Goals...

One of my goals for this year is to be a better birthday mom.  I will sadly admit that I am horrible in the birthday department.  I don't plan ahead enough.  In fact, I don't plan ahead much at all.  I don't know why, but it's like their birthdays creep up on me... out of the blue... and then I am scrambling... I know how bad it sounds.  That's why I am going to do better.  So, in an effort to make some new traditions and make it more of a special day for them, I have been working on some things.  This is our new door hanger/wreath that we can use for the birthday/party week.  It wasn't my own idea, and it was a LOT of work (and balloons), but it's pretty dang cute!  :)

I haven't finished the others yet. (I know, Reagan just had hers, but she's little and forgiving, it will all be done for her next year!)  :)  I need to get to the store to get some cute birthday fabric.  Table cloth, Birthday Boy & Birthday Girl chair covers, birthday countdown, and special picture frame to come.  I will keep you posted.  I only have 4 months until our next birthday... so I better get going!  ;) 

A Year of Reagan

January 2010 

February

 March

 April

 May

 June

 July

August

September

October

November

December

January 2011

What a difference a year makes.  :)

Best Little Party!

I'm going to try to keep my posts a little shorter from now on!  It's getting a little out of control.  :)  With that said, here are the pics from our little party for Little Miss.  She got lots of love from people we love and who love her... even from far away!  Thank you again!

The boys gave her an umbrella stroller... and then pushed her around in it for half an hour.  :)  She loved it!

Lots of cute stuff!   

She started to get tired.  So the distressed look on her face was the beginning of the end.  haha. 

Her "cake".  She can't have cake, so we went with something less traditional just for fun.  Small and sweet... just like her.  :)  (She had lots of helpers blowing out the candle too!) 

After her nap, happy as a lark, she got to play with her new stuff.  This table thing Patrick found for her, it's got lots of lights and sounds to hold her attention!  :) 

It was the best little party ever!  :)  And I think that's exactly how she wanted it!  Happy 1st Year! 

Look Who's 1!

Miss Reagan!  I SERIOUSLY cannot believe she is 1!  :)    She is the light in our home.  The sweetness. All soft and squishy! I call her our "Happy Button", because you can't be with her and not feel good.  When the boys are fighting and ready to kill each other I make them play with their sister... hahaha... and within seconds all three of them are laughing.  It's incredible.  We LOVE to make her laugh!  And she LOVES the attention!  haha.

She has been the BEST baby!  She sleeps for 12 hours straight at night!  (That's right, take a minute to be jealous!  haha.)  She is pretty much happy all the time.  Her favorite things are baths, her boys (all 3 of them) and anything she can use to pound on something or make a lot of noise with..... or chew on.  :) She has a smile that literally swallows her face and the most incredibly contagious laugh.  She loves to pull faces.  And she even cracks herself up!  haha.  She gives high 5's and hugs and kisses.  And the hair... it's got a mind of it's own, but we love it too!  :)

She is the princess!  The apple of her Dad's eye.  She has Jackson wrapped around her little finger... and Harrison too.  :)  Which, unfortunately, means she doesn't have to do much... someone is usually there to do it for her.  ;)  I'm afraid she will never walk... or even crawl... not because she can't, but because she has no reason to!  hahaha.  She is very loved, and very easy to love.  

Getting SO big, she's 29" tall and 19 lbs. 4 oz., just about average for her age.  But those thighs, they are SO not average!  The cottage cheese on those legs is to die for!  hahaha.  She is healthy and has stayed that way!  She is doing developmental therapy right now, learning to roll and sit and use her hands a little more.  She actually rolled (intentionally) all by herself last night for the first time!  Patrick and I got so excited... she reacted by squealing right along with us!!  AND THEN DID IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!  She was getting so much praise, why stop, right?!  :)  It was AWESOME!  Reagan has to work SO hard to do everything!  I sit and watch her concentrate so hard to make all her little parts do what she needs them to do, just to accomplish the simplest thing.  I get frustrated watching her... but she doesn't.  She just keeps trying.  Determined and strong.

She makes me grateful. For so many things. For the body and mind I was given.  The body that, while it's far from the world's idea of perfect, works perfectly.  And the mind that is not as cultured or educated as it could be, but does and knows everything it should.  I think about all of the time and effort I've wasted worrying about "perfection", and all it took was this little girl to help me see... it's about perspective.  Which is why she also changed the way I look at my kids.... all 3 of them.  The miracles that they are.  Their little voices and songs.  The hugs and kisses.  The "I love yous".  The things they can learn.  The way they make me laugh.  The way they love each other.  Incredible.  There isn't another word for it.   

She makes me want to be a better person, a more serving person, a more loving and patient person.  She has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father.  She has taught me to slow down, to appreciate things.  She has tested the strength of my heart, and stretched me way past comfortable.  And I simply cannot imagine our lives without her.  She is teaching us all the time.  And changing us too.  Who knew someone so small could do SO much!  :) Miss Reagan... WE LOVE YOU! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!   

2nd ChRiStMaS

It came to our house twice this year... and not because the kids got a head of themselves!  One of the few perks to living so far from all of our family (because there should be at least one) is that they come to visit, and bring the holidays with them!  :)  So the tree stayed up... Grandma & Papa Salisbury brought the loot... and the holiday lasted well into January!  AWESOME, right?!
Check out that bed head!  :)

They got these cool Ironman thingies from Uncle Cameron & the gang, they clip on their shirts.  :)

Look at the pile of garbage.... there really was a LOT of stuff!  And Jackson... he's pretty cute too!  :)

Harrison showing Papa his Monster truck, Grave Digger!  ;)

Where's Reagan?.... Oh, there she is!  :)  This is a favorite pastime right now for her!  The world probably is a lot more interesting upside down!  :)

Lincoln Logs?!  I remember those!  :)

Introducing Grandma to Actual Size (recommend that book for any kid!)! 

We had lots of fun with Grandma and Papa while they were here.  I never seem to get very many pics when we have visitors, I am going to work on that this year!  :)  It's always so nice to have family visit!  ...Especially for the holidays!  :) 

HaPpY NeW YeAr!... a few days in and counting...

So I bet you can tell what my new year's resolution wasn't.... I would have chosen to be better about blogging... but I did that last year! haha. As for resolutions... I don't actually do them. I blame my lack of self discipline. Truthfully though, I have a million things to work on, it doesn't make much sense to only start at the beginning of a new year... and then end up disappointed when I don't succeed... and then quit... and then wait for the next new year! haha. So... I'm a walking endless resolution. :) How's that for avoiding commitment! haha.

Our New Year was rung in with friends and noise makers (a.k.a. children, 7 of them) and sparklers. None of which I have pics of. Bummer. Patrick had to work, and as it turned out, a friend of mine was alone too. (And by "alone" I mean... without adult company. It's an adult holiday, you should get to celebrate it with at least one person who's favorite meal doesn't include chicken nuggets!) :) The kids actually made it to midnight... which was shocking! It was a blast!

New Year's Day Grandma & Papa Salisbury made it into town! (They claimed the weather was too bad to make it here by New Year's Eve, so the HAD to spend it in Vegas! No one got arrested, but that's all I got out of them! haha.) That would be the actual reason I haven't done any blogging. Among other things... like cleaning my house, doing laundry or dishes, or getting dressed before 10 am... I also don't blog while we have company. :) But I thought I should post something, so people don't start to worry!...

Alright, so here's the skinny... 2010 was a HUGE year for us... the year that felt like 3 or 5! (Not necessarily in a bad way.) But still went by way too fast!... Now looking back, there are literally months I don't even remember. Where the heck did it go?!  We must have been busy. :)

It was the year Jackson started school, the big K. He learned to read and count to 100. He lost 2 teeth, and grew 2 new "private" teeth. haha. Learned to ride a bike without training wheels and how to throw and catch a baseball.

The year Harrison became a BIG brother. He officially joined the Big Kid club, and has the underwear to prove it. He learned his alphabet and letter sounds. He also learned how to ride a bike... or at least to peddle one.

The year that brought us Miss Reagan. She got 2 teeth. Learned to sit and roll. She discovered how to play, laugh, pound on things and throw a tantrum! She has also grown about 7 inches of hair!

I can't speak for Patrick, but in my opinion, it was a year of learning for us. LOTS of learning. Humility, gratitude, love, hope, patience, faith, grace... and while I feel like I learned, I also feel like I'm still way below the curve. So here's to doing it all a little better this year.

Personally, I found my... butt... and my feet. haha. I don't think I've ever been knocked down so many times in one year before! :) I have to laugh. Some things, like Jackson starting school, seriously (and laughably) got to me. Not because he was going to school, but because it made me feel old... Other things, like listening to my brand new baby girls labored breathing all night and praying my guts out to have answers, were harder on my heart. Spending WAY too many nights up with poor Harrison and a high fever (2011 better include a tonsillectomy), left me tired. (Which also contributed to the feeling old.)

...I found out that the things that can knock me down are not all big or life changing... but sometimes they are... and sometimes it was lots of little things. Spiritually, mentally, physically I got beat!  haha.  BUT... and there is a but... I did manage to get back up... find my feet! I know I sound like a dork, and my life isn't hard by any means, but there were days... you know, when survival is considered successful!  haha. :)

I discovered that old is a mindset, and sometimes an energy level... so my age fluctuates. And that isn't so bad... at least I'm not 30 yet... not even in 2011. haha. I found a love for my children I didn't know I had. Not that I didn't love them before, but that I love them more now. I found out that faith and hope go a long way. And that the worst thing that can happen... isn't always the worst thing. I had answered prayers... usually in the form of a person! Lots of them! I'm tougher than I thought I could be. Stronger even. But my heart is softer.  (I cry at the drop of a hat... sometimes it's a problem!)  I also discovered that being alone too much sucks... and can make me a little crazy... but it's not the end of the world. :) But most of all, I learned that I am truly never alone! It may have taken a few bruises on my backside to figure it out, but I'm not complaining, I wouldn't change a thing. And through it all I've had the most incredible safety net in the world... he's tall, handsome, funny in a smart-a$$ kind of way... good at breaking a fall! :) I'm sure picking me up all the time is a little hard on him too... but he is good at it, and if it ain't broke... ;) Lots of practice finding my feet has left me a little sturdier on them. ...So maybe this year there will be less falling. haha.

2011 should be interesting... I'm excited already!  ;)