Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Since it is getting ready to get busy for everyone I thought I would say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year a little bit early! Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs that I wish to you and yours:

May the Lord mighty God, bless and keep you forever,
Grant you peace perfect peace, courage in every endeavor,
Lift up your eyes and you will see his face and grace forever,
May the Lord mighty God, bless and keep you forever.

I sometimes sing this to my kids at bedtime and I also sang it to my Granny as she died in front of me 1.5 years ago. Just a reminder to spread God's love thru the holidays and to stop and lift up our eyes to see His face. May God grant you peace perfect peace.

Happy 6th Birthday Ty!

Well Ty turned 6 yesterday. He had a party with some of his friends and class mates on Saturday morning. It was hunting themed and they wore camo and brought their nerf guns. I had games planned for them to play but they were happy running/screaming/shooting/chasing each other thru our house so we just let them do that. Monday was his actual birthday and when he got off the bus his neighborhood friends surprised him and Marley with one last surprise party/play date. And then our family went to Pastaria for our annual birthday celebration (my favorite part). It has been a fun birthday weekend, but to be honest I am glad it is over and I am glad it only comes once a year. :)

Ty, I love you very much and I have enjoyed watching you grow up into a nice young boy! I am very proud of you.

Happy 4th Birthday Marley!

Yesterday Marley turned 4! We started the celebrations early. While Ty was at school on Friday she had a small party with 4 friends (Marjorie, Willa, Macy & Emie). They ate pony cake, played games and just did things that other princesses do. Then yesterday on her actual birthday we went to church, then to McDonalds for her to play and celebrate with Lula, Phoebe & Greyson and finally a play date with Beza last night. Thanks to everyone so much for making Marley's days so special. We love this little girl SO much and I count how many times during the day that she makes me smile and laugh. Thank you God for placing her in my life.

37 Reasons Why We Love Josh

Okay I got this idea from Andi, but I wanted to give 37 reasons why we love Josh on his 37th birthday.

1) He is a great husband
2) He is a great dad
3) He gets up early every morning to go to work so I can stay home with the kids
4) He is not selfish
5) He is very humble
6) He plays rough with Ty
7) He plays baby games with Marley
8) He does not like Disney but takes us often
9) He cooks dinner when I am not in the mood
10) He is a great leader for our family
11) He does not get confused on what is more important (family or work)
12) He comes home early
13) He does not talk bad about other people
14) He is a great supporter (emotionally and financially)
15) He is cheap like me
16) He is smart
17) He practices baseball with Ty
18) He likes to take us on fun vacations
19) He doesn't care how I decorate the house
20) He wears whatever I buy him
21) He is a snazzy dresser :)
22) He always likes to try new things
23) He sets a good example
24) He is my voice of reason
25) He is cute
26) He is funny and always makes me laugh
27) He knows what I am feeling even when I don't say it
28) He is active
29) He loves the outdoors
30) He is a hard worker
31) He does a lot of house projects and is very handy (as long as he doesn't cut his wrist)
32) His love of the stock market and retirement planning
33) His willingness to go with the flow
34) He puts up with my crazy schemes
35) He doesn't complain too much
36) He cleans up the kitchen when I am gone
37) He doesn't mind chaperoning play dates on his own

We love you Josh and thank you for all that you do for our family!

Can I put on a show for you?

Not sure about your kiddos, but ours always want to "put a show" on for us. The shows consist of running/dancing wild to music, costumes, and then throw in lots of jumping, falling and flips here or there. They actually are kind of cute, and above is a picture of Marley during one of her performances.

The Giving Spirit

The last couple of times I have asked Ty to go thru his toys and find things to give away, he has been somewhat reluctant. Well last night we went thru his toys and I would hold them up and let him say "giveaway" or "keep." I was amazed at the things he wanted to give away. He even said who he wanted some of it to go to. There were even things that Santa gave him not too long ago that he was ready to pass on. I was so proud of him for letting go of so much and it was another good reminder to me that this Christmas season is all about giving. Thanks Ty for the lesson.

Love your humble,
Mom

Oh So Thankful!

I saw a pin on Pinterest that said, "What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things we thanked God for the day before?" Just a reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for and God likes to hear thanks also. This has been a fun week. Tuesday night we were in Murfreesboro, Tn for Josh's work and it was a lot of fun. The kids made their own pizzas and the hotel was great. Then Wednesday-Friday we stayed in Lenoir City and visited family. It was so good to see everyone, especially baby Kinsley! Then my mom shopped with me Thursday night before we came back on Friday and watched Beckett, Helen and Will downtown while their parents went to celebrate Andi's mom 70th birthday.

What a wonderful week of things to be thankful for! One of the things that I love most is hanging out with Josh, Ty & Marley in the backyard. :)

Where do the days/years go?

Today is Macy's 4th birthday and a time for me to reminisce. I remember going to the hospital to wait for her birth and they let me in to see Amy right before they wheeled her in (they even planted the idea that it could possibly be a boy), I remember her baby dedication and then Easter lunch at her Nanny's and Poppie's, and then wondering when she would start walking, or watching her (at a very early age) wanting to feed her self at the Creative Discovery Museum with no help from mom...and now this baby is 4! Just a reminder to soak up every minute with them because before you know it they will be twirling in front of you in not their princess costumes but real wedding dresses. We love you Macy!

Happy Halloween Harper Style

Lots going on these days! Ty had his Halloween Party at school on Friday and then we headed to Lenoir City for Will's 3rd birthday party, celebrate Sayuri's 2nd birthday, Kinsley's baby shower, pics with cousins, UT game with the Master's, and pick up Kiwi. Then we came home to Harvest Fest at church (Ty did not go with us unfortunately because of bad decisions), and then trick or treating with friends last night. We trick or treated for 3 hours, that is the longest we have ever gone!!Anyway thanks to our family and the Masters for making this a wonderful Halloween weekend! Boo!

Disney World & Cinnamon Beach

This one is for Curt Duncan. :) He wants to take my blog off of his bookmarks since I haven't updated it in a long time. I will give one excuse and that is our internet was down for a long time, but it has been going for a while also, so I guess I really do not have an excuse.

Anyway we just got back last night from a 10 day trip to Disney World & Cinnamon Beach. We picked Ty up early from school last Thursday and then drove to Ocala, FL. The next morning we woke up and drove to Disney World and stayed the next 5 nights in Saratoga Springs Resort. We did all the parks, dined with princesses, food & wine festival, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween. We had a blast, but we were so tired that Josh and I could seriously not see straight the last night.

Then we drove 1.5 hrs to Cinnamon Beach and stayed 4 nights. When we 1st got their both kids ran right in to our condo's clean sliding glass door. It was hilarious! We ate lots of seafood, built sand castles, watched and played football, and just has a wonderful relaxing time. By Sunday we had enjoyed our trip but we were ready to make the 7 hr drive home.

Marley on the Diving Board

We have had so much fun at the Signal Mtn Pool this year. We go at least 3-4 times per week and it has been a great way to cool off and play all summer long. Here is a video of Marley jumping in off the diving board!

Braves, Tea Party & Triathlons!

Nana & Papa took Connor, Beckett & Ty to 2 Braves games this week. I think they all had a great time and here is a pic of the 3 boys, in their matching shirts, on the way back home. Thanks Nana & Papa!!

While Ty was away we had lots of fun with Marley. We had a tea party at the Signal Mtn Cookie Lady, we swam, played in the sprinkler, caught lightening bugs, colored, and the list goes on.

Marley's 1st Triathlon...yay Mez Moe!!

Homeschooling Harpers

Last Friday Andi came down to a homeschooling curriculum conference at Camp Jordan and brought the family down with her to visit. We had a great time seeing them all! Here is Will showing his muscles, SO CUTE!!

Chattanooga Waterfront Tri

Way to go Josh! A couple of weeks ago Josh rolled his ankle and it still has not healed, but he went ahead and did the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri today and we are so proud of him. It was so hot (I did a lot of sweating pushing the stroller, not even racing) but as usual it was a lot of fun too. We are so proud of him!!

4th of July

What a great 4th of July weekend! It started off with my parents coming down to watch Ty's swim meet and bringing lots of delicious food and then our friends the Masters came and spent the weekend with us. So nice to see them and let all the kiddos play together. The Beards came over one night for dinner and then joined us for the parade that goes in front of our house. The weekend was filled with fun, friends, swimming and food! Thanks to everyone for making it so special!

Sprint Triathlon

Saturday we went to Lenoir City for Josh's triahtlon. It was Sunday morning and the kids got to make signs and get cow bells at the race. Josh did really well, until he rolled his ankle...poor guy! Here is a pic of Marley showing me that her cow bell broke, Josh is in the background. :)

Green Giants Swim Team

Ty is doing the Green Giants Swim Team this summer and so far it has been a good experience. He has practice everyday and then he does the home meets. He is learning the correct way to do the butterfly, freestyle, breast stroke and back stroke. He is enjoying it, but I don't think he is going to be the next Micheal Phelps. :)

DC & Baltimore

At the beginning of June we went to DC & Baltimore for a week with Josh's work. It was so much fun! We went into the capitol building, by the White House, the zoo, the Natural History museum, American History museum, Portrait museum, inside the Washington Monument, Lincoln memorial, Vietnam memorial, and the list goes on. What a great trip. Then we headed to Baltimore for a few days and stayed in the Inner Harbour. To see all of our pics go to FB.

Lookouts

Last Thursday my parents came to watch 2 of Ty's ballgames and he did great. Thanks Yaay & Dtaa for coming to watch our little John Denver. We are really going to miss watching this little guy play (his last game is on Thursday night). Then last night we went to Rio Picante with the Beard family and then to a Lookouts game. What fun!

Cinco de Mayo, Family Visit, Mother's Day!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! The kids made Mexican flags and then waved them in front of our house. For dinner we had tacos and margaritas...any excuse to celebrate!

Here is Ty's cheering section. Thank you to Nana, Papa, Darrin, Jill and Connor for coming down and rooting him on!

Marley Mo loves her some Connor!

Ty did great at his ballgame, here he is afterwards with a special #6 cookie!

Thank you to my mom, Josh's mom, my Granny, Josh's Mimmie & Mamaw, without all of you we would not be the people we are today...Happy Mother's Day and we love you! 2nd thank you to my family. Josh picked up sushi and doritos for me on the way home, the kids made cards and then Sunday they cooked me a steak dinner. It was grand! Lastly Ty said the blessing and it was so sweet, I started to cry.
So blessed!

Go to your happy place, go to your happy place...

Last Monday we headed to Atlanta to fly out to Cancun to stay at an all inclusive resort with the Beard's, the Master's, and the Grau's. Our parents watched our kids while we took our vacation and a big thank you to them. We went to Excellence Riveria Cancun for 4.5 days of relaxing, reconnecting, and laughs. We took it easy by the pool, we danced, we karoaked, we ate delicious food, had great conversation, met people, and the list goes on. What a wonderful time, thanks to everyone especially Josh!

This is the Martini bar, where we met up every night.

The ladies did the spa thing twice while the boys did a cigar tasting and had Cubans! The Mile spa was awesome!! The marine therapy (12 steps of sauna, steam room, cold water plunge, bubble bath, etc.) followed up by Edgar's scalp massage, and then our real massage, really spoiled me.

Here was our nice room.

When we got there, Michael said we were all going to look like this after we had eaten and drank all week...ha!!

This is where we laid by the pool/beach for 4 straight days. Ahh I am relaxed just thinking about it!

My rock star children...oh their imaginations!

I will cling to the ole rugged cross...

We had a great Easter! Here we are Sunday morning before church.

Of course we had to dye Easter eggs!

The fam.

We always love Easter egg hunting at Alexian.

We waited an hour to see the Easter bunny and then he left. Argh! We took some pics of these kids anyway!

Easter hunting at our house with our neighbors.

Thanks to everyone who made our Easter so special! And so nice to worship our risen Saviour!

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play, today!

Sunday we went to a Braves game in Atlanta. We stayed with our friends the Master's in their new house. It is so nice, and we appreciate their hospitality! Then Sunday we went to watch the Braves play and see the Avett Bros concert. What a great day! I "soaked in" a lot of good memories yesterday, like Marley falling asleep on me while I was hearing some of my favorite songs live, and looking over and seeing Ty singing I and LOVE and You while sitting on his dad's lap...ahh...good times! Saturday Ty and the Timber Rattlers had their 1st ball game of the season. It is so much fun to watch our little guy play! Friday night the Beard's came over for dinner and it was fun! Then on Saturday morning Marley had her 1st and free manicure. Here is performance in the Master's concert hall. :)

Projects, Projects!

Yesterday Nana & Papa came to visit with us and we had a good time, here we are at one of our favorite restaurants, Pastaria!

Well the last few weeks we have been working off and on, on our new playhouse. We took the old one down alogn with the fence and planted grass there and then built a new one. Josh found the design, used recycled parts of the fence (for the fireman's pole), of our old deck (roof and platform), and of the old playset (slide, handles, swings, etc.). He did a great job and the kids LOVE it!

Project 2 - We sold our old bedroom set and we agreed to spend less than what we made since this was a want and not a need. Almost all of the profit went toward the mattress, I bought side tables, lamps, mirror, cool antique dresser, and then Josh made me this bed for $150. I love it!!

Now for a small break and then on to project number three! :) My poor husband!!