Bye Bye Motorcycle

Ross purchased his motorcycle shortly after we discovered we were expecting Harper. It was a Kawasaki ZX6R that he purchased from Kyle, one of his good friend from college. Ross loved the bike. Before Harper was born, he would go on long evening rides around town. Eventually it became a means of transportation to and from work during the spring, summer and fall. The year that Harper was born was a very mild winter so he put a lot of miles on that year! However, with family comes responsibility and also the fear of getting hurt, so this summer Ross put the bike up for sale. It was a 2003 model with only 8600 miles on it and never had mechanical issues so someone snapped it up pretty quickly. Ross was sad to see it go. Harper was also sad to see the "motorcicle" leave without her daddy on it. It was a great bike and we will miss it.

Sweet Corn

Harper has been digging the sweet corn this summer. We typically cut the corn off the cob, but occasionally let her try to do it herself. One night, after grilling the corn, we grilled bananas with cinnanom and sugar. Harper took a few bites but was more interested in feeding me...which was messy. We decided to take a picture of our messy faces....complete with "say CHEESE" faces!

Ankey's Summerfest Parade

We took Harper to Ankeny's Summerfest parade. It was her first parade so we weren't sure what to expect from Harper. She likes being in a crowd and there was a lot for her to take in....so she spent the first 20 minutes sitting and staring. When Harper is "absorbing" new things she typically looks kind of angry. Eventually she decided it was fun to be there. The parade got even better when the freebies starting coming - she got a cup and candy (another sucker!) and popcorn. She eventually kicked Ross out of his lawn chair and enjoyed watching all the floats went by while happily munching on her treats. By the time we got back to the car (2 hours later), she was beat - she asked for her blanket, threw it over head, and passed out!

Harper's First Haircut

Harper's hair was getting long and shaggy so we finally had her first haircut. We went to Lollipops - a salon that caters to toddler clientele with fun chairs, decorations and, of course, SUCKERS! Harper wasn't sure what to think about having "beauty school" done by a stranger. She enjoyed looking around the room but was fussing about being touched by the stylist. And then she got a lollipop.... It was Harper's first hard candy (hello, choking hazard!) and she LOVED LOVED LOVED it. In the end, we left without any tears and a pretty little girl without hair in her eyes!

Bikini Car Wash

Our car was recently in desperate need of a scrubbing - lots of road trips left millions of bugs and a thick layer of dust and dirt on it. So, we decided to clean it up the old fashion way - hand scrubbing in the driveway! Harper put on her swimsuit and helped, too. Eventually she decided to scrub her wagon and water table and play with bubbles, but for a while she was really making some progress on the wheels.

Harper also discovered Ross's tattoo! She was very curious about it and had to touch it.

First Band-Aid

We've been spending a lot of time outdoors recently. Since it's been a wet spring and summer, we've all gotten lots of mosquito bites. Harper had a nasty one on her elbow that really bugged her and she scratched...and scratched...and scratched it! Eventually it turned into a scab which earned her a Band-Aid! Sadly I didn't have any cute Princess Band-Aids in stock, so Harper had to go with a plain one. Either way, she wears it proudly. :)

Knock Out

Watch out, boys. Harper is a cutie...a real Knock Out! But this little beauty is learning how to throw a right cross at a young age so keep away!

Riverbend Rally

Riverbend Rally is a great tradition in Iowa Falls. Every year the Chamber Main Street helps to organize a carnival and events over the 4th of July weekend. This year we met Dave, Steph, Reid and Sydney for the event. We picked up Addison for the day, too. The kids had a great time - they enjoyed the petting zoo. Harper finally got to touch all the animals that we talk about - ducks, chickens, pigs, horses, dogs, cats, and llamas. (Fine, we don't talk about Llama, but she still got to pet one).  The older girls waited in line to get awesome balloon animals while Stephanie and I visited the Book Sale. After watching the drill team perform (and Harper trying to rush the stage to participate), Sydney and Addison participated in the water races put on by the Iowa Falls Fire Department. They were rewarded for their effort by a coupon for a free ice cream cone. Although Harper was too small to participate, she pretended she could and splashed around in the water outside the race area. All of the kids got to play a few games and everyone left with some fun prizes and great memories.

4th of July

We attended Yankee Doodle Pops with Em, Ruthann, and Dennis this year. It was our first time attending the event on the grounds of the Capital and Harper's first time seeing fireworks! We had awesome seats and enjoyed listening to the music and chatting before the fireworks. Harper really enjoyed all the people watching and occasionally would asked to get lifted up for a better look at the musicians. Simon Estes make a surprise appearance and sang which was pretty memorable. The fireworks were very pretty - they were shot over the skyline of downtown. Harper watched them amazement...until happily dozing to sleep.

As a side note for next year - the event was awesome, but the drive home took 90 minutes! Traffic was TERRIBLE!

Girls Weekend 2013

Ross left Harper and me for his annual Boys Trip to Missouri for golf and to canoe down the Elk River. So, it was GIRLS WEEKEND! Although we miss Ross when he is gone, it's a lot of fun to spend a few days alone with each other - and we were busy girls! We visited Ashby Park where Harper played in the splash pad and swung. On Saturday morning we went out to the Iowa Weimaraner Rescue's K9 5K. There were tons of runners (and quite a few dogs) .....including Uncle David! Harper did a great job running around the area and testing out the playground equipment. She was a busy girl and earned quite a few "awwes" for being adorable and showing off her dance moves. That evening we visited Grandpa Kirk, Grandma Linda and Aunt Emilie for a few hours. When we weren't running around town, we were playing at the house. Harper used her water table, the roller-coaster and played "PEEK" around the trees in the yard. In addition, she created numerous masterpieces with finger-paint. It was a great weekend. :) When Ross got home she immediately curled up on his shoulder for some cuddles and a nap.