Thompson/Whittlesey Vacation in Okoboji

We went back to Okoboji for some fun in the sun with Ruthanne, Dennis and Emilie. The night before we left, Harper got the flu. It was her first time having the flu and I'm pretty sure she hated every minute of it...I know Ross and I hated that she was sick. Luckily she bounced back the next day and spent most of the ride up to the condo sleeping. Unfortunately, Ross and I caught the flu, too...and so part of our vacation was spent confined to the bedroom.

Other than the terrible flu bug, we had a great trip. Harper LOVED spending time with her grandparents and Emilie. They do a great job spoiling her and she does an awesome job of soaking up the extra attention and love. We spent some time shopping in town and hanging out at the Barefoot Bar. Bay Bridges has a nice playground that was perfect for Harper, too. She loves to swing and, in addition to her normal "baby swing" she tried out the "big girl swing" and the tire swing! When did our baby get so big?! The highlight of the trip was spent on the boat. The weather was perfect and the lake was pretty quiet which allowed us to do some cruising around the lake. Harper happily stared into the water and spent time walking in between the bow and the back of the boat to watch the lake. During the trip Ross asked her if she was going to live in Okoboji someday. Harper quickly removed the Cheetos from her mouth and clearly (and with conviction) answered, "YES." It was adorable. Sadly the vacation had to end but we are looking forward to the next time we are able to visit the lake as a family.

Whittlesey Family Vacation

Kirk and Linda took us on an awesome trip to Omaha last weekend. The highlight of the trip was a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo. We spent a full day walking around the zoo and seeing the animals. Harper got up close and personal with some goatsin the petting zoo - she thought this was pretty cool. She also really liked watching the apes & monkeys and the larger birds.

Although the weather was perfect on Friday for our visit to the zoo, the rest of the weekend was WET! We went swimming in the hotel pool, visited the Joslyn Artm Museum, the Art Festival and toured The Old Market. Harper was a trooper for most of the day and enjoyed being part of a crowd. It was an awesome vacation and we will cherish the memories. :)

Mud

It's been a wet spring - lots and lots of rain. So, when the sun is shining, we spend a lot of time outdoors. The large amounts of rain also mean large amounts of mud. We let Harper enjoy the messy mud last weekend - it was a bath night and she was ready to do some exploring.She really enjoyed getting her hands (and arms, feet, clothes and face) dirty. 

Best Friends

Harper and Riley are very fond of each other. Riley likes Harper for many reasons - she's at face level which makes it easy to give her kisses. She is like a giant walking food dispenser and is constantly dropping or throwing food to Riley. And, Harper loves to play with Riley. Somethings she needs help with - like throwing frisbees or playing tug. Harper has mastered feeding Riley dinner and giving her lots of love. One of her favorite thing to do is give Riley cuddles.

Mothers Day 2013

Harper brought home a lovely Mothers Day present from daycare - an imprint of her hand and a poem. Our daycare does an awesome job of doing sweet and memorable crafts. It's amazing how much she's grown from her first tiny handprint we did her first Christmas. Harper was happy to show off her craft and tell me how she made it and the poem was very sweet and brought tears to my eyes! . 

My Hands

Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small, 

and always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls. 

But, every day I'm growing, I'll be grown up some day; 

and all those tiny handprints will simply fade away. 

So here's a final handprint just so you can recall, 

exactly how fingers looked when I was very small.