Harder Family Vacation {Gulf Shores 2014}

Last week may have been my favorite week of all time.  Mike and I were blessed to travel before we had our girls and I remember thinking that vacations would look a little different once we had a family.  What I didn't understand, was how much joy and laughter would fill my week as I watched Abigail and Violet explore new things at the beach! 

We decided to leave around 3:00 in the morning which I have to tell you is the BEST plan ever with little travelers.  I told Abigail that I was going to come get her in the middle of the night and put her in the car so we could go to the beach.  That morning, I slipped in her room and quietly woke her up. I whispered that we were going to the beach and just like her mommy, she whipped those covers off and got a huge smile on her face!  

The beach is my happy place and watching Abigail's face light up as she explored the ocean and the sand was priceless for me.  Each morning, we started the day down by the ocean finding shells and chasing after the seagulls. She was not afraid of the sand at all this year, but the waves breaking definitely rattled her.  This picture is my favorite and I will always remember her little arms reaching up at me saying "Hold you Mommy, hold you."  I will always hold you sweet girl. 

Violet also enjoyed her time down by the ocean.  We tried to get down to the beach before her morning nap.  While Abigail danced around in the sand and made castles with her daddy, Violet rocked away to the sound of the ocean waves. Praise the good Lord for the beach swing!

So many sights and sounds were new for Violet and watching Abigail learn about stingrays, crabs, jumping fish, dolphins, and sea shells was a joy to watch.  

Mike and I were also super lucky to have his parents join us at the beach! I love that they were able to enjoy the girls and it was a wonderful treat to have time in the mornings to run and a little alone time each day to sit under our umbrellas and stare at the ocean! Thank you Dan and Alice! We love you!

Not only did they spoil Mike and I with date nights and morning runs, but they also hopped around and sang little tunes so that Abigail and Violet would look up for pictures.  That's a job y'all!

I'm pretty sure Abigail had the best week ever.  Every morning we took her down to the beach to play and each afternoon after her nap, we headed down to the pool for what I like to call "jumping hour".  She is getting brave and my sweet husband tossed her around and caught her as she jumped in the water until I think he needed a nap!  Violet loved the kiddie pool.  We had a little ring float that supported her enough that she could walk across the shallow pool and splash the water as she went!  This was epic fun for a nine month old!

We enjoyed a few nights searching for beach treasure in the sand and filling Abigail's bucket with beautiful shells.  I was also surprised at how brave she was with her little flash light looking for sand crabs.  She even tried to help pick a few up which is more than her mommy will do.  I will hold the flashlight...that is all. 

Violet just smiled and tried to follow Abigail on every adventure.  She is trying so hard to pull up and walk and I can see in her sweet face that she just wants to take off and follow her big sister.  Slow down sweet girl!

I think this probably makes twenty plus years of memories in Gulf Shores and this week goes down as my favorite.  Of course I have wonderful memories of my family vacations, girl trips to the beach and my pre-kid years with my sweetheart on this sand, but watching my babies see and do things for the first time is a joy that has been beautiful and unexpected!  See you next year Gulf Shores!

9 Months

Well, it's official!  I have one adorable little explorer.  I hope I enjoyed all the snuggles and kisses because this little one has places to go and things to do. She is very curious and fast! I love how babies figure out the fastest way to scoot along.  This is Violet's go to move.  Left leg up, right knee down, and take off! 

She is also trying hard to communicate with us which can be pretty funny at times.  For instance, she apparently has strong opinions about what she prefers to eat as there are times she will hold her breath and scream until pears magically appear on a spoon!  True story.  This girl loves pears.  Abigail would open her little mouth like a bird and let me feed her anything until she was a toddler, but Miss Violet is not having it!  I have discovered she will NOT eat parsnips or green beans unless you give that baby a few bites of pear.  

Here is what Violet is doing at 9 months old: 

* Trying to pull up on anything near by.  Tears...
* Working on her pincer grasp to eat table foods.  She gets a few things in her mouth and Miller gets a lot of food falling from the high chair.  Everybody wins!
* Favorite foods are pears and spaghetti noodles 
* Figuring out how to get puffs out of her snack cup
* Her Favorite toys are her baby doll and her drum
* She has two teeth!  Abigail only cut her new teeth while family visited us so I'm sure Violet will have more teeth next week since we will be with Mike's parents at the beach.  Oh you just wait!
* She is still the sweetest, happiest, curious little baby
* Her hair looks like it may be darker and straight like her mommy's!

Abigail is being such a good big sister for Violet.  She doesn't exactly have the whole sharing thing down and she seems to push her over at least once a day, but I also see the sweetest moments when she hugs Violet and tells her " Mommy loves you" and " It's okay Violet".  Sweet babies.  My heart is so full!

We are headed to the beach next week with Mike's family and I am so excited for good family time in the sunshine.  I love making memories with these sweet girls!  Here's hoping that Abigail is a fan of the sand and Violet sleeps in her beach swing all day!  

Baby giggles, sunshine, and worship

Last week, Mike and I attended the Acts29 Pastor's Retreat in Miami, Florida.  I am so thankful for the relationships I have been able to make with other pastors wives and I feel that time away with my honey to recharge and be encouraged is vital to lifelong ministry.  This is the book from my welcome packet this year and I'm pretty sure someone has been following me around, because it is absolutely perfect for me in this stage of life! I love the author and her book Glimpses of Grace, Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home really ministered to my heart so I am eager to see what God will teach me through this book!

I also had the joy of hearing Jani Ortlund teach one morning.  Her message was about the desert and how each of us at some point in our Christian lives, will enter a desert season.  She spoke about how God meets us there and sometimes, it is only in the desert that he can draw us closer and shower us with grace.  It is often where he grows our character the most and definitely where he reveals his heart and provision for our lives.  It was such a blessing to me and as I took notes that morning one line stood out to me the most.  

"The desert is the only way out of your Egypt".

I am so thankful that when I am weary and discouraged, my God is there.  He has a plan that I can't always see and when my flesh doubts his goodness and my heart leads me to anxiety, I can be reminded that he is for me.  It is in the desert that he scorches the idols that pull my heart away and shows me that really he is ALL I have.  Grace is beautiful.

The retreat also offered childcare for children under one year old, which means little Violet made the trip too! She was such a good baby and an easy traveler. Where better to celebrate your eight month birthday than in South Beach, right? 

This sweet girl is my little adventure baby.  Here is what she is doing at eight months old. 

* crawling EVERYWHERE and getting faster
* loves to splash and play in the water
* giggles and tries to follow Abigail through the house 
* laughs when you tickle her or kiss her belly 
* trying to stand up in her crib 
* started taking her bath with Abigail at night.  This is probably the highlight of my nights.  Two sweet giggling babies playing and laughing in the tub is precious!

After two refreshing days of worship and teaching, Mike and I got a car and made our way down to Key Largo.  We stopped at a quiet little beach and let our water baby splash around.  Baby giggles and sunshine are just good for my soul, y'all! 

Of course, I married a Colombian so after a quick dip in the ocean, we were off to find a spot to watch the World Cup.  We ended up in Isla Morada at a somewhat hidden treasure known at Morada Bay.  Fabulous. We watched the World Cup with a few locals at a quiet beachside bar.  The food and views were fabulous.  We will definitely be back!

I think we are both feeling rested and excited to see what God will do through us and our church this year.  Sometimes all you need is a break from your daily grind so that you can be still with God and let him love on you. 

Violet {Seven Months}

Oh my word.  I love little baby feet!  I tried to sit Violet on her pretty quilt and take a few pictures, but she was much more interested in trying to eat the grass so I snapped a few pictures of those pretty toes!

Sweet Violet turned seven months old this week.  I'm pretty sure I may have a crawler in the next few weeks which I am not ready for.  She is spending a lot of time rocking in quadruped and has figured out how to sit up from being on her belly.  Watch out world!

This is what Violet is doing at seven months:
*She has two new teeth!
* She LOVES the water.  Bathtub, river, baby pool.  Loves it all!  She splashes and squeals as loud as she can!
* Her favorite foods seem to be sweet potatoes, squash, and pears
* She smiles and squeals at her baby doll 
* Loves to pull my hair
* Loves to pull Abigail's hair
* Sitting up by herself and almost crawling 
* Loves for you to sing to her 
* And...she still looks like Mike

We welcomed summer a few weekends ago with a trip to the pool.  The YMCA has a zero entry baby pool so I sat with Violet in the water and laughed as she splashed and squealed like a pterodactyl!  Abigail played on her belly right in front of Violet most of the day trying to make her laugh and splashing along with her.  It makes my heart smile just thinking of the memories we will make with our two little ladies. 

I'm pretty sure my next post will have a very mobile baby.  This may be the last shot with those fun little blocks.  It took a village to get one good picture! With a doll on my head, Abigail yelling "cheese", and Mike standing close by to make sure Violet didn't roll right onto the floor, team Harder managed to get this picture!  Happy seven months baby Violet!

Backsplash, gardens, and a green spoon

I saw it in her eyes the minute I sat down to feed Violet her sweet potatoes.  Abigail, wearing her favorite owl bib and holding her favorite pink spoon, looked across the table at Violet and then desperately pleaded with me. " I want that spoon Mommy!  I want the green one!"

I shook my head and smiled as I thought how silly my sweet girl was being.  She loves her pink spoon.  All she ever asks for is her pink spoon, and that's why I gave it to her.  Violet's spoon was too small for her anyway, but I could see the wheels turning in Abigail's head as she continued to ask me for it.

Sometimes, I wonder if God feels the same way about me.  He has blessed me with exactly what I need and what I am able to manage, yet my heart is quick to convince me that I need what someone else has.  Sometimes it's shiny new backsplash and sometimes it's a big yard with a massive garden on ten acres of land.  I ran through a beautiful neighborhood near our house this weekend and I caught myself looking at all the big lots and imagining Mike and I having our coffee on one of the beautiful screened in porches as our girls ran across the big open yard with manicured flower beds and shrubs.  

I realized how silly I was being as I journaled and spent time praying yesterday.  God has been so good to me and instead of praying for patience and contentment, I slowly began to thank God for his abundance of joy and grace in my life.  I am thankful that He is provider and His gifts are always exactly what I can handle and always exactly what I need.  I absolutely adore our home and the sweet little neighborhood we live in.  I love that I can sit in the quiet shade of my deck and look down on my small raised bed garden that is easy to manage.  I am thankful for quality time with my family on Saturdays and evenings as we stroll our girls to the park or take quick trips to play in the river. In those moments, I am grateful that we aren't mowing a massive lawn and weeding a huge garden.

I'm learning so much about myself and how patient God is with me as I raise our girls.  Like Abigail, I always want that green spoon.

Abigail's first year of MDO

Eight months ago, I carried my little girl in to Clearview Baptist Church for her first day of Mothers Day Out.  I cried most of the morning and as I held her as tight as possible walking to her classroom, I smiled at her teachers and blinked back my tears.  I had never left Abigail with anyone other than family and knowing how shy she is, I wondered if she would cry until I came back to get her.  

This week was her last day in the one year old classroom and looking back over the last several months, I can see how much she has grown and learned!  She loved "school" and I am so thankful for her teachers and the sweet friends she made this year.  Look how little my baby is on her first day.  She seemed more secure keeping her sunglasses on so I didn't make her take them off.   

Abigail is really shy, but I think her days at school helped her come out of her shell.  She played hard on those days and learned so much.  She came home each week with fun crafts and new songs that she was learning.  I watched her learn to follow instructions and participate in group activities.  Kids learn from each other and her developmental skills advanced just from playing with other children.  It probably also helped that her mom, the physical therapist, wasn't hovering over her on the playground visualizing each scenario for a broken bone.  

Last week was her end of the year program and I enjoyed it so much!  She was so excited to see all of her artwork on the walls and to sing songs with her friends.  But make no mistake, she is my child.  Once she got on stage and turned to see all the faces in the audience, she froze! Bless her...I absolutely adore my Abigail! 

Here is Abigail after her program skipping down the sidewalk with the kite she made.  All smiles. 

And because I love her sweet curls and feel they should be documented as well, here is a picture of how long her hair is.  I am praying now that she doesn't dream of straight hair because God made her with beautiful waves!

Her teachers gave me the sweetest book on her last day.  It included a picture from each month she was in school with her thumb print and the bible verse that her crafts were designed around.  For a sentimental mommy, this is priceless.  

Here are a few of Abigail's favorite things and what she is learning right now. 

* She loves to play outside and in the water

* She counts to 10
* She loves to sing songs and will perform all the hand motions when she isn't being shy!

* Her favorite book is Tea Party Rules

* She owns 6 pairs of sunglasses...true story

* She is sleeping in her big girl bed
* She insists on buckling herself into her carseat

* She loves trains

* If I hook a sprinkler up in the front yard, she may never come inside again!

She LOVES her big girl bed and if you come to the house, she will definitely want to show it to you! So far, she hasn't fallen out at night.  I keep her crib mattress underneath the bed and pull it out at night.  Of course, her favorite thing to do now is pretend she is falling so she can roll off onto the mattress.  

Even as I type this post, my mind thinks back to a tiny little baby laying on that crib mattress.  Everyone told me that the first few years seem to fly by.  I know this to be true now so when I can, I get out her baby pictures and smile.  Every new stage seems to be my favorite and no matter how big she gets, she will always be my sweet baby! 

Violet {Six months}

Six months ago, I looked into this sweet face for the first time.  From that day on, Violet's little smile has gotten brighter and so has mine as I have watched her playful personality blossom.  There is so much joy in her smile.  I love the way her little mouth opens wide and her eyes crinkle when she gets excited!  

Violet had a few firsts this month.  She got to swing at the park and she tried her first food! 

{First sweet potatoes!}

I am so curious to see how different Abigail and Violet will be.  I remember Abigail being pretty timid even as a baby.  Loud noises startled her and she would easily get overstimulated with a group of people.  Violet, however, seems to love a room full of loud friends! 

Here is what this little girl is doing at six months old: 

* almost sitting unsupported

* had her first food ~sweet potatoes

* loves for you to sing to her or read books

* cannot get her feet out of her mouth

* loves to stick her hands in my mouth, pinch my face, and pull my hair...yah me!

* practices her motorboat right when I get a spoon full of baby cereal to her mouth

* she is sitting in her activity seat now and playing with the toys

*  watches everything Abigail does and smiles when she kisses her

I cannot get enough of this sweet face and those little cheeks!  

This girl loves her toes.  Sometimes I have to pry them out of her mouth so I can change her diaper!  

I had so much fun taking pictures of Violet for her six month blog post!  I remembered that Abigail wore a little pink tutu for her six month post so at the last minute I decided to put it on Violet for a few shots.  How sweet is this baby y'all?!

I love her more every day and I am so thankful for her joyful smile!  Happy six months baby Violet!