RMK and CFJ Photo Shoot!

Wow am I behind on this one! When Ellen was here a few weeks ago my friend, Heather, came over to do a photo shoot of Connor and Reagan. I have had the adorable pictures on a disk, I just haven't put them on the computer yet!

They love each other, can't you tell?!?


The kiddos did a great job considering we had been on the go all day and it was just about bedtime! It was a lot of fun to watch Reagan and Connor look at their mommas like we were crazy! :)

What a Difference...

Today is a cloudy, rainy, cooler day in NC, which is getting me more excited for FALL! I was thinking this morning as I got Reagan up, what is that child going to wear today? I don't really have pants in 3 months for her...then it dawned on me, her coming home from the hospital outfit! Let's just say it fits her perfectly now! I remember putting it on her in the hospital and having to roll the elastic at the waist because it was too bit and rolling up the way too long sleeves. Now, 12 weeks and 3 days later, it fits her perfectly!

The first picture is June 7th, right before we came home and now August 31! :)

This is in her carseat on the way home and then today!

She's Grabbin'!

On Sunday morning we were making breakfast so I put Reags on her little play mat. I have read that by 12 weeks babies are usually grabbing things, well Reagan really hasn't. It's not like I was concerned, but just wondering when it would happen. Well, I went to check on her in the family room and what was my baby girl doing, GRABBING! haha...I know this isn't the biggest deal, but it was pretty cute! She also found my hair yesterday and starting grabbing at that...looks like I will be wearing my hair up a lot now! :)

To Move or Not To Move??

The discussion was had on Saturday about where we could potentially be moving to. We have known all along, since Keith took his job with BB&T, that there was a CHANCE we would have to move. Last week they started discussing this at work and Keith came home with a list of all the regions that BB&T has locations. This ranges from Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. (I probably forgot one or two in there, but you get the idea!)

We had to go through this list and put where we are "interested," "not interested," and "no preference." This was not the easiest task to complete. Obviously we do not want to leave Raleigh, we love our house, neighbors, the area, it would be best to stay put, however that just might not happen. We know we don't want to go to West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, or most of Florida. No need to go farther south when all of our family is NORTH!

By October 21 we will know where Keith is going to be working! In a couple weeks he will have an "interview" to review his list of locations. The company is really good about making sure you are put in a place that you will be happy, they obviously don't want anyone miserable. Only time will tell...we shall see! Just another adventure to look forward to. :)

First Night Out!

Tonight Keith and I had our first night out since Miss Reagan was born! The neighbors, Darin and Margaret, watched Reagan for us. We had 5:45 reservations, early I know, but it's all they had on Friday night when we called due to "Restaurant Week!." Anyway...we left a little after 5:00 and I only shed a little tear, I knew she would be fine. We went to Fins downtown and it was very good, however portions were small and it was hard to understand the menu. For instance, one of the appetizers to choose from was a golden corn and crab "potage." I had no idea what it was, but I like corn and I like crab, so why not...turns out it was a soup!! Go figure! Keith was telling me what appetizer he was going to get and he was going to get the "tuna tarae tarae" is how he pernounced it, even though it's tar-tar! We don't go to fancy restaurants very often...haha!!

The big news of the night was I had my first drink in almost a year!! I am by no means a big drinker, but that martini was DELICIOUS!! We went to a bar afterwards too, which was fun. It was there that I broke out my camera thinking I would ask the bartender to take our picture, when I just started looking at pictures of Reagan instead! We were looking at how big she has gotten...it just seems like in the past couple weeks she has really grown! She is such a big girl!

OH...I almost forgot, Margaret did call during dinner, which of course gave me a heart attack. When I said "hello" she immediatly said, "everything is fine, just a quick question!" She knows me too well! The Dr. Brown bottles were throwing her for a loop...haha! They are quite the contraption to put together. :)

It was a great night out! We had a lot of fun and it was so nice to get out, just the two of us. I have to admit I did miss Reagan very much, but we all survived!

Trip #2 to PA!

We did it again! Reagan and I left on Monday morning for the big drive to PA. Again she did GREAT!! We made great time, hitting some traffic outside of DC which is normal. We got home around 3:30 and headed over to my mom's for dinner. OF COURSE, Reagan was the hot ticket item and taken right out of my arms! :) When we got back to my dad's that night she just had a ton of stories to tell her Grandpa! It was pretty cute :)

On Tuesday Gran and Gramps were coming up for the day, so we had another day of hanging out with them! It was fun :) Reagan was the victim of a "dress up session" with my mom and Gran while I ran out to the store! When I came back they had her all dressed, sitting on the sofa with her huge hat on and adorable dress...it was pretty cute!! After dinner Tuesday we celebrated my mom's birthday, belated! Big news was at bed that night Reagan got a nighttime bottle...she is now eating all bottles!

Wednesday was a big day to the beach! We drove to Rehoboth for the day and it was HOT!! My mom wasn't going to come, but it was nice to have her there to help with Reagan! We went to Grotto's for lunch, walked on the boardwalk, went to the outlets, had van trouble, got ice cream, and headed home! Doesn't sound like a whole lot, but it was an all day event! Jamie had been wanting to go to the beach so bad, so I was glad we were able to go!

Thursday was lunch with Grandpa and Reagan got to meet Auntie Em! haha :) We went to the new and improved Pizza by Elizabeth's for lunch, which was great! We hung out for awhile, ate, and chatted.




All in all it was a great trip to PA!! It was a busy, busy week, but always great to see everyone! (I would write a little more, but uploading all of these pictures has taken me over an hour!!! I am done for right now!!)

First Day of School...

Today is a strange day....it's the first day of school in NC and I'm not at school. I am BEYOND thrilled to be home with Reagan, I am sooo glad that I am able to and beyond relieved that I didn't have to take her to daycare. However, there is a part of me that feels very weird not starting a school year. Think about it...I have started school EVERY year since PRE-SCHOOL!! This is the first year I haven't shopped for school supplies, gotten a first day of school outfit...all these things that I have done for as long as I can remember!!

Just a little background info. on me, if you didn't know...I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember! I would ask for "teacher kits" from Santa, I would make fake tests and grade them, I would play school with my brother and sister, I even wanted to wear all the themed holiday sweaters...being a teacher is what I knew I wanted to do! I went to Elon, started taking the classes, and loved it! Student teaching was a little more realistic as Stef and I navigated our way through our own lesson plans and interactive, hands on learning! Then the first job...I landed a 4th grade teaching job at New Hope, which is where I did my student teaching. I was sooo excited!! That year was great...I had a good class, which grew to 29 students by the end, but good kids!! I taught 4th grade at New Hope for 2 years, asked to move to 2nd grade and taught that for 2 years, (which was my favorite!) and then we moved. I taught 3rd grade at Rolesville for a year. Not too many people have taught 20 different grades like I have in such a short amount of time...haha...if I had gone back this year I would have taught 5th grade science.

While I have to admit I am a little sad not teaching this year, I know that once I hear my teacher friends complaining about the work load, the paperwork, this workshop, that training, or how long that after school meeting was, I will feel better...it's just a strange thing not doing what you are used to doing!

Macy's Madness

Last week Reags and I went to Macy's to make a RETURN!!! Well as we were just "peeking" I couldn't help but notice all of the GREAT deals they had on summer clothes. Reagan is seriously SET for next summer with all the sales I have hit! This stack on top of her stroller were the purchases we made the other day and each item was $2, $4, or $5!! They had the cutest dresses, shorts outfits, capris...you name it! Anyway...we went crazy, but it was all REALLY good deals! :) You can tell by Reagan's face how much fun she was having too!

Just one more month...

Today is August 21 and that means that one month from today is the first day of FALL!! My favorite season!! I am a huge dork I know, but I can't wait to break out my fall decorations and get out that Harvest candle! I am already looking at Halloween costumes for Reagan...maybe that should be my next poll question, what she should be!! :) We can't wait to take Reags to the pumpkin patch and go on her first hayride!!

I am going to go ahead and set a goal for myself right now...it's still pretty warm at the end of September here, BUT I HAVE to fit back into my fall/winter clothes!! I am going to do the best I can to make that happen!! Looks like I will have to put a few sweets on the back burner for a little while...

What a Morning!

I was planning on posting this morning about the car ride Reagan and I had back from Winston yesterday, just a classic Reagan story, but then this morning I changed my mind...

Reagan was sound asleep by 8:15 last night, she was exhausted!! She woke up this morning at about 7:30, I changed her diaper, and was carrying her to our room to lay in bed with me (this is a daily routine). She nuzzled her head into my neck and I laid down on the bed. (She is NOT a tummy girl, usually hates it!) She fell sound asleep on my chest this morning for a good 30 minutes. It was the sweetest thing! I kept saying to myself, I don't care that my left boob is THROBBING (TMI, I'm sorry!) I just want to enjoy the snuggling as long as I can! Then she woke up, looked at me with that big gummy smile and again my heart melted. How can you love someone soooo much?!?! :) We are so blessed...really blessed!!

****If you are interested the story from yesterday involved poop. (Again, sorry if TMI!) It is just typical for Reagan to decide to have her "explosions" when we are not at home. Usually it involves the mall, which Keith thinks is a sign I shouldn't be there! (haha!) Anyway, so we were on our way home yesterday and I left knowing I would have to stop at some point to give Reagan a bottle. She started fussing in Greensboro and I got off at, of course, the one exit where there was NOTHING! Finally I found a gas station and pulled in. I got her out, bottle made, about to feed her, when I thought I smelled a little something. OH YEAH...so in the rain I put Reagan on my front seat, changed her as my back was getting soaked and she is laughing at me, then was able to feed her. Oh...even BETTER was at the mall on Tuesday in Winston...we were wasting the day at the mall and Reagan was a little fussy so I held her to put her to sleep, while still walking with the stroller. She was about to be asleep when I was pretty sure she had a stinky diaper. I changed her, put her in her stroller and we were on our way. Well I was in line to return something and kept smelling something, I didn't know where it was coming from. Then I LOOKED AT MY SHIRT...she had leaked all over me!!! I was mortified! I bought a new shirt on clearance for $4 right away!! Then we continued on our way :)

Even with the poopy stories, she is my angel and I just love her more and more everyday!!

RMK's First Baseball Game!

On Wednesday night BB&T sponsored a company picnic at the local Winston-Salem Dash baseball stadium. Keith was really excited that Reagan and I could be there! All of the big shots were there to greet us as we walked into the game, they were all so nice! Of course they all cooed and caaed over Reagan, as they should! :)

They had a really good buffet for dinner and the weather was pretty nice! After we finished eating we watched a little bit of the game, but Reagan was ready for bed and it looked like the heavens were about to open up.

All in all it was a great night and I am really glad we were able to be there with our favorite banker! :)

Travel with Daddy!

Today Reagan had her first car trip with just her Daddy! We were all heading to Winston, but I had a few errands I wanted to run on the way...so Keith took Reags with him! It was the longest I have ever been away from her, seriously, all four or five hours, and I missed her, but it was also kind of nice. It reminded me of the days where I could "pop" in and out of a store, rather than take the carseat out and put in the stroller...don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining at all, it was just nice to have a little break from that! :)

This was also the first time Keith was by himself in the car with Reagan and responsible for her for as long as he was. I knew he would be fine, but I was a little on the worried side. Turns out he did great!

Heavy Heart...

Blogging is really a very fun thing to do...it's really like having a journal, but I know I can type a lot faster than I can write! I know I always write about Reagan or what we're up to, but tonight I have to blog about something else...

Through a friend's blog, thanks Kate!, I have found Kelly's Korner. It is such a sweet blog about her life with her little girl. A friend of hers just had a baby girl last week and she lived only for 2 days. I was just reading through her blog and crying so many tears. The faith of this family has is unbelievable and I know that I could be as strong if I were put in the same position. (Check out the link if you get a moment...the pictures they have posted of their sweet baby, Reese, are enough to melt your heart and break it all at the same time.)

I do not know this family, but please keep them in your prayers tonight...my heart just aches for them. I can not even begin to imagine what they are going through.

As I go get my baby girl ready for bed I feel so incredibly thankful to have Reagan in my life. She is my angel girl!

Aunt Ellen Comes to Visit!

Reagan has now FINALLY met her Aunt Ellen and future husband, Connor! We had such a fun visit, it just went way too fast! I still can NOT believe how big Connor is...he is going to 8 months this week and has grown sooo much since I saw him in March! It's hard to picture Reagan getting that big! :)

They arrived LATE on Wednesday night, about 11:45pm. We picked them up at the airport and by the time we got home Reags was passed out still and Connor was ready to party! :) It was about 2:30 until we got to bed and at that point Reags was up at 4 to eat! Then both kiddos were up before 8 and ready to play!! :) We really just hung out on Thursday...taking it very easy all morning and early afternoon. We did head out to the mall briefly and went to visit Vater before she leaves for Hong Kong. Then we went to dinner with Stef, Shae, and Taxis. It was a lot of fun, but we were exhausted and both in bed before 10 that night!

Connor and Reagan snuggling in bed!

Friday was our "make up for lost time" day! We were up and at 'em and on our way to Elon by about 10:00! We walked around Elon for a little while, of course taking pictures, and then headed to where else but Sidetracks for lunch! This is where it got interesting. Connor was eating his delicious green beans and Reags was jealous...she wanted to know why she wasn't eating. SO I DID THE UNTHINKABLE...I had to nurse her in the restaurant!!! It was not fun and I was so embarassed!! We set up a baracade of car seats and strollers and I had on my little "cover," but it is still a process and a half. However, if the baby has the eat, the baby has to eat! :) We survived and it was fine, just not the most fun thing to do! Then it was off to the mall! (My dear friend, Heather, who is the mom of one of my former students, is a photographer and Elle and I wanted her to take some pics of Reags and Connor. I just HAD to get a little onsie monogrammed for Reags for the picture!) After leaving the mall it was time to head home, feed the kiddos, and let them do a little snoozing before their photo shoot. (I will post pics soon!) Needless to say it was a very busy day!!

Starting our kiddos young at the Lighthouse!

Disregard my arm on the right holding up the two kids!

Connor and Elle left this morning and it was so sad to say good-bye! Little do our children know that they will someday fall in love, get married, and have beautiful children. Ellen and I have it all planned out...I'm sure in 26ish years they will totally agree with our decision! :) It was so great to visit and the time goes bay way too fast, but it was great!

10 Weeks Old!

(picture to come!)

I remember when I posted that I was 10 weeks pregnant (10 weeks preggo!) and now my baby is 10 weeks old!! It is AMAZING to us how much she has grown and changed in the past 10 weeks. She is just the light of our lives!

I still can't decide if the 10 weeks has gone quickly or not...part of me says YES and another part of me says not really. At the beginning it went by a little slower, but now I feel like the days FLY! As I am typing this it is already 12:43pm...where has this day gone!?!?

Reagan is holding up her head, eating out of bottles, almost rolling from her back to her tummy, sleeping through the night, laughing, smiling, "talking," and so many other things! Everyday is something new and everyday is wonderful!

Sleeping Girl!

I don't want to jinx anything, but on Thursday night Reagan SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I woke up at 6:57 and about had a heart attack!! I ran in to make sure she was still breathing, saw that she was, and remembered how good a solid night of sleep feels! :)

She has done it now the past two nights, so hopefully she keeps it up! She is such a great sleeper, going to bed at 8:00ish and now sleeping until between 7 and 8!! That makes mommy very happy!!

Two Month Check-Up!

Today I took Reags to her 2 month check up!! She did GREAT! The doctor kept saying how peaceful and well behaved she was. Here are Reagans stats for 2 months:

Weight: 11 lbs. 9 oz. in the 75% (those of you that guessed over 11 lbs. CONGRATS!!)

Height: 23 1/2 inches in the 88%

Head Circumference: 39.9 centimeters in the 78%

Reagan really was an angel during the whole appointment. The doctor was pleased to hear about her smiling, "talking," eye movements, eating patterns, all that good stuff. One thing I was concerned about, well besides the shots, was her tummy time. Reagan HATES it!! Bless her heart, she just cries and cries when you have her on her tummy. Today though when the doctor put her on her tummy she lifted up that head and held herself up on her arms! Way to go Reags!! **Fellow moms out there...ask your doctor for formula samples if you are using it...I asked and got TWO CONTAINERS!! Yahoo!! Not that we are totally on formula yet, but two feedings a day uses up formula pretty quickly!**

The last part of the appointment was the part I was dreading...the shots! Reags got 4 immunizations today, 3 shots and 1 oral. I felt TERRIBLE!! She just started CRYING bloody murder, so of course then I started crying! As soon as I picked her up and gave her a kiss she calmed down, but I just felt so helpless. I was stroking her head and giving her kisses while she got her shots, but obviously that doesn't take her pain away.

The good news is she is healthy and doing wonderfully!! We don't go back again until her 4 month appointment! I can't even imagine how big she will be then!! :)

Bailey Boy!

Laying with his sister while I was in the shower! :)

At Keith's apartment, making sure Reagan doesn't fall over!

I do believe I am overdue for an update on our first child, Bailey! :) He is a great big brother and loves his sister to pieces. He gives her kisses and is very protective of her!!

Last week Keith had Bailey in Winston with him and on Tuesday he noticed that Bailey had red dots on his belly. Thankfully we were meeting him for dinner on Wednesday night so we picked Bails up so I could take him to the vet on Thursday.

Keith looked up the dots online and thought it might be ringworm, but obviously we didn't know. The vet didn't know either, which is always helpful, so she took bloodwork and was going to let us know what she found. We didn't hear anything until Friday night when she called and said that it is either liver disease or Bailey ate some kind of rat poison. Of course, I cried!! LIVER DISEASE!?!?! She wanted to draw more blood though to be sure, so on Saturday morning Keith took Bailey back to the vet for more blood. Finally on Monday we got a phone call that it is NOT liver disease, thank goodness! He is taking an antibiotic and vitamin K now to help him totally heal.

Bailey is such a wonderful dog...we have a basket of Reagan toys in the family room and he doesn't even touch them! He knows he has his basket and sister has hers! It's pretty sweet. While I have to admit the poor guy does not get all the attention he is used to, he still gets plenty of love and of course, snuggle time at night! :)

It's Official...

Let me preface with the fact that I cried all summer about having to send Reagan to daycare. I just couldn't picture myself dropping her off every morning with someone that I really didn't know and pick her up after a long day at school. I know there are TONS and TONS of moms that do it and I commend them, I just don't know how they do it! SO last week, 2 weeks before I am to go back to school, there is a breakdown on my part. I went to the daycare we were thinking of sending Reagan to and was going to give them a deposit, when I TOTALLY BROKE DOWN! I lost it. No way could I do it! Keith and I talked ALL weekend about our decision and we decided that I would stay home with Reagan this year. It is not going to be easy, I am going to have to tutor and pick up little jobs here and there to earn some money, (so if you know of anyone or anything pass the word on!) but to us it is worth it. I went in and talked to my principal today, which was a VERY hard conversation and being the wonderful person that he is, totally understood and told me he was sad to lose me, but family comes first.

I have to say I am so happy that I get to stay home with my baby girl this year, but I am not as "excited" as I thought I would be. This is going to be a new adventure, not getting up every morning, getting dressed for work, socializing with teachers during the day, HAVING A PAYCHECK! So many things to get used to, but it's going to be great and I know I will keep us busy. I am really excited to be able to see my family more. Reagan and I will try to make road trips to see everyone whenever we can!

If you are a stay at home mommy or know other people that live in the area that are, let me know so we can have play dates!! :)

Pool Day with Mommy!

Lounging in her swimsuit from Mum-Mum!

Her hat was precious, though a little on the small side!

On Friday Reagan and I didn't have any plans, so I decided we should go to the pool! We had said good bye to Gran and Gramps earlier that morning. Reagan falls asleep in a second when she is outside, it's great! She snoozed off and on while lounging in the shade! We ran into a former student of mine and her mom, which was fun. Of course we had to chit chat for an hour! While I am still not comfortable in a bathing suit, it is nice to lay in the sun for a little while. This is by far my palest summer on record, but obviously totally worth it!