Uncle Tom visits, a besties birthday party, and Harper's first ballet recital

Our old family friend, Tom Mulica (Uncle Tom), came in town for business and stayed the weekend to hang out with us.  The weather was fantastic (per usual) so we were outside a lot.  One afternoon, Harper decided to balance on the wall of our porch (eek).  She's quite the model, don't you think?!

Harper loves having her finger nails painted...Daddy took a stab at it this time.

 One of our dear friends, Leah (the one in the middle) turned 2 on June 4th.  We had a great time playing in the pool and eating yummy food to celebrate.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

 Harper made her dancing debut on June 12th.  She was a blue flower in Alice's flower garden (Alice of Alice in Wonderland). She made it on stage and followed a few of the steps.  I was one proud mama.  She was just so cute and sweet looking with her sorry excuse for a bun and sparkling costume.

Silas patiently waiting for the show to be over

Harper with Grace and Angela waiting to go on stage

Harper on the right

First family bike ride as 4 and other weekend adventures

Last week was pretty mellow with the exception of dinner with friends, a birthday party, and our first bike ride as a family of 4.  Harper stepped on a bee at the birthday party and was such a rock star.  She came and told Patrick and me that her foot hurt and like the good parents that we are, we thought she was talking about a previous cut and told her she'd be fine, we'd look at when we got home.  Our friend Angela noticed the sting while looking at the other cut.  We iced it and she didn't miss a beat.  Thank goodness for good/observant friends.  

Leah & Grace peeking under the door to the room where Harper was in time out :)

Silas in his new ride...Patrick rigged up the bike trailer to hold the car seat. 

Carousel ride in downtown Long Beach

Ferris wheel ride

"Mommy hold both kids."

Harper and Silas wished their cousin Connor happy birthday with a sign and a smile.

Harper~almost 2.5 yrs; Silas almost 11 wks

Our sweet little Harper isn't little anymore.  She's always had a mind of her own, but now she has the words to express her thoughts, now.  She loves to tell, "Mommy take Silas, Daddy walk to park with me."  Or "Daddy clean up.  Mommy play my room with me."  It's so cute, we usually (and shamefully) obey.  (I wish I could say the same for Harper when we have a request.  We're working on listening and following directions.)  It is so much fun now that we have a window into her thoughts and are discovering her personality as it interacts with others.  

Silas is rapidly gaining rolls and charm.  His smile can melt all our hearts instantly.  And his cheeks make us all smile right back at him.  Here are a few recent shots.

Harper playing with Grace at the park.  They were having a real conversation and Harper was actually saying a lot.

Trying on her first costume for her first ballet recital.

Harper taking her baby hiking after we returned from our hike in the Malibu canyons.

Color game time

We collected things from around the house and then placed each one on it's matching color paper to play the color game

Harper feeding her baby like mommy feeds Silas 

Harper was desperate to calm Silas down...she tried reading to him.

Helping daddy wash his bike

What Silas did while Harper and daddy washed daddy's bike

Our healthy little eater-salmon, kale, and cauliflower

Silas loves the changing pad...we cart him around the house on it.

Look at those cheeks~mwah

2 months in as a family of 4

Wowzers...2 months and we're all still alive, speaking to each other and actually still like one another.  Harper is really starting to take this big sister business seriously.  If Silas is crying and I'm running around like a crazy person trying to get us out the door, she bounces him in his bouncy chair or giving him his pacifier or a blanket.  She is almost always sweet and gentle with him.  We're starting to think this might actually work out.  :)  And Silas is thriving with all this love.  He jumped from the 65th percentile in weight and height to the 95th percentile.  He's started cooing, smiling and grasping things.  This is when the real fun begins.

Harper is also really good at the bossy part of being a big sister.  She orders Patrick and me around like  Silas is her baby and we are the nannies.  "Daddy, get Silas!  Calm Silas!"  "Mommy, Si crying!"  "Mommy feed Si."  "Si poopy!?"  Two kids makes for lots of comic relief.  

The latest-H 2y 4m, S 8 weeks

Trying to get in a routine of updating the blog regularly so Silas has at least a basic record of his early years.  These are some shots of the past week, or so.

Buying tap shoes with our besties...Leah and Grace

It's so much fun when they start smiling (and cooing)

Grabbing things already...just wait until Harper's hair is within reach :)

Chilling out with a book

 A hug before bed.  Harper is still a really good sleeper and likes for Silas to be a part of bedtime stories.  We've added to our routine; 3 books, counting to 12, singing the alphabet, Row Row Row Your Boat, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and You Are My Sunshine, then "talk day" where we talk about our day.  Daddy started this last part so he could hear all about Harper's day.  Now Harper insists on it throughout the day and at nap time.  Just one of the hilariously cute things she says throughout the day. Sometimes I wish I could record everything she says but there are too many adorable moments to capture.

 Silas is also a really good sleeper although he is still waking every 3-4 hours throughout the night to eat.  I can't wait to see how much he is weighing now at our 8 week check-up.  He does love to eat and his "after dinner agita" is getting better each day.

Thank you Nanno for my swing...I LOVE it!!! 

Playing dress up with our friends Landon and Ansley

On our way to Seal World San Diego with the Gregory's

The girls enjoying the penguins...they love being together!

Watching Shamu

Harper's first "roller coaster ride"...would only ride with Jason (Leah and Grace's dad)

"Roller coaster #2" and again only wanted Jason, but daddy figured that out too late.

Don't mind the random girl on the left that crashed our picture