Reeve Family

Goodbye Helmet!

2012-02-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

After just over six months, we finally decided to be done with Reagan's beautiful, pink butterfly life saver of a helmet. Though she did improve to the point that she no longer measured as needing a helmet, it wasn't as much as we had originally hoped. Her overall improvement was 5.2% and she went from class 2's and 3's to 1's and 2's.

We love Reagan so much. We hope she always feels as beautiful as we think she is. I am excited to pull out the hats, headbands, bows etc. and to smell and kiss her head.

Good Times

2012-02-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Grandma Reeve gave McKenna some magnetic paperdolls with several outfits. As we were dressing them up, we noticed that their clothes were not modest. We decided that together, we could help these girls repsect their bodies by covering their legs with leggings and shoulders with sleeves.

Much better!

The designer herself

We had so much fun, we decided to make a wedding dress.

I caught the raccoon getting into our pantry.

Bundled up and ready to play outside

I signed McKenna up for a jazz, tap, ballet class. She really likes it and I am surprised at how well she listens to the instructor and follows directions.

She loves her tap shoes!

I went to a maze of mirrors with my friend Lisa and her kids. It was soooooo trippy. I had a hard time distinguishing between reality and reflections. The kids had a great time.

We had to wear gloves to not mark the mirrors.

Celebrity Eclipse Here We Come!

2012-02-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to blogging our cruise and have ran into a lot of computer difficulties. I ended up splitting my entry into two portions and will have all of my commentary on this one (good luck following it). Without further ado... here our some pics from our fabulous cruise.

When RJ graduated from OSU with his MBA in 2009, he took me on a cruise. Since then, we knew we wanted to go again. Our good friends, Dave and Mila Newcomb have been on several cruises and expressed interest in cruising with us. We decided we would cruise together in 2012. The day to leave actually arrived and I was beside myself with giddiness. Pam and Reed flew to Minnesota to watch the kids and hold down the fort. We flew to Miami early Friday morning and stayed in a hotel that night.

Waiting for the shuttle to our hotel.

We felt a little lost in the hotel that night. It was so quiet and we didn't have a million things to get done. We walked the scary streets of Miami looking for a dinner and breakfast stop (for the next morning). The next morning, we took a shuttle to the port and were anxious to get on the ship.

Yee!

Jumping for joy with Celebrity Eclipse in the background.

There was a lot of waiting going on inside. We waited to get through security then waited to board the ship. We finally met up with Dave and Mila on the soon-to-be familiar buffet-style deck. It was so great to see them and they looked fantastic. They have been doing a special diet and working out hard.

Dave and Mila with Miami in the background.

We took ourselves on a tour of the ship while we waited for our luggage to arrive.

We finally made it to our stateroom (9164). Here's the bathroom.

RJ showcasing the interior.

Getting ready for some serious pampering.

Mislabeled. The robes are NOT one size fits all.

I don't necessarily have all the pictures in order. There were two formal nights where we got to dress up for dinner. I only brouoght one dress so Mila let me wear one of hers. It was fun to get gussied up. It also felt luxurious to eat dinner at a private table by the window with Dave and Mila in restaurant fashion. Our waiters names were Everton and Jose. It felt amazing to eat out and be able to order appetizers, entrees and desserts every night for 7 days!

Picture Time!

I made this shrug on Monday before the cruise. I am pleased that it actually worked!

Group pictures on a spiral staircase.

The ship was so beautiful with art and wonderful textures and fabrics.

Every night our "housekeeper" would leave an itinerary for the next days' festivities as well as chocolates on our pillows. He tidied our room, made our bed and brought fresh towels twice/day. We tried to take advantage of everything the ship offered. We went to most of the shows and participated in many of the activities.

One of the first activities was a pool volleyball tournament. RJ, Dave and I formed a team and a few strangers joined us. It wasn't until I got to the poolside and watched the other teams that I noticed the depth of the water, 5'9". Just so you know, it's not easy treading water while playing volleyball. RJ pulled his weight at the net but we got killed anyway.

We played bocci ball, ping pong (reigning champ- Dave), putted, shot baskets, played board games (courtesy of Mila), danced, played Family Feud, watched a Not So Newly Wed show, played loaded questions, battle of the sexes, sat in the hot tub, and hung around the karaoke lounge a few nights. Mila even build up the courage to sing "Midnight Train to Georgia" and at the end, Dave, RJ and I made a train out of ourselves and marched around her. I was very proud of her for having the courage to do that. She has a pretty voice.

Each night we went to the main show and some were better than others. They had their main dancers/singers and to be honest, the choreography was rough. We got to hear some Broadway songs, see a circus/type performance (very impressive), a magic show (less impressive), a comedian, and a female impressionist (way fun). Don't forget our cruise director Mike Gibbons. He loved to sing and actually had a good voice. As I sat there many nights, I couldn't believe my luck. I even began to feel like a pleasure glutton. I just tried to take it all in.

We decided to keep our workout regimen even if our dining regimen was slowly going to pot. We hit the gym or track faithfully 5 out of the 7 days. One of our excursions was supposed to be highly strenuous so we counted that for a workout even though it didn't feel like one.

Our first port was San Juan Puerto Rico. There are two forts that look like castles and we toured one of them. It was called Castillo San Cristobal. It was HUGE! The walls were so thick and there were long dark tunnels. I really liked wandering around checking out the dungeon and sleeping quarters.

Our second port was St. Thomas where we went kayaking, snorkeling and hiking. I am happy that I can write to tell about it since we almost lost some arms with some reckless driving on the way there. We used a two man, sit on top kayaks. I was nervous how RJ and I would work as a team (too much Amazing Race watching maybe) and we decided to stay calm and communicate. I worked! We paddled around some mangrove trees and I was struck by the story of the sacrificial leaf. The mangrove trees grow with their roots in the ocean floor. They have built in filters to filter the salt out of the water. It's about 97% efficient. The remaining three percent is soaked up by the yellow sacrificial leaf that absorbs the salt and consequently dies.

We paddled out to an island covered with purple clawed soldier Caribbean hermit crabs. They looked like piles of rocks but upon further inspection, you could see movement. Our instructors names were Travis and Casey. They told us to find the feistiest one and we would race them. Casey drew a circle on the ground and we put our crabs in the middle. On "go", the first hermit crab to get outside the circle was crowned the winner. I guess I'm not a natural when it comes to training hermit crabs because mine never left the circle.

We "hiked" a short distance to a blow hole and took some pictures getting sprayed. Then we went back to the beach to snorkel. RJ was nervous that he wouldn't be able to do it since he had tried once as a kid and was unsuccessful. He put the mask on and took off...no problem. I was the one who struggled at first. I put my face in the water and when I tried to breath I panicked and couldn't get air. I kept trying and told myself to calm down. It worked and we had a lot of fun watching the fish. The biggest one we saw was a puffer. From far away, I wondered if it was a small shark. I would have liked to have seen more and I would definitely do it again. Maybe I won't tighten my mask so much next time though. I felt like I had a bruise on my forehead for a few days. The whole thing was awesome!

Our last port was St. Marten (half Dutch, half French). RJ and I decided to use our on board credit to do another excursion. We went to a butterfly farm and Willie taught us that butterflies are as important as bees for pollinating. I had fun taking pictures of all sorts of butterflies. I really wanted a blue one before we left so RJ made it happen (hopefully he didn't break it's legs).

We went to "The Orient" beach afterward where we got a complementary beach chair and fruit punch. We ran and splashed and rode the waves. It was so fun to feel like a kid again. Not a care in the world. We decided to walk along the beach and enjoy the fine warm sand in our toes. It was then that we saw that some people only packed half of their swimming suits! In all fairness, we were warned that there may be nudity on parts of the beach. I guess I thought there would be a section of "them" and we would avoid that part of the beach. When all was said and done, I wasn't as offended as I thought I would be (none of them were Bay Watch material).

As we approached the end of our cruise, I tried to prepare myself mentally to return to real life. My only concern for an entire week was "what should I wear?" and "how should I do my hair?" I wanted to bring some of my laid-back-ness to my children. I had let myself slip into a rut of grumpiness. How could I bring this calmness I was feeling with me? I didn't know the answer but I thought about it for a good 24 hours. As wonderful as our trip was, one week was enough of "living the life" to remind me that the lives worth living for were in Minnesota.

The kids greeted us like royalty when we finally arrived. I was most concerned with how Reagan did. When she walked around the corner and saw me, she waddled towards me then turned and dropped her face to the ground. When I picked her up, Grandpa approached and she reached for him! Thankfully she did come back to me and she buried her head in my shoulder for a long time without moving.

The house looked great and dinner was ready. I could tell that the kids really enjoyed spending time with their Grandma and Grandpa Reeve (and their i-pads). They did a great job with the kids and we can't thank them enough. We got to spend a few days with them before they headed back to Utah. We went to a Timberwolves/Kings game for our January date on Monday and saw Jimmer play. He didn't stand out like the hot shot he was when he played for BYU. I had a good time nevertheless.

Cruise Continued

2012-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

New Years

2012-01-04T05:27:00.001-08:00

Raise Your Glass!

RJ likes this Toby Keith song on the radio called "Red Solo Cup." We had a Red Solo cup party with pizza, fruit, salad, "special drink" (raspberry apple juice with diet 7-Up), and oatmeal raisin cookies.

We purchased tickets to a family New Years party at the community center. Our friends the Hillyards met us there.
First we hit up the inflatables.

Next, Lisa and I took the older kids iceskating while Tim and RJ watched Reagan and Jane in a room with a fireplace and TV. Hunter is doing a good job teaching himself to skate. McKenna just kind of hangs on me.

We went to a carnival-like room after a few times around the rink and played a few games then hit up the maze. RJ and I then put the kids to bed and watched a movie (Warrior- a great pick) until 11:45 p.m. and went to bed. All in all it was a fun day.

Christmas

2011-12-27T05:37:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve with the Rowley's. We ate yummy food, played games and laughed a lot. When we got home, the kids got to open their present from grandma and grandpa Morrison. Then we read Luke 2 and put them to bed.

Is it wrong of me to love this picture?

I warned the kids that if they woke up in the night and had to go potty they would have to go back to bed 'til morning. I figured any time after 6:30 a.m. would be accepable. RJ set the alarm for 6:30 so he could turn on the fogger. He wanted to create a low lying fog that skimmed the ground making the tree and presents float on a "cloud." He was pretty excited about his clever idea.

Hunter woke up at 6:58, went to the bathroom and went back to bed. McKenna got up at 7:15 a.m. and layed in bed with us making a few trip back to her room to try to get Hunter up. At 7:45, we read from our "straw" in the manger the acts of service we rendered and received. We sang Away in a Manger and Hunter offered a prayer. We headed downstairs and this is what it looked like:

It was smelly and obviously difficult to see. Not quite the magical touch RJ was going for.

The kids went through their stockings then we ate breakfast (french toast with homemade bread, berries, turkey sausage links and fresh OJ). Hunter and McKenna didn't have much of an appetite. They were too excited about presents.

Before anyone opened anything, Hunter wanted us to open something he made us at school. He was really excited about it and had a hard time waiting til Christmas morning. He made an adorable sock snowman. Thanks Hunter!

Reagan finally joined us and got in on the action. Santa brought her a ball popper.

Grandma and Grandpa Reeve gave her a colorful, musical phone.

Hunter got a bike, helmet and panda pillow pet.

Santa brought McKenna baby gear (pay 'n play, bouncer, stroller, diaper bag, an ineractive mat, and of course another baby with clothes). She received a unicorn pillow pet as well. RJ and I bought her these matching baby and me outfits.

For Christmas, RJ and I decided to take our $100 and buy clothes for our cruise. We bought our own stuff, kept them in boxes then laid them out on Christmas Eve. RJ's only surprise was his stocking and this picture I made out of water colors. It is a forget me not with President Uchtdorf's five things we should not forget- to be patient with ourselves, the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice, to be happy now, the "why" of the gospel, and that the Lord loves you.

The only thing I asked for was a light to clip on my book to read at night so as not to keep RJ up. He surprised me and made me another date list for the year 2012! I am so excited. I love this gift so much. Here's what we'll be doing in the coming months- Timberwolves game against the Kings (who have newly acquired Jimmer Fredette), a snowshoe trek in the moonlight along trails lit by candlelight, a road trip to Iowa for the Big 10 Gymnastics Championship, a World War II lecture about Secial Ops Units that parachuted behind enemy lines to support partisans in France during the Normany invasion, the Weisman Art Museum, a walk and picnic at Minnehaha park, golfing at Sundance, Comedy Sportz, Bye Bye Birdie at the Chanhassen dinner theatre, a cooking class, a Chilly Dogs Sledding trip, and last but not least, a play at the Orpheum.

Steve and Kathryn bought us a fun Dr. Suess game. RJ and McKenna played while I made dinner.

We bought McKenna some dress-ups which she wore all day. She also loved coloring in this sticker/activity book from Grandma and Grandpa Reeve.

Hunter got this hoop for his birthday and it kept him busy for a while.

We went to church and had a really nice sacrament meeting with some beautiful musical numbers.

Matt and Beth gave us a great game called 10 days in Europe. RJ and I played a few times Christmas night.

We really are spoiled. We received so many great things and are so grateful for all of them. We are especially grateful to have celebrated the birth of Christ and for the knowlege that we have of him.

Les Miserables

2011-12-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

Our November date was supposed to be an NBA game but because of the strike, we had to push that off until January. December's date was a theatrical performance. RJ thought about going to see a Christmas Carol but when we heard that Les Miserables would be performed at the Orpheum in Minneapolis we decided to attend that instead. Apparently it is it's 25th anniversary. I got a good deal on tickets and our friends Krystal and Adam Larson came with us.

We were way in the back (probably only three rows behind us). I thought we might need binoculars before we got there but I was pleasantly surprised that I could see the characters fine even if their faces were a blur.
We tried to get a picture of all four of us and I was talking when RJ snapped it. He preferred this picture of himself to the next so I thought it only fair to add it.

I really wanted to get decked out for my big date but with Hunter's party in the morning, I only had 10 minutes. Oh well, that's life.

The performance was AWESOME! I knew it would be a musical but I didn't know that the dialogue was also going to be sung. It took a few minutes to get use to and I had to focus hard to understand what they were saying/singing. I was very moved by the music and thought the cast was fantastic. My favorite part was Fantine singing "I dreamed a dream." I got chills.

Party Time!

2011-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hunter's party was supposed to be a sledding party. We have this great hill in the back. I figured it would be a breeze to send the kids outside for an hour or so. I can't believe I actually started wishing for snow as the 17th approached. I was a little bit stressed the week before the party trying to figure out what I would do in the event of a no-snow situation with thirteen 7-9 year olds in my 8x10 foot living room. I put together a party plan on Friday (the day before) and I'm confident that Hunter had a blast. I'm not sure I can say the same for RJ and I but we are happy for him.

Team blue searching the hill

Our first activity was a name game since we had kids from the neighborhood, church and school. After being introduced, they sat in two teams on opposite sides of a sheet. RJ and I held the sheet up like a wall and each team chose one person to stand up in the middle facing the sheet. We dropped the sheet after counting to three and the first one to say the name of the person in front of them got a point.

Then we counted off and created two new teams for a picture scavenger hunt. I took 12 pictures of things around our neighborhood (ie fire hydrant, mail box, tree etc.). The kids had to find the object in the picture and pick up a coin that coincided with their team color.

Team green making a mad dash from the mailbox

McKenna and Barrett lost in the mix

Spray Game

I filled a water bottle and had the kids stand in a cirlce. One person stood in the middle and thought of something (ie. I'm thinking of a color, superhero, animal, letter etc). Whoever guessed what the person in the middle was thinking got sprayed and then became the person in the middle.

Grunt Piggy Grunt

I have to thank Shirlene Pratt for teaching me this next game when I was twelve. A person stands in the middle of a circle blind folded with a pillow and a wooden spoon. After spining them around they walk up to someone, hold the pillow up, poke them with the spoon and say "grunt piggy grunt." The person being prodded makes their best pig noise and whoever is it has to guess who the pig is. Switch when you get it right.

Pizza Time

The boys self segregated to this table

(Will, Nate, Hunter, Josh and Barrett. Blake had to leave early and is not in this picture).

(McKenna, Paige, Mary, Leah, Lauren, Neeru, Hadley, Abby)
Yummy! Pizza, vegetables and fruit.

The Cake

Thinking we would have a winter themed party, I made a snowman cake. He turned out pretty cute and Hunter was surprised that it wasn't a plain 9x13 frosted cake.

We hope your wish comes true.

Present Time

Hunter was given a lot of very nice gifts. As party favors, I picked up twelve different items at Target. Hunter chose which gift to give to each person and wrapped them. He handed them their gift and they got to open it before handing him the gift they brought.

Overall the party was successful. The transitions were rough. Without structure, the boys started wrestling and jumping on the furniture. We had one party guest threaten to go home and one in tears twice but we recovered quickly and all had a good time.

Gingerbread Houses!

2011-12-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

We invited our friends the Rowley's to make gingerbread houses with us. Everyone did a great job and seemed to be having fun.

Paul, Cheryl, Tanner, Adam, Hunter, McKenna and Nathan
Hunter and Will

McKenna's creative house. For the longest time she didn't have anything on her house because she wanted to eat it so bad and couldn't wait.

This is her waiting.

24 hours later

Hunter was pretty strategic and knew that anything he put on his house, he could eat. He loaded not only the walls with candy but stuffed the "attic."

Hunter Turns 7!

2011-12-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

I told Hunter that I would make him whatever he wanted for breakfast. He said he didn't care and I could surprise him. I made him pancakes and scrambled eggs with berries, a banana and some orange juice. Oh yeah, don't forget that multi-vitamin. I took it up to him and hopefully he enjoyed his breakfast in bed.

He's making a "7."

We went out to Famous Dave's and opened presents while we were waiting for our food because we were in a time crunch. Hunter looked a little disappointed to see just three gifts and I thought, just wait 'til you open your first present and see that it's church clothes, then you'll really be disappointed!

A blazing sundae.

We don't usually do big friend parties for the kids but Hunter has more friends now than he has had in the past and is older. He originally wanted to go to Chucky Cheese but we sat down and looked at how much it would cost and he said "oh, that's okay, we don't have to go to Chucky Cheese." I told him that I would try hard to make a fun party at home. He filled out all the invitations and excitedly passed them out.

Hunter is a great kid. I feel bad that he has to be my guinny pig and hope I don't make too many grave mistakes. He's very much a rule follower and fairness enforcer. He has expressed interest in becoming a police officer which I'm sure would suit him fine and make me a nervous wreck. He can be very sensitive, sweet, thoughtful, focused and exact. We love him very much and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays.

Caught Ya!

2011-12-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

Look familiar?

I found these two conked out when I got home late after being with friends.

I hope this does not become our new bedtime routine!

First Day of Sledding

2011-12-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

Hunter and McKenna have been so anxious for it to snow. With grass still showing, they suited up and headed out. I had a mommy moment, the kind where your heart smiles and fills with love for your kids. Hunter was carrying McKenna's sled up the hill for her and they were making a train sliding down. Hunter held on behind McKenna. If you didn't know better, you would have thought that they were best friends!

Going on a Tree Hunt

2011-12-05T08:51:00.001-08:00

My friend called to let me know that the pharmacy she works at would be having a special visitor with free ice cream cones to boot. We decided to stop by on the way to getting our Christmas tree. McKenna was nervous when she saw Santa so Hunter paved the way. He has been skeptical this year and accused Santa of being a fraud because he was wearing a watch and there were no reindeer in the parking lot. Of course, he didn't say that to Santa's face.

I found a different Christmas tree farm this year because the trees at the last farm were sad looking and it was far away. I must say that it felt unusual to not have snow on the ground this time around. Not that I am complaining! In fact, a few inches dropped later in the day.

We stole Beth and Matt's tradition of holding hands around the Christmas tree and singing "Oh Christmas Tree." The kids are just hugging it here.

I was there too.

Free hayride and Christmas sausage dogs.

Time to set it up! Turn on the music and start feeling Christmas in your bones.

Reagan doing her part.

I don't know how RJ remembered whose turn it was to put the angel on top but apparently it was McKenna's. Now we are ready for Christmas!

Snap Shot Moments

2011-12-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

One night, I got home late and caught these two passed out on the couch. It looks like McKenna was mid-bite a granola bar.
McKenna put this outfit together even though we are at below freezing now. She said she wants to be sixteen. Oh great! Come to find out, she wants to be sixteen to be bigger than the neighbor girl.

What more can I say? Reagan is a ray of sunshine in this home. I wish I could be more like her in finding joy in simple things.

Thanksgiving in Ohio

2011-11-30T13:04:00.001-08:00

We really miss being with family for the holidays so we decided to drive to Ohio to be with Sean and Melissa and their family. We thought it best to split the trip into two days. Our first destination was South Beloit, IL (which is a little less than half way). We stopped at Perkins for lunch and took some pictures with the giant mouse and moose.

The kids are supposed to be making mouse faces but McKenna just looks miserable.

RJ gets the father of the year award for cleaning up three unpleasant bodily fluids from McKenna in a 24 hour period. She had a belly ache and diarreahed in her car seat. The next morning, she puked on her sunday dress. That evening she pead her pants in the car. We just laughed when the third attack came along.

The kids enjoyed the hotel stay more than we did I'm sure. We swam, stayed up until the kids could stay up nolonger, and ate blueberry waffles for breakfast.

Reagan always did great the first 3-4 hour leg of each trip.

In an effort to not watch movies on Sunday, I sat in the back and read Junie B. books to the kids.

Hunter liked it more than he is letting on.

Chicago

Originally our plan was to bypass Chicago. We chose another route looking at our road map which we stupidly left at home. Our Tom Tom kept wanting to take us through Chicago so we decided to follow it. We also punched the wrong Milford Ohio into the Tom Tom and drove in circles for about 2 hours. The kids held it together suprisingly well but RJ and I were about to lose it.

We stopped at Dairy Queen to keep our little passengers happy.

We finally arrived at Sean and Melissas and were ready to hit the sack. RJ and I tried to maintain our workout program while on vacation but we were not perfect.

RJ enlisted the children.

Notice that Tony, the instructor, is no longer doing a table top. I made them hold it for the picture.

Tuesday morning I got up early to attend Sean's seminary class. He teaches (as a calling) in his basement. In true Morrison fashion, he asked me to teach his lesson but I was looking forward to seeing him do what he does well. He had all kinds of nice things to say about me when he introduced me which made waking up at 5:40 a.m. worth it. He also did a fantastic job teaching about the temple. For those who have gone through the temple, I would suggest studying Exodus 28. Thanks Sean!

On Tuesday, we went to a fun, free indoor park. On Wednesday, we went to the children's museum.

Children's Museum

We learned about the history and making of Cincinatti.

There were some huge train displays and a little train ride at the end. Josh was too tall to go on it (and really bummed) but Hunter wasn't. Hunter chose not to go and I like to think that it was for Josh's sake.

Melissa had a cute idea to make a thankful wreath. McKenna did a great job tracing the letters I wrote under her direction.

Melissa bought heavy whipping cream and the kids (and Sean) shook baby jars full of cream to make their own butter. They were pretty excited to use it on their rolls at lunchtime. Reagan is probably chasing Izzy (the dog) in the background. She loved that dog!

Sean and Melissa with our delicious Thanksgiving spread.

We were all so hungry and excited to eat but one plate filled us up and we were disappointed that we couldn't stuff ourselves anymore.

The kids made cute turkeys for the turkey shoot. McKenna is mercilessly shooting her turkey at point blank range.

We are really grateful that we got to spend Thanksgiving with family. Thanks Sean, Melissa and kids!

The Blessings of Tithing

2011-11-07T08:04:00.001-08:00

When RJ and I were trying to decide whether or not to purchase the corrective helmet for Reagan, money was a big isssue. We were told that it would cost $3,500. We assumed that we would also have a $50 co-pay per visit with the specialist tacking on another couple hundred and that our insurance would not cover one penny. After meeting with Ryan, I felt like we needed to go ahead and bite the bullet. Girls have a hard enough time accepting themselves, I didn't want Reagan to have one more thing to dislike about her beautiful self if we could fix it now. Of course we were also concerned about possible learning delays and being able to get glasses to fit properly (her ears were misaligned.) RJ supported my decision and so far, there has been a 3% improvement. It has been a slow transformation because we didn't capitize on the prime time to put her into the helmet which was 5 months old. We finally got the bill in the mail and to my shock the helmet ended up costing $2,450. Insurance then paid $1,560 leaving us with a balance of $890! I had to read the bill several times. My heart filled with gratitude and I told myself, "that is the blessing of paying an honest tithe!"

Look Who's Walkin'

2011-11-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

Reagan has been taking a few steps here and there. Her first two steps were from the TV to mom on October 19th. Finally we were able to record some of the action. It won't be long before she's jumping on the couch and running away from her parents like her big brother and sister.

Once Upon a Time...

2011-11-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

there lived a woodsman named Hunter. He decided to go back to school, get a higher education and subsequently a higher paying job. At the school parade, he dressed up as Boba Fett.

He had many friends who lived in the nearby forest including a lion and cat. (left to right: unknown, Mary, Paige, unknown, Hunter, Lauren, Brynn, Chloe, Kenna, Josiah, Reagan)

One day while working in the forest, he heard a scream from a cute little girl in a red hooded cape named Little Red Riding Hood. She was taking an enormous chocolate chip cookie to her sick (but very becoming) grandma when she saw the Big Bad Wolf. He saved them all and took the chocolate chip cookie home to share with his wife.

Yummy enough to eat!

The End

The spoils which came to about 150 pieces of candy each. McKenna finished hers in five days! It was one of the hardest things I have had to do as a mom- watch my daughter exert zero self control. I decided not to police them this year as long as they ate breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Roo Turns 1!

2011-11-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Reagan has been a joy to this family (she may not be as thrilled with us). I can't believe it has already been one year!

She is such a pensive girl. She has been cruising around furniture and pushing McKenna's cart and princess car.

McKenna loves to help make treats. Especially the licking the bowl part.

My big helper. She was so excited about Reagan's birthday that she woke up around 6:30 a.m., walked down the stairs and made the announcement. She had the hardest time waiting for cup cakes and presents.

Investigating

Yep! We're good.

Grandma Morrison sent a little outfit and monkey bag. It's not obvious but she does likes her presents.

For the life of them, Hunter and McKenna could not restrain themselves from opening her presents. She didn't seem to mind. I on the other hand was annoyed.

Looking cute in her new dudds.

Halloween Dance

2011-11-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

The singles invited us married folk to their halloween dance. They did a great job with decorations. It was disappointing that so few people came. RJ and I decided to make the most of our babysitter and bust a move even if we were the only people on the floor. If we were celebrities, on-lookers would say that it looked like we were very much in love and enjoying ourselves.

At the last minute we decided to be teen wolf and his 80's friend. Don't ask me what we are doing in this picture.

Photo shoot. Pegged pants and all.

Line dancing it up!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks heaven's for RJ

I think it's important to carve a pumpkin every year though it is not my favorite thing. Thankfully, RJ got down with the kids and helped them gut it.

I have to admit that I have an important role in this home too. It's called "keep the children alive." RJ gave them both steak knives and I didn't think it was such a great idea. I told him so then went to get Reagan ready for bed. The next thing I hear is crying accompanied by "I cut myself!"
They finished the pumpkin and the next thing I know RJ is trying to get it to balance in McKenna's windowsill with a lighter in one hand. I peered through the doorway to see if he was really doing what I thought he was. Hmm. I don't think putting an unsteady lit pumpkin in the windowsill of our crazy 4 year old is the best idea.

Fortunately I was successful at talking them into putting the pumpkin on the porch like normal people. McKenna ran down the stairs the next morning shortly after RJ left for work and she opened the front door. I told her that daddy had already left and she said "I know, I'm making sure my pumpkin is still here." She was so worried about someone stealing her pumpkin which is ironic since she has no problem leaving her bike out!

Como Zoo

2011-10-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

We decided to make the most of the good weather we have left and went to the Como Zoo.

As you can see, there were all kinds of boards to stick your head through.

White fox

I love that she actually looks terrified!

It's more fun to watch the snake eat someone else right Kenna? What a sadist.

This cougar saw a squirrel in the tree on the other side of the fence. He was pacing back and forth licking his chops trying to figure out how he was going to catch that thing. McKenna must be a chip off the old block because I wanted to see him succeed in his quest.

I love wild cats! Tigers are my favorite. They are so beautiful and fierce. Unfortunately being locked in a zoo steals some of that fierceness and turns them into pacing mental patients.

Here we are being fierce

Cutest animal in the zoo by far.

Polar bear. Right at home in Minnesota.

Another cute one spotted! Hunter in the "ice" caves.

This seal was quite the entertainer. He kept throwing his cup in the air trying to catch it. He would also throw it in the water then dive in after it and launch himself back out onto this rock.

RJ likes the monkeys. There were some gorillas eating vomit and spitting it back up. I liked to sit on the bench behind them and listen for the "eeewwwww."

Keith Urban!

2011-10-17T14:22:00.001-07:00

For my October date, RJ purchased tickets in April for the final concert of Keith Urban's "Get Closer" tour.

Rip roarin' to go!

I bought this shirt at Goodwill to feel a little more country.

We shared a dessert (which was beyond heavenly. We have been on a diet for two months where the only sugar we get is in one serving of fruit a day, yogurt or milk). On our way out, their were some basketballs with hand imprints of famous players. RJ is seeing how he measures up to Tim Duncan.

Opening Act

Jake Owen opened for Keith. He did a really good job.

We were off to the side of the stage but a lot closer than I anticipated. The crazy crowd went wild when Mr. Urban came out.

He kicked off with a few songs then chatted up the crowd with that wonderful accent of his. He read most of the signs that people had made. One of the signs said "Husbands are pheasant hunting. Wives want a picture with Keith." He called them up onto the stage and took pictures with them. He did a great job interacting with the crowd. He called up three people to sing solos, walked through the crowd and eventually signed and gave away his guitar!

There was a big "screen" at the back of the stage.

The concert ended up going until almost midnight (*note to self: wear tennis shoes next time). It was so fun doing something different, being at such a big event. Thanks for an amazing night dear!

Kids Crafts

2011-10-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hunter and McKenna enjoys doing crafts and are very good at it!

She Works Hard For The Money!

2011-10-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

McKenna helping me clean in style!

Apple Orchard

2011-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

I took McKenna and her friend Charlotte to an apple orchard for play group one Wednesday.

They had a little "petting zoo" with goats, chickens, rabbits, and llamas. McKenna wanted nothing to do with the animals. I asked if they wanted to climb the hay mountain and they declined. The corn maze was closed this year (except for the weekends) so we mozzied on over to a big bird cage looking thing. "Climb to the top and wave" I said. "I don't want to" came the reply. Perhaps they wanted to just sit and watch the grass grow? No. They found something fun to do afterall. Swing on some small, rundown, overcrowded, swing set! Because of the line for the swings, their turn lasted about 2 minutes and thought we could have gotten a lot more out of a nearby park. "Oh well" I thought "let's take some pictures on the wooden train and make it look like we had a blast!"

In an effort to make the trip memorable, I decided to buy a bag of fresh made apple fritters and an apple to share (I didn't want to pick any because we got an invitation to pick as many apples as we wanted at a member's home). Last year, Kara bought apples and they cut one for her to share with us at lunch. I figured I would do the same so I dropped a few dollars on an apple ($4/lb) and guess what? They were of no service in helping me cut my apple. I stood and watched the girls eat their donut at a picnic table surrounded by bees and I took the monster apple home and put it in the fridge next to my 50 cent apples.

Turtle Rescue

2011-10-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

I took McKenna and her friend for a bike ride and saw something move toward the street. I guess it's not a big deal to see turtles around here but I have never seen one in the "wild." We took it home and made a little place for it to stay until Hunter got home from school.

When it came time to free Billy, Hunter put him on a rock and he plunged into some water.

September Golf Date

2011-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

We had to postpone our golf date because of scheduling conflicts, the weather and the fact that we had to wait one week to receive our coupon (which never came by the way). When we did finally go, it was awesome. The weather was perfect and the course was beautiful. It was a super fun date!

Apparently, nobody carries their own clubs on this course. A cart is built into the price of golfing. It was my first time driving a golf cart and it was fun.

RJ started getting into his groove toward the end.

I'm not sure that I have a groove but I only lost two balls! Don't judge my technique. Nobody ever taught me how to golf properly. I just swing and hope to hit the ball. It's a bonus if it gets airborne!

Bonus!

Camera Crazy

2011-10-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to keep the kids from getting into trouble before church, RJ decided to do an impromtu photo shoot.

On conference Sunday, I put Reagan in a black turtle neck and blue jeans. McKenna decided to be "twins" and dressed accordingly. When Hunter woke up, I think McKenna talked him into wearing black and blue jeans as well. Ironically, in order to look a little more dressy for conference, RJ chose jeans and a black top. He swears he didn't plan it! I didn't follow suit and wore a pink T-shirt with shorts.

Playing the hymns of Zion.

Equal opportunity.

I love it when the kids play nice with each other. I have to capture these moments to remind me that they exist.

First Field Trip

2011-10-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

McKenna got to go on her first field trip on Monday. We went to a pumpkin farm. The kids played in a corn pit, saw cows, dogs, kittens and goats, picked pumpkins and went on a hay ride.

There was a handful of corn in her front pocket when we left. It was a lot of fun.

Reagan is matching the decor.

Yeah for the hay ride!

(Chloe is in the back in the green, Charlotte and her family minus Tim are behind McKenna and Sammy is in the front).

Camping Nightmare

2011-09-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Some young families in the ward invited us to go camping with them. We got rained out of our first reservation and rescheduled for the second weekend in September. I was really looking forward to it. I admit though that I wasn't on top of my game and failed in many of the preparations.

RJ's intention was to get home early but that didn't work out. We loaded up as soon as we could and stopped by Target on the way to pick up an adapter to blow up our air mattress as wells as several gallons of juice for the morning. We started driving around and realized that we didn't get directions to the camp ground. Thankfully we were within 5 miles of home so we went back to call people and look online. The kids screamed and cried every second of the way. We decided to just cook their dogs in the microwave and let them eat at the table. After numerous phone calls, we finally got an answer and headed off again. It was getting dark when we started setting up the tent and Reagan was tired and hungry. When RJ went to blow up the mattress, he came back with bad news. We didn't bring the pump! We also left the propane for the lamp at home. We got Reagan down and decided to roast marshmellows.

RJ really wanted to make it fun for the kids. He's such a good dad. That's why the kids hang on him every second that he is home.

RJ went to put McKenna down and so did all the other parents. Hunter and I played a made up game of dragon something with Pokemon cards. Around 9:30 p.m. I figured that we might as well hit the sack. McKenna wouldn't be quiet which made Hunter want to move away from her. We relocated his bed 3 feet further. Of course, McKenna then wanted to move too and went about voicing her desire by screaming and waking Reagan up. I put Reagan between me and RJ and McKenna on the other side of me. I hardly had any blankets and new it would be in the 40's during the night. Reagan was squaking and McKenna was touching my face with her frozen hands saying, "where's Reagan?" I asked myself, "why stay here, get driven crazy by McKenna, freeze, and get a horrible night's rest?" When I reached my breaking point, I said toodle-lou. I asked if anyone else wanted to come but they stuck it out like good little campers. I had an 8 a.m. volleyball game the next morning so I dropped Reagan off with RJ and picked them all up afterward. We learned a valuable lesson- say no thank you next year (that's if they invite us. We didn't even socialize because we got in late and everyone left bright and early).

Random Photo Moments

2011-09-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hunter is so fit! He has a little man body. I'm really proud of him for making healthy food choices and being active.

Reagan first crawled on McKenna's birthday. I tried to get a picture but she kept dropping down into army crawl (which she currently still prefers).

Bathtime Buddies

The kids turned the radio on. McKenna was dancing and Hunter was bouncing Reagan on his lap. She was giggling so much. It was one of those times that make the rest of the time worth it.

Reagan fell asleep eating bananas and pancakes. (*side note- as soon as I took her upstairs and laid her down, she screamed bloody murder).

The day we left for Oregon, RJ and I did the unthinkable. We purchased expensive books from a door to door salesperson! In an effort to utilize these books to the fullest, I created a little school zone for the kids and hung up the posters that came with the books. There was a big 5 foot poster of the human body showing the skeleton, blood vessels and organs. RJ had to remove that one because it freaked Hunter out. Here, McKenna is working on her numbers.

The Big F-O-U-R!

2011-09-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

RJ told McKenna as he put her to bed that when she woke up, it would be her birthday. At 6 a.m., she came down the stairs (where RJ and I were working out) and said good morning! I offered to make her chocolate chip pancakes and to my utter amazement, she passed and opted for LIFE cereal!

I rode/pulled her on my bike to the park for playgroup and we picked up some pink sugar frosted cookies on the way for her to share with her friends. She was so excited to have a whole container of beautiful pink cookies that she walked around the park with them for some time. I had to remind her several times that they were for sharing.

We always start with the swings at the park. Then I tell her that she has to go play and burn some energy.

Reagan likes the swings too (I think).

When I asked McKenna if she wanted a friend party or family party, she said "family, but with Charlotte." We invited her friend Charlotte over in the afternoon to do some crafts.

Charlotte gave her some princess squinkies (don't ask me to describe what they are or why kids love them. They are an expensive choking hazard).

We made some princess/butterfly frames and they each got to decorate a castle cake.

The frosting is always so tempting!

Wow! Great job Mic.

I dreamt about and googled the castle cake I wanted to make for McKenna for about a month. RJ and I decided to start doing P90X together on Labor Day and when he asked if I was 100% committed, I knew I couldn't make a triple layer cake for my 4 and 6 year old to eat single-handedly (or would it be double handedly?)! Instead I made a 9x13 and four cupcakes. I made a castle cake kit for the four kids (Hunter, McKenna, Barrett, and Charlotte) and no leftovers for me. I think it turned out really nice and the kids had fun. McKenna's flag says "Princess McKenna."

I made Hunter's frosting and tower blue and put his on a water background so it could be an island castle. He is always very exacting in his work.

The crazy thing is that McKenna didn't even end up eating any cake on her birthday! She was so excited to get to presents and we were in a time crunch to get Hunter to soccer.

Present Time!

The Friday before her birthday, we went to a garage sale at Jacey's. Hunter brought his pouch full of money and found a pokemon book that he spent $.75 on. He walked around and found a tea cup and saucer for $.25. He found this little "album" and told me he wanted to buy it for McKenna for her birthday. It was $1. I was touched that he picked something out for her and spent the most on her.

We got her a backpack to feel official when she goes to the little co-op preschool Jacey and I organized with two other moms.

McKenna's chore money was finding it's way all over the house so we got her a piggy bank for it to have a home.

Reagan gearing up for her big 1 year milestone.

McKenna loves babies! I wanted to get her a little front carrier for her babies but nobody sold one separately, so she got another baby to add to her little brood. We also bought her some onsies since she is always asking to borrow Reagan's clothes for her dolls. We also bought her a little shopping cart that has room for groceries and two babies. She has broken two strollers so we gave up on those but decided that she still needed something with wheels. She loves it! She was so grateful for her gifts.

McKenna loves her daddy! He thought when we got married that he only wanted boys but McKenna has carved a place in his heart that no boy could fill.

I love my "Sissy." She is so full of life.

Reality Bites

2011-09-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Someone told me that you can have kids OR a clean house. As you can see, I have kids.

I have to draw the line when it starts oozing into the rest of the house.

I thought that if we had a garage sale, we could get rid of a lot of stuff that clutters the ground thus taking care of our constant messy room dilemna. However, through very scientific means, I have discovered a new law I respectfully refer to as Hunter's Law. It is this: whatever can be dropped will be dropped.

First Grade!

2011-09-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

Summer was pretty fun except for the last week. RJ was out of town and apparently all of the kids' friends were too. We all stayed in the house stepping on each others' toes and I felt like September 6th (the first day of school) could not come fast enough. Would I cry when my first born son boarded the bus? NO. We waffled between whether or not we even wanted Hunter to take the bus. We decided that since our neighbor Neeru would be on it going to and from school this year and because he really wanted to, we would let him.

He was very excited to be in Miss Swanson's class this year.

I didn't take him school clothes shopping because he didn't really need anything. I also gave up trying to tell him what to wear. Incidently, he picked the same shirt he wore the first day of school last year! I'm glad he likes it and it was money well spent.

We were surprised to see that two more girls from the neighborhood (who Hunter had played with), would also be on the bus.

There he goes!

Hunter came downstairs the other night after we "put him to bed" and had an interesting discussion with his dad about finances and education. Since then, he has worried about how he will save enough money for college and how hard it will be. Baby steps!

End of the Summer Fun

2011-09-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

A woman in our ward is a swim coach and offered lessons for the kids for $5/30 minutes. We held the lessons at her apartment complex pool and combined with another mom in the ward and her kids. The kids really improved and it was a fun two weeks. McKenna looked so cute in her swim cap.

Hunter is practicing his streamline.

"The Brat Pack"

The kids played outside pracitcally all summer with the neighborhood kids (Neeru, Lauren, and Brynn pictured here).

Josiah's poor pool is at maximum capacity!

Lauren's tooth was loose but she was affraid to pull it out. Her parents were calling her Nanny McPhee. The kids were grossed out by her twisted, dangling tooth and she took full advantage o chasing them around smiling. Finally, wanting to surprise her parents, she asked me to pull out her tooth. I didn't think I could stomach it but I did it!

Dare To Tri

2011-08-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

After 11 weeks of training our August date- the Dare to Tri sprint triathlon, finally arrived. We lucked out and were able to borrow two road bikes from a couple in our ward (I was ready to ride the 14 mile course with a baby seat on my mountain bike). We did 99% of our swimming at the community center with convenient black lines along the bottom of the pool and walls to hold onto every 25 yards. Running was the hardest (or least enjoyable) because of the 100+ temperatures on the heat index.

RJ decided that he would do the whole race with me even if that meant slowing down. I pushed myself hard during training to be able to keep up with his monster long stride. I felt excited the day of the race because I knew that my body was ready and that I could enjoy the race.

6:15 a.m. race day

There were between 750-1,000 athletes participating in one of three events (tri-star111, olympic triathlon, sprint triathlon). RJ is setting up at the transition station before they lock it up.

We were both in novice swim waves. I was in a wave about 6 minutes before RJ's. Beth had counseled me to stay in the back but I found that once I got in the water, I was stuck behind people slower than me (something I had not anticipated)! It took me a few minutes to beak free and I tried to get into a rhythm but found that my side stroke was faster, easier and with less variance from the path than my front stroke. It was not a pretty swim to watch, I am sure but I decided to just enjoy my swim as I looked at the clear blue sky and breathed deeply. I did rotate through strokes later and spotted the beach! Thankfully, I spotted my wardrobe malfunction first! I tucked myself back into my swimming suit before launching out of the water in a full out sprint (just to get to my bike and wait for RJ).

RJ rented a wetsuit for fear of drowning. He stopped at the first boat to catch his breath and was able to do some back floating to get himself through the rest. I began to wonder if he was struggling in the water when I saw a white tank top walking down the blacktop.

He pulled his wetsuit back up for a picture (that's how much of a hurry we were in). We decided before hand that RJ would follow me on the bike since he is a stronger/faster biker and we wanted to stay together. That lasted about 5 minutes. When he passed me, I tried to keep up but my legs were burning. Once I got over the fact that he left me in the dust, I enjoyed my ride and did my best time. RJ was waiting for me at the transition station and we ran the 3 miles together talking the whole way. We crossed the finish line holding hands. RJ contemplated carrying me across the finish line but then remembered that one of the rules states that you cannot assist another athlete or you will be disqualified. We decided to play by the rules.

Our goal was to finish in less than two hours and we did it in 1 hour and 50 minutes (.3 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run). Hunter asked if we won! Almost. We came in 322 and 361 out of 416!

I really enjoyed this whole experience with RJ. We had so much fun, that night we signed up for a warrior run (a 5K with 17 obstacles) to take place June, 2012.

32 Years Old!

2011-08-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

I knew that my birthday would be uneventful seeing that RJ was not due to fly in until the evening of and Hunter's soccer party was that night.

I had a rough night with Reagan then Hunter and McKenna were in my room by 7 a.m. I asked McKenna to go play so I could go back to sleep until Reagan got up. As I spoke, Reagan woke. Hunter told me that he would watch Reagan so I could go back to sleep. I didn't hesitate to jump at the opportunity so I carried Reagan downstairs and sat her in the midst of McKenna's kitchen set stuff. When I came back an hour later, Hunter had set the table with a special birthday breakfast for me! He poured me some Sprite, made two pieces of toast with a candle, some cinnamon cheerios, berries and cherries. There was no detail that he missed. He got the "fire stick" to light my candle and had all the fixin's out (ie honey, peanut butter, jam, butter and syrup. Beside my plate was a note that said "Happy Birthday" is his best phonetic writing.

To be honest, I was looking forward to making blueberry pancakes that morning and wasn't that interested in drinking pop or eating 45 minute old tough toast but it was one of those times where you just say "thank you" and enjoy the intent of the gesture.

Mommy School

2011-08-07T08:53:00.001-07:00

The morning that we flew out to Oregon, a door to door salesperson came and sold us some books and computer games (totally unlike us). In an effort to make the most of our purchase, I have been trying to do mommy school. So far, we have learned about continents, landscapes, and rocks/gems/volcanoes.

I don't have a picture of our continent project, but we blew up blue balloons and put colored cut outs of the continents on our "globes."

We learned about mountains, rivers, lakes, hills, plains, and valleys. We made 3-D topography maps of our own islands with colored keys to navigate the landscape.

McKenna's island is called "Collowattle."

Hunter names his island "Saunum."

We talked about rocks, gems and precious stones. We all made a crown with our birthstones in them. McKenna chose several "stones" for her crown. We also made a volcano.

McKenna is painting it for me. Hunter was too busy playing outside with his friends. I won't be giving out grades. If they live through "mommy school," they pass.

Hunter is helping our volcano erupt.

At the bottom of the moutain are houses (made by the kids out of clay). The lava would have covered the houses of the poor residents living near volcano Reeve.

Big Daddy's B-Day

2011-08-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

RJ's birthday fell on a Sunday this year so we did a little bit of celebrating on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. We went to Famous Dave's for dinner then put the kids down. I bought him a keg of rootbeer and some cheesy popcorn to enjoy while we watched "Source Code."

Sunday morning we had biscuits, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, eggs, strawberries and mangoes. I bought him some flowers (he loves the touch it gives to the house), a customized notepad (he likes to leave me and the kids notes in the morning), a single serve blender (for his protein shakes), and a yoga mat (for P90X).

I also made him this peanut butter cup cheesecake. I am not going to lie, it was pretty delicious! It should be at 1,300 calories a pop!

We invited our friends, the Hillyards over for Sante Fe soup and cake on Sunday.

Roo

2011-08-05T13:04:00.001-07:00

Roo has been struggling with nap time since becoming more mobile. She'll fight it to the end!

Since her four month well check appointment, we have been watching her head. The pediatrician said it was looking flat and recommeded more tummy time. I did everything I could think to reduce the forces on the back of her little maleable skull but after meeting with a therapist three times and much prayer/pondering and waiting, we decided to purchase a helmet. She is already a beautiful baby but now she will have the most beautiful posterior cranium!

There are already so many things that we as females hate about ourselves, I don't want to give her any fuel for that fire.

"Before" shots

First day in a helmet

I think that she should be "the face" of the "Star Cranial Remolding Orthosis!"

Soccer Stud!

2011-08-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a lot of fun watching Hunter play soccer this year. He has really come out of his shell and shone on the field. Here he is scoring one of his many goals. He averaged about 5 goals/ game.

Ra-Ra number 8!

His coach (Avery) was pretty hard core. He threw more than one boy out of the game, made them run laps for not paying attention, and held extra Saturday practices to give their team an edge. Fortunately, Hunter was always very focused and obedient so he never got in trouble with the coach.

At the end of the year party/awards ceremony, Avery game every boy a special certificate. He called Hunter up last and said, "I don't usually do this, single one boy out, but we would like to present Hunter with the Most Valuable Player award, what with his 75 goals and all." I was very proud of Hunter not just for scoring a lot of goals but for always playing his hardest and for improving so much since he last played.

Mom's Visit/Nauvoo

2011-08-05T12:19:00.001-07:00

When mom realized that I was flying back with the three kids alone, she bought a ticket to help me on the plane. I told her she would have to stay and join us for our trip to Nauvoo. Thursday night, we got a babysitter and went to Biaggi's for dinner followed by an impromtu comedy show in down town Minneapolis.

The Comedy Sportz show was so much fun! We ended up bringing Reagan because she had a runny nose, a cough, and was cranky in general. She did great at the club though and was actually referred to a number of times by the comedians (we sat on the front row). They were happy to pose with her after the show. Apparently, she didn't find them very funny then!

Friday morning we departed for Nauvoo. The kids actually did really well since we loaded them with DVD's, snacks, and new "travel" toys. We stopped at a park to eat and realized that we left the diaper bag at home. Luckily there was a Wal-mart in the middle of nowhere and a park!

RJ and Hunter are building a starwars lego plane after eating some subs.

Reagan and McKenna always love the swings.

Our hotel was in Fort Madison (about 13 miles from Nauvoo). Mom stayed at a different hotel because there were no more rooms available at the Super 8. We went to dinner and swam at Grandma's hotel pool Saturday night.

Saturday morning mom and I went to a session in the Nauvoo temple. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful paintings in the rooms, some original temple clothing worn by early members of the church and Joseph Smith's saber.

Statues of Joseph and Hyrum

RJ pretty much planned this vacation (as part of my Christmas date list). He found a cute show called "Plain Anna Amanda" which was a lot of fun for the kids (especially Hunter).

Here's Anna Amanda (apparently, the actors/actresses are full time missionaries) wishing she was something special and different.

One of my favorite stops was the Family Living Center. We got to see how the saints made candles, rugs, clothing, food, rope and barrels.

McKenna is learning about wool and how they used it.

Hunter got to make his own rope by spinning fibers together with this wheel.

Another stop I enjoyed was the blacksmith shop. They made rings out of horseshoe nails and everyone got one. I liked actually seeing them pound and bend the metal.

The mansion that Emma and Joseph lived in.

We went to dinner before the Pageant. McKenna hardly ate anything and was being a monster. I'm sure the waitress hated us but just to be sure, RJ let McKenna swallow a packet of splenda after eating a bowl of soup which she promply puked up on the carpet of the hotel/restraunt.

She was immediately better so we continued with our festivities. We found the perfect spot to sit for the Pageant then RJ and I took Hunter and McKenna to participate in some carnival-like activities. They got to play pioneer games/activities to earn a beads. Once they earned 10 beads, they recieved a giant "special" bead to add to their necklace. They had a lot of fun.

Race the teddy bear up the string by "milking" the ropes.

Stilt walking

The Pageant was good but I likely romantasized how the event would look (ie. Hunter and McKenna laying in their sleeping bags, falling asleep, Reagan napping and RJ and I cuddlig). Instead, I was off in the distance trying to discretely nurse Reagan to sleep while RJ wrestled with Hunter and McKenna only resting to take them to the bathroom.

Sunday morning we went to sacrament meeting in Nauvoo which was crazy packed. The day went from bad to worse. McKenna and I had a knock down drag out that ended with a high speed, bare foot chase (on church grounds) followed by three spankings resulting in a blister and screaming child. From there we drove to Carthage and waited for a tour of the jail. We watched a video about Joseph Smith and were ready to head to the jail when an announcement was made, "Marlin K. Jensen is here and would like to tour the jail. There will be a 20 minute wait." Instead of being impressed, I was miffed. It was hotter than hot and we still had an 8 hour trip to make. The kids were starting to go crazy and I wanted to swear when I heard them say, "He is taking longer than expected, it will be another 20 minutes." Why couldn't he wait like the rest of us or simply join our tour? This was the attitude I had going into the jail which did not help prepare me for a spiritual experience. We packed into the kitchen area of the jail like sardines and I stood sweating as I bounced Reagan on my hip while the tour guide favored us with "extra information" to slow us down because of the back-up problem. Without further ado, here's the jail...

The actual door and bullet hole the mob shot through.

Chains in the dungeon room

Apparently, Willard Richards hid John Taylor under the straw beds in the dungeon after the attack. The weight helped stop the bleeding and ultimately saved his life.

The top window is the one that Joseph jumped out of.

Our trip home was an extension of the torture. Reagan screamed and I ended up nursing her while we drove (totally illegal), McKenna had to pee so bad that we pulled over and let her pee on the side of the road and we were welcomed back to Minnesota by torrential downpour and severe thunderstorms that made it impossible to even see. In the end, we survived and it was ultimately worth it.

Commentary on Oregon Trip

2011-08-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have had the hardest time getting this post up and running. I'm sick of trying to figure it out so I'm going to do one big journal entry and hope I can iron it out in my blurb book.

I looked forward to this trip like I look forward to Christmas. It was every bit as fun as I anticipated. Beth picked us up from the airport on Friday and we played beauty spa as usual (I'm so lucky to have her!) We drove down to Reedsport the next morning. On our way, we stopped in Albany to visit some friends. We enjoyed pizza with the Meyers (who recently welcomed a new addition to their family, Anna) followed by a quick but fun visit with the Prices. Sunday was Father's day and I made breakfast for my dad and RJ (the rest of us ate it too). RJ got an early gift (a heart rate monitor) and we bought dad a customized tie with pictures of the kids on it. It sure turned out cute. Mom and Dad's shi tzu had puppies and their eyes were just starting to open. Boy did that experience make Hunter want a dog even more! I even started to waffle in my thinking. It was a nice quiet couple of days and I was inspired by my parents' example of service.

One act that directly affected me was the offering to watch all three kids while RJ and I went to a bed and breakfast with our friends Chuck and Theresa. RJ and I drove up to Depoe Bay (in the van that Matt and Carda so kindly donated to our cause) on Tuesday to enjoy our June date (from my Christmas date list). We stayed in a room with a great view of the Ocean and enjoyed (some more than others, poor Chuck's dinner was so spicy, I don't think he could even taste his cheesecake) a wonderful dinner. We watched a funny movie and played an old favorite "Settler's of Catan" while noshing on junk food. I was able to extract some big news from the deSullys who are expecting a baby! Despite their news, they were up for some physical adventures. After walking down to a beachy area at the B&B, we drove to Newport and rented bikes. We rode (as part of RJ and my triathlon training) to the Yaquina lighthouse and took a tour. Unfortunatley, Theresa had to "chuck" before making the tour (hence the pailness). We walked down to the loose pebbled beach and played in the tidepools. There were also several sea lions lounging on some rocks not too far from us. We ate some lunch at a park then had to say goodbye to our good friends.

We went straight to Lincoln City and found the lodge where the family reunion would take place. What a wonderful location! The boys had a room with an Xbox and the girls had a wii. There was a hot tub, pool table, theater room, four games of Ticket to Ride, and plenty of soft places to relax for the adults. We kicked off the night with some karaoke. RJ and I thought people might be apprehensive in the beginning so we prepared a number to the song "Grenade" (switching the lyrics). Everyone jumped right in and it was a riot. Matt Morrison sang his favorite disney song from the Little Mermaid and really hammed it up. Dad did his go-to song, sixteen tons in conjuction with a spanish seranade and duet. It felt good to see everyone laughing.

Thursday, we did a fun clue game by Carda and most families went to the beach. In the evening we played a minute to win it game that I organized. In the blog are several pictures of contestants gearing up and participating in each station which were as follows: Face the Cookie, Balls in the Air, Bobble Head, Stack Attack, Separation Anxiety, Nose Dive, Bite Me, and A Bit Dicey. The top two teams moved on to the tournament and played an extra three games (Junk in the Trunk, Elephant March and Magic Carpet Ride) for the championship. This game led to the biggest scandall in Morrison reunion history (with the oiji game of werewolf taking a close second).

Friday was picture day! Beth did a great job (as usual). We probably won't have very many more pictures with the whole gang. Grandkids will be going on missions and to college soon.

Christine (and by association, Dave) did a great job with FHE. It was about putting on the whole armour of God. We got to dress dad up in our armour and the kids got to throw "fiery darts" (straws) at him afterward. We got to protect his head with the helmet of salvation.

It went by so fast and I was sad to think that the reunion was actually over but still hand hanging out at mom and dad's to look forward to. On our way down the coast, we stopped at Izzy's and that's where RJ's family vacation ended. He and Matt Newell drove back to Boring and he flew out the next morning. Dave's family and mine went back to Yaquina beach. A kind woman saw me carrying Reagan and trying to keep a wiggly, wobbly McKenna on her feet around the tidepools. She offered to show McKenna all the fun stuff while I took care of Reagan. I think her name was Ida? What a blessing!

We survived another Sabbath day at mom and dad's (McKenna was so squirrely) and had our 5-k on Monday. Beth has been hittin' the gym and I'm really proud of her. I thought it would be fun to do a 5-k together while I was in Oregon but I couldn't find one that worked so I put one together for our family in Reedsport. There were about 28 of us! RJ helped me map out a loop from church that came out to be 3.18 miles. We figured to the little ones would have to drop off after one lap. Mom helped out by staying at the start/finish and giving out water, gaterade (which I was short on...story of my life), granola bars and oranges. I wondered if people were really going to do it when there was some moaning and groaning the morning of but they were fantastic. Everyone participated (except for dad who told me staight up that he wasn't going to do no run) and really made it a hit. We had a policeman watching us for some time and I thought that we might get in trouble. I had all kinds of come-backs in case he came after us. He never did. We had a simple raffle afterward and called it a day.

The family reunion was so fun filled that we didn't get to do the pinata there. We hung them up in the tree at mom and dad's and the kids busted them up pretty quickly. Ironically, after all of mom and dad's rantin' and ravin' about socialism, they made the kids hand back their candy and divied it up equally!

Thanks to Carda and mom, I got to go back in time to my pre-married days and hang with the guys (and Beth). Dad, Matt Morrison, Beth (Sean was supposed to come but that's another story) and I went golfing in Reedsport which was really meaningful to me (I usually stay with the kids and send RJ on those outings).

On Thursday, I went to Springfield and visited Theresa again. I wanted Hunter and McKenna to be able to see their friends Kistena and Kayla. It's always fun being with friends that you can be yourself around.

Friday I drove up to Matt and Carda's and we did all kinds of fun stuff like a backwards dinner (the kids wore their clothes backwards, Amanda made backwards invitations and we ate brownies and icecream first- yeah!), pizza and movie night, swimming and bowling. Carda helped me keep up with my triathlon training by swimming and biking with me.

Sunday morning we drove down to Albany for Hannah's baby blessing. It was neat to be there with everyone. I sure miss that since we moved to Minnesota. Hannah looked beautiful in the dress that mom made and Sean gave her a really nice blessing.

I drove back to Beth's with Dave in tow (actually, he drove) and we had an awesome fourth of July! The weather was awesome! Matt and Carda and Dad came. We had a wonderful BBQ and took the kids to a really fun park. We watched fireworks for a little while then Matt, Carter and Hayden did some of their own. Beth bought glow necklaces for all of the kids and they started playing tag in the dark. Poor Hunter didn't navigate the surroundings so well and ran into a rope and tire swing. He had a nastly black eye for at least a week!

I had a great visit with Beth and her brood then mom and I flew out on Wednesday. Mom came to help me on the plane and it was a great blessing. We were all anxious to see Daddy but had so much fun in Oregon that it was hard to say goodbye.

Oregon Trip!

2011-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Tie

2011-06-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

I saw a man in our ward wearing a tie with a repeated picture of his family on it and decided to customize one for my dad and RJ's for Father's Day. RJ laughed thinking it would be just another ugly Father's Day tie. How can it be ugly with our children on it? Here's the picture.

RJ and Reagan looking so cute!

Father/Son Campout

2011-06-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

RJ's love was tested when rain threatened to show up at the Father/Son campout this year. He proved himself and even found that he preferred rain to bugs. Hunter loved the rain and ran around with the other boys not thinking twice about a change of clothes.

Hunter was so excited all week for the camp out. He made sure to take both pocket knives and his 72 hour kit.

They set up camp and got a decent nights rest as far as camping goes. Saturday morning they went to the golf range and hit a bucket of balls.

Meanwhile back at the house...

I put McKenna down and tidied the house for the upcoming tea party. We invited about ten people but only one friend was able to come (with her two girls). I found a template for a princess crown on line and printed it onto cardstock. We all colored our crowns and wore them. I made coffee cake muffins and had McKenna set the table with her princess tea set. She put hot chocolate mix in one container, marshmallows in another and I heated up some water for the teapot. I also set out a plate with swiss cheese. McKenna dressed up like Tinkerbell and her friends were Cinderella and the other wore her baptism dress and looked like a beautiful flower girl. McKenna loved pouring her own hot chocolate. She had three cups! Afterward, we played princess Old Maid and Go Fish.

Kindergarten Graduation Celebration

2011-06-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hunter made this card for Mrs. Lucht on the last day of school. He did a great job!

He wrote this message on the inside:

(translation: Dear Mrs. Lucht, Thank you for the nice time at school. You are the best teacher ever. And thank you for the time I had with you! From Hunter Reeve

At first I thought that Mrs. Lucht was kind of a crotchety woman but I'm grateful that Hunter had her. She was a very organized teacher with a well disciplined class. He learned a lot.

I bought Hunter a balloon and Kit Kat (for finishing the big "K"). I also made him a certificate. We enjoyed pizza, pop, chips, brownies, cake and ice cream before rushing out the door to soccer. Poor daddy had a chicken breast and quinoa for dinner (he has been sticking to the P90X diet. We are proud of him and apologize for tempting him).

Way to go Hunter. We are very proud of you. You are an excellent student already. Keep it up and you'll go far!

My Girls!

2011-06-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

My junk food junkie!

I couldn't resist capturing Reagan's beautiful body!

Mississippi Cruise

2011-06-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Our May date was a paddle boat cruise on the Mississippi. It was quite warm when we first got started.

There was some commentary on the city and places that we passed but I struggled to hear any of it since there were kids talking to their friends and Indians speaking a foreign language around us.

The water was a muddy brown but the foliage beyond was pretty.

We started about 30 minutes late and had grey clouds and showers for the last 30 minutes of the trip. I admit that I had difficulty relaxing and enjoying the ride. I kept thinking about what I could be accomplishing. I tried to tell myself to sit back, breath and take in the scenery. RJ was so relaxed that he fell asleep!

The best part was on the way home we stopped at a candy shop down town and bought chocolate covered pretzels and a Chicago style bag of popcorn (caramel, butter, and cheese). We enjoyed a redbox in the evening.

Reagan

2011-05-26T13:18:00.001-07:00

She's so cute, I can't keep my camera off her!

This is a hat that my Aunt knit for me when I was a baby.

Maren knit this cute hat with a butterfly worked into the pattern.

Cammie gave me this hat in the hospital. It was too big then and now it is too small. I love Reagan's thighs so much, I wanted some pictures of her perfect, squishy rolls. I couldn't stay away from her happy face though.

Fort Time

2011-05-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

RJ had to travel twice this month for work. His second trip was 6 long days. I tried to have fun with the kids to keep spirits high. We built a big fort under the table and made it into a school. We all took turns being the teacher. McKenna did not love Hunter's teaching style.

Leave your shoes at the door

Hunter was disappointed that I took the pictures when it was messy. It was neatly organized before we got started.

One night, we rented Shrek 3, popped popcorn, drank rootbeer, and sprawled out on the living room floor. It was a fun night but it ended up being a long one.

We also made our own pizzas, went on bike rides, played at parks, cheered Hunter at soccer and had special breakfasts while daddy was gone. I have to document these things so that my children know that I made efforts to do fun things.

Missing Oregon

2011-05-26T13:08:00.001-07:00

Hunter loves the rain! After some begging, I let them go slosh around. They played out in the marshy grass for almost 2 hours!

They jumped in it, sat in it, layed in it and much to my horror, drank it. I hope they don't die from a disease found in still water!

Sopping!

Dripping!

Super Gymnast!

2011-05-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

McKenna took a 12 week gymnatics class. She was a "Twinkler" and had a wonderful coach named Mrs. Barb. I admit that when I first saw Mrs. Barb, I questioned whether or not she could keep up with a bunch of wiggly twinklers being in her late 50's and all but she did! McKenna had a hard time following the circuits. She never could remember what came next and performed best with an audience. On the last day, she got to play in inflatable dragons and castles, jumpp into the pit and play on the rope swing. I'm sure it was her favorite lesson.

She kept getting wedgies so I finally let her wear underwear under her leo to be a little more modest.

There was a performance for the parents on Sunday but we didn't go. McKenna didn't seem to mind one bit since she got her trophy, T-shirt, and lei anyway. Hunter decided that he wanted to do gymnastics when he saw the loot. They take turns holding it. I took them out to McDonald's afterward as a surprise.

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

When RJ mentioned making breakfast in bed for the kids on Kid's Day, I said, "wow, you've never made me breakfast in bed." He was surprised assuming at some point he had but he knew better than to argue with my elephant memory. I was determined to have yummy meals on Mother's Day whether I had to prepare them or not so I made homemade whole wheat bread Saturday so I could have French toast in the morning and bought fixin's for cheesecake just incase RJ didn't have anything up his sleeve. To my surprise, he had typed up a cute menu with several options for breakfast (ie. grapefruit, blueberry, banana or strawberry pancakes, French toast, sausage, hashbrowns, juice and milk). I made my order and RJ and the kids brought it to me on a newly purchased tray just for the occasion. So fun!

My special menu.

My two favorite parts were at the top where it read "Daily Specials From Our Heart To Your Stomach" and the bottom "Payment accepted includes hugs, kisses, kind words, sweet looks, happy thoughts and cheerful voices."

The kids gave me several pieces of paper with "art" work and RJ bought me a Keith Urban CD. Before church RJ and I made a lowfat cheesecake together. He created a yummy lemon glaze and added blueberries for flare.

Unfortunately, the day did not end as well as it started. We were ready to pull our hair out at bedtime thanks to our little rascals (I'm sure I wasn't thinking of cutsy phrases like that at the time).

Fun with the Kids!

2011-05-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

At last we can get out and play at the park!

McKenna's favorite thing to do at the park is swing. We always head to the swings first and I push her for a few minutes. Then I kick her off and tell her to go burn some energy.

Hunter likes to show off his strength. He needs an audience to perform though.

Following in her sisters' footsteps, Reagan loves to swing!

McKenna put on one of RJ's shirts for bed one night. I thought it was so cute and reminded me of when I was a kid and wore my dad's shirts to bed. I went to get the camera and Hunter decided that he wanted in on the action as well.

We bought a year pass to the community center. In an effort to ease RJ's financial mind, we have been trying to utilize it to the fullest. We have been wanting to take the kids ice skating. I knew that RJ would die before putting on another pair of skates (since he nearly did just that the first and last time he went 7 years ago). He took Reagan while I alternated between taking Hunter and McKenna. There were little kids doing jumps and spins in the middle of the rink giving Hunter and McKenna false confidence. They were ready to peel out and try some spins themselves until they stepped on the ice.

I held under McKenna's arms and took her for a very slow ride around the rink. She kept lifting one leg in front of her trying to be fancy.

Hunter surprised me and wanted to do it by himself. He went around several times despite falling several times. By the end, he was doing a slow jog around the ice.

RJ and Reagan glad to have their feet on solid (unfrozen) ground.

McKenna has been riding around on a trike that Dave and Mila gave us when Hunter was little. We decided it was time for her to have a big girl bike. We found this Strawberry Shortcake one (with a bell) at Once Upon a Child for $25. I tried to teach her how to stop but she wasn't getting it. RJ said, "she'll figure it out eventually."

Ten seconds after I took this picture, she rode off the sidewalk, threw her hands in the air and crashed. That has not stopped her from riding every chance she gets!

After going to the Mall of America with Mila, I knew I wanted to take the kids soon. On Mother's Day, Hunter complained that there was no kid's day. I told him what my mom told me when I made the same complaint, "every day is kid's day." Even though I still beleive that's the case, RJ and I decided to make Saturday, Kid's Day. We made them pancakes, bacon, sausage, scammbled eggs, and orange juilius'. We tried to feed them in bed but McKenna wouldn't stay in her room. Hunter ended up sleeping on the couch that night so he got breakfast on the couch. After Hunter's soccer practice, we took them to the Mall of America but our camera battery ran out. We bought them a wrist band for unlimited rides and spent 6 hours at the mall. They loved the rides and I loved watching them laugh and squeal. One of their favorites was the log ride. It had a 40 ft. drop and RJ got really wet when he took them for a second go 'round. It took pictures during the decent and the kids looked more terrified than amused. We went to dinner at a Jamaican restaraunt and let the kids drink 3 cups of rootbeer. They all fell asleep on the way home for which we were grateful. We were even more grateful the next morning when their beds were dry! Happy Kid's Day Hunter, McKenna and Roo. We love you.

Mila's Visit

2011-05-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mila was going to come to Time Out for Women with me but had to reschedule her visit. I can't believe she flew all the way out here to see me! She flew in on Friday and joined me for the final parenting class from a course through the church that RJ and I have been taking. I had to be there since the topic was "Setting Limits/Consequences." My parenting techniques have been backfiring as of late. You start to question yourself when you hear your children say, "If you don't let me finish my movie then I'm going to break something of yours." That's a sure sign of overusing threats to keep my kids in line. Now they are threatening me and each other! Yikes! I'm trying to use Moroni 7:45 to guide me in my quest to become a better mother. I specifically think of the words, "not easily provoked" and "suffereth long."

On Saturday (after submitting ourselves to the wrath of P90X thanks to RJ), Mila and I stole away to the Mall of America! Mila treated me to lunch at the Cadillac Ranch which has the best sweet potato fries! We only walked into a couple stores and spent the rest our time at Nickelodeon Universe. They had a couple rides that made our hearts race.

Here we are waiting in line at the "Splat-O-Sphere." It was a straight drop down and happened to be one of my favorites. Our hair had been sufficiently tousled by this point.

I had so much fun with Mila, I'll have to take RJ and see if he is as much fun to scream with.

We were hoping to go to a comedy club in Minneapolis with RJ that night but the tickets sold out. We ended up watching reality TV on line. Mila made her delicious artichoke dip and RJ and I devoured it. I was so proud of Mila for sticking so rigidly to her difficult diet. I tried to eat somewhat like her so as not to tempt her but I failed many times. Hi, my name is Megan and I am a carb addict.

Monday, we put together a picnic but because it was in the 30's, we held it inside at the community center. We took the kids to play at the maze afterward.

Mila loves babies and was a great help with Reagan (as well as Hunter and McKenna).

We picked RJ up from work early and went to Bucca de Beppo for dinner before taking Mila to the airport. It was a weekend that went by way too fast! It was so nice to have a familiar friend around. We will have to wait 8 months to see each other again but it will be a blast! We have officially booked a cruise with the Newcombs to the Carribean for 7 days next January. I'm so excited already!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-04-28T12:32:00.001-07:00

Our 8th year anniversary was on Tuesday. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we celebrated over the weekend and into Tuesday. On Easter Sunday, we both wore the same suits that we wore to the temple the day of our wedding. It wasn't planned but it got me thinking about the events that led up to our wedding and the years thereafter.

April 26th, 2003

April 24th, 2011

I don't know if we should be proud that we still fit into those clothes or embarrassed that we still have them?!

Our marriage has strengthened my testimony in Christ. I know that He not only knows who we are but who we can become. The choice to get married was a big leap of faith for the both of us. We had a rocky courtship that included two proposals. We felt through prayer that we should marry but felt odd because we weren't ever really in love. Close friends and family probably wondered if we would "make it." It has taken time to see the Lord's plan unfold. RJ and I have really grown together and fit each other perfectly. He's quiet and listens well. I talk and like to be listened to. He's so patient with the kids and gives them the fun, silly, rowdy attention they need while I provide structure and discipline. He's a good saver (maybe too good) and I love nothing more than a great bargain. He loves to grow healthy food and I love to eat healthy food. We both love our families and the gospel. The list goes on. We both feel lucky to have each other and know that the Lord has and will continue to lead us.

RJ brought me this beautiful, big boquet of flowers home from work on Tuesday. He specifically requested that some calla lilies (my favorite flower) be added. They didn't have white but they had some gorgeous deep purple ones. Aren't they great? Here's to the next eight years and beyond.

Easter

2011-04-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hunter lost more that a few Easter eggs! He's almost as toothless as Reagan!

The Monday before Easter, McKenna had the lesson. I helped her talk about how bunnies, flowers, and eggs are symbols of Christ. We had a friend and her children join us. McKenna sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." I was so proud of her. I thought shyness might get the better of her but it didn't. We decorated some hard boiled eggs and raced them down the hill in the back. It was a neat kick-off for Easter.

The kids woke up early on Easter morning and were excited about getting started with whatever it is we do on Easter (we don't have exact traditions in place yet). We decided to forgo the whole Easter bunny idea and told the kids that we would eat breakfast together then do an easter egg/basket hunt. Each of them had six plastic eggs to find filled with chocolate or jelly beans. I hid my eggs well and Hunter quickly found the easy ones that daddy did. Poor McKenna needed a lot of clues to find the remaining six and Hunter was quick to help.

Hunter's basket!

McKenna's basket!

Reagan got this dress. It was $4.25. What a steal. She looks like a million bucks in it.

"Forget rice cereal. I'm going for the good stuff!"

We played baseball after church with Hunter's new wiffle balls. RJ wanted a picture of me and Reagan in our matching pink hoodies. It reminded him of a picture I took six years ago with me and Hunter in blue hoodies.

I made funeral potatoes, ham, steamed veggies, salad and an icecream pie. It was an enjoyable Easter. We are so grateful for the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us as a family.

April Dates!

2011-04-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

RJ planned two dates for April. The first was a bike ride and picnic. The second was to be on our anniversary and was a murder mystery dinner. Unfortunately, it snowed the night before our bike ride/picnic. We decided to go to the community pool and swim laps together instead. We figured we had better start hitting the pool if we don't want to drown in the swimming portion of the triathalon in August.

We celebrated our anniversary over the course of several days. On friday, we did sealings at the temple and bought Easter basket fillers. Saturday was our big date. It was a murder mystery dinner at the Romada Inn. It was great fun! We were at an "employee appreciation function" when our "boss" was killed. We had to figure out who dunnit and why. It was fun to take part in an interactive show and was a great break from the usual redbox and popcorn. Below is a picture of my favorite character, Harriet (who happened to be the murderer)!

Time Out For Women

2011-04-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day, RJ had me purchase tickets for Time Out For Women (a pow wow for women). My friend Mila was going to join me but had to cancel at the last minute which was a bummer. She was able to reschedule her visit a couple weeks out. I gave her ticket to Cheryl and we went with Lisa Hillyard. I enjoyed simply being with friends as much as I enjoyed the actual program. My take aways from the program were these: I need to make scripture study a priority (preferrably before bedtime), I need to start and finish my book idea whether anyone else ever reads it or not, and I need to choose to be happier. I'm affraid I have turned into the nagging, mean mom that no kid wants. As dumb as it sounds, I'm affraid to be nice to my kids because the second I am, they walk all over me and I feel out of control. If I listen to them tell me "one more thing" at bedtime, it takes an extra hour to get them down. If I ask rather than tell them to do something, they flat out say "no." If I tickle them, they will ask to be tickled until my fingers fall off and fight over who gets tickled next and how many tickles the other one got. If I help them get dressed, they all of a sudden need help with everything. The list goes on. I pray to be a better mom every night and to not ruin my kids but I find myself asking for the very same thing the next night. Oh yeah, back to TOFW. I took Reagan with me on Saturday and at lunch time, Cheryl and I walked over to Hell's Kitchen. I have been wanting to eat there since we got to Minnesota. We ended up finding two spots at the bar. There was a horrible live band playing but fortunately, Reagan slept through it. The food was yummy though! It turned out to be a really fun weekend. Thanks RJ!

Another Milestone!

2011-03-21T19:15:00.001-07:00

The day Hunter turned four months old, I started him on rice cereal. Reagan is five months now, so I decided to give it a try. I'm hoping our little sweet pea will sleep a little longer at night with something sticking to her ribs.

She was not excited about the consistency of the mush.
I am starting to remember that it takes a while or babies to learn to eat with a spoon. How quickly we forget!

Now we're having fun.

The Big 10 Gymastics Championship

2011-03-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our March date was the Big 10 Women's Gymnastics Championship. We saw some good gymnastics and had a really good time (Reagan...not so much). I wanted to get a picture of some of the gymnasts but you're not supposed to take pictures with a flash during competition and I didn't think to have my camera out at the march in (since we barely made it in time). You'll just have to trust that we were there!

Post-Meet Performers

A unique, adult, male in spandex in a "cage". That's all I can say. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be his mother. Is she proud?

Yet another unique performance. Let's just say that the entertainment was sub-par. The "girlfriend" wiggled to the music while Casanova juggled (even from his knees). The 4 female contortionists that followed were even worse and I didn't even get a picture. RJ and I found that the real entertainment was in one of the coaches. It was a female coach from Penn. State. She wore a flouncy white top, a black knee length skirt and high heels. She grabbed her gymnasts hands before beam and floor and seemed to be going through their whole routine in fast motion. During their floor routines, on the sidelines, she performed all of their moved (minus tumbling and jumps). You would have thought that she was the one competing. You definetly had to be there.

Basketball

2011-03-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was so excited one Sunday at church when I saw a sign-up to play basketball in the Relief Society binder. I was the only one from my ward wanting to play at the time so I was placed on the Plymouth team. I knew that I wouldn't be the best player on the team but I was terrified to be the worst. I had so much fun playing! It felt good to be part of a team and to be competing. I have to thank my brothers for letting me play with them as we were growing up. I was able to knock down 2-3 3's a game and some jumpers. We made it past the first round in the tournament then lost.

Oooh La La Beauty Spa!

2011-03-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day, we bought McKenna a Fancy Nancy book called the "Oooh La La Beauty Spa." During "quiet" time one Sunday, Hunter and McKenna decided to create a beauty spa of their own.

Inside the spidy tent was a full service salon! They had crackers with nutella, trailmix, mandrins (for the health conscious), and marshmellows.

This is the "before" picture of me soaking my feet in my salad bowl turned foot bath. McKenna wanted the royal treatment too and every time she stuck her feet in, the water overflowed. Thank goodness for the towels all over the floor (they sure had a smart designer when they built this spa)!

It became clear to me why they were so anxious for me to come downstairs and be pampered. They couldn't wait one more second to dive into their snacks.

Hunter painted my toe nails and put a mask on me. Poor McKenna's mask left her face red.

We enjoyed free entertaiment per Hunter. We had to guess which princess card he was holding up. Cinderella!

I suppose that this is my "after" shot. Hunter put a handful of mouse in my hair and gave it a blow out. He said "I bet this is the best day of your life" when all was said and done. How do I look? The kids weren't so enthusiastic when I told them they would need to clean everything up. In the words of Fancy Nancy, they said they were "exhausted" and needed some pampering of their own. So much for the best day of my life!

Babe the Sheep Pig

2011-02-28T18:49:00.001-08:00

RJ sent me an email saying we won tickets to a play at the Children's Theater. We were so excited about winning, it didn't matter what the play was. It was called "Babe the Sheep Pig." Prior to the show, Target had snacks and activities available for the children. They made these masks. Actually, McKenna made a mask and the next day, Hunter tore off some of her decorations and recycled them.

The play was about a pig who was befriended by a sheep dog on a farm. The sheep dog explained that he would be slaughtered but she wouldn't because she was useful and rounded up the sheep. She taught Babe how to be a sheep dog. The farmer took Babe to trials and he won becoming the best sheep pig! It was a lot of fun. RJ was especially impressed with the man who played the pig. He really wanted the kids to meet the actors afterward but they weren't interested. I think RJ secretly wanted the pig's autograph.

pump it up

2011-02-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

I took the kids to Pump It Up to help them get some energy out.

They didn't only ware themselves out. This obstacle course was a lot of fun. Hunter beat be through it once.

The big slide was a hit. I almost got butterflies sitting at the top before plummeting.

Beautiful Vistas

2011-02-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are often more dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speeds. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." Jenkin Loyd Jones

Reagan rolled over for the first time on Monday February 7th, 2011.

After complaining daily about brushing her hair, I took McKenna in for a haircut against her father's will. Actually, he was there with us but did not fully support my decision. Perhaps I should have given him hair duty for a week? At least we didn't go as short as McKenna wanted. She quite likes Hunter's haircut!

Poopy Underwear Surprise!

McKenna dismissed herself from the table when I mentioned how dry her lips and mouth were and that vasaline might help. The family enjoyed some peace and quiet but I wondered if it would be at a price. When McKenna came back, she had a "mass" in her underwear. RJ asked if she had an accident. She said yes and he took her upstairs to clean her up. He came back down trying not to laugh too loud and put her on the table (so much for not encouraging her). He couldn't resist taking some pictures of her backside while he urged her to explain what she had been up to. I was relieved that my 3 1/2 year old didn't poop in her underwear but didn't like the thought of her stuffing toys down there either. It turns out that I was wrong. She aged herself about 10 years, got into my pads and stuck it in poor Arora underwear. She confessed that she had gotten into mommy's pull-ups!

She's pretty confident that she rules the roost.

McKenna and Reagan unintentionally matched on Sunday so we snapped some shots.

Leaping Lizzards!

Hunter found himself bored as I was feeding Reagan and unavailable. He discovered his ability to leap small jungle gyms in a single bound.

It was quite impressive. He jumped off two feet and cleared it by several inches.

McKenna wanted in on the action.

"Watch me!"

"WOW!" My three year old can crawl!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

We knew that Valentine's Day would be short with RJ working and having FHE. We also knew that it would be another holiday the kids would monopolize. We therefore decided to make it a weekend event. We kicked it off friday with a fancy dinner (inspired by Fancy Nancy). We had lasagna, salad, french bread, sparkling cider (homemade) in wine glasses, and the kids made and decorated a cake with chocolates and candies. We also made a boquet of "flowers" out of paper with pictures of us at the center of the flower. We ate by candlelight and the kids enjoyed making toasts.

On Saturday, I played basketball in the morning. RJ did a session at the temple and volunteered to help clean afterward. RJ bought me a pot of pink flowers with a sparkling heart stuck in the soil. We had chocoalte chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast on Sunday and went to church.

Monday, Hunter ran up to my room and woke me up with an enthusiastic cry, "It's like Christmas!" RJ bought us each a stuffed animal and left us a love note on the table. My love letter was rolled up in a botttle with a red ribbon. At the end, he told me to pick some women to go to Time Out for Women with (in April). I'm so grateful. What a good gift. We picked up Famous Dave's for dinner (since they were having a valentine's special).

A couple weeks previous, we made and decorated boxes that we hung on our doors. We placed valentines in each others' boxes over the weeks and on Monday we sat down to look at our valentines. The kids made us bracelets and colored pictures. I wrote a note for each child, colored them a picture that reminded me of them and gave them some candy. RJ and I also bought each of them a book. Hunter really likes David Shannon and Mo Willems so we gave him a book called David Goes to School (which he can read). McKenna got Fancy Nancy and Reagan got a board book about colors.

I was so excited about RJ's gifts. I made my usual "Remember When" list and we laughed together as RJ read it. I also worked really hard on turning my blog into a book. He sat and read the whole thing that night! It was a really special day.

The Winter's Tale

2011-02-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

On friday, February 11th, RJ and I went to see Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." I wish I had pictures to document it but I don't. I read the play previous to our attendance which helped me understand and enjoy the performance more. It was fun to do something different than the usual red box date. My mom would be proud of me for becoming a more culturally well rounded person. Growing up, I was only into sports and she always said I had no culture because I didn't appreciate "the arts."

The overview of the play said that it was a romantic comedy. However, the play is based on a kings belief that his wife is having an affair. His sickly son dies. Upon hearing the news of her sons' death, the wife likewise dies. Assuming his new baby girl is not really his, the king has one of his lords leave her for dead in the wilderness. On his journey home, he is ripped apart by a bear. The girl survives! She is raised by a farmer, grows up and falls in love. She returns to the king with her love, he bids them well, his wife is resurrected and most of them live happily ever after. The end.

RJ and I had fun even if we were making fun (of some of it).

The Karate Kid

2011-01-31T19:29:00.001-08:00

We signed Hunter up for karate to let him try something new and boost his self confidence. He felt pretty tough in his last class when he got to break boards. His teacher often comments on how focused he is. He doens't horse around like some of the other kids and he tries to execute each move with perfection.

Minnesotans

2011-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know the name of this lake but it has not lost its utility with the coming of winter. In the back of the picture is a black tent where people stay and ice fish. Cars and trucks drive out onto the ice and children play hockey and ice skate.

Another Lost Tooth

2011-01-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

When Hunter's tooth was semi-loose, he begged us to pull it. This was a shock to RJ and I since he fears discomfort so much. We were a bit squimish ourselves knowing it would take some tugging. The thought of the toothfairy overwhemled him and outweighed all reason so I pulled out the ora-gel. He accidently got some on his tongue and began to second guess himself. We were unsuccessful at extracting his tooth that night and he didn't bother us about it for a whole week. It was practically hanging like an ornament in his mouth so RJ manned up and gave it a yank. It made a bloody mess in our sink and when I asked Hunter to smile for the camera, he hid his face because he said he looked too scary.

Weighing In

2011-01-31T19:24:00.001-08:00

Our dainty little peanut is growing so fast! At her two month well check, she weighed in at 13 lbs. 2 oz. She is in the 95% for weight, 75% for height, and 50% for head circumference. Hunter saw her before her bath and was concerned that she may be overweight when he saw her alligator belly.

Mitt Boy to the Rescue!

2011-01-31T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hunter was playing around one evening and I thought he got pretty clever with these mitts. He was happy to oblige me with some photos of our super hero in action.

Henne's Art Company

2011-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

RJ and I went to an art show for our January date. We were really impressed with some of the work that we saw. However, I must say that $800 is a hefty price for some black scribbles that Hunter or McKenna could easily duplicate. There were some unique people there. It was a fun and different date though and it got our creative juices flowing.

Back to Basics

2011-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

While travelling in December, RJ came up with a new family vision for the Reeves. We talked about it, then he presented it to the kids at our first FHE of the new year. It is called "Back to Basics." There are two main areas of focus. First- creating a more gospel centered home. Second- embracing a more active lifestyle.

A gospel centered home is one where we make spirituality a priority. Not only should we make good choices but the best choices. We ordered "The Friend" a few months ago and will use Sunday's to better utilize this great magazine. We will continue to read the scriptures as a family (we are so close to finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time. It has taken about 3 years!), and say prayers. We will also read the Doctrine and Covenants (children's version) before the children's elective story at bedtime. RJ and I will go to the temple more frequently even if that means we have to go individually at times.

An active lifestyle includes getting unplugged and getting healthy. When RJ told the kids what it meant to "get unplugged", McKenna hopped off the couch, made a b-line to the TV and yanked the cord out of the wall. Hunter was equally enthused. He jumped on the couch and cheered while RJ explained that we are not going to be boring people. We aren't going to make excuses for not doing the things that we want to do. We are going to start utilizing our non-TV time to learn music, read, exercise, get organized, get involved in sports or clubs, or simply enjoy each others company.

I'm really grateful for RJ's inspired counsel. I'm so excited about growing as an individual and as family.

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-06T11:30:00.001-08:00

RJ and I were looking forward to our New Years Eve evening. We just had to make it through the day first! The kids were going stir crazy so we finally took them to an indoor maze at the community center.

Here's McKenna after emerging from the slide. Side note* it looks like she is wearing some kind of body suit but it is just a funny looking picture of her undershirt.

Hunter is such a good big brother. He stayed with McKenna helping her climb things that were difficult for her.

Reagan excited about a new year! I love that she smiles back at us now.

RJ took this picture of our little Reagan Ru.

With our new stir crazy popper, we made homemade kettle corn. We also enjoyed some carmel orange corn with craisins, icecream and cookies and chips with cheese sauce. Our weightloss could wait 'til Monday. We rented "Knight and Day" at a redbox and had a great time together. We watched the ball drop at 11pm and made a toast. It was off to bed after that so that we could function the next day. Our partying days are over.

I love seeing tiny Reagan in daddy's arms.

Here's Reagan's cute "bear" butt jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Morrison.

We heard the kids up late playing. When we went upstairs for the night, there was a huge mess and the two of them passed out by our bedroom.

Date Night with the Timberwolves

2011-01-06T11:28:00.001-08:00

The Jazz played the Timberwolves on the 22nd of January. RJ and I got a special package with great seats and a meal. It was a lot of fun.

RJ and Reagan

The Timberwolves led by 8-15 points until the end of the fourth quarter. In the last few minutes the Jazz pulled ahead for the win.