From the lips of Reagan

At Reagan's school this month they are talking about dads. (They do this every year because they aren't in school during June which is when Fathers Day is). Tomorrow night they are having a big "Donuts for Dad" event at her school where she will sing a song and then go have donuts with Stephen. I think she has made him some art projects and fun things to give him at the thing. Today in Reagan's book-bag they sent home a little questionaire type things her teachers did with each child about their dads. Here is Reagans responses (her answers are in italics and bold.)

My Dad
My dad is: 9 years old.
My dad likes to: mess with his phone
My dad is funny when he: is silly
My dad always says, " football is not boring"

I wonder what this will say when they ask her about mommy???

Not enough to do....

As if I dont have enough to do with packing and getting ready for our Disney trip next week (see you didnt even know we were going to Disney did you? That's because I am so behind with all the other thing I am doing lately)... I decided to make (yes make) the autograph books for my kids. Crazy? Yes. But they came out so darn cute!

Growing Up

This is Brody. (Please ignore the snotty nose)

He is my baby...

except that he is not a baby anymore...

and it makes me sad.

It seems like in the last few months he has gone from a baby to a little boy and I don't know how it all happened so quickly. He is talking (a lot) and really forming this little (but gigantic) personality. He loves to dance (Hakuna-Matata is his current favorite). He still LOVES horses and Gerald (another post to come about this). He likes Handy Manny and animals. He is good at imitating . He can count to ten and knows a few letters. He loves to play Ready. Set. Go. (This is where he takes off running around the room until you come and get him.) He loves to be outside and hates having his diaper changed. He loves going "Bye-Bye" even if he has no idea where we are going.

He is still super attached to his lovie but hasn't asked for his paci since we gave it up. He is HUGE... he is already wearing a 3T in most clothes. He weighs 30 lbs and while I am not sure of his exact height, he is at least a head taller than most of the kids he plays with. He loves Gymboree class and hates fruit (he gets that from his daddy). He already has his two year old molars ( and has had them for a few months now). He still sleep like a champ but to my surprise has not climbed out of his crib yet (no complaints here). He will be starting PRESCHOOL in the fall (I cant believe he will be in school). He is very active.... even when he is watching TV he is running around the room. He loves his daddy but is proving to be a real "mama's boy". Gives great kisses and even better hugs.

Likes brushing his teeth (sometimes we do it 4 times a day). He loves bath time but hates getting dressed afterwards. He is scared of bubbles (in the bathtub), rides at Chuck-E-Cheese (especially ones that have characters in them like Barney or Mickey Mouse) but is not the least bit afraid of real character (like the life sized Chuck-E-Cheese or Chick-Fil-A cow) or regular bubbles in the air. He can hear and see an airplane from a mile away. Obsessed with all things that have buttons (phones, the alarm keypad, the debit/credit card machines at any store, did I mention phones?)

Is finally starting to stand up to Reagan... screams at her when she takes stuff (I have been warning her for a long time that it wont be long before he's bigger than her). Likes to wrestle with daddy but not so much with Reagan. Knows his eyes, mouth, nose and ears and proudly does the song "Head ,Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Likes to color with MARKERS (not crayons). Is starting to tell me when he has to go poop but is terrified of the potty. He loves the box of instruments. Calls out Reagans name in a yell... he cant ever just say it normal it has to be yelled. He terrorizes our dog. He is all smiles all the time and he LOVES unconditionally.

I cant get over how fast he is turning into this little man... I am excited for the future with him, T-ball, football, karate, whatever he wants to do... but for now, just for a little longer, I am going to hold onto my baby... because more than likely, he is my last one.

"Princesses Dont Have Eczema"

I realize I am so behind on posting... we have had so much going on and by the time I have time to blog... I am just to tired to do it.

Today while Brody was napping, Reagan and I were playing with her Polly Pocket Princesses (which are a little creepy if you ask me) but she loves them. She decided that they all needed a bath before the ball so we went to great lengths to set up a Polly Pocket sized bathtub with Polly Pocket sized towels and even found a little something that we could pretend was Polly Pocket sized soap. She washed and dried each one carefully.

Let me interject here by saying that while my children got many wonderful things from Stephens side of the family... Eczema was not one of them. I have never had it, nor has anyone else in my family so it has to come from his side. Both Reagan and Brody both have it, therefore at the end of bath time every night they have to be slathered in lotion to help prevent breakouts.

Anyway back to the story at hand. After Reagan had dried them all off I asked if they needed lotion (thinking we would then find a Polly Pocket sized lotion to pretend to put on) but Reagan looked at me very matter-of-factly and said:

"No mommy! Princesses don't have eczema!!!!"

For Uncle Jordan

Apparently watching her uncle dive has inspired her.

Brody - 18 months

These are long overdue but these are the pictures I had done of Brody at 18 months. With the holidays and my inability to make a decision on the ones I wanted I am just now getting around to posting them. They were taken by my friend and talented photographer Heidi. Check out her site at http://www.hnmphotography.com/

I know I am biased but I cant resist this face... and those eyes are a little piece of heaven looking at me everyday!!!

Christmas for Daddy

I try and do things that are creative for Stephen from the kids for christmas. He never really wants anything and if he does he just goes and buys it. Not to mention most of the things he really wants are really big and expensive so they are a little out of my price range. A few years ago I had pictures made of Reagan in her UGA cheerleading uniform for Stephen for Fathers Day so this year I decided to try and get ones of the kids together in their UGA clothes. The ones of them together werent as great but there were a few cute individual ones. He was surprised and I think he really like the ones I had framed for his office.

It was chaos at the mall when I went to have them done... I waited until the last minute and was kicking myself for it because it was a nightmare. The day ended with Brody having 4 cookies for lunch and falling and getting a bloody nose and me having to buy Reagan a $30 toy at the Disney store for being good during the pictures (I had to bribe her) but I guess the end result was worth it =) Oh the things we will do for good pictures.

Overpriced baby shampoo

There are lots of smells that come with having children. When they are babies it is usually the smells of spit-up, formula, baby powder, poopy diapers, diaper rash creme, and that coveted smell of a fresh clean baby. For my babies it was a certain kind of baby soap that I searched the world over for and once I found it I bought out every bottle they had and then had them order me another case... it was overpriced but it was a smell that I had gotten used to as "my clean babies smell" and so I paid for the overpriced stuff and savored every moment of that "clean smell".

Then they get a little older and they start to smell like strained carrots, prunes, and whatever else they manage to pick up as they are crawling across the floor. I still washed them with the overpriced baby soap and savored every moment of that smell.

Now that they are even older they both have their own smells. Reagan comes home from school smelling all kinds of wonderful (insert sarcastic face here), morning breath, hair gel (for when she will let me actually pull her hair up) body splash (yes my 3 year old likes putting on perfume, although it isnt a regular occurance), sweaty little girl, grown up hair shampoo (because she has so much hair) etc. Brody smells like a littel boy (that should say enough =), his shirts usually smell like whatever his lunch was for the day, poopy diapers, sweaty little boy (and yes that is different than sweaty little girl smell), dirt, paint, etc.

I dont use that baby soap anymore... now we buy whatever is on sale, but sure enough, as I snuggle up close to them at night before bed, and find that certain spot, I breathe in... a long slow breath, I find that smell. Not the smell of the overpriced baby shampoo or that afternoons lunch, or sweaty kid smell, but "their smell". The smell that they have always had since the day they were born, that intoxicating smell that is them. It always has been and always will be their smell. I could hold them forever, breathing that smell, taking it all in, holding on to who they are by that one little smell. They will probably never know I do it, and when they are older if I tell them that I did it, I am sure they will think I am weird, but for now... "that smell" is worth so much more that all the money spent on overpriced baby soap.

4 Generations

My mom, my daughter, me, and my grandmother

I am so thankful to be able to have this picture. To me it symbolizes the past, present, and future. Two great women who have paved the way for myself and for Reagan.

We are hanging them out to dry

We are officially a paci-free household! This past Monday I decided it was time to take away Brody's paci (which for me was long over due). He took it like a champ! I am so proud of how easily he gave it up. I threw them all away and told him "no more paci's" and while he has occasionally asked for them it has not been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Way to go Brody!