changes

Obviously a lot has changed for this family over the last 7 years. The biggest is probably the addition of sweet Sidney. A more recent change, and a very very drastic one at that, is depicted in the picture below.....

Holy moly just take a look at that transformation :)
Ryan has gone through a bit of a change in lifestyle, adopting a much healthier life in general. We are very proud of him and I can assure you he has so much more energy and is so much more quick to jump at the opportunity to run around outside or chase the girls now that he is down 22% of his own body weight. Simply incredible!
Congrats Ryan :) We love you!

Winter wonderland

Today was one of those soak-it-up, loving-every-minute-of-it day. After a whirlwind of a super busy non-stop weekend, it was a beautiful afternoon to just love up life with our two cuties. 

The temps were perfect for a trek to the sledding hill. We assumed we'd be in good company but actually had plenty of room to enjoy the hill. 

Ryan is just a big kid at heart. He had just as much fun going down the hill as Regan does. In fact, he was a little bummed that the girls' little legs got tired after a short while and they were ready to pack it up. 

Someone has carved out a "jump"  in the hill. Regan went down several times but we were hesitant to let Sidney take a turn for fear she would take a big digger and end up a muddy mess. Finally, Ryan gave in and she was over-the-top excited! You can hear her holler up to him "see told ya" after a little giggle, referring to "see, I told you I wouldn't fall off!". 

She's such a hoot!

I later took Regan to the nearby outdoor ice rink. After some time on the ice, she put her boots back on and climbed around in the snow. I followed her around, eventually sat down in the snow and laid down pretending to sun-bathe. She giggled at me and when I opened my eyes, this was my view. 

breathtaking

Smarty pants

 Tonight we were invited to school for smarty pants, aka: Regan's conference. 

It was one of those proud parent moments where we got to hear all about her wonderful attributes pertaining to academia and beyond. 

We talked about her reading levels, math lessons, behavior choices and friendships. 

Sending her off to school each day, we know we are only going to hear about a fraction of her day when she comes home. So getting an overall picture, from an outside source (her teacher AND student teacher), is something we look forward to. 

And that overall picture is that she is our shining star! 

We are grateful she loves to read and is reading beyond expected grade levels. It struck me tonight when Mrs M. said "First, we learn to read. And now, she reads to learn". 

Incredible. Seriously incredibly amazing. To think, just one year ago, we were getting through sight words. And now, she's breezing through chapter books like it's nobody's business.

She's picked up on her daddy's knack for numbers too, and for that, this mommy is GRATEFUL!

We love you smarty pants! 

Thank you for making us proud! 

Never a dull moment

Last weekend we took a quick family outing to Target. I turned around to glance at something on a rack and when I looked back, this is how I found my family: 

What you can't see are the girls actually pushing the cart (note: he wasn't real happy with my picture taking as he knew it would be up on the blog). A Target employee walked past and chuckled as he made a comment about Ryan doing it right :)

We like to have a little fun around here.  

Birthday fun

SEVEN!

yesterday was Regan's big day. She turned seven and I simply cannot believe my eyes. She's beautiful, fun, social and sweet. Oh don't get me wrong, we have plenty of drama out of that little girl! But we love her oh so much and were so excited for her big day. 

While she was busy at school (though took a break to have lunch with her family brought in from Subway), Sidney and I were at home baking her cake. 

This wasn't just any cake, we baked her a rainbow cake! 

With rainbow sprinkles decorated in the shape of a 7. 

 After school we picked her up and gave her a big surprise....we had bags packed and were headed to a hotel for the night. Regan is the typical child who adores swimming pools and hotels. What better way to spend a cold February evening!? We love that Maddi got to walk down the hallway of her hotel and spend some time with us too! 

The room was filled with ooohhs and aaahhhs when I cut into this masterpiece. And boy was it yummy! I myself was stunned. It worked!! I kinda thought it might turn into a brown mess, but nope, it worked! 

Back into the pool which we essentially had to ourselves for hours. Regan was in her glory and Sidney is showing us how her hard work at swimming lessons is paying off. We had a great time! 

Finally, finally, finally, Regan opened her presents from us! Too bad Sidney had told her about this earring holder mustache ahead of time :( The joys of 4 year olds picking out her own present for her big sister. 

Regan's excited to hit the malls with her new heelie shoes...I'm hopeful she doesn't smack her head figuring it out. She was most excited about her OWN iPod. (and secretly both Ryan and I are too....he cannot believe he went out and bought this item for his SEVEN year old; and I'm super happy to have mine back!). 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET REGAN!! 

We love you so very much! 

 Seven things I love about Regan:
1. How friendly she is. She makes a new friend wherever we go. Never a fear to talk to someone new.

2. Her love for children. She adores her sister and every other wee-one.

3. Her smarts. She just seems to 'get it' when she learns something new. Boy I hope this continues!

4. She is an amazing swimmer. She has a 'no fear' attitude in the water and tries so hard to accomplish new things.

5. She loves to read. And would prefer if you would listen to her read, and we do this so often. I love it!

6. Her snuggles. She asks me every night to lay with her and snuggle. Oh how I love this time of day.

7. She loves her family more than anything in the world! And her hugs prove it.

Birthday eve

 

7 Years ago, I was a waddling, 8 month pregnant lady. And yet I was loving every second of it. I was chubby beyond words but no major complaints. Today I told the girls the story of Regan's birth (the very edited story!). Oh did they laugh and giggle and begged me to tell it again and again; alternating between Regan and Sidney's birth stories.

The smiles across their face were priceless. They were so proud to hear about the moments leading up to their birth. They both loved hearing the details of clothing worn by first visitors, weather, their first car rides, and on and on.

Oh boy were we blessed with this cute little 6 lb 13 oz bundle of joy!

 

She grew and she grew into a bouncing off the wall toddler. And the silly stories continued on, and boy do we still laugh about some of our silly times together.

She has a serious love for art and has for quite some time. This year's birthday gifts circled mostly around art. Very fitting for this sweetie.

She's an amazing, sweet, girl who is inquisitive and curious and melts our hearts. She has her daddy wrapped right around her finger.

 Though unfortunately, the moments like the picture below still continue....

Happy Birthday eve Regan!!

We love you so very much!

Can't wait to share in your big day....and with a big surprise for you too! 

Valentine's Day 2012

I love love love that I get to spend time in Regan's elementary school. And I'm incredibly grateful that I work for a company who supports not only time at our children's school functions, but also provides a monetary donation for my volunteer time at the school. How awesome is that?! I get to spend some time with a great group of 1st graders, and the school is doubly rewarded (my time and my company's money).

Today was Valentine's Day fun. Lots of hearts, lots of sugar and lots of love.

 The kiddos in Regan's classroom are getting used to me around class, snapping pictures for their year book. I received hugs from all sorts of youngsters today. So sweet. They worked so hard on their art projects, frosted cookies and "fortune teller" games.

 

Thank you for letting me share in your day Regan! I love you love you love you!

Birthday Party--Part 2

I decided to get all the birthday celebrating done in one weekend. And today we managed to host 9 of Regan's close friends for a birthday party. I panicked slightly as my #1 helper got stranded at home due to the weather, but it turned out to be THE most perfect party I could have ever imagined! 

Ryan came home about an hour before party-time with this delightful cup-cake cake in a 'peace' sign. Regan wasn't thrilled because it looked a bit like a smiley face instead. 

It bothered her for all of 2 seconds. 

We prepped the table for manicures and hairdo's. Regan is my ultimate organizer :) 

Love. her. 

And suddenly the house was filled with these 11 silly girls. Thankfully each and every one of them included Sidney and there were NO TEARS! 

 The best part of the day was when we headed to our storage area for some pinata fun (note: it was sleeting/raining/snowing outside and much too cold to do this in the garage so it was Plan C...the basement). 

All 11 girls lined up to take 3 whacks with a metal bat. 

We reached the final girl, she hit it once....twice....and

SUCCESS!! 

How perfect that all 11 girls managed to get their turn and the final girl (who happens to be about the size of Sidney) is the one that breaks it down. 

Awesome! 

And as though the pinata didn't distribute enough treats, we had a yummy candy bar for each girl to add to their stash. 

We had time to make a cute craft and finally we dug into that delicious cake coupled with Regan's favorite ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip! 

Atta girl :) 

Alright girls: 

SILLY FACES!!!! 

I'm so thankful for great friends who were able to help Regan celebrate turning SEVEN! 

Happy (family) Birthday Party Day

Our little girl is nearly 7 years old, and I simply cannot believe it. It sounds so common "where did the time go?", but really, it is so very true. Regularly, I will have patients remind me, as they look around my office, 'make the most of these years because they go by all too fast.' 

Each and every day I am loving up these girls. 

It was 7 years ago about this time that I thought I had another 4 weeks of pregnancy. So I hopped in the car with some great gals and headed 2 hours south to visit a friend/new baby. Little did I know that just a few days later, I would be in labor myself. 

And out came this amazing girl, who was beyond ready for the world. 

She is inquisitive beyond her years. Asking some amazing questions about things like earthquakes, rocks, math equations and life. She is eager to try anything, she really will do nearly anything...one time. And you know, that's all I can ask of her. She hears me say "just try it", and she does. Without skipping a beat. 

"Regan, just try diving off the board", and she will. 

"Regan, just try this yellow pepper", and she does. 

We lover her to pieces and today, she was able to celebrate her 7th birthday with over 20 of her favorite people. 

This sweet girl in particular, melts Regan's heart. Regan is at the age/size where she can comfortably hold Harlow and not look like she's going to let lose and drop her. 

Where did the time go? 

Ryan and I soak in the sweet baby smell, remembering those scents from 7 years ago.
Except, when Harlow spits up all over her sole pair of Jammie's and stinks like barf the rest of the night. 

What does grandma Sheri buy for her oldest granddaughter who happens to dislike toys and already has nearly every art/craft supply known to man? 

A balance beam. 

We thank Ashley for demonstrating the hand stand today. 

(Even Harlow was mesmerized!). 

Jamie demonstrated the newest form of Twister....Rave. 

Who needs a gym membership? This thing is one heck of an arm workout! 

Regan is so fortunate to have Vicky and Lon as her Godparents. They love her to pieces! 

We ALL do!!

Though we celebrated her 7th birthday, it's not official yet and I'm hanging onto 6 for another 5 days! 

Pile up

We have been enjoying some good snuggles lately. Sidney takes her usual position of perching top 3 pillows, then I lay on her, and Regan on me. Happy family :) and just as in the picture, Sidney does actually rub my head like a dog.

A peek into our world

Click HERE for a little clip into our lives. 

The girls were busy with the karaoke (courtesy of Taylor Swift), while Ryan was outside looking for a jump rope for Regan to practice Jump Rope for Heart. 

Stick around for the minute long video, because towards the end of the video, out of nowhere, Sidney takes a digger when she tries to climb on top of a ball to shut off the lights (bright idea).

Between Ryan dancing in the window and Sidney's surprise digger, it's worth the minute of your life to watch. 

Just another day in paradise! 

finally!

There was a snap in the cold winter weather today and so I hurried out with the girls before the blustery freezing-take-your-breath-away cold creeps back in. We had a great time giggling as we raced about the fresh snow, me chasing them with the camera as they explored each corner of the back yard. 

Regan found a collection of icicles hanging off their swing set and snatched one quickly for a taste. I can remember when she was a toddler, she'd look up in the corner of the roof and ask me to get her one for a lick. She's still at it now, at almost 7 years old. Only now, she doesn't need my help to reach them. :( *sigh* 

I turned around and noticed the girls were sitting on the spot for the diving board. We all yearn for summer to return and do our best to bask in the freezing nice weather. 

Shopping trips

This is what it's like to shop with the girls. Trust me, it is very entertaining!

After an employee once introduced the girls to all the Old Navy mannequins (including names of each one), they are over the top excited to go say 'hi' during each trip to the mall. 

Seriously, they get up close and personal. 

Ryan caught this video of them dancing around while I scrambled to get through the final store (the first 4 seconds are the best part of the short clip). 

Stayin' warm on a chilly Groundhogs day.

This n That

It's been a busy week. and a fairly stressful one too. 

Between work, home and activities, sometimes I'm not certain if I'm coming or going, up or down. 

I started painting the 'open concept' of our house which is the largest area to master. One room runs into another and it just feels like it goes on forever. But it had to be done, the previous paint was not washable and didn't handle four hand prints very well. About 7 walls down and 2 to go, I moved into a second gallon of paint only to realize the next morning it wasn't a perfect match and looked hideous. Lovely waste of time. 

We bought new dining room chairs (courtesy of the grandparents for my b-day). I put the first one together, looked great. Moved onto the second, was about to attach the last 'leg' and saw a rip in the material. Lovely waste of time. 

But each day, I'm reminded how blessed we are to have these two fabulous cuties in our lives, and it makes everything worth it. 

Regan came home with her report card this week. As I scanned it, searching for high marks ("3" is expected, "4" is exceeding expectations), I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few 4's. I praised her over and over for such good marks in reading, comprehension, math and art. I then moved onto the 3's....let's just say they all circled around being a bit too chatty or not having a desire to participate in gym class. 

Ah well, you can't win them all.
On the bright side, she is in the top 94th percentile for flexibility. 

Atta girl, that should count for something in physical education! 

Oh sweet Sidney. This girl lights up our lives over and over again. She's the first of the two to be picked up after work, and boy does she brighten my day. On a particularly rough work-day this week, we drove along to collect Regan, and as I do everyday, I asked Sidney "what was the best part of your day?". 

Her reply: "when you came to pick me up mommy". 

melt. my. heart. 

Now I know she didn't spend the day longing for me, or crying all afternoon waiting for me. She loves school, and her friends, and her teachers. This much I know. She's happy to be there, so don't be sad that she was waiting all day for me to come. Her usual answer is "playing with (fill in the blank of a friend)". This girl just has a sense of what to say and when to say it. 

Lately, she will climb up on my lap, or ask to be held and then say "I just needed some love". Oh little one, I did too. On the flip side, she's also been calling me "you old man"...

just keeping it real :) 

Snowmen, Sidney and more

Grandma Sheri and Sidney (and likely Grandpa Arnie too) took delight in the fresh snowfall yesterday. While the rest of us added minutes to our commute time, they were rolling around the front yard and building snowmen. This guy is HUGE!
It's sure to make the neighbors jealous :)

I kinda like the pose from the littlest of the bunch:

Our dearest Sidders is giving us a run for our money these days. Her most recent ordeal is that she ate an Orbeez. For those of you who don't know what an Orbeez is, google it. They are tiny little balls that grow bigger and bigger in water.

Yea, she swallowed one. I can only imagine that it's growing bigger and bigger in her tummy too.

I scoured the internet and came to the conclusion that it is likely to pass...whole. 

These suckers don't digest/disinigrate. So long as it doesn't keep growing and cause some blockage, I think our sweetie will be just fine. I don't suppose I will be sifting through poo though, it's not like she swallowed a penny (thanks mom for sifting through my poo at about this age too!).

As for big sister who was "faking" swallowing an Orbeez to encourage Sid to follow suit....she was in some mighty fine trouble.  

Oh the joys!

Like riding a bike

Today, Ryan and I went on a date. I suggested we go skiing. When I told Ryan's brother what we were doing, his reply was "Ryan skies?". I literally laughed out loud reading the text. 

Quite honestly, neither of us have skied in 14+ years. 

But today we did just that. As we filled out the rental forms, explaining to the young man behind the counter that "no, this isn't our first time. it's just been a while". He smiled and said, "so you just decided to give it a whirl after 15 years?"

Yep. 

Thankfully it's like riding a bike. There is definitely some muscle memory involved and after a couple of times down the bunny hill (like the real bunny hill, the one that is only 40 feet long), we were well on our way to a day of fun! 

After a couple of hours, it started sleeting and made for some icy conditions. The fella at the lift commented that it was likely to feel like standing in front of a sand blaster. That was a perfect description. 

But we didn't let it stop us! 

Ryan discovered a 'short-cut' through a few trees, and I couldn't help but laugh as I watched him attempt the jump. He looked like a toddler learning how to walk, arms stretched out, all shaky. Here's a quick video: 

It was a FANTASTIC day and my goal is to get back out there in less than 14 years! 

Much much much thanks to Leigha for hanging out with the girls today :) Maybe next time they can come with us!?

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Regan has been going to a wonderful dance studio. I'm diggin' the fact that each year they do a Winter Show....in JANUARY. Yes it's a Christmas theme, but the thought of doing a Christmas dance show, and all the extra rehearsals, just before Christmas exhausts me. Instead, it's at the end of January so we bust out tons of extra practices after the holidays. 

Perfect. 

This show has been done for 10+ years by the studio. Most of the songs/dances are the same each year, with a few twists to keep everyone entertained. That means that Regan did the same dance from Kindergarten to First grade because she's in a K-1 class. 

Let's just say she was a pro this year. So uber fun to watch her ham it up on stage as she "begged" for her Hippopotamus for Christmas. 

A.d.o.r.a.b.l.e.

After hours of rehersals, a very long dress rehearsal and two shows lasting several hours each, I've seen my share of Hippos! Congrats Regan, you did GREAT! 

I have several videos, this one from the last show. Click HERE 

Dot Com

This girl keeps us on our toes. 

Her charm is something to delight in, like when she compliments you out of the blue "mommy, I like your shirt". 

Or her contagious giggle that makes you want to repeat whatever it was that just made her laugh hysterically. 

Or last night, when we sat together at her toy vanity. She keeps a "diary" and pen nearby and it's littered with scribbles because for the life of her, she can't spell much on her own though she tries and tries. Atop her vanity is also the 'desk/computer' for the doll house. She pretends to type on the teeny tiny computer and  then looks at me and says "mom, should I do 999.com?". 

The fact that our 4 year old has "dot com" in her language cracks me up. Her voice is just too tiny to say the words "dot com" and actually know what she's saying! 

We love you sweet Sidney

Oh happy day

Happy BIRTH-day that is :) 

Today I played hookie from work because Regan was still off from school for an extended MLK day. I took the opportunity to celebrate my birthday with my loves, minus Ryan who was busy NOT playing hookie. 

We woke up to this....which changed our plans of sledding and ice skating to anything that kept us indoors. Geez that's cold. My mom, who is reading this, will have to comment if it was that cold on the actual day I was born?! Schnikies. Winter birthdays are kind of the pits, I remember it was -32F windchill the day Regan came home from the hospital.  

So instead of chasing up the street for my free Caribou in the early morning hours and some donuts for the girls, Plan B included a birthday candle in monkey bread and two very pleased girls to get to blow out the single candle over and over again. With all the spit that landed on my breakfast bread, I wouldn't be surprised if I catch their runny noses. 

 Later, we made craft after craft with ideas from Pinterest. We even opened the deck door and blew bubbles into the tundra watching as they crystallized when they popped. 

And thanks to a great idea from Ryan's cousin, Maddi, we got our nails done. That wasn't her idea, but the method I paid a pretty penny for, was her idea. Gel nails.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. 

Yep, I was so thrilled with the idea that I even let the girls get the full experience. They were over the moon excited. Tonight, as Regan gazed at her gorgeous fingernails, she asked "can we always get it done this way? Because mom, I don't have one single chip yet and I've washed my hands over and over again!". 

Gosh it was cute. 

Having girls is going to be expensive. As if I didn't know that already! 

Eventually we met up with Ryan and headed out for dinner. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought over a sweet surprise to help us celebrate and it's quite clear, the kids dug right in. Sidney had that warm giant chocolate chip cookie everywhere! 

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful emails, texts and facebook messages. 

I had a lovely day, spending it with those so very important to me.