Reagan

SOOO sweet!

Reagan and I still bathe together. I take my shower while she takes her bath; and sometimes at the end I pick her up and hold her under the warm spray. Well, last night she hardly slept at all because her cold has progressed to her chest AND she was up for the day at 5. So during the end of the shower, I noticed her hands had gone limp, sure enough..she was asleep! I woke her up a few times getting her down in my bed and getting a diaper on her, but she's there now..fast asleep! I guess the warmth was just perfect!

Also, Reagan has been 'reading' to me from her books for a while now, but lately she's started telling me her own stories about different things. I'll show her a picture I'm looking at in a magazine and she'll just go with it. Like a couple of days ago, I showed her a penguin..

r: paingin
m: yep, that's a penguin
r: paingin silly
m: is he a silly penguin?
r: paingin bath
m: he's taking a bath?
r: ewww!
m: eww? he's stinky?
r: paingin stinky..paingin bath.

So stinkin' smart!

So..the matching family pajamas....

Remember how yesterday I posted I was looking for matching pajamas for all of us? And remember how I said I had them custom made last year? Well, BOTH options are completely overpriced--I thought I would SAVE money by going the pre-made route, but no!!! I can't believe how much pajamas cost if you want them to match each other!!!

SOOOO...I'm going to take matters into my own hands, literally. I'm going to rip apart a pair of Josh's old pajama pants and use them as a pattern to make pj bottoms for him...same for me and Reagan...all out of the same fabric. (Joann's has some great Christmas flannels). I figure the pants can't be too hard to make if I'm using an existing pair as a pattern..and it's all straight stitches and no button holes!

Then, I'm going to buy us all long sleeve cotton shirts in the same color..white if I have to! I can always use RIT dye if needed! Then I'm going to applique some cute Christmassy design on the shirt.

Wah-lah! Matching Christmas pjs!!! Stay tuned. The quest will begin next week!

Whew!

This past week has flown by! There are so many amazing things to do in the fall that we've been trying to pack them all in..at the same time getting ready for our trip and preparing for all the insanity that will ensue when we return.

Tomorrow is another busy day starting with playgroup, a trip to grandma and grandpa's house, the post office to mail out some cards, three separate grocery store trips and a stop at the courthouse to get my absentee ballot registration turned in. The following days are going to be packed with more errands, cleaning, getting stuff together, playdates and this weekend we have a couple of fall harvest parties to attend! I can't wait!

I'm also spending tonight looking for matching family pjs for Christmas! Last year I had ours custom made because I couldn't find family sets. This year, I'm armed with a whole slew of websites! If you're interested in starting a new family tradition of matching pjs, here are some great places to shop:

www.woodensoldier.com
www.hannaanderson.com
www.thepajamacompany.com
www.snugasabug.com

By the way, I know my posts have been reading more like ads lately and haven't been very interesting, and I hope to remedy that in a few weeks, until then, PLEASE bare with me!

Sorry it's been a few days since posting! Reagan has been putting Josh and I to bed rather early and waking us up early as well..in fact, I should probably be napping while she is!

Not much is happening here lately. Reagan and I have been making the most of the last few weeks that the zoo is opened...in fact, we'll probably head that way as soon as she wakes up. The weather is beautiful..clear blue skies, the leaves are turning...GORGEOUS! I love fall. We're hoping to take Reagan to a pumpkin patch festival this weekend and I know she'll love it! After all, two of her favorite things are apples and pumpkins!

Speaking of food...one of Reagan's new favorite things to say is "Silly Pickles!" or something like that. She just started saying it so I don't have the phrase down exactly.

Otherwise, we're busy planning our trip to Alabama, getting the house cleaned and ready for Grandma's visit here and preparing for the winter to move in. I'm trying to get as much done for Reagan's birthday party and Christmas as I can since we'll have so much going on right around that time. Ever notice how that is??

I just wish that fall could last a LOT longer than it does and there could be a little more space between Thanksgiving and Christmas...time for us to enjoy it. Instead it's rush, rush, rush, throw all the good holidays together and by January I'm so worn out and depressed that it's all over, that I'm busy planning for next year..which is no way to live life! You should enjoy each second instead of thinking about how to get to the next stage.

Ok, enough waxing philosophical today. I'm going to finish downloading pics and then take a nap! Have a good weekend everyone!

Insanity it this...

We're leaving to visit family for two weeks at the beginning of November. Four days after we return, my mother visits us from Texas for another two weeks. During that time, I'll be hosting Thanksgiving (since she's here with us) and my daughter's 2nd birthday party, as well as doing all the normal holiday stuff including decorating, buying presents and the like....as well as our normal routine stuff (like playgroups, storytime and mom-group events) and all the events that come with winter (like lighting festivals, open houses, Christmas parades.....)

THEN I've promised to make cookies for Josh's office--new and old. AND I'm going to be hosting an open house (for which I'll also have to make cookies and cheese balls) to collect toys and the like for Reagan's Second Annual Christmas Toy Hospital Drive. Those have to be sorted and delivered before Christmas, along with a full dinner for the Ronald McDonald House and cookie platters for the various nurses' stations.

I also need to stay on top of housework, cooking, get bills paid, Christmas cards out and manage to make it to various ongoing doctor's appointments for December. We also need to get Reagan's Christmas and Birthday portraits done and a million other little things I can't think of at the moment.

Did I mention I plan to sleep through January???

Why There Is No Dinner

I STARTED making dinner..yes, started....then I discovered Reagan trying to put her finger along with anything else she could find, in a light socket..which led to me re-baby proofing the house (all the uncovered plugs were now exposed due to me rearranging the house). As I was baby proofing, I discovered a spider the size of my hand...which I then chased all over the bedroom with a bottle of Seventh Generation cleaner..which apparently was not enough to kill the sucker, which is why I am now going to switch back to toxins. This also explains why there is no dinner and why I am hunched..feet up, with keyboard on knees, on the top of a chair...hiding from a giant, BUT VERY CLEAN, spider.

Electing a Terrorist

Why are over half of Americans intent on electing a man with clear ties to terrorists and with clear backing from terrorist organizations, such as Hamas? I am convinced that if the mainstream media were to lay out the facts regarding Obama's associations, instead of trying to hide them to further their liberal political and social agenda, more Americans would NOT be voting for this socialist.

Because I am a mom, and because I have many more things to do than be online and since research has taken up much of my time already, I am simply going to list some articles that spell out, in detail, Obama's terrorist associations, rather than typing them up for you. I'll also refer you to some great websites where I have found some wonderful information.

Additionally, if there is anyone out there that has questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at lovegrowsbest@yahoo.com. I urge you all to do your research before voting. Obama is a man who cannot be trusted with the leadership of our country. He has no love for America. No real plan to protect her.

Please, please consider the many men and women who have fought and died for our country. They gave their blood to save our country. It's up to you to give your vote and save our country now.

**Also included are a few articles about why it is so important to elect a leader who will not DEAL with terrorist and Iran's threat to our survival**

http://www.hinzsightreport.com/2008/04/will-barack-obama-betray-us-if-elected.html
http://www.hinzsightreport.com/2008/03/obama-seems-to-have-had-ongoing.html
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=76170
http://www.nelsonguirado.com/index.php/asymmetric/2008/07/09/comprehensive-obama-flip-flop-list
http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4164
http://www.jtf.org/america/america.iranian.dictator.vows.to.destroy.america.htm

HinzSight Report
Hill Chronicles
Pajamas Media
Glenn Beck
World Net Daily
Michael Savage

Menu Monday

One of these days I really am going to plan a month long menu! I'm telling you, it'll happen! But not this week. Alright, onto the end of September/first week of October menu.

Monday: Brown rice with pork and vegetables (including some yummy fresh steamed broccoli!)
Tuesday: Baked acorn squash with real maple syrup and baked chicken seasoned with herbs from my friend's garden
Wednesday: Cabbage and potatoes, possibly with some kielbalsa sausage
Thursday: Chicken pot pie and green beans
Friday: Tacos or wet burritos (depending on the farmer's market selection of fresh lettuce and tomatoes) with homemade tortillas
Saturday: Leftover night!!
Sunday: Roast with carrots and onions, sweet or regular potatoes and green beans

Breakfasts: Fruit, fresh baked bread with jam, Oatmeal-Apple bars and cheesey eggs
Lunches: Spinach salads, leftovers, peanut butter sandwhiches (for mommy!) and grilled cheese (for Reagan!), homemade hummus with carrots and red peppers
Snacks: Fruit, cheese, turkey slices, applesauce, popcorn
Drinks: Milk, formula, tea, water, coffee, juice

A Free Weekend

First, let's all congratulate Reagan and her grandparents because today Reagan said "Granpa n Gama" for the first time...she's actually said them before but never together and never without prompting! And today, she did!

Ok...on to today's topic: A Free Weekend!

Josh and I decided to see how much we could do and enjoy this weekend without spending any money, or a negligible amount. I'm pleased to tell you, we've spent less than $10 total...and it's been an incredible weekend!

Friday evening we had an incredible (if I do say so myself) dinner at home followed by an evening at the local free fall fair--walking around watching the people, the lights and enjoying homemade ice cream from a local church.

Saturday, I spent part of the day at work, then came home, we had another great home cooked meal and then spent the evening playing ball in the yard with Reagan, took a long walk to look at the changing leaves and then had family movie night, complete with kettle corn!

Today, we had a wonderful breakfast, courtesy of Daddy, who makes great eggs. Then cartoons, a walk and up to the lake to pick up (shhhhh) Reagan's new train table. It's also a nice scenery change for all of us and Reagan gets to see Grandpa and Grandma and enjoy playing with the toys at their house.

All in all, it's been a great weekend for $10! What are some things you can do in your hometown for free/cheap? Some other options are picnics, zoos, museums, conservatories, exhibits, story times at libraries, state parks and local parks, craft time at home, playing basketball in the backyard, cooking together and enjoying a movie from your movie collection (or check one out ...for free..at your local library!)

In today's economy, it's important to save money and not waste it, but you also want to have fun. But remember, it's not how much you spend, it's the time you get to share together.

My 21 month old silly girl!!

Here are some new stories and pictures for you!

Reagan: Flag! Flag!
Daddy: Yes, that's a flag! What do flags do?
Reagan: De flag!
Hmm...who knew it was a noun and a verb!?

Daddy: Football is getting ready to come on, Reagan.
Reagan (throwing hands in the air like a touchdown field goal): Foobah!!!!!!!!

Daddy: It's family movie night! Which movie should we watch?
Reagan (running at breakneck speed down the hall towards the family room): POOOOOOOH BEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!! (Needless to say, we are revoking her voting privileges)

Reagan was walking down the hall last night and ran smack into the wall next to her bedroom door. She quickly looked around, held her arm up and pointed to the wall and said "WALL!!!" (as though, hey, just in case you guys didn't know, there's a wall there!)

There are some other stories I was trying desperately to remember and I have, of course, forgotten them...and Josh is no help! He's engrossed in football and can't remember either!

I will say that our child is exceptionally bright and she amazes me more and more every day. She makes little songs out of her favorite things, ranging from Mommy and Daddy (and mostly Daddy!!) to Pooh Bear and books. She loves being outside and running (one of her other favorite things) and we've just discovered she absolutely loves country-styled music! Go figure! Who knew they'd have a preference at this age! And it's not something I deliberately exposed her to...it is fair week here and from our house you can hear the music on stage. Someone was doing an incredible guitar solo and Reagan tried to run towards it. I told her the music was downtown and we'd go either that night or the next with Daddy...she promptly spent the rest of the evening tried to run to 'town!' 'town!', as she pitifully proclaimed.

At any rate, I tried to recreate the music for her by rifling through Josh's music collection. It wasn't until he came home and put on a metal/southern rockish-country CD that we discovered what she truly liked! Unbelievable! I think we'll be introducing her to some Johnny Cash music this coming week!

Ah, now for the pictures! Hope you all enjoy!

Reagan in the 'pretend' choo-choo at the zoo!


Reagan riding on a real choo-choo! Her first time! This was at the zoo also!


Reagan eating an ice cream cone (at the zoo of course!) Also, she soaking wet from playing in one of the many fountains!


Here's a picture of a baby peacock we followed around..just love the little thing on his head!


This is Teddy! He's a four year old Bengal tiger and when Reagan visits him, he just sits there and stares at her! It's kind of unnerving, but I get the sense that he realizes she's just a baby and she's not afraid of him...kind of like he respects that! .....


And here is Reagan finger painting! She is convinced that every color is purple! Alas!