Now that the girls are getting older and their personalities are developing; and now that I've been with Jason for more than 10 years, I'm looking at my family and realizing what I have.
Jason is my best friend. We're married, so we have the typical "married couple" issues: The family budget, the constant question of "are we making the right choices for our family," the lack of intimacy due to the business of everyday life, etc....it all comes into play on a daily basis. HOWEVER, we are a very good team and we don't have a problem saying "I'm so sorry" when needed. We have two very important things in common. #1, we love each other, and #2, we love our kids. What more do we need?
Evelyn is my typical first-born child. She is very shy, very sweet, very beautiful and very intelligent. Even at this early age of four, I can tell she struggles with how to interact with people, how to deal with school, how to succeed at gymnastics, etc. She's a worrier, just like her momma. When she's corrected for anything, she is crushed. When she succeeds at something and we praise her, she blows it off and instead, focuses on the negative. I worry about her because she's just like me. I want her to be self-confident and I never want her to feel insecure ... because she has no reason to feel that way. I'm too hard on her (again, because I see her turning into ME), and maybe that's why she acts the way she does. When no one's looking, she's incredible. She sings, dances, talks up a storm, asks poinient questions, is good to her sister...she just shines! She is amazing, but I feel I'm hindering her because of my own insecurities.
Evelyn has a very subtle, gentle, beautiful aura about her that makes people (especially me and daddy) fall in love with her. I sometimes forget how intelligent she is and I forget to talk to her in a logical manner instead of a "baby-ish" manner. She appreciates truth and logic and she's going to be totally pissed when she figures out that Santa doesn't exist. She's just that kind of kid.
Reagan: There is a line from the movie "Spanglish" regarding the main character's young daughter. "She will be fine. Nothing will ever crush that spirit." THAT is Reagan. She has that "something" that makes her special. However; for the first two years of her life, I literally questioned myself about my decision to have another child. She was a nightmere. She cried constantly and she wanted to be held 100% of the time. Once she turned two, it was like a switch was flipped. She didn't cry/whine as much and her true personality shined through. She has many good qualities, but her most attractive quality is her affection. She is so lovey-dovey and wants to cuddle every chance she gets. She also has a BIG smile that melts even strangers' hearts. She's very outgoing and hams it up for anyone who will watch. The best word to describe Reagan is..."charming." She MAKES people fall in love with her. Not because she's pretty (which she is), not because she's smart (which she is also), but just because she's Reagan.
I don't know what I ever did to deserve such an amazing family. I don't know why we've been blessed with such healthy, happy children. I don't know why my marriage continues to be healthy and happy. All I know is that I'm thankful...so very thankful.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Stupid Facebook!
Well well WELL, hasn't it been a long time since I've updated. Facebook took over my life, apparently! I'm so glad this blog is still active. I would've been crushed if it had been deleted due to inactivity or something. ANYway,where to begin...
Reagan is now 2 1/2, but thinks she's 4 and Evelyn is actually 4. How time flies. We have a new house in Trenton and we love all the extra space. Jason is now working as a contractor for Wide Open West and has put school on hold for the time being. I'm staying at home with the girls and we still have our laundry business.
Evelyn:
Evelyn is a full-blown kid! Her baby and toddler years seem like a distant memory. She is in preschool and loves it. She's doing very well, though she has a hard time with her extreme shyness. She doesn't tell me much about her day-to-day activities, but I know she loves it because she gets really excited to go each day. Some of her favorite things include art projects, playing Wii Fit Plus, playing with her sister, playing with her grandparents, having tea parties and watching movies such as Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, The Wizard of Oz, Pete's Dragon, The Sound of Music, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Alice in Wonderland. Duckaduck is still her favorite, but he sometimes takes a back seat to her pillow pet.
Evelyn is four years old and everything that that implies. She's starting to get sneaky and starting to test boundries. She's smart and has figured out that she can get away with things when I'm not looking. I'm finding that this is a challenging age to deal with. Regardless of the challenges, though, I'm really enjoying watching her grow into a real person. She's starting to understand that she has a voice in this world and I'm starting to let her have one.
Reagan:
Reagan was a challenge as a baby. She cried and whined most of the time and just when I was ready to pull my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs, a switch was flipped. She turned into the most charming little girl. She has a "spark" and if you've ever spent more than five minutes with her, you know what I mean. She loves to do anything her sister does and she proudly proclaims that, "Sissy is my best fwend." She still cries loudly on occasion, but she spends most of her day smiling and being cute. She talks almost as well as Evelyn, which just amazes me. She can't wait until she gets to go to preschool like her sissy, so we're sending her next year (a year earlier than we sent Evelyn). I'm sure she'll love it (and I'll love my alone time for 4 hours per week).
Here are a few recent pictures...
Reagan Playing at the Detroit Science Center
Halloween 2010
Evelyn's first day of preschool
Reagan trick-or-treating 2009
Reagan is now 2 1/2, but thinks she's 4 and Evelyn is actually 4. How time flies. We have a new house in Trenton and we love all the extra space. Jason is now working as a contractor for Wide Open West and has put school on hold for the time being. I'm staying at home with the girls and we still have our laundry business.
Evelyn:
Evelyn is a full-blown kid! Her baby and toddler years seem like a distant memory. She is in preschool and loves it. She's doing very well, though she has a hard time with her extreme shyness. She doesn't tell me much about her day-to-day activities, but I know she loves it because she gets really excited to go each day. Some of her favorite things include art projects, playing Wii Fit Plus, playing with her sister, playing with her grandparents, having tea parties and watching movies such as Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, The Wizard of Oz, Pete's Dragon, The Sound of Music, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Alice in Wonderland. Duckaduck is still her favorite, but he sometimes takes a back seat to her pillow pet.
Evelyn is four years old and everything that that implies. She's starting to get sneaky and starting to test boundries. She's smart and has figured out that she can get away with things when I'm not looking. I'm finding that this is a challenging age to deal with. Regardless of the challenges, though, I'm really enjoying watching her grow into a real person. She's starting to understand that she has a voice in this world and I'm starting to let her have one.
Reagan:
Reagan was a challenge as a baby. She cried and whined most of the time and just when I was ready to pull my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs, a switch was flipped. She turned into the most charming little girl. She has a "spark" and if you've ever spent more than five minutes with her, you know what I mean. She loves to do anything her sister does and she proudly proclaims that, "Sissy is my best fwend." She still cries loudly on occasion, but she spends most of her day smiling and being cute. She talks almost as well as Evelyn, which just amazes me. She can't wait until she gets to go to preschool like her sissy, so we're sending her next year (a year earlier than we sent Evelyn). I'm sure she'll love it (and I'll love my alone time for 4 hours per week).
Here are a few recent pictures...
Reagan Playing at the Detroit Science Center
Halloween 2010
Evelyn's first day of preschool
Reagan trick-or-treating 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Reagan's Birthday Round 2
We got together with my Dad, Ann, Paula, Kyle, Katie, JT, Christopher, and Jessica for Reagan's birthday. We met at Funtastic, where the girls and Christopher (Reagan & Evelyn's cousin) played for a while. Then we went to a new pizza place for a pizza buffet....could you think of a better meal for $6? Reagan was cranky, but she really liked her company and new presents! She was too sleepy to eat her cake, but Mary and George gave it to her when they had her the following day. Mary said she'd eat whatever Reagan didn't eat because she loves carrot cake. Well, I'm not sure there was anything left for Mary. That kid can EAT!!
Thank you so much for celebrating Reagan's birthday with us! Although she was grouchy, I know she had a great time.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Same Parents....Different Kids
Since this blog is sort of my online 'baby book' for our kids, I thought I'd point out some of the differences that I've seen between them so far. In fact, they are SO different from each other, I can only think of one strong similarity...SILLINESS! But more on that later.
Eating:
Evelyn eats like a little bird. If she takes two bites from her dinner, we consider it a good meal. She'll eat more of her favorite meals, but for the most part, she has a two bite maximum. Reagan eats like a horse. She's never met a food she doesn't like. She loves veggies and actually prefers them over other things. Evelyn literally gags when a vegetable even touches her lips....I mean REALLY gags!
Sense of Humor:
Evelyn likes to be teased. Even as a baby, she thought it was hilarious if I would hold something up for her to grab, then quickly pull it away. Try that joke with Reagan, and you'd better expect some screaming. Reagan likes the element of surprise. Peak a boo, jumping around corners, and shocking her in general cracks her up.
Cuddling:
Evelyn has just recently started cuddling. She's just never been much of a touch-feely baby. Reagan, on the other hand, wants to cuddle every chance she gets. She'll even stop playing with her favorite toy just to come up and lay her head on your knee for a little cuddle time. She also gives kisses almost ever time you ask her (she leans in and smacks her lips and everything). We used to have to trick Evelyn into giving us a kiss by telling her we had a boo boo on our lips.
Pain:
When Evelyn has a serious fall, she cries for a max of 30 seconds. When Reagan falls...even when she catches herself and she isn't hurt...the world ends. Frankly, I think it's her ploy to get more cuddle time.
Listening:
Since she learned the word, "no," Evelyn has listened. She's tested me here and there, of course. But for the most part, she's always been a good listener. Reagan? Not so much. Every single day, I find myself saying the same thing..."Reagan, don't touch, honey. Reagan, don't touch. NO Reagan! Reagan! REAGAN! NO! DON'T TOUCH!" (btw...I just found my first grey hair. I named it Reagan).
Kid's Choice Awards:
Evelyn...clearly a Daddy's girl. Reagan...clearly a Mommy's girl.
And now for the silliness:
My kids are so silly, it's crazy! They goof off nearly every waking moment, which provides me hours of entertainment (and hours of time on the phone calling Jason, grandparents and other friends and family about the funny things they've done). They certainly have silliness in common. Other than that, I'm not sure they share one single trait. And, I wouldn't change that for the world. I love how different they are and I can't wait to see what kind of grown-ups they will be. While I don't make it a practice to compare my girls, I do like to cherish their individuality.
Eating:
Evelyn eats like a little bird. If she takes two bites from her dinner, we consider it a good meal. She'll eat more of her favorite meals, but for the most part, she has a two bite maximum. Reagan eats like a horse. She's never met a food she doesn't like. She loves veggies and actually prefers them over other things. Evelyn literally gags when a vegetable even touches her lips....I mean REALLY gags!
Sense of Humor:
Evelyn likes to be teased. Even as a baby, she thought it was hilarious if I would hold something up for her to grab, then quickly pull it away. Try that joke with Reagan, and you'd better expect some screaming. Reagan likes the element of surprise. Peak a boo, jumping around corners, and shocking her in general cracks her up.
Cuddling:
Evelyn has just recently started cuddling. She's just never been much of a touch-feely baby. Reagan, on the other hand, wants to cuddle every chance she gets. She'll even stop playing with her favorite toy just to come up and lay her head on your knee for a little cuddle time. She also gives kisses almost ever time you ask her (she leans in and smacks her lips and everything). We used to have to trick Evelyn into giving us a kiss by telling her we had a boo boo on our lips.
Pain:
When Evelyn has a serious fall, she cries for a max of 30 seconds. When Reagan falls...even when she catches herself and she isn't hurt...the world ends. Frankly, I think it's her ploy to get more cuddle time.
Listening:
Since she learned the word, "no," Evelyn has listened. She's tested me here and there, of course. But for the most part, she's always been a good listener. Reagan? Not so much. Every single day, I find myself saying the same thing..."Reagan, don't touch, honey. Reagan, don't touch. NO Reagan! Reagan! REAGAN! NO! DON'T TOUCH!" (btw...I just found my first grey hair. I named it Reagan).
Kid's Choice Awards:
Evelyn...clearly a Daddy's girl. Reagan...clearly a Mommy's girl.
And now for the silliness:
My kids are so silly, it's crazy! They goof off nearly every waking moment, which provides me hours of entertainment (and hours of time on the phone calling Jason, grandparents and other friends and family about the funny things they've done). They certainly have silliness in common. Other than that, I'm not sure they share one single trait. And, I wouldn't change that for the world. I love how different they are and I can't wait to see what kind of grown-ups they will be. While I don't make it a practice to compare my girls, I do like to cherish their individuality.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Happy Birthday, Reagan!!!
Group Picture! Ian is the only one who looks like he wants this picture to happen. Everyone else is probably thinking "get this over with so I can go and eat some cake." (including Joel)
Reagan's first taste of cake....she likes it...as you will see...
Faith...if you touch that cake, you might lose a finger.
Digging in...
I wish my mouth was bigger...
Smoosh, grab, eat, repeat...
SO BIG! (so messy) This is where my "friend" (if we can call her that) encouraged Reagan to put her hands on her head. THANKS, CARRIE!!! ....just wait.
The aftermath...look at that cake! She demolished it!
Reagan's party was a lot of fun!
Special Thanks:
Mom and Ray, Thank you SO much for allowing us to have Reagan's party at your house! Everyone seemed to have a great time!
Thank you to everyone who came to Reagan's party and thank you for all the awesome gifts!! She's been having so much fun with her new presents! It's cute to watch her decide what to play with next. Of course, Evelyn thinks all the gifts were for HER....yelling at Reagan each time she tries to play with her bath toys or read one of her books. They have both benefited from Reagan's snacks and cookies, though. I gave them some cookies today and Evelyn told me (in her own language) that Reagan was enjoying the cookies. She said, "Raygee nummy num happy mouth!" She's so darn silly.
Reagan's birthday doesn't end here! We're going to get together with my Dad, Ann and family to celebrate her birthday again! I'm looking forward to seeing Reagan devour another cake. I hope our girls realize how lucky they are to have SO MANY family members who love them so much.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Reagan's Turning One!!!!
Our little baby is turning one year old next week!! We are having a birthday party for her at my Mom's house in Dearborn this Sunday (March 1st) at 3pm. If you're interested in coming, please send me an email and I'll send you directions.
Bathtime with Reagan
I like the fact that Reagan's hair is getting longer, but I'm kind of bummed that I can't get it to go into a mohawk anymore. These pictures were taken when Reagan was still taking baths in the baby tub. I'm now putting them both in the big bathtub at the same time....which is both adorable and stressful.
Quotes from Mandy during bathtime:
"EVELYN! Don't pour water over Reagan's head."
"REAGAN! SIT DOWN!"
"EVELYN! Potties are for peeing, not bath tubs."
"REAGAN! Don't squeeze the shampoo bottle."
"EVELYN! She doesn't like bubbles on her nose. Don't you hear her crying?"
"REAGAN! SIT DOOWWWN!"
"Aww...mommy wishes she had her camera."
Monday, February 23, 2009
That's some outfit
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