our summer through the lens of an iphone...

Lately I have been HORRIBLE at taking pictures. I don't know what my problem is, but it KILLS me to think that I'm not capturing a lot of our life on camera. At least I have my handy dandy iphone by my side to take spur of moment (in junky quality) pictures.

Harlow is getting so big and has such an adorable personality forming. She is quite the comedian and I try so hard to keep a straight face when she is doing something she shouldn't be but I can't help it! She reminds me a lot of myself...always trying to get a laugh out of someone. We've been all over the place this summer. Down to mexico, to Arizona. Over to Lake Powell. Home in California for a bit then back to Arizona for a long weekend. Needless to say we are lucky that she is such a good sport in those LONG car trips. Here are a few pics to sum up our summer thus far:

Cracking up as she watches herself on the phone:


She has been fighting naps so much lately...or in other words...I have been fighting the fact that she is most likely done with naps. I just haven't come to terms with it. This is a day that the lack of sleep finally caught up to her.


She is obsessed with these glasses lately! I don't know what it is! They seem like they would hurt or be uncomfortable because everytime the glasses come off, she has a enormous red mark on the bridge of her nose.


Just cooking in the kitchen with her accessories. And those boots! She makes me put them on her every. single. day. It's so hot outside but she is extremely insistent.


Speaking of the heat, Harlow is currently obsessed with "jackets" and makes me put them on her all of the time. It's so hot!!! I don't get it! She prefers her warm fleece winter jackets, which I had to hide so we've met in the middle with sweaters:)


Bringing strawberries to friends!


Dancing in the front yard!


Having a fun outing with dad...and making him wear her minnie mouse hat out in public.


Insisting on dressing herself. accessories and all. I thought that didn't happen until kids were at least 4 or 5!!!


Movies with the cousins! They were so cute sitting on their own chairs like big kids.


Getting a hold of my phone yet again! I swear that girl probably knows how to use my phone better than I do!


Riding a horse with uncle Jer...she is enamored with Jer! I think because she knows he will do whatever she wants him to:)


Riding pretend horses too! She like to pretend like she's my sister, Julie with her riding helmet. It's so cute!


Long car rides. She usually never falls asleep on our car trips. Even when they take 9 hours!!! She rarely takes a nap so I had to document the 30 minute peace and quiet in the car:) This just shows how hard she fights it, she didn't even let go of the book she was holding to fall asleep!


Sleeping on mommy and Lake Powell. She was so exhausted but wouldn't take a nap unless I was laying with her, so I got a few books read while we were there:)


At the park, we haven't been going as often as I'd like, but it's just too hot! I am definitely looking forward to fall.


I left Harlow in her room for a few minutes and when I came to check on her this is what I saw. She went in my closet, got my soccer cleats, put a headband on and was kicking around a ball in her room. She's hysterical.


Harlow's new teddy! My brother, Jer got it for her. Like I said, he will get ANYTHING for her. I'm surprised we don't have a puppy yet! She has lovingly named this giant beast "Jer" which he LOVES!!!


Another rare car napping moment.


This pic cracks me up. She looks like a bored teenager!! Hahaha!!!


Trips to the zoo!




We have been having a blast this summer and we can't believe Harlow babe will be 2 in just 2 short months! I can't handle it! Some of her latest phrases and obsessions are:

-If someone sneezes she stops what she's doing to say, "beesh you!"
-If I am in her way and she needs to pass me she says, "que me!!!"
-As the pictures have shown, she is obsessed with her purse, jewelry, sunglasses, jackets and shoes. I have learned to let her pick out her shoes first, so that I can match her outfit to them:)
-There are a few people that we know that are pregnant, and she has recently figured out that their bellies are so big because there is a baby inside. She can't get over it, it's hysterical! She will just stare at their cute bellies, then talk about it all day!

Right now I am working on her 2nd birthday, so get ready for some birthday fun coming soon!!!

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.