I received another 'anonymous' comment (I actually receive these fairly often, but this one made me laugh out loud literally!) on my blog post regarding Israel. Now usually, I don't make time to read anonymous comments once I figure out that they're not from family or friends, but this one was short enough and started off funny enough, that I made an exception before I deleted it.

It asked if I had several tin hats that I wore and said I was one scary person. It was a cute comment that I suppose was meant to be derogatory but I found it amusing and it actually made my day, and gave me a new blog topic!

Actually I am the perfect conspiracy-theorist! But I don't believe in aliens, the Easter Bunny or man-made global warming. I do believe that Obama is networking with countries that have provided aid to terrorists or the actual terrorists themselves; and that Michelle Obama is actually more dangerous than her husband. I do believe that the government wants to control every aspect of our lives (banning trans fat anyone? They can't even trust us to know what to eat!) or at least, the more liberal side of the government wants to control our lives.

But am I really the scary one? *I'm* not making these things happen. I'm merely pointing out what *IS* happening in the world today. I do think it's much scarier to simply blindly follow what the media reports. I do think it's much scarier to not use your own mind. I think it's even MORE scary to refuse to follow the law of God AND to keep your head buried in the sand, when all around you life is changing..for the worse. And the scariest of all? Refusing to teach our children God's laws.

I am proud to be numbered among conservative men and women. Prouder still that my words reach people, granted probably not many, but they are reaching SOME people and maybe that's helping them to think about the future, what it holds and what they believe. Now whether they choose to let my words anger them, or they choose to use them as a thought provoking message, well I guess that's up to them.

Tomorrow is a new year. A year in which I've made a lot of promises to myself. This past year was difficult for me. I was very vocal about my beliefs and as such, caused myself a lot of personal pain. I have been called many names. I've been told I'm mentally ill for my beliefs. I've been told that I shouldn't raise a child. I've been told that my child is going to suffer tremendously for the way I am raising her. Those things did bother me, but in the last few weeks I've found a peace and I'm hoping that continues in the next year. I am happy and am going to continue to have happiness in my life, regardless of people that are so unhappy they feel the need to spread it around.

I know what my beliefs are, and I will continue to stand for them, because that does make me happy. It also makes me happy to continue to raise my child in such a way that her life will be pleasing to God, no matter how unpleasing it may be to those who refute His Word.

So, as we go into the New Year, I encourage my conservative friends and readers to stand tall for what you believe. God did not promise it would be easy. In fact, we are shown example after example of how UNeasy it will be to believe in and stand up for His Word. You will be persecuted, you will be called names. But this earth is only our home for a little while. So stand tall, continue to teach your children God's word, continue to be vocal about what you believe. And God bless you and your family in the new year!

New Reagan Stories!

Wanted to share a few sweet and funny Reagan stories!

Christmas morning, Reagan woke up all excited and exclaimed "Presents for Reagan! Presents for Reagan!" Then she became very solemn and said "Baby Jesus birthday." Yes, little one, and how very lucky we are to be able to celebrate it!

Reagan is now counting to ten! And she just turned two! Way to go baby!!

We went to visit Josh's parents the other day and Reagan was letting her teddy bear use the bathroom. She put him on the toilet seat and then made the (inevitable) pooting sounds. I nearly died from laughing so hard!!

Oh, and soon, one day, I will catch her singing her compilation of songs she loves..the "Baby Jesus song" (aka Away in a Manger) and Jingle Bells.

More to come soon I'm sure!

Israel is truly alone. At least...they will be when Obama is inaugurated. I listen to the reports from Gaza. I see the newstories. And I can't help but wonder..what would I do if I were in Israel's position? No one will stand with them. They are truly alone.

And then I wonder what punishment we will receive? Maybe Russia's prediction that we will fall will come true? It seems every single day we edge closer and closer to our fall...and it's our fault.

So wicked, so immoral. Men with men. Women with women. Killing helpless defenseless babies. What is wrong with us????? And women, we are the worst of all. Excusing everything in the name of progress..when we have the right and obligation to teach our children a better way, to teach them God's word. But we don't. Instead, they're being brought up to think THIS is the way life should be..entitlement, self indulgence, the death of responsibility and morality.

I cringe whenever I hear 'liberal speak', saying that a woman has the right to choose! 'A woman has the right to choose!' Well sure, she does have the right to choose. She has the right to choose to have sex or to not have sex. If you choose sex, you choose all the responsibility that comes along with it. You create a life...you are NOT entitled to choose death for that life. And if you do, you are a murderer. A MURDERER. I hate that we've put a softer word like 'abortion' in place for something that is blatantly horrid and black and filled with death. It is MURDER.

I hate the liberal speak that is thrown out that conservatives are hypocrites because they don't believe in abortion but they do believe in the death penalty. The last time I checked, babies were innocent, helpless. When someone has committed a crime that deserves the death penalty, they have forfeited their innocence.

Our country has been so blessed and we have thrown it right back in God's face.

Merry (belated) Christmas!

I haven't posted in the last week because, well, as you can imagine, it's been quite hectic around here with Christmas! We had a great Christmas, in case you were wondering, despite a few minor mishaps (like Amazon's major goof on Reagan's kitchen). However, it all turned out well in the end, as another present arrived to take the kitchen's place, just in (literally) the nick of time.

Santa delivered the Rose Petal Cottage and then a couple of days later, the Cherry Blossom market arrived. By the way, they are absolutely the cutest little girl toys ever and I highly recommend them to any mom! I even wanted to spend the day holed up in the comfy little nursery that came with the cottage!

Nothing else too noteworthy has been happening, save the freak weather..one day it's negative something or another, the next day it's 60 degrees...who knows, maybe tomorrow we'll have a tsunami (and we're land-locked!)

I made my first bread pudding ever..and I must say, it turned out pretty well! I was pleasantly surprised! It made enough for two loaf pans and I've frozen them for some cold wintry day in January when I can't get up the urge to cook :) I'm sure that'll be sometime soon! Here's a link to the recipe! (And in case you were wondering, this is not in anyway an endorsement of that website, since I've only read the recipe..and that came from googling, but if that recipe is any indication, it's a site I'm going to frequent!!)

Sharing some new photos!

I can't believe I forgot to post Reagan's birthday party pictures! So here are a few (late!) and also, a few of her second birthday portraits!

Reagan loving on her balloon and enjoying herself before the party...


She then realizes there's a party next door with OLDER kids...and of course she wanted to join (here she is peeking in on them!)


I had to get a shot of a two year old actually eating broccoli! (ok, ok, so she was really licking the ranch!)


Reagan blowing out her pooh cake!


Reagan opening up the hit of the party...a growling tiger flashlight! Mostly she just looked ticked that we kept interrupting her cake and ice cream eating session to bring her gifts! Her little friends did enjoy helping her, but shockingly..all Reagan was interested in was food (that NEVER happens!!!)


Reagan and daddy on the choochoo train at the spray ground!


Reagan trying to drink the water!


Notice the expression on both their faces!?!


Reagan and daddy swimmin'... (guess where mommy was? behind the camera...AS USUAL!)


Reagan having a complete and total blast!!


Reagan's second birthday portraits..the little ham!!

Breakfast with Santa & the 2nd Annual Toy Drive

I'm finally getting around to posting about Breakfast with Santa and our Toy Drive. First, Breakfast with Santa was a blast this year! Even more fun than last year..although, I'll never quite be able to get over how cute Reagan was that first year!

We ate blueberry pancakes on a stick, did lots of crafts (most of which are still in the car from Reagan playing with them that day!) and Reagan got to see Santa. Later that day, we headed into town to see Santa again, visit the indoor conservatory and attend a gingerbread house exhibit..you wouldn't believe some of the gingerbread houses!!! Below are some pictures from our fun day, and of course, my beautiful baby!

And unfortunately, no, I didn't get any pictures of the gingerbread houses, although they were beautiful (one was a Church..stained glass, WITH A FULL WEDDING WITH GUESTS made of fondant, inside!!!)..our camera's battery was dying. We did manage to get one of us..but of course, as luck would have it, my eyes were closed..blah!







And last, but not least, the toy drive. This is our second year for Reagan's Christmas Toy Drive for Hospitalized Children. The first year, was actually very small and consisted of us, along with Josh's parents, donating goodie baskets to the parents of the NICU babies and coloring books and crayons to the pediatric and PICU patients. This year, along with the help of my local Mom's group and Reagan's grandparents again and several friends and family members, we were able to donate a huge amount of books and toys, as well as some amazing cookies, cooked by myself, Josh's mom and several of my friends. Additionally, a good friend of mine asked her mom to knit small caps and sweaters for the NICU babies. So, she did, along with her Church group. They were absolutely beautiful and the most delicate tiny things you have ever seen! I wish I had gotten a picture before we dropped them off!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT CONTRIBUTED!!!!!

Just to give a quick background on the toy drive, Reagan was born exactly one week before Christmas, in 2006. We, of course, spent the holidays in the hospital. It's never a place you want to be with your child, but it feels even more isolated and lonely on Christmas. So we wanted to give back and make sure that every child enjoys a little present on Christmas...after all, what parent is worrying about shopping when you have a sick child?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these photos! The first is of Reagan in her santa hat on the way to deliver the gifts. The second is of a L&D nurse that helped us deliver the gifts all over the hospital (and yes, Reagan has her finger in her nose!!) And the last picture is really special, because this is one of Reagan's PICU nurses..in fact, this nurse was the first person to ever give Reagan a bath.

Again, THANK YOU to all who made this year's Toy Drive a success! God Bless!

Now we know who's REALLY in charge...

Reagan insists that we all go to bed at the same time (we co-sleep). We were walking back to the bedroom and Josh said, "just so you know, Reagan, you don't rule the house." Reagan looked up, kept marching down the hall and said "I RULE THE HOUSE!" Wow.

Happy Birthday my beautiful baby!

I cannot believe you are two. You've grown so much and are such a beautiful, smart and incredible child. Every day my heart grows a little bigger when I wake up to see your (usually) smiling (but sometimes grumpy ;) ) face!

I am so proud of the little girl you are becoming and so thankful that you're still my baby for a little while longer. You are the most precious thing in our lives and we are so lucky to be your parents.

We wish so much happiness for you; health, humor and love. Happy Birthday Reagan!







Here is Reagan's birth story.

Christmas Tour! Welcome to our house!

Welcome to our home!

Notice the magic key hanging on the wreath? It's a special key to enter our home, that only Santa can use!


Ah, and here's our resident Snowman to greet you now! He and Reagan are great friends and they have tons of fun running (or being dragged!) around the house and playing with his buttons!


Since you're in our reading room, sit down and enjoy the tree and take in some of my favorite Christmas items--a small "USA" Santa ornament that my mom purchased for me in 8th grade (I was really patriotic at a VERY young age!), my favorite buttered rum candle bought at one of my favorite places in the world..a small Amish town that I visit every year, and a woodland Santa portrait I purchased at a yard sale for an astounding $1!


This tree is mostly red and white, with small white and silver churches that look almost exactly like the one that Josh and I were married in . Also on the tree is the silver heart ornament from the first year we dated (hmm, what guy wouldn't love getting a Christmas ornament from his girlfriend of three months!?), red tin birds (which Reagan loves to hold up and say 'tweet, tweet!'), and homemade applesauce-cinnamon ornaments with barn red homespun, that I crafted the first year we lived in our home.


Next stop, the bathroom, hallway and bedrooms. Here are some snippets from each!

In the bathroom, is another of our little snowman friends. I bought this one at a friend's shop one year during her Christmas sale...his carrot nose had me at hello! I fell in love with the snowman picture, which I just happened to find on clearance last year! Red looks so good with this color, I decided to go simple and just use red and white towels...it reminds me of a candy cane!




Our hallway is filled with pictures of our family and this year we added a small bookshelf for some of Reagan's books and puzzles. On top of the bookshelf, is a nativity from my mom. Reagan loves to abscond with the cow, but I always make her put it back. I worry about things such as lead poisoning....yes, I am OCD. The small tree is decorated with all of our personalized ornaments...several for Reagan, and some for the cats and Josh and I! Oh, and the S'more mom with her baby at the foot of the tree? Yep ;) that's me and Reagan! Usually Reagan's puzzle pieces are in a regular old basket, but since it's Christmas...everything went into this adorable (clearance find!) snowman basket! I love Christmas and clearance and those two together, well, it makes me happier than a clam at high tide. (yes, corny ;) )




And last but not least, there's Pooh. Pooh is a recent addition to our family this year. Reagan is slightly (um, yeah) obsessed with Pooh and I found him just sitting and waiting for us to take him home from a garage sale! He lights up and moves around. Needless to say, this is the high point of Christmas decorating this year!


On to Reagan's big girl room....but wait, it's snowing! Continuing with last year's theme, we have snowflakes falling from the sky! The smile on Reagan's face when she saw these were worth nearly breaking my neck on her stepstool.


Ah.....and the Pooh tree. I used snowflakes from last years tree, Reagan's new Pooh ornament and of course, yellow (for honey) bow and tree skirt. The crowning ornaments here are the Tigger and Pooh heart shaped wooden ornaments! Coupled with the Tigger and Pooh stocking holder, and you have one happy Pooh-lovin' girl! (And yes, in case you were wondering...the Pooh and Tigger ornaments were garage sale finds at ten cents each! And the stocking holder??? Brand new garage sale find at $3.00!!)


Next stop, our bedroom! I always try to put something on each door, this year was snowflakes and red ribbons! Our room is always blue and white, so I just spiced it up with red pillows, a red throw, red wreaths and berries! Wa-lah, a little Christmas happiness here too!


The kitchen isn't too overly decorated (well, ok it is, but that's normal!) I have a few Christmas items out..a large Santa cookie jar, a Christmas rug, various Christmas bric-a-brac (including a favorite snowman piece, pictured below) and of course my tree! I love this little tree! Reagan loves it too since she's obsessed with apple trees!



And lastly, the family room (I won't show you any pictures outside because, well, frankly, it's freezing!!). The family room used to be my pride and joy, completely done in patriotic red white and blue..it is now filled to the brim with nearly every toy you can possibly purchase! Here is our first tree together..a Charlie Brown twig tree. The applesauce ornaments, and rag garland are handmade.


The reindeer family that sits underneath the tree were handmade by my husband's grandfather to represent Josh, his mom, and his dad. Now they represent our little family! Reagan adores them and they're one of our favorite Christmas decorations.


This is my prize friendship tree! It's up year round with white lights, but it gets decorated every now and then for holidays. To celebrate Christmas, it's wearing a jolly red Santa cap! And I can't post a picture without telling you the awesome deal I got on it...orginally $170.00 (drum roll please)...I got it for $10 at a garage sale!


This is our mantle..which I'm still looking for a great way to arrange..oh well...


Well, that's our home. I hope you enjoyed visiting and seeing some of my favorite Christmas decorations and hearing about my great finds! Merry Christmas!!!

Some more Reaganisms for you!

The other day I was singing (loudly and off key as usual) and Reagan came up to me, put a hand on each of my cheeks, squished my mouth together and said "hush, mommy, hush". Nice. I get no respect.

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One evening we were trying to figure out what movie we wanted to watch. Josh had the drawer with the DVDs open and Reagan was looking over his shoulder. She suddenly got all excited and started pointing at one DVD and saying "watch Bobbi! watch Bobbi!" It was King of the Hill! We hadn't watched it in several weeks but clearly the show had made a big impact on her! LOL! Anyway, we did end up watching it and there was a scene in which Bobbi had done something particularly sweet. I said 'aww, that's nice', and Reagan said "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Bobbi" very dreamily! LOL!

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I had mentioned to Reagan about something being very special (I can't remember what it was) and she turned, looked at me, pointed to herself and said "Reagan, I speshul". Yes, you are baby. Yes, you are.

Sadly, this might indicate more about me than Reagan....

The other day I was craving red meat (if you're anemic and a girl, you know what that's like!) As we were out looking at Christmas lights, Josh pulled up to a drive-thru to order a burger for me. All of the sudden, from the back, we hear Reagan's wee little voice saying, 'Mcfies and uh, coke, pease." Needless to say we just about died from laughter.

What was even funnier.....we were at Burger King! ;)

Warning: Shameless bragging to follow!

Reagan has poopied on the potty and is potty training herself! And today, in the store, while shopping, out of the blue, with no help from mommy, no number line, nothing...she counted to six!!!! I AM IN SHOCK. I have one of the smartest little girls in the entire world. Yes. I do. She's not even two years old yet. Wow. She's incredible!

"Oh God"

Isn't it interesting that when you hurt yourself sometimes, the only thing you can think to say is "Oh God" repeatedly? I'm pretty sure I broke my baby toe today (yes, Reagan, your mommy IS the clutziest person in the world) and I think I must have said "Oh God" about 35 times while hopping on one leg, cluthing my toe. And yes, this did freak Reagan out, but at the time, my primary concern was the fact that I was sure my baby toe was about to fall off.

Now, I'm not sure if "Oh God" is in response to the pain or a plea to the Almighty to deliver me from the torture I was experiencing. All I know is that God had many petitions before His Throne this morning....and a majority of them had to do with my baby toe. I'm not sure what that says exactly about my priorities........

My mail man is on the take

I talked with our adoption specialist (fancy word for social worker I think) about our adoption packet. It was sent out on the 19th of November. Never showed here. My package from Gymboree...hasn't arrived. A box of toys my family mailed out...hasn't arrived. A package from my mom...gee, hasn't arrived.

What gives? Is my mail man the Grinch??

Helpful household hints regarding lipstick and dryers

Per my title, today I am going to share with you some wisdom regarding cleaning lipstick out of dryers, which, for you, I have tested first hand.

Now, my first tip is to CHECK YOUR POCKETS. REMOVE ALL ITEMS. If you're reading this, I assume that you either, one, want a good laugh at my expense, or two, you are one of those poor unfortunate forgetful souls such as myself. If you are indeed one of those souls, here are some more tips that may come in handy to you.

Run the dryer with an old light colored towel, slightly dampened. Guess what? It'll actually attract some of that yucky lipstick mess!

And second, for what your towel doesn't attract, take a baby wipe and clean up! Easy peasy!

Here's an extra, no charge. If you are forgetful like me, you may want to switch to a lighter lipstick. Mulberry doesn't like to come out of clothing well.

Baby Esus

Reagan loves "Baby Jesus" and spends a lot of time staring at the ornaments and books with Baby Jesus, that are up and around the house. I normally don't mind, but she's taken to playing with a beautiful Waterford crystal nativity that Josh's parents gave us for our first Christmas.

I've been warning her away from it, telling her she can touch and look but to not pick up...that all stopped when I saw her picking up baby Jesus, loving on him and then having Mary and Joseph each stoop down to kiss him. .....Wow....amazing what our children can teach us.

Huge lingerie sale!

Take advantage and get yourself some nice undies for Christmas! Figleaves.com has 90% off on a HUGE portion of their inventory! Go girls! Go!!

One of THOSE weeks....

I am feeling swamped and decidely out of my mind. This week I've made over 30 dozen cookies, delivered batches of goodies and presents, fought my daughter to get her to sleep every night, spent nearly every red cent in our account on adding to Reagan's Little People empire, wiped up enough paint to turn the Mississippi into a rainbow, and am just generally exhausted.

This weekend we have three craft shows to attend--wait, FOUR!, two bake sales and roughly 12 homes to visit on the Christmas walk. The next day is Reagan's birthday party, making more cookies and preparing for Grandma to leave to go back to Texas.

I may spend the next week lying on my bed in a pool of drool. If I don't blog for a few days, send in the guys in white coats.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm trying to stay organized this week with so much going on, so here is my menu!

Monday: Roast, potatoes, carrots and yeast rolls
Tuesday: Hamburgers and fries
Wednesday: Cube steak, creamed potatoes and green beans
Thursday: Chicken pot pie and broccoli with cheese
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Out all day--will eat lunch at the Church craft fair and sandwhiches for dinner or out
Sunday: Breakfast: eggs, bacon and toast; snacky items until Reagan's party, then food there!

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, bacon, eggs, toast
Lunches: Grilled cheese, soups, sandwhiches, vegetables
Snacks: cheese cubes, fruit, yogurt

Sunday: Food for Reagan's party:
Pooh cake with mini ice cream cups
Cheese and cracker tray
Meatballs
Veggie tray
Fruit tray
Sandwhiches (maybe pinwheels)

Christmas

Everything is now about Kissmas....including music...now when Reagan asks for me to play music, she runs to the CD player and points and jumps up shouting "Kissmas tee music! Kissmas tee music!"

Wow! What a week!

Did you like that alliteration? ;)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and stuffed themselves with way too much turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving was actually fairly easy for me to prepare this year thanks to two people: my mom for spending four hours chopping all the vegetables and fruit, and Josh's mom, for preparing the ham! We made a ton of food, including: roast sweet potatoes, onions and herbs; ham; cornbread dressing; relish tray; deviled eggs (Josh's speciality, Reagan calls them "doubled eggs!"); sweet potato souffle; orange fluff salad; broccoli cauliflower salad; green beans; squash and yummy yeast rolls--all followed by NSA apple pie and pumpkin loaf! Nummmeeee, as Reagan says! And I haven't had to cook since (the best part!!!)!

We also made a trip to K-Mart after stuffing ourselves to pick up some Christmas items. Save yourself the trip, people...the toys are waaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced! But I did find some cute fleece items for Reagan to play in next year! Friday I spent most of the day at work but did enjoy a little early morning Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart, where I discovered everything I was looking for (Thomas the Train, anyone?) was already sold out! No, I didn't even attempt to go to TRU! The rest of the weekend has passed in a blurred haze of eating leftovers, shopping, decorating and wrapping Christmas presents!

Whew! I'm exhausted just typing it all out! Luckily, I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping and after that, I have to mail out several packages and done! YAH! In the meantime, we have some fun activities planned--Christmas at the zoo; visiting a couple of train exhibits; meeting Santa and his reindeer; having breakfast with Santa; Reagan's birthday party; etc, etc, etc. Wish us luck that we get through all the 'fun' without getting too run down!

By the way, are some new Reagan stories/updates for you to enjoy!

****Reagan was reunited with her favorite snowman this week when we decided to start Christmas decorating! Last year she was in absolute love with him (as he was about her size!) and spent most of the holidays dragging him around by his buttons! This year started off with much of the same!

****Reagan is obsessed with shopping! She talks about it constantly and wants to go! go! go! However, she quickly gets bored with it and shouts "ME HOME!" when she's had enough!

****All the grandparents have now become either "Pawpaw" or "Ganny" since visiting my Granny and Pawpaw! It's adorable and whenever Reagan sees an older man in the store with graying hair, balding or with glasses, she yells "PAWPAW!" I have to remind her that we'll see Pawpaw(s) again in a few months....and the older men usually walk away with a smile (they must have grandchildren too!)

****Reagan has loved to play peekaboo since, well, forever. In the last few months, she'll cover her face with her hands and say "Baby sad." At first I was really concerned when she did it, however, if you ask her why baby is sad, she'll get a big grin on her face and lift her hands up and say "BOO!" and laugh! It's one of the cutest things I have ever seen! Sometimes when you ask her why she's sad, she'll just smile and say "I happy!" The other night we were laying in bed and I played peekaboo with her and said I was happy. She sighed, smiled, snuggled down in the bed and said "I happy too" and went to sleep. My heart is a permanent puddle of mush I think!

****I think we all know Reagan is obsessed with Pooh. And if you've ever watched "My Friends Tigger and Pooh", you know the expression "think, think, think"! The other day Reagan was wandering around looking for her purple (read: red) cup and kept saying "Puple cup? Puple cup? Where did puple cup go?" Finally she stopped, and tapped her finger against her temple and said "tink, tink, tink". My eyes nearly bugged out of my head! Kids! I love the things they come up with!

Forget Black Friday....

just shop at Walmart! They'll match any other store's advertised ad, even on Black Friday....as my husband said last night when I told him of this "if I were another retailer I'd be PISSED!"...yes, but isn't it nice for those of us looking to save cash and gas this year!?

Speaking of which, there are some amazing deals on video games and electronics this year..none of which I'm interested in! And a few deals on non-Hannah Montana and non-Barbie items! Get them while you can!

On hold...

Until Thanksgiving gets here I feel like I'm put on hold to do everything that needs to get done..you know the list:

the decorating
the baking
the cooking
the wrapping
the buying
the planning

etc etc etc

I'm on hold to get food made for Reagan's birthday party, on hold to get the nearly 500 cookies I have to make, made, on hold, on hold, on hold!

Some days I wish we celebrated Thanksgiving earlier so I could have just a little more time in between holidays.

Probably the funniest Reagan-isms ever....

Reagan developed a habit, while visiting my family, of stripping off her diaper and running naked through the house. One night, just in her diaper, she convinced her great Pawpaw to give her a chip. She grabbed the chip in one hand, stripped off her diaper with the other, and ran screaming and giggling down the hall--straight into the arms of Daddy who said "You're naked!" She beamed the brightest smile I have ever seen and excitedly said "And I have a chip too!"

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Reagan met her cousin Barrett for the first time ever, she proceeded to follow him around the house saying "Hey boy!" It was so cute! However, the funniest thing was when he walked into the kitchen, obviously ignoring her (he's 9) and she ran after him yelling "Hey boy! I'm talkin'!" WOW. A vision of the future!!

Warning for parents!

Please make sure to really look at the medicine you are giving your child! Earlier this week I was cleaning the gunk out of Reagan's nose with what I *thought* was her saline solution. It turns out I gave her two sprays in each nostril of Afrin!

A call to the poison control center confirmed that she would be fine, but it was still quite a scare! The bottles looked almost exactly alike! So please, please be sure to double check your child's medications and maybe even put them in a separate place from yours!

Some funny Reagan stories for you!!

As promised!!

Right after we got home from our trip, I was snuggling with Reagan in bed...I had gotten hot and pulled off my top, which left just my (very modest) bra on my chest. Reagan woke up, patted my chest and said "what's that?" I explained it was my chest and she then patted her chest and said "MY chest." She then turned to me and patted my chest again and said "BIG chest"...Bless her heart!! Not many people would say that! ;)

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Reagan has never had nuts or coffee, yet when anyone pulls one of those items out she screams "COFFEE NUMMMEEE!" or "NUTS NUMMMEEE!"

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Reagan was wearing her beautiful party dress for Church on Sunday morning while we were visiting our family. When we got home, she started twirling around and said "I a pincess! I pretty!" She then picked up the front of her dress, started scrubbing her nose and proclaimed "I cean nose!"

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I found Reagan scratching the carpet one day saying "I diggin, I diggin!" I asked her what she was digging for and she looked up and said "For flowers!"

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She is finally starting to recognize that she isn't just "BABY" anymore..when you ask her who is in a picture she'll say "MEEEEEE!"


More to come later....even funnier might I add ;)

I have a blog stalker....

who seems intent on posting on all my political topics. As soon as I see "Anonymous" pop up on a political topic, I scan the first sentence and then immediately delete. Some people cannot get it through their heads that this is *MY* blog and they don't get a say here! Imagine that! Free speech for a conservative! Who knew!?

So..to whoever you are out there, try being a real person and step forward with your name instead of hiding behind the cowardice of the "ANONYMOUS" title. I'll be more than happy to debate you....and win.

We're Back...from a great vacation!

Hi everyone! We're finally back from a two week vacation with my family (in case you were wondering why I haven't posted in a while!) We had a great time, catching up, enjoying my Granny's cooking, getting Reagan acqainted with her family and letting them spoil her rotten. I promise I'll try to get pictures up in the next week or so, and in the next few days I'll be posting some hilarious Reagan stories!

Let's see---during the visit, I managed to seriously damage my grandparents' car...not my fault, but I feel terribly guilty about it nonetheless. Reagan managed to score some more toys. Reagan got her first hair cut. I ate my weight in lemon pie....and we all enjoyed some terrific weather.

The only real blemish on the trip was the outcome of the election. We were all BITTERLY (hmm, that sounds familiar) dissappointed and clinging to our religion...not to mention our guns..hopefully those will carry us through the next four years. My Granny kept saying that God may choose to punish us for our wicked ways...I believe she may be right. I'm just going to keep praying that God shows us mercy and somehow changes the direction of our country.

That's it for this post. I'll be posting tomorrow! It's great to be back!

Country Music...

Reagan LOVES country music..she groooves to it and gets the biggest smile on her face! Too funny! I've gone through stages in my life where I listened to it, but mostly not....however, I think I'm about to it another 'listening' to it phase! And I found a great new station that, get this, plays the National Anthem every day at noon.....I'm in Heaven!!

Scattergories!

My IRL friend Jana had this on her blog a while back and I thought I would have a go at it!

Here are the rules:

~Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions.
~They have to be real places, names, things; nothing made up!
~You can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.
~Tag 5 people to play along.

1. What is your name? Leah

2. A 4 Letter Word: Leaf

3. A Boy’s Name: Leon

4. A Girl’s Name: Lisa

5. An Occupation: Lawyer

6. A Color: lavender

7. Something you wear: long johns

8. A Beverage: Lemonade

9. A Food: Lasanga

10. Something found in the bathroom: lipstick

11. A place: Louisiana

12. A Reason for being late: lazy (thanks Jana!)

13. Something you shout: Love you!

14. Now tag five others: if you’d like to play along I’d love to read your answers

Obama is guilty of Treason

Remember this when you vote today:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Article 3, Section 3 of the United States Constitution.

The argument could easily be made as he gave tax payers money to politicians/countries that are currently in alliance against us, as well as giving aid and comfort to a man who openly declared war against the United States of America.

More Reaganisms!

The other night I was downloading our camera and there were several pictures of all the kids from Reagan's playgroup when they had had a halloween party a few weeks ago. Reagan saw them, pointed and said 'friends'....

Talk about your heart just melting.

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Sometimes when I have to transfer Reagan from the car to her crib during her nap (we have a window of time I can do it and she'll still sleep--roughly 10-15 minutes in!) she'll wake up, look at me, pull her covers up to her chin, roll over and go back to sleep! ADORABLE!!!

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Whenever Reagan wants us to read the same story or sing the same song or tell the same thing she just shouts "AGAIN!" LOL! Bossy little girl!

Just a thought....

Why would ANY mother out there, vote for a man who voted yes to infanticide, but not vote for a mom who will stand up for all kids, but especially those with special needs? Hmm...

A birth story quiz!

Saw this on my friend Jana's site and thought I'd post it on mine too! It's pregnancy/birth questions about me and Reagan!

Were you married at the time? Yes, for 3 years.

What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? I was in shock! We'd been trying but I still couldn't believe it was really happening!

How old were you? 28 when she was born.

How did you find out that you were pregnant? I had been charting my temps (using FAM) and I had a 'triphasic chart', which usually almost always indicates pregnancy, but I didn't want to test and be disappointed again. So, we went out hiking with our friends Kelly and Ben and when we got home, I thought, well maybe I'll go ahead and take a test. I did and it was a very faint positive (because it was late afternoon!)

Who did you tell first? I SCREAMED for Josh and asked him if he saw what I saw!

Did you find out the sex? YES! I knew she was a girl!!

Due date? I'm trying to remember, but I think it was January 16, 2007.

Did you deliver early or late? I delivered her 4 weeks early via an emergency c-section due to complications.

Did you have morning sickness? Like you wouldn't believe. At week seven, I became horribly nasausated and would just sit huddled in a ball praying to throw up. Finally, about week 10?? I started throwing up, so violently that I would always throw up blood. I continued to throw up daily and sometimes several times a day until seven months.

What did you crave? NOTHING. Actually, that's not true! At week five, I craved meat and avacados. After that came the morning sickness and I wouldn't eat for days...maybe a bite or a bite there at times! The smell of garlic, the smell of the outdoors..everything made it worse!!

Who irritated you most? Josh..even though he was also the most helpful!

What was your first child’s sex? A girl, obviously!

How many pounds did you gain throughout your first pregnancy? Let's see, I gained about 6 until I went on the Gestational Diabetes diet (how, I have no idea), then I gained 10 more (luckily that was about month seven when the m/s went away!)...Total was about 22, most of it was water weight at the end that I began retaining. The week after I had her, I had lost 40 lbs.

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? YES. High blood pressure, pre-e, gestational diabetes, SEVERE morning sickness, -Rh, swelling, migraines, severe anemia...I can't remember what else. I was put on bedrest in the second trimester and stayed there until Reagan began developing complications which led to an emergency c-section.

Where did you give birth? in a hospital.

How many hours were you in labor? I wasn't. I went in for one of my twice weekly non-stress tests at 10 am, which led to more tests, then I was sent home while my doctor contacted specialists and gathered up the pediatric cardiologist, and got all the appropriate personnel gathered, as well as putting the emergency helicopter and Children's Hospital on standby. Reagan was born that evening at 8:39.

Who drove you to the hospital? Josh. We were both very scared!

Who watched? An entire slew of doctors and nurses and Josh. Unfortunately, they were in such a hurry, they didn't cover up the operation, so Josh viewed the entire surgery..including watching me almost bleed out.

Was it vaginal or c-section? C/Section. Thank God for miracles!

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? mmm, yeah! LOL! Actually I was pumped with quite a bit of medicine because of the problems during the surgery. I didn't feel anything for a long time and my head was quite floaty as well...I did try NOT to take medicine as much as I could..I hated that feeling!

How much did your baby weigh? 6 lbs, 5 oz....a good bit of that was fluid that had collected on her. When she finally came home she had lost the fluid weight and actually gained a little bit. She came home at 5 lbs 5 oz.

What did you name your first born baby? Reagan.

How old is your first born today? She is 22 months!

Ten Things I Love About Fall

Jana posted this on her website and I thought I would write my top favorite fall things!

1. Pumpkins! "I love pumpkins, every kind, every size!"--"I Like Pumpkins" by Jerry Smath
2. Crunching through the leaves
3. Baking
4. The GORGEOUS scenery..the colors up here are amazing!!
5. Craft festivals
6. The smell in the air (we live in a part of town that used to be an orchard and you can still smell it in the air on fall days, along with woodsmoke!)
7. Being outside
8. Cuddling up with a good book with the windows open!
9. Apples
10. The way life seems to slow down and you just seem to ENJOY everything more.

Surprise Aunt Stacy...

Reagan can say your name! She was looking at a picture of the two of us together and I told her who you were and she said it immediately! Stacy! Woohoo! (She also happened to see a picture of Josh with his cousin Jason and said "daddy and some guy!" LOL!)

And ask her who she is....she pats her chest and says "Me Reagan". Yes, yes you are my sweet girl!!

Reaganisms--

Reagan picking up the phone:
"HALLOOOOOO! HALLLOOOOO!! HALLOOOO! It's only me!!"

When Josh got home from work he was changing Reagan. All the sudden, she covered her ears with her hands and started yelling: "I just need some peace and quiet!!!" Sheesh..out of the mouth of babes!!!

Menu Plan (Sunday) Monday

This week I'm trying all new recipes! Wish us luck!

Breakfasts:
Egg and Bacon Toast Cups with Fruit
Baked Oatmeal

Lunches:
Family Style Mac and Cheese with Vegetables
Leftovers OR Items from Schwan's

Drinks:
Milk, Formula, tea, juice, coffee

Dinners:
Monday: Chicken with cornmeal dumplings
Tuesday: "Leftover" Makeover chicken
Wednesday: Lasanga with salad
Thursday: Burgers with sweet potato fries
Friday: Chicken with roast, herbed potatoes, bacon and onions
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Chicken with olives, green beans
Monday: Any leftovers

Word puzzle....

Did you know that the average 2 year old toddler SPEAKS between 50-200 words and can put together a few 3 word sentences?

Well, I decided to actually start writing all of Reagan's words down last Saturday...I eventually gave up. She can say practically any word that I say and she uses sentences fluently and correctly...although she doesn't quite understand past tense yet. For example, she'll say "Mommy, it break", when a toy has gotten broken, instead of "Mommy, it broke."

Either way, she's obviously well ahead for her age group and I'm so proud of her!!!

Speaking of her intellectual skills, she's getting so amazing with pretend play. She put two blocks together today and acted like they were choochoos and at the store she was cooking and kept saying "I make! I make!" LOL!

12 Rules of Parenting you can BREAK!!

I'm loving this article entitled "12 Rules of Parenting" by Charlotee Latvala from Parenting's November 2008 issue. I wholeheartedly agree that we set too many rules on ourselves. Let's give ourselves the ultimate gift for the holidays..after all , we're grownups and we're moms!!!

Break free, moms, break free!!

My friends, Tigger and Poo----

Reagan and I were playing on her bed with her Tigger and Pooh pals. All of the sudden, Reagan picked something up off the bed and pretended to eat it. "Hmmm, pickles" she said...she then proceeded to feed Eeyore pickles, which he apparently relished (pun intended). Who knew?? I always thought he ate thistles!

Next, Reagan decided to open Tigger's bottom (he has a false bottom area for batteries), sniffed and said 'eww! poo-pooh!' Poor, Tigger, I guess bathroom skills are hard to come by in the Hundred Acre Woods.

One lump or two?

Reagan was bringing me 'tea' after dinner the other night and she finally sat down as well to have a cup with me. I asked her if she wanted sugar and she screamed "NO!", then turned and sweetly said "Ceam pease". SO SWEET.

Later I was pouring her a second cup and accidently used the 'ceam' pitcher as the 'tea' pitcher. Reagan looked at me like I had two heads and promptly corrected me. Oops! Guess Reagan is the expert on tea making!

Boogies

The other day I was sucking boogies out of Reagan's nose with the nasal aspirator. She was not happy with me because I kept doing it and doing it and doing it, with little success. FINALLY, I was able to get all the dry, encrusted boogies out of her nose.

She sat up with a look of complete and utter relief and said loudly, "BOOGIES ALL DONE!!!!"

LOL!

Toddlers

are the most disgusting creatures on earth. Yes...this is true. Not only will they eat random foods and non-foods from your own home's floor, parking lots, and supermarket flooring; they'll also eat bugs, rocks, cat puke and various other interesting things I wouldn't dream of consuming.

I came to this realization today after I found Reagan sucking on a srubbie I had used to clean the kitchen and wipe down grease encrusted pans. Yuck. She seemed to relish it. UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH.

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!