Harper Monaé | three year old talk

one of my favorite things about the age we're in with Harper right now... the things that come out of her mouth!

I swear nearly every day she says something new that gets us laughing. and when I think of it, I try to quickly jot it down in the notes section of my phone. because for the life of me I cannot remember if I try to think later that day what it was she had said.

harper: nana works at the hospital.

me: where do I work?

harper: at target??

--umm... proud or embarrassed here...??!!--

harper: what in the heck!? that's what nana says

harper holding a play kitchen cup... "here I got a beer for you!" 😂😳

while eating lunch at the kitchen table, out of nowhere looks and says to me...

"do you know I love you so much"
oh my precious girl ♡

not wanting to go get panties from her bedroom... 
me: "do you just want to be naked??"

harper: "yeah. foreverrr!!"

talking about animals that have paws...

me "harper do you have paws?"

harper: "no, princesses don't have paws"

I was telling her we couldn't go play outside cause the smoke from the forest fires will hurt our lungs... so later when I went outside quick to water, she says to me...
"mommy, we have to go inside cause the smoke hurts our bums!!"

harper: "I have milk in my boobies, for my baby"

walking to the mail box. harper chit chatting like the norm, suddenly I hear her say, stopped dead in her tracks with her hands out...
 "are you paying attention to me!?" 
#guilty

laying in her bed at night about to go to sleep... I walked in and she says to me:
"I wish I were you. you're a mommy and take care of your babies and I'm a mommy and take care of my baby."
♡♡♡
I soaked that one up & will never let that memory fade away.

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

hold her a little tighter

i've hesitated for some time, and gone back and forth on do I share this or not??

I've wanted to, yet I've also had reservations on how.
and to be so vulnerable is not easy.

talking with a close friend recently, she encouraged me to do so and with that little push... here we go.

my hopes are to maybe just help at least one mama out & put out a reminder that I learned the hard way.

without sounding like i'm tooting my own horn, I see myself as a mama bear who is very on top of things. it's rare that I don't know where/what my kiddos are doing at any given moment.

a couple weeks ago we were having a play date with close friends at my in-law's pool. our afternoon was full of swimming, snacking, and relaxing in the sun. just what we go for as much as possible during these amazing summer days.

harper and her little bff have such a blast playing together and us mamas can't get enough of watching their happiness and joy just being with each other. it's the sweetest darn relationship!

hours of this and we were all having the best time!

a few hours later, a few snack breaks later, along with potty breaks ;) the kids had been in and out of the pool, us adults were chatting and hanging out with the little babies up on the patio, and my mother-in-law said as commonly as ever, "where's harper?".

we all took a quick sweeping look. 

--my heart is racing just as I type these words and am reliving it--

...and the worst thing you ever can imagine as a mama, there my precious little harper was, in the pool, without her lifejacket on, kicking her little legs so fast, bobbing up and down.

everyone says I looked to keep so cool and calm, but let me tell ya I was frantic inside. 

running and jumping in that water as fast as I could, thinking that every second that it took me to get there, was one more second she was in there alone.
thank you, JESUS, that not a single minute more had passed.

needless to say, she is fine. we all are fine. and we are thanking the Lord for that.

this happened with FOUR adults around. FOUR.
moms. who are alert, aware, and on top of everything.
all i really can say is, stuff like this can happen quicker than you'd ever imagine.
and you would never imagine it would happen to you.
just be aware.
take the pool & water activities more seriously. pay even closer attention than you already do.


I am so so thankful that she has not had a fear of the water since.
but let me tell ya, I don't take my eyes off her anymore. it's less relaxing to go to the pool and my kids are not out of my sight for a second. I'm the one who has been more traumatized by it.

talk about guilt.
how did I not see her go in?
why wasn't I the one who asked "where's harper?"
what if... all the what if's...
the image of her little self helplessly looking up at us, unable to speak.

I share this because, it is unbelievable just how quickly this happened.
we are beyond thankful that God was looking out of us that afternoon.
I hold her even tighter and see her preciousness a little deeper.

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Harper's 3rd + Tanner's 1st | Picnic Birthday Party

HOW has it been almost two week's since we celebrated harper and tanner's birthday!!??

it never ceases to amaze me how quickly a week (or two) can pass.

BUT time flies when you're having fun they say, and that's just what life has been lately!

we had just the best time EVER celebrating these two babes of ours.

though there are challenges within the whole "babies having the same birthday thing", it was also more fun and exciting than I could've thought. to get to bring them BOTH together and to celebrate BOTH of them for a handful of days was like a big ol' family/friends celebration where no one was left out. now that will be true until our next babe comes along (not pregnant) and that's also assuming we won't have ANOTHER baby born on JULY 13TH :)

Lord, you sure dropped an extra challenge on our plate with this one, but boy the blessing it is to have these birthday twins sure overcomes it all!

one major challenge from the get-go was how in heavens name to a choose a theme that will fit both a one year old boy AND a three year old girl...

lots of pinteresting and I came upon a picnic theme!

...and from that moment on I did my best to get my hands on all the red + white gingham I could find.

we had this little picnic area set up for the kids, and as soon as her little friends started to arrive, the birthday girl became the best little hostess! setting a peach on each plate for her friends, then running into the house filling their cups with lemonade and a straw.

this girl has the sweetest, most giving heart.

this all white picnic set from RePlay (the basket, gingham cloth, plates, spoons, forks, & cups) couldn't have been more perfect! we already love their products so much and to have a whole picnic set for the kids, was a final touch to the party :)

♡♡♡

hold him a little longer, rock him a little more, read him another story, you've only ready him four, let him sleep on your shoulder, rejoice in his happy smile, his is only a little boy, for such a little while.

♡♡♡

this little big one year old birthday boy wanted NOTHING to do with his cake.

shocking too, cause i mean just look at him.. no question that this boy can eat ;)

aw well tanner boy, we'll get you a cheeseburger instead.

...and to end a backyard picnic party, sack races!!

this girl was all about running the show :)

happy FIRST birthday tanner boy!! you're now a ONE year old!!

+

happy THIRD birthday sweet harper girl!! you're THREE!!!

here's harper's lemonade birthday party from last year :)

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth