy (we call her the 'dairy queen'), cheese, yogurt, ice cream...  She's looks sweet, but boy is she 'spirited' and looooves expressing her little opinion!  She refuses to wear clothes most of the time, will only wear shoes if they are the same as Buba's (ie. Crocs or flipflops) and has been throwing a huge fit over going to bed lately.  Her favorite words are 'mine' and 'no'.  When relaxing, she must always have the two middle fingers of one hand in her mouth and the other hand in her bellybutton.  She throws a fit if her outfit doesn't allow for bellybutton access (which may be why she refuses to wear clothes at all).  She knows all her body parts, some letters and a few colors.  She's sharp and knows exactly what to do if you ask her to do something.  Just a couple days after her birthday we finally turned her car seat around to forward facing and I think she's liking the view (esp of the DVD player!)...

To celebrate this little lady's birthday, we all sang Happy Birthday to her in bed that morning!  Got her dressed up in a sweet pink outfit (tutu included) and headed to see some friends a the LLL meting.  On the way, however, we stopped by Krispy Kreme to pick up some donut holes to share with all of our friends!  After nap that afternoon we surprised her with a pile of presents, a new doll house and even a little "2" crown to wear.  We Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa W while she opened her gifts and blew out her candles.  She loved every minute of it!  All the toys, ripping the paper, Skype and blowing out the candles (E loved it too!).  A couple days after her actual birthday we celebrated again at a friends house with some of her friends (any excuse for more cake and a fun get-together with friends, right?).  We grilled and had some drinks while the kids played in the baby pool followed by cake and presents.  So glad our friends could celebrate with us (I know H loved it too)!  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the morning of her birthday, H woke up with swollen, puffy eyes...so we squeezed into the pediatrician the following day and turns out that she had pinkeye in both eyes and an bacterial sinus infection.  Ugh.  Good news is, it didn't even seem to phase her!  She's a trooper!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

7 years!

What?  How is it possible that we've been married for SEVEN years already?!  That means that we've been together for over 11 years.  ELEVEN. Crazy.  In just the past seven years we have lived in 3 states and 4 houses, adopted two dogs, had two children, owned 4 cars, finished 1 PhD and still say "I love you" every day!  What a wild ride it's been, but there's no one I would rather have by my side!  To celebrate this "lucky" anniversary, we got a babysitter (whoot!) and drove to 4 restaurants before actually finding one that was open on a Monday night, in a college town, in the summer.  Sheesh!  It was after 9:00, but we ended up at a local staple, DePalma's Italian Resturant....after a little pasta, wine and dessert, we were home and in bed by 11.  Yep, things sure have changed in 7 years!  My sweet Dr. M did, however, surprise me with a beautiful necklace (going against our "cards only" rule) that I wore out that night.  What a great night!  Here's to many, many more dinners out, babysitters, smiles, hugs (necklaces!) and "I love you"s together!   

"Selfie" by the car :)

Harper's FIRST day of school!

Our little lady started school for the first time last week. It's the summer session, so she's just going two mornings a week from 9-12.  It's the same school where E has been going for the past couple years so she's familiar with the building and teachers.  She's been doing well so far...no tears the first day (from either of us!) at drop off...though her teachers said she was pretty weepy when I left.  She appears to be getting better and eagerly gets out of the car and rushes to the playground in the morning and is sitting so contently next to E on the steps when I arrive to pick her up. Her teacher even complimented her fine-motor skills and how much she looooves to draw.  Such a sweet little girl.  She and E will start a new school this fall where she'll go three mornings a week.  It's been nice having some time alone each week and I know school is good for her in the long run, but it's sad to see my baby grow up so fast...

I think E was as excited as she was!

E's school pics

Here are E's (adorable!) school pictures from the 2012-2013 school year:

(click HERE for the link to the photo website)

SUCH a handsome boy!  He looks older than 3.5, doesn't he?

Back to KC...

Wednesday we packed up the minivan, boarded the dogs and began the 12 hour journey back up to KC.  Stopping at our usual place in West Memphis for the first night (4 hours into the trip).  Lunch in St. Louis with good friends the next day (4 more hours) and then just 2 short hours to Columbia (Grandma and Grandpa's house!).  I hadn't been to my dads house since the day we left for Alabama (literally). It felt so good to be there. So comforting and relaxing.  I think E actually remembered being there (H was just 4 weeks old the last time).  The kids settled in well, thankfully, and Grandma and Grandpa were getting ready for a weekend on their toes!  They offered to watch E & H for the weekend, while Dr. M and I cleaned out Grandma K's house in KC.  This was bittersweet for us.  It was our first weekend kid-free together (since before E was born), but had so much to do and very little time...  We got in to KC Friday night and spent the evening laughing with old friends (much needed).  The next morning, after a quick trip to Panera, we started the massive job of cleaning out the house.  Making piles of what we wanted and things to donate.  GG and Aunt Kaps came up that afternoon to help and we really got a lot done!  We spent Sunday doing the same thing...making hard decisions as we sorted through so many memories.  I headed back to Columbia Sunday night (to relieve the grandparents) and Dr. M stayed to keep working.  He met the movers the next morning, loaded the U-haul and met me in Columbia.  The next day we stared our journey back down south...the kids and I in the van and Dr. M in the truck.  We drove slow...and eventually made it home in time to meet the movers Friday morning, who helped unload all the beautiful antiques and family heirlooms from Grandma K's home.  Everything seemed to fit so perfectly into our house and bring so much richness and comfort with it.  It almost feels like Grandma K is here with us, among her things...like she's moved in and watching over all of us (just like she would have wanted to do).  It was a crazy week, almost a blur....but it began with a boost of encouragement and support.  Just before we left we received an amazing and generous gift from Grandma K. For the first time in our lives we are able to live debt-free!  Truly a life-changing gift forever.

SO glad we have this van and DVD player!

Loungin' in the hotel, watching a little Dora.

Skipping rocks at Grandpa's lake...

 Picnic at the park (Max too!).

Lunch at Schlafly (we miss Maplewood!).

Mother's Day!  The kids made adorable handprint flower pots (at G and G's house) and Aunt Sarah sent me these beautiful Gerbers....my fave!

Timmmmberrrr!

We had 6 trees removed from our lot (3 in front and 3 in back).  Not sure if it's blog-worthy, but we sure had fun watching the chaos of 6 men cutting 50 foot trees down with just a chain saw and some ropes.  It was actually pretty incredible to see.  The house shook when the massive trees hit the lawn.  Part of me felt guilty cutting them down, but overall I know our house is a safer place and it's something I can check off my list to worry about.

Before......After

23 Months!

The next post I write about this sweet little girl will be her TWO year update!  Omg, where has time gone?  Where has my baby gone?  She matures and grows every single day.  I remember my mom telling me when E was born, to take as many pictures as I could because they will never be this little again, that they are growing every day...  So true and so sad.  BUT, that's why I have this blog...to look back and remember all the 'little things' :)  Speaking of little things, Miss Harper is quite a doll.  Her little blonde curls are so perfect, they even bounce when she walks.  She's been eating a lot better lately and appears to be putting on weight (but we don't see a doc until her two year check).  Her vocabulary is really exploding (if you can understand her).  I love it when Eli and Harper have conversations in the car.  It's like they speak the same language.  She babbles and Eli corrects her or explains things and they laugh together, it's really amusing.  Miss H is looooving to watch Dora.  She loves to sing and dance around the living room.  Her favorite activity, by far, is drawing.  Now that she's past the 'eating the crayons' phase, she's really enjoying coloring (and is quite good at it).  This little lady is a heart melter.  That little face, gap in her teeth, her curls, blue eyes, milky skin and that sweet, sweet little laugh just get ya!  The other day a woman actually asked to take a picture of her because she thought Harper was so cute!  She's my little sunshine!

Outgrowing DAIRY!

We've been so busy lately (I haven't posted anything in almost a month and a half!) and feel like there are so many important things I need to update.  This one, in particular, is definitely blog-worthy! E has officially OUTGROWN his dairy allergy!!!  After almost 4 years of avoiding anything with even a trace of dairy in it (which is almost all 'kid' foods - pizza, ice cream, mac n'cheese, cookies) E is now able to eat anything (well, we're still avoiding nuts of all kinds, but that I can handle).  Over the years, we just kept 'trying' dairy, just by giving him a bite or rubbing a little on his cheek and watching for hives.  Recently, Dr. M suggested we just give him some cheese and see how he does....so, we did and he was fine (in fact, he loved it) so we moved on to ice cream and opened up a whole new world of food to our little guy!  He's loving cheese and says pizza is his new favorite food, along with ice cream gold fish crackers and butter :)  We have waited a long time for this day!  So exciting!

 

Happy Birthday Dr. M!

At just 33 years young, Dr. M has accomplished more than the average guy....particularly in the last 5 years.  I can't tell you how proud we are of him, to be part of his family and to celebrate another awesome year of his life!  Happy Birthday, Dr. M!

Make a wish!

I made a key lime pie this year instead of cake (just for fun).  I squeezed, zested and sliced about 30 teeny tiny limes....but it was so worth it, it tasted amazing!  We also celebrated with the Diggs family (more on that in another post) who made Dr. M his favorite strawberry cake :)

We even made it out for a date night!  (both sporting new, overdue, haircuts!).