Friday, April 17, 2009

Friends and Babies

I am SO lucky because I have a huge group of friends who are stay at home moms or part time stay at home moms so now that we can get out - I can get together with them. There is a group from our church that get together every other Thursday for play group. I have been so jealous for the last 3 years because I wanted so badly to join. Every time, I would call Laurie and she would give me the lowdown on what happened so I could live vicariously through her.

Well - the day has come. Yesterday I went to my first play group!!!! And it was great! I was so nervous about how Harper would act but she did great. She was interested in the other kids and then she ended up falling asleep.

I love this picture of her checking Emily out. Emily is so sweet - she told me that she "loved Harper" and "awww.... Harper is so cute" . ha!
Here is an attempt at our first picture of our three girls together. It's not easy getting a picture of 3 girls age three and under. ha! Harper looks so little - I always think of her as so big until I compare her to them. They are actually third cousins!
This is Emily and one of her best friends Alex. They are so sweet together. I love the age of 3 and 4. I don't want to wish the months and years away but I can't wait until Harper is 3 and can play with her friends like they do. And say the funniest stuff.
John Michael and Sarah Kate. The duo with the double names. They are SO precious!

I look forward to many, many times of getting babies together to play and being able to visit with my friends.

After we got home - my parents came over for a short visit. They had to come to town for a few reasons so they stopped in to see Harper. We took Harper and Dawson on a walk. They were here so quick that I didn't even take a picture.
But I did take this picture this morning!

Today was another milestone - Harper got out for her first time to a restaurant! We met my friend Kelli for lunch at Gusano's pizza. Harper did pretty good. She really smiled at Kelli at first and then she sat in my lap for the second half of our meal.

We have a pretty free weekend which I'm excited about. Somehow I get nothing done EVER so I'm going to try and catch up on housework while Daddy's home to watch Harper. May even start on the GREAT CLOSET CLEANOUT 2009 (it is the temple of doom right now). Along with that goes my Great Inbox Cleanout. I have over 1000 e-mails that are pretty new that I can't seem to get answered. So if you have written me recently - I'm sorry if I haven't replied. I just don't get a lot of computer time these days - but I'm reading!!! I hope ya'll have a great weekend.

I want to share a few things to pray about for the weekend:

  • Please pray for Jason and Kerri. They were expecting their own little girl named Harper and she was delivered on Tuesday and was born stillborn and went to be with Jesus. You can imagine how devastated they are. Please lift them up this weekend.
  • Please pray for Amanda, 33, in Ft. Smith, AR. She has 4 young children and is on a heart transplant list. Her father was killed in the line of duty as a policeman when she was a child so they have already suffered heartache. Pray that she recieves a heart soon!
  • All those links on the left still need our prayer!
Thank you for always being faithful to pray for others! May God be near to each of you this week! (and always!)

68 comments:

Preppy Girl Meets World said...

Glad to see Harper is doing well and has gotten so big. She's gorgeous! Have a fantastic weekend and be sure to stop by and enter my giveaway when you get the chance!

Unknown said...

The picture of Harper in her little hat is adorable!

michelle said...

I really don't have anything much to say...but I was excited to see that I am one of the first to comment. (I have to find more to entertain myself w/!) I was curious to see if you happen to know a Bob and Mildred Riley. I know...a long shot but just thought I would ask. Thanks for posting...Harper is adoreable!!!

Jennifer said...

Harper is doing so great! I am so so happy for you to get to be a stay at home mom and go to play group. I want this for my life more than anything! I am not even married yet, but it is something that I really want when the time comes! You have such a sweet little family!

Jonnie Honse said...

What big adventures you guys have had lately!

Allison said...

What cute pictures!

And I just have to say that my husband is John Michael, so it's cute to see a little boy with that name as well!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Sonya said...

I love all the pictures!! Thanks for sharing.

Alexis said...

Such a sweet day! I can see friendships in the making.

Jess :) said...

LOVE that little girl sooooo much! She looks so adorable with her friends. I love it! I'm also glad that you were both able to get out and do something. What a fun treat!

I will definitely be praying for many people this weekend. Thanks for the updates!

Love you

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

What fun to get out and about with Harper now that the weather is warmer and she is getting older. Play groups are so much fun and so important to a child's development. I teach 3 year old pre-school, so I love that age too. It is so sweet to see the children interact with each other and hear the things they talk about! Harper looks precious, as always. Have a wonderful weekend.I was on spring break this week and I tackled and cleaned out my closet. Yea! I am working on my guestroom now.
Love & blessings from NC!

A Wedding Story said...

So sweet. It looks like Harper wants to talk to that little cute girl.

Corrie said...

I'm curious to know if the 20 Minute Shred workout video is worth the buy. I keep looking at online but was wondering if you've had the time to try it yet? Harper is so cute. I think her and Sarah Kate sort of look a like.

R said...

play groups are so beneficial--for both mom and baby!! i found that at each one we attended, my daughters would really strive to imitate what they saw the older kids doing, so they started doing some of their "milestone" activities at them! it was amazing to see human development before my very eyes. :0)

LKB said...

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for adding Amanda to your prayer list.
Lavetta

Love Being A Nonny said...

So sweet that you wanted to go to play group for so long and you finally got to go. I know that was a dream come true for you. And I am so happy for you!

Amy @ Chicy-Creations said...

Play groups are so fun! Good luck with the spring cleaning!

PS, I'm doing a giveaway, feel free to stop by. I bet Harper would look darling in a Shabby tutu! :)

Courtney said...

So glad you and Harper are able to get out on the town. I love the picture of her in the pink and green hat. Too cute!

Kelsey said...

I think it's so funny how all of the little girls at the play group are wearing bows...it's very cute! I think it must be more of a southern thing because up here in the NW it's not as common (or at least in my circle of friends). Your little Harper is definitely going to have a well documented life, I wish I could be as good. Enjoy your weekend...don't clean too much, it can always wait.

Michelle said...

Glad to see you are getting out! I conquered the 2009 closet clean-out this week! It is so nice to be able to see things in your closet. We gathered three huge bags to take to a local charity. We had way too much "stuff."

Veronica said...

Hi Kelly,

So glad you guys got the chance to get out. Play groups are great! Love all of the new pics! It was also exciting to see Harper wearing the new hat. Is it just me or am I sending you hats that are a little small? Let me know, because I may just need to make them in the next size up. Hope you have a productive weekend.

Oh yeah...I also decided to start making my hats in the cotton yarn like we talked about starting next month. Hoping that will be a good change. Talk to you later!

Miss to Mrs said...

Yay! Now Harper can become the social butterfly that I know she was born to be and show off all of her pretty clothes. How fun to see her with other little ones.

Unknown said...

Play dates are always fun i hear!
I used to work with a lot of girls who had play dates and i always heard about them!
I also hope that one day i get to have those spacial play dates with my babies... I hope that's soon!
Have a great weekend Kelly!

Jennifer said...

Yay for play group! That looks like so much fun! I know it's good mommy time too! Harper is so precious!

I hear you about the housework! My mom is watching Brody this afternoon so I can clean! Obviously, I had to take a blogging break, but I've gotten a lot accomplished!

Hope you have a great weekend!

KRISTEN'S PALACE said...

glad you enjoyed the playdate! enjoy the weekend!! :)

Andolicious said...

So glad you are going to playdates. I bet they are so much fun! Harper is so beautiful and I know she's enjoying seeing all of those other kids. :) Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Heather said...

YAY for playgroups!

Brittany said...

so glad you got to go to the play group!

So much fun! Love Harper's green hat!!!

Melissa said...

i'm so glad that you're able to get out and about. i've been praying hard for each and every one of your families that you post on here. while i've been trying something similar on my blog, it's not read by nearly as many people. thank you for keeping us humble, thankful, and prayerful.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the outing for pizza! Those are milestones that are important--I remember them well. Who knew going out to pizza mid-day would be a "milestone"....but once you become a mom....it is!!!

Kubin's said...

Harper is so adorable. I love reading your blog. Keep it up!

I wish I was a stay at home mom. You are so blessed to have the best job in the world. I love my daughter more than anything in this world and I've calculated that I only get 3 1/2 awake hours to spend with her during the week, b/c I work in another town. I cherish my weekends!

God bless you and your family.
Christie
TX

Anonymous said...

Playgroups are the best. I think they saved my sanity when my son was a baby. Believe me, it is just as much for the moms as it is the kids! Harper is just adorable!

The Simmons Family said...

Aren't playgroups so much fun??!!

Harper will be that age soon enough and then it will be gone in a blink of an eye. Then, she'll go to elementary school and time just disappears from there.

Praying for all those sweet families.

Good luck tackling the closet .. I LOVE to reorganize and clean out things like that (but I'm weird).

Julee said...

Cute pics of Harper at the play date! I am so glad that you are finally able to get out and go places with that cutie!
Hope you have a great weekend!!

Claire said...

Lovely pictures - good luck with the closet of doom!

Cxx

Wherever HE Leads We'll Go said...

I was really missing my Harper fix today! I usually check in the morning to find her sweet little face, but today I didn't get to check until late afternoon. : )

She is so adorable. Glad that you are getting out with other moms & babies. And by the way I Love You Goodnight was the first book I was given for my daughter so it always makes me smile.

Kelli said...

Play dates are the best!! Harper will love them as much as you do soon.

The Allens said...

It amazes me how little I can get done during the day!

Heather said...

I looks like you've had a pretty exciting day Kelly. I love the month milestone pictures. I just have one question. How is Harper going to fit in the crib when she reaches her 13th birthday?***smirk***

Kari said...

Awww! Congrats on getting out! Mommy groups are the best! I LOVE that hat on Harper! SOOO CUTE!

Chris said...

I have such fond memories of playgroup with my first two little ones. It is so important for moms to connect.

SLM said...

My son Matthew just saw a picture of Harper and immediately said "Hug baby". He was very sad to learn that Harper lived too far away for him to hug.

Ahh...to be a two year old again! They love so freely and so fiercely.

Sarah said...

So glad you have good friends and play groups available. I have been a SAHM for almost three years now and have neither. It is very hard and lonely :( I have my little guy but as much as I love him I was some adult interaction and conversations!

Harper, as always, is adorable :)

little said...

She is so cute. Glad Harper had fun with her little friends.

The McBrayer family said...

Ok- I have commented before, but have to again- Love reading your blog first of all, secondly- we seriously have so much in common. My friends and I that read your blog always say, "She is so much like us!" We all met at church, are all stay at home moms, we all put ENORMOUS bows on our girls heads, we also have a big playgroup of moms and kids in our Sunday School class that has been going on for 6 years now. It's a great thing- all the support from other friends that are stay at home moms- couldn't make it daily with out my girls! 6 of us even have a "girl's night" every month- we take turns hosting at our homes, pick fun themes, send out invitations, use our pretty china and all the wedding presents that we seem to never use, cook yummy dinners and enjoy time together without husbands or kids! It's a great tradition that we look forward to every month and we have never missed a month! That's been going on for 6 years now too! So fun! Yeah for fun friends and family and the little "happy" things in life! So happy for you and feel like I know you! Take care!

Jenna said...

Yay for playdates and cute babes!! I loved all the pictures and am so glad ya'll had a great time!

Love that pic of Harper in her pink. I can see she already has a knack for layering underneath dresses. I know that makes her sweet momma proud. ;-)

Heather Lynne said...

Isabelle loves social things!!! She goes to nursery at church, (sometimes a play group on thursdays), Baby Bookworms at the library on Fridays, and swimming class on Saturdays. She and I are with my parents right now and she sees my mom's flute students and moms come in and out. Its hard to get a group picture with her in it because she hardly stays still for a moment!!! Good for you for trying to clean stuff out. Right now, I have piles of papers, library books, and lots of e-mail to go through in my inbox.

Bethany said...

I'm glad you were able to attend a playgroup- they are a lot of fun! The ages of 3-4 are adorable...I teach them, and blog occasionally on their "kidisms" so I don't forget :)

TheFancyFritter said...

Hey Kelly! It's Stacy from Shreveport, LA! I love keeping up on Harper! I prayed so hard for her and I love to see how big & healthy she is!

I wanted to let you know that my little girl turned one today and that I'm having a giveaway on my blog in honor of her. You may be interested.

Have a great relaxing weekend and give Harper lots of love from Louisiana! :)

~Stacy

Elyse said...

Isn't is exciting to finally join the groups that you have wanted to a part of for so long? I am so glad that you and Harper got to go to play group. What fun! Harper just gets cuter by the day. I am loving the pink and green combo, although I always love pink and green together! Hope you are able to get a lot done this weekend.

Kristine said...

Saying prayers for the folks on your list tonight! How heart breaking for Jason and Kerri. I can't imagine what they are going through. It's so easy to get caught up in our own, often insignificant, "problems"...their story woke me up today and made me appreciate my life in a way that I haven't been lately.

On a lighter note...Harper is beautiful as always. I meant to mention the other day...SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU now!! I see you when I look at her photos. Too sweet. :)

jellaan said...

Harper is beautiful and I love the picture of her in her hat!! My daughter loves hats....really need to learn to knit some hats so she has some more choices when the weather gets cold (hopefully not for a long time!!). You are lucky to have a play group to get out and socialize with....I always enjoy doing that with the kids when time allows! I'll be saying many prayers this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Lauren said...

Harper is just thriving and it makes my heart so happy. So glad you got to get out and visit with your friends and the other kids :)

Kristin said...

Super cute little hat....I just got some hats from Veronica today and they are so adorable! I'm so glad I was able to meet her through your blog. She is one of my closest blogging friends now!

That's so neat about the playgroup....I'm glad you had a great time!

Anonymous said...

Praying right now!
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Prayer BearsMy email address

Always a Southern Girl said...

Kelly, I love your new blog look. Harper is sooo cute. I will be praying for the 2 people you mentioned. I have a prayer request as well. I am 41 and I want a child so bad. One of my very own. I have 3 step children, but I would love to either give birth or adopt. Please pray about this for me. Thanks and God bless you and your family, Renee

Unknown said...

The very first time I visited your blog was when you were giving birth. What joy it has been to watch sweet Harper grow! And now playdates...what fun! May God continue to pour out His blessings on you and your family. Thank you for sharing the needs of others - I am honored to pray for those sweet and sometimes sad stories you have shared.

Blessings,
Denise

Andy and Wendy Ingram said...

Yeah for playgroups! When my kids were little we loved going to playgroup. It is fun for the kids, help with socialization and more, and a great support for us as moms. The picture of Harper in that knit hat is darling!

Anonymous said...

Kelly,

I love the playdate pictures. What a wonderful "first" day with Harper. John Michael doesn't seem to mind that he is massively outnumbered by the gals. He is loving it all, I think! Ha! Cute kids!

Since I started blogging in the past 8 months, I have kept a prayer journal. Well, it is pretty much time to start a new one. I have this journal jammed with requests. So many hearts are aching, but what a blessing that the blogging world that seems so vast is really closer than you think because of our gracious Savior. Never did I think I would encounter so many followers of Christ...or see so many accept Him. I just smile that this is ALLL a part of His almighty plan. Our Jesus seen through blogging. WOW! It is AMAZING! And how comforting to see how many are falling to their knees to pray for those who are in the midst of a treacherous storm. Despite the pain, our God has His hands in all of this. He will carry.

Have a wonderful day!

xo,

Shannon A. in PA

P.S. I am loving the pink/chocolate bowband as well as Veronica's hat. Her colors are marvelous!! YAY Veronica!!!!!!!! I love seeing fellow hair bauble creators out there.

Jacquie said...

I'm so glad that you have been able to finally realize some of your dreams, Kelly. God is good.

Those are some sweet kiddos!!

mrs boo radley said...

My goodness, Harper is SUCH a beautiful baby!

And her little friend Emily--what a smile!

Fabiola said...

She is so cute between the big girls.
I am hoping my day will arrive too.

Fabiola

Mollie said...

Play groups are the BEST!! It is nice to get to see other moms and try to visit- while the kids are playing. You should check your local Library for story time too!! That is FREE and fun way to meet others also.

Harper has really grown!! I can tell too by the pictures from yesterday- Thanks for doing a great job at your work!! you're a great mommy!!

Fran said...

I'm so happy for you Kelly!!! You've had a GREAT couple of days.
The pix are so so so cute. My favorite is Harpers precious little mouth. She's got that darling look all the time.

Happy weekend.
Love you girl,
Fran

Sa-Sea said...

I just wanted to let you know your daughter is BEAUTIFUL!!! Her sweet little face melts my heart!!!!

babyrndeb said...

your little Harper is just too cute. I check up on you like every day and love that you post pictures. I've been following your blog since Harper was born.
You are so blessed to have her.
Keep having fun - and remember that each day is special :)

starlightmommy said...

In the Fall (August or so) you should also look into joining a MOPS group. MOPS=Mothers of Preschoolers and as a stay at home mom I have found that MOPS is very valuable. You have childcare for your child and you can go have some mommy time to hear a speaker, do a craft, and enjoy a wee bit of mommy time.

I love playgroups too and playlands (when Harper reaches that point) because they are so interactive for both mom and child(ren).

Love reading your blog

rae said...

I love Harper in the bright pink and her green hat!! Those are definitely her colors!!

Saved by Grace said...

Looks like lots of fun. I love the pic of Harper in the pink and green hat. She is just too precious!