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!