our first baby turns 6!!

Last week while we were on vacation, Reagan turned 6!  I can't believe we've had her that long.  Arnie flew to New York to pick her up Easter weekend 2005...and we've been smitten with her ever since.  Arnie and Maggie both think that she is their dog, but really she's my dog :)  We couldn't ask for a better companion.  She doesn't adore her little sister the way we had hoped, but she's very protective of her and tolerates her well. 

A couple of weeks ago Maggie put a leash on Reagan and attempted to pull her around the house...it actually ended up more like Reagan taking Maggie for a walk, but if Reagan wanted she could have just knocked Maggie over and run off.  At least they were playing together. 

And...today Reagan allowed Maggie to put a party hat on her.  Maggie remembered that we had talked about it being Reagan's birthday last week and we had the party hats from Grandpa's Birthday so she had a little celebration with Hannah and Reagan.  Complete with birthday hugs and kisses. 

The picture of Reagan with the coat....Yesterday it was time for Maggie to go someplace and I told her to get her coat on...she ran to me and said "Mom, Reagan took my coat and she won't give it back!"  I wonder how many things she will find to blame on her sister.


The party hats were originally for Grandpa's Birthday...Maggie's been talking for several days about party hats and she couldn't wait to pick some out at the store for Grandpa's birthday dinner.  I'm pretty sure her sweet little face is the only thing that would ever convince my dad to wear a party hat.  Maggie and Grandma made grandpa a cake, chocolate of course.

We were planning on heading back to Norfolk this morning but the weather just wasn't cooperating.  Boy is it nasty here.  Hopefully tomorrow morning.... Poor Maggie is really missing school, the list of things that we need to take care of at home is ever growing and I can't wait to see the progress on the studio, it sounds like it's almost ready. 


On Sunday afternoon Alex & Ellie came to play.  The kids had such a good time and I'm glad they are so close already.  Alex always brings lots of fun toys...this time Maggie's favorite was a nerf shotgun.  I didn't think I would ever here my sweet little girl say, "I need to load some shells."  I guess we'll chalk it up to Alex being from Council Bluffs :) 

I'm glad Ellie will soon have Potato (and Ben & JetSki's baby) because I'm not sure she'll be able to keep up with these 2 crazies.

Well, we’re headed home….reluctantly...

I wrote the following post on our way home yesterday, but first I have to start with a story about our arrival in Omaha.  Our plane landed about 11:10pm, most of the passengers were tired and ready to be home, Maggie on the other hand was full of energy and ready to chat with anyone who would listen.  As soon as we parked at the gate, she took off her seatbelt, jumped up in her chair and said to me (and pretty much everyone else in the front half of the plane), "Mommy, I need to shake my booty to get the bugs out!"  She proceeded to do a little booty dance (and presumable get rid of the "bugs" that were bothering her)...where does she come up with this stuff...ok, now on with what I wrote yesterday...

As I sit here, my 2 ipad junkies are fully entertained by their respective movies next to me.  Maggie started the flight watching Monsters Inc.  She screamed really loud (twice) and spent most of the movie with her eyes covered, I finally offered to change it to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, her current show of choice, and she was thrilled to turn off the “scary monster movie”.  I guess maybe she’s a little young for the one.  I bet she’ll quit having nightmares about the scary puppy movie she and grandma watched (Santa Paws) at Christmas and start having them about Mike and Sully instead.  

We had such a great trip.  It was a little easier than usual to get on the plane because yesterday and today (and the forecast for the weekend) we’re very cloudy and unseasonably cool for Cabo.  I think it was God’s way of keeping my blood pressure down. 

Today as I was packing, I was really struck by the fact that next time we make this trip it will be as a family of 4, not our little threesome.  I can’t wait for baby “potato” to be with us, but it will certainly be different.  I adore Maggie and being her mom is the greatest thing I’ve ever had the opportunity to do, I can’t imagine what it will be like to have another baby girl.  Maggie is so excited to meet her sister, I’m sure the adjustment will be a rough one, but I hope that in years to come they can have as much fun with each other as we’ve had with Maggie. 

Maggie seemed so grown-up this trip, she will be three in May and a big sister much sooner than that but she seemed like such a little girl, I would occasionally glimpse the baby that used to be, but not very often.  Every night at dinner she practiced writing her numbers and some of her letters, she used lots of funny words like delectable and delicious (thanks Fancy Nancy) and she can count to 10 in Spanish and to 4 in Russian (she would probably be able to get further, but that’s all the more I know, we’ll have to enlist Uncle Deem for help with the rest).  She also took to saying “okie dokie karaoke” constantly while we were gone.  She loves using her Spanish when we’re in Mexico, besides counting, she regularly says “como estas?” (how are you?) “como te llamas?” (what’s your name?), “gracias” (thank you), “de nada” (no problem)  and “por favor” (please).  She also often asks some of the locals “How do you say _____?” and then practices what they tell her.  By the time she starts kindergarten she’ll be having whole conversations mom & dad don’t understand. 

Even though the weather wasn’t great this morning, we had to make one more round of all of our favorites.  Blueberry pancakes, another sand snowman, a walk on the beach, lots of seashell searching, swimming (thanks dad, there was no way I was getting in that water, brrrrrrrrrr!!!) and guacamole and steak tacos for lunch (that’s right, Maggie’s new favorite food is steak tacos).  It was a busy day and now we have a few hours of travel before we’re back to Omaha. 

I heard the weather there isn’t so bad today, so maybe it won’t be awful.  We get to spend the weekend in Omaha and we’ll have a chance to check on Aunt Laura (she did have a little surgery yesterday and will have another bigger one this coming week), celebrate Grandpa’s birthday and check in on baby potato.  All in all we are SO blessed!  Amazing experiences, amazing family, amazing friends…what else could we ask for. 

Family time...

We're having a great time.  Yesterday Maggie told us that she didn't need a life jacket anymore and that she was a big girl.  We talked her into wearing it for awhile, but what she wanted most was her dad to take her to the bottom of the pool (with her goggles on, of course) so she could grab a golf ball, kick to the top and swim to the edge...I can't believe how much her swimming has really turned into swimming and improved the last few days.  She never ceases to amaze me.

This morning Arnie dug out some painted tires that we found on the beach for me... This place is a photographers dream and these tires were the icing on the cake.  I want to hide them in the garage so they'll be here when we come back.  Maggie wasn't thrilled about having her picture taken, but that's not unusual.  

 

Yesterday morning we took Maggie on a Catameran to look for whales.  We saw a few, but mostly she loved the boat ride and the sea lions.  She called them Sea Reagan's because she thought they looked like Reagan suning themselves on the rocks.  We thought she might be a little bit afraid of the boat, but she thought it was great.  She was really hoping someone would jump off because she really liked the life saving ring that was hanging on the front...and she wanted to throw it in the water. 

In these pictures you might notice the bracelet (it's actually a rubberband) on Maggie's arm.  On Tuesday evening, Aunt Laura had a terrible fall on the ice in Omaha. She broke her leg pretty badly.  We're waiting to hear if the doctor she sees today decides to operate and pin it back in place before they put on a real cast.  Maggie was really worried.  Right after we heard about the accident, we were cutting up some asparagus, Maggie took the big asparagus rubberband, put it on her arm and declared that she was going to wear it until aunt Laura was better.  A waiter who works here (and Maggie adores) was in an awful accident a couple weeks ago and everyone is wearing bracelets with his name on them, so I'm sure that's where she got the idea, it was very sweet.  She also asks to pray for aunt Laura alot and she is really hoping for a pink cast.

It's been a bit cloudy here for the last day and a half.  I really hate to see the clouds but they do make for beautiful sunrises. 

We have a SWIMMER...

...and Maggie discovered goggles today.  She especially likes it when daddy wears goggles too.  After she had the goggles, she made it all the way across the pool a couple of times.  She gives mommy a little scare sometimes, but she always comes up lauging.  We usually have to force her to take a little break before she takes off again.  She's napping now, I'm guessing after all that swimming, she might sleep for a while.

   

Smarshmellows!!!

Tonight after dinner we got a great surprise.  There was a bonfire on the beach and they had all the makings for smores (or smarshmellows as Maggie calls them) waiting for us.  We had a great time and it was the perfect dessert.  On a side note, in case you're wondering, roasted marshmellows and sand make a cement like substance on a little girls hands and face.

  

It was -13 in Norfolk this morning...

...thank God we aren't there.  The beach is beautiful.  Maggie has made a lot of progress on her swimming skills, I hope to post a video later and we're realy enjoying being here.  Mom had to head home today, I'm not sure whether she was more dissapointed to head home to the cold or we were more dissapointed to see her go.  Having her here with us was great....Maggie, potato and I would all be alot more worn out if we hadn't had her help. 

Here are a few more pictures...

the only good thing about Grandma going home is that Maggie won't have to share the Guacamole anymore...

Who needs a snowman...

...when you can make a sandman!

Maggie, Mom and I arrived in Cabo yesterday.  Our travels were fairly uneventful and Maggie was a great little traveler.  She goes through security more efficiently than most grown-ups.  She kicks of her shoes, throws her back-pack on the belt and off she goes.  There were lots of people around us who could have taken a lesson from her. 


Since we got here we've been busy playing.  Lots of time in the pool and on the beach and we spent most of the morning at the playground.  The weather has been beautiful.  I don't know why we don't just move here...

 

On a sad note, my Great-Aunt Barbara died this morning.  She was a wonderful woman who I adored as a child.  One of my favorite birthday presents every year, always came from her...she would make apple sauce (it was amazing and it's her recipe that I still use) and freeze it in yogurt containers and give me a cooler full.  They were perfect in my lunch box and kept the rest of my lunch cool all morning.  I know I got lots of amazing presents over the years, but that cooler full of little yogurt containers is the one that I remember most.  She was also the best letter writer I've ever known, I'm willing to bet that she was still sending handfuls of handwritten, long letters/cards weekly.... she had lots of pen pals and was always sending notes to her family and friends.  In a world where letter writing has become of a bit of a lost art, I will definitely miss seeing her very distinctive handwriting on envelopes in my mailbox. She will be dearly missed and my heart aches for my cousins and their families.

Disclaimer- I'm a TERRIBLE speller, it has always been that way and I don't think it will change anytime soon...since I'm in Mexico my online blog editor is working off of a Spanish platform, so spell check doesn't work so well...so I'm sure there are tons of errors, when in doubt, sound it out!