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!

Third Back Surgery Update

Ryan is still in the hospital recovering from his third back surgery in less than three months. The surgery itself took just over three hours, and the neurosurgeon told Ryan later that it was one of the most complicated surgeries that he has performed. Ryan spent the first three days after surgery in the Constant Care Surgical Ward in a hospital bed that was positioned so that his head remained at least 20 degrees lower than his feet at all times. He has now been transferred to the Neuro-Services Ward of the hospital, and his bed is finally in a FLAT position! He is still not allowed to lift his shoulders off of the bed, so it has been difficult for him to eat.
Reagan and I have been going to visit him each day, and she takes him cards and paintings that she has lovingly made for him. I got a cute picture of her reading him a book while we were there yesterday, and I even made a shot of the AMAZING view that he has from his room. (Not that he can look out to enjoy it, but it was nice for me to see!) Sorry for the picture quality... they were taken from my phone!

We are hopeful that he will be able to come home soon, but it looks like it will be another day or so at least. He still has a catheter, and we know that they will want to monitor him for some time once that is removed and his is actually allowed to sit up and stand.

Thank you so very very much to all of you who have been praying and sending us your words of encouragement. Your friendship and support means more than you will ever know!

Not Me! Monday

It's that time again! Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not briefly come to tears on Tuesday last week as I watched my little girl at her first gymnastics lesson without me. No way am I that crazy lady! And I do not want to freeze her in a little time capsule so that she will just stay this age forever because I feel that she is growing up WAY too fast. And the time capsule idea certainly would not be so that I can put off the dreaded hormonal teenage years for as long as possible!

I have not spent the majority of the past week pacing through my house while worrying about my husband's upcoming third back surgery. I did not phone the neurosurgeon's office so many times last week that the receptionist now knows who I am by the sound of my voice. I am not currently ready to pull out all of my hair from the uncertainty of it all. I am not sitting by the phone all day today to find out exactly what time his surgery will be tomorrow. (Yes, we do have a confirmed surgery date for tomorrow!)

I am not extremely proud of the fact that I have COOKED dinner every single night for almost three weeks in a row. I do not think that this may be a new record for me! For this reason, my husband does not normally refer to the phone book as my cookbook. And I do not have little sticky notes that say, "I'm cooking dinner as fast as I can dial." NOT ME!

I am not simply thrilled by the fact that my almost three year old daughter has decided that she will no longer take baths, but that she will now only take showers all by herself. I most certainly am not happy about the fact that I will no longer have to break my back leaning over the bathtub, or that I will have to clean soapy water off the of the floors each night. I did not get so excited about this accomplishment that I even wrote about it in my Facebook status bar. (She really did do it all by herself... soap, shampoo, conditioner... over and over and over again! She LOVES the shower!)

And finally, my poor husband is not complaining that he is now in a household of two females who like to use up all the hot water in the house.

What did you NOT do this week?

25 Random Things

There is a new craze on Facebook called "25 Random Things" that is supposed to allow people to learn things about you that they never would have otherwise known. Since I have acquired a few new readers over the last couple of months, I thought I would use this very same idea on my blog to give all of you a little more insight as to just who Reagan's mommy is! So, copied straight from my Facebook notes, here are my 25!

1. When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to use the purple crayon that another little girl was using. She didn't want to share. I bit my own arm hard enough to leave teeth marks and then told the teacher that the other little girl did it to me. She had to go sit in the corner and I got the purple crayon! I have recently spoken to her regarding this incident, and thankfully, she does not remember it.

2. I once tried to suffocate my sister on the way to Disney World. I had been to Disney once before as an only child, and I decided that it wouldn't be near as much fun having to share the experience with her. I put a pillow over her head while we were supposed to be napping in the back of the van on the drive to Orlando. I took it off when I realized that the trip would be cancelled completely if we arrived at Disney and my parents found her dead. (I'M STILL SORRY FOR THIS ANNA)

3. I had nightmares as a child… two nightmares to be exact that I would have over and over and over again. Both involved my sister being eaten by either a shark or a monster. Guess that was my punishment for item #2.

4. I used to get EXTREMELY excited at the start of every school year to go back to school shopping. And no, it was not for the clothes. I obsessed over having the perfect school supplies. I would spend hours choosing the perfect Trapper Keeper (I'm showing my age with that comment!) and I would organize all of my notebooks, pens and pencils as if my life depended on it.

5. I had my first cigarette when I was in the sixth grade. My gymnastics coach gave it to me. (Lesson to parents... don't always trust the coach that your child thinks is SUPER COOL!) I officially became a habitual smoker on my Senior Cruise in 1994. I quit smoking for good in 2005. Yes, some of you are now learning that I was a "secret" smoker on occasion from 2002-2005! The smell of cigarette smoke now makes me gag.

6. I have "stolen" a car twice. Once, before I even had my driver's license, I took the Dillon High School Driver's Ed car for a cruise through town. I looked so cool in the cruising lanes I'm sure! I thought my dad was going to have a heart attack when he came home that night and realized what I had done. Another time, I took my mom's car for a joyride all night long with friends. This time I was more careful, and didn't get caught until months later when someone wrote about it in my yearbook (or "annual" depending on where you live and what you call it) I was busted when my Dad read the note.

7. I spent most of my high schools days being grounded or on restriction. Re-read #6 if you need an explanation... There were many more getting into trouble incidents than just these two.

8. I started coloring my hair when I was in the seventh grade. My Dad put my first highlights in for me. It felt like he was digging holes into my head as he pulled it through the cap. I never let him do it again. I have no idea what my natural hair color is anymore. From the looks of my current roots, it is gray. (Yes, Coach Myers is also a beautician. He still colors my mom's hair for her!)

9. I love football… I love everything about it. I always have. I know more about football than most guys I know. Especially the Canadian guys! I'm not a big fan of NFL, but I live for NCAA football. I have to subscribe to a special sports channel in Canada because we don't get ESPN, and the regular channels don't pick up most of the games. I desperately miss high school football in the South. There is nothing quite like it.

10. I love NASCAR. Specifically, I LOVE DALE JR. I cried like a baby when Dale Sr. died. I mourned for days as if he were a member of my family. My husband and his brother thought I was losing my mind as they watched me sob. My husband also knows that I would leave him for Dale Junior. Or Matthew McConaughey. Whichever one comes looking for me first. Lucky for my husband, I don't think he has anything to worry about!

11. I met my husband at a hockey game. He used a really cheesy line on me later that same night at a bar. He said, "I could get lost in your eyes they are so beautiful." I spit my beer all over him I was laughing so hard. I was instantly in love.

12. I wish I could go back and re-live my college days. There are so many things I would do differently. To start with, I would have actually gone to class. However, I had a blast with the way that I did it, and wouldn't change any of the friendships that were made. And if changing history would change my present life, then I guess I would do it all over again EXACTLY the same!

13. I made my best friend for life during a power outage caused by Hurricane Opal in 1995. We were at Dozier trailer park. The trailer park was the only place in all of Troy that had power. Imagine that! Thanks Hageman for letting us crash there. (I LOVE YA TONI)

14. I don't wear perfume and my husband doesn't wear cologne. We quit using them while I was pregnant with Reagan due to my overly sensitive sense of smell. We continued to not wear any once she was born due to the harmful affects it can have on a baby. We now don't wear any because the doctor warned us that the scents could aggravate Reagan's lungs from having RSV when she was a baby. We will probably never wear perfume or cologne again because we have gone so long without them that we find the scents to be DISGUSTING. Much like cigarette smoke, it makes me want to gag.

15. I am a beach bum. I love everything about it. I am a sun worshipper. I still lather on the accelerant, and I only put sunscreen on my nose. I miss the sun now that I live in BC. I was VERY sick the first two winters that I lived here... borderline pneumonia both winters. My doctor in South Carolina said it was due to a lack of Vitamin D from sun exposure. My husband bought me certificates to the tanning bed, and I was cured.

16. My favorite place in the world is at our family beach house on the Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina. All is right in the world when I am sitting on the end of the pier. Or in the boat. Or on the jet ski. Just as long as I am there! Because of this, no matter where I live, I will always be a CAROLINA GIRL.

17. Some other things that I miss from the South that I can not get here in Canada... grits and Duke's mayonnaise. I regularly ask friends and family to ship these items to me. I consider it to be Christmas whenever I receive them. And I miss sweet tea. No one here drinks sweet tea, but that is something that I can make on my own without having to have it imported in to me.

18. My family is the most important thing to me in the world. I can't imagine life without my husband or my daughter. Lately, I have near panic attacks when I think about losing either of them.

19. My life changed completely once my daughter was born. I never thought that I would be stay-at-home mom. I think that deep down in my heart, I knew from the moment that Reagan was born that I was meant to have no other job in this world than to be her mom. It took awhile for my heart to convince my head of this, but once it happened there was no changing my mind. There is no greater job in this world for me than to help her discover life and to help her grow into the smart and beautiful person that I already know she is going to be!

20. I have a WONDERFUL relationship with my parents. I have to talk to them daily, often up to ten times a day! It is hard for me to live so far away from them. I have always been this way. I was always the child that had to be picked up from summer camp early because I got homesick. I always had fears that something horrible was going to happen to them while I was away. That is still my fear to this day... that something horrible will happen to them while I am living this far away and that I won't make it to them in time.

21. I have self-diagnosed myself with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). If you go back and re-read item #4, you will see that this has always been the case for me! I drive my husband insane with making sure that everything is in it's proper place and that it is positioned properly in that place. A remote control sitting crooked on the coffee table is enough to send me over the edge. I can't go to bed at night without checking to make sure that everything is properly placed. I have gotten better with some of these neurotic tendencies since Reagan came along. It's hard to see the little misplaced items under the mountain of toys!

22. I used to be a really good dancer. I was always chosen to learn the new dances and was placed at the front of the formation during my cheerleading days. My gymnastics coach always said that I should choreograph my own routines. I could break it down in the club like no other. Now, I look like a total uncoordinated lunatic when I try to bust a move. I catch myself in the mirror when I'm dancing with Reagan, and fall into a fit of laughter. I have no idea what happened along the way, but I can NO LONGER DANCE!

23. I have two pet peeves. Well, I probably have a lot more than that, but I have two big ones that go hand-in-hand... First, I can't stand for someone to be in my kitchen while I am working. My kitchen is my space. Don't invade my space! If I need help with something, I will ask. Otherwise, STAY OUT! Second, don't try to sneak bites of food while I am cooking. And for goodness sake, don't come into the kitchen to make yourself a snack while I am in the midst of preparing dinner. You don't need a snack... just wait 10 more minutes and you will have an entire meal placed before you. My husband has a habit of doing this, and it drives me crazy. I think he does it on purpose!

24. I learned to knit when I was pregnant with Reagan. I was determined to knit her a baby blanket. She is almost three, and the blanket is still barely big enough to keep a Barbie warm. Maybe I will finish it before she has her own kids... or maybe not!

25. I am becoming more and more forgetful the older I get. I sometimes think I will be diagnosed as the youngest person in the world to develop Alzheimer's disease. (It does run in my family!) I can be in one room, think of something that I need from another room, walk to that other room to get whatever it was, and then have no clue as to what I was going to get in the first place. Or I will think of something to tell my husband during the day, pick up the phone to tell him, and I will have completely forgotten why I was calling him by the time he answers the phone. For this reason, I make lists. LOTS and LOTS of lists. They are everywhere in my house. The problem is trying to remember where I put them!

The Sweetest Things

I am constantly amazed at the things my daughter says to me. On more than one occasion, she has nearly brought me to tears by either causing me to laugh until I cry, or by just simply melting my heart. For example, just this morning she gave me the biggest hug you can imagine and said, "I love you Mommy. You are my best friend." So simple, and yet I know I will now have a fabulous day because of it!

There are times when I can just look at her and I'm able to tell that she is deep in thought. That is when I know to be prepared for her to ask me the strangest questions or to tell me the most creative stories. She had that look the other day while we were playing at the park, and I was able to catch her in the moment. I'm still not sure what she was thinking about so seriously that day...

She had the very same look on her face exactly one week ago. We were at the hospital waiting on Ryan while he was having his MRI done. She was busy coloring, when she suddenly stopped and got "the look". I waited to see what she would say or do, but she just sat there very quietly. I finally asked her if she was OK... I was amazed at her response. She said, "I'm fine Mommy. I just want to pray for my Daddy." And then she proceeded to pray for him out loud...

Come Lord Jesus, be our guest
Let this food to us be blessed
Amen

It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

There is a duck pond just around the corner from our house...

Awards Day at Gymnastics

This week marked the end of the semester at gymnastics for Reagan, and she invited her Daddy to come see all of her super skills. She showed off for him like I have never seen her do before, and it was obvious that she was so proud to have him there. She simply glowed throughout the entire class.

Reagan's coach gave her a Certificate of Achievement that said,

"This certificate is awarded to Reagan Knopp in recognition of completing the semester in Super Beasts. Reagan is always so polite, and she has a special way of being everyone's friend. Reagan has great listening skills, and she works well in a group. Reagan is a super star, and she will make an easy transition into the Funny Bugs program."

As of Tuesday next week, Reagan will enter into the new program, Funny Bugs, at her gymnastics center. This is no longer a "parent participation" class, meaning Mommy will be forced to sit in the lobby and watch through a window as my little gymnast excels on her own. Her coach has already asked me if they need to have counselors on hand for me next week! They just might need to...

THIRD Back Surgery

Ryan has been dealing with severe pain since May of last year. He has had all kinds of complications along the way. He had his first back surgery on November 19, 2008. His second back surgery was on December 9, 2008. We were shocked to find out that he was going to have to have a second surgery... we thought that would certainly be the end of it. We were wrong.

This is a picture of Ryan's back four weeks after his second surgery. Notice how it is healing nicely, thanks to the help of his personal nurse Reagan.This is a picture of Ryan's back six weeks after his second surgery. Yes, we have a problem.

The change in the appearance of his back happened almost overnight. We went to our family Doctor, who immediately sent him back to the Neurosurgeon. An emergency MRI was scheduled, and the results showed what the Neurosurgeon already suspected. A hole or tear has occurred in Ryan's spine at the surgical site and his CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) is leaking and pooling. Cerebral Spinal Fluid is a serum-like fluid that circulates through the ventricles of the brain and the cavity of the spinal cord. It acts as a cushion, protecting the brain and spine from injury. Ryan is going to have to undergo a third surgery in order to "plug the leak" in his spinal cord. Dr. Mutat, Ryan's neurosurgeon, explained to us that this surgery will be more complicated than the previous two. Ryan is having really bad headaches due to the lack of fluid around his brain since it is all pooling at his lower back. Also, the pain has returned in his leg due to pressure being put on his sciatic nerve from the fluid build-up. At this point, we are waiting to find out when the surgery will be. Our family Doctor explained to us that this is an urgent situation due to a risk of meningitis, so we are hoping to have a surgery date sooner rather than later. I will certainly post an update once I know something more. In the meantime, we could really use your prayers...

Happy Birthday To My Momsey!

On January 27, 1949, the most amazing woman in this world was born. That woman is my mom. Today marks her 60th birthday, and she is becoming more and more remarkable every year. As a little girl, I can remember her taking the time to come up with fun things to do like melting crayons in wax paper to make our own stained glass masterpieces or cooking styrofoam cups in the oven until they turned into sombrero hats to paint. She has always loved to travel with my Dad, and by the time I was two, I had already seen more of the world than most people do in a lifetime. She recently retired from a long teaching career where she helped countless students to learn the fundamentals needed for their education. While she was never my teacher in the classroom, she has always been my best teacher. I can recall many late nights where she would stay up with me to help me with my homework, help me study for an exam, or to proof read a paper. She is still the one I turn to when I need someone to proof read any of my work! She taught me so much more than what I needed to know for school… she taught me what I needed to know for life like how to be a good friend, a good wife, and a good mother.

She probably often felt like a taxi driver, having to drive the 40-minute drive to and from Florence to take me to gymnastics every day of the week for 8 years. For a woman who detests driving at night, this was a chore in itself. She rarely complained about having to do it… instead she would help come up with fun games to play as we boogied down I-95. I still find myself playing the ABC game whenever I am on a road trip!

If you were to ask her, she would tell you that she has never been athletic, and that she is not very coordinated. While this may be true, I have to say that she is the most outstanding cheerleader that I have ever known. No, she wasn’t at the top of a pyramid waving her pom-poms. She was at the top of the bleachers screaming her head off for my Dad’s football and basketball teams! She was often the one who prompted the cheerleaders on the field to either take up the chant “DEFENSE!” or “GO GO GO!” And she was always in the crowd cheering for me to do my best whether it was for little league T-ball, gymnastics, cheerleading competitions, or Jr. Miss pageants.

Like most mother-daughter relationships, ours was sometimes strained during my teenage years. I am to blame for this, as I was a typical “know-it-all” teenager who was oblivious to the fact that my mom has always been wise beyond her years. Luckily, I grew up along the way and came to realize that she does have all the answers. I may not always like what I hear, but her advice is now the first that I seek. I probably sometimes drive her crazy, because I am known to phone her MULTIPLE times a day! She is the one I turn to, good or bad. There is NOTHING that I can't tell her. She has become my best friend.

She loves everything about the beach. She is my Dad’s first mate when they go fishing, and she isn’t afraid to get fish guts all over her. It doesn’t matter if she is on the jet-ski or in the boat, she is happy to just be on the water. She loves to sit on the end of the pier, working on her tan with a good book in her hand.

She is a woman of God, and she made sure that I learned about our Lord and Savior at a very early age. She had me in church every Sunday and often on Wednesday nights as well. She was always a source of constant strength and knowledge as I developed my faith. She taught me the difference between right and wrong, and she taught me to make the proper decisions for my life. I may not have always made the right choices, but she also taught me that God is forgiving. Thankfully, so is my Mom.

She is the type of wife that I aspire to be. She is patient, loving, supportive, devoted, and encouraging. I have never witnessed a harsh word between my parents, and their marriage has only grown stronger over the years. Not only are they husband and wife, they are soul mates, teammates, and best friends.

My mom continues to surprise and impress me in her retired life. She and my Dad are “chasing the dream” in their motor home as they travel across the country. She has substituted her role as first mate of the boat to become first mate of the motor home. She has taken to the road and traveling as if she has been doing it her whole life. Now, at the age of 60, I think she is just hitting her prime. She’s making new friends, seeing all the sights, and making a lifelong dream come true. She has taken up water aerobics, she’s walking, she’s biking… she’s even kayaking! She is becoming that athletic person that she never was before! And none of it comes as a surprise to me. In my eyes, there is nothing that my mom can’t do. If she wants it, she will make it happen.

She’s the coolest woman I know. She’s hip and she’s fun. She’s Reagan’s Momsey. She’s my mommy, my momma, my mom. She’s my role model. She’s my best friend.

I love her with all my heart!

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Sleeping Beauties

As predicted, she slept in the tent... with Dixie!

Let's Go Camping... INSIDE!

One of Reagan's favorite TV shows is Playhouse Disney's Handy Manny. On yesterday's episode, Manny and his tools went camping in a tent. This prompted Reagan to continuously ask us to go camping. We explained to her that it is just too cold this time of year to be sleeping in a tent, but that maybe this summer we would take her camping. I showed her pictures from when we had taken her camping for Ryan's birthday two summers ago, and that just sparked her interest even more. So, this morning, Ryan & I decided to give Reagan a little surprise. He got the camping gear out of our shed, and we "set up camp" right in our den! Reagan absolutely LOVES it, and she hasn't come out of the tent for more than five minutes at a time all day. Something tells me that she may be sleeping in the tent tonight, and that I may just have to deal with this obstacle in my den for a few days...

It's Just a Bump!

You have to admit... this is one cute kid! And you won't believe some of the cute and crazy stuff that comes out of her mouth. Let me tell you the story of what happened just the other morning for example...

Reagan and I are brushing our teeth, when she suddenly exclaims: "Mommy! Oh my gosh! What is that?"

Me, with no clue what she is talking about, but a bit concerned from the tone of her voice: "What, honey?"

"That!" She says as she jabs her finger into my chin. "Mommy, you've got a booby on your chin!"

Well, at least now I know what she is talking about. I already knew that I had the queen mother of all zits on my chin. Lucky me! I try to explain this to her...

"No, honey. It's not a boo-boo. It's just a bump. Mommy sometimes gets bumps on her face."

Her response: "It's not a boo-boo, mommy. It's a booby."

Me, as I try to contain my laugher:
"No babe. It's just a bump!"

Seriously! A booby? I didn't think it was THAT big!

NOT ME!

I’m trying something new for my blog, and hopefully it will provide you with a few laughs. If not, then at least it will help you waste some time while you could be doing something more constructive!

Recently, I have started following MANY other “mommy” blogs out there. Ryan sometimes thinks that I have lost my mind completely when I will burst out laughing (or crying) over something I am reading about complete strangers. Quite often though, these strangers could pass for my long lost relatives because we all share such similar stories!
McMama is a blogger that I have become addicted to, and one of the reasons is her “NOT ME! MONDAYS” posts. Let me take a few steps back for a moment before I explain her “game” and tell you a story…

My husband grew up as the youngest in a household of six boys. Being the baby, he apparently got away with anything and everything. This left such a mark on the other boys, that a large portion of Ryan’s brother Kyle’s wedding toast to us was devoted to this issue. He went into great detail describing how Ryan would do this or that to get into trouble, and then when caught he would simply say, “NOT ME!” Kyle also went on to very vividly demonstrate the little dance that Ryan would do behind his parent’s backs as one of the other boys took the punishment for his crimes. It was quite a funny speech/toast that I will never forget. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE TO THIS DAY MY HUSBAND STILL PLAYS THE “NOT ME” GAME! I’ve lost count of the number of times that I have asked “Who did this” or “What happened to that?” to hear Ryan answer (often from another room where he actually has no idea of what I am referring to) with the response of “Not me!”

So when I discovered McMama’s Not Me! Mondays, I had to find out more. To use her words exactly…

“Not Me! Monday was born out of a desire to admit some of our imperfections and reveal a few moments we'd rather forget. 

Why? Well, for one, because it's just plain fun to pretend that we really did not do the things that we actually so did do. And, two, because reading through great tales of other people's Not Me! Mondays each week is a great way to level the playing field. We're all human, we all take embarrassing shortcuts, and so we may as well show each other that we're all in good company!”

With that being said, this will be my first time participating in the Not Me! fun. I can’t guarantee that I will play along every week, but here we go for now…

I DID NOT stay up after midnight almost every night last week reading all 12 books of the Sisterhood Series by Fern Michaels. I also DID NOT drink Starbucks espressos by the pot (not the cup) because of this!

I DID NOT put Reagan to bed three nights in a row without a bath last week. I DID NOT ignore the fact that we have other bathrooms in the house and instead blamed it on the fact that the bathtub in her bathroom was leaking into the light fixture in the kitchen below and it took three days for the plumber to fix it. It certainly wouldn’t have been so that I would have more time to read the previously mentioned books!

My kitchen DID NOT remain dark because I was too lazy for three days after the plumbing problem was fixed to re-connect the now dry light fixture in the kitchen. I most certainly DID NOT use my dark kitchen as an excuse to go out to eat or to order in for those nights!

I DID NOT spend over half an hour getting Reagan’s hair perfectly curled and coiffed for her gymnastics class this week while only taking 5 minutes to brush my own hair and teeth.

I DID NOT, as of January 6, manage to have already broken my New Year’s Resolution to remember to take my vitamins everyday.

I DID NOT contemplate taking a double dose of vitamins on January 7 to make up for it.

I DID NOT phone and whine to my parents that they posted on their blog what my sister gave them for Christmas, but they didn’t say anything about what Ryan, Reagan & I gave them. That would have been something a two year old would have done! I also DID NOT complain that they put a picture of me on their blog where I looked horrible because I had been shoveling snow all day and I was gross and sweaty. Considering my appearance at Reagan’s gymnastics, who would care about a picture like that?! Not me! (PS… their blog is www.mytripjournal.com/skipandcindy if you want to follow along with them as they “Chase the Dream”)

I DID NOT scream at my computer while working on the upcoming Wedding Show because some idiot sent me a message three times asking the same question three different ways. “Hello dumb person… read your wedding show info pack to answer those questions yourself!”

And finally…
I DID NOT just show this post to my husband and tell him that I have no idea who would write such things about him or how in the world it ended up on my blog. I certainly wouldn’t do that. NOPE, NOT ME!!!!

A Girl's Gotta Eat!

This picture was taken on a GOOD FOOD DAY! With the enthusiasm that she is showing for eating this apple, you would think that we never have a problem with food. Some days, it takes all I've got to get Reagan to eat something. The child loves milk, and she would drink a liter of it a day if I let her... and some days, I do. I mean, the child has to get nourishment from somewhere, and at least it is milk and not Pepsi! Usually one day a week her diet consists of nothing but milk and a Flintstone vitamin. There is also usually one day a week that she will eat everything in sight, with no encouragement or prompting needed. The other days, I struggle to come up with creative ideas to get her to eat. I'm happy to say that I do have one trick up my sleeve that seems to ALMOST always work, however odd it may be. This is how it goes... we pretend Reagan is a dog. I whistle for whatever dog she chooses to be (Dixie, Buster, Bingo, Sadie, Pluto... you get the picture) and then I reward her with a "doggie treat" when she comes. The treat it usually whatever we are eating for dinner that night! But I have to tell her that it is dog food in order for her to eat it. It can be pizza, steak, pasta, whatever... all I have to do is say, "Come here Bingo! Come on girl! Come eat your dog food!" and she will eat it. Hey whatever works! I do worry that I am creating a monster, and that she will be in preschool next year and the teachers will have to resort to calling her doggie names to get her to participate in snack time. Hopefully by then we will no longer need a gimmick! And hey, at least she hasn't requested to be served her meals out of a dog bowl... that is where I will have to draw the line!

Any ideas or helpful hints would be much appreciated if you have been through this stage with your kids.

Reagan's Snowgirl

We have built more snowmen in the past week that I have built in the rest of my life combined. They are in the back yard, the neighbor's yard, several are at the park, and our newest addition is in the front yard. Reagan helped me do the decorations... this snow GIRL is complete with purse, earrings, and sparkle buttons!

Cute & Cuddly

Reagan and I got matching pajamas for Christmas from Momsey & Pops, and we were more than happy to stay in them ALL DAY LONG on New Years Day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We celebrated New Year's Eve on East Coast Time this year so that Reagan could enjoy the countdown and the ball drop with us. Kyle, Denise and Brady came over earlier in the evening to celebrate with us, but Brady just couldn't stay up any longer. They left around 8:30, and at 9:00pm our time, we made out like it was midnight! We had streamers, noise makers, tiaras and top hats. And of course, "champagne" (also known as APPLE JUICE!) out of our fine crystal goblets. Reagan felt like such a big girl being allowed to stay up late to ring in the New Year with us. She went to bed shortly after the festivities, and Ryan & I weren't too far behind her. I guess we are truly getting old because gone are the days of pulling all nighters to have a party!

Christmas Dinner with the Knopps

Ryan's family came to our house on Boxing Day for a big Christmas dinner. I love bringing a "taste" of the South to Canada on occasions such as this, so I was in my glory working in the kitchen that day. We feasted on deep fried turkey (trust me, once you've had a deep fried turkey you will never be able to eat an oven cooked turkey again!) cranberry dressing with gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, squash casserole, deviled eggs, peaches-n-cream corn, cranberry sauce, and biscuits. Denise brought a delicious pumpkin pie and chocolate mouse cheesecake for dessert. Ryan did the honors of carving the bird, and then we all proceeded to put on a few pounds at the dinner table!

After dinner, the kids enjoyed opening their gifts from Grandma & Grandpa and all the aunts and uncles. It was slightly chaotic with two toddlers and an eight year old, but it was so much fun watching them all run around and playing together.