Fall is here!

Well... it has been way too long since I've updated this blog! I didn't think anyone was reading it, but I guess some people still are! Which is great, thank you for checking in! Harper is growing like a weed, but is still a little peanut. She celebrated her 2nd birthday on September 3rd and rang in the new year with 10 of her little 2 year old friends. I guess we're lucky that so many of our existing friends had babies at the same time as we did. We set up the pool, play sand, toys and ordered pizza. I made cup cake cones to top it all off. It was a blast!

Harper weighed in at 23.5 lbs at her two year check up and 32 inches tall. She's a peanut compared to most of her friends, but she's on the growth chart and healthy as can be. She had another bad reaction to the two shots she got at her check up, so no more till she's three, and we'll only do one at a time from now on. For some reason, she reacts strongly to any more than one at a time. We're still holding off on a few (MMR, chicken pox, etc.) and will only do them if we have to. I'm leery at this point... ):

We've been busy... that is to say, Harper has been keeping ME busy! Always on the go go go and talking up a storm. She is speaking full sentences now and can communicate exactly what she wants, when she wants it. She's keeping me on my toes and testing limits, as a 2 year old should! We've been to the pumpkin patch twice with Lily, the Zoo, pool, park, indoor play place... anything to get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather! Got to get it all in before the snow hits... but temps in the 70's the rest of the week, so looking good!

Pictures update better than my words can, so here are some pics of Harper with her friends Gracyn & Lily and a few others from the past couple of months. Enjoy and thanks for checking in! If you still read the posts, would you comment below so I know if I should keep going with this? Thanks!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Things in the Lastick household are going great! We just got back from a trip to S. Lake Tahoe and Wine Country California. We all flew in together last Wednesday (Harper was an angel on the plane!) and then Harper spent Fri-Sun with Auntie Alice, Uncle David, Forrest (5) & Spencer (3). She. Had. A. Blast! Tom and I ventured up to Sonoma for a beautiful wedding at a vineyard and had a relaxing weekend with friends while Harper played with her cousins in Tahoe. We all flew back to Denver on Monday and again, Harper was wonderful on the plane.

She is talking up a storm, putting 2, 3 & 4 words together. She can pretty much relay her needs verbally all of the time now. The trouble beings when the answer to her request is "no". Then, she turns into a 2 year old. Most

of the time she is fun, energetic and on the move! She LOVES water--we hit our neighborhood "beach" at the lake almost every day. She loves to have Mommy catch tadpoles for her and squeals with glee when they squirm in her hand. I am already teaching her to let them go quickly and not to catch the same one twice. Harper spends Tuesdays & Thursdays at daycare with Jackie and her two boys Brody & Wyatt and another little girl Ava. She is in love with all of them and talks about them constantly. Silas is still with us on Wednesdays. On the other days, we spend almost all day outdoors and going on adventures to the beach, pool, hiking trails, Zoo, etc. Harper is so content when she is outside!

We finally broke down and bought a used pop-up camper! I think Harper will love sleeping outside in her camper bed... hiking, exploring & just being with Mommy & Daddy. She is so fun, and we are enjoying every second we have all together. Camping will make us get out and have fun instead of sticking around to do house projects...

Harper has been singing a lot lately. As soon as we get in the car she says, "Singing. Beep beep bus." so we sing the wheels on the bus... over and over. (: Sometimes she'll sing but we can't really understand the words, but it sounds so sweet!

She still sleeps great! Mostly 7:30p-7:30a with a 1 1/2-2 hour nap in the afternoon. We're having so much fun at night, we don't want to put her to bed. We have dinner & go for a walk in the wagon while Harper has her after dinner treat--yogurt & fruit pop, watermelon or ice cream. This is a favorite part of the day for all of us, especially the dogs.

Here is a video of Harper singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from her book, and then singing about other random (undecipherable) things. Enjoy & thanks for reading!

I love my boyfriend!

Harper and her little boyfriend, Levi haven't seen each other in a while. He came over today to play and Harper instantly fell back in LOVE!

Bear Fun

Harper is feeling SO much better this weekend! She is back to her normal, mostly happy self. She's playing on her own a bit more and really enjoying the company of Memere, Karen, Max, Dixie & Domino. Today, she chose Big Bear as her favorite toy. Here is a video for Daddy, who is still in India:

I love you Daddy!

For Daddy:

We Miss Daddy!!!

It's been a pretty eventful month in the world of Harper. She's growing like a weed and talking up a storm! She's starting to put 2 & 3 words together, which blows us away every time! She had her 18 month check up when we got back from San Diego and all was well. She is a peanut, weighing in at 20lbs 6 oz, but is 100% healthy. She's been going to daycare on Tuesdays & Thursdays which is great for all of us! I can get a lot done around the house and Harper has made a lot of new friends. She seems to really like it, but is much more clingy with me when she gets home. She's also having trouble getting herself to sleep these days. We started helping her by rocking her to sleep, but that really isn't doing anyone any favors, so we're trying to break her of that.

Tom left for India last Wednesday, and Memere arrived on Saturday. She's supposed to be here for 2 weeks, but may need to go home later this week to help take care of Granny. We'll see--but fingers crossed she stays! She is such a big help! Harper was really sick Fri & Sat, so she's been clingy with her Mommy, not letting Memere do much with her, but Memere has been helping in other ways--gardening, weeding, clearing leaves, cleaning up and a much needed extra set of hands (aka--pack mule). Yesterday we went to Pearl St Mall to shop and play and had a great dinner out with Sal & Max. Today, we met up with Pam, Lily & Lily's Grammy, and Tenica & Gracyn at the Denver Zoo. Harper still isn't 100% back to herself, but her fever is gone and compared to Friday, she's doing great!

Here is a video of Harper smelling a flower and putting on a show to send to Daddy! Hoping to post more videos soon, as Tom has the picture camera...

SAN DIEGO!!!

We had a great week long vacation in San Diego Feb 20-27. Harper was in HEAVEN, and so were we. It was warm enough to play outside, on the beach, in the sand, at the park, zoo & Sea World. We spent almost every waking moment outdoors. Aahhhh... now we all have 

spring fever!

Harper is growing like

 a weed. We have her 18 month check up later this week, but we guess she's about 22lbs? She's a little peanut, but she's healthy and strong. She is saying well over 100 words (we lost count) and knows what she wants, WHEN she wants it. We are definitely into the "terrible twos". She gets very frustrated when we don't understand what she wants, or worse, when we DO understand but the answer is NO. We're also into the picky eater phase, but I'm hopeful we're on our way out of it. We were down to only a few things she'd eat for meals: mac & cheese (I'd load it with tofu & veggies though), grilled cheese (with turkey hidden in it) and cheesy eggs. She'd eat anything bready--pancakes, waffles, toast, etc. Now we're back onto pasta & quesadilla with beans. Fingers crossed she starts expl

oring with food again! We're trying not to make a big deal of it, but it's hard to see her eat the same meals over and over again. We ju

st keep introducing new food and hope for the best!

Harper is

 RUNNING everywhere. She's got the girly squeal down and is generally pretty happy. If she's outdoors, she's always happy. I'm glad she is an outdoor girl! 

I am getting things set up so I can find a part-time job

. I would, of course, love to go back to CTRC, but we'll have to wait and see if something opens up. As of now, there isn't anything. Fingers crossed! Harper starts at Miss Jackie's Daycare this Thursday for a trial run. I like the idea of her being around other kids. I've been using the gym daycare more and she seems to actually like it now. She still cries when I leave, but I peek back in after 2 minutes and she's having a blast. I'm thinking a part time job will 

make our time together much more special. 

Tom is still plugging away at ATJ. Things are slow, but have picked up the past couple of months. Only time will tell, but we're hoping the travel industry is on the up and up again. 

Lakota is enjoying his semi-retired life... he's fat and lazy. But spring is just around the corner, so he'd better be ready to get back in shape! Rudy & Jake are ready to get back to daily walks too. They are both getting older, and get stiff at night, but they are good. Jake steals Harper's food a lot and she now calls him "sneaky". All it takes is him coming up t

o her and she looks him in the eye and says "sneaky!!!". 

I'm still battling getting back in shape. I found a great Boo

t Camp class Tues & Fri mornings, which has been great! I actually love getting up at 5:30 for it (and I am NOT a morning person!). I also run with two other ladies on Mon & Thurs, and try to do Yoga & get on the bike trainer other days. It's bound to work... soon. (:  Still hoping to do some running races this summer and maybe a tri or two... TBD. 

Here are some pics of Harper in San Diego. BEACH BABY!!!: