Work in Progress

So, I think most people's marriages are just that: a work in progress. No one totally has it together, and just when you think you do something hits the fan. I am working on some emails and notes to put together (maybe one day into a book), for a friend who is heading toward engagement in marriage. I have sectioned it off into: Relationship with Jesus, Communication, SEX, Finances, Raising Children, and a Misc. With this in mind I thought I would add just a section on the MOST important things you need to know in marriage. The whole title of the "book" would be "What I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Said I Do". So, tell me, email me or leave a message. Let me know, if there were ONE thing you wish someone told you before you jumped into marital bliss what would it have been? Don't be afraid, I wont use your real name:) And this is the one post you can be anonymous on and I wont ball my eyes out:) To all of you seasoned marrieds that are reading figure out how to leave a message and leave one please, if Melinda can do it, so can you:) I want to have a wide range of things to share with other women (or men) like us. Thanks so much for your help in making other people's marriages successful!

Happy Day to Maddox!

We spent Saturday predominately without Mick but thankfully he was able to help rangle the two wild banchee's at Maddox's bowling birthday party. SadieJane and Micah had a blast. We had a great Saturday with friends and a really good Sunday with family. So thankful that we are getting some be-a-u-ti-ful weather in Georgia this week! We all love to be outside!

These two...

It's been a happy, healthy day at the Harpers.

We spend much of our time watching for Daddy, in various attire.

Bow purchases from Target make everyone feel better.

And if that wont do, a manicure from Micahbird will surely do the trick.

Sadie Jane can also take a picture!!!

Between the two girls we sported ALL the bows.

Micah sported the helmet. SadieJane thoroughly enjoyed this...

...then the stinker got her way.

...have rocked my world. Helped me know Jesus better. Made me laugh. Made me cry. Filled me with something words can't even express.

Micah and SadieJane are truly an answer to my prayers. I am so thankful for them. Even on weeks like this one when I was sure someone has been playing a joke on me I still count it a privilege to be called their Momma.

Ahhh...happy tears. I love them so.

How to spot a Coach's Kid...

...from a mile away.

~CK's are always the dirtiest and smelliest at the ballfield. Even more so than the players.

~CK's are the ones that run in and out of the dugout and sometimes accidentally onto the field.

~CK's are the ones that think all equipment and fields belong to them personally.

~CK's think the concession stand and its workers are their own personal treat shop and are their personal caterer.

~CK's know all the players by name and/or number.

~CK's don't have a "bedtime".

~CK's have more clothing devoted to their Daddy's team than any other.

~CK's don't know that their are any other Coach's, players or coach's kids other than them, their Daddy, and their Daddy's players.

~CK's can not just play a pick up game with other children at the ballpark without also trying to be "the coach".

~CK's are trained to hit the deck when they hear the foul ball shouts.

~CK's think that riding the gator is a rite not a privilege.

This post is mainly for Mick...our Coach Daddy. He has had a busy and hard few weeks as a coach but we are just as proud as we always are...I took these pictures in the back yard during warmer weather and better health. I have plans to use them for something else but I felt like Mick would like to see them. You can see how raggamuffined my kiddos get by gametime! Their cute outfits don't usually even make it to the game or they are so bundled up no one sees them.

And just for Mick here's a few ways you know that they are Coach Harper's Kids!-

~Even when playing with other random kids they must still hit from the LEFT side.

~They always get to go on the field for the end prayer. (my personal favorite)

~They always need a bucket to sit on.

~They know which players parents bring candy, and they find them quickly.

~They can sense which players have good character.

~They can sense which players do not have good character.

~They think THEIR Daddy is the best coach in the world. (Possibly because their Mommy told them so:))

~They miss their Daddy lots but love to see him come home or off the field!

Am I on Candid Camera?

Boy, oh boy, it has been a looong week and it is just Wednesday. I wonder if I filed all of my posts on sickness how many I would have...definitely a lot. As I type right now I am trying to distract myself from the incessant coughing coming from SayJ's monitor. She got croup this past weekend and actually handled it like a champ, although she became very clingy and fussy. It seems that she doesn't have the same predisposition for wheezing and breathing issues that her Bubba does...thank you, Jesus. So while she felt pretty bad, we caught it quickly and she is on the up swing. Unfortunately it has left her with an awful cough. Micahbird got the dreaded croup yesterday and in true bird fashion he has gone all out. He is getting bigger now and he gets very scared by the wheezing and asthma issues. But hopefully we'll all be better soon. Mick is very busy with ball and work but since this is my first experience having two sick at the same time after very difficult days Monday and Tuesday he met me at the doctor's office and stayed with the sickly's a little bit today. Thank goodness! I have to work sometime.
But so this post isn't totally lost on documentation of yet another sick round I wanted to also document our lovely, yeah right, Monday from this week. It was comical the whole day. It just kept trying to stick it to me. But I just kept laughing to keep from crying...
-It started with a dermatologist visit for this weird bump on SayJ's arm. It had been there for weeks and after antibiotics, etc. I decided and the ped. decided she needed to be seen by a specialist. We had to be there at 9:30. Reasonable unless you have a croupy night and you have a boy that (in retrospect) was getting sick. Operation out the door, took forever and Micah melted down when it was time to go. I had to carry him kicking and screaming out the door. (this will be important later) We get in the car and are on our way. I am so proud that not only are we on time but everyone seems almost happy upon arrival.
-I get SayJ out and get ready to go in when we realize Micah's not getting out and that he has NO shoes. In our lovely loaded down vehicle I saw it important to clean out and took all footwear inside our house. Fabulous. So I load the almost four year old up into an umbrella stroller (it was that or the mammoth double stroller, and I am pretty sure I would have taken out some old people with it).
-In the meantime Micah realizes he has a scab. It is apparently as painful as childbirth and he can NOT move his leg. So he rides in the stroller with one leg completely sticking out. (sidenote: he kept said leg from bending from appt time to gym. approx 9:30am-7pm, I am serious, in car, out of car, in buggy out of buggy, naptime, etc. the boy is sheer willpower in a bucket) You can clearly see his Toy story socks on his shoeless feet. I am then carrying my one year old. It looks perfectly common sensical to travel this way, right?
-We get in the office to which Micah starts screaming because of the scab and because a framed man on the wall is staring at him.
-The lobby is full of people the same age as Grandmama and Sadie Jane gets a few awws, but Micah gets more than a few, what's his deal looks. This one man comes out and SayJ is right by the door. She almost trips him and he goes to find his wife and "whispers" "There are little people here." I look over so the wife "whispers" back..."Yes, dear, but they are nice little people" The old man wasn't buying it. Apparently this derm. sees way more "old" than "little" people.
-We finally get back and they take about two minutes with us after waiting 45 to tell me Sadie Jane has scar tissue from a bug bite. Mick was going to be so happy I spent that copay, right?
-We head to Target but I get sidetracked by a store closing of Borders...we head in but Micah has no shoes and is walking sooo slow. Like snail speed. Because he can't let the scab touch his pants. Oh. my. goodness. I yank up the pantleg, yes, I know I should have sooner. And there is a scab hanging on that is the size of a pen tip. We get out of there, and I am just waiting for the candid cameras to pop up. (Is Candid Camera even a show anymore, or am I now old enough to mention stuff the next generation knows nothing about?)
-You can feel free to jump ship from reading this post, it is more for my own comical relief than anything else.
-We head to target for the therapy that only target can give. It does the trick. I pick up things with red stickers, I put some back. Then I decide we can finally buy the Justin Beiber cd Micah and I have been wanting for weeks. It'll help us all feel better to hear a little "Baby" on the ride home.
-Head home glad to be going and get the cd out of the target bag and open it, while driving. Then I realize it is the WRONG cd. Ugh. I had already taken the stinkin' sticker off the side before I realized it. It was his movie soundtrack and there was no baby to be found. Grr.
-Micah seems clingy but like "Mom of the Year" I send him to gymnastics anyways because I just think he's milking for attention since SJ's been gettin' the royal treatment due to her croup.
-The one shining moment of the day, getting both kids to bed on my own! Wahoo, that is miraculous in itself and hilarious to me that I can even accomplish it.
-I guess you can sense the sleep deprivation in this choppy post. I may edit after getting some more sleep.
Seriously, this is my life and while it is challenging it makes me laugh to think I am in charge of these little people in sickness and health. They are so precious to me and in all their fever, failures and shoelessness I love them just the same. I wouldn't trade a minute of it. Bring it, Candid Camera, I got your laughs right here.

The Most Important things in life ARE things.

Thing 1 and 2, that is...

Yesterday Micah's class celebrated Dr Seuss' birthday. I feel about Dr. Seuss the way I feel about Santa Claus, everyone makes a big deal and I see it is fun, but I don't get the craziness. But I do take opportunities to get crafty. Except when I told Taron my idea for our boys she had a much better one and Kevin designed the shirts on the computer with even their names in a little circle on the back. Turns out he is the crafty one:) We got to have lunch with the boys and Micah even did some work with me like old times, while Nana watched Sadie Jane.
Micah is still quite the handful and just yesterday he pitched an ongoing fit that rivaled some of his best, this time for no reason. BUT he also has the most tender heart and says some of the sweetest things. We went to visit my Grandmama on Wed, (with no camera, grr.) and as soon as we pulled out he said "I miss Grandmama and Sissy already" He has also at times even hugged Sadie Jane and I cried the other day when she laid her head in his lap and he rubbed her back. Ahhh, glimpses of their friendship to come, I pray. He also still daily cracks me up. I wish I could remember every funny thing he does but there are just too many. He has to have three of everything because he is three years old. He loves to play baseball and just got his own bat. He can kill the ball. He also LOVES Mick's baseball team. And when I watch him watching Mick coach and the boys play, I am glad that Mick didn't give it up (don't tell Mick). After Grandmama's we stopped by a game and he literally stood at the fence for ten minutes cheering on Micks players. He could read most of the numbers so he'd shout "Come on, 5!" when we were hitting or "Strike him out!" when we were pitching. Ok, enough already, I just hadn't updated on either kiddo so I thought I would do that. You can look for another on SayJ soon, or not:)

Anything I can do, you can do better.

Out with the old,

in with the new.

I am celebrating my one year anniversary for running this month. I celebrated by finally getting myself a new pair of running shoes. Up until this time last year they were simply used as a fashion statement. No real running took place in any of my previous "running shoes" except for a brief stint right before I got pregnant with SadieJane. I wanted to document my running accomplishments, not to toot my own horn (toot toot), because I am no (insert runner's name here), so much so as I don't even know a name to insert there other than Amy Dobbs, and she's no runner anymore:(. The title of my post says it all. If I can run then I want to encourage those of you that want to be a runner/jogger that you indeed can. Even from way back in the day when my PE teacher measured distance by popsicle sticks, I was the girl that flirted with the faster boys to run an extra lap for me in Elementary school for goodness sakes. In middle school I joined the track team, again to get a pair of cute teal nike kicks; I don't recall running three steps in those cute nike's. High school, playing tennis I would hide outside of the tennis courts while everyone ran laps until my friend would tell me they were on their last. Lastly in college I would suit up and head out to our awesome track at PC and get to about half a mile and think my lungs might explode and that I couldn't possibly go any further. Alas it didn't seem running would ever be "my thing". Excuse my lack of character mentioned above, those weren't my finest moments but I tell you all of this to show you just how much of a runner I WASN'T. But then I had babies and things moved around and after two babies my time to myself was null and void, and my first incentive was to get to spend time chatting with Amy while running each Monday. I started out running a mile and then got up to two. That seemed miraculous in itself so I was happy to be there. Seriously for the first SIX months that was my max. If I ran with Amy I could go further but unfortunately she hurt herself. So I kept pushing after she quit and got myself up to about 3 miles on a really good day. Then I met some real runners who run marathons and crazy things like that and I really wanted to run with other girls so I worked my booty off and managed to run my all time high of 5 and a half miles with them. Once I realized I could indeed push my body that far I've gotten to five on my own. It is crazy. Five miles to me is like what a marathon is to a real runner. Although my cousin Paul says the real difference between a jogger and a runner is entry fee. But I've yet to get confident enough to actually run in a race, where other people are flying by me, etc. I definitely run for distance not speed. I am not just saying that, I run slow, I run slow.
But all this to say running has been such a refuge to me, it is hard alot of days still but I feel so much better on days that I run. It is a great stress relief and it has helped me talk to God easier. I have gone the whole year only missing the most of 12 consecutive days a few weeks ago when I got so sick. Otherwise I try to only miss 2 at the most. I have actually stayed much healthier, eaten better and had an overall better feel for myself than I had before I had babies. Thanks to my mom who helps me make it happen on most days and to Mick, Taron, Nana and others who've dropped by and gotten roped into watching while I run out the door. At the beginning it was an easy ten minutes and back I came red faced and puffing. Now it can easily be 30-50 minutes so no one is near as eager to watch the kiddos:) But I figure I've made it a year, why not another? I also don't have to worry about someone watching me and calculating a momknapping or anything because I never run at the same time due to the fact I never know when I'll get to run. So I hope to run in a race this year and if anyone is up for random runs with a slow paced chatty kathy, I'm your girl. I bet you'll run faster than me after training for a few weeks:)