topsy turvy (a late post)

this is going to be a whirlwind of a post, so let's start by getting our feet grounded. i should also mention it's a few weeks late, almost 3 to be exact. it's so crammed with pictures, it took a while to come together.

last saturday, harper had woken up very early and by mid-morning, was getting to be a bit grouchy. i've learned that when this happens, i put down whatever it is i am doing, scoop her up, grab her taggie from her crib and settle into our rocking chair in her room for some stories. her thumb goes in her mouth, she snuggles into my arms and calms to the slow back and forth motion of the rocker while i read her a few of her favorite books. after 5 or 10 minutes, we can put the taggie back and leave her room, both rejuvenated and nerves relaxed. that's how it typically goes.

however, on this particular saturday, while we sat in the rocker mid-story, the front door flew open and in blew a whirlwind- my family. my mom, dad, sister, brother, and sister-in-law walked in, coffee cups, purses, suitcases, computers and coats flying all around. i was transported to dorothy's flying house in the wizard of oz. instantaneously, my house became a coffee shop, hair salon and favorite local watering hole for girls night out. our quiet morning turned into chaos. and i couldn't have asked for anything better.

these were my grandmother's tools of the trade from when she was a hairdresser in the original box that my mom has held onto. the brand name she used...harper method.

my brother and sister-in-law, chris (topher) and stephanie (teppie), live outside of d.c. my sister-in-law is a colorist and is looking into opening her own shop. she's fabulousness. she's been doing our hair since chris and steph met. it may seem absolutely crazy to some, but it is less expensive for us to fly her in or for us to fly down there to get our hair all fancied than it is to go somewhere local. plus, we get a family visit out of the deal. on top of it, i completely trust her to make me look good. i've gone to local shops in between visits, when none of us can get away, and when i go back to stephanie, something is just not right. she ends up having to fix mistakes. so we used this weekend as a chance to get beautified, an opportunity to celebrate missed birthdays and birthdays to come, an early easter celebration and a time to just be together.

and being together means a whole mess of things. it's catching up for all the time we miss when we're not all together. it's conversations flying every which way. it's trying to get a word in edgewise, but being unable to, so when you finally are able to interject, no one knows what you're talking about because the topic has been changed 3 times already while you were stuck in la-la-land holding onto your thought so you don't lose it. it's laughter. it's reminiscing. it's poking fun, all in good nature. it's just delightful. gosh i miss it already.

teppie went to work on heather and me, then decided to add my mom and harper to the mix. later she would add uncle tim. busy, busy, busy. but as much as we tell her how appreciative we are, she doesn't seem to mind. gotta love her sense of giving and goodness.

this was harper's second haircut, her first also by teppie. and she was a patient little one. sat through quite a long hair trim, complete with water spritzing and snipping scissors. she sat on daddy's lap and took in all the attention. she also loves her some teppie.

later that evening, we had dinner at a restaurant downtown to celebrate birthday month. michael's and my mom's had passed, and topher's was coming up. we were also joined by my aunt and uncle, cousin with his girlfriend and his three kids. it was another chatty, conversations flying event, but a good time. yummy food. great wine. catch up and get-to-know-you conversations.

we celebrated an early easter at my parent's house on sunday. it was an easy day. relaxing. catching up on tabloid magazines and gossip. last minute hair fixes. snuggles. easter baskets filled with trinkets and toys. sugared marshmallows and chocolate bunnies. family and being together. it's what the whirlwind 2 days was filled with. love and non-judgment and conversations. it's my family, and i wouldn't change it for a thing.