Stop to smell the flowers

The tree in our front yard has bloomed and it is absolutely beautiful (if we wait another few days, the petals will all be on the ground). So we jumped at the opportunity to have Regan smell the "pretty" flowers, as she would say! We think she enjoyed the tickle on her nose more than the smell!

Alfalfa take 2

Poor Regan has such fine hair that our only resort is to style it with shampoo and take a picture before it flops to the side :) Her little curls in the back are sure cute and I'm so tempted to stick some mouse in them to make them last longer!! I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself though, so for now, we'll enjoy them after her bath and know that they go away once her head hits the mattress.

Fun in the sun!

Regan is loving the warm weather!! She enjoys playing outside in anything she can get her little hands into. This tricycle is one of her favorites to scoot around on. She doesn't quite get the concept though, she more or less just pushes it, not realizing that she could sit and rest in between. Unfortunately, the new neighbors down the block have a little one as well and Regan really wants to trample across the next door neighbors yard to get into their yard and play with the new guy.....for those of you who know our neighbor, know how much he would appreciate her tracking across his yard! Maybe we'll get a fence up one of these days?!

"cickle, cickle, cickle"

....translation "tickle, tickle tickle"! Last night, Regan was walking around, having a good time playing and she bent over, touched her finger to her toes and said "cickle, cickle, cickle". It took us a while, and finally we realized, she was saying "tickle"! We had to test our theory, so I put my toes in front of her and sure enough, she leaned over with a little smirk and said "cickle, cickle, cickle" all while trying to tickle my toes :) There are definately more words popping up in her vocabulary, it's just a matter of figuring out what she's trying to say!

My apologies for the not so great picture; she didn't want to sit still for a photo, so this had to do!

A new swing!!

This weekend while playing outside, Regan took dad for a "walk" down the alley and over to the neighbors where two little boys were playing in the yard (thankfully we know these neighbors!). As their mom was looking for a toy for Regan to play with, she came across this swing in their garage and offered Regan to use it this summer as her boys are too big for it now. Regan is in her glory sitting in this faded swing hanging from a tree in our front yard. We were hesitant in even taking it, considering we only have one tree big enough to hold it up. We've managed to find a branch where it sits nicely and Regan won't hit her head while swinging! She loves it!

14 months old!!

It's getting harder and harder to get Regan to sit still long enough to take these pictures, but our goal is to keep taking them (soon enough we're going to have to get rid of the signs because she won't sit next to them!).

She weighs roughly what she did at 12 months (22 lbs) but is growing like a weed. She loves to walk, talk and laugh. Dancing is a favorite past time, as is playing outside and going for bike rides tucked in the Burley Bike trailer! We introducted whole milk at 11 1/2 months and that went over poorly. After trying 2% for a couple of weeks, we moved onto soy. Well, yesterday, she FINALLY made the sign for milk instead of water; we've turned the corner! Our toddler now likes milk!

All grown up!

We had a wonderful weekend, though starting out, we learned Regan's ear infection has yet to go away. However, Saturday was a new day and Regan looks so grown up in her new overall outfit! We're busting into the 18 month clothes one at a time and it's opening up a lot of new doors in terms of outfits!

Oh brother!

As we continue to struggle with learning how to use the spoon, meal times get a little out of hand! This one is for you Shane!

My first Twins game!

Regan enjoyed her first Twins game last evening! She mostly enjoyed "flirting" with the other fans sitting behind us; in fact, we're not sure she watched any of the game. She did see the warm-ups between each inning (more balls flying around = a little more action). We officially made it through 1/2 of the game before she decided it was time to leave. Then she managed to walk approximately 1/2 way around the dome; that's a long way for such short legs!

I love ice cream!

Grandma Jan sure knows how to get Regan to warm up to her! After a bite of ice cream, Regan was sure to go back for more :) It definately left her on a sugar high, she finally went down for an afternoon nap at 4pm; and that's usually when she wakes up from her nap!

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We spent our day at home with both sets of grandparents and Uncle Shane and Aunt Amy. Although it was a rocky start, Regan decided her breakfast wasn't suitable and left most of it on daddy's shirt after she had ate it (you get the picture), she managed to feel better after a morning nap and even made it into her Easter dress! She loved all the gifts from the Easter bunny as well as those from family.

The Easter bunny came!!

Tupperware party!

Again, the lesser of two evils-Tupperware or the canned food items. Lately she's been having more fun just emptying the cabinet and not necessarily playing with the items she is taking out. Sure it makes for a complete mess, but she's exploring and having fun so we'll deal with the mess (mom has an easier time than dad does dealing with it)!

Visiting the Schwartz's

Regan doesn't like to share her mommy. Everytime I held Natalie, she insisted I hold her as well (and daddy just wouldn't cut it). Despite how heavy Regan is getting, it was still pretty cute :)

Poor boat

The story goes that this boat is stuck in the ice, just yards away from the harbor in Duluth. Now wouldn't that just suck? They say it's too expensive to pull it lose so they just wait for the wind to shift and set it free. Wouldn't you feel worthy...it's too expensive to get you to shore, so just sit there for a few weeks, we'll see you eventually.

Canal Park

We braved the cold and ventured into Canal Park in Duluth on Sunday morning. Yes, it was freezing, but we had to get at least a few pictures of Regan next to Lake Superior. Unfortunately the walk out to the lighthouse was still barricaded so it was a short walk (and for those of you that know the story, Ryan and I nearly got a ticket 8 years ago after we climbed over the barricade to get a better view of the lake! We didn't actually think we'd see a cop next to a frozen Lake Superior!).

Family getaway to Duluth

We enjoyed a nice family getaway to Duluth last weekend. It was so nice to get away from home for a night and hang out in a hotel where we didn't have to clean up a thing! Our friends, Ryan and Kari hung out with us at the hotel and Regan just loved playing with Thomas, she was a bit jealous when I held Natalie, however. Unfortunately, Regan wasn't too crazy about swimming, that is, until Thomas went in. She still wasn't real sure about the "big bath-tub", but the peer pressure got to her and she at least went in without crying.

Hockey games!

Regan got up close to the TV to watch the college hockey games with dad last month......ok, so maybe she was more interested in the book she slid next to the TV and could no longer reach! But it was a cute picture and the timing was perfect; just getting into the 3rd period (obviously!). By the way, the no clothes has to do with the fact that she has yet to let me get her dressed completely after a bath before rolling away and running out the door. I pick my battles, and that just isn't one of them!

First trip to the Zoo!

We took Regan to the Como Zoo last weekend and she had a great time :) Each time we pointed out an animal, her face would light up when her eyes finally came across what we were pointing at. It was the most adorable thing! Her favorite animal was the polar bear (I think they were the easiest for her to see) and they moved around a lot which she loved. The monkeys were the hardest for her to see, they were all sleeping in trees and I think she thought we were nuts pointing at a tree saying "monkey".

Spring has sprung!!

With two robins in the front yard and 60+F temps, I think it's official: spring has arrived :) Now let's hope it sticks around. We were finally able to put together Regan's birthday gift and she just LOVES it!! She had so much fun going down the slide and stands so proud in the small tower. She also seemed to enjoy watching the older girls (neighbors) play basketball on daddy's b-ball hoop!

Mama's big helper

She loves this thing! Everytime, for the past 5 or 6 months, that I have pulled out the swiffer, Regan starts laughing. Lately she will chase me around the hardwood floors giggling at this crazy looking thing. Today she finally got her chance to play around with it and she had the time of her life, laughing all the while she pushed it! Someday, we're going to have to remind her how much she liked to help mom clean when she was little!

Ouch....again

Another accident at daycare resulted in a banged up nose this week. The story has it that the kids were playing in the driveway and Regan's push toy managed to get too far in front of her. Her short legs couldn't keep up and, although it was apparently in slow motion, she fell down to her knees, then onto her nose. I suppose the snowpants she was wearing contributed to the difficulty she had keeping up with her toy on wheels. A few tears later and it was all over. It's just hard to look at right now, and we got a lot of looks in the grocery store last night. What next!?

Hello, it's for you

She learns quickly! Regan will walk around, saying 'hi' and then some jibberish that only she can understand. She's definately got an imagination!

Pardon the bedhead, she had just woke up and squirmed away from the brush.

Orange or Ball ?

Depends who you are asking! Regan insisted this was her 'ball' yesterday after dinner and kept dropping it on the floor; not sure which lucky parent will get to eat it. Thankfully it wasn't an apple!

13 months old!

Regan is now 13 months old and surprising us everyday. Here's a re-cap of the last month or so. She's an 'on-the-go' baby, never wanting to stop. She often ends up running around the house in just her diaper and onsie after bathtime because that's all mom can manage to get on her before she squirms away. We weighed her last night and she's not quite 22 lbs, same as she was last month.....see, she really is moving a lot! She's finally trying new foods and is almost, but not quite, as picky as her mom! She eats meatloaf, green beans, sausage, any fruit and an array of other foods. Unfortunately, milk isn't something she's interested in and she continues to push it away, no matter what color sippy cup it's in! We've even tried chocolate milk, that doesn't seem to work either. I'm trying not to worry about it. She also loves to be held, mostly by mom, which has turned into a slight problem as it caused mom's shoulder/chest wall muscles to give way last week. Felt like a heart attack, thankfully it's just muscle, but she could care less and still fusses to be held constantly. O well, just one of the joys of parenthood! Last night we discovered her 3rd molar had come through, obviously this one wasn't as bad as the first two (we actually slept through the night every night this week). She's talking up a storm with lots of jibberish and can say the words : hi, hot, duck, ball, mmm (in reference to food!), yea, Ben, mom and dad. Both grandma's swear she says grandma too...the jury is still out on that one!

Goodnight Elephant

Regan's new favorite spot is her rocking chair tucked next to the fireplace. She loves to climb into it and rock (or try to rock). Mostly she will just purposely slide out, only to want to get back in! She's always on the move. I'm realizing it was much easier to take pictures of her before she started moving so much, especially walking. Now we have a hard time getting her to sit still long enough to change a diaper, let alone pause to smile for the camera!

Mastering the spoon-not quite yet

Wrong end, but right concept! Guess we'll need to keep trying :) She's got the right idea ~ doesn't that face look determined!

It truly is easier to wipe the pudding off the end of the spoon and stick a finger in your mouth.

Weekend of driving....

We managed to add up over 300 miles this past weekend :( Friday we drove from home to New Ulm and back again; Saturday from home to St. Cloud and back again, and Sunday from home to Mahtowa and back again! Thanks to a few sing-along CD's from Regan's great-aunt Cheryl, the time passed fairly quickly (at least she was happy!). Poor kid refused to be locked into pretty much anything today, especially her carseat. She almost threw a fit when it was time to get into her high chair at breakfast! Needless to say we're not planning anything next weekend.

Molars?!

Yep, that's right, Regan has not one, but two molars coming in!! And it's obvious that was the reason for an awful night. For those of you that hadn't heard, last night was horrible for those of us that like sleeping. Regan couldn't fall asleep and she finally managed to take about a 20 minute nap in mom's arms from 10-10:20pm. It was a disaster from then on. Finally around 2:30am, everyone fell asleep...probably from pure exhaustion. Poor girl was probably in misery from teeth coming in and she just couldn't tell us. So we tried everything, from rocking, to singing to Orajel to Tylenol. Now that we can see the two little buggers (aka: molars) we're assuming the latter two were the ticket to sleep.
So in preparation for the teeth to make their way further out of her gums, we loaded her up on Orajel and Tylenol BEFORE we laid her down tonight! Neither of us could handle a repeat of last night!
Lesson learned: teeth have a mind of their own and will come in whenever they feel like it, even at midnight.

Bring on the snow

I would actually prefer warmer weather, but Regan is happy with the snow! We headed outside to attempt to play in the snow today...has anyone tried to walk around in 2 feet of snow drifts and pull a sled? At one point, Regan was tipped almost onto her side and happy as could be! Opps. We opted for a sled ride on the snow covered street instead, just seemed safer.

Just another day

Although mom and dad wore windpants and sweatshirts, Regan was dressed in her new pretty red dress (poor girl outgrows her clothes faster than she can wear them!). Unfortunately she refused to wear the black shoes that go along with the dress and simply pulled them off each time they were put on. She's already telling her mom what her taste in clothing is going to be!