The Wilson Family: 20 months old!

20 months old--
lounging poolside in our backyard oasis!

Harper has moved from her teens to her twenties: okay, okay, we're talking 20 months here--but still! It truly feels that Harper is growing and changing at a rapid rate. This summer continues to be a fun and exciting time to watch her progress. From hot hot hot days to cool splashes in the pool, here's a story in pictures of what our favorite girl has been up to this month:

Adventures on the farm! We took a trip to Codman Farm in Lincoln on what might have been the hottest day all year. It was a risky move, as Harper hasn't been the biggest fan of animals. Well, to be fair, she loves her stuffed animals and reading about animals in books, but the real thing just doesn't sit quite right with her. But we thought we'd give it a whirl... She loved riding a little tractor that was exactly her size, but as suspected, the animals themselves didn't go over as well. Turkeys, pigs, cows, sheep, goats--not Harper's favorite. But what she DID like was the baby chicks. From the safety of her daddy's arms, she even waved hello. Hey, let's call it progress, shall we?

Looking good in John Deere green

Checking out the piggies

Not loving the chickens

Hi, baby chickies!

My favorite cool kids & the real deal tractor

My little farm girl

Visiting with friends! Harper is quite the social butterfly. One of her favorite big-girl friends is our dear friend, Talyn, who Harper calls "T" (actually so do I). We recently got to have a fun summer outing with Talyn and her sister, Cali, while Cali was visiting from Florida. From lunch, to shopping, yummy ice cream (Talyn shared her cone with H), and even a balloon...oh my! Dream date.

Love these cute girls

After her play date with the big girls, Harper continued to enjoy her balloon for days to come, even after it had mostly deflated. "Balloon" has officially been added to Harper's repertoire of words. One of the other moms on the block where we live recently informed me that children of Harper's age are supposed to have 50 words in their vocabulary. At first, this seemed like a LOT, but then Dallin and I started trying to count all the words Harper says...and she has at least that. Yay for an ever-growing vocabulary!

Who needs helium anyway?!

Snacks for baby

Harper continues to be very maternal with her baby dolls, and she can hardly contain her excitement when she sees a REAL baby. She particularly loves to share with baby, and on any given day can be found giving baby her pacifier, a snack, a blanket--whatever she thinks baby needs. Harper has also learned how to say "Shhhh" when baby is sleeping (very considerate). Is someone ready to be a big sister? We asked Harper what baby brother's name should be, and she promptly replied, "Happy!" Could we have two little Wilson Hs?

Fortunately, not every day has been in the upper 90s, and we have been able to enjoy a lot of time outdoors. There are outdoor concerts at the park near our house each week, and Harper will insist that we walk down there. She loves music and dancing almost as much as she loves the slide at the park!

Beep beep!

Harper and I also spent a recent weekend with Grammy Sue (who is now "Mimi" according to Harper) at her house in Western MA. Harper had a blast outside in her little car, reminding everyone that a car says "Beep beep!" She also made some progress with her Uncle Ben's two little dogs, going from the paralysis-level fear she showed at her last visit with them to a more cautious curiosity this time. After we got home, she continued to inquire after the "puppy doggies." I took that as a good sign, and we later went for a walk around the local reservoir, where lots of dogs run and play. Harper observed the way the doggies would "run run run!" and how they would say "woof woof." However, when one of the doggies approached her, she was less than enthusiastic, but I still like to think she's warming to her canine friends.

Loving our girls' weekend at Mimi's house

Not exactly what I meant by,
"Sit on your bum."

Dallin and I often reflect on what a funny, happy little girl Harper is. We realize that EVERYONE says this about their child(ren), but we honestly think that we are more right than most. The other night at dinner, Harper was acting like a total lunatic, making faces and flailing around dramatically--all with a smile on her face. Quite the performance! I knew I shouldn't, but rather than saying "No, no, Harper" as I probably should have, I just had to take a picture. Talk about enabling. But seriously, LOOK at this face, and then tell me you know a more comical child.