Braces for Reeva...Again!

Wow...braces again...and she's only 10! Whew! But, this is it...at least according to her orthodontist....she will be done with braces before 6th grade. And that might not be a bad thing. She is very concientious right now about what she can and can't eat with them and she's happy with them - don't know that I could say that in a few years.

Here she is getting ready to go in....

in the chair...

with her fancy glasses and 'bib'...

with something that does not look comfortable at all...

doesn't look any better :(

checking them out....



and showing them off!

Little Man and a Big Girl Moment

Reegan discovered this weekend that her cousins, Cora and Caleb, (who I might mention are a teensy bit younger than her) could both ride a bike.....without training wheels. Hmmm, this did not sit very well with my youngest who is forever trying to keep up with her big sisters and brother. She was determined that she was going to ride a bike. So, today we stopped by Erica's to borrow the little bike that Cora learned on (smaller than the bike Reegan got for her bday in October) and brought it home. As soon as we got home Reegan hopped on it, took off and didn't stop! AND that little bike looked way too small for her so I told her that I was certain she could ride her big girl bike without training wheels. To this she replied, "Ok, well I guess I have to wait for Daddy to get home so he can take my training wheels off." Imagine her delight when I told her that I could handle training wheels. :)

But then I realized

that this might be a good job for a big brother. ;)

And I have to say that Reece was more than happy to help his little sister out. :)

She was quite the little helper as she watched her big brother work.

Check out those skills!

And she is off!

I'm thinking Cora and Caleb had better watch out....

Reegan is ready to go!!

70's Girl

Yes, it's true, I'm starting to think Reegan may be a child of the 70's. It's no secret that Reegan definitely has a style all her own. She likes clothes and shoes and funky socks - it's fun to see her thought process when she decides what to wear for the day. This winter her staple items included tights and skirts/tutus...loved 'em but am curious to see what this summer is gonna bring. :)

This is what she came up with yesterday. Last years shorts (that if she was a few years older there would be no way her dad would let her out of the house in) but the rainbows on them are completely adorable. Her "Here comes the sun" shirt, tall and funky socks....

And today....

Check out those shoes! I mentioned the possibility of flip flops but she'd hear nothing of it....

And later today - at the first sign of a sprinkle - I caught her sneaking out of the house in this...

With the cute dinosaur hood...

And, of course, boots to match :)

There she goes...off with Vadar in search of a puddle...

I think I could fill my entire blog with the quirks of this girl but I do feel I have possibly been a bit neglectful of my other three....I'd definitely better get with it...or they are going to start claiming 'favoritism!' and I can't have that!!

I'm not sure what it is...maybe right now I've got a lot of Reegan since they are in school so much of the day or maybe because I am savoring these last few months before she heads off to school with them. I know how quickly this time will be gone and we will be celebrating her kindergarten milestones and then first grade...I mean it seems like just yesterday when Reece started kindergarten as I posted here. Or even when the girls started (which was before I even started blogging) The days fly by and I am thankful for all of our new journeys but also want to be sure to be thankful for the place that we are right now.

Cartwheels and Chucks...

"Look mom! I've almost got it!"

Reegan has been working on her cartwheel for months now. She practices so hard...to the point she starts to use her head since her arms tire and she can't hold herself up anymore. But she has been determined since she found out she would have to do a cartwheel at her dance recital in June. So, she practices. And she practices. I do have to say that I am quite proud of her perseverance and had so much fun snapping her in action on Easter weekend as she excitedly showed off her 'skillz'. :)

Here we are heading to dance practice tonight. She spent the day at Libb's yesterday and we found these black Chucks that Reece used to wear and had passed on to Carter. I always thought Reece was so handsome in them and had asked Libb to pass them back to me when Carter was finished with them. I think Carter loved them as much as Reece did and as soon as Reegan eyed them she was hooked as well. She wore them home and and I think she may have a new favorite...and absolutely perfect with her polka dotted tutu, don't ya think?! :)

And considering my love of the Chuck Taylor shoe - this momma couldn't be happier!

REO Speedwagon...& Fruit!

Randy took me to see REO Speedwagon in concert last night at French Lick...we had a great time - not often we get a night out to ourselves. My sweet sister stayed with the kids so we could sleep in this morning and not have to rush home. We almost didn't know what to do with all the extra space in the hotel room! (Although we managed to bear it :)

Just had to share a quick picture of Randy's breakfast.

It may not look like that big of a deal but if you had known Randy (before me, that is) you would know that fruit was about as foreign to him as outer space. Honestly, he may not have even known what pineapple even was!

But just look at this plate. Isn't it lovely? I'm so proud. And he even filled it all his own!

Figured it might be a good idea to share a good habit my hubby has picked up since marriage since it seems I often notice the not-so-good. ;)

How about you? Your hubby pick up any good and wonderful habits since marriage?? I'd love to hear about 'em. :)

I Found My Cookie! (April Fools by Reegan..or not?!)

I had so much fun teasing the kids this morning by switching the drawers in which they normally find their cereal bowls and adding some green food coloring to the milk. Call me mean, but it was kinda funny watching Rylee gag each time she took a drink. :) Once they all got off to school, I got to do it all over again with Reegan when she woke up! After the bowls and the milk she wouldn't even open the drawer to find a spoon - no way she was going to be tricked again! But when I explained 'April Fools' a huge grin spread across her face - she was hooked. A little later I went back to make my bed and noticed some "lumps" under the sheets. I then went into the bathroom and called out to Reegan that I needed to comb my hair and brush my teeth but I couldn't seem to find my brush or toothbrush (or nearly anything in the bathroom) - I heard her start laughing and she ran in and yanked back the sheets of my bed to reveal all of the missing items. Silly girl! Her next mission was to hide some cookies that I told her were going to be snacks for the other three when they got home from school. I kept finding them in random places in the house. I was getting out some Easter stuff and found one and told her she should probably find a different place for that one. Finally, the kids got home and asked for a snack. With Reegan barely controlling her giggling in the background I tell them there are some cookies on the tray by the oven. Before they can even question the whereabouts of the cookies, Reegan starts laughing and shouts, "April Fools!" She then takes off to lead them all in a search for their cookies. A while later they are back with Reegan telling me in desperation that she can't find her cookie!! I reminded her that I had her move the one but she cannot remember where she put it! They all go to look for it and, to be honest, I forgot about it.

Later, Libb and her kids come over and the house is crazy (but fun :) - Libb and I are trying to get dinner ready when all of a sudden we hear excited shouts and singing, "I found my cookie! I found my cookie!" We all had a good laugh as Reegan did a little dance and we teased her about being the best April Fooler around. :)

"I Found My Cookie! I Found My Cookie!" Reegan, you funny girl...how I love you so. :)

Always Flowers

Every time my kids bring me flowers like these I can't help but to remember a card Nikki once gave to mom that had a picture of some dandelions on the front and the inside read, "To you they were always flowers." I can't even begin to count the number of times one of us kids found "flowers" out in the field beside our house and would bring them in for mom and how she would tell us how much she loved them as she found a vase to fill and display her beautiful flowers for all to see. It never failed when dad came home he would say they had to go (his allergies couldn't take it) so they often would end up on the back porch but it didn't matter - we still brought flowers and mom still loved them.

So, today when I came into the kitchen and found these sitting in my window I couldn't help but smile and think about how blessed I am to now be a mom whose children love to bring me flowers at the first sight of spring. Life may be busy and even a little crazy at times but there is no doubt that in my eyes, just as in my mom's, they are always flowers.