Candy High!!!

Here is she is after all the fun. As I type, her Daddy is chasing her around the upstairs. We only gave her 3 pieces of candy, but she is still crazy - hyper like I have never seen!!!

Happy Halloween

From a sweet little ladybug, Sleeping Beauty and two proud parents!!!

Train Station

We went to the train museum in Temple last weekend with Tommy's parents. Addison had fun climbing up into the big train, although she wasn't entertained for too long. She quickly had her fill of trains, and we headed to the park.

Fall

We have been outside and at the park everyday this week! The weather is so pretty, I can hardly stand to be inside! Today we went to the park for Wesley's birthday. I think the close-up of Addison's face is when she was sneaking icing off of cupcakes that we weren't supposed to be eating yet. One picture is Reagan hanging out in her stroller snacking on some "puffs", which besides nursing is the only thing she will eat. And finally, the middle pictures are of our sweet kids playing in the water fountains. They have a huge, fun, amazing park at their disposal, and yet they stand endlessly at this fountain swishing sticks in the water. It is the kind of game that is going to make me say the dreaded words I thought I would never mutter....."be careful or you are going to put an eye out!".

Good Morning

This is how we wake up from every night and every nap. Sweet Addison runs to Reagan's room as soon as she hears a peep from Rea. She used to just stand on the side of the crib and talk to her. This was great, because it would keep Reagan happy for a few minutes until I got in there. Now, Addison has decided this is not enough. She climbs all the way into the baby crib to snuggle with her. For this I must be present!!! Yesterday, they were taking naps (so I thought) and I was downstairs cleaning. I suddenly heard a huge cry from Reagan and went running upstairs. They were both in the baby crib. Addison looked at me and said, "We awake Mom!".

Melting My Heart

Today the girls and I went to the park for a picnic and to play outside in the beautiful weather. When we got home I was snuggling Addison in her bed, getting ready for her nap. I told her that I had fun playing at the park and thanks for playing with me. To this she replied, "Mom, you always be my best friend". Ahh, be still my heart....these little moments of unsolicited love and gratitude make it all worthwhile!

Then, this evening I was putting the girls to bed by myself while Tommy was at a company dinner. She is used to Tommy putting her to bed and she was really missing seeing him today. Anyway, I did the bedtime routine and left the room. She came out a few minutes later. Here is how the conversation went:
Me: What are you doing?
Addison: I just too sad and grumpy (in the most pitiful voice she could muster)
Me: What are you sad and grumpy about?
Addison: I just sad and grumpy; Daddy not home. I haven hard time.
Me: Daddy will kiss you when he gets home.
Addison: I just wait downstairs with you till' Daddy get home.

Man she loves her Daddy so much and she REALLY knows how to use it to her advantage. How in the world was I supposed to say no to that! Addison got her first dose of HGTV while she snuggled on the couch with me until Tommy made it in.

Bon Voyage!

It is official! We finally booked our next cruise. We will be meeting our friends from Phoenix and setting sail on May 11th. Happy 3rd Birthday to Addison. We took forever deciding when to go, and it seems so far off, since our original plan was for a February cruise. But, Disney is offering a special cruise in May with two days at their private island, which was by far our favorite day. Also, Addison will be three and able to participate in lots more and Reagan will hopefully be done nursing, sleeping through the night and walking. All which make for a much more relaxing vacation for mom. There is still room on the boat if anyone wants to come! Here are some pictures of how our family looked on the last cruise. Not looking forward to the mandatory safety drill. Addison was not a fan of that life jacket!

Diary of a Sleepless Night

Laugh with me everybody!!! This is what a night can look like around here. The future of my 3rd child is in definite danger with all the lack of sleep we have experienced around here the last few months. I fear if Reagan doesn't start sleeping better, there won't be a 3rd! I am just kidding, in her defense, as you read this, know that she has fluid in both ears and is cutting teeth. She definitely doesn't feel well.

9:30pm: The kids are sleeping soundly. Hubby is smart, he insists we turn of the T.V and go to bed while we have the chance.

10:15pm: I am awake! Don't know why I am awake! Can't sleep! Oh well, Reagan needs a new highchair. I head downstairs to order one online. Highchair ordered, still can't sleep,I curl up on couch to read.

11:00pm: Reagan is stirring, Mommy keeps reading.

11:05pm: Reagan is screaming! I attempt to give her a paci and sneak out, no go, I feed her for a few minutes and then put her back in bed. I head to bed for the second time.

11:30pm: She is back up! I rock her for awhile, feeling sorry for her that she feels so yucky. Put her back to bed. I head to bed for the third time and finally fall asleep.

2:45am: Reagan is crying and I am startled out of 3 hours of really good sleep. She doesn't need to eat again, so I wake my poor hubby and send him on a paci run. I listen for a few minutes but the crying doesn't stop. Out of bed I go, off to nurse her again.

3:15am: Back in bed, but freezing. I am snuggled up to my hubby and under a down comforter and still cold, so I begin to worry about Addison. Out of bed and down the hall to cover her up. Also, I stop in Rea's room to turn her fan off.

4:30am: Reagan is crying. I send Tommy again, but again the paci doesn't do the trick. I meet him in Reagan's room. He tells me his alarm is going off at 5am anyway, so I can just bring Reagan to bed. Now I have LOTS of guilt for waking him up twice, when he had to get up so early. Determined not to bring her to bed I rock her for awhile, then put her back in her bed crying!

5:00am: I stumble back to our room to find Tommy up and rummaging through the change bucket. He let me know he was searching for change to buy an energy drink out of the machine at work. Hmmm, energy drink machine. I think I need one of those at home.

5:10am: Reagan is still crying so I bring her to my bed.

5:30am: Poor tired husband is out the door, Reagan is snuggled in my bed and almost back to sleep. I lay ever so still, for if I even breath hard it will wake her!

6:15am: Addison is calling for me. I cross my fingers and hope and pray she remembers my rule about not getting up before the sunshine is out. The Lord answered my prayers and she went back to sleep.

7:15am: Reagan wakes for good.

7:30am: Addison emerges, pink blankie and 5 pacis in hand, asking to watch Clifford and snuggle in my big bed! The day has officially begun! Reagan still isn't feeling well, Dad sounds okay on the phone, and I am feeling a little sluggish! Sweet little Addison is off and running though. Sometimes I am astounded at the energy of a two year old and then I realize she is the only one sleeping full nights, why shouldn't she have energy!

Pumpkin Patch

It feels amazing outside today! Finally, a hint of fall! Addison is even talking about bringing out her jacket. We went to the pumpkin patch to enjoy the weather this afternoon. 110 pictures later, we came back home. 110 pics and you are looking at the best we have. Not so bad for individual pictures, but the 2 together is so hard. Addison insisted on moving constantly, trying to pick up and rearrange pumpkins and Reagan tried to eat every piece of hay and grass she could get her hands on. I figure by next year Addison will be on to us. No more tricking her into thinking the pumpkin patch is a fun place for her to go and play. She will realize it is only for her parents to try and make her sit still in itchy hay while they endlessly tell her to smile and snap pictures!

And Still More.....

Greetings from Scrunch Face

Wow, isn't that pretty? This is Reagan's new trick! Just learned today! She scrunches up her whole face and breaths in and out really fast. She did this so often, that early this morning I suctioned her nose, thinking she might be stuffed up. Apparantly she just learned a new trick. Her smiles and frowns are both scrunchy today, and it is hard to tell the two apart. Too cute!

6 Months

Reagan was 6 months old on Friday. She is becoming more precious with each day. Her personality is really starting to shine. She loves her dog and her sister. They both make her smile! She loves playing in the floor with her toys, bathtime, and being outside. She hates driving in the car at night, and being on her back! Praise God, she has been sleeping for 7 hour stretches the last two nights! Mommy is feeling like a new woman and hoping it lasts!

Counting our Blessings

Many of you have heard this story, but I wanted to write my thoughts down, mostly in hopes that it will get them out of my head. Friday morning, the girls and I were VERY nearly ran over, while walking on the trails by our house. I was pushing the girls in their stroller, when a driver fell asleep at the wheel and came crashing into the trail directly in front of us. I turned the stroller and ran screaming the other way. Just seconds later, we heard a huge crash and debris from the car came flying around us. I turned and saw the car crashed head-on into a tree about 10 feet behind us. We were so blessed by the Lord's protection. I know that he was watching over us, and had that tree there to protect our family. A man came from a nearby park to help the driver of the car, who was pretty badly injured, while I called 911. I stayed until the emergency vehicles arrived, and then asked the police if I could go before my girls saw the paramedics pulling the driver from his car. I had a very shaky walk home, but maintained my composure until I got us in safely in the house, then called Tommy.

We are so thankful that no one was hurt. I have thought non-stop for the last few days about the preciousness of each moment and how blessed we are! I noticed this weekend, that Tommy and I were more gentle with our words and especially patient with each other (not that we fight, but corralling 2 little ones can make us snappy!). I gave up so many chores on Friday just to play in the floor with my girls. I wasn't inconvenienced when they didn't give me time to take a shower. Hopefully the memory of this near tragedy will help me keep a good perspective.
I pray each day for the Lord to keep us safe, but I realized Friday, how I pray that so mindlessly, out of habit. That prayer will from this point on be heartfelt! On a happy note, Addison has continued to pray for the driver of the car throughout the weekend. I love seeing her mature and learn the meaning and power of prayer. Thanks so much for all my sweet friends and family, who prayed for our peace and gave thanksgiving for our safety.

Family Visits

We had family in town visiting for the last three weekends. My mom, sister and nephew came first. The next weekend we had Tommy's parents and Steve and Dannea. Finally last weekend my dad, Deb and Austin came. Addison loved having everyone here and can't wait for them to come back! Still not having much luck getting a good picture of everyone at the same time!

Fine Dining

Well, I put it off for as long as I could, but we finally started Reagan on solid food last week. She was perfectly content and full simply to nurse, so I was in no hurry to add something else to our daily routine. So far, we have just given her cereal, which she is fine with, she isn't too excited! Of course, Addison has to help. She was right in the middle of everything and had to help feed her sister. Funny that Addison's first meal was such a big production....new bibs, high chair, video camera with everything all planned out. Poor Reagan, I just decided to try it and tossed her in the bouncy seat!

Magic Marker

Her sister didn't really mean to color on her. She knows the rules, paper only! Just imagine this, big sister determined to help little sister sit up, open magic marker in big sister's hand. Somewhere in the process little sister's face collided with the marker. I think blue is a good color for her, but still, thank goodness for washable markers!

Date Night

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa we got to go out together Saturday evening. Only just this past week, has Reagan been going to bed early, thus making me feel like it is okay to leave. Previously we have tried twice and had to come home to a sad, crying little baby. Anyway, Tommy's brother Steve and his wife Dannea went with us. I think they were a little surprised at all the prep work that went into us leaving, and then even more surprised to hear Reagan crying till 2:00am after we got home! She just made sure we had a little reality check when we got back.

We went to a restaurant with live music and slow service. It took us a some time to realize that it was okay that everything was moving slow, that it was supposed to! We were finally able to just relax and enjoy the evening. After dinner we walked to Chocolata for dessert, yummy. Husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, best friends....it was good to remember all the things we are besides Mommy and Daddy!

A Princess and a Power Ranger

Last weekend my nephew Austin was in town with my mom and sister. He and Addison got into the Halloween spirit a little early. Austin's Power Ranger was hilarious, a little too short in the stride, if you can get the mental image of that. We were trying not to laugh at him and give him a complex. Addison was Cinderella. She was a little, no actually a lot, concerned about his mask. She told him to put it down and save it for a little later. When he wore it she said he was a little mean. Makes me wonder how trick-r-treating will go this year.

Addison's New Ride

We got Addison a new Princess Bike this weekend. She has outgrown the little tiny bike she learned to ride on. I really wanted her to have it, so she could come with me on walks. We were amazed at how she was able to hop on and take off. She does great. The helmet situation was a little difficult. They apparently don't make a helmet to fit a 2 year old head. She looks like she is ready to be shot out of a cannon, however, it is so loose it can't be actually protecting anything. Addison was so thrilled about the bike. She said, "This is the best bike I never did see!". She also frequently says her bike is all pink and perfect!

Yesterday we were out riding and she had hopped off her bike and was running down the street. She tripped and fell. It didn't really hurt her, just skinned her knees a tiny bit, but she was really sad. I picked her up and trying to cheer her up, I said, "Good thing you had your helmet on." Addison replied to me, in full drama, "Bad news Addison have no knee helmets!". So precious! She keeps me laughing!

Reagan

Here she is lovin' her saucer and lookin' too cute!

Here is my big girl sitting up all by herself. Hard to believe the time has come!

What I Love About Sunday....

Reagan naps better with company!

Behind Closed Doors

This little story is for all of you who see me out and about with my two girls and think I have it all together! Let me assure you this is not the case. Thankfully 90% of the time, including today, I have a great perspective and find humor in all the craziness that goes on.

Part 1 of my saga started as I tried to prepare lunch for us today. I use the term prepare loosely, it just means getting sandwiches together. Anyway, we had just returned from Storytime at the library, so Reagan was tired and needing a nap. I mistakenly thought that she would be okay waiting a few minutes while I got lunch ready. I put her in her Exersaucer and she was good for a few minutes while I started Addison a grilled cheese. Since she wasn't crying, I took the opportunity to take Addison to the potty. By the time she was done, Reagan was screaming hysterically, so I ran to grab her and Addison took off to the living room to watch Dora while she put her panties and shorts back on, a task she can usually handle on her own. I went upstairs to put Rea in bed, but by now it was quite clear that I had missed my window to put a peaceful baby to sleep. We bounced, walked and sang until she calmed down. I finally relaxed her enough to nurse her to sleep and lie her down. Relieved, I headed down stairs, to find my sweet Addison sitting on the couch with nothing on from the waist down. She reported that her pants were, "Too twisted". I helped her back into her clothes and only then noticed the horrible smell! Remember the grilled cheese? Well, she'd now been grillin' for a good 30 minutes. Yuck! Thankful that we at least hadn't started a fire, we threw that sandwich away, started over, and Addison and I finally had lunch at 1:00. This, my friends, is why I frequent the Chick fil A drive thru!

Now for the second part of my little story. After lunch, Addison and I were playing, when she told me she needed to go "poo-poo". Thrilled and excited that she has finally mastered this part of potty training, off we went. Moments later, we were standing in the kitchen, bottomless again. She was choosing a treat for her potty accomplishment then we were off to get a Pull-up for naptime. It took her some time to decide which color sucker would be her reward, so as we are standing there, she looks over her shoulder and says, "Mommy, what that?". I quickly realize that she is not done going "poo-poo" and she has just made a deposit on my kitchen floor. I picked her up and ran her back to the potty. After sitting her on the toilet, I ran back to the kitchen to deal with the mess. Here we go people, the worst part. If you have a weak stomach, stop here! My dog ate the mess! Gross!!! Picture me laughing in the kitchen floor while Addison is shouting from the bathroom, "Mommy, what you laughin' bout?" This is what happens behind our closed doors. By the way, don't let my dog lick you in the face!

5 Months Already

I can't believe she is already 5 months old. Other than refusing to sleep through the night, Reagan continues to be such a good baby. She is rolling over both ways, and actually gets around the playroom quite well, squirming and rolling. She loves to be stretched out in the floor watching her sister play and checking out the toys. She is pretty good at grabbing things now, and everything she gets her hands on goes directly to her mouth! We got her Jumper down a few days ago, and she loves hanging out in there. She smiles for us all the time, and often cracks up laughing at the dog!

Stuck and Not Sleeping

Hopefully I am not discouraging all of you who are about to move your children out of their baby cribs, but the naptime dramas have been once again occurring at our house. Addison gets out of bed to play for at least 30 minutes before she goes to sleep. I really don't mind this, and I usually just close her door and go about my business. Yesterday she was calling and calling for me and I ignored her. When I finally decided to check on her, she was standing against the door, with this shirt stuck on her head. This was her attempt at changing clothes! Poor thing, I am not sure how long she was stuck like that.

Brought to You by the Letter "R"

Yesterday, we were out running errands and had to stop by Wal-Mart. Addison loves the big game room in the front of the store, so she ran in clutching her 2 quarters ready to win a prize. After considering the Bert and Ernie Firetruck ride, she decided to use her money in The Claw game. Thankfully it wasn't the big machine with stuffed animals, where you almost never win. She chose the small game where you can win tons of little trinkets or candy. She is in it for the candy! Anyway, after an unsuccessful first round, she inserted her second quarter and came up with a prize. A one inch plastic letter "R"? What??? Never mind the fact that it is useless, makes no sense, and she doesn't know her letters. She was happy. Apparently whoever fills the machine realizes that small children are easy to please and doesn't invest much in his prizes. Tommy and I laughed about it the rest of the day, and in true Sesame Street form, deemed the day, "brought to you by the letter "R".