Reagan Alyssa

Reagan is my niece. She is 2 years, 8 months old. She and Kennedy are only 4 months apart and are the best of friends. My sister hasn't been able to get any pictures of Reagan because she will not cooperate for a professional photographer and she runs away from my sister whenever Tiffany has the camera out. So, I had Tiffany bring Reagan over to run around our yard while I snapped some pictures of her. We can't have this little girl grow up and wonder why there aren't many pictures of her, even though Tiffany has tried and tried to get them. (Tiffany was the same way as a child and took it quite personally that my parents had substantially fewer pictures of her than the rest of us kids).

So, without further ado, here's Reagan...

How sweet is this next one...I love how she is holding her little dress.

Would you look at those curls! Blond ringlets galore!

I love this next picture because it is totally Reagan! She is always on the run. She is such an active child who is next to impossible to keep up with... let alone photograph!

Sleepy eyes...I think she has had enough for one day!

Thanks for the pictures Reagan. We love you sweetie!

Favorite Family Stories - #2

While Kevin and I were dating, we decided to go on an evening canoe trip to celebrate our 3 year "dating" anniversary. Kevin borrowed a canoe from a friend so that we could have a romantic evening trip down the river. We parked my car near the river where we would finish our canoe trip. We took the canoe and Kevin's truck up the river to where we would start our canoe trip. That way, at the conclusion our fun-filled canoe trip, we could take my car back to get Kevin's truck, pick up the canoe, and head home. Perfect... now we were ready for our evening.

The trip did not start well. First of all, we brought Gunther along. For those of you who don't know us personally, Gunther is Kevin's black lab. Gunther would not stay in the canoe the way he had on our previous canoe trip. Instead, he was jumping in and out of the canoe, soaking both of us with river water. So, Kevin tied Gunther's leash to the inside of the canoe in order to keep him from jumping out. Unfortunately, Gunther decided that since he couldn't get out of the canoe, he should ride in the front of the canoe...which so happened to be right where I was sitting. Now I had a wet, stinky dog panting on me and barking in my ear while trying to take my seat in the canoe. I couldn't take it. So, Kevin and I decided to switch spots. Kevin informed me that if I was in the back of the canoe, I would be steering the canoe. He asked me if I could steer a canoe. I told him I could figure it out. Unfortunately, I didn't figure it out. In addition to getting the canoe stuck in the bank several times, we hit about every rock, stick, fallen tree, low-hanging branch, etc. in the river. Kevin decided it would be best if I just relaxed and enjoyed the ride while he took care of all of the paddling and steering.

The trip was taking longer than we had anticipated and it started getting dark. Rivers can become pretty eerie places in the dark. We were both getting a little jumpy. Suddenly, a fish jumped up out of the water on the right side of the canoe. The fish jumped across the canoe, hitting Kevin in the chest, and landing in the water on the left side of the canoe. Kevin freaked out. I know it is hard to believe it happened, but I swear it did. We laugh about it now, but it really had us both pretty spooked.

Farther down the river, we startled a bunch of herons nesting in trees. The herons started screeching at us. It was like a scene from a horror movie! Additionally, it had gotten so dark, we couldn't even tell if we were going the right way on the river. Kevin and I both were ready to get off the river and be done with this canoe fiasco.

We FINALLY got to the end of our trip where we had left my car . We were exhausted and so relieved to see my car. That is when Kevin asked me to hand him the keys. I just looked at him and said, "UH-OH." You should have seen the look on his face. He said, "What do you mean, UH-OH?" Of course, I giggled a little and told him that I left my keys in his car, back at our starting spot. So there we are, in the dark, wet and tired, smelling like river water, with a stinking wet dog, and WITH NO CELL PHONE and no keys. Kevin was not happy with me to say the least.

Since we were not near any houses, we trudged along the road until we arrived at a nearby country club. As embarrassed as we were, we had no choice but to go in and ask to use the phone. There was no way I was going to step foot inside looking the way I did, and besides...someone had to stay outside with Gunther. So, I sent Kevin in. He called my brother to come and pick us up... and all was well.

It definitely wasn't the most romantic of evenings, but memorable none the less. As an added FYI...Kevin and I got engaged about 3 weeks later. So, he must not have been that upset with me. Ironically,we had our wedding reception at the same country club where we walked that night to make our phone call.

Even though it has been 10 years since that crazy night, we have not been on a canoe trip since.

Weddings...A Little Girl's Dream

Everyone knows that all little girls begin planning their wedding day when they are about three years old . But, what most people may not realize is that the mommy's of little girls start planning the future wedding at about the same time too.

When Katelyn was newly three years old, we were shopping for spring clothes at Gymboree. Since it was spring, Easter dresses and accessories were out. Katelyn fell in love with these large, plastic pearl necklaces at Gymboree. She kept begging me to buy one for her. While I was at the checkout, and not purchasing the pearls, Katelyn was having a terrible time deciding if she should get the white or the pink pearls. She said that she wasn't sure which color she would like when she is all grown up and ready to get married. She was really going back and forth between the pink and the white. The cashier thought it was absolutely adorable that Katelyn was really wanting these for her future wedding, some 20+ years down the road. She couldn't believe that I still wouldn't buy the girl a necklace, but I stuck to my guns.

When I was telling a friend about the story at work the next day, my friend said, "So which one did you buy?" I proudly said that I didn't buy either one because honestly, what would she do with a gaudy, plastic, pearl necklace? My friend was shocked and told me that I had to go back and buy one so that I can give it to Katelyn on her actual wedding day along with an explanation of how badly she wanted the necklace when she was merely three years old. My friend was exactly right, why hadn't I thought of it myself? I rushed over to Gymboree right after work that day and purchased both...the pink and the white pearl necklaces. I figured the story wouldn't be complete 20+ years down the road unless we have both necklaces.

Here is our future bride-to-be, now five years old, and prancing around in her "wedding dress." I plan on showing these pictures at her future wedding as well as a video I have of her dancing with her daddy at her "wedding" in our living room. I guess it is true, little girls and their mommy's truly do start planning for the big day from the time they were a small child.

Katelyn my darling, my biggest wedding wish for you is that you will find a prince as charming and wonderful as your daddy.