Our Easter Trip to Charlotte 2011

On Saturday we participated in the Easter Egg Hunt at the Historic Latta Plantation. Jocelyn patiently waited to find some eggs.
She had a great time & found lots of eggs!
Our Easter Family PortraitThe Plantation Bunny

Hanging out at MeMe & Papa's was Reagan's favorite activity! She especially enjoyed "talking" on the phone.

Dyeing eggs

Hunting for the Easter baskets

This is surprise that the Easter Bunny came! She didn't think he had!
The Easter Bunny also hid candy-filled eggs outside MeMe & Papa's house. This was also very exciting for Jocelyn!

Reagan in her dress outside at Aunt Sally & Uncle John's house.

On Monday we went out to the Maurer Stables to visit the horses!

Jocelyn really enjoyed riding on a horse. This year she even got to steer!

Reagan was a bit afraid of the large animals, but she enjoyed spending some time with Papa sitting on the fence.

We had a great trip!! The drive isn't too bad, even when two kids add about 3 extra hours, but it's worth the fun and time we get to spend at Meme and Papa's house! Meme and Papa's house is so much fun for the girls and Jocelyn was truly upset that she had to leave. Time flies when you are having fun! Thanks Mom & Dad for another great Easter! We love you guys!

Wordless Wednesday

It's time to put the gate back up!

The Things I Don't Want to Forget

Reagan is already 9-months-old today! I just can't believe how fast time is flying. Realizing that Reagan's baby days are quickly becoming memories, and knowing how quickly a baby turns into a Preschooler, I find myself trying to etch into my memory the things I love about baby Reagan and really trying to cherish the time I have left with her sweet "babyness".

I know, no matter how hard I try, the memories will fade. I know because there are things that Reagan does that remind me of baby Jocelyn--Things that I haven't thought about and things that as time went by, just escaped from my mind. The things about Reagan that I always want to remember are simple things, like how it feels to kiss her big, squishy cheek. How she smells when I kiss her forehead. How her hand and arm meet in a such a chubby way that the only evidence of a wrist is the wrinkle that lies between chubby hand and chubby arm. The way she gets so overjoyed just to see that I have entered the room--smiling and screeching. The dimples on her elbows. The way she smiles and shows only her bottom teeth. The way she tries to get everyone to laugh by blowing raspberries. The way she pushes her head down toward me when she wants a hug. Her open-mouth baby kisses, which are so slobbery but too cute to resist. Sock lint caused by having too-chubby of toes. The way she scratches at my back and stares at me with those big blue eyes while she nurses. The way her cry sounds.

Every day I find myself thinking of new things and certain moments I want to hold on to forever. I can't believe Reagan is already 9 months old. In three short months we will be celebrating her first birthday. I can't believe how fast time goes by. I try to remind myself of all these things when I am having an overwhelming day where she just wants to be held and I can't see to get a thing done. The days of holding a baby will be a distant memory, and I know when the girls get too big to hold, I will look back longingly at the days when all I could do was hold one of my babies!

Reagan is Beginning to Crawl!

Reagan crawled a couple of times today. Here's a small clip of one of the times. It seems she will crawl on hard floor rather than the carpeted floor...please excuse the fact that I am allowing my child to pick a carrot up from the kitchen floor. I grabbed it away from her before she ate too much of it! ;-)

First Zoo Trips

Jocelyn in August 2008 during her first trip to the zoo!
Reagan in February 2011 during her first trip to the zoo!

A Sippy Story

Mommy finally decided to let me try a sippy cup back in February when I was 7 months old. I'm pretty sure I heard Daddy saying she let Jocelyn try it when she was 6 months old.

I wasn't too sure about it at first.
But the cup looked interesting!

The stuff inside tasted weird and was cold. I'm used to warm liquids. What is this stuff?

Now I'm a pro!

Another one for the baby book!

Today when I went to get Reagan after her afternoon nap, I found her sitting up in her crib and trying to pull up to standing. Time to put the crib mattress down lower!

One for the baby book!

Reagan pooped on the potty for the first time today. No, I am not confusing my children. Reagan, my 8-month-old, pooped on the potty. That's what happens when the grunting begins in the bathtub...

I Hate Baby Food

Let me start out by saying that Jocelyn never ate baby food. I tried and tried, but she never took to it. She went straight to table food. I mention this because I think it is important to note that me feeding Reagan baby food is a whole new experience. I'm like a first-time mom all over again.

Reagan likes baby food. It took a little getting used to, but now she enjoys eating it. It was a much easier experience starting Reagan on baby food than it was with Jocelyn. I was excited to get her on solids...The thing is that now: I hate it. It's so messy! Reagan wants to feed herself, so unless I tie her hands down (which I'm thinking isn't a good idea due to CYS concerns) she's grabbing the spoon. When she grabs the spoon she usually grabs it very close to the spoon part rather than the handle part, which means half the food goes on her hand and half goes in her mouth. Or her eye. Or on her head. Or in her ear. What a Mess!

The other thing about Reagan that makes baby food messy is that she's a spitter. She loves blowing Raspberries. Let me just say she's great at blowing raspberries. I'm sure I need not explain any further than that.

Then there's the spoon-throwing. Fun! I just can't believe how quick she is to toss that spoon on the floor once she's done making a mess of herself with it. I know it's coming but I can't, for the life of me, catch it before it makes it to the floor!

So when eating time is finally over. I take the bowls and 300 spoons to the kitchen, get a washcloth (or 5), and go back to my messy baby. She HATES being wiped off by the way. So, I wipe down a wiggly, whining baby. Her face, her hands, her ears, her head, her arms. I take the bib off to find that I might as well have left her bib-less and wore the darn thing myself (raspberries). I then must find a new outfit to put her in before I can possibly sit her down somewhere. Change her clothes and then tackle the highchair, floor and dishes. Too. Much. Mess!!!!!!

Table food was MUCH easier and a ton less messy! Some table foods have already been introduced and will continue. She likes those too and does a great job feeding herself which seems to be what she really wants. Little Miss Independent. We just love her! Mess and all! Oh, and that picture above was one of the lucky she-let-me-feed-her days. Notice how little of a mess was created. Her left hand was trapped under the tray. Oops! ;-)

Reagan Live

Valentine's Day Cookies