We've got the decorations all set for Halloween! Regan's even able to say "Jack O Lantern" and knows the difference between that and a pumpkin. Daddy has his work cut out for him next weekend when he sets out to carve 6 pumpkins! We're looking forward to Regan's reaction when she puts her hand inside the pumpkin for the first time and feels the mushy insides.
Regan found mommy's flower from Hawaii and thought it would be cute to pose for a picture. Later she walked around the house with her purse full of girly goodies: cell phone, camera and some other trinket toys. 
Mommy and daddy (and Regan too) have become bored with Regan's toys recently. So last weekend Regan got to open her Halloween present a little early :) She was pretty excited to open the box and learn how to use a sit n spin! At first she pushed herself around with her feet, but within minutes she figured out how to pull herself around with her arms! It's so much fun to watch her go round and round; we can't wait till she's a little older/stronger and can really get herself moving so fast that she's dizzy! Unfortunately, we couldn't find an 'old school'/traditional sit n spin and this one is Dora the Explorer. It drives mommy and daddy nuts with Dora's constant singing/counting/giggling.
Last weekend we headed to Duluth in hopes of getting a glimpse of the fall colors. Let's just say the ride up was more scenic than what was visible in Duluth. We didn't even realize we were driving down "the" hill until we hit the bottom...visibilty was being measured in feet. Despite the cold weather, Regan had a blast playing with Thomas and Natalie Schwartz; so much so that she only napped 45 minutes! We can tell she really has a thing for playing with cars, and unfortunately, she has none of her own to play with. Thankfully Thomas was so nice sharing his toys and she loved pushing the cars around the floor. 
Given the dreary start to the day, we didn't actually think we'd be going up the ski lifts to view the MN fall colors Friday evening. Thankfully the rain dried up and although it was muggy and humid (not exactly fall like), we were able to keep our plans. Regan really liked the ski lift "ride" as she calls it and hung on tight as we climbed to the top of the hill. She wanted to stay on and ride back down, but that wasn't exactly an option. Once at the top, she enjoyed petting a dog, looking at an owl and seeing the bonfires. The owl was a tough concept....they are a bird in her mind and they go "tweet tweet". As far as mommy and daddy, well, it was a beautiful sight at the top to see the skyline and the amazing colors; definately not 'peak' colors yet, but still amazing. Tomorrow we hope to have dry weather in Duluth where the colors are supposed to be at peak, despite the rainy forecast.
The weather, the colors, the fun, this is what we live for in MN! We took Regan to Augsburg Park last weekend for a few pictures of fall in Minnesota. This Friday we'll head to Hyland Ski area to view the colors from the top of the ski hills. Then Saturday we head to Duluth in hopes of catching a glimpse of more fall colors.
It's hard to see beyond the date on the picture, but yes, that is Regan standing next to her first poppy in the big girl chair! Now we know we take too many pictures, but this is a big step! Mommy didn't actually believe her when she got off the potty and said "poopy flush" since that is a common phrase for her. Much to her surprise, there really was poopy to flush! We're not getting too excited, potty training isn't really going anywhere fast. But eventually we all figure it out, right?
Regan has started asking to go "pee pee" or "poop" like a big girl! Since our bathroom is so tiny we don't have room for a potty chair her size; I'm hearing this is a good thing since it's pretty gross to empty. Today she agreed to sit on the potty and enjoyed reading a book and hanging out with mom. Dad had to capture how cute she looked sitting cross legged reading herself a story. Someday she won't like us for this picture!
On our way home from New Ulm Sunday we stopped at Emma Krumbee's to see the scarecrow contest, pumpkins, petting zoo and other fun fall activities. Regan was incredibly camera shy today so nearly every picture she turned away. Thankfully we got this one where she is sitting on top of a mound of pumpkins; you can tell she was in her glory. 
This weekend we traveled to New Ulm for mommy's friends wedding. Saturday morning, Regan found an interesting hat....an empty garbage can, ick! Thankfully, Papa has a large collection of hats and they seemed to satisfy her need to put something on her head.
No, this won't be her Halloween costume this year :) We were getting ready for a bath last night and mommy took Regan's ponytail out and she looked like a peacock! Her "ouches" are finally starting to heal from last weekend; falling over her own two feet on a regular basis makes waking up unsafe.
Regan enjoyed a play date with Liam Helm over the weekend. She was pretty cute doing her best to share her toys, no major conflicts so that makes for a more relaxing evening!
Regan slept through most of the first Vikings game, but that was ok with mom and dad because it gave us the opportunity to watch the entire game! She did manage to turn towards the tv and cheer along side mom and dad during a portion of the game; she didn't know what she was cheering for, but it was super cute!
Yes, I realize this stereo is more than antique, it's so old that even Regan has figured out how to use it! She loves to push all the buttons and knows exactly how to turn it on and off, which by the way, she takes pleasure in doing everytime she walks past it!
We spent last Friday with all 4 grandparents at the MN State Fair. As you can see, Regan fell asleep on mommy's back, yet her nap didn't last real long. We enjoyed lots of yummy {non-fat, right?} food! We had hoped to take Regan down the Giant Slide (a yearly favorite) but she was nearly sleeping on grandpa Leo's back at the time and we didn't want to disturb her slumber. It was funny to hear daddy put an end to all the greasy food she was eating.....although everyone else kept on going! Until next year
At least they were "light" chips, right? Regan found the bag of chips laying on the table last week and took it upon herself to climb onto the chair for a snack. It was pretty adorable, until she dumped the bag and every crumb landed on the kitchen floor!
We played beauty shop on this rainy afternoon and fortunately, mommy was faster than daddy at grabbing the camera so it was he who got his picture taken! Regan did a lovely job at putting "badets" aka barretts in his hair. 
Regan turned 18 months old yesterday; what a milestone. It seems between 12 and 18 months, she has probably changed the most, or at least it's been the most notable. Just this week she reluctantly gave up her pacifier and that was not an easy task. We "forgot" it at Nana's last weekend and we haven't seen it since! She has done amazingly well without it, although the first few naps/nights were painful~maybe more for mom than Regan. The first night, as Regan finally drifted off to sleep, mommy was rocking her and could hear her making a sucking noise with her tongue, that was enough to bring tears to mommy's eyes. As painful as it was, we knew it had to be done. Just 5 nights later, she's peacefully able to fall asleep without it. She also transitioned from two daily naps to just one daily nap this week. This has been a big change for mommy and daddy, but Regan's doing well with all the time she gets to play now. 
