Life's a Zoo!: May 2009

I know! I have been such a bad blogger, and I haven't so much as written one sentence for you all in over a month. In fact, as I try to write this, 20 minutes have gone by while I've been working on other things, and I'm just getting back to this pitiful excuse for a post! I'm going to try my very best to give you something good. I know you may not all want to read a mile-long entry, so I'm going to categorize my rambling:

Harlie: Probably the Rager you are most interested in, she is doing very well except for the major cold she's recovering from. Of course she is growing like a weed, except for the five pounds she lost in the past few months because of her extreme amount of energy. So far no one is worried about it (exept me of course). She still has a good appetite, and she is otherwise healthy (this cold is the first in a long time). She has become obsessed with "fashion" and enjoys wearing multiple bracelets and necklaces. I try to limit the amount she wears to church, warning her that we don't want to look too tacky when we're all dressed up. If she spots a new outfit in her closet (at this point we're switching to spring/summer clothes so they're all new to her) she will throw a tantrum until I let her put it on, so I usually pick her clothing out before she wakes up. Up until this past Saturday she had grown very attached to me, but Mikey took care of her while I handled our yard sale, so she is now in a "Daddy's Girl" mode, which suits me fine. He finally admits that she can be exhausting sometimes. She is loving the outdoors, so on warm days she usually drags us out as early as humanly possible. We had a chance to work in the garden a few weeks ago, and she enjoyed digging in the dirt with her garden rake and spade. Of course she won't allow me to cut her fingernails - it's really impossible at this point - so they are looking mighty rough at this point. *As I wrote this post (it ended up taking a few hours) Mike finally cut her nails, even though she screamed at the top of her lungs the entire time.* I have a ton of photos of her (of course) and I'll try to fill you in on her new "things" a little more under each picture.

Spike: I know he's just a dog, but he's my other baby and he needs mentioning. He's still cuddly and cute, and he still loves those outdoor adventures of chasing after poor defenseless (at least against him) animals.

Mike: He's still substituting, so he works every day, but he is home in the evenings with us and we are loving it. Unfortunately, since he hasn't been offered a permanent position anywhere yet, he will probably have to go back to a crazy work schedule again over the summer. We do need two incomes, as most families do at this point. He has applied for two teaching positions in our general area, so let's all pray that he gets an offer.

Me: Well you all know I like to talk, so I'll try to keep my paragraph short, but I can't promise anything. Our wedding season started a few weeks ago, so Saturdays will be tied up from now until November, but that means we're making some money so it's okay. I am still working in the church office as well, and I love it every bit as much as I did from the very start. I have also involved myself in a few more aspects of the church, as I tend to do when the opportunity arises. I would love to cut back on my schedule with photography, so that I have more time to play with Harlie, but until Mike is offered a job with benefits, I will have to keep this heavy schedule going. I am basically working seven days a week at this point, and I rarely have so much as an afternoon to do something relaxing and fun. But this is the career I chose, and I don't regret it. I just look forward to the day when I can cut my hours a bit and enjoy my family a little more. A few of you (and many more that don't really even know us) have asked us when we plan to have another baby. I love you all, and I know you never mean any harm by asking this question, but please watch the way you ask these things. Yes, we do want another baby, and yes we have been trying. We were successful a few months ago, only to miscarry very early. I'm okay with this, and I know that God will give us a baby if and when he wants to, but it's very hard to hear people wonder out loud why we aren't "wanting" a new one yet. We very much do "want" a baby, but that's sometimes not enough. We can try through July, but after that we will have to wait to try again until next March so that I don't have to break any contracts with customers next spring. Another thing for you all to pray for if you please. My paragraph is already way too long, and I could think of millions of things to say, so I'll just stop now. Thanks to anyone who has actually read this far and not just skipped ahead to the photos.

Now for what you really came to see:

Harlie will always stand for a photo with Spike, but I bribed him with promises of a "special treat" when we went inside. No worries - I didn't break my promise!

She's showing off her filthy gardening hands.

Digging in the dirt and loving every minute of it.

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Playing with her two favorite finds - a jingle bell and a flashlight. So easily amused! Notice the adorable pigtails. She doesn't let me do it often, but this was the day I let her wear her new outfit (the one she threw a half-hour tantrum about the day before) so she wanted her hair to be special.

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Mikey took this one. It's pretty cool, but he says the camera is in the way of his handsome-ness. Gotta love my conceited husband.

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She LOVES wearing sunglasses - just another thing she looks cute in.

She spent the day with Mimi this day while Mike and I worked a wedding. We had a break between ceremony and reception, and chose to spend it visiting our cutie.

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This jewelry box is completely full of rings, necklaces, and bracelets. You can see how many she likes to wear at a time. By the way, any hair ties she finds in my bathroom drawer double as bracelets in her mind.

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Hunting for Easter eggs at Gigi's house. Funny story (now that I look back at it) - this is the day she got a tick in her butt. No joking! Mike had to take her to the doctor the next day to have it removed. The crazy things kids put us through!

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Harlie, Kalee, and me at the Easter Egg Hunt at the church.

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These photos are really out of order, so I apologize. Blogger isn't letting me fix them today, and I don't have time to mess around. This one is of Harlie and Sam (my cousin's daughter) tooting a few horns.

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Taylor and Harlie at the egg hunt.

Jen and I helped her make a necklace at the hunt.

Mikey helped ice the cookies. She took a few bites even before the icing went on.

She loved finding the eggs and filling her basket.

I love this outfit. I actually bought it a while ago with the idea of her wearing it for her 2nd birthday, but I don't think it will still fit six months from now, so we've started wearing it. We've had to do this with quite a few things. Her height is the main issue.

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She LOVES blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. This has become one of our favorite snacks/desserts.

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