Three Men and a Deck ;)

For Pete's Birthday I decided to surprise him with the gift of my Dad (and all his power tools;)) to help us put a deck on the back of our house.  It is such a huge task and something we knew we needed to do when we bought the house- can you see the huge crack in the patio in this lovely BEFORE PICTURE??

As a surprise to Pete and I, my brother also decided to fly in from California to help participate in this craziness!  Needless to say, I have NO IDEA how we would have done it without him.... what an amazing help- especially in 98 degree heat- the more man power the better!!!

Poor guys were working SO hard to make the yard level- and with the heat, HOLY SMOKES, it was a long process!!!

Great Teamwork.... us girls felt for them doing all that work... and did I mention it was HOT?!  Ha.... lots of gatorade.... lots of laundry... and wonderful homemade meals (THANK YOU, MOM) were all they needed to power through!

I can not begin to express in words how thankful we were for the help and taste of family.... Dad and Aaron- thank you so much for sweating out a few days with us in Arkansas to give us a beautiful backyard space.  And Mom, you were truly amazing with the meals and help with Harper, and of course spending time with me.... who knew I would get strep throat on your visit (grrr!!!!)

Us girls preferred our day to be AC'd ;)  Harper and Nana were 2 peas in a pod doing everything together!!!!  It was wonderful to see and made me happy- I swear having family out to visit just melts my heart.... to all of you who have made the FOREVER long drive out here- thank you.... baby girl LOVES it!!!

A Great Start to Summer!

Well, the summer is off to a great start.... and I say that because we officially have a WALKER!!!

...I know, I know, I'm sure I'll take back some of the enthusiasm as she begins slowly tearing apart our home, but for right now we are thrilled- to see the look on Harper's face as she wobbles across the room into your arms is priceless- I love it!

not the greatest picture, hard to get a good action shot... but here she is, in all her glory walking to Daddy:)

We have already been enjoying the pool!!!  Our wonderful friends invited us on a pool day with our little ones- we had so much fun!  Harper LOVED the water.  Through a FIT when we had to get out :), but that girl sure does love her Ryann- they played and snacked and played and snacked until their hearts were content- or they were passed out COLD in their carseats- ha!

Strawberries and Puffs= snack of champions ;)

Momma, I LOVE this thing- can I stay forever, please, pretty please???

and so begins eating a meal with utensils... ha!

My most favorite people :)- love them!!!  A little walk with Daddy & Harper!

Loving our time at the Park!

We wish you all a fun, relaxing, and somewhat AC-filled start to your summer!!!

A Little Family Time...

This weekend has been nice... it was just the three of us and the weather was pleasant... couldn't ask for anything more ;)

We enjoyed another bike ride as a family- we have found this TOTALLY relaxes Harper and no kidding she is OUT COLD 5 minutes into the ride- ha!  Although it was a little short, we still enjoyed our little family adventure!

Harper also got her VERY FIRST haircut (I mean hair kisses as they called it at the salon;)) and she did well.  I could tell this wasn't their first rodeo.... they gave her a comb to play with, made everything a game, and were so careful to cut and preserve a couple of the precious curls they cut away :)- I was impressed!  More than anything I am just thrilled that her hair isn't in her eyes anymore... it was a tough first for this Momma, but Harper seems pleased- she even got free ice cream from Orange Leaf- her afternoon was complete!

So, I think summer is just about official... schools around here are about closing up shop and the weather is SO PRETTY... enjoy!!!!

A Wonderful Visit!

Harper had a wonderful visit from her Grandparents this past weekend!  Grandpa & Grandma Lee came from Indy to spend a weekend Arkansas style!  

We must of REALLY enjoyed ourselves, as I didn't even stop to take a picture aside from this one!  Grandma and Grandpa made this picnic table for Harper- just her size!  It's adorable and she really enjoys it!

Tom and Darla.... thank you for a wonderful weekend!  We miss you guys already and can't thank you enough for our fun moments together!!!

Birthday Weekend!

My younger brother, Aaron, Pete, AND Harper all share the birthday of April 8th!  It makes for a very fun time of year and this year we all got to be together- it was wonderful!!!

Grandma and the Birthday Girl!

The Lee birthday clan and their new form of entertainment- bikes!  Harper and Daddy are enjoying their birthday gifts with all kinds of bike rides!

A little piano tunage with Uncle Aaron (birthday boy #2;))

Happy "Crazy Haired" Birthday Girl

A little down time with Grandpa

The Birthday Crew and their Cakes!

Harper enjoyed "reading" her books from her Great Grandma!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Wilson

We enjoyed a fun breakfast with our dear friends!

....and of course Harper enjoyed fun times with Uncle Aaron

Thank you EVERYONE for the wonderful time you spent with us to celebrate our baby girl's first birthday!!!  We love you guys!

A Party Fit for a One-Year-Old!

Ahh.... could it be this time already?!?!  Our little munchkin is just about a year old!!!  Since her official birthday falls on Easter Sunday, we celebrated with her little friends this past weekend.  We had so much fun and appreciate everyone who helped us celebrate with our little one- thank you!!

I loved gift-opening time.  All the little ones slowly crawled over to the toys and started showing each other how to work everything- ha!  Harper seemed to share quite well and gosh... it made it seem like a REAL birthday party- so cute!!!

The O'Connell trait of icing love shines through... the child could not get enough of it!  At first she was NOT enjoying the messiness factor, but after a little coaxing she was covered in pink and blue frosting, sucking it off her fingers... lovely visual- right?! ;)

I had so much fun planning and hosting this little party to celebrate a wonderful year with friends!  Thank you to all who came... I look forward to doing it all over again next weekend with family!!!

A Wonderful Visit from an AMAZING sister!!

So, spring has treated the little Lee family very well!  We have been blessed with being able to spend the past 3 weeks with all kinds of friends and family as they enjoyed Spring Break with us!  

The fun continued as my wonderful sister came to visit last week.  Anna was a TROOPER and Harper's best buddy all weekend as we tried to cram a few too many events into just a couple days!

Harper and I were thrilled to be able to help out by being part of a fashion show at the Northwest Arkansas Baby Shower!  We had so much fun and THANK GOODNESS for Auntie Anna helping us through the event- an extra set of hands is AMAZING!!!

Michelle Duggar spoke at the shower as she lives near by... she was wonderful to listen to:)

Harper and I before strutting our stuff down the cat walk.  I am beginning to realize I am not fully in control of what she does as she was constantly picking at my dress and full on spitting the whole way down the run way- ha!  Oh well, they'll be good memories- right?! ;)

Happy Girl with her Auntie Anna!

We even got to go to Build-A-Bear!  Harper was glued to Anna's hip as they had fun making their bears... so cute!!

Somebody just couldn't get enough of her Auntie... I LOVED IT!

Anna, thank you for making my week... you were a BLAST and I just couldn't have accomplished all we did without you.  I love you and appreciate all you did:)... just find myself wishing there was more time to spend with ya!!!!