The Whidden Family

It's Reese's turn

2012-01-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

for horseback riding pictures! I love that the therapists at OCA take pictures of my children all the time and text them to me. I love seeing them in action! Reese is quite the opposite of Paige. Reese finds her "happy place" and pretty much meditates while she rides; Paige laughs & chuckles and interacts the entire time. Either way, this is so good for both of them! Check out Reese riding last week...

Here is an extra one she sent me of Paige last week going for a walk. Guess where she goes every time she goes outside? Straight to the horse field! It doesn't matter if it's a horsie day or not...Paige goes there anyway! She knows exactly where to go.

Who stole my pants?

Pretty in blue! Today we completed Reese's third and final chelation challenge tests. No more urine collection! Woo hoo! The girls have their last blood draw on Tuesday. We will meet with the doctor in about three weeks or so and go over all the results.

Little couch potato :) Yes, we hung around in our pajamas a lot this weekend. Good times!

The cutest ever Chief Cheerio Inspector:

And last but not least, a few more shots of Reese. This girl just doesn't take a bad picture. The camera loves her!

Next Sunday is Paige's 3rd birthday!! Unbelievable. So I should have tons of pictures to share next weekend :)

Horseback riding

2012-01-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Helloooooo there! I can't believe I'm updating the blog so late tonight. Time just got away from me today. Again, I've spent the last two days doing chelation challenge tests on the girls. Paige is finished with all three tests, and Reese will have her last one next weekend. I'm anxious to find out if there are in fact any metals in their systems. Of course, I hope they don't, but at the same time, if they did, it would be a starting point of trying fix "things." Up to this point, nothing has been found that can be "fixed"...no test has found anything out of the ordinary. We will also get their blood test readings in a few weeks as well.

We had a second blood draw on Wednesday. It sure wasn't fun, but I feel that it's necessary at this point. We have one more the week after next. They can only take so much from Paige since she hasn't hit the 40 pound mark yet. She did a lot better this time than the first time. Reese escaped it this go round because one of the blood tests requires the nurse to have a special tube that has some kind of agent in it, and the one she had was expired. So she will do Reese's final draw at our next appointment.

I don't have that many pictures this week. The ones I do have are mostly of Paige. Her therapist took several shots of her during Hippotherapy. They are adorable! She just loves riding horses! These aren't super clear because they are phone photos.

Two more cute ones of Paige...

My silly little vanilla wafer girl...her system of eating these things is so funny!

And one last cute one of Paige...

Have a great week!

This was one...

2012-01-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

of those weekends where we barely got out of our pajamas! It was cold outside on Saturday, and we all just slept in. It did warm up today, so Reese got to go for a 4-wheeler ride. The start of the week wasn't so good. Last Sunday night, Reese came down with the stomach bug and was throwing up for two days. She was better by Wednesday, thank goodness. No one else in the house caught it (knock on wood).

Although we stayed in all weekend, it was busy. We're right in the middle of doing chelation challenge tests with both girls. It's part of the "heavy metals" testing, and it involves giving each girl a suppository that contains the chelating agent, and then collecting their urine for eight hours. Talk about fun...it's a constant chasing around the house to catch it. I have to stick these little collection baggies to them and check them every ten minutes or so. This was the second test I've done on Paige and the first one for Reese. I had a time trying to find enough of the little baggies! I had just enough to do the first test on Paige a few weeks ago. After finally finding some online (that were on backorder) I was able to get enough to continue the tests. I'll do two more tests next weekend. Hopefully this will detect any types of lead, mercury or any other type of metal in their systems.

Anyway, I did take pictures of the girls throughout the week. Just mainly random shots of them doing what they do :)

Here is a cute one of Pip from the other day...

I forgot to mention that I took Paige back to Dr. LaRue on Wednesday for him to check her ear. It has completely healed, thank goodness! As usual, we had to wait, so we ate Cheerios and took pictures :)

Reese being a silly couch potato :)

More cute Paige pictures...I just love her ponytail!

More cute Reesie Cup pics...

Cute little Paige & her wild hair...

"Oh, Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind...Hey Mickey!!" Pip's rockin' 80s side ponytail :D

Reese trying to avoid me...haha. She has toted her winter coat around all weekend, using it as a blanket!

You can't tell, but I was playing pillow fight with her. She loves to be beaten with a pillow...haha!

Paige with almost straight hair, thanks to the cooler temps & low humidity! Her top button won't snap anymore because she has chewed it to death. I swear she is part goat!

That's it...have a good week!

January is underway...

2012-01-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

And I don't have many pictures this week to show for it. With school being back in session, time just flew by and I didn't take very many.

The girls had a great first week back at school. Getting up in the mornings wasn't easy or fun, but we managed to be on time every day. It was really cold this week, so we had to break out the winter coats. Paige loves hers, but Reese has a hard time wearing hers. She loves to touch and feel it, but she can't stand wearing it. She has never liked long sleeves, so putting a big jacket on her has always been a challenge. She did wear long-sleeved shirts, though, and that was good. It was just too cold not to. Paige wears anything...thank goodness she has no issues when it comes to fabrics.

Anyway, I'll make this short and sweet. Here are the pictures I took...

Paige wasn't in the mood to smile here...

Munching on Cheerios...

She likes to get on her knees and eat them like this from the coffee table.

Reese sort of smiling...at the tv...not me!

My two sillies on the couch together, playing footsie! That's Reese's pink jacket that she hates wearing. She's been carrying it around all weekend like a blanket.

That's it for this week. I'll take more pictures for next time :)

Welcome, 2012!

2012-01-01T16:47:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I know I skipped a week posting pictures, but last Sunday was Christmas, and I just didn't find the time to blog. So I gave it a week's rest, and now I'm back.

Today is January 1st, 2012...that just sounds so futuristic! Unbelievable. Let's recap the past week...we did lots of visiting with family for Christmas, starting on Christmas Eve Eve. I wish I could say that we had a super fun Christmas morning, opening all the gifts that Santa brought, but we didn't. Reese and Paige still aren't into it. Neither one gets the concept of presents, opening them or understanding that there is a surprise inside. I sadly opened up all the presents that I myself wrapped for them. I always get my hopes up that this will be the year that they will "get it," but it never happens. I never thought that I'd have two children who don't understand or care about things like Christmas gifts, Easter eggs, birthday cake... I remember being so excited about days like this when I was pregnant with Reese, and I couldn't wait to experience all those fun memories I had as a kid with my own children. It's such a disappointment (not the girls...just that I don't get to do these fun things with them like I'd planned). It has really made me dread the holidays, because I just don't enjoy them like I wanted to. Seeing the excitement in your children's eyes is what makes it enjoyable, and we just don't have that. And even though I know deep down that they won't want to do any of the fun Christmas things, I always hope deep down that they will. And then my heart breaks all over again when they don't. I will never understand autism, but I know that it has totally pulled the rug out from underneath so many of my dreams as a mother.

Anyway, the girls still received lots of goodies. They got some money from Papa Gary & Patty, Granny Betty, Grandma Ruth, Granny Clifford & Pa and Aunt Kim, and some clothes and toys from Aunt Jamie and Grandma Darla's friend, Mimi . Both girls got some books, stuffed bears, sundresses & a talking picnic basket from Aunt Julie, Aunt Donna & Uncle Doug. They both got a few really adorable outfits from my awesome friend Jennifer, her sister Lindsey & their mom. Reese got a really nice keyboard from Jennifer (she loves to play with anything with music & buttons), a Dora big wheel tricycle from Grandma Darla, a big long smooshee body pillow, lots of books and a lava lamp...Paige got a really cool drum from Jennifer (she loves beating on everything), a talking Dora doll & a cd player from Grandma Darla, pillows (she LOVES pillows!), books, and a grocery shopping cart...lots of random things. Santa did bring them some nail polish in their stocking...I have never attempted to paint their toes, but I want to try soon. We are also going to be getting year passes for Legoland! Since Reese loved it so much when we took her in November, we want to take her more often. Thanks, Grandma Darlene & Papa David!

Tuesday morning we had an appointment with the wholistic pediatrician again...this time for blood work. I was nervous. Both Reese & Paige actually did a great job, considering we yanked them out of bed at 6:30am and had them in Tampa by 8:15. Reese did a great job. Paige wound up having to have blood drawn from her hand...they just couldn't get a vein from her arm. She was a trooper, though, and it really didn't take that long. I was proud of them for being so brave!

We are in the process of doing Chelation Challenges on both girls. These are heavy metal tests to see if they have any metals, lead or mercury in their bodies. The tests consist of collecting their urine for an 8-hour period after giving them a suppository. The hardest part is chasing after them all day with little urine collection baggies! I did the first test with Paige on Friday and I was worn out at the end of the day. Hopefully these tests will give us more answers. In the meantime, both girls are still on their vitamins...including the stinky fish oil one. I'm just about used to our kitchen smelling like a fish camp.

Alright...on with the pictures!

Last Wednesday I took Paige back to Dr. LaRue to have her ear checked. We goofed off while waiting (and waiting....and waiting....and still waiting....) for him. Boy, the lighting in there is horrible for picture taking!

A few Christmas Eve pictures...with fun hats & reindeer antlers...

A few more randoms...

Christmas morning...I sat them each in front of the tree for a picture. Don't they both look so excited?

Reese did love this Dora book that plays music...she has been playing with it every day!

Christmas lunch at Granny Betty's...

Christmas night at Grandma Darlene and Papa David's...

More cute randoms from the past few days...Reese was being so silly. I love her smile in this picture :)

Paige loves to balance her pillows & blankets on her crib like this and touch them with her feet! Lovely teeth marks all the way around the crib, compliments of both my daughters!

I love this picture of Pip :)

This rarely happens...both girls on the couch...together...

And last but not least...

That's it for this week. Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve & Day!

1 week to go...

2011-12-18T16:12:00.000-08:00

One week until Christmas! Time sure has zoomed on by this year. I've completed all of my shopping, thank goodness. If I don't have it by now, it's not going to get bought :) I do have some things being shipped, so hopefully they'll arrive this week.

The girls are out of school until Jan. 3, so we'll get lots of time together over the next few weeks. They had a great week of school, which was filled with lots of fun Christmas activities. I was at the school on Wednesday when Santa came to visit, and then on Thursday at the girls' class parties. They got to go shopping at school on Tuesday (at Santa's Workshop), but I missed that event because we had our follow-up appointment with the wholistic pediatrician in Tampa. We received the results of the girls' urine & stool samples. I was really nervous and expecting scary results; however, there was nothing alarming found at all! What a relief! Since the girls have been on antibiotics multiple times in their lives, the doctor was concerned that they may have had a big build-up of yeast, but they didn't.

Reese and Paige both had no "bad" bacteria in their systems. Reese was missing a lot of the "good" bacteria. They both are now on a Pro-Biotic vitamin that helps with this issue. Paige also had a low Vitamin C reading, whereas Reese's was high. He added some Vitamin C to Paige's vitamin schedule. So now, both girls are taking Speak (a fish oil high in Vitamin E & K and Omega 3 fatty acids), Super Nu Thera (all kinds of vitamins included here) and the Pro-Biotic. The worst part is if the fish oil...it stinks REALLY bad and makes everything greasy. Reese will only drink it through her cup, and the oil is causing the valve to slide out. At least she's taking it! I sure wouldn't want to...it makes me gag just smelling it.

Paige has just started making more consonant sounds...she now runs around the house saying, "Mamamamamamamamama" and "Babababababababa"...which is brand new! I don't know if it's the vitamins or what, but something is changing for the better! Reese is doing lots of new things...not all good, but still different. She's becoming more aware of her body and the toilet. She likes to strip her pants off now...quite entertaining! She is also into pulling ornaments from our tree. So even though these aren't necessarily "good" things, they ARE good things because it means she is changing and learning! So YAY!

Alright...here are our pictures. Paige couldn't have cared less about Santa! The kids wore their pajamas to school on Santa day.

Reese didn't want any part of this Santa person!

Paige swinging at school...

I didn't get any pictures of Reese at school...her class was outside and they were running all over the place. She kept running away from me, like I was embarrassing her...haha. So I left her alone and took this pic of her later. I love this little penguin shirt!

Paige just hanging around the house today...still wearing onesies to keep her hands out of her diaper...sigh.

And some beautiful smiles from Little Nugget!

See you next week! Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!

Family Pictures

2011-12-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Helllloooo there! Hope everyone had a great weekend. We did, considering it could've been worse. Paige officially caught her first ear infection on Wednesday. Actually, it is the very first ear infection ever in this house. She was holding her ear and crying inconsolably at school, so I immediately picked her up and took her to the doctor. Sure enough, her ear was definitely infected. A few days and medicines later, she seems back to normal. She played hooky on Thursday and Friday and stayed home with me.

This week should be a fun one at school...all kinds of Christmas fun going on! Monday is cookie decorating, Tuesday is shopping at Santa's Workshop, Santa comes for a visit on Wednesday, and class Christmas parties on Thursday. Then two weeks off! Yay for sleeping in :)

My mom came over today and helped us take our annual family pictures. As most of you know, it's a miracle if I ever get pictures of the girls posing for more than a split second, so out of the gazillions of photos she took, these are the best ones! It seems that in every photo, someone was looking down, trying to run away, had their eyes closed...one person always seemed to mess up the entire picture. So, after sifting through them, I chose the best few. I have come to accept that my girls are not "posers," so we take what we can get. Years from now, I can look back and say, "That is how they were on that day," and know that it's okay. I see so many pictures of children with their perfect posed smiles, and I know that I will most likely never have that. And it's okay!

Anyway, here are this week's pics...

Our family photos for 2011...

Silly Miss Pickles playing in her crib before napping...

Reese snacking on some vanilla wafers...it's all gooey in her teeth!

Our photo with Santa...try not to laugh too hard! The girls were actually having a great time running around looking at all the Christmas trees at the Ramon Theater...they just didn't want to stop and pose! I think this is SO our family!

Reese looking cute in her red snowman shirt...

And Paige looking cute in her gingerbread man shirt...

Something that almost never happens...

Random cuteness :)

That's it for this week! Have a good one :)

Picking the Tree

2011-12-04T15:39:00.001-08:00

One more week closer to Christmas...yikes! Why does it always seem to creep up on me every year? I always say I'm going to be prepared early each year, but that never happens. We went Saturday to pick out our Christmas tree. Neither of the girls could have cared less about the trees. Paige just wanted to run around and be thrown up into the air, and Reese was in heaven searching for twigs & leaves. I tried to get some pictures, but you know how that goes with these two. Action shots or nothing!

And just some random pictures from the week...can these children ignore their mother with a camera any more? No one was looking at me on this day. I might as well be invisible.

Really, mother? You want me to sit in this window sill and smile at you? Please.

At least one smile for the week!

That's it...have a great week!

Thanksgiving & Legoland!

2011-11-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

What a great Thanksgiving week we've had! Hard to believe it's over already. We did a lot of relaxing over the past week, and it was so nice. The girls got to sleep in (well, Paige did...Reese is always up early) and hang out in pajamas a lot :) We visited with lots of family on Wednesday and Thursday and ate a ton of delicious food. I got to see my sister, whom I hardly ever see! And she only lives in Lake Alfred...geez.

Saturday was the most fun...Marshall and I took Reese to Legoland for her belated birthday gift. We originally wanted to try Disney, but then we realized Legoland was opening in mid-October. Yesterday was so perfect...the weather was awesome! She had a fantastic time. I was worried about how she would handle having to wait in lines, but she did a GREAT job! She rode the carousel twice and two other rides. One was a train with two-seater carts that went around in a circle really fast...kind of like the Himalayas from the fairs from back in the day. She also rode this helicopter-type ride where you pedal your feet and your chopper rises higher and higher while going in a circle. She squealed and laughed...she only got upset when the rides came to an end. She didn't want to get off of them. She walked the entire park and checked out a lot of the Lego-built structures. It is really a cool place...even if you aren't really interested in Legos.

They also have the Cypress Gardens part still open...it's still as pretty as ever. And the gazebo is still there! The lovely place where Marshall and I got married almost 12 years ago. Oh, the memories.... :)

The best part was that we were able to get in for free! Thanks to my awesome friend Jennifer, we only had to pay for parking. She has a friend who works there, and employees have a special pass that gets in so many people for free. She hooked us up! Thank you, Jennifer!!

Onto the plethora of pictures...there are a ton today!

Our Thanksgiving pictures...

Grandma Darlene and the girls...

The girls having a good time outside at my Granny Betty's house...

Me and my little sis...

Legoland fun! Although Reese's face doesn't look ecstatic in most of these pictures, she really did have a great time. She was more interested in moving than stopping for a posed photo. So don't let her serious look fool you :)

My little bathing beauties...

My swing addict...

A couple of cute random photos of Reese...

Whew! That's a lot of picture taking. That's it for now...see you next Sunday!

It's Sunday!

2011-11-20T15:42:00.001-08:00

Another Sunday has rolled around...time for a blog update! No actual news to report. The girls had a great week at home and at school. They are doing really well so far on their first new vitamin. They both started it on Thursday, and they are still taking their salt baths. Both of their teachers have already noticed positive changes in them! Paige is focusing more, playing with a specific toy for an extended period of time instead of just grabbing it and tossing it...she also is happier for the bulk of the day and only has about one meltdown or tantrum.

Reese is staying in her seat for longer periods of time, is focusing more on activities and is doing really well with her PECS. If you aren't familiar with PECS, it's Picture Exchange Communication System...basically pictures that she uses for her words. She is now up to four pictures, and she has to choose the one that shows what she wants. She has come so far!

After both girls gradually work up to their highest dosage of this Super Nu Thera 5P5vitamin, they will start with a vitamin called Speak. Nu Thera is high in vitamin B, as well as other vitamins. Speak is a language booster, and so many parents who give this to their kids see almost immediate language! It contains Vitamin E and K, and Omega 3...it's a fish oil. I am looking forward to them starting this...keeping my fingers crossed that it helps them improve with their communication!

I will keep everyone posted on our findings! I forgot to mention that we collected urine & stool samples from both girls and got those sent off on Thursday. I'll spare you the details of the collection process...it was interesting to say the least! Marshall and I go back next month to discuss those results and how the vitamin schedule is working out.

Now...onto the pictures!

A few cute pictures of the girls after school on Monday...being their usual silly selves :)

More cute randoms :)

Here are a few pictures from the girls' Thanksgiving activities at school. Paige just wanted to swing...so she wasn't too happy about getting her face painted. She didn't want any Stone Soup, either...haha.

Paige loves Ms. Josie! No one swings like Ms. Josie...apparently there is an art to pushing Paige in the swing, and she doesn't like anyone else to do it!

Come on, Ms. Josie...I want to swing!!!!!!!!!

Reese didn't want her face painted, but she did allow them to paint a cute butterfly on her arm. However, as soon as she walked away, she wiped it off!

Paige can't go outside without heading straight to the swings! She doesn't want to do anything else...

Marshall and I have to split up because while Paige heads straight to the swing, Reese heads to the pool gate and waits for someone to open it so she can go searching for leaves. Looks like she hit the jackpot! Yes, she brought this thing inside and I had to swipe it when she wasn't looking and toss it back outside. She pulls the leaves off one by one...

That's about it for this week. The girls are off from school, and this coming week is Thanksgiving. We are taking Reese to Legoland on Saturday for her belated birthday present. We were thinking of taking her to Disney, and then we found out Legoland was opening in October. We wanted to wait until it cooled off little, so this weekend is when we're going. I can't wait! I know she will love riding rides...I can't wait to take her!

A fun, relaxing weekend

2011-11-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

I love weekends where nothing is planned. That was the case this weekend. We barely got out of our pajamas on Saturday, and today we took the girls for a fun 4-wheeler ride. The weather was spectacular, and the girls needed to get outside and get some fresh air.

Everyone has had a great week. The girls are enjoying school these days. They've started riding horses again, and they just love it. They are both having fun and learning so much. I am excited about this upcoming week. We are about to begin a new vitamin regimen for both Reese and Paige. We visited a wholistic pediatrician last Tuesday, and we were enlightened about the different things that could be causing our girls' delays. Per his instructions, we have been giving the girls Epsom salt baths this week. This is a way to absorb magnesium sulfate into the skin, which encourages any toxins in the body to flush out. In a few days, we will collect urine and stool samples to be sent off and analyzed for possible toxins in their bodies. Then we begin two different types of vitamins. People who have given their children these vitamins have seen incredible developments in their children pretty quickly upon starting them. We are all hopeful that they will make a positive difference for Reese and Paige. I will keep you posted!

Here are the photos from this week...

Me bribing Reese to smile...I was trying to tickle her. It worked! She was eating Vanilla Wafers, and she still has some stuck in her teeth...

This face makes me smile! This is the face she makes when I start singing "Five Little Speckled Frogs"...she loves it! Her hair looks greasy because I put some baby oil on her scalp...it was a little dry and flaky. And she's in a onesie because she will NOT stop digging into her diaper after she poops...I know...GROSS! She poops when no one is watching and then goes a diggin'...and you can guess the mess that ensues! So...our current way of putting a stop to that fiasco is a body suit that she can't get into.

Our adventure this afternoon...

I didn't realized that Pip's pants were too short...oops! Thank goodness she only wears these around the house. Again...you know the onesie story :)

Have a great week!!

Gator Homecoming

2011-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy November! Wow...that went fast. I was able to do something this weekend that I haven't done in years. I went up to Gainesville for UF Homecoming! It was so much fun. My old college friends Heather and Tia and I spent the weekend at Gator Growl and the Gator game. Tia was able to get us Growl tickets and then one of her friends from work gave her FREE tickets to the game...and they were GREAT tickets! We sat in the Champions Club seats, which are fantastic.

Being back in Gainesville brought back so many memories. We went to Weimer Hall, where most of our classes were. We toured the campus...so much has changed. I saw where I used to live on campus across from the baseball field, and one of my apartments on Archer Road. The campus is still so beautiful...so many trees and new buildings.

We ate my two favorite places...Napalatono's Italian and Texas Roadhouse. We reminisced about our old radio and TV days and all the fun & silly things we used to do. I can't believe it has been 14 years since we graduated! I also can't believe it took me that long to get back up there. After having kids, the priorities changed, I guess. It was a great girls' weekend, and Marshall had fun hanging out with Reese and Paige.

I realized that this was the first time I've gone anywhere - especially overnight - without him or the girls! I guess I was due for a fun weekend. It made me feel young again, and it made me miss my little family. I was so happy to get back home to see them :)

The girls had a great week. A sick-free week! Reese has gained all her weight back from when she was sick a few weeks ago, and Paige is still terrorizing the neighborhood :) I didn't get as many pictures this week, but I did manage to remember the camera a few times.

First up, I'll share my UF weekend pictures. This is me, Heather and Tia posing outside the stadium with the Bull Gator. He wasn't there when we were, and I have no idea when they put him there.

This is me getting in trouble by security for trying to sit on him...haha!

Me...I can't count how many times I walked passed this field to get to my classes.

We parked at the mall and rode the Gator Aider bus to the stadium...a whole lot better than fighting for a spot near the stadium! They drop you off right at the front door.

Now there are tons of marble slabs with all the top Gator players' names on them. Danny Wuerffel is my all-time favorite Gator :)

Here is his bronze statue...there is also one of Steve Spurrier and Tim Tebow (all Heisman Trophy Winners).

Another Gator to pose with...

The three of us waiting for Gator Growl to start. It was a bit chilly!

A few pics of me and Tia...

On Saturday, Laura joined us. She is an old friend of Tia's. I met her years ago before I had the girls, but I haven't seen her in forever.

And a few pics of the band before the game started...

Now...onto the girls :) These are from Monday (Halloween).

The flash is too bright!

Okay...I'll smile all pretty.

I can't stop giggling or open my eyes!

Alright, I'll do a cute pose for you!

One goofy goose goofing off before bed :)

Yes, that's a phone book. She loves it. I'm hoping with all the flipping she's doing she's memorizing everyone's phone number.

And the 2nd goofy goose goofing off before bed...

This is what happens when we're not looking. At least they were cleaning up the mess by mowing them down!

Have a great week!

Yay! A healthy Halloween week!

2011-10-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

We can finally say that it has been an entire week of no vomit, fever or illness in our house! It's about time. The girls have had a great week, and they had so much fun at their school Fall Festival on Friday. I was there the whole day, and it was great to see all the kids playing games, winning prizes, wearing their costumes & just having a good time.

Paige was Wonder Woman. She wore Reese's old costume from when she was two. It has been my favorite costume of theirs so far! I'm sad to say that Reese did not wear a costume this year. With her sensory issues, she can't wear anything tight or scratchy. I searched for something soft and decided to make her a referee costume. Simple...black shorts, black & white striped shirt, black shoes. I figured I could make that, so I bought a plain white collared shirt and used fabric paint to paint the stripes. I even made the black box with the white R on the back. It was perfect! However, the shirt became stiff once the paint dried, and she went ballistic when I tried it on her. It wasn't a battle worth fighting, and I am not about to force her wear something that bothers her. So, needless to say, she wore her super cute pumpkin t-shirt and still looked adorable. Over the years, her sensory issues have changed. Her first few years, she wasn't as sensitive to certain things. When she was two, she wore this Wonder Woman costume with no problems. I'm hoping that as time goes on, she'll adapt to fabrics better. At some point, this girl is going to have to wear a bra...yikes!

Anyway, here are a whole slew of photos from Friday and the weekend.

A cute pose only lasts for so long! She started out happy and then got quite upset with me that I kept telling her to smile.

On this day, I got no smiles whatsoever!

Lots of pretty smiles from Reese, though :) She was in a silly mood here.

Yay! A smile!

Awww...two sisters sharing.

Do I want to read or watch TV? I can actually do both at the same time.

Paige as Wonder Woman at school on Friday!

Paige with an OT intern...I can't remember her name, but she was a sweet girl.

Paige and Heike, an amazing physical therapist :) She loves Sponge Bob!

Paige and Michelle, one of the paras in her room. Paige loves her!

Reese and her super awesome teacher, Susanne. Love her!

Reese is so not into this kind of thing...games and things. She just wanted to be left alone to walk around. She had fun just doing her own thing. Susanne did help her play a few games. She needs to be forced out of her comfort zone sometimes.

She did like dancing to the Halloween music!

Reese & Geni...aka Tigger! Geni is one of the coolest people you'll ever meet, and she is the best OT ever!

And some weekend pics...

Look who is supposed to be sleeping, but is instead throwing her blankets & pillows onto the floor...THIS little stinker!

Doesn't she have "trouble" written all over her face?!

Another little someone was too busy playing in her bed to sleep :)

Happy Halloween from Ram-Paige and her little trick-or-treating buddies!

I'm so over this.

2011-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

My poor children have been sick for three weeks straight! They keep passing the stomach bug back and forth, and both had bronchitis in between. Reese started vomiting Tuesday afternoon, and kept going for over 48 hours. It was unbelievable. Today is Sunday, and this is the first day she has shown some kind of energy. She is finally drinking and eating and moving around. She has lost weight and is so thin. Paige has had this same bug 3 times in three weeks...she gets it, gets better for a few days, and then gets it again. She seems okay today. I would so much rather be sick than see my girls go through this. I honestly don't know what else to do...I've cleaned everything, steam cleaned the rug...I really hope this is the end of this.

Needless to say, I don't have many Reese pictures. I do have several of Paige in between her spells.

This was Monday before she got sick. She was munching on some vanilla wafers, just being her usual silly self.

This is what she looked like the rest of the week...poor baby!

This is what Paige looked like on Wednesday when she got home from school. She brought half the playground home with her...haha! She had dirt all over her face.

Here is Paige playing with her Daddy...she was giggling and being so silly!

We had all our beach towels spread everywhere in case she got sick again...and they wound up being blankets for Reese.

No words are needed for these photos! Apparently, powder isn't just for baby butts anymore...it's fun to play with. These photos sum up this child to a tee!

Paige finally decided to treat her baby like a real baby and push her around in her stroller. Usually, she just knocks the whole thing over, and the poor baby is head down on the tile.

And more of my little fearless daredevil...

"Why, yes, Mommy...I am here to drive you crazy. That is my sole purpose on this Earth." Haha...she is the funniest little thing!

We didn't make it to the pumpkin patch this weekend, obviously, but we are aiming to go next weekend. I'm dying to take some fall pics of my girls! Have a good week, and hopefully I'll have a better story to tell next Sunday.

Not-so-happy field trip

2011-10-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

This week was definitely better than last week! I was able to go on a field trip with Reese's class to the Exploration Museum in Lakeland on Tuesday. It was a neat place, but it wasn't something Reese enjoyed. There were just too many kids and way too much noise for her...way too much sensory overload. She wasn't interested in much at all. She doesn't do well in huge crowds, and in a small place with lots of noise, she just didn't have a good time. I did try and help her do a few things, like play with the Publix cash register. She pushed a few buttons, but that was about it.

She sat in this boat, but wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

I was excited to see the little newstation, considering this was my major...haha! I bribed her to sit behind the desk long enough for me to take her picture. She wasn't happy about it.

This little tornado enjoyed some swinging this weekend. I wish I could keep her in this thing all day long...maybe that way my house wouldn't continuously be destroyed...haha. I know...it's hard to imagine something so cute & innocent looking could be so destructive! Don't let the face fool you...she is destined to work in the demolition field!

These kids love blankets & pillows. Pip dragged out this old pillow, sans case, and laid right in the middle of the dining room.

Reese playing recliner peek-a-boo!

That's it for the week...we'll be having lots of Fall & Halloween pictures coming up in the near future. I can't wait for the girls to wear their costumes! Have a great week!

What a week!

2011-10-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been! Last week I told you about Paige bringing home the stomach bug. Well it was the gift that kept on giving. Marshall caught it last Monday morning, and Reese was throwing up Tuesday night. Wednesday I got it, and Thursday Paige started in with a nasty cough. I took her to see Dr. LaRue, despite feeling like crud, and got her some antibiotics. I was still feeling it yesterday, and I'm better today but not 100%. Talk about a week from you-know-where! I had to miss two of my spin classes, and Marshall couldn't work for a few days. It was one of those sicknesses where you just feel completely drained, weak and achy. Thank goodness this weekend was rainy...that way we didn't feel like we were missing something fun going on outside!

Needless to say, I don't have a lot of pictures. Here are the ones I did get :)

Ever since Paige climbed up into the recliner and fell out right onto her head, we have turned it around and pushed it into the corner. Well, Reese likes to still climb in there and sit in it backwards and watch TV over the top. On Wednesday, after a night of vomiting, she wanted to just lay around and rest. So she climbed into the recliner with her blanket, and this is how she got comfy.

Well, guess who climbed into it later on? While Paige was at school, we moved the recliner so Reese could lay straight and watch TV. Paige decided to chill out and she actually didn't stand up. We moved it back towards the wall soon after this, though. I don't trust this kid...haha.

These were from last night right before lights out. She is back to her old self, thank goodness! Being silly and reading her magazines before bed :)

And, of course, Paige had to play in her crib for a while before falling asleep. She loves her pillows! She usually sleeps with one covering her head.

Poor Pip got pushed down in the mulch at school on Friday...her little nose got scratched! She had a few abrasions on her forehead, but her nose got the worst part of it. She survived, though :)

That's a vanilla wafer in Reese's mouth. She has a system of how she eats them. She sticks it in between her lips, so it hangs out like this. Then she slowly inches it into her mouth and eats the cookie whole, without touching it. It reminds me of a fake tongue hanging out of her mouth! Here she is sitting at my desk, looking at some pictures of herself I was about to scrapbook. Oh, and her hair just curled like that by itself! All this humidity gave her hair the prettiest waves!

That's all for this week. Have a good one and we'll see you next Sunday :)

A little Photoshoot & a sick Ram-Paige

2011-10-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I knew it was a matter of time before one of my girls caught a bug from school. Paige was the unlucky one this time. She woke up from her nap at school and threw up all over her teacher. I picked her up early and brought her home. She persisted to keep vomiting for several more hours, even though there was nothing left. Now, 48 hours later, she is much better, but still weak and her appetite isn't really back yet. She's napping and resting a lot. I miss her running around the house, destroying everything! I never thought I'd miss her messes and her banging toys all over the house, but I surely do. I will be so glad when she's back to her normal self...my little Ram-Paige (haha...the perfect name for her! Thanks, Jennifer!) Apparently, there were three other little ones who caught this bug, too...so hopefully all of them are getting better.

I did a little photoshoot with Reese on Friday afternoon after Marshall got home to keep an eye on Paige. I wanted to do this on Reese's actual birthday, but that was the day she fell off the couch and had a HUGE goose egg on her forehead. It's finally gone! You know she hardly ever poses for me, so I got the best pictures I could. They show the true Reese, so that is what I wanted.

I'm still wearing the glasses...at least for another week. My last check-up showed a teeny bit of improvement. I could barely read the smallest line, so that is good! I usually can't. I guess not wearing my contacts really is helping my vision! I go back next Tuesday for another appointment. I'm actually getting used to wearing these glasses now...I may not want to go back to contacts. Ummm...yes, I think I will...especially during spinning & yoga! It's kind of hard to hang upside down with glasses on your face. It's a good thing I know the routine so I don't really have to wear them.

Anyway....on to the pictures....

This was on Monday before Paige got sick.

She still loves bathing in the ducky tub! Yes, she has outgrown it, but we make it work.

After school on Thursday...

Reese loves magazines!

The photoshoot...

Poor Paige passed out on the couch yesterday...

And then she wound up sleeping like this. I know I shouldn't be taking pictures when my child is sick, but I couldn't resist.

That's it for this week. Have a good one!

(Not a lot of) pictures...

2011-09-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday again, and I just realized I don't have many pictures to share again! I'm becoming a picture slacker. The days just fly by now that school is in session, and I just forget until the weekend.

Everyone is doing well. This week the girls will have their school pictures taken. I'm on week 2 of wearing my glasses...I have another appointment on Tuesday.

What a bunch of interesting news, huh? Boringgggggg.....

Here are the pictures I did take:

Reese having a blast swimming with her Daddy. She was giggling and squealing up a storm! And, yes, that is a sprig of leaves she has in her hand. What can I say? The girl LOVES leaves!

Doesn't this face have "Terrorizer" written all over it? I know this picture is blurry, but I love it. She ran towards me before I could focus.

This is her new thing...when I say NO...I try hard not to laugh when she does it!

Reese just sitting on the floor in my office...I think she was trying to get away from me, but I found her.

I know her hair looks stringy here, but I love her little face!

Last but not least, Paige at her Cheerio station...one day she's going to turn into a big Cheerio!

Have a great week!

Another Sunday...

2011-09-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday again...already! Everyone has had a good week around here. Reese and Paige had a good week at school. Tuesday was Grandparents Day, and the girls had FIVE of their grandparents visit their classrooms! Some of grands had to work, but they definitely had a good showing.

I am having somewhat of an eye crisis. Well, not really a crisis, but still. I had an eye exam last week in order to get some new contacts. Come to find out, my eyes are getting worse, and now they both have astigmatisms. I've had to take a break from wearing my contacts for the past week, and I go back to the doctor on Tuesday to see if they've had any change. Apparently, wearing the contacts helps mold your eyes to the shape they are, and mine are starting to become shaped like footballs instead of basketballs. Hopefully wearing my glasses for a while has helped them reshape themselves. I didn't know this was possible, but according to Dr. Miller, it is. I'll probably have to wind up ordering special, more expensive contacts (of course) and new glasses. My vision is HORRIBLE...I can't even make out black ink on the letter chart, let alone that gigantic E. I'll keep you posted...I may be wearing glasses from here on out, which is not fun when you teach spinning for a living! Sweaty face + glasses = Disaster.

I just realized that I don't have a lot of pictures this week. But here's what I have...

I never fix Paige's hair like this, but this morning when she woke up, her hair was so crazy...like she had stuck her finger in a light socket. Her bangs were sticking straight out and they wouldn't lay down at all. I had to get them out of her face, and I just had to take a picture!

That's it for this week. Have a good one!

5-year Check-Up

2011-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Reese saw Dr. LaRue for her 5-year check-up on Tuesday. She got a great report! She is 43 pounds and nearly 43 inches tall! Ummm...I'm only 62 inches, so she's definitely going to surpass me, for sure! Here we are waiting on the doctor... Her forehead bruise is healing from her falling off the couch last week!

The usual...pool pictures...

Reesie pool pics...well, around-the-pool pics. She only got in for a quick dip and then was back to leaf hunting.

What a goofball! She is the queen of silly faces.

Silly girls...

I'm blocking you, Mom.

More silly goose pictures...

Happy 5th Birthday, Reese!

2011-09-05T16:07:00.001-07:00

Well, the day finally came...Reese turned FIVE years old on Friday! I never realized how fast time flies until I had children. I spent Friday saying to myself, "This time five years ago, my water broke. This time five years ago, I was pushing. This time five years ago, Reese was born!" I remember is as clearly as if it happened yesterday.

We had the family over on Saturday to celebrate. I made my rainbow cake again, and this one turned out so much better than my practice one :) I also made a chocolate piggy cake...haha. He didn't turn out as cute as I'd hoped, but he was still delicious. Reese's favorite birthday gift was a Dora guitar from her Aunt Jamie. She also got a new CD player for her bedroom, some books, some of her favorite snacks, some new sneakers, a few clothes & $350! This kid has more money than I do in her savings account!

Both girls had a great week at school. This week, they get to take a field trip to the fire station. Reese will visit Dr. LaRue tomorrow after school for her 5-year checkup. I can't wait to see how tall she is. She will be taller than I am in no time (which isn't very tall, but still...)!

Here are this week's pictures:

The usual...my silly geese being silly geese!

Mrs. Monique took these beautiful photos of Reese at school the other day! I love them both.

More cute Reese pictures...note: the huge bruise on her forehead is from her falling off the couch Friday after school. I was just about to take her outside for a little birthday photo shoot when it happened. A huge goose egg formed immediately...so the photoshoot will have to wait!

The birthday cakes! (Don't laugh at my pig!)

Reese & her Aunt Jamie

Reese and Papa David

Reese, her daddy & her Great-Great-Grandma (Mamaw) She's 96!

Reese & her Great-Granny Clifford

As you can see, Reese had no interest in posing for ANY of these pictures...so I had to get what I could. Doesn't she look just thrilled that it's her birthday party?

Her Dora guitar...she loved this. Thanks, Aunt Jamie!

She also loved these new Dora books :)

Let's not forget this little mess maker!

1st Day of School :)

2011-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hooray for a great first week of school! Reese & Paige had a really good school experience this week. Both girls love their teachers and have adjusted well in just a few days' time. That has pretty much been our big event of the week. I have a variety of pictures from the week...enjoy!

The backpack is bigger than she is!

Just lounging around after school one day :)

More lounging... (and flopping all over the couch!)

Some bathtime pics of Paige....
This picture cracks me up...this is the fakest smile...haha. I think she was just giving me her cheesiest face so I'd put the camera down!

She loves to run down the hallway with just her towel on. She looks like a ghost from behind, with the towel flowing out behind her!

A little play time after Paige's bath...she likes to run around our bedroom and flop around on the bed.

Mom, really? I'm trying to settle down & go to bed and you want to take my picture? Hello...that flash is really bright.

We did get in some pool time this weekend. Thank goodness Hurricane Irene spared us!

Paige is sporting another one of Reese's old swimsuits! She hit the swimsuit jackpot this year. I'm so glad I saved all of Reese's clothes :)

One more picture...I made a practice cake this weekend. This Friday is Reese's 5th birthday, and I wanted to make a rainbow cake. It was surprisingly easy...just time consuming, since you have to bake each color separately. I made the icing from scratch, and realized that I didn't make enough. So, needless to say, my cake is pretty bare. This is the exact reason I did a practice run! Next time I'll make more icing. The most important part is that it tastes YUMMY!

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic week!

An Ear Bra?

2011-08-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Looks like summer is over...the season, anyway. It's still hot as ever, so it still feels like summer. School begins tomorrow, and I hope the girls have a great year. I know it will be good for them to get back into their normal routine, see all their friends & teachers, and have days filled with fun activities.

It has been a low-key week around here. Reese and Paige both have made new discoveries in the past few days...one typical, and one not-so-typical. See for yourself :)

Here's the typcial one...Paige figuring out how to climb onto the coffee table! Trouble just waiting to happen...earlier this week, she climbed into the recliner and fell out HEAD first. This kid is my daredevil and will probably be the death of me!

And the not-so-typical. Let me explain. Reese pulled these Easter Bunny headband ears out from some corner...who knows where. Instead of wearing them on her head, she puts them on her chest like a bra! And the ears hang down...just like old boobies! LOL! So, we now call this her "ear bra." She will run around with it on, hoisting it up when it starts to droop...it's SO funny!

A quick picture of Pip...

More ear bra pictures!

Some cute outside pool photos...

Look who's being a cutie pie!

More cute poolside pictures. I just realized I didn't get any shots of Reese actually in the pool this week. She spent more time doing this than swimming, anyway.

Paige wants to splash & play as soon as she gets out there!

Thanks for stopping by...that's it for this week. Have a good one!

Silly Girls :)

2011-08-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

One more week until school starts! So much for summer lasting a long time...that never happens. I know the girls will be happy to be back into their old routine. Being bored at home is no fun! Their orientation is Wednesday and we'll find out who their teachers are. I'll be there to help with PTO. Hopefully we'll have more parent participation this year.

Anyway....here are this week's happenings.

Paige leading her Papa Gary to the swing...he took his shoes off before he came inside the house, and she immediately grabbed his hand and led him toward the door!

Paige reading the giant Backyardigans book that is bigger than she is!

I never know what Reese is going to do...or what face she may make.

She likes to get all comfy & cozy in between the couch cushions.

Are you getting tired of seeing pool pictures? I just keep on taking them...and they continue to be cute!

Another ever-popular Ignore Mom pic...

This is Paige's newscaster hair do...straight from the crib! No prior styling! This is Paigie Pickles reporting live from my house...the top story...I love Cheerios!

Can you eat a Cheerio and flick off your mom at the same time? Oh, the talent of this kid!

Trying out some "arty" pics...since Reese never poses for me, I just snap at whatever it is she's doing at the moment. I love the colors in her swimsuit!

Another day at the pool...and another swim suit :) I found this old one of Reese's and it fits Pippy perfectly!

That's all, folks! Have a great week!

Hello, August!

2011-08-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it's already August. How did that happen? Didn't we just wrap up Christmas last week? It's true what they say: the older you get, the faster time flies. I'm surprised someone hasn't invented a pause button for life yet. Maybe Apple can come up with the iPause. Okay, enough corny jokes!

Although the girls were home this week, there was a lot going on. Lots of swimming and playing and just being silly. Paige saw Dr. LaRue on Friday for her 2.5 year check-up and she got a great report! She is 30 lbs. 9 oz. and is 36 inches tall exactly. She weighs over a pound more and is a half-inch shorter than Reese was at this age. Reese has tall legs, while Pippy has short chunky ones. Either way, they're both supposed to be taller than I am at full adult height. I'm only 5"2', so that's not saying much! Paige got one shot (the second Hep. A) shot and she did great, considering it was a shot.

Reese will be going for her 5-year check-up next month. FIVE!! Unbelievable. She'll be starting her last year of pre-school soon. She has to go another year since she was born on Sept. 2 and missed the cut-off day by one day. Oh, well...she needs it. Paige will be going into the Pre-K 2 class.

We've had to put Paige back in onesies the past few days because she won't keep her hand out of the back of her diaper! On Wednesday she dug around in there before I could catch her and basically gave herself a mud bath, if you know what I mean! She had it smeared EVERYWHERE...all over her, all over the floor...it looked like she was making poop snow angels on the carpet!! I got it all cleaned up...miraculously. The onesies are preventing her from doing this again...and so far, they're working! She is just about too tall for them, so she better cut it out soon...haha. I think this might be a sign to start potty training this kid!

Well, that's about all I have to report for now...on with the pictures! Let's start with Paige, looking cute in a tank top :)

Reese getting tickled by Grandma Darlene :)

And Paige "jumping" on the trampoline. She stands there, without bending her knees, while someone bounces it for her...haha.

Reese reading her "journal" :)

Paige and me waiting on Dr. LaRue...taking pictures makes the time go quicker :)

MMMOOOOOMMMMMMMMMYYYYYY....I'm soooooo ready to LEAVE! Please get me out of here! I'm going to pitch a fit now!

Ooooh, my toy might occupy me for a split second...

Nope!! I can't stand it anymore...this waiting is awful!!

Paige looking cute...as always :)

Reese enjoying some outside pool time. Lately she's been more interested in hunting for interesting leaves than swimming.

Reese is finally tall enough to touch in the shallow end! She's getting brave and wants to keep walking towards the deep end.

I don't feel like smiling today, Mom. I scratched myself during sleep, so that is what is on my face :(

Train Ride, Swimming, & Goof Balls

2011-07-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty good week around here :) The girls finished up their summer camp days and will now have three weeks of staying home & sleeping late. Last Wednesday was the Amtrak Train field trip; it was a lot of fun! It was a very cloudy day, so at least it wasn't as hot as it normally is. We actually got cold on the bus and the train! Who would've thought that was possible in July?

This week we have nothing planned...except for Friday. Paige gets to go see Dr. LaRue for her 2.5 year check-up. I can't wait to see how much this little tank weighs! She's definitely over 30 pounds.

Here are this week's photos...enjoy!

Reese and I had fun riding the bus to the Amtrak Train Station down in Sebring. It was an overcast day, so the lighting was terrible on the bus. I had to lighten this A LOT, so it's very grainy. But I still liked the picture :)

Waiting for the train to arrive & pick us up!

Reese enjoyed the train ride...it was very smooth and we had lots of room to move around. She liked reading the train magazine, eating cheerios & looking out the window.

And a few goofy pics of us together...

Some cute bedtime pictures of my little mess-makers...

Random little photo shoot with Reese :)

And a random photo shoot with Pip :P She had an enormous bruise & goose egg on her forehead, but it's getting better. She has a bad habit of banging her head on whatever she can when she decides to throw a temper tantrum. This kid might need a helmet to protect herself...from herself!

Fun pool time pics...in and out of the pool!

Paige is on a tongue kick...she is constantly sticking it out!

Morning time...time for reading & playing :)

Sunday Funday Pool Time!

That's it for this week. I'm sure I'll have lots more pictures next weekend!

Wild Hair, Snacks, Sleeping, Balls, Pool & Harry Potter!

2011-07-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hey, people! I've got a ton of pictures for you today. We've got a busy week ahead. It's the last week of summer camp at OCA, and I'm filling in at the Y a few more times this week. I'll be teaching SIX spin classes instead of my usual three! One of the other instructors is going on vacation, so I'm teaching for her. Wednesday is Reese's field trip to the Amtrak train station. This was really fun last year. I should be nice and worn out by this time next week :)

The girls are both doing well and have had a fun week at camp and playing with their grandmas. Here are their pictures for you...

A few beautiful pictures of Reese last Sunday evening...I love when I get really good random photos of her.

After school snacks -- vanilla wafers :) Reese likes to let hers hang out of her mouth like a tongue!

My sleeping beauties :)

Reese got so tickled the other night while playing with her Daddy and these balls!

Paige being silly at nap time :) Wow...you can really see the teeth marks on the crib! Compliments of my two little billy goats.

And my silly little poser before bed the other night. She loves to run around our bedroom before she goes into her crib...she kept stopping and posing for me!

A few cute pool pics of Reese...

And some of her dancing around the living room the other day! I love her randomness :)

Lovely WILD hair pics of Paige! There is no taming this mane!

Sunday morning pajamas...running around, eating cheerios, being silly (as usual!)

Cute pool pictures from this morning:

And a few pictures of my Saturday outing. My good friend Jennifer and I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! A few months ago, we made a challenge for ourselves. We knew the final movie was coming out July 15th, so we decided to re-read all seven books together and re-watch all the movies. If we made it in time to see the final film on opening weekend, we would celebrate soon after by going to the theme park. We did finish...and we finished early! Last Saturday we saw The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and then yesterday we went to Islands of Adventure. It was SOOO much fun! I haven't been to a theme park in over seven years...and that was when I went as a chaperone with the seniors for Grad Night. The ride inside Hogwarts was AWESOME! The wait was long, but it was worth it. We rode several other rides, including the Hulk...holy cow...I'm not as young as I used to be...haha! I really felt a bit rattled after these rides. It was really fun, though, and I'm so glad Jennifer and I went! She is truly a wonderful friend to me :) Here are a few pics we snapped right before we left. We were soooo sweaty and hot...so we don't look our best here...haha!

This is the Hogwarts Express, and this guy is the conductor :) He kept making cheesy poses with people, so we figured why not get our picture with him? :)

That's Honeydukes behind us...the place in Hogsmeade where Harry and his friends always bought their candy and sweets.

Yay, Hogwarts!!

We had to get ourselves a Butterbeer! It isn't beer at all...it tastes like liquid vanilla icing, or cream soda & vanilla ice cream. It was SO good and sweet!

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday again...

2011-07-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've got lots of cute pictures to share this week, from a few different days. Without further ado, here they are!

Paige looked so cute in her little pink skort...

This is her favorite toy!

Cute sneaks :)

Silly face time with Reese :)

Look at this little ham...now that she's tall enough to climb onto the couch by herself, she's up there all the time.

Reese's new spot to watch tv...

Some cute pool pics...

A really cute close up:

And a really cute cheerio smile :)

The recliner is also a new spot for Paige to climb...what a lazy bum!

And more Sunday pool pics...

Sunday...

2011-07-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, blog readers! It's Sunday once more and time for my weekly post. I don't have a lot to report. The girls only had summer camp three days last week because of the holiday. Good times were had...Reese even got to go bowling for the first time! There are some phone pics on my Facebook page. I don't have my email set up on my phone to send them to my blog. They went swimming and had lots of fun. Despite the weekend rain, we did manage a little pool time here at home :)

Here are this week's photos...

This is Reese's favorite quiet spot to read...behind the curtain in the front bay window. She was awful quiet, and this is where I found her.

Paige and her cute little ponytail...eating cheerios, of course!

Reese's favorite afternoon snack...rice crispy treats!

No, I'm not going to look at you no matter how many times you ask.

Paige getting ready to get into the pool...I love her cute little body!

This girl loves this swim ring! She's doing really well with it. She constantly licks it, though! She was making all sorts of silly faces this morning!

Every time Marshall throws her up into the air, she kicks her legs out...it's so funny & cute! (And so is her chunky hiney...haha!)

Reese did some leaf hunting before she got into the pool.

Here are my sweet girls sleeping last night. Paige usually has her thumb in her mouth, but when I saw her in this position, I couldn't resist taking a picture. (Try to ignore the gnaw marks on the crib...courtesy of both my children!)

And how Reese sleeps like this is beyond me! I try and do this Frog position in yoga, and it's not easy. Kids are so flexible! She likes to sleep side ways in her bed instead of length-wise...that would make too much sense :) She likes to be surrounded by lots of pillows and blankets.

See you next week! Thanks for checking in with us :)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Fireworks are booming all around us as I type this. I think we're the only ones at home right now! The girls are in bed, and we're having a quiet night here at home. Tomorrow is a pool day for the girls at summer camp and they need a good night's sleep for that :)

We've had a good week...and a very long weekend. It has been nice and relaxing. Saturday night we went to Target and had dinner at Cracker Barrel. Paige is so active that she gets bored after about 10 minutes in her booster seat...and then she's restless and dying to get down. Needless to say, we had to hurry and scarf our food down and get out of there. Reese has always been a great "restaurant baby" but Paige...not so much.

Anyway, here are this week's pictures...enjoy!

Reese actually smiling for the camera!

Paige looking very tattered...I don't know what this child did at school on this day, but she came home looking ragged! She has juice or something splattered all over her shirt and her wild hair...major messiness! This fits her, though...

My little firecrackers! Paige and her eyebrows...haha!

"Really, Mom? I'm not going to smile."

More red, white & blue pictures!

I know that flash thing is about to go off...let me squint my eyes a little bit.

Dinner at Cracker Barrel...Reese also prepares for the flash. So lovely...haha.

More cute 4th pics...here's what happened when I tried to get them to wear the 4th crown...

And, of course, the best part of their weekend...the pool :)

Have a great week, everybody!

Nothing new here...

2011-06-26T13:28:00.001-07:00

No major news to report this week. Everyone is doing well on this end, thank goodness! Marshall and I went to his 20-year high school reunion yesterday evening. It was good to see so many old faces from the past! There were lots of people there from other classes, too, since so many married others from Frostproof. We had fun and stayed out passed our bedtime...not good! Well, we got home at 11:15, which is LATE for us! I've been yawning all day.

Other than that, things are pretty low-key over here. I'll get on with this week's picture parade :)

We haven't had a good "Ignore Mom" picture in a while...here you go!

This one will pose for me on occasion...

Yes, she is an expert at picking things up with her feet still! She belongs in the circus!

Reese and her other favorite hobby...reading magazines :)

Aren't Reese's old jammies super cute on Paige? I love these pink & green piggy pajamas!

Reesie Cup playing in the pool...and her usual cute & silly faces :)

Reese loves to check her email :)

My little Pippy Girl looking cute, as always.

That's it for now...have a great week & thanks for stopping by!

There's only one thing to do in this heat...

2011-06-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Get in the pool! We've spent the weekend cooling off in the water...if you're not in the pool, you just sweat instantly. Our girls couldn't be more different in the water. Reese is Little Miss Cautious, while Paige is a Little Miss Daredevil. She has to be moving the entire time...jumping, plunging, splashing or kicking. She tired herself out at one point and took a "thumb break" but then she was right back into it :)

Summer Camp starts tomorrow, so they'll have a fun & busy week. They get to swim at the Y twice a week, go bowling every Wednesday, and learn about a different country each week. They'll be doing lots of reading, arts & crafts, and next month they get to take an Amtrak Train ride, like last year.

Anyway, here are the pictures from the week...mostly pool pics!

This is how Paige sleeps now...with her right hand shoved down her diaper. Last night we had an unfortunate incident with some poop and that hand...let's just say a huge mess was made, and it took both Marshall and I to get it cleaned up...yuck!

We attempted to swing for a bit, but it was just too hot & muggy.

Paige loves her flip flops! Reese still doesn't like this kind, that go between your toes.

Swimming pics...

What a great way to spend Father's Day...with two special little girls!

Summer Time!

2011-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend we've had! It has been an extra long one since school has been out. We've had lots of pool time, and we even went to the lake this morning! Reese was a little hesitant at first, but she did wind up doing a bit of playing & splashing. Paige was VERY hesitant at first, but once she realized she had tons of room to walk, play & splash, she warmed up quickly :) She is such a little daredevil, whereas Reese is extremely cautious. Paige likes to stand on the side of the pool and just lunge forward in hopes that you're going to catch her. She didn't have a "side" at the lake, so she would just stand up and lunge forward anyway :) We were the only ones down there since all of Marshall's family is at the beach, so it was nice and quiet.

Reese has a few more days off and then she starts her summer camp program on Wednesday. I'm excited for her because she'll get to work with Christy all summer, and she gets to go to the Y's pool twice a week. She loves it, so I know it will be a good thing. Paige will start the following Monday, and she'll get to work with Geni. These ladies better be ready...my girls LOVE the pool!

I have a lot of pictures to share...

Guess who got into the powder when Mommy wasn't looking? Yep, you guessed it. I couldn't even get mad...all I could do was laugh :) She likes to lay on the floor and pick things up with her feet. Well, she picked up the powder with her feet and held it right over her face...there were little white footprints everywhere before I discovered this! Sneaky!

Reese laughing because she was being tickled :) I love pictures like this.

I pulled out Reese's old zebra and Paige took a little ride :)

Our little window artist :) (Pardon the chair on the patio...we laid all our wet swim suits & towels on it to dry...)

Isn't this girl just stunning? I know I'm biased, but she just takes my breath away!

And a few pool pics...

Paige being her usual adorable self :)

Here she goes...picking things up with her feet!

More pool pics!

And our adventures down at the lake today :)

And one final picture...a cute little wedgie...haha!

Hello there, June!

2011-06-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

The first weekend of June 2011 has been beautiful! We've enjoyed the pool a lot the past few weekends. Reese has had a wonderful week, but Paige...not so much. She came home Tuesday from school with a high fever. Next, she developed a little rash, and then wound up with these tiny white sores in her mouth! Apparently, Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease is going around...yay. She saw Dr. LaRue on Friday and is on antibiotics, and she's doing much better now. He said she didn't have it, but she did have some of the symptoms. Thank goodness I got her in when I did. I hate that she can't tell me what hurts her. I just have to guess.

This is the last week of school, so I'm sure there will be lots of fun things going on over the next few days. Hopefully everyone can stay well and not catch anything else...

Here are the pictures from this week. (Well, mostly from this weekend)

My little bookworm :)

Enjoying the pool :)

I don't have time to pose for pictures! Get me in the water!

Just hanging around...

You know you're a couch potato when you let milk dribble down your chin and you don't even care...haha.

My little bookworm again...this time reading Fitness Magazine! A future fitness fanatic :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, but it feels like a Sunday! I'm a day late with my weekly blog, but I figured I'd wait until today since I'd have more pictures to share. We've had a really nice weekend. The weather has been hot, but spectacular. Reese & Paige went swimming in the pool for the first time this year, and they LOVED it! Paige was iffy at first, but as soon as she realized how fun it was, she perked right up. She didn't want to sit still at all; she wanted to jump and kick and splash...no fear at all! Reese was happy to play in her swim ring. It was a really great weekend to break the pool in :)

Friday was OCA's Field Day...lots of activities going on for the different classes. Paige's class is full of little 2-year-olds (some even younger), so they did a few things before all the kids got hot and cranky.

Here is Reese and Christy...Reese's favorite person ever! She was happy, but when she realized I was hanging around the school for the day, she was like, "Really, mom? You're here?"

Reese loved her swimsuit...haha.

Paige with her hair all up...I couldn't resist a picture of her cute little neck!

Reesie enjoying a magazine...

And then lounging around, reading through her little cupcake notebook.

Pip loves to examine the little characters on her cup.

Let the pool pics begin...

Another Sunday is here...

2011-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, blog readers! I don't have a lot to write about today. We've had a pretty good week, and I can't believe it has already come and gone. This week should be a fun one...the girls have their field day at school on Friday. And then next Monday is Memorial Day, which means no school and no spinning classes at the Y. I'm kind of bummed about that because I teach twice on Mondays, and now I'll have the whole day free. Looks like I'll have to do something else in its place.

Next weekend will be busy...we're having a get together for a few of my YMCA friends for their birthdays...Trudi, Marie & Sara. And then on Sunday, someone who shall remain nameless (but she gave birth to me) has a birthday. I won't say which birthday it is, but it's a nice round number. Let's just say if you add 30 and 30, you get the number. But Shhhh...don't tell anyone.

Last night I had a fun night out with my great friend, Jennifer. We went to see Bridesmaids and had dinner at Chili's afterwards. The movie is hilarious...I'm a big fan of Kristen Wiig on SNL, and she makes the movie so funny! It was nice to get to hang out with an awesome person outside of the spin room :)

Here are my pictures for the week...

Trampolines...they're not just for jumping anymore.

Reese was hanging out in the front window, hiding behind the curtain, just having a little conversation with herself...I love this picture!

Just looking cute (as always)!

Hanging around outside...

Thanks for checking in with us, and have a great week!