The "Paci Princess" strikes again!

We have been talking about the "Paci Princess" with Harper over the past month or so, trying to prepare her for the fact that her pacifier would soon be going bye-bye. Considering how strong-willed and passionate she is about certain things, I didn't think the cold turkey approach would work too well for her. I explained how her pacifier would be given to a baby who needs it, and she would receive a big girl toy instead. Thankfully Ryder was super helpful too! He said, "It's okay, Harper. The Paci Princess took my paci when I was little, but I still had my Cody puppy (his stuffed dog) to sleep with. She will take your paci, but you can still have your taggies, ok?"

The kids are in summer camp this month while I work, so Andrew and I figured the Paci Princess would make her appearance later this summer when it would be easier for Harper to have a rough night or two. Well....things didn't quite go according to plan. I had to work one night last week, so Andrew was in charge of putting the kids to bed before I got home. Everything went smoothly until Harper got into bed and wanted her pacifier to go to sleep. Andrew looked EVERYWHERE but couldn't find it. Uh oh. Not sure what else to do, he told her maybe the Paci Princess took it. She cried, whimpered, and whined like her little heart was broken, but she eventually fell asleep without it. When I got home, Andrew filled me in on what happened. I felt awful because in the commotion of me leaving the house that afternoon, I forgot to tell him that the pacifier was hidden in a cabinet where i always put it so Harper wouldn't see it and ask for it. Oops! Harper made it through the night just fine and nap time the next day. When she woke up from her nap, the Paci Princess had delivered a coffee pot/blender/mixer play set that she loves. It's been a week now, and Harper will occasionally ask for her pacifier. All I have to do is look at her, and she smiles and laughs like she's just told a joke. Whew!

My silly girl enjoying some ice cream :)

Harper--2 1/2 years

We went to the pediatrician on May 14th for Harper's follow-up visit for her ear infection. It was a quiet day at the office, so they were able to go ahead and do her 2 1/2 year well visit as well so that I wouldn't have to bring her back again this summer. That worked for me! Not only were Harper's ears healing well, but the doctor said everything else "looks great" too. She had to get the second dose of the Hepatitis A vaccine, but the lollipop the nurse offered her afterwards made up for that. :)
Stats:
Height: 3 feet 1 inch (75th percentile)
Weight: 31 pounds (75th percentile)

It's so hard for me to believe that Harper is now the age that Ryder was when we moved here. My babies are growing up way too fast! Harper's personality continues to emerge and intrigue us. She is a wonderful combination of sweet, spicy, free-spirited, and strong-willed, all topped off with a wonderful sense of humor.

Likes: reading books, dressing herself, having tea parties, carrying her purse, taking care of her baby dolls, getting her hair fixed into Anna braids or a "tail", swimming, blowing bubbles, playing with Ryder, making messes of any kind

Dislikes: not getting her own way....that pretty much sums it up!

Let's go fly a kite

Andrew picked up a couple of cheap kites for the kids to try out on the beach: Ironman for Ryder, and Princess Anna for Harper. Ryder had fun running around and seeing how high his kite would go, while Harper had more fun chasing the streamers on hers. 

Before we left the house, the sun was shining in her eyes, and she did not want her picture taken. :)

tangled!

I caught it!

writing in the sand

mad that Daddy caught her on camera :)

Want a S'more?

I do!

Kathryn comes to play

Kathryn flew down on Saturday to spend a few days with us, and we definitely stayed busy! Ryder and Harper loved having someone else around to talk to and show off their pool skills for. Harper even insisted on wearing purple pants and flip flops one day because that's what "Kraffrin" was wearing. :) Sunday was a "girls only" trip to Naples for lunch and sight-seeing. On Monday, we took the kids to the beach in the morning and then spent the afternoon by the pool. Kathryn didn't fly out of Tampa until Tuesday evening, but we drove up early in the afternoon to visit the Children's Museum. It currently has a traveling Wizard of Oz exhibit that Kathryn really wanted to see, and the kids loved everything there. We ate a quick supper at the airport before telling Kathryn goodbye, and the kids and I sat through traffic jams for two different accidents on the drive home. Luckily they were in great moods after their fun-filled day!

lunch in Naples

relaxing on the beach :)

driving a boat

my little scarecrows

Harper conjured up the Wizard

the munchkin mirror

Ryder and Kathryn...and little Toto in the basket

Harper loved the grocery store exhibit! She loaded up her entire cart and then restocked the shelves with our help. :)

concentrating on the flight simulator

Ryder mastered this climber. It was a series of different level platforms surrounded by netting.

driving the fire truck

putting out a fire!

Harper loved the water, of course! Spinning the silver wheel made it spray.

Mother's Day 2015

Everyone in the house is healthy again (woohoo!!), which made for an enjoyable Mother's Day weekend. We celebrated on Sunday by having lunch at Pops and Grann's house, and these adorable, handmade gifts made it home in the kids' backpacks towards the end of last week.

Ha! She makes it sound like I feed her cupcakes regularly. I think she's had them twice in her life!

Ryder told me I don't even have to water this flower, and I can keep it forever and ever. :)

A big splash

Ryder's newest pool trick:

on your mark...

get set...

airborne!

splash!

dozing :)

the game of "chase" that Andrew and I have to referee almost every night before bath time

(Notice who is in the lead--my little instigator!)

"Miss Personality"

mismatched clothes, Daddy's socks, Ryder's shoes, and two chalk holders as binoculars

The Infirmary

For the past three weeks, at least one of us has been sick on any given day. Andrew and I battled congestion, sore throat, and cough, but the poor kids got hit the hardest. It started with a double ear infection for Ryder, and after a week of antibiotics he seemed to be on the mend. The day after he finished his antibiotics, though, he developed a croup-like cough and a fever that just kept climbing. Once his fever hit 104, Andrew headed to urgent care with him (on a Friday night at 7:30). His diagnosis? Ear infection, bronchitis, and stomach flu. Apparently the first round of antibiotics didn't work, so he had to get a shot in his little tushy and a prescription for a different antibiotic. This was the first time he was really sick, and he looked so pitiful. It took about 4 days for him to feel like himself and get his energy back. Once he did, it was Harper's turn to get sick. She stayed home with a low fever for two days, and on the third day her congestion, cough, and fever just got worse. A trip to urgent care (exactly one week after Ryder's) confirmed that she had an ear infection and lower respiratory infection. She has been on antibiotics for three days now, and her fever is finally gone. For the first time in over a week, I plan to take both of them to preschool in the morning. Woohoo! Let's just say Andrew and I are ready to have two happy, healthy kids again so we don't have to stay cooped up in the house anymore.

last weekend:

fun at the sink

not feeling so well  :(

doing anything to entertain herself

 this weekend:

What's for dinner?

We were finally able to enjoy the pool since both kids are feeling better.

practicing her backstroke

the Harper fountain

underwater!

Andrew was mowing and weed eating when he came across this!

And then I emptied the pool skimmer and found a miniature version--yikes!