Moms often say, "The days are long, the years are short." Well, apparently months also fly by in the blink of an eye because the last time I posted anything on this blog was to commemorate Harper's nine month birthday. Yikes. So what have the end of July, August, September, October, and the first six days of November looked like? Busy. Very, very busy. I certainly can't capture everything in one post (nor do I have time to as Harper is currently, and almost certainly temporarily, playing quietly at my feet), but I have decided to hit the highlight reel with a few pictures from every major event since my last post on July 6th. Okay, I may allocate a FEW more pictures for Harper's first birthday party. But other than that, I'll try to be very disciplined.
But first some important updates.
How is Harper? This update is particularly for my Aunt Terri, who apparently is pretty sad I stopped updating my blog four months ago. Sorry, Aunt Terri! I'll try to do better in the future. Harper is great. She's 13 months old as of a week ago. She started walking at 11 months and is super fast now. She calls pretty much everything either "dada" or "doggy" but hardly ever says "mama" to my everlasting sorrow. I think it's because I work full-time, but I may just be projecting my insecurity on Harper. After all, Robert works more than I do, and she's been saying "dada" for months.
Harper has become an absolute bookworm. All day and night she hands Tiina and me books and then adorably settles into our laps. Just as we finish one, she wriggles her way out to pick the next book and comes right back. Her favorites right now are "Llama, llama, red pajama," "Papa please get the moon for me," "Hop on pop," "Go, train, go", "The very hungry caterpillar," "Where is baby's bellybutton?" and "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" There are also 2-3 Finnish books she is also obsessed with but I don't read those to her for obvious reasons. Tiina can though, and does 100 times a a day.
This morning I was in the living room with Harper, and she seemed bored. I said to her, "Harper, go get a book and we can read together." She toddled down the hall to her room and came back carrying "Go, train, go". After we finished that I said, "Okay, go get another book." She went to her room and came back with "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" And after that, "I love you through and through." It is remarkable to me what a 13 month old can understand and do.
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| My dream come true. |
Harper sleeps from about 7 pm to 6 am every night. She still takes two naps a day for about an hour each. I stopped nursing her on November 1st, which means I nursed her 13 months -- exactly the same length of time I nursed Aidan.
Harper still loves food, but is becoming a little less crazy about baby food now that she's had her first tastes of sugar and salt. There is no going back from that train. I'm proud she still doesn't watch any television even though the American Academy of Pediatrics came out last week saying that their "no screen until two" recommendation is based on no science whatsoever. Whatever. It can't be a bad thing that she plays with humans all day instead of watching Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. She'll get to meet those buddies in 11 months.
Harper finally got her first two teeth (bottom middle) just before her first birthday. At thirteen months her top 2 teeth are coming in just a little. At her eight month appointment, I asked her doctor if I should worry that she doesn't have teeth to which the doctor responded, "Nope. She has hair. She's fine." Apparently there is an unassailable connection between teeth and hair.
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| First birthday picture (more to come below) |
How is Aidan? Terrific, thanks for asking. Aidan is 11 years old now. He is doing well in school, addicted to video games, and loving his little sister. Over the summer he took four robotics classes and has been programming his Lego Mindstorm robot at home. He reads a bunch and is currently loving the Magnus Chase and WereWorld series. We start basketball again next week, which is great since we took the fall off of sports and Aidan definitely needs a physical outlet. Mrs. Hall is his fifth grade teacher and is amazing. We are so lucky to have her again since she was his second grade teacher as well. Aidan is playing Antonio in the fifth grade production of "Much Ado About Nothing." He does Boy Scouts on Tuesdays nights and is playing the clarinet in school. Life is good around here for Aidan even though I do wish he spent more time playing outside and less time playing Minecraft, Star Wars Battlefront, and Plants vs. Zombies 2.
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| Acting cool on picture day. |
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| So handsome! |
It's still weird for me that I have two kids ten years apart. I am beyond blessed, but there are definitely days I feel like I'm missing a five-year-old. The other day Aidan said to me, "I love Harper, I just really wish I had a sibling closer in age." Sorry, bud. Mom fail.
Shifting gears, here are the Cummings Family highlights from July 6th - November 6th:
JULY
Aidan went to summer camp at Camp Tuttle. Good old-fashioned, up in the mountains camp just like I had as a kid, and it was one of the greatest experiences for Aidan ever.
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| Hard bunks in tight quarters. |
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| Chubby cheeks in July. |
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| Strawberry skirt! |
Aidan went to Robotics 1, 2, and 3 at the University this summer and one additional week of Robo-Soccer. I can honestly say it's the first time I've ever seen a perfectionist streak in Aidan. He was determined to program his robot so it completed every course perfectly.
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WINNING!
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For Pioneer Day we once again went to the Days of '47 Rodeo. It was great, but we somehow missed the day where they did the bull riding. Still, it was an utterly American experience for Tiina, and Harper looked really cute in a cowboy hat.
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| My beautiful Finnish host-daughter. I am going to miss her SO MUCH when she goes home. **tears** |
Obviously, Aidan's birthday was in July too although we didn't get to throw his party until August. Here he is opening the Lego Mindstorm that Bonner, Grandma Diane, and Grandma and Grandpa Tripp got him for his birthday.
Our family also took a camping trip up to Bear Lake in July with the Smiths and Fuenteses (or Fuenti, as Robert calls them). Here are just a few photos from that amazing trip, which we are now calling the first annual Bear Lake camping trip. The sunsets were unreal and the kids loved boating and jet skis. Again, much like Christian camp above, this gave me all kinds of nostalgia for my childhood.
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| Our campsite |
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| Baby lifejacket! |
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| Aidan calming Harper down when she got upset |
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| Morning coffee with the girls |
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| Group picture! |
AUGUST
Aidan had his 11th birthday party in early August with seven friends at Blaster Tag. All in all, it was a pretty epic party and will be hard to top next year.
p.s. I have an 11 year old. A pre-teen. Better have another baby to keep me feeling young. Oh wait! I already did that.
In August we also took a strange but awesome trip to Tremonton, Utah. "We vacationed in Tremonton!" said no one ever until now. I was feeling particularly stressed at work. I had just decided to forego yet another vacation week due to too much work, but carved out a long weekend to travel 40 miles away to a farm that Robert and I found on AirBnb. I think it's safe to say this was Stan's single best vacation ever.
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| It was also our five year anniversary. Go, love! |
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| Tomahawks |
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| Trains |
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| Stan wanting to join us for breakfast. |
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| At the Logan Aquatic Center (photo strategically cropped) |
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| Homemade farm breakfast |
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| Babies and ponies! |
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| So close to home yet so far away |
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| Visiting the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah |
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| Aidan squished in the backseat between Harper and Stan |
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| Family photo |
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| Poor Tiina. We keep finding new ways to make her uncomfortable this year. Kidding! She was a natural. |
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| My friend, the goat, waiting to be milked. |
Last, but not least, August meant the first day of fifth grade for Aidan. His "little kid" years are slowly coming to an end as we march towards the dreaded teen zone. Luckily his elementary school goes until 6th grade, because I don't think I'm ready to handle middle school just yet.
SEPTEMBER
So school started, Boy Scouts started, my work got busier than ever, but September still managed to be action packed. I'm losing steam so this may be quick. Besides I'm thinking I may need a whole separate post for Harper's first birthday, which was all kinds of cuteness.
But first things first. The Cummings Family went on yet another Utah staycation at the beginning of September, back up to Camp Tuttle, but this time for Family Camp. It was great but FREEZING at night. Seriously, you try sleeping at 10,000 feet in September on the Wasatch Front in a rickety cabin. Harper and I actually retreated to the truck at 5:00 am to warm up once I knew for sure there was no way she was going back to sleep. This was after being up every hour throughout the night. Next year, we're going to Family Camp, but sleeping at home. You heard it here first.
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| Our accommodations |
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| Sweater weather! |
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| Nuke em'. A game that is basically catch, but far more aggressive. Robert has the scars to prove it. |
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| The happiest of happy faces. Or delirious since none of us slept. |
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| Wasatch Presbyterian kids. |
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| Wasatch Pres. kids when they are told to be crazy. |
In September we also added a ball pit to our living room. It's been a hit. Thank you, Pinterest.
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| Stan dying to jump in. |
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| The many faces of Harper. |
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| With auntie!! |
Harper's first birthday party. I can't even. I just love this little girl so much. When I think I can't love her anymore, she goes and wears a tutu, and I love her beyond my wildest dreams.
OCTOBER
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| Yes! Whole family together (minus Stan) |
See you in March! Kidding. Hopefully see you much sooner. No promises.
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