The Harke Herald

Free Christmas Cards

2010-11-22T14:15:00.003-05:00

Have you ever tried Shutterfly? They are a great online photo storage/ printing site that also does cards and photo gifts. They have really nice photo books as well, probably my favorite of any that I have made. Right now they are apparently giving 50 Christmas Cards to bloggers who write about them on their blogs... You should check them out if you need Christmas gifts or cards!

If you are a blogger, give them a shout and maybe get some for free for yourself?

click here for details

And thanks for humoring me!

Maybe I should write about my kids soon?

Finally, a Two-fer!

2010-09-25T10:07:00.006-04:00

My parents bought Alyssa a big Radio-Flyer wagon for her first birthday. She loves to ride in it when we go for walks, but I've been longing to use it with two kiddos, the way it was designed. There are 2 seats that face each other to allow the kids to play... we finally got to do it a couple weeks ago! Andrew is finally stable enough to handle it. Check it out!

Quote of the Day, and a Pic or two

2010-09-16T09:55:00.006-04:00

Best thing I've heard in a while... gave me a good laugh

"Mommy, I need to be naked right now. I need to put the sunshine on."

-Alyssa, 3-year-old streaker

Aaaaaaaand, if that weren't enough, here's a couple cuties!

Look Who...

2010-08-19T16:12:00.006-04:00

can sit up by himself!

And in other, BIGGER news, look who is COMPLETELY POTTY TRAINED!!!!!

And, just because I think he is very handsome and I love him and this picture of him, look who is my bestest friend...

I'm a happy Mommy! Now, if we can just start sleeping through the night...

I'm in Love!

2010-07-06T16:07:00.002-04:00

Mike and I have been working very hard to get our bills down over the last couple of months. We have both read Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover" and are committed to getting ourselves out of debt before the kids even know what they were missing. We have cut cable and Netflix subscriptions, changed phone and cell service, raised the temperature in the house... you name it, we have done it! Or, if you can think of something we may not have tried, please shoot us a note and let us know about it!

Most recently, we have started full-force couponing. I have always clipped coupons to some extent, but I tended to forget that I had one for something I needed or I found that the store brands were just cheaper. I never thought I could make much of a dent in the grocery bill, especially since we now have 2 little mouths to feed!

Boy was I wrong! I took a class at work from a coworker's daughter who is the master and has been saving her family tons of money every month for several years. She says she typically spends about $50 a month on groceries! it sounds impossible, right? WRONG! With the right info and mindset, we have already saved over $500 in the last month!

Already, we have more food to snack on and more choices for dinner every night. We are stocking up on cheap or free stuff using sales and coupons and having fun in the process! I've even been able to share the spoils with friends and family and am looking forward to being able to do that regularly.

As a super side effect, Mike and I have been having a blast working together on this common goal/ hobby and have been having the most fun we've had in years! We're so into this that we're even guilty of stopping by drugstores for freebie trips on a couple of recent dates and giggling in various clearance sections! Who'd have ever thought that working to get our family in a better financial situation would result in us sharing a new hobby that we enjoy and bringing us closer together? I'm newly in love all over again... both with my husband AND our hobby, hehehehe!

Baby peek-a-boob ... er, I mean boo

2010-06-10T19:55:00.002-04:00

Gotcha with the post title, huh? Thing is, what I'm about to relate isn't that far off. Now that Andrew is slightly over 4 months old, he has decided that we just aren't giving him enough attention. I mean, who doesn't literally stick their foot in their mouth when given the cold shoulder treatment? Amazing as this feat is (no pun intended), baby Andrew has an even better trick in store.

First, some background. Since babies are notoriously selective about what they would consider funny, I've had to resort to the time-tested activity of peek-a-boo to make him laugh. Over and over again. Cheesy wide open mouth and eyes and everything. But hey, it works and I'm a sucker for repetition.

Anyway, the other day, Jennie and I were preparing to herd the kids upstairs for bedtime. Alyssa had already raced up the steps (no doubt so that she could prepare her stalling tactics), so I picked up Andrew and mentally prepared myself for the 30 minute "calming down" routine. Only, I looked down to see that Andrew was acting ... hungry. As usual, I started joking to Jennie that he was going to be severely disappointed, but then I noticed something different about this situation: he wasn't trying to eat, he was hiding.

Yes, hiding. What I had mistaken for dinner time behavior was actually the beginning of several minutes of baby peek-a-boo. He would hide his face in my chest, then whip it around towards us with wide open eyes and a huge smile on his face, then whip it back into my chest. The more we laughed, the bigger his smile got. Such an attention monger. Of course, by the time Jennie was able to get the camera over to me to record these antics, he had grown bored and quit.

Oh well, maybe next time. Uh, and sorry for the long hibernation. Maybe I'll actually start posting again ...

3. Wow.

2010-05-29T18:56:00.002-04:00

Well, Alyssa is 3. We are definitely treated to her "theatrical threes" already! She's incredibly imaginative and creative. We're having so much fun watching her play Mommy to her baby dolls (and, of course, her baby brother!) She's coloring every day (and "in the lines," too, thanks to some careful tutoring by Tula!) and drawing things that we can actually recognize. Look how much she's changed...

Halloween

2010-05-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

Halloween was fun... the attached album has pics from the office when a few of us brought our babies. Alyssa refused to wear her costume of course (when, exactly, can we expect the terrible twos attitude to be over?), but Cheyann and Thomas were good sports. Allison and Ashleigh came up to the house for trick-or-treating and even dressed up with us. Alyssa wasn't sure what she thought of it at first, but was completely on board once she saw the candy in her basket.

Allison brought her projector and were player the Thriller video and Nightmare Before Christmas on the garage doors for the trick-or-treaters. Everyone thought it was so cool, including the Rolesville Chief of Police who pulled up on his segway to tell us we had the coolest house in town!

Click here to view photos

October '09

2010-05-15T15:00:00.002-04:00

October was lovely... my favorite month of the year, as always. The weather is so nice, the colors are beautiful, and it doesn't hurt that my birthday is in October, either! The attached album has pictures from the pumpkin patch where we went on my birthday. Alyssa points it out every time we drive by, even though it is long gone!

The first 2 pictures in the album are of Alyssa in her Greek "booty-shakin' " belt from my parents. The girl has moves! I hope to put up a video once I learn how.

The last bunch are from the trip Allison, Ashleigh and I took to Asheville for the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair... sounds riveting, I know, but it was so cool! We all love knitting and really enjoyed looking at all of the different yarns and projects. We had a great time eating out, watching movies and enjoying each others' company in the beautiful mountain weather. We even went "apple-picking" at Sky Top orchard. We had to buy apples that they had picked because there were none left on the trees, but the view was worth the nearly terrifying drive to the top of the mountain.

I hope we can do it again!

Click here to view photos

Remember Me?

2010-05-14T17:24:00.001-04:00

I had almost given up on posting! It is amazing how quickly life has flown by these last 8 months or so! The pregnancy was great once I got past the first trimester, then things really started rolling when Andrew arrived. I think I'll get back into the swing of things on here by slowly catching you up to speed.

In September, we went to Myrtle Beach with Mike's family. We had a great time! Alyssa was very brave the first time we took a walk on the beach... she was quickly soaked from head to toe from the waves. I guess she decided it was a bit too much, however, since she was nervous about the water for the whole rest of the trip.

She really enjoyed spending time with Grammie, Grandy, Jeff and John... so much so, that she STILL talks about going to the beach with them. She can't wait for their visit next week!

Click here to view photos

Congratulations all Around!

2009-09-16T10:53:00.000-04:00

Congrats to 2 friends who gave birth this week!

Rachel and Jared welcomed their third child (but first daughter) on Sunday, 9/13 at 7:29pm... 8lbs, 13 oz. Welcome Kylie Rae, and congrats Rachel, Jared, Jackson and Jaden!

Congratulations also to the Normans who welcomed their second daughter last night at 11:40pm... She weighed 6lbs 11oa a day after her due date. Emma Catherine was wasn't sure she was ready to be born, but a determined Mommy suffered through a couple of days of post- Castor Oil treatment to get things moving! Congrats Kristina, Dan, and Audrey!

Some sweet little girlfriends for our little man on the way!

I can't wait to get all of these munchkins together!

Oh, BOY!

2009-09-03T05:43:00.000-04:00

Well, we had our 18 week ultrasound yesterday! Everything looks good... They say they did not get enough measurements while we were there, so I get to have another one at the next appointment in a month! The baby is measuring at about 9 ounces and 6 inches from head to backside. It is so hard to imagine that it can be that small and still look like a complete little person! What a miracle!

I imagine the most interesting part for everyone is this...

Can you see the little hand by the head? And...

IT'S A BOY!!!!! Alyssa will have a little brother! We are so excited and a little bewildered at having the whole new experience to look forward to. It should be fun seeing how they are similar and different! He was so busy during the ultrasound. I wonder if he will be as busy as Alyssa after he is born!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

2009-07-28T04:00:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I am a slacker. I am 3 weeks overdue in posting congratulations to my dear friends Kimmie and Mark Kingsley on the birth of their son, Thomas Jefferson Kingsley. The adorable little munchkin was welcomed into the most patriotic family I know on July 4th! Unfortunately, Mark was not here in time for the birth due to multiple delays during his return from Iraq (Sandstorms and the like), but he was able to hold his sweet baby before he was 24 hours old. I was lucky enough to meet Thomas the day after he was born and I can't help thinking that I will be doing the same thing in about 6 months! Yikes!

Congrats to the Kingsleys (and D'alessandros, since the grandparents were just as anxiously awaiting his arrival)!

3+1=4

2009-07-26T05:38:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, I know. Slacker. I am sorry, it can't be helped! I have been beyond tired and totally lacking in motivation the last few months because... we are expecting! I have been struggling with first trimester exhaustion and nausea that I did not have the first time around and it has really taken a toll. Add to that the fact that Alyssa has been struggling with the whole sleep routine (as in, difficult to put to bed at night, down for naps, and not sleeping through the night for over a month), I am completely worn out! Thank goodness for a husband who is super at doing housework and taking over kid duties! I am so lucky and thankful to have him! I don't know what I would do if circumstances were different.

I am almost 13 weeks... due date is February 3rd, 2010. We have already been to the first couple of appointments and everything looks good so far. I feel like I might finally be coming out of the perpetual nausea, so yay! Let's hope that things get better from here! I really enjoyed being pregnant with Alyssa and am hoping for the same this time around! Wish us luck!

Birthday Video

2009-05-31T05:50:00.005-04:00

She’s 2!!!!

2009-05-31T05:43:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday was Alyssa's second birthday. She got to celebrate all weekend... presents every day starting Thursday so she wouldn't be overwhelmed, opening everything all at once. She got lots of great gifts from a bunch of people.

An Elmo toy and a couple of kids music CDs (thanks DD!)

All kinds of learning tools... flash cards and workbooks and letter puzzles. She'll be the smartest 2- year- old ever! (Thanks Amy!)

A laptop for the car that lets her color with water. Yay, no mess! (Thanks, Pam!)

A super cute bumblebee game and magnetic princess storybook (Thanks, Alli!)

Frog tub squirters and a set of vehicles to be strung like beads (and yay, there's a "Stoo Bus" in the mix!) (Thanks, Ashie!)

A wood "paper doll" set and a set of wooden food that can be cut... it actually sounds like you are cutting fresh vegetables because of the velcro! (Thanks, Tula and Poppie!)

A cute outfit from her friend that she has yet to meet (Thanks, Kristina and Audrey!)

A slide that has been in the house for the last week, along with a cool playhouse and a huge set of food and pots and pans. (Thanks, Grammie, Grandy, Mommy, Daddy, Tula, Poppie, and Mama!)

She had a great time opening presents and being the princess for the weekend. She had some of her favorite foods for her birthday dinner (corn on the cob, mac and cheese, hot dogs, melon, you name it!) She loves her playhouse and slide so much! We used to get a "Hi!" or "Good Morning!" when we would get her out of her crib after a nap or in the morning, but now all we get is "House?!" She just can't wait to play in it! Thanks to everyone for the great gifts... I can't believe it has already been 2 years! Check out this Snapshow...

Help!!!!!!!

2009-05-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

Please vote for me here... I entered a contest for a design challenge over at http://www.freshnestdesign.com with pictures of our recent update of the paint in the dining room and guess what!?! I am a finalist! Please click the link and vote for #1 Jennie so we can win a toddler bed for Alyssa! If you have a blog and wouldn't mind a shout... please post a link as well! Thanks for the support!

VOTE HERE!

A New Car (Well, really a truck!)

2009-05-19T08:30:00.000-04:00

The lease is up on my car, so we've been talking about what to buy to replace it for almost a year. We had settled on a Trailblazer (or something similar) because we'd be able to get a break through Mike's job. He spotted a trade-in a week or so ago and snatched it up! We signed the papers on Thursday afternoon in the fastest deal I have ever participated in (Mike had most of it done ahead of time... I just had to sign). 15 minutes later we were switching my stuff over. Take a look at my new "car!"

It is a 2006 GMC Envoy with lots of bells and whistles... sunroof, leather, power seats, 6- disc in- dash CD changer, chrome wheels, running boards... I love it so far! It is super fun to drive. Alyssa also loves it because she can see so well out of the windows. She is seeing things that she could never see before because her head sat just under the window base in the car. All weekend she has been asking to go in the "new car." What a treat not to have to drag her!

It will be so much nicer on long car trips!

A Fun Week (or so)!

2009-05-18T07:09:00.000-04:00

We've been busy lately... a week ago we helped throw a shower for our friend Kimmie who is expecting her first baby in July. I made most of the decorations, and we all helped with the food. Alyssa loved all of the little kids and even managed to jump into a group of girls to get her picture taken with them. She wants to be included in everything! Kimmie got tons of nice gifts and we all had a great time!

slideshow

We also enjoyed Mother's Day... Mike and Alyssa gave me some beautiful pink roses and some yummy chocolates and other goodies. I got to pick out some plants for the front of the house (Mike planted them, too!) and then we went to my parents' for the afternoon. We had a super delicious lunch and enjoyed just hanging out. We even took Alyssa to the Lake Benson Park. What a fun weekend!

The following pics are from a few weeks time, and the skinned knees were a while ago... her first! She has been such a big kid lately that she is all dirty when she is done playing outside. The roses are the ones I got for Mother's Day... so pretty! And look who likes con on the cob! This was her first try at it last night, and she wasn't about to let me get away with cutting it off for her when we were eating it off the cob. "Me do it!?!"

slideshow

Baby Pool

2009-05-06T04:00:00.000-04:00

We got Alyssa a baby pool last weekend. She loved it! She loves to use her watering can and beach toys and pour water from one to the next. She also likes to splash, as long as her face and chest don't get wet! Is is possible for these things to be hereditary? I have always hated to have my face wet. It is always the first thing to hit the towel when I get out of the pool.

There was a bit of an air-retention problem with the first model, but she had fun with it anyway. There are lots of pics... please feel free to stop the slideshow at any time! We had to get her a new one this past weekend... I'll get more pics of that one soon!

slideshow

P.S. I am LOVING the warm weather! Thank heaven for Spring!

Leaps and Bounds

2009-05-05T05:32:00.000-04:00

Alyssa is changing and growing so quickly these days... she keeps amazing us with her physical capabilities. In the past couple of weeks, she has learned how to climb the ladders at the playground (a huge development... think how physical you have to be to pull your body weight up by your arms. Maybe she'll be a champion rope climber like Tula. Right, Mom?) Just yesterday she decided it is fun to run... fast! She started racing back and forth across the downstairs and yelling "Mommy! Look! Fast! That's Fun!"

I got such a kick out of that and was thinking about this kid that we saw this weekend. He was beyond tickled with himself to find that he had an audience to watch him jump up and down, about 2 inches from the ground. I think he was similar in age to Alyssa, possibly up to a year older. I spent a few minutes trying to show Alyssa how to jump and wondering how to explain something so simple when the vocabulary is so limited! She must have understood me because she was able to jump by the time Mike got home from work! I am so impressed!

Over the weekend I decided to paint Alyssa's toenails. I've been thinking about it for a while. I just didn't think she'd sit still long enough to get them done. I was wrong! She was so tickled that she asked me to do her fingernails, too! I painted my own to match, and although her fingernails need to be redone (apparently the quick- set polish is not pool- resistant even after they feel dry... the paint peeled off by itslef within a half hour), here are our matching toes. Beware... graphic images (if you hate feet, and you know who you are, sis!)

Around the House

2009-04-23T12:11:00.000-04:00

Alyssa and I have been able to keep my friend Laura's baby, Jack a few times on Friday mornings. Alyssa looks forward to these visits in a big way! She talks about it for days before (if we tell her he is coming) and for days after.

Recently, she has been carrying the Cabbage Patch doll that Betty gave her for her birthday last year... she's been spending lots of time pushing her around in the stroller and dressing and undressing her. As of this weekend she has given the doll a name... Baby Gack (that's how she pronounces his name)!

The doll wears pink and purple, but Mike says it looks more like a boy anyway because of the hair.

She just can't get enough of Baby Jack!

I found some more pics on my camera... a messy girl who had just enjoyed licking some chocolate-y beaters, her first skinned knees, matching Mommy and Baby aprons, and unloading the dishwasher. Remember I told you how much she likes to help with housework?

Click on the link to see the Slideshow!

If you don't already have a Snapfish account, please create one... you can use it for all future slideshows on this site!

Easter Weekend… so lovely!

2009-04-13T09:08:00.001-04:00

We had such a great Easter weekend... lots of extra playtime at the park (I still can't get used to the idea of having Mike home on holidays... a 3- day weekend is such a treat!) in the pretty weather, shopping, church, lunch, playing cards and hanging with the family. We really enjoyed watching Alyssa hunting for eggs and entertaining everyone with her new vocabulary. Now, if you say it, she will repeat it. We had a blast getting her to say things that sound so much cuter in her squeaky, nearly two- year- old voice!

My parents (aka, the Easta Bunny!) got Alyssa a huge pile of goodies... new books and toys AND great new gardening tools so she can help Poppie in the garden. She love raking the carpet and carrying her tools around the house. The funniest part of the whole thing was that she liked to ride around in her basket (it was a wheeled gardening bucket) while being pushed by Alli... wait'll you see the pics!

Another fun situation involved Ashleigh's dog. Alyssa is generally interested in dogs, but we have found that she gets nervous when they come up close. Most of the dogs that live around us are bigger than her, and many of them are lickers (she doesn't like to be licked... she says "eeew, gwoss!"), so she doesn't really like to get too close. Ashleigh brought her dog Leah, to my parents' for Easter, though, and we saw a huge change in Alyssa by the middle of the afternoon! At first, she was nervous and shy, mostly running away from Leah. Later in the day, though, she was chasing the dog and calling "EE-ah" (in true toddler fashion, this was playing like a broken record by the end of the day!) She and Mike even took Leah out for a walk, by the end of which, Alyssa was holding the leash! She gave the poor puppy the workout of her life, and Leah was running away from Alyssa by the time we left! Unfortunately, we were all too preoccupied with watching it happen and playing the family- favorite game of Shanghai Rummy (I got the high score of the day, and the object of the game is to have the lowest... go me!) to remember to get any pictures. Sorry... just let your imagination run. Very funny!

I hope you all had a peaceful, wonderful weekend as well!

click here

The Little Monkey

2009-03-12T05:02:00.001-04:00

Again, the Little Imitator! Alyssa is big into the imaginative play lately. She wants to pretend to do everything she sees us do. Here, she HAD to wear my headset to talk on the phone. The last picture is when she used the no- skid mat from under the rug as a shawl. Totally her idea, clearly not something I would have suggested!

She has also decided that she likes to"mick" (mix, to the rest of us) and help me bake. My parents got her some great kitchen playsets for Christmas with metal pots, pans and cooking utensils, as well as some baking tools. She loves to dump the box out and set up a baking center on the coffee table. She even dragged me over to sit and play with her this week! A few weeks ago, she enjoyed licking the beaters of some cake mix and frosting... check it out!

photos

I'm looking forward to turning this imitation into Mommy/ daughter crafting time very soon!

Daddy’s Helper, Part 2

2009-02-19T05:51:00.001-05:00

Lately, Alyssa seems to derive the most pleasure out of imitating people. She loves to mimic what we say (censorship is in full alert status) and is getting pretty good at copying whatever we do. She loves to get involved in chores and cooking. She has helped vacuum (even though she used to be afraid of it), remove spots from the carpet, wash the windows, dust, polish the tables, etc. I even caught her pretending to "paint" with a toy spatula for a paintbrush the other day since she saw us painting the dining room a couple of weeks ago. It's so cute to see how proud she is when she's helping! If this keeps up, though, she'll have to get an allowance before she turns 2!