Merry Christmas 2012!

We started off the festivities with mass at 3:00 on Christmas Eve.  We arrived before 2:00, because the church gets packed.  Let's just say it was a challenge--very warm, very crowded, and a little girl who wanted to go potty at home, not at church!  But we made it through (well we made it through to Communion, but that counts, right?)

After Church, we headed to Nana's house in Farmville.  All of Trey's relatives gather here on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts.  The girls had a blast playing with their cousins Emma, Elizabeth, and Jack.  And of course they loved opening all of their presents!  Then it was time to get in pjs and head home to wait for Santa to arrive!

Christmas morning started by looking like this:

 And ended looking like this:

 As you can tell, the girls must have been VERY good this year because Santa brought them a ton of presents!  Reagan had been asking for a car she could fit in, so she was so excited when a Barbie Jeep was waiting under the tree!  Both girls had a great time opening gifts and playing with toys all morning.  We then had Trey's parents over and his Uncle Eugene (who Reagan affectionately calls Uncle Magene) for a delicious lunch.  The remainder of the day was spent playing with toys, organizing all of the gifts, and a little bit of relaxing.  We had a wonderful day, and we are so happy to report that both girls were healthy for Christmas (even though they are both sick as I write this). 

 Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Long Overdue Updates

December has been a crazy month!  With Reagan's birthday, Madilynn's long string of sicknesses, and preparing for and celebrating Christmas, I have had virtually no time to post.  So I am going to post three mini-updates in this one post.

Update One: Madilynn turned 10 months old!

10 down and only 2 to go!  My baby girl is well on her way to being a year old!

On a funny side note, a few weeks back I gave Madilynn a few tiny pieces of pizza.  She loved them!  She was sitting at her high chair eating while I was cleaning up the kitchen.  I turned to check on her and this is what I saw:

Pizza is delicious and tiring!

Update Two: Reagan's 3 Year Old Check-Up

I was one proud Mama after leaving this appointment!  First, Reagan was not scared at all and did a wonderful job!  In fact, as soon as Dr. Pastore came into the room, she ran to him and gave him a hug.  And then she proceeded to talk his ear off the entire appointment. 

It is routine for the nurses to take the girls while the doctor catches up with the parent.  As soon as Dr. Pastore and I were alone in his office, he started laughing and asking if Reagan talked much.  I told him she talked all of the time.  He responded, "Many three year old talk a lot, but they don't talk here!  If she talks this much here, then I can only imagine how much she talks at home!"  He then started to ask me if she knows her basic colors and shapes.  I must have had a pure look of disgust on my face when I answered, "Of course.  She can also name an octagon and a trapezoid."  He asked if she knew her letters ("All of them") and her numbers ("She can count to 20").  With that information, he told me she would be ready for Kindergarten tomorrow!  He told me that we need to make sure she has a great teacher because with three years until she can start school, she will be bored out of her mind if she isn't challenged.  That's my girl!  Overall, he was very impressed with her overall health and growth.  By the way she is in the 90th percentile for height at 38 3/4 inches (no wonder we are moving her into 4T pants) and the 50th for weight at 32 pounds.

Update Three: A Gingerbread House

To have a little Christmas fun, we decided to make a gingerbread house!  It was a ton of fun, and while the finished project isn't magazine worthy, we had a ton of fun and made a lot of memories making it.  It will surely be a Christmas tradition from now on!

 Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't thank Grandma Patty for coming to stay with us for over a week.  She watched Madilynn for the entire week so we didn't have to send her to daycare.  Madilynn was feeling so much better, the first time in nearly two months, and had a wonderful Christmas.  Thank you, Grandma!  We love you and can't wait to see you again!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Reagan!

My "baby" girl turned three yesterday!  I wanted to post this on her actual birthday but we lost power due to a wind and rain storm (the first time we have lost power in the 4.5 years we have lived here!).

I absolutely cannot believe that she is already three.  It truly feels like yesterday when I was laboring on the floor watching Mission Impossible before heading to the hospital.  Time is flying by much too quickly. 

Dear Reagan,

Happy Birthday sweet girl!  How are you already such a big girl?  Mommy cannot believe that you are three years old!  You are no longer a baby and really not even a toddler anymore.  Instead you are growing everyday to be such an amazing little girl.  You are so, so smart.  I can't help but feel proud when you say words in Spanish or "read" a book you have memorized or show off by reciting the alphabet, colors, numbers, and shapes (yes, people, she knows what a trapazoid is!). 

You are so wonderful to your sister, always concerned when she is crying or getting into something you know she shouldn't be getting into.  You talk to her with such kind words that sometimes you bring tears to my eyes.

I feel so lucky that I get a front row seat to your childhood.  Although seeing you turn three is bittersweet, I look forward to the following year.  I know it is going to be full of amazing experiences and memory making moments. 

I love you forever and always,

Mommy

Here are some pictures from Reagan's birthday party brunch on Saturday:

An Ohio Thanksgiving

This year we spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Ohio.  Since Madilynn doesn't exactly like riding in the car, we decided to leave Tuesday afternoon after I got off work.  We were on the road by 2:45 and made it to Ohio around 11:30 or 12:00.  It actually worked out perfectly.  We stopped for dinner, changed the girls into their pjs, and almost as soon as we were back in the car, Madilynn was asleep and Reagan was watching a DVD.

Wednesday we spent recooperating from the long drive and late night.  Grandma took Reagan to the park, which she absolutely loved, and we spent time catching up with family and friends.  Thursday of course was Thanksgiving!  We spent the morning eating cinnamon buns and watching the parade.  Then it was off to Aunt Mary Ann's for a delicious dinner.  We also celebrated Reagan's birthday that night with cake and presents.  Everyone had a great time.  We have so, so much to be thankful for and too many blessings to count. 

We had big plans for Friday, including meeting up with Julia and little Christopher to play with Reagan and Madilynn.  Unfortunately, Grandma was not feeling well, so we ended up packing the car a day early and heading back to Virginia.  Even though our visit was cut short, it was a great couple of days. 

Here are a few of my favorite pics from this visit:

Thanksgiving 2011

Two Peas in a Pod

The Cousins!

Chillin' with Uncle Chico

Alyssa's Blog Debut!

Party Time!

We can't wait to dig in to the birthday cake!

Yummy icing!

Presents! (I love princesses!)

Today was exhausting!
Snuggling with Aunt Mary Jo

Peanut's Living Up to Her Name...

Happy Belated 9 Months, Madilynn!  I know I am way behind on this post, but I wanted to share information about Madilynn's 9 month appointment.  The Peanut is living up to her name!  At 26 inches long and 17 pounds, 10 ounces, she is in the 30% for weight and less than 10% for height!  But the great news is that she is perfectly healthy, despite her small size.  She is crawling all over the place, getting into everything...and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Playing Doctor and the Real Deal

It has been two weeks since I last posted.  Both of my sweet girls have had sickness after sickness, which means no one in the house has gotten much sleep lately.  First, Madilynn was diagnosed with her first ear infection.  Then, Reagan came down with croup.  Since we always encourage Reagan to share with her sister, she did just that and shared her croup with her!  So Madilynn was diagnosed with croup, bronchiolitis, and a horrible yeast infection.  Throughout it all though, both girls have been troupers. Madilynn heads back to the pediatrician tomorrow, so I am crossing my fingers and praying to God that she is showing some improvement.

 I thought it was fitting to post some pictures of the girls playing with Reagan's doctor kit, one of her favorite toys, as well as one of them cuddling on the couch.  Everyone in our household is looking forward to a much needed vacation next week!

 

A Wizard and A Cheerleader...and Grandma!

Happy Halloween 2011!

We started off Halloween weekend with the arrival of Grandma from Ohio on Thursday afternoon.  Everyone was so excited to see her!  Unfortunately, I had a negative reaction to the Tdap vaccine, so I wasn't feeling great upon her arrival.  But after an evening of rest, I felt much better and was able to enjoy the weekend.

On Friday, Trey and I went to work, so Grandma stayed home with the girls.  I came home to an amazing surprise--Grandma had done all the laundry! That night we enjoyed pizza and Halloween cupcakes--two of Reagan's favorite things!  Although I was feeling better, it was clear that Madilynn was not feeling good.  We called the nurse on Friday afternoon, and she said her symptoms (low-grade fever, fussiness, wanting to be constantly held) sounded like teething.  However, after a long night and little sleep, we decided to take her to the pediatrician Saturday morning.  We were so happy we made that decision because my poor baby was suffering from her first ear infection.  We immediately started her on antibiotics, but Saturday was another long night.  It was horrible listening to her cry in pain and not being able to do anything about it. 

My mom and I were able to cram in some quick shopping and some errands, so it was nice to have a few hours with her on Saturday afternoon. 

Sunday morning we all went to church, then Trey worked for a few hours.  We were able to relax around the house that afternoon.  Trey also carved the amazing haunted house into the pumpkin to get ready for Halloween the next day!

In our Sunday best!

Monday morning Trey and I were off to work, Reagan was off to school for some Halloween fun, and Madilynn stayed home with Grandma.  That afternoon we all met at ACP for Reagan's Trick-or-Treat party at school.  All of the children dress up in their costumes and trick-or-treat to each classroom.  It was so much fun!

"Abracadabra!" Reagan kept exclaiming!

My little cheerleader and wizard!

Halloween night we headed out trick-or-treating around 5:45.  We left a little earlier than expected because rain was in the forecast.  We had only gone to a few houses when it began sprinkling.  So Grandma took Madilynn home, while Trey and I continued on with Reagan.  Even though we got wet, Reagan had a blast.  She yelled "Trick-or-Treat" at every house and remembered to say thank you.  And as soon as we were leaving one house she would immediately ask, "Are we going to another house so I can get lots and lots of candy?!"  After nearly an hour in the rain, we decided to call it a night and head home.  Reagan enjoyed one treat before it was time for bed.  It was a great Halloween!

All bundled up on Halloween night

"Trick or Treat!"

The loot!