15 Months

As I typed 15 moths into the title of this blog post I just couldn't believe it. Time has been going by so fast lately and Harper is changing and growing into a little lady right before our eyes.

She recently had a check-up and here are her stats

Weight: 25 1/4 lbs in the 80%

Height: 31 1/4 inches the 75%



The doctor said she is looking great and doing everything that a 15 month-old should be!" Here are a few more details of our sweetheart.

Sleeping: We have been blessed from the beginning with Harper and she has been a great sleeper with her naps and at nighttime. Recently we have noticed though that she must be dreaming alot because she will make sounds in her sleep. She is still taking 2 naps most days.  She can go with 1 a day but she is much more fussy before bedtime.

Eating: About 2 weeks ago she went on a food strike and would only eat berries I was worried that my once good eater was gone but she returned and is back to eating just about anything. I have been making a bunch of different smoothies in the mornings for myself and she loves them as well. We have noticed lately that she really likes to feed herself at meals and we have started giving her baby utensils to try to get the hang of.

Playing: Harper loves to get out all of her toys and play hard. She loves her baby doll, stroller, blocks, and books. She loves to plop down on your lap and have you read a book to her. She plays with her numerous fake phone calls and has full conversations.  If she has her sippy cup with her she will be asking to cheers you about 10 times in a row.

Clothes: She is wearing 18-24 months and needs the length, this girl has long legs and we have a feeling that she is going to be tall.

Harper can do the following:
get up onto the couch
get off the couch/bed
waves goodbye and hello
can say dadda, momma, cheers, please, drink, more, all done, and squeals really loud if you do.
does downward dog pose
likes to squat
runs in place
tells us when she has gone #2
plays peek-a-boo
imitates someone laughing
does high 5
gives hug and kisses when asked
bear crawl


In the next few months we will be tackling some hard things like getting rid of her beloved bottle in the morning. She only has one bottle a day but we know the time is nearing where we need to say goodbye. We are also going ot say good-bye to paci. Harper loves her paci so much that we know it wont be easy but we can do it!!!

We love you so much Harper Regina

The Color of 2013

I don't know if you have heard this yet but Pantone has named the color for 2013 and  Icouldnt be more pleased with their decision.

Emerald Green

I love this color and couldn't be more excited to wear it all year long.

A little emerald I received as a Christmas gift


The Emerald color is al about prosperity, and growth who doesnt love that???
Are you happy with this decision or not?

HGTV Dream House 2013

Well it is that time of year again!!!! HGTV gives away a dream home along with some sweet other prizes every year. And this year they dont dissapoint.

The house is located in Charleston, South Carolina and has an amazing vew


Joe and I have entering everyday and are crossing our fingers that we win this year. Along with the house yo uwin $500,000 and a new GMC


Here is Joe's favorite part of the house


My favorite part of the house

Don't get me wrong I love all aspects of the hous but the outdoor entertaining really appeals to me since I live in the midwest and outdoor entertaining is a hit or miss and limited to about 3-4 months out of the year!

WHO IS COMING TO VISIT?

looking back on Sandy Hook Elementary

Another catastrophic day was etched into America’s heart on December 14th 2012.Just like on September 11, 2001 we will never forget when the TV broke with the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary killing 20 children and 6 teachers. Sadly our hearts have heard this tale before of a deranged person going into a school and and killing innocent people for unknown reasons.

These recent events have tugged at my heart like never before. I believe this time it has hit me differently because I am a parent of a young child. I was baking cookies with my grammie and daughter when the news channel broke through the normal televised program with the devastating news. We immediately took a seat and were horrified with the events that were unfolding.

How could this happen. . . . AGAIN?

How could this happen to babies? Yes in my opinion these children were still babies.

Over the next couple of days the TV imploded with the coverage of the events, social media was filled with outrage, sadness, and varying opinions and I started to question the world that my children are going to grow up in.

The day after the shooting Robbie Parker, father of deceased Emilie Parker, 6, took part in a news conference expressing his deep appreciation for the outpouring of love and prayers and said that he does not have anger towards the killer but a deep sadness. He concluded his speech by stating how proud he is to be Emilie’s father. What a true and perfect statement for all parents about their children, for they fill our hearts with joy and pride everyday. When we become parents it is such a surreal experience, there is a piece of our hearts that is forever outside our body in our children. Parenthood brings us immense joy but with everyday that piece of our heart is growing, changing, and slowly distancing from us.

Days have passed since the shooting and it is evident that something has to change in our nation so this doesn’t happen again. There is no one answer in my opinion but rather this is a multi-faceted situation of the mental health system, gun control, and the culture of our nation. The future of our nation relies on our children. If we don’t like where we are as a culture we must look to our children and choose a different path. Do we choose compassion in difficult situations? Do we choose fear? Do we choose anger? Do we choose a pro-active spirit that engages real change in our society?

My hope and prayer is that the events at Sandy Hook Elementary inspire a call to action for this nation. Parents must become more engaged in what is important to us. We have the power for change whether it be joining the PTA, voting on various topics that impact our children, taking up petitions for change, or using our voice for what we want-we must do something. I challenge you to take action whether it be for more arts in the school, new lock-down procedures, additional resources for teachers, stricter gun laws, additional resources for menatlly-ill, etc. Choose a matter and use your voice. This post is intended to inspire a discussion about the events at Sandy Hook, the climate of our schools, and the dreams and hopes for the culture that our children will grow up in.

Christmas 2013

After a LONG LONG break from blogging Guess what??? I am BACK!!!

We had so many holiday get together and I wanted to soak up the time with family so this week will be jam packed with updates from this Haluska family!

We had a great holiday with family. Joe was able to take 2 weeks off from work which made Harper and I so very happy to have extra time with him. Unfortunately we did get another bout of the flu and it took all 3 of us down which was no fun, but overall it was great!!!

We spent 5 days in Indianola. A big snowstorm hit which was pretty but had us inside the house for 2 days straight. We spend a day in Des Moines shopping which is never a bad things. We did a cookie baking day and had a fun Christmas get-together with that side of the family!!! We did however miss Joe's sister Kelsey who was unable to come home since she lives in Hawaii.

After that we headed to Geneseo on Christmas Eve to spend the day with my family. Harper had a great time because she loves being around other kids. Even though the closest in age to her is Madeline who is 6 she loves it! Christmas Eve we enjoyed a fun night at my uncle and aunts who throw a themed evening every year!

Christmas day we woke up at our house which I love. Bringing Harper down the stairs was such a happy memory and hearing her squeal was the best!!! My mom was with us and we opened presents with Champagne and Breakfast casserole.

The weekend after Christmas we headed to Albia for another Haluska get-together. We checked out the new brewing company in Alba which is slot of un! and Harper got to spend time with her 2 cousins!

New Years wasn't so great because the flu arrived and took us ALL down.

We are very grateful for the time we had together, the family we love and the memories we made.