My Enthusiastic Picasso

Seriously, I have no idea where she got this from, but she created her very own masterpiece! (And a very big mess... thank goodness those are water colors!)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I DID IT!

I did it! I did it! I did it! You may recall from a previous post, that I am fully aware that I need to get back into shape and that I need to lose about 20 pounds. After much lazy procrastinating, that mission has begun!
You see, I have a bit of an addictive personality... it is all or nothing with me. And for the past year in regards to physical fitness, I have been in the nothing phase! But a few weeks ago, I started getting the itch to do something. It began with me making the comment to Ryan while I was laying on the couch eating a can of cashews that I thought it might be a good idea for us to invest in a treadmill. He looked at me like I was crazy and shook his head. However, a few days later, he made the decision to stop by a fitness equipment store. We looked at several different models and both nearly had a heart attack at the price tags that were attached. We thanked the nice salesman for all of his time and information, and then promptly left the store! That evening, I began to search on our local Craigslist for used treadmills for sale, but nothing really fit the criteria of what I would want for a "home" treadmill. And honestly, I was feeling really guilty about considering the purchase to begin with. A treadmill is a piece of equipment that would be for me... my husband has never been a runner. I was finding a hard time justifying to myself spending any amount of money when I have a perfectly good FREE gym membership to the fitness center that is not even 8 blocks away from my house. The Country Club that I get over 90% of my bridal business from is just around the corner from us, and they very generously gave me an all-inclusive membership to their fitness facility. I've had the certificate from them for almost 4 months, but I had yet to step into their gym until yesterday. I had a meeting with a bride at the country club yesterday, so I took a change of clothes with me and told myself that I had to at least check it out. It's small compared to a few of the big name gyms that I have been a member of over my lifetime, but it has everything that I would possibly use... including a tanning bed! And there was practically no one there. No waiting to get on the treadmill, no line up for the elliptical trainer, and no pressure from Barbie doll look-a-likes working out in what could pass as a bikini or meat-head guys scoping out the ladies while pumping iron. Matter of fact, the only three other people in the place were all men that could join up with my dad in his next shuffleboard competition! (No offense to my dad... that 63 year old man could run circles around me right now considering the fabulous shape that he is in and that he runs 3-5 miles everyday!) So, I made the decision to hop on a treadmill and give it a go. Three miles later, I decided that I needed to stop because I was either go to throw up, pass out, or die. Honestly, I thought all three might happen! I know that Sara (my running idol!) thinks that I was crazy to have done three miles on my first day, but I just couldn't stop. It's that all or nothing attitude of mine! And, it's not like I was running super fast or anything... I never got faster than a 10 minute mile, and the majority of my run was done at about an 11 minute mile pace. But I DID IT! I figured that I would barely be able to walk today, but I actually feel pretty good. I'm sore, but it's that good kind of sore that just tells you that you've done something. So, now I can't wait to get back up to gym this afternoon when Ryan gets home from work. Yep, after just one day back in the gym, I'm already addicted!

She's Still My Baby!

As we arrived at Reagan's gymnastics class this morning, she turned to me and asked me if I would please stay to watch her class. That question was music to my ears. Let me explain...

As I mentioned in a previous post, last week was Spring Break here. Now, being that Reagan is not in school, you would think that would have no effect on us. (Other than the traumatizing experience at Chuck E Cheese!) The Little Gym apparently keeps the same schedule as the school system, because they did not have any of the regular weekly classes last week due to Spring Break. Instead, they had themed camps that the kids could sign up to go to for 3 hours each day. I had never dropped Reagan off and left her for any activity before, but another mom in the class was letting her little girl go to the camp, and she convinced me to let Reagan do it with her. So, on Friday last week, I drove Reagan to her camp. On the way there, I was worried how she would handle my leaving. I explained to her how gymnastics was going to be a little different that day in that she would be staying much longer, that she would do some arts and crafts, and that she would have snack time along with her regular gymnastics stuff. I also explained to her that I was NOT going to stay and watch. She sat quietly in her car seat for a few moments, and then asked me, "Well, how am I going to get home?" I laughed and told her not to worry, that I would be back to pick her up once the camp had ended. We arrived at the gym, and she was immediately telling me goodbye. I told her that I would walk inside with her and help her get ready for class... she seemed a bit reluctant to agree, but said OK. Once inside, I helped her put her socks and shoes and snack-pack into her locker, and she then quickly gave me a hug and told me goodbye once again. I was a bit surprised, so I bent down and told her that I would stay until she went into the gym. She looked at me, looked around the room, and then looked back at me again. With an expression on her face that I didn't think I would see for MANY more years, she said, "All the other Mommy's have left. You need to go now!" So, out the door I went. I sat in the parking lot for quite some time trying to figure out how my little girl had grown up in an instant. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry... I ultimately ended up doing a little bit of both! When I went to pick her up later that afternoon, it was obvious that she had not missed me in the slightest. She did run to me and give me a big hug, but she couldn't stop talking about all of the things that she had done. It was comforting to know that she can be so independent, but it made me a bit sad and reminiscent all the same. So, I was pleased beyond belief when she asked me to stay today for her regular gym class. Maybe she will be my baby for just a little bit longer!

Your Prayers Are Needed

I was planning to post another edition of Not Me! Monday this morning. I went over to MckMama's blog to get the button and the link to create my post... I was in shock and disbelief as I clicked on the website and read her latest posts.

You can go to her site to read the details for yourself, but her 5 month old son Stellan needs our prayers as he is fighting for his life once again. Please join me in praying for this family!

The Post About Everything & Nothing (with shout outs!)

Sorry I couldn't come up with a jazzy title for my totally random post like McMommy can. Her creative title of Brain Potpourri would work perfectly for this post!

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Reagan's cousin Brady spent a lot of time with us this week. In the midst to adjusting to life with toddler Brady and newborn Karis, Kyle and Denise both came down with a terrible stomach flu. So, to help them out, Brady came over to our house for a couple of days. I had a moment of obvious temporary insanity, and made the decision to take both Reagan and Brady to Chuck E Cheese for some fun. On a normal day, this wouldn't be considered all that crazy. However, it is Spring Break week here, and it was raining. So by the time we got to CEC at 10:00 that morning, it was already a mad zoo with HUNDREDS of screaming kids. Let's just say it was an experience that I don't plan to repeat next year during Spring Break! The following day, while it was still raining, I decided to do some creative thinking for fun at home. I'm not quite the pro that MckMama is at coming up with great indoor ideas, but I didn't do too shabby! Reagan and Brady helped me to build a monster size fort in our living room.

The kids had a blast, and I got a little break while they played in there for hours. The only problem was when it came time to take it down!

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Reagan's hair has been driving me crazy lately. I've been debating on letting her bangs grow out, but I finally had to do something about it. The poor child couldn't even see in front of her unless she tilted her head back to look out from underneath the bangs that were covering her eyes. So, it was time for a haircut. When I first gave her bangs, her hair was very thin. It has now thickened up quite a bit, so her bangs look to be a bit much. I call her new haircut her transition phase. I only cut a small amount of her bangs, and I'm hoping to be able to continue to style it in a way that the part that is growing out will continue to stay out of her face. We'll see in the coming days if it actually works or not. In the meantime... it doesn't look too bad!She's really good about letting me cut her hair. Of course, it's probably because I am always doing something to her hair... curling it, flipping it, pony tails, pig tails, half up/half down. She just sits there like a little angel and lets me play. I had to laugh at Forever Folding Laundry when I read her post about what Grandma did to her daughter's hair... that kind of stuff happens ALL THE TIME around here by me!

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It seems everyone is thinking along the same lines as me this time of year... it's getting close to swimsuit season (if it ever stops raining here!) so it's time to get back into shape. Every day I tell myself that today is the day that I am going to start my new workout routine, and so far, everyday I postpone it. If I could just be as motivated as Sara at Domestically Challenged, I would lose the 20 pounds that I wish to lose in a few weeks flat. A little over a year ago, I was on a HUGE weight loss kick and I was exercising like crazy. At that time, I would have been able to keep up with Sara no problem at all. Since that time when I was working out and running and counting Weight Watchers points like an addicted lunatic, I have gained back all of the weight that I lost! So now, I will probably feel much like Big Mama when I do finally motivate my lazy self to do something! And since Big Mama with all of her fashion wisdom says that slouchy pants are going to be in style this season, maybe I can get away with only losing 15 pounds instead of 20!!

Medical Updates

I've waited as long as possible to make this post, mainly because I didn't want to jinx anything! With Ryan's past surgeries, each time we thought that he was healed, we soon discovered that we were wrong. So I happily and hesitantly am glad to report the following:

Ryan's Update: He is doing great! It looks like three's a charm for him. His last surgery was just over a month ago on February 10. After a 5 day stay (partially spent upside down) in the hospital, he was allowed to come home for more bed rest. His second day home gave us quite the scare, as he had suddenly developed a very strange and quite gross looking rash around his incision site. I took him to our family doctor who determined that the "angry blisters" (his words exactly) were from an allergic reaction to the bandages that the surgeon used. What made this so unusual was that the EXACT same type of bandages were used for the third surgery as were used for the first two surgeries. And Ryan had no allergic reaction with the first two surgeries! After a couple of weeks of using a prescription steroid cream, the blisters disappeared. Ryan has already been back at work for almost three weeks now, and he is doing remarkably well. He is still very limited with what he can physically do, but he is certainly on the mend. We have our fingers crossed for that to remain to be true!

Reagan's Update: Reagan decided that she needed some of the medical attention that her Daddy had been receiving, so she took a nose dive off of the recliner last weekend and landed as if she had just done a belly-flop onto the floor. She screamed her little head off enough to cause her to go to sleep, and once she woke up we realized that she couldn't put any weight on her right leg. So, being that is was a Saturday evening, off we went to the Emergency Room. Reagan was the perfect patient, even during the x-rays. She let the technician maneuver her into all kinds of positions to get the perfect pictures of her hip, thigh, knee, shin, and ankle. Thankfully, all of the x-rays came back negative so there was no cast or splint necessary. We brought her home and gave her the prescribed medicine to help her (and us!) rest comfortably. She still wouldn't walk on it the following day, but by Monday she was able to walk with a limp. By the middle of the week, it was as if the whole incident had never occurred. Our family doctor told us after he examined her x-rays that he thinks it was probably just a slight sprain or a severe bruise. Either way, she is fine now!

Tiffany's Update: With all of the drama from everyone else in our house, I just feel thankful that I haven't lost my mind completely as there were a few days that I probably should have been admitted to the loony-bin! You would think that as busy as I have been playing nurse for everyone else that I wouldn't have time to get sick, but I somehow managed to get a sinus infection. I guess it is just that time of year. I'm hoping that will go away soon... I'm tired of feeling like my head is going to explode!

So, that's it in a nutshell. We are all anxious to be at the phase when we don't sit on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next. As much as we love our family doctor, we really hope that we don't have any reason to need to see him again in a looooooonnnnggggg time!

A Day at the Park

Just some pics from our little trip to the park yesterday afternoon.

BOWL-A-RAMA

Grandma and Grandpa were in town for the birth of cousin Karis, and they spent the last few days of their trip with us. We decided to try a fun outing with them, and Reagan made the decision to go bowling for the first time. This was actually a perfect idea since Edie (Grandma) used to bowl in a league for fun. So off we all went to the bowling alley. Reagan was so excited, and she was so proud of the very special (and oh so stylish) bowling shoes. The first few frames, we all took our appropriate turns and Reagan tried bowling just like the rest of us. It didn't take us long to realize that we were going to be there for HOURS if we didn't do something to help speed up Reagan's game. Even though we were only playing 5-pin and the ball only weighed 3.5 pounds, Reagan just didn't have the strength and momentum yet to get the ball to go all the way down the alley with enough force to actually knock over any pins. It would literally take MINUTES for the ball to make it from her little hands down to the pins. So a very nice and very smart lady came over to help us with a contraption that is made to make it easier for small kids. Once Reagan started using this thing, it was game over for the rest of us! No one else really even took a turn... we just let Reagan bowl over and over and over and over and over again. She loved it! She would get so excited as she watched the ball head down the lane.She eventually got to a point where we just sat back and watched her do it all by herself. She never bowled a strike or a spare, but she came close almost every time! It helped that the gutter guards were in place so that she never rolled a gutter ball. The cutest part of all was listening to her "talk" to her ball. Each time, she would tell it that she wanted it to be very careful and to roll down the lane and then she would tell it which pin she wanted it to knock down. I was cracking up laughing at her! Sometimes she is just too darn cute! Here's a pic of her giving her ball all of the necessary instructions before she released it to go for a roll...Needless to say, I think there will be many more afternoons spent in the local bowling alley in my future!

Beautiful Baby Karis

A week ago today, on February 26th at 11:18 am, Reagan's little cousin Karis Anne Knopp entered the world. She is a beautiful little bundle of joy, and Reagan was so proud that she was allowed to hold her that first day that she was born. Reagan has never looked so big until I saw her with this precious new life in her own hands. My little baby has grown up! I was honored to be able to help Denise on their third night in the hospital so that she and Kyle could both get a good night's sleep before bringing Karis home the next day. I loved taking the night shift for them... I was able to get lots of quality cuddles with that sweet new baby. And yes, my ovaries are now in overdrive! I'm more than ready for another one, but we are sticking to the plan and waiting until the end of the year before we embark on that journey ourselves!

Uncle Kyle, Auntie Denise, Cousin Brady and Cousin Karis all came over today for a play date. I was able to catch a precious moment on film when a very proud and protective big brother Brady gave a sweet kiss to his little sister. Doesn't it just melt your heart?!
Congratulations again Kyle and Denise! We are so happy to welcome Karis to the family!

The Puzzle Master

Reagan absolutely LOVES to work puzzles. We were pretty amazed, impressed and proud the first time that she completed one all on her own. Her first "solo puzzle" was a 15 piece Mickey Mouse Clubhouse puzzle. A few weeks later, we added a 24 piece puzzle to her collection. This was back in November when Pops and Momsey were here with us. The first couple of times that Reagan worked the new puzzle, Momsey helped her. But by the end of the day, Reagan was doing it all on her own. Between then and now, we've added several more puzzles to her collections, and she has mastered them all. We recently decided to spice it up for her, and we gave her a very large 48 piece puzzle. Ryan and I have worked this puzzle with her numerous times, and it's fun to watch her thought process to develop. She likes to work her puzzles in the same order, each and every time. And she loves to hide one piece to declare at the end, "Oh no, the last piece is missing!" She will then triumphantly pull the "missing" piece out from under it's hiding spot to declare, "Look! I found it! We can finish the puzzle now!" This is how it happens EVERY SINGLE TIME. The other night, Ryan and I were watching TV in the living room, and Reagan was playing in the den. I kept going in to check on her, so I knew that she was working on her puzzle. After about 10 minutes of intense concentration, she comes running into the living room to get us. "Come quick!" she says. "I have to show you something." We walk into the den to see where she had completed the entire puzzle ALL BY HERSELF.

She was so proud of herself, and so were we. She's our little puzzle master!