Ice Skating

As I type this, Reagan and Ryan are on the ice at the recreation center.  Me?  I'm laid up relaxing on the couch!  I went with them last weekend, and decided that the bleachers are just not made for a very pregnant me to sit comfortably by any means.  So I let them go enjoy themselves without me today.  Now, if they come home and tell me that she skated all by herself, without the aid of the pushy thing, then I will be VERY upset with myself.  She was determined that she was going to skate all by herself last weekend, and she did get to a point where she could hold her balance and slide her feet without holding on... but she never really "skated" on her own.  I guess I'll just have to wait to hear all about today's adventures when they get home.  In the meantime, here's a few of the pics that I took last weekend!

A Little Fall Fun

For the past three years, we have gone to Meadows Maze to enjoy a little Fall Fun and this year was no different.  Well, it was different in that I more or less just sat off to the sidelines taking pictures while Ryan and Reagan wandered around and enjoyed all of the activities.  I'm pretty much to the point where I can barely stand, much less walk around for any long period of time!  But other than that, it was the same fun as always.  We decided to go on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend... also known as Columbus Day to all of my American friends.

Each year, Reagan picks out a baby goat that she claims as "her" goat.  This year, she had several of them eating out of the palm of her hand... literally!  If she didn't hold her hand out for them, then they would prop their front paws, er... hooves, um... feet, whatever, up on her chest to get at the food.  She loved it!

She rode the barrel train over and over and over again.  I think she was trying to get as muddy as possible since the driver would pull the kids through what had to be the muddiest section of the entire acreage each and every time!

 

And of course, she rode the pony rides.  It was the same pony, Cheyenne, as from last year.  Ryan and I seriously began to think that we would never get her off of the thing, and the trainer even told us at one point that it was time to get her a horse of her own.  Um, sure thing lady.  We'll get right on that as soon as we win the lottery!

On the way home from Meadows Maze, we stopped at a pumpkin patch not far from our house.  After Reagan and Ryan searched through the fields for what seemed like an eternity, they made their way back to where I was waiting at the entrance area with a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins.

Once we were home, Reagan helped me to organize where all of the pumpkins should go to decorate the house.  We are now officially ready for Fall!

A Month Ago/A Month To Go (From Reagan's Perspective)

One month ago today, my sister Anna left for her trip across country to move back to South Carolina.  One month to go from today is the official due date of Myers Tyson Knopp to join our family.  I'm going to let Reagan fill you in on all the details of both of these events!

Hi everyone.  My name is Reagan and I am almost 4 and a half years old.  I love my Mommy, I love my Daddy, I love my dog named Dixie, and I love my Auntie Anna.  Auntie Anna used to live with me, and she would do arts and crafts with me.  Auntie Anna used to take me to school, but now my Mommy takes me to school and my Daddy sometimes picks me up when Mommy is resting.  Auntie Anna lived with me for one year, but now she lives in South Carolina.  My Momsey and Pops live in South Carolina too.  Auntie Anna drove her blue car across the border to go home.  It took her a long time to drive to South Carolina.  My Auntie Anna missed her friends when she was here, but now she misses me.  Auntie Anna is going to go back to school to be a nurse.  I feel sad sometimes because I miss her.  I like to call her on the phone.  I hope she comes back to see me soon.  My Momsey and Pops are coming to see me very soon.  They are going to help take care of all of us when my baby brother Myers is born.  They will be here in 14 sleeps, and they are going to stay for a long time.  My Mommy is pregnant.  I talk to Myers in my Mommy's belly, and he kicks for me.  Mommy doesn't feel so good anymore.  She is tired.  She feels like my little brother is going to crawl out of her.  Mommy's belly is huge.  The Doctor will help get baby Myers out, and I will get to visit Mommy at the hospital when he is born.  I can't wait to be a big sister.  I am going to play with him and teach him all the things he should do.  I will help change his diapers, but not if there is poo.  I will love him very much.

I promise that I only typed these words as Reagan quoted them to me! This post came straight from her!

Me & Brian Austin Green Go WAY Back!

Who else was super excited to see that Brian Austin Green has joined the ladies of Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives?  I was thrilled!  You see, me and Brian, we go WAY back.  Let me explain...

You may remember from this post from this summer that I mentioned I was South Carolina's Junior Miss in 1994. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the Junior Miss program, it is...

"a national scholarship program that inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments by encouraging continued education and providing college scholarship; by developing self-confidence and the abilities to interview effectively, to speak in public, to perform on stage and to build interpersonal relationships; by encouraging and showcasing excellence in academic achievement, physical fitness, on-stage performance skills, and the ability to think and communicate clearly; by creating opportunities to beneficially inspire the lives of others."

I entered my local program for the main purpose of getting extra credit in my 11th grade English class so that I was sure to have an A instead of a B for my final mark... my English teacher that year was also the coordinator of our local Junior Miss program.  Little did I know that I would win that local program, and that I would then go on to win the State program, allowing me to represent the State of South Carolina in the 1994 National America's Junior Miss competition.  1994 was the last year that the National event was televised, and NBC carried the coverage.  Leanza Cornett was one of the co-hosts that year.  BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN WAS THE OTHER HOST!

Keep in mind this was back in 1994... during the prime hype and drama of 90210.  I was already a "David Silver" fan, but I think I became his biggest fan after that summer!

I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday.  It was the Friday before the live televised finals on Saturday.  We had already been through three nights of preliminary competitions, and the Friday was being used as a dress rehearsal.  We had been through the performance twice already with the stand-in hosts, and the producers told us (the 50 contestants) that we could break for lunch and meet back on stage in 90 minutes.  I finished my lunch, and went back into the auditorium to wait instead of going up to the dressing room.  I was tired, and I was really wanting to just lay down across a few of the chairs to take a nap.  I figured the auditorium would be a quiet place... WRONG!  The crew was in the middle of sound and light checks, so it was kind of crazy in there.  I sat down to watch the chaos, and before I knew it I was being asked to come up on stage for a sound check.  The producer and the choreographer were standing off to the left of the stage talking with someone that I couldn't see in the shadows.  I was asked to take a seat on one of the interview boxes to test how everything would look the next night during the final on-stage question.  Seconds after I took a seat, the person in the shadows stepped forward to come take a seat beside me... it was Brian!

I was super star-struck, but I tried to play it cool.  For almost 45 minutes, we sat there while the crew changed the lighting, played with the overhead mics, and kept busy around us.   We had to do the occasional fake conversation of a mock-interview, but we mostly sat there and talked like two normal everyday people.  I remember that he made a comment about the fact that his girlfriend was also named Tiffany (he was dating Tiffani-Amber Thiessen at the time) and I replied with, "Oh yes, I know!"  Then I asked him if it was weird knowing that everyone knew his personal life, and he remarked with how he had finally started to get used to it.  We talked about a few of the other cast members of 90210... I can officially tell you that NONE of the cast was disappointed to see Sharon Doherty leave the show!  But mostly, we just talked about normal stuff... growing up, high school, me going away to college, etc.  He teased me endlessly about my Southern accent, and I teased him right back about being famous.  My teasing was made much easier when he casually mentioned that he was hungry and within mere seconds, there was a crew member at his side asking what he would like to eat.  "A plain burger with A1 sauce and extra pickles, and whatever she wants" was he reply as he pointed to me.  I declined since I had just finished my own lunch, but was flattered that he included me.  Like I said before, I was star struck!  By this time, many of the other girls had made their way into the auditorium, and some of my closest friends from the two weeks of competition were giving me the thumbs-up!  Someone had the foresight to go get my camera, but obviously from the picture above, she wasn't the best with a camera!  Thankfully later that night, after the final dress rehearsal, I was able to get a decent picture with him...

So, like I said, I was very excited to find out that Brian was going to be on Desperate Housewives this season.  The show needed a kick, and he has certainly been able to provide it as Bree's new handyman.

I have to say that this is one gentleman who just gets better with age!!