a post before may ends!

has it really been almost 4 months since i last blogged? and must i always start out a post by pointing out how long it's been?

yes to both, apparently.

life update time!

we've got a precious 17-month-old on our hands. she is such a sweetheart and so much fun... when we pray with her and put her in bed and she waves goodnight to us after we say "amen", i wonder if she's more angel than child. she understands so much of what's going on around her and her sense of humor is blossoming! she loves to laugh and make us laugh. she is truly our pride and joy. she's already my big helper with things like laundry {seriously} and "reorganizing" shoes and such. : ) she's in a "put it in and take it back out and put it back in" stage that keeps her so busy.

how do little girls already know that they want to smell good and look pretty and brush their hair and hold a purse over their arms look at themselves in the mirror? she's an amazing imitator of things i don't even realize she sees.

the other day she started putting her hand in front of her mouth while laughing. not even a year and a half old, yet! i soon discovered that a little girl on a disney channel commercial does the same thing.

which leads me to... i want to set in front of her eyes only good and right things for her to copy! is there a Christian "baby einstein" out there? if i had the series on "your baby can read" i'm pretty sure she'd already be a reader. what about a series for Scripture? she'd already have some memorized! although she still has no patience for books. oh, the pictures, yes. but she's got the page turned before i can read the first few words on it.

my sweet pea. {sigh} i love her so much.

baby harper #2 is coming in september! we can't wait to meet our little {arlyn royce} and see what kind of girl she grows into. this parenting thing is so amazing. i thank God for the privilege every day.

It's a...BABY!

Yep, we're positive and so was the pregnancy test -- We're due with our little #2 in September!

Now here comes a year full of medical updates, ultrasounds, and uncomfortable body changes to blog about! Speaking of... I can NOT wait to see the baby for the first time on February 10! Assuming they do a sonogram, of course.

Birthday Milkshakes

Instead of serving the usual, boring cake & ice cream combo at Paisley's 1st birthday party, we opted for something a little more sentimental...

Chocolate Hazelnut Milkshakes!

Sentimental just because when we were in the hospital the day after Paisley was born, my grandparents came to visit and my grandpa decided to go out to Burgerville to get us all some food. That sounded amazing to me cause I was CRAVING one of their chocolate hazelnut milkshakes. Pa brought me back a huge one and it was such a special thing right then.

So when Andrew suggested that as Paisley's birthday dessert, I was in complete agreement!

Here's the wondrous recipe:
(all amounts are approximate)

1 cup good vanilla ice cream (french vanilla, not so much...just plain vanilla)
1/4 cup finely chopped or ground hazelnuts
1 tablespoon Torani hazelnut syrup
1/4 cup milk
a generous squeeze of Hershey's chocolate syrup

Blend it until it's the perfect milkshake consistency. Pour it in a cup. Top with whipped cream and more crushed hazelnuts.

Yummy!

best off-hand quote

"Being caught up is so over-rated." - Hannah Tallo