Happy 1st Birthday, Madilynn!

All dressed up for my birthday party!

Two days ago, my sweet baby Madilynn turned one!  Time has just flown by.  I know it is trite to say it, but it feels like yesterday when I was recovering from a C-section and cuddling a barely 6 pound baby in my arms.  Now my little one is cruising, babbling, playing (and fighting!) with her sister on a daily basis.  She is the complete opposite of Reagan in every way.  She is tiny, living up to her nickname Peanut, shy, and sensitive.  I remember right after she was born, I told my friend at work about her birth story.  She told me that Madilynn is going to be a go-getter:  at the first opening she saw, she just had to enter the world.  So every time she sees an opportunity, even if the door is only partially open, she will go for it.  I love thinking of that when I look at my little girl, because even though she has a sweet exterior, she is learning to be quite fiesty as well. 

I love Grandma!

My mom and Aunt Suzanne suprised us all by driving down from Ohio for Madilynn's first birthday party.  We had a wonderful afternoon celebrating with some family and friends.  Reagan was so excited for the party that she didn't nap at all that day.  Madilynn, on the other hand, fell asleep in my mom's arms just as the party was starting! But after a brief snooze, she woke up to her first cake and presents.  She loved opening them--or rather watching her sister open them!--and she loved playing with the toys--or rather the boxes--even more.  All in all, Madilynn had a great first birthday.

So excited for a party!

Sisters forever!

Cake!  Where have you been all my life?

Reagan's favorite food group: Ice Cream!

Dear Madilynn,

Happy 1st Birthday, Sweetheart!  It has been such a pleasure to be your Mommy this past year.  You came into this world on your own terms, and you have been my sweet Peanut every single day since then.  It has been amazing watching you grow from a tiny, 6 pound 4 ounce baby, to an almost-walking, always-babbling little girl.  I am so excited to watch you continue to grow and learn and love in the coming weeks, months, and years.  Reagan started our family; you have completed it.

I love you always and forever,

Mommy

Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day was all about the girls!  In the morning, Reagan and Madilynn each had a gift bag from Mommy and Daddy to open.  Reagan got candy, Ni Hao Kai Lan hinies (this is one of her favorite new shows), Hello Kitty nail polish, and a plastic plate with cupcakes and hearts all over it.  Madilynn got a matching plate and a play remote (she is obsessed with the real thing--here's hoping she will start playing with hers instead!).

This afternoon, Reagan had a Valentine's party at her school.  It started at 3:00, so both Trey and I were able to make it.  All of Reagan's friends exchanged Valentines and candy, and then they all enjoyed cookies.  Reagan had a blast!  About halfway through, we brought Madilynn over from the baby room to join in the fun.  She enjoyed watching all of the festivities.  Happy Valentine's Day 2012!

My goody bag!

Rock Star glasses!

Mommy's Valentine

Daddy's Valentine

I can't wait until I can eat all that candy!

Checking out the loot!

Getting Out of the House!

This winter, our family has been plagued with sickness.  Every time we turn around, one of us isn't feeling well.  The same held true for this morning; this time it was Trey's turn to be under the weather.  But we decided that we weren't going to allow all of this sickness to keep us at home today!  Since the girls are both healthy (knock on wood), we took Reagan to her friend's birthday party at a soccer dome in Richmond.  They had a blast!  Reagan was her usual outgoing, talkative self, and we had several parents comment that they couldn't believe she was only three.  She ran around the soccer field, devoured a piece of pizza, and ate the icing off a piece of cake.  And the goody bag to take home was just the cherry on top of a wonderful birthday celebration!  Madilynn also had a great time watching all of the kids play, and she even managed to eat a whole slice of pizza!

And here are some pics of one of the girls' favorite activities:  BATH TIME!  (I should note that the water is red because of the little Crayola tabs that turn the water different colors.)

She's Standing!

Madilynn has learned to pull herself up to standing!  Two nights ago, Trey told me that he found her standing in her crib in the middle of the night, but since I didn't see it, I refused to believe it!  Well lo and behold, yesterday she started pulling up and hasn't stopped!  She pulls up on furniture, people, Reagan's desk, in her crib....just about everything.  I know it won't be long until she is walking and then running after her big sister.  My baby is growing up!

All of that standing is hard work:

And since we have had some beautiful weather lately (70 degrees in January!), here are some random pictures of the girls playing outside. 

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: