quick post...

Harlow has been doing the cutest things lately that I wanted to quickly document before I forgot.

The last week or so, I have been rocking and singing songs to her before bedtime. She now sings along with me and it is the cutest thing. After each song, she sits there for a second and really takes time to decide her next song request. "Tinkle" (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), "May Yay" (Mary Had a Little Lamb), and "A" (ABC's) are some of her favorites. I could do it all night! I think she knows that if she acts cute and adorable, it prolongs her having to go to bed, so she turns on the charm:) It totally works.

Harlow LOVES books. She doesn't discriminate:) She likes everything from simple peek-a-boo books to long Dr. Seuss books. We've had "The Giving Tree" ever since she was born, but she has never been interested in it.


It's not entertaining for a toddler, so I don't blame her. But lately she has chosen it. I've only read it to her maybe 3 times in the last few weeks. After I read it last night, instead of putting it back to pick out another one, she opened it up again and read each and every page to me. 3 times!!! It was hysterical.

She mixed A LOT of jibberish with random words that I could understand. It was funny that she got the basic concept:) If you have read the book, you will understand that her 20 month-year-old version is pretty accurate!

This is basically how the story goes (besides the long spurts of baby talk that is impossible to understand):

Tree, Apple, Shoes, Leaves, Money, Sorry, Boat, Happy, Money, Sorry, Hat.

Haha!!! I was dying! I wish I had my phone nearby to record it! She is hilarious.

C+P...

Harlow absolutely LOVES her cousins Colin and Parker! She had so much fun at Disneyland and just couldn't get enough of them. We were so glad that they decided to come stay with us in Mexico too! (those pictures will be posted soon!) I'm so happy that baby H has a lot of cousins around her age, it's so fun to watch them grow up together and see how much they love each other. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Disneyland...

This was Harlow's first trip to Disneyland and she LOVED it!!! The Edmonson/Eggman clan had planned a trip so Rod and Diane decided to come as well. We stayed with them at their hotel and we had so much fun! Harlow didn't know Minnie Mouse existed until this trip, but was instantly smitten. Here are a few pics to document our 2 day excursion...
(Sorry, I'm too lazy to try and put these in any sort of order.)

The group...minus Rod who is taking the picture:



Grandma and Harlow on the carousel:




These 2 are hysterical:



Harlow and Eric on Dumbo. I think he enjoyed it more than she did:




This girl loved that there was music constantly playing:



Day 2:



Her faces kills me in this pic. She LOVED the jungle cruise:



Poor little Parker was so exhausted:



Eric thinks he's hysterical and was trying to make it seem like he wasn't having any fun once he noticed the camera pointed on him:



Those 3D glasses were so funny! quick mental note: The Bug's Life show is way too scary for a toddler... we found that out a little too late.



Harlow loved her minnie hat, she wore it all day:



Thank you soooo much Grandma and Grandpa!!! We had so much fun and loved being able to spend time with you! We love you!

burnt out...

We have been all over the place these past few weeks. We've been to Disneyland, Utah, Mexico AND Arizona with little breaks in between.
This is what an exhausted, teething, hasn't had any sort of schedule, 19 month old looks like...


She will not let me put her down, she has been so whiny and cranky.
I just gave up and figured I should capture my little crazy girl on camera in hopes that this is JUST A PHASE and will be VERY short lived.
We had a blast and have a TON of pics to share, but for now...we need some peace and quiet with lots of snuggles and kisses.

adventure...

i LOVE that this sweet girl makes me feel like a kid again. At least once a day we head out to the front yard for an exciting adventure. We manage to find golf balls, kitty cats, disgusting lizards that make me want to vomit, grass, airplanes...the list goes on and on. I just love to just sit and watch. Observe this intrigued little darling get so ecstatic over the simplest of things. She helps me to pause, breathe in the fresh...well fresh for California standards...air and get back to basics. Just what I need to help me remember to be grateful for the simple things in life....especially baby fedoras:)

thank you...

I was overwhelmed by the love and encouragement I received from my previous post. Thank you all so very much for your kind comments, emails, texts and phone calls. It means the world to know of all of the love and support I have. I am one lucky girl, that's for sure! So thank you all so much.

one year...

This year has by far been THE HARDEST year of my life. Hands down. Today has been a lot more difficult that I thought it would be. I think about my mom multiple times a day, so I thought, although today marks a year since my mom passed away, I would be ok. I would be strong. I have to be. People depend on me to be. I've gotten real good at putting on a brave face.
I woke up this morning with my mom on my mind, as I lay in bed with my eyes closed, I felt tears streaming down my face, I didn't even realize I was crying. Oh great, I cannot start my day this way.
I am not the type of person to wallow in self pity...what's the point? I'm my biggest critic. I'm not getting any sympathy out of myself. --But there are days when I find myself jealous. Jealous of those girls that call their moms daily. Call to get advice, ask about a recipe, to vent, just to catch up. I miss that. I could spend hours talking to my mom. She was THE BEST listener. She always had words of encouragement. She knew the perfect thing to say. She laughed so hard at any story I told. She made me feel like I could do anything.

I have a terrific mother in law and other great women in my life that I know would do anything for me. For that I am grateful. But there's just something about a mom, that you just can't find anywhere else.

This is my absolute favorite picture of my mom. She stayed with me for a week when I had Harlow. She LOVED our little babe right from the beginning...I am confident to say she loved her as much as I do. Which is virtually impossible. My mom was in between chemo treatments when Harlow was born, she was so sick, had no energy and started loosing her hair. She didn't complain once. Instead, she cleaned and cooked, made sure I was ok. Held our sweet little baby and loved her unconditionally. She was concerned about me and Harlow, not herself.
This picture is in Harlow's room, I don't think I'll ever take it down. You can clearly see the love and adoration on my mom's face. So sweet. I clearly remembering taking this picture. It was such a tender moment and I am so grateful I was able to capture it.



Every night, before I go to sleep I think about her. About the amazing woman she was. Did I do everything right today? How would she have handled things? I am being the type of mother that she was to me? That's a lot of pressure, she was the best mom in my eyes. I can only hope to be a small percentage of the wife, mother and friend that she was. What an amazing legacy she left.

This last year I have learned to live life to it's fullest. To really be in the moment. When Harlow comes up to me, I need to get down to her level, look her in the eyes and listen. (Even if she is just babbling or telling me that she has her shoes on.) I need to be enthusiastic about even the smallest things. My happiness is reflected onto those around me. I need to encourage my husband and constantly let him know of my love and appreciation. I need to be a better friend. My sweet Sue was the best example to me and I can only hope to be anything like her.

I know I'll have tough days. Maybe even tough weeks. But I always tell myself, someone else has it worse. I am so blessed with wonderful family and friends. I have the gospel in my life. I have everything I can ever need. I am blessed. That was my mom's attitude and now it is mine.

Bijou Market

Attention all Utah friends!!!

Clemmie Sue has been chosen to be a vendor for Bijou Market in Provo, UT! It's our second time participating and let me tell you...it is well worth your time. They have everything from adorable pillows to creative kids toys. Not to mention AMAZING headbands:) Make sure to stop by, you won't regret it. Check out Bijou's website for an official list of vendors and more information: bijoumarket.com

lately...

Ever since Harlow was about 7 months old, she has been the best sleeper. She loves taking naps and we never have a problem putting her down at night. Notice that I said "7 months old"...before then, she was waking up every 2 hours at night and I had to "bounce" her to sleep for naps...it was miserable. Anyways, ever once in awhile she decides to be a stinker and won't take a nap when I put her in her bed. I know she's exhausted and needs a nap, she just won't take one. I blame it on teething. One Sunday...the day we would appreciate her taking a nap them most!! :)...she didn't nap but was so cranky. So around 4pm we took her for a walk in her wagon. As Eric and I were talking we kept looking back at her and it just looked like she was looking down at the doll she was holding. She CANNOT fall asleep anywhere besides her crib and occasionally a car ride so we were so surprised when we found out that she was sleeping! She is so out of it, it's hilarious!

18 months!!!

Today my sweet baby turns a year and a half! I seriously cannot believe how fast time is flying. It makes me so sad when I come to the realization that Harlow isn't a baby anymore, she's a kid! I LOVE the adorable little girl that she is becoming. She has the BEST sense of humor and KNOWS that she's funny. She is always trying so hard not to smile when she does something silly, I can't stop cracking up! She is constantly happy and just walks around the house talking and laughing. She is the best at giving hugs and kisses. I just love when she'll grab my cheeks and give me a huge kiss out of nowhere. Whenever Eric or I walk into the room she stops what she's doing and makes sure to wave and say "hi!!!". She is such a doll and we can't imagine our lives without her. I know I've said this before, but Eric and I are constantly saying how cute she is, we just can't get enough of her. Well, only 6 more months until she's 2! I guess I need to start planning her birthday party!!! :)

can I please have her wardrobe?...

Looking at the title of this post makes it seem like I am going to be posting pictures of super fashionable celebrities like Nicole Richie and Sienna Miller...nope! Although I would DIE if I could get my hands on either of their closets, I'm talking about none other than Harlow Sue. I literally spend twice as long picking out her darling outfits than my own. She is dressed to impress while I on the other hand have my unbrushed hair thrown in a high bun with the same 4 items of clothing on rotation. It makes sense. I enthusiastically spend my time and energy picking through the most trendy items you can think of for her...while my unfortunate image is put to the wayside. But hey...my diva of a one year old looks MUCH better in skinny jeans anyways.

clemmie sue...

I can't believe that I have NEVER mentioned Clemmis Sue on my blog! My sister and I started our headband company, Clemmie Sue last summer and have absolutely LOVED the creative process that goes into making adorable hair accessories. We started out by making headbands for adults and have naturally gone into baby headbands as well. We have an etsy shop: clemmiesue.etsy.com.
Please feel free to take a look! Here is a sneak peak of some of our newest pieces for all of the Baby Sue's out there: (they will be updated in the shop throughout the next few days)