Mr. E's 5 Months & Harper's 1st Cheer Competition!

My lil' buddy is 5 months today. (sigh)

Growing like a weed, the once loose 6 month clothes are becoming a little snug. Packing up baby clothes can be so sad. Can't he stay itty bitty forever? His gummy smiles continue to melt my heart and bring a perma-grin to our faces. 

We've had a handful of rollovers and his scooting abilities are quite impressive. We have yet to celebrate sleeping through the night, but we're inching a little closer. (My hope is that milestone is right around the corner.) He's an avid thumb sucker and loves to have a blanket snuggled up to his face - it's pretty adorable. 

Such a happy babe (most of the time) and a professional snuggler - Emmett brings our entire family so much joy. Happy 5 months sweet boy. 

 

Today was also a special day for Harper, she attended her first cheerleading competition! As a former cheerleader myself, I was tickled by the idea of introducing Harper to that world. We walked into the gymnasium filled with big bows, energetic dancing and sassy high schoolers. She was in awe. As she watched the girls dance, she looked at me and said - "Mom, I need to dance like that." 

We finally met up with Jenna, Melissa, Mads and Julianne who invited us there for the day. It's always so fun catching up with my high school gals and to bring our kiddos together nowadays makes it extra special. I treasure these friendships that are still going strong nearly 20 years later. 

Harper loved watching each school perform and even chanted back during the cheer portion. I think her favorite part of the day was freestyle dancing with Julianne and Madison. They all got to burn off some of that energy and ran around showing us their moves. It was such a perfect girlie day out and a special Mother/Daughter date. 

This weekend my parents headed up to Fargo to visit Austin at school, which meant we gained a houseguest - Gracie. Harper loves any time Gracie comes to stay. She could spend hours chasing her around and giggling through the entire process. Let's just say, Grace tolerates a lot. 

Getting the three of them to all look at the camera for a photo is nearly impossible. Once I finally got Grace to sit, Harper was distracted by something or Emmett would be sucking his thumb looking away. After what felt like 50 takes, we finally captured one success shot.  

Saturday morning we met Matt and Jen for a breakfast date. I love love love breakfast dates and feel like it's something we need more of in our lives. I mean, who doesn't love a great stack of pancakes and a mimosa? 

Matt and Jen were passing through town on their way to the airport and suggested meeting at 3 Squares. (I'm still quite envious of their Arizona vacation!) As always, it was so great seeing those two. We shared plenty of laughs and the kiddos got some quality Uncle Matt and Auntie Jen time. Thanks again for breakfast and we hope you're enjoying your vacay! 

This past week for our "Thursday Family Fun Night" Harper decided to go swimming. We haven't touched the water since Summer so I wasn't sure what to expect. Last year our return to swimming after nearly a year hiatus wasn't a success and we had to ease our way back in to the pool. Luckily our experience wasn't the same this year.

Harper loved the water and even requested to go in the deep with Mitch. This was a huge deal since last year at this time she screamed and cried every time we got near the deep end. She dunked her face twice (by accident) but didn't cry or freak out. Adding to her adventurousness she went down the slide on her own several times and did her fair share of splashing. It was a fun Thursday at the pool! Maybe next time Emmett and I can join in on the fun!  

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time…
The Helleens