She can tie her shoes!

Marley is always in to something, especially at nap and bed time. Well I walked in her room the other day and she was using her devotion book (their is an illustration in it) to teach herself how to tie her shoes. So I sat down with her and tried to walk her through it a few times, not thinking she would get it, but she did!

Independence Day

What a fun 4th of July! We started it off by going to a friend's house on the 3rd and celebrating with them. There were over 40 kids there and they scary part was they were all happy (no fighting, no one got hurt, no one was mad, just lots of fun). The food and the friends were great! Then on the 4th we had the parade that goes in front of our house. I think it gets funner for the kids every year! Friday Gavin spent the night with us and then Saturday we had dinner with the Pates. This week we are having a lemonade stand and then off to Lenoir City!

No Pictures :(

Well I have lost my cord that goes from my camera to my computer, so I cannot download pictures right now.  Hopefully I will find it soon.  We had a great week, last week.  We started the week off with two 1/2 birthday parties, one for Marley and the other for Ty.  They had a great time.  Then Wednesday we left to go to Nashville with Josh for two nights.  We watched cable (we don't have it at home), went to the Nashville Zoo, went to the Maryland Farms YMCA (they had a great pool, but SO many rules), and ate good food.  It was really nice!  When we came home on Friday we went to Alexian to hear Bluegrass music, Saturday to a birthday party at the Spirit Barn, Saturday night to a Lookouts game (fun but hot), and Sunday after church we went to pick blackberries.  I will have lots of pics when I can post them!

I've Been On Summer Break Also

 What a busy, busy summer! It seems like a lot has happened and I can only remember part of it!! Both Marley and Ty have been taking gymnastics with Charity Painter this summer and they love tumbling, the bars and the beam. The next picture is Josh's father's day picture, and yes Marley is in her underwear, that is how we roll around here. Josh did not get much for Father's Day since we just bought a new car (Honda Fit) but he is well appreciated for all that he does for our family.

 This picture is from Vacation Bible School at Signal Mtn Presbyterian Church.  We got to walk thru the Tabernacle and go to the VBS Martketplace.  Our church does a wonderful job teaching the children about God's love and entertaining them at the same time.

This video is of Ty and a African Crested Crane from the Chattanooga zoo.  It is good to know that we are not the only ones that Ty tries to "interact" with.  :)  These kids love to learn and love animals!

This is a picture of Ty's 2nd lost tooth.  He is growing up way too fast!  We have also been in Atlanta to see Jimmy Buffett, our kids have been to stay with their cousins in Sweetwater, TN.  Ty also went with Nana, Papa, Connor & Beckett to Pigeon Forge and Marley had girl time in Lenoir City.  This week we have celebrated 1/2 birthdays, so stay tuned for those pics!

Busy 1st Week of Summer

So it has been a busy first week of summer. I am trying to keep the kids busy with crafts, so on the first day we decorated aprons! The next day we met the Beard's at Chuck E Cheese for games and that was fun. After that we headed to Muscle Shoals, AL for some pool time fun. When we got back, we heard that Josh's new Honda Fit was in, so he drove Ole Brownie out with the kids one more time. I almost cried when I saw it leave, we have a lot of memories in it, in the last 16 years. And finally we had a going away party for our friends the Boggs on Friday night. We will be sad to see them leave, but we wish them well as they start their Colorado adventure. As far as Memorial Day weekend goes, we are just going to take it easy. We have hiked from our house to Signal Point, then to Rainbow Lake and back home this morning and who knows what we will get into tomorrow. This is going to be a fun summer!!

What a Great Season!

Well baseball is almost over. Ty has had a really good season and we are so proud of him! He has improved a lot and learned more about the game. His team, the Rockhounds, also have had a fantastic season. They were league champs and are currently in the tournament (but are one loss away of being out). Thank you to the grandparents and all of his friends who came out to watch. This has been a great group of boys and parents to get to know and I think we will all be a little sad to see it end. Go Rockhounds!!

Happy Mudder's Day (that is how Marley says it)

What a wonderful weekend! First we started it off with a lovely, outdoor, and easy dinner at the Pate's house and then Mother's Day activities on Saturday (run/ride the River Walk, Who Fest, cake, trip to Signal Mtn Nursery for some surprise lantana, and yummy steaks). On Sunday we went to church and then hibernated inside all day while it rained. Ty surprised me Sunday with a gift at my door. It consisted of 6 of his own pennies, a poem, an American flag, a shovel, seeds, and lots of art work. It was very sweet and I almost cried. Mezzie started riding her bike this weekend and I included a picture of her in her super cute Toms! I am so thankful for our grandmothers and our moms. We love them so much and wouldn't be the people we are today without their guidance and love. I hope everyone had a wonderul Mother's Day!!

Ahead of Schedule

So I try to do a post after every weekend (thank you Uncle Truckles) and this week I beat my Monday deadline! :) I think it was because we did so much fun stuff. Anyway we started the weekend off by meeting Amy and Macy for some girl time on Friday, which is always fun! Then we went to Ty's baseball game on Saturday morning. He had actually practiced this week at home and it showed! He had 2 homeruns and caught a ball. We are so proud of him and he was too! The more he told his story, the further the ball went each time. Then off to Knoxville for an adventure race with the kids (they did not enjoy it too much because we had to run/walk for an hour in the heat), visit Josh's mamaw who is undergoing rehab from a broken leg, then a get together with Josh's family, wake up on Sunday and go to Josh's race and then visit with my family. Josh did great at his race. How do we define great? He finished. :) He doesn't win or usually place in his age group but he goes out for over 5.5 hours in the heat and goes hard. I know I could never do it and I am very proud of his dedication. Oh and a special thanks to all of family for fitting us into your busy schedules. We love you guys!!

Running Behind

Okay it's the story of my life, I am running behind on my weekly posts. :) Anyway not too much going on. Last weekend we went to Connor Beard's baseball game. He did great, at least 2 big hits and great defense, and they won...way to go Mets. Saturday Ty had a game (beat the only team that has beaten them so far), we got rabies shots for the animals, and then dinner at Boccacia with the McGowans. Sunday after church we got two dwarf frogs for the kids so they would quit asking about getting a snake. They are enjoying the frogs but already asking for the snake again. No pics this week, I was too lazy to take pictures and my camera needed to be charged. I will take some this weekend though. Should be a fun week, hope yours is too!

Stop and Smell the Orchids

This past Thursday my parents came down to watch Ty play baseball. It was nice to catch up with them and also take them to Signal Mountain nursery and Lines Orchids. We had never been in Lines before (I pass it all the time since I live about 3 miles from it) but it was so nice to go in to their greenhouses and see so many pretty orchids. Although orchids do not have much of a smell (like my title suggests), this was a nice reminder to slow down and absorb all of our blessings.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

This past weekend was really nice. We started it off with Pie Slinger's pizza at home (yummy) on Friday night, then Josh's parents came to visit on Saturday and see Ty's game (they won and Marley had a bloody nose), then Pastaria for lunch, and on Sunday we went to a Lookouts game.

Spring Break

One of our friends looks at our blog and is disappointed that I do not update it regularly. He has suggested that I update it every Monday, so we will see how that goes.

Last week was Spring Break. We went to the Creative Discovery Museum on Saturday, then to Muscle Shoals on Monday and Tuesday with Josh (the weather was nice and we could use the cool pool), then to the Chattanooga Zoo, Wednesday we had friends/neighbors over for Easter activities, Thursday to Atlanta to visit the Masters, go to Stone Mountain, go to the Atlanta Zoo, back home on Saturday for the Easter egg hunt at Alexian, and then we went to church on Sunday. Ty has gotten use to doing something big everyday and I think he is going to be let down when summer break comes. :)

Thanks to the Masters for hosting us! We had a great time visiting with you all and thanks for taking us to Stone Mountain, it was great! Now what will the next Harper adventure be? Stay tuned until next Monday for the weekly update!! :)

Powerman Alabama

This past weekend we went to Birmingham, AL for Marley, Ty and Josh to do the Powerman Duatalon (run, bike, run). Marley had fun, but finished last. She was more concerned about what she was wearing than where she placed. Ty went next and he did really well and was in to it. Then we went to the Lego store and then back to the hotel for swimming. The next day Josh had his race and he did great. I am so proud of all 3 of them!

Visiting with Nana & Papa!

Last Sunday, Nana and Papa came to visit us. They read with the kiddos and took them to Walmart to buy Ty some baseball stuff and of couse Marley got something too. :) Thanks Nana and Papa for coming to visit with us and for Ty's baseball stuff!!

Sweet Times Being a Mom

One of the things I LOVE about being a mom is the snuggle times with the little ones. As they get older there is less snuggle time and you have to take it whenever you can get it. One of the best times is right after a nap when they are still tired and cold. Here I am with my Mezzy Moe snuggle bug, I hope I never ever forget times like these!!!

Tea Anyone?

Last Wednesday Ty's class has a tea party at school. I had no idea it was such a big deal, but it was. It felt like I was at a wedding reception! Anyway the purpose of it was to display their manners, which they had been working on at school. It was cute to see them all dressed up!

Let's see what else is going on?
Marley got a new used bike
We got an Xbox which we all like
We no longer have cable
Josh is installing a new window in our bathroom
We are all loving the warm weather

That's it for us, hope all is well with everyone else...Curt. :)

Ole Dixie Roller Rink

Connor and Macy Beard spent the night with us Friday night and then we woke up and went to the Hamilton Skate Place on Saturday morning. Being there brought back wonderful memories of my childhood at Ole Dixie Roller Rink in Lenoir City, Tn. They still play Michael Jackson, turn off the lights, do weird light shows, spin disco balls, have a dj, and play fun roller skating games just like they use to! The kids had a hard time at first but after awhile, and a lot of falls, they started to get the hang of it. Good times all around!!

Vacation from Vacation!

So we spent 2 weeks with just the 4 of us in Costa Rica, so it was real nice to come home and go to a cabin with our friends, with no kiddos! We stayed at Amazing Grace Lodge in Blue Ridge, GA and it was really nice, we ate great food from each couple, we played games, did crafts (sort of), put together puzzles, karoaked, sat in the hot tub, wore pjs all day, and laughed a lot! Thanks to Josh, Amy, Micheal, Mandy, Eric, Tessa & Anthony for helping me to relax for 3 days. Until next year!

Greetings from Costa Rica!

What a wonderful time we are having on our 2 week vacation in Costa Rica! Here we are looking into the crater lake of the Poas Volcano right outside of San Jose. We have had wonderful weather, eaten yummy tico food, and seen some amazing animals and things. Just a name a few, we have also seen the Arenal volcano from a distance, hiked around it (seen venomous coral snakes and toucans), gone to zoos, been in Manuel Antonio park (seen sloths & monkeys), hiked on hanging bridges over the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and the list goes on. We are still planning on a boat ride to see whales and dolphins and maybe even horseback riding (still would like to see a macaw one evening). Although it has been fun, it is also a little bit trying as a family. We only have the 4 of us and we have to somewhat get along (most of the time with no iternet or tv) when we are having fun AND when we are tired, lost, and don't understand the language or don't have the comforts of home. So I would have to say that I love to travel but one of the things I love most about traveling internationally with my family is that it forces us to grow even closer to each other!!