My Dad Got It Right

Last night, my small group talked about fathers (which was good timing because yesterday was my dad's birthday). We talked about how a father's relationship with his daughter influences every aspect of her life including things like everyday decisions, career choices, relationships with other men, how she views herself, and how she ultimately views God.

I lucked out in this department. I have a dad who got it right. He spoke blessings and affirmations into me. He protected me. He understood the power he had to point me in the right direction. He gave me a good example of how a husband should treat a wife which ultimately helped me pick out a good husband for myself.

We built snow forts together. And we went on canoe trips. And he taught me how to drive. And we went fishing on the Flagler pier. And we picked on my mom together. But most importantly, he told me that he loved me and that he was proud of me. 

If you have a dad who got it right, tell him. If you have a husband who is getting it right with your kids, tell him. It's a big deal.

Like I said, I lucked out in this department. I have a good dad and I have a husband who's really getting it right with Harper.

Family Outing

On Saturday, we took advantage of the fleeting beautiful spring weather and went to the zoo. It was great!

We saw goats - because everyone knows when you go to a zoo, you want to see the rare and exotic goats...

who were possibly tranquilized (no, not really).

Harper liked them, even if she was a little timid at first.

These little meerkats are probably my favorite animals at the zoo. They're cute and inquisitive and I like that Harper thinks they look like our cat, Sage.

And, they're much nicer than these rude little lemurs who wouldn't even turn around to say hi to us. Whatever.

We also saw some lazy zebras

and a couple rather imposing looking ostriches.

And then there was this guy, who thought he was pretty tough because he could carry a tree trunk around like it was no big deal.

All in all, it was a great day. I'm sure we'll be going back quite a few times this summer.

Congrats, Rob!

Last night, my husband received an award from the police department. He was given a Metropolitan Police Department Chief's Coin in recognition for going above and beyond the call of duty. Something about catching 5 armed robbers at one time. You'll have to ask him about it. Doesn't sound like a big deal to me, but what do I know:)

Basketball, Harper, Science, and Classical Music -- One Stop Shopping

Just a bunch of random thoughts for today.

1. I'm looking forward to the NCAA basketball tournament this year. Ohio State looks good (although I don't have them going all the way). Should be fun to watch.

2. Harper is becoming quite the backseat driver. While we're driving, she will point in a particular direction and say "Mommy, that way." She gets ticked if we don't go the direction she suggested.

3. I took this picture at work the other day. It's of a blood vessel (red) surrounded by some omentum tissue (yellow). The way that the vessel is folded in on itself is a little unusual. I think it looks cool.

4. I like classical music. This particular piece has been in my head lately. It's a tuba concerto (I know, hard to believe). It's by one of my all time favorite composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams. You can listen to the 2nd movement of the concerto here. I'll bet that you've never heard a tuba played like this before (and this recording isn't even that great - it's just the best one I could find on youtube).

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Kind Of

Uggggg! Totally did not set my alarm last night and overslept this morning. Not a huge deal because I have an awesome job where I don't have a particular time that I have to be there in the morning. But still, my morning routine was obliterated. I am a creature of habit and when my habits are disrupted, I am disrupted. Luckily, I have a cool baby that puts things in perspective and sings songs to me in the car to brighten my day.

On a completely unrelated note... Does anyone else remember Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds? Why can't you get them anymore? They totally rocked! I did a quick google search and found this website that is devoted to helping people locate the rare establishment that still serves them. Sadly, none in my area. Oh well.

Car Talk

I know the blogging has been sporadic lately. I'll do better. I promise. To make it up to you, here's a cute video of Harper. We had a few minutes to kill last night, so I pulled the camera out and attempted to have a conversation with her. As you will see, it was more singing than conversing, but oh well. We also practiced some new words.

Harperisms

A couple (mostly Harper related) things for today:

• Harper is in this phase where she wants to know the name for everything. So, she walks around pointing at things and saying "Mommy, name?" It's cute and I'm glad that she's inquisitive, but after the 1 millionth time, it's slightly less cute.
• Keeping in mind the above bullet point... if Harper wants my attention and doesn't get it right away she will call my name and then click her tongue (ie. Mom, Mommy, Mom, click, Moooooommy). I have no idea where she picked that one up. It's great. Let me tell you.
• Harper is starting to talk about monsters these days. At first, she would just hold her baby dolls and tell me they were sad because of monsters. Now, she's starting to be afraid of them. She doesn't want to be the first person to walk into a room, especially if the light is off. I've explained to her that there are no monsters in our house, but she's not buying it. So last night I told her that 1. there are no monsters and 2. if she ever feels scared, she can ask Jesus to help her. This morning, she walked around the house saying "Jesus help me!" and when we pulled out of the driveway she said "Bye monsters. Bye Jesus." Baby steps, right?
• Harper's birthday was a good 3 weeks ago. But every day since then, she has sung happy birthday to herself.
• Finally these are popping up. Thank goodness. I was beginning to lose hope.