"Resort"

In an effort to make me less sad that he is away in Utah at a "resort" for a work/golf trip while I am home alone, Tommy sent me pics of his hotel room. Maybe I am glad to be here! Floral quilts and bunnies on the bed are not something you see in a hotel room everyday! He was hoping for a good internet connection and a nice workout room tomorrow....based on what I see here, I think the chances are slim.

Reagan

My little Reagan Girl is growing up fast. She still tries my patience in so many ways, but for all the times she makes me crazy, are an equal number of times she makes me laugh! Today I signed her up for ballet and she starts classes next week. She is actually supposed to be 3 to be in the class, but her teacher nor I could resist her preciousness! She sat outside the door of Addison's class this morning and imitated every move. She was dressed to swim afterwards and she made me take her cover-up off, so it would look like a leotard. Miss Cory and I talked after the class and she is allowing Reagan to join the younger class, which is right after Addison's for the last 4 weeks of the session. Reagan's little eyes lit up with sparkles when I told her. She can't wait to go shopping for her ballet shoes.

Here are some funny little things Reagan says right now.

~If she talks to Tommy on the phone, he always tells her that she is a cute little monkey. Every time he does it, she will put the phone down, look at me with a huge grin and tell me, "Him says I am a cute little monkey!".

~In every Diego episode we watch, Diego says, will you help me be an animal rescuer. She always answers back, "I going to be a princess." This is a bit more ambitious for her, because a few months ago, if you asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up she said, "Work at Wah-greens."

~Reagan has quickly learned that I am often trying to figure out which girl needs Mommy first she is often saying, "I da one who is hurt." or "I da one who is tired." She also says to me, "Start holding me!"

~She likes to be teased, but only for about 3 seconds. Then she quickly gets mad. She will come and tell me, "Them is lying at me."

She has the biggest heart and doesn't want anyone to be hurt. If she hears someone crying or upset she always tells me that they need their Mommy. Reagan just started saying her own prayers at night, which are just precious to hear. And, if you ask her who her best friends are she will always say her sissies. She has recently abbreviated calling Addison Sissy down to Sis.

A few days ago when we dropped baby Suzy off at the post office Reagan asked me if Sissy was going to be sad. I told her that she would miss Suzy. Reagan walked over to Addison and said, "It's okay Sis, you can use Bailee until she comes home. Okay, Sis? We can just share Bailee." Reagan was so sweet and precios to offer her own beloved doll.

My Reagie Girl is one big ball of personality. I love her big smiles and the way she skips everywhere that she goes. I always look forward to what a day with her will bring!

4 Months

This sweet little girl is 4 months old today! The last month has been such a joy with her! We finally seem to have all her diet issues under control. Between that and a little reflux medicine, she is a different child. She smiles all the time and loves to suck on her pink taggie blanket, which we call "Pinkie". She discovered toys over the last month and will gaze and gaze at her toys while she makes the funniest little face with her lips. She loves her big sisters and could watch them for hours. Addison really does great with her and can almost always calm her down if she is upset....I can always send Addison over to chat with her if she starts to fuss and I can't get there right away.

Gracyn's cutest times are first thing in the morning and right before bed. She is so alert then.....she pops her head all over the place, looking all around. She had been sleeping for long stretches at night, although that went out the window with vacation, we are working our way back there! During the day, whenever our schedule allows it, she takes 2 or 3 really good naps.

Her favorite things right now are the bumbo chair, being read to, and her floor mat. She likes to be swaddled for bed and I sing her to sleep. She is a million times better in the carseat and rarely cries in the car anymore. I can't really think of any dislikes....so I guess that is good! We finally have a happy baby on our hands.

She has her well-visit on Monday, so I am not sure what her weight is, but she is a big girl! She is so sweet and rolly, especially on the legs.

Happy baby aside, it is tough to be the 3rd little one in a house. I tried yesterday to getout her little Johnny Jumper that hangs in the doorframe. I hung it up and put her in to give the bouncing a try. No way we can keep that thing out. Addison and Reagan could not contain themselves. They want to help her jump and even worse, they want to swing her. I had to get her out quick, before her head got smacked on the wall! Also, today poor Gracie Girl almost lost a toe. I won't mention any names, but her littlest big sister was trying ever so sweetly to kiss on her toes and give her little raspberries. Somehow teeth suddenly came into play and the next thing I know Gracyn let out a hysterical scream. I look down from nursing her to find teeth marks all the way around her big toe. The sister who shall remain nameless and I had a big talk about not kissing with our teeth!

Winter in July

It is 2:00 in the afternoon on July 30th and it is freezing! 55degrees, gloomy and rainy!!! I am snuggled by my fireplace and thinking about making hot chocolate!!! Wierd!!!

Wild for Watermelon

Yesterday Mackenzie, or Miss Kenzie, as Reagan calls her and her baby sister Presley hosted an afternoon watermelon party. The girls were supposed to come in watermelon clothes, which was perfect for our Gymboree crazed neighborhood. Their mom Lyndi and her Mom and Aunt had outdone themselves. It was all decorated so cute! They started by getting watermelon body art, then ate the most precious watermelon cookies, fresh watermelon and fruit punch. After that the kids made several watermelon themed crafts and played a relay game with two small watermelons. Finally Lyndi's mom, a kindergarten teacher for sure, read them all two watermelon stories! There was no catching them all in one picture....we tried, but the grand total was 7 little girls, 3 baby girls, and the two lone boys on the block. It was all so precious and fun....I think the three ladies in charge should be starting up a party planning business!

Admission Form

Addison and I just finished filling out the admission form so our beloved Baby Suzy can head off to the American Girl Doll Hospital. It is rough being a young girls constant companion. Suzy, her Bitty Baby, has been sewn up at the shoulder for a few years now, but recently her arms and legs are coming off. Turns out, for $19 she can have a whole new torso. She is promised to be returned in two weeks, new torso, cleaned up, and in a hospital gown with ID tag. We look forward to seeing her good as new, but it will be a long two weeks without her!

Gracyn's First Swim

Gracyn had her first swimming experience while we were in Texas. We had to get her in to cool her off! She didn't mind it, although her swimming career was short lived.....it turns out swim diapers don't do much for the newborn poo, and she had to be quickly evacuated before we shut the pool down.

Gracyn was such a good girl on our trip. She was laid back and relaxed most all the time. She even did okay on the hours and hours we spent in the car. As promised her hernia just disappeared recently, so maybe that really was the problem in the car. I am just glad she is happier!

She was a trooper for most all the trip, with the exception of nearly getting us kicked out of one of our hotels. We were spending some time with friends and Michele and I got our kids to sleep and then tip-toed out of our rooms to see a movie. Gracyn woke around 11:30 and wasn't pleased to find Mom gone. Tommy called just as the credits started rolling and Michele and I booked it back to the hotel. We could hear Gracyn's cries the minute we stepped of the elevator on our floor. The funniest part of it all is that Addison and Reagan, in the same hotel room, slept through it all!

While in Texas she mastered the shrill, high-pitched squeal and she uses it all the time. It is too funny, but it has me wondering how church will go when we head back on Sunday. Other than squealing she spent her time snuggling whoever was around to hold her, practicing standing up, and drooling EVERYWHERE!

7 Years Ago

On this day, I married my best friend. And, what a joyful 7 years it has been...3 unexpected states, 3 beautiful girls and lots of fun and laughter in between.

After just arriving home from a long family trip, with a nursing baby who needs Mommy, and a strict diet to follow, this won't be a year with a traditional celebration. But, while we won't be heading off to a hotel or even a fancy dinner, celebrating at home and sharing our joy with our sweet girls will be just as special. Addison delights in reading the book you wrote to propose to me and both girls love watching the wedding video and seeing Mommy in her princess gown. I hope they always see how much we treasure each other and someday find love like that for their own.

Thanks everyday for showing me romance. These days it looks a lot less like fancy flowers and a lot more like letting me sleep in on Saturdays. Thanks for working so hard for our family at your office and then working just as hard when you get home to help me with the house. You are amazing and you make me a better person! I am one blessed girl and I love you with all my heart! I can't wait to see where the next years take us.

Great Grandpa's Lake House

The third day of our Texas trip was spent at my Grandpa's lakehouse with the whole Jarvis family. I have such fond memories of childhood summer days spent out there and I am so excited to be back there watching the next generation making memories.

There is so much to do. The girls can play in the lake, feed the ducks, drive Grandpa's golf cart or head to the pool at the clubhouse. This trip they each got their first turn to drive the jet-skis. They were pros at it. Reagan is definitely a better driver for me. She sticks to straight lines. Addison loved to drive in circles....making Mommy a little nauseous on the back!

I promise Gracyn was at the lake with us, but I quickly passed her off to all the willing hands of aunts, uncles and grandparents. Tommy and I needed a man-on-man defense strategy with the other two, who don't have an ounce of fear around water! She snuggled with everyone, then dozed in one of the bedrooms for a good three-hour nap.

Packing Light

Packing Light is a thing of the past. You can see from the pictures what we looked like at the airport. You can't see Reagan, because she stayed firmly on my hip throughout most of our time there.

Home Sweet Home

Well, after 9 days in the BLAZING Texas heat, we made it home this morning. We woke up at 3:30am to be at the airport at 5:00am! Despite flying in what might as well have been the middle of the night, the girls did great! Everyone slept most of the way home.

Once I make my way out of the mountain of laundry, I will post some pictures of our trip. We had a great time. The girls got lots of horse time, drove jet-skis for the first time, had a great day at a waterpark, and stayed in two different hotels. In total, we saw 47 friends and family members over our 9 day stay! It was great to see everyone.

The last few nights, as we put them to bed, Addison had begun to say she was homesick. They were thrilled to be reunited with their toys today and played happily all day. This afternoon, we ventured out into the glorious 80 degree weather, to see our neighbors they had missed so dearly!

Traveling is fun, but it is sure good to be home!

Thanks!

For your prayers! We made it safe and sound. After convincing Addison, that we didn't need to bring ALL our worldly possessions, we made it out of the house with 4 suitcases, a pack-n-play and 3 carseats to check. We carried with us, the double stroller, 2 small rolling suitcases for the girls, a DVD player and a GIANT diaper bag. The girls were great at the airport. We made it through security with no problem, they had a great time coloring and reading new books while we waited, and we made it on our flight with seats all together! There was even a 10 minute time period on the plane, when all 3 girls were asleep and I read a few pages of a book. I can now check off changing a dirty diaper in my lap at 30,000ft and going to the bathroom one handed, while holding a baby off on my list of accomplishments! We are having a great time with friends and family and looking forward to lots of fun this week.

Travel Mercies

If you think of us today, we would sure appreciate your prayers. Tommy is dropping the girls and I off at the airport, for my inaugural flight with all 3 little ones. Due to work, he can't get on a plane before the late night flight, and since my girlies turn into pumpkins at 8:00, we didn't think it was a good idea for us to wait for him. Also, I am flying standby, so I need seats on the plane to stay open, and a row all together for my little family! Thanks!!!

What would you do first?

Daddy is in Cali on a business trip, so it is just me and my girls for a few days. They all three woke me up at 6:20am. The early time is not unusual, but thankfully they don't always get up at the exact same time. So, here are my first thoughts this AM. My neighbor said it best, when she said, "It is like triage around here, we are always figuring out whose needs come first."

~Reagan is crying and feels warm, maybe has a temperature. She needs 2 breathing treatments, a clean pull-up and orange juice.

~Gracyn needs to be nursed, changed and given her morning reflux medicine.

~Addison (and Mommy too) wants breakfast. She wants it downstairs, so she can watch Tom and Jerry.

~The neighbors sweet Beagle, Bitsy needs fed and taken out. We are babysitting her this week.

~Maggie the Dog is sick, needs to be persuaded out of her crate, and convinced to eat, potty and take medicine.

~Thoughts of the full dishwasher and laundry are fleeting as I scurry around to take care of the people/pet needs.

Reagan won this morning! The sick child gets first dibs for Mommy in this house. Thankfully she didn't have a fever, and her breathing treatments finally seem to be easing her cough. With a little muti-tasking and a long morning nap for Gracyn all of this was actually done, with a bonus shower for Mommy, by 10:30. Then we were off to the mall, to visit the T-Mobile store, about why my BRAND-NEW cell phone died a sudden and surprise death for no apparent reason yesterday!

3 Months

Gracyn Faith is 3 months old! Time is flying by and leaving me wondering where my teeny-tiny, newborn baby went. At 3 months, this little girl is rolly! She is such a sweet little chubby thing. Her eyes seem to get more blue with each day and she is a little mini-Daddy. She is growing some fuzzy little blond hair...maybe with a tint of red. Most people will say she looks like Reagan, but I personally see more of Addison. I think it is her eyes and the rolls that make me say that.

We finally seem to have all of our food allergy issues lined out, which makes for a much happier baby. She is content, sweet and smiley most all the time. She still doesn't like the car, but I am not sure I would much care for lying down backwards with nothing to look at either! Gracyn loves her bouncy seat, her floor mat, ceiling fans and her bumbo seat. She has also gotten really good about letting Addison hold her. A few days ago, I told Addison that one of her chores was helping Mommy, like when I need you to hold Gracyn, I explained. She looked at my funny and said, "That is not a chore, that is fun and because I love her!". Reagan loves to hug and kiss her and gives her lots of very up close "face time". It melts my heart to see how much those little girls love each other.

Our native Colorado chick has her first airplane ride and visit to Texas coming up in a few days. We can't wait to show off our sweet girl.

Happy 4th of July

First of all, for my TX and AZ friends, here is the temperature gage in my car when we left the 4th of July parade around 10:30 this morning. It was a beautiful morning, although I must admit, Tommy laughed at us, but there were times the girls and I were cold. Reagan kept telling us, "I'm shivering!". It rained this afternoon and my computer says 57 now. I think we will definitely be packing blankets for the fireworks show tonight. Anyone want to come visit? You can repay the favor and let me crash your house this winter when we are in the teens!

We had a great time at the parade. They don't do anything fancy, but the girls love it anyway. They love waving at everyone and catching all the candy. In keeping with their personalities, Addison asked permission and ate 2 pieces of candy. Reagan never said a word about it, she just unwrapped and ate as fast as she could!

After the parade, we headed home for a family nap! If you have 3 kids, then you know, this is no small accomplishment. I can't even remember the last time we got the girls to sleep at the same time. We are lucky if that happens from 9:00pm to 5:00am, we usually don't even attempt the day. It was a nice long nap, and hopefully everyone is ready for the fireworks! After napping we headed over to the annual neighborhood BBQ. We had a great time visiting friends and letting the kids play. They even had a face painter for the kids this year. It rained like crazy, but we moved the food indoors and the party kept going! I love 4th of July and am so thankful for such a great full day with family and friends.

VBS 2009 - Studio Go

Addison is attending Vacation Bible School this week at our church. The theme this year is Studio Go, Game Show! She is having a great time and learning lots. There are over 600 kids in attendance and the church is handling it so well. Tonight we have a family night, which we are really looking forward to. We bought the VBS worship CD last weekend at church and it has been such a joy hearing the girls singing it throughout the day and while we listen to it in the car. They have even been playing, David Crowder's "Undignified", with Daddy on his guitar. They love the "La, la, la, la, la la, HEY" part.

We had to doctor Addison's t-shirt up a bit. She was horrified when we arrived the first day and they told her she had to wear that shirt. It was almost a deal-breaker for the whole thing, but I saved the day by adding a few ribbons and bows to it! She still doesn't like it, but at least she tolerates it.

Reagan wants to be a part of "Sissy's class" so bad she can't stand it. Thankfully Addison's teacher has been really sweet and lets Reagan sit beside Addison for the worship and opening ceremony each morning. I love being there for that and taking it all in. Few things bring tears to my eyes quicker than watching children worship!

So today, after I left with my little girls, I thought I might run a few errands. No problem with only 2 kids right? Well I quickly learned that Reagan and Gracyn aren't the best combination for errand running success. As it turns out, going without my oldest (and at this point) easiest child doesn't really change anything. We had 1 1/2 hours so we headed to the mall. During that time I did 2 diaper changes for Gracyn and one feeding. Reagan made 2 potty trips, needed a snack, and had to throw pennies in the fountain. Add to that Gracyn wouldn't let me put her down and Reagan uses the stroller as her personal jungle gym and we didn't get much done. We only actually went inside ONE store in that 1 1/2. That's okay though, we had fun anyway!