time stopping moments...

perfection.

Ok so just to forewarn you I about to get all mommy gushy & emotional on you. I am sure you all have those times where you really stop and soak in the moment you are living at that very second. It seems as if I never really remember doing this until I met Josh and we fell madly in love & even more so now that we have Harper. I just had one of those moments and I realized how happy I am with my life and I am so lucky to have all that I do.

Harper and I decided to drive and have lunch with Josh this afternoon. We went and had some Mexican food which is my favorite. Especially on a gloomy cloudy comfort food kind of afternoon. Josh works about 30 minutes away from where we live so it gives Harp and I some girl time in the car. On our way back home I looked in the mirror that is attached to her headrest so I can see her since she has to sit rear facing. She was just as happy as a clam playing with her stuffed blue frog that her Mimi bought her. I thought to myself that not too long ago she could not even stay awake for the entire drive to or home in the car. She would always fall asleep. However, she is now 8 months old and such a big girl and can keep herself entertained for the entire drive. One of her favorite things to do is to turn her head up and to the side so she can see what I am doing. I am usually singing to the latest weeks performances of American Idol and she doesn't mind that I may or may not be a fantastic singer =). Anyway, on our way back I saw her looking up at me and I reached my arm back towards her car seat so I could touch her. When I did this, with her tiny little soft hand she grabbed my fingers and just held on. This was when I had that time stopping live in the moment kind of feeling. Her tiny little hand made my world pause and realize how amazing it is that this little girl is mine, how special she is, how much I love her and how fast she is growing up. Only a month ago she could not stay up for the drive, two months ago she was just starting to sit in a highchair during lunch and four months ago she would have been asleep in her car seat during all of lunch!

Now, I loved Harper from the moment I looked at the little stick and saw a plus sign indicating I was pregnant. I loved her a little more the first time I found out she was a girl, heard her heartbeat, saw the little lima bean on the ultrasound, or met her for the first time in the delivery room. My love then however, was nothing compared to what it is today. Now that she has her own personality, her deep raspy voice, her crazy wiggles of excitement, her love for animals & her dislike for most green foods. Now is the moment that I love her more than I thought I could ever love anyone or anything in my life. It is unimaginable. It is indescribable. It is perfection.

J's 30th birthday

My handsome hubby with his birthday cake!

We kicked off the month of April celebrating Josh's 30th birthday! We invited some of our close friends and spent a weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tulsa gambling and partying the night away! We had such a fun time and it was also the first time we left Harper to stay overnight with my mom for a few nights & she did fantastic. Josh was able to take off 10 days for a little R&R vacation/birthday time so after we got home from the party weekend we spent the rest of our time hanging out and doing a small celebration on his actual birthday. It started out with a home cooked breakfast with blueberry pancakes and bacon. Then we went with Josh while he golfed (which was not a great idea to bring a baby on a very windy morning......). That afternoon J took me out to the gun range so I could experience and learn to shoot a gun. OH MY GOSH it was so emotional. I don't know why but the second I took my first shot I just started tearing up. It was loud, it was powerful, it was overwhelming. Don't get me wrong I am a moderately emotional person but I am not one to just break out in tears for no reason. I told him that I didn't want to shoot it anymore but I decided to put on my big girl pants and tried firing a few more rounds. I became a bit more comfortable the more I shot but still, guns are scary to me. I am not about killing anything, even if you are going to eat it. I am not a vegetarian either but just the though of actually killing something makes me sad. I remember the first time J went to buy a rifle at Bass Pro Shops. The salesperson who was trying to explain the different bullets pulled out this super pointy one. He explained that it would be good to shoot dogs with. The second that sentence came out of his mouth I again just started crying. Now I am not sure if he meant actual dogs or if he meant coyotes or something else but the thought of an actual pet dog getting shot broke me down. I literally had to leave Bass Pro while he finished up his purchase. Wow I kind of went way off track with my gun stories but oh well!

After the gun adventure we went by the meat market to pick up king crab and steak for dinner and it was sooooo delicious! I had not eaten crab legs since the beginning of my pregnancy and it was amazing. I was glad that I didn't ruin it for myself because the smell of crab when I was pregnant grossed me out so much and I never wanted it at all. I also baked a delicious strawberry cake and bought our favorite champagne Sophia. This champagne is what we drink every time something special goes on in our lives! We had a really fun day and I am so glad we were able to spend the entire day together because I am a sucker for birthdays. =)