Kitchen fun, the ugliest toy on earth, more hiking, and the magic of Harper

Harper helping daddy empty the dishwasher.

After several promotions from other moms, I caved and bought an exesaucer...oh when will they invent one made of eco-friendly materials and far fewer bright colors.

Daddy captured these mommy and me moments.

Rice cereal is good...if only more made it into my mouth.

Harper loved her second hike, Mt. Washington, and life atop daddy's shoulders.

Don't worry, it was clean.

5 months old, already?!

We celebrated 5 months of Harper this weekend. It's hard to believe that 5 months ago I was as big as a whale and we had been going about our lives without ever knowing the kind of love Harper has brought into our world. Harper was far less still and cooperative for this photo shoot, which created some of the cutest pictures to date.

Her every expression breaks our hearts wide open.

Thank heavens for little (sleeping through the night) girls.

Seattle bustles with festivals all summer long...the first of wich is the Folklife festival. We took in some great music and fabulous people watching. Harper just loved being outside...despite the rain.

Harper loves life atop daddy's shoulders.

We also took Harper on her first hike this weekend. Snow Lake trail was definitely that...snowy. But she loved looking around and riding on daddy's back. We loved hiking again. It was a great warm-up for the season.

5 months of random Harper

Mother's Day and Nanna and Nanno come for a visit

Words cannot describe the joy I feel being a mom. I can't imagine my life without this sweet little face and the amazing little girl that has yet to emerge. Happy Mother's Day to me...I am so lucky.

We made sure to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take lots of walks. Harper loves the outdoors. If she is fussing at all, we can take her out on the balcony or on the roof or for a walk and she is instantly calm and happy.

The next weekend, my dad and Pat (Nanno and Nanna) came for a visit. They were so excited to see how much Harper had grown and developed. They were amazed by her every move. They also got some great shots of her happy demeanor.

That same weekend, our friend, Linda, her son and sister were also in Seattle. We met Linda on our adventure in New Zealand, so we were so excited to see her again and have her meet Harper.

At one of our many meals, Harper ate her first solid food...some avocado. She wasn't so sure at first but was eager for more after only one bite.

Nanna and Nanno couldn't love on Harper enough.

She is getting more grown-up everyday...sitting more independently, rolling over both ways, standing, "talking", and taking an interest in "real" food. We are loving every second of her discovery and growth.

Daddy can always be counted on to make Harper smile and giggle.