Pumpkin Patch & Palm Springs

We took the Halloween season by storm and went to the pumpkin patch 4 times. We went to 1 twice b/c they had the best rides and the slide that Reagan loved. Plus a petting zoo where they got to meet a baby goat. The pumpkin patches seem to wear them out so it was a chance to get outside and come home with tired munchkins.

Then off we went to Palm Springs for Phil's firm retreat. For the second year in a row we had a sick kid so I couldn't enjoy the adult festivities that were planned. Harper got croup the morning before we left so Phil rushed her to the doc's office to get some meds to help reduce the coughing so she wouldn't be up all night. Too bad those meds didn't help her sleep in. I think she averaged 5 am the 3 mornings we were there. It was a really nice hotel because they had a kiddie area where the water was 1-2 feet deep (both girls thought they were really cool to walk in a pool) and a sand beach for the kids too. Then there was the lazy river; I took Reagan on it and she fell asleep which made for a relaxing hour in the sun. It is always nice to get away even if I couldn't enjoy some a night out without the kids.

Enjoy the pictures click here

Swim Class

I have a couple of fish. Reagan has been in swim class on and off since she was four months and Harper since she was 5 months. Since we travel frequently; I have to be removed from the swim schedule and when I return I have to squeeze myself back in. With 2 munchkins it is harder to squeeze back in. So my last sessions of 9 classes finally ended the week before Halloween and they started back in May. We couldn't get in all summer because they were so busy so these classes lasted 5 months. I usually go during the day so I could never take pictures b/c I have to be in the pool and Phil is at work. We were finally able to schedule a make up session where Phil could jump in the pool and I was able to snap some pictures and take a few videos. One video ended up being 8 minutes, I forgot what I was doing.

Other than pool time we have just spent time goofing around. Enjoy the pictures click here

Happy 2nd Birthday, Reagan!!

Wow Reagan is 2!! We had a birthday party for Reagan on Saturday and it ended up being an adult party because no kids came. We had a Reagan/Phil combined party so I had cupcakes made of beer for the adults and bought a Costco cake for Reagan. For all of those who know what Costco cakes are they are huge and no one ate it so pulled up a chair and let Reagan play in it. In hindsight that probably wasn't a good idea since Reagan woke up in the middle of the night and I figured she may have had a stomach ache due to her chowing on the frosting. Bad mommy.

They are both growing by leaps and bounds. Reagan's vocabulary is unbelievable. Phil's new favorite party trick is having Reagan say truck but she has issues saying "tr" so she substitutes a f. Yes my child swears every day because she loves pointing our trucks on the road. I ignore the swearing and repeat the right way of pronouncing it but Phil thinks it is rather funny so she finds herself funny. Bad daddy

Harper is still an overachiever. I think she attempts at saying thank you and please. Whenever Reagan asks for things we have her use thank you and please. And I think I hear it in Harper. It isn't as clear as how Reagan says it but I hear it faintly. She is everywhere. This is a challenge. Reagan is somewhat good about staying near me but Harper is everywhere so I am constantly trying to keep an eye on 2 wiggle worms. They are definitely wearing me out. We went to the zoo the other day and it was insane; trying to follow Harper and keep an eye on Reagan it is tiring.

Reagan is definitely an amazing big sister. She is staring to help Harper out, it is so cute. We do this thing when it is time to go downstairs. I will go to the top of the stairs and Reagan follows and then we both cheer for Harper to come so I can carry them both downstairs and Reagan encourages Harper.

Enjoy the pictures click here

Guess Who Is Walking.......................

It is Harper. She took her first step a week ago today and now she is up to 5-6 steps before falling. She is only 9 1/2 months so she is a bit of an overachiever. She loves it!! Let the adventures begin!! I took this video after Harper finished eating some watermelon which explains her lack of clothes - the video is a bit long because it took awhile to get Harper to walk without her ride along


Besides the excitement of Harper walking we have had a busy month. We were in Michigan for the annual Coast Guard Festival and the girls had such a great time. I think the beach was their favorite. We were there for over 2 weeks and rented the cutest cottage. We went to the kids parade, watched the Coast Guard boats come in, went to the carnival (and went on the slowest merry go round ever - I can twirl faster), went to the craft fair, went to the big parade (we had to leave early due to cranky Reagan needing a nap) & top it off with the fireworks (Harper missed them but Reagan watched in awe). Then we decided to save a buck take the ferry from Michigan to Milwaukee and fly home from Milwaukee. STUPID!! We won't be doing that again. Lake Michigan was rather rough and the 2 1/2 ferry ride took 3 hours and all of us were not feeling so hot. Phil and I spent the 3 hour ferry ride covered in throw-up from both of the girls. We were a sight and to top it all off we had to take separate cabs to the hotel b/c Milwaukee for some odd reason couldn't give us a mini van. I threw REagan in the cab with the carry ons while I helped the cabbie try to break our double-wide trying to get it in his trunk. I think Reagan found my cell and wasn't happy that it wouldn't turn on since it needed to be charged and threw it on the seat. Alas, my cell is somewhere in Milwaukee.

Since we have been back we have been busy. We have joined a slew of meetup groups for the girls to play with. Last week we had a playgroup every day except one and I have taken the plunge and hired babysitters. Since Phil is never around and there is so much to do with the house especially painting and there is no way to get anything done with both munchkins demanding my attention. We have found a couple of wonderful girls so we feel lucky.

Click here to enjoy the pics

Walking already - Oh Dear...........................

Seriously Harper is an overachiever - the girl isn't 9 months yet. She uses all the walking push toys and she is starting to attempt to go from the coffee table to the couch. She falls once she lets go but we think it is only a matter of days before she can take a couple of steps plus she is starting to master standing up unassisted. She accomplished that last night and stood for a good 10 seconds. So I put her into Reagan's first pair of shoes and ouch a blister formed. I decided to take her to the store today to get her feet measured and while I was there I thought why not get Reagan's feet measured too. Oops my bad Reagan outgrew her summer shoes but a whole size which explains why she doesn't like to put her shoes on. Hmmmm, maybe it is a good idea to measure those toes more frequently.

Here are more pics click here

Happy Summer.............................

Where does the time go. Any day now I will be chasing around 2 munchkins. Harper is growing so fast. Her new talent is pulling herself up and letting go. She doesn't stand for long unassisted but I am surprised that she is not 8 months yet and she is attempting this. Then there is the biting - you have to be on your toes with this one. She likes to chew on your clothes but if your skin gets in the way she doesn't care. Reagan continues to be a great big sister and then some. I have proof that she kicks Harper in the head. Reagan ran into something and her toe got cut and I found a little bit of blood in Harper's barrette. When I do catch Reagan beating on Harper she gives her a kiss on her butt or her head. I wonder why she chooses those 2 places. They do love to laugh at each other and they both continue to make me laugh. We are having fun and enjoying the summer in San Diego.

Enjoy the pictures click here

Scorpions, Snakes and Lizards - Oh My...............

So we live on top of a canyon and we are getting a lot of wannabe pets. They tend to commit suicide in our pool. I just hired a gardener (b/c there is no way I want to come face to face with these guys - I am a bit scared of our yard) and he put up some tight chicken wire and hopefully that will prevent these critters from entering our yard. The little lizards and I are coexisting and even though they still freak me out I am starting to get use to them.

Harper is not aspiring to be a pirate. She can see great we are just doing preventive measures to help her sight out and hopefully prevent a lazy eye. She only has to wear the patch for an hour a day and it doesn't bother her at all. We just received a great report yesterday so it sounds like it is working. She is now crawling and she pulled herself up for the 1st time the other day. Once she got to the standing position she seemed stuck so she hasn't tried it again - oops she knew I was talking about her and she just did it again. She can clear a room in no time and she tends to get herself stuck under the kitchen table often. She is an eager beaver and we are anticipating an early walker. Reagan is great motivation. Phil needs to start thinking about blocking the stairs again.

Reagan is hilarious and her vocabulary continues to grow. She now repeats what is said on tv so we really have to watch what we watch. We tend to keep it on the Disney Channel (I cannot stand most cartoons and I can tolerate most Disney shows - I CANNOT stand Nickelodeon's shows). We tape all of Little Einsteins so that is Reagan's favorite and she loves when they sing at the end - she joins in on the clapping and patting. We just went to our first baseball game of the season and Reagan had her first nachos which was a big hit. Her shirt was covered in cheese sauce good think I stock up on those stain sticks. She loves pointing out puppies even if they are just in pictures. We stood outside the pet store for awhile because she was so excited about the pictures of puppies on the outside windows. She also enjoys pointing out big trucks and buses. The school bus stops in front of our house so that is a big hit. Reagan is also a big help around the house; she loves helping unload the dishwasher (she likes to unload the dirty dishes and if the bottom rack is empty she takes it out - Oh and she always stops the cycle when I am running it); she helps feed Harper (she jams the bottle in her mouth and when I say something she takes the bottle and runs - it is a fun game), she also enjoys giving Harper a bath (she turns the shower on - Harper is not a big fan), she is a big help with laundry (she likes putting dirty clothes in the dryer with clean clothes), she helps fold the laundry (she rolls the clean clothes into a ball and then throws them on the floor), and how can I forget she helps clean the carpet (she gets the diaper wipes and takes them all out and uses each one to wipe the floor - we need to remember to put those wipes out of Reagan reach which grows every day). =)

I have had the worst time trying to get this blog out I have lost my work 3x now so you are going to have to use your imagination on the picture captions above - I can't get it to work. Here are more pics - ENJOY!! Click Here