10 Years Later

So, apparently I've been out of high school for 10 years. Ummm, excuse me - what? When did that happen, and when did I get old enough to attend a reunion? Last Saturday, the OSH Class of 2003 gathered at Maple Tavern to relive the good ole days. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a smidgen excited to go and see my fellow classmates, but I really didn't know what to expect. When I hear "high school reunion" my mind travels back to 1997. Melissa and I were sitting in the Maple Grove Mann Theater watching Romy & Michele's Reunion. I loved this movie so much, I even used allowance money to buy the soundtrack. I happy to report my experience my nothing like the movie. No classmate lied about invented something crazy like Post-it notes, and no one showed up in a helicopter. 

Not knowing what to expect, we walked downstairs with an open mind ready for a fun night out. It was crazy to see so many familiar faces in one room. I had a blast catching up with old friends hearing about their families, careers and life 10 years later. I'd say it was great turn out, and an overall wonderful time. I'm looking forward to seeing all of us together again in 10 more years! 

I'm sure this doesn't come as a shock, but Sunday was a lazy day for us. Thanks to my parents who kept Harper overnight, so we were able to sleep in a little. However, sleeping in isn't what it used to be. In college, we had no problem sleeping until 10am or later (I know, we were bums). I guess having a child will change that. Even with a baby free house, we were wide awake before 8am. After laying around awhile and grabbing a much needed McDonald's breakfast - we headed to my parents to pick up Harper.

When we got home, Mitch immediately went downstairs to prepare for a his day of watching football. Harper and I took advantage of the nice weather and hung outside. We marked up the driveway with sidewalk chalk, picked a few weeds, and collected sticks in the front yard. The girl is a gatherer. She collects weeds, rocks, sticks - you name it. If it can fit in that little hand, she's going to carry it and most likely bring it into the house. Just a warning, if you drop by our house to visit - you can expect to see dried dandelions and twigs laying on the floor next to the cluster of stickers stuck to the furniture. Welcome to the Helleen life! :)

Harper has been entertaining us with new phrases, dance moves and "tricks". Over the last month we've discovered she's an excellent climber. She mastered stairs a long time ago, and if you remember correctly she can now escape her crib by climbing out. A few weeks ago, we learned she can climb the bunk bed ladder. After being out of our sight for less than a minute, I heard  "Mom" coming from the spare bedroom. When I poked my head in the door, I saw her on the top bunk with a huge smile on her face. She looked at me with her giant baby blues, glowing with excitement and said, "Hi Mom!". After nearly having a heart attack, I've now learned all doors must be shut.

If it's not climbing, or stickers - it's numbers and letters. She can't get enough of the ABC's and 1, 2, 3's. We have all the letters of the alphabet down, and can count from 1-10. Everyday is something new, and we're still enjoying every second.

I have to end this week's post with a birthday shout out. This past Wednesday was big milestone birthday for my Dad. Jimbo is the big 5-0! Since he was leaving town for business on his actual birthday, we celebrated a day early with dinner and his favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Harper even painted him a handmade gift, and secretly I think it was one of his favorites. :) This weekend the 50th celebration continues!

Until next time...
The Helleen's