harper at the beach...

i figured it might be easier to chronicle this year's trip to the beach if i separated it by person. we all had so much fun but because finley and oliver jack were still quite small we spent quite a bit of time tag teaming different events.

without question, harper and calvary handled the babies holding them back with ease. they never grumbled or complained when i said that we couldn't do this or that because i needed to go feed the baby. they just took it all in stride. they both had more than enough opportunities to be entertained so the things they did miss out on were pretty inconsequential.

harper loves the beach. she loves to look for shells and build sandcastles but she also loves to go out and jump waves and swim underneath the waves. she would stay down at the beach all day. since she is so independent, the beach is an awesome place for her. the noise of the waves helps to give her that alone time that she often times seeks out. she doesn't get that very often at home :)

when we were in the hotel she spent most of her time playing with the boys or watching discovery health or the food network. it happened to be baby week on discovery health so at almost any given point in time she could find something that interested her.

she is growing up so much and watching her at the beach reminds me of that. she needs me less and less and i get frustrated by that quite a bit. she's like me too in that her independence is something that she truly enjoys and she is not willing to humor me with being needy.

she helps me out so much with the other kids and her and calvary are such a duo that i sometimes forget to see her as an individual.

her personality comes out through her expressions. she is constantly being silly and trying to make people laugh.

while we were out eating one night she found a hush puppy shaped like a "H". she was so excited that she decided to pose with it for a picture. her great aunt, who is living in japan, told her that most of the girls in japan pose giving the peace sign so she decided to give it a try herself.

and of course, harper would not be harper without being the nurturing little momma that she is. she always tries to help and always wants to be there for her siblings. they truly are blessed to have a big sister who takes such pride in taking care of them.

i love her so much and this picture just makes my heart melt. her expression of true joy melts away all of the other responsibilities she takes on. in this picture she is not a big sister or oldest child...she is just a little girl being a little girl.