Easter

The following pictures prove that it was impossible to decide who had the most fun dying Easter eggs this year...

Reagan did a fabulous job of creating some beautiful masterpieces...

But she did an even better job of sharing the experience with her baby brother...

Happy Easter Everyone!

The 5 Year Old Party Girl

Wow! For three days straight, it has been non-stop partying for our Reagan.  Being the diva princess that she is, she wouldn't have it any other way!

On Friday, her preschool class celebrated the April birthday's during the end-of-month party.  Reagan got to share this special celebration with the only other April birthday, and it just happened to be her sweet little boyfriend Matthew!  The kids performed all of the latest songs that they learned over the last month, they impressed us with their knowledge of coral reefs and sea life as well as all that they learned about the artist Claude Monet.  Then it was time for the birthdays!  Reagan was so proud to wear her party crown and to blow out the candles on the classroom cake.

On Saturday, Reagan hosted her birthday party at the gymnastics center where she trains.   The kids all had a blast playing on the equipment and following the directions of the coaches.  They played in the gym for an hour before heading upstairs for pizza and cake.  Reagan got to blow out five candles once again, this time on the Barbie cake that she picked out.  Then she was ready to open up her presents!  All I can say is that we have some of the best friends and family in the world... our little girl was spoiled rotten by everyone!

Sunday was her actual birthday, and we had our own little birthday celebration for her after lunch.   She waited patiently all morning, and then she got down to business of opening even more presents.  She was thrilled to receive her first ever REAL tea set from Pops and Momsey.   She was quick to thank them for shopping at her and mommy's favorite store... Pottery Barn Kids!

She had to do a little work for her final present from us.  We sent her on a scavenger hunt through the house to locate clues for the big surprise.   We all had lots of fun watching her search from room to room.  The first clue sent her upstairs to Pops and Momsey's room, and from there she found a clue in the bathtub.  She then had to pull a clue out of the freezer and then the washing machine.  She wasn't too impressed about getting her hair all wet when she had to go searching outside, but she quickly got over it when the final clue took her to the back of Mommy's Denali where she discovered a TRAMPOLINE!

Ryan and my Dad spent the rest of the afternoon outside in the rain assembling the monstrosity, but I'm pretty sure that they didn't mind once they saw the huge smile on Reagan's face as she was jumping for the first time.

We've all had a blast taking turns jumping with Reagan, but I think Ryan may be having the most fun of all.  I was shocked to learn that he had never jumped on a trampoline before... but he is making up for lost time now!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN!

Five Years Old

I can not believe that five years have already flown by. It truly seems like it was just the other day that our sweet princess Reagan was born. She changed our lives forever, and she continues to amaze us day after day.

She still is and always will be my baby, but there are many days that she seems so much older than just five years old. She is an AMAZING big sister, and because of this I know that one day she will be an amazing mother. I often tease Myers that he is lucky to have two mothers... me and Reagan! She has such a natural instinct with him.

She astonishes me with how smart she is. Oh my goodness, the things that come out of her mouth! Ryan and I have discussed the fact that we think that she is already smarter at five years old than we were at ten years old. She even answered a final Jeopardy question about Vincent Van Gogh all on her own the other day!

She is a natural athlete with non-stop energy. She has already proven herself to be a superstar gymnast, and I have no doubt that she is going to excel in any sport that she chooses. She can swim like fish, she's almost mastered ice skating, she can run for miles, she's a poised dancer, and her daddy is most proud of her slap shot!

She's sweet and loving, well-mannered (most of the time!) and full of life.  She's sensitive and caring, curious and determined.  She's our beautiful five year old little girl.

When she was only a few days old, I wrote a song for her that I still sing to her to this day. It sums her up perfectly...

Reagan Marie, my precious baby,

You fill my heart with love.

Reagan Marie, my precious baby,

You are a gift from above.

You are my world, my sun, moon and stars.

You are an angel, that's what you are.

All of my life, you'll be my little girl.

The sweetest baby in this whole wide world. 

Reagan Marie, my precious baby,

You fill my heart with love.

Reagan Maire, my precious baby,

You are a gift from above. 

Hockey Night In Canada

We are a hockey family.  Always have been, always will be.  Good grief, it was hockey that brought my husband and I together all the way from Vancouver, BC to South Carolina.  So it is only natural that our kids are hockey fans as well!

Ryan took Reagan to her first NHL game last month, and she was as proud as could be to go watch her Canucks in person.  Thanks to Ryan's boss, they had fantastic seats only a few rows off the ice.  I helped Reagan to make an awesome sign to take with her to the game to help her catch the cameraman's eye to assure her a chance to make her television debut.

I didn't get to see an up close shot of her while I was watching the game at home with Myers, but since I knew where she and Ryan were sitting I was easily able to spot her in the crowd, cheering her little head off!  She did make it onto the jumbo-tron at the arena, and Ryan told me that you would have thought she had just walked the red carpet as the starring role for a movie premiere after she saw herself on the big screen! 

They made it home around 10:30 that night... 3 hours past Reagan's normal bedtime.  She was still WIDE awake and wired up to tell me all about the game.  Fin, the Canuck's mascot, spent the majority of the second period hanging out with Reagan.  She couldn't stop talking about how he tried to steal her seat, how he did steal her popcorn, and how he let her bang on his drum.  He even gave her a big stuffed replica of himself to bring home as the perfect memory from her first ever game.  It really was a magical night!

And now, the Canucks need a little of that magic.  Vancouver has never won the Stanley Cup, and we believe that this could be our year.  But first, we have to get past the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.  Right now, the Canucks are leading the series, 3 games to 2.  Just one more win for the Canucks, and we'll advance to the next round!  If Myers could talk, he would be joining Reagan in chanting:  "GO CANUCKS GO!"