Our Happy Little Life

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

We had a great New Year's Eve at our house this year. Ashley was nice enough to let us do it at our house, since our daughter doesn't like to go to sleep when we're at other houses lately...although Audrey took a turn of not wanting to go to sleep this time, so I felt bad! We had the Bigelows, Bennets, Ashley's brother and girlfriend, and Andrew's brother over. It was a great group. There was a little playing...

some Toy Story 3 watching...

and as soon as the girls were asleep (finally) some catch phrase playing. It was a perfect group to welcome in the new year with.

Highlights from 2011...

Goodbye to diapers

Lazy days at the new lake house

Finding out we were expecting little Hudson!

Starting a new endeavor as a second grade teacher

Our church being welcomed into the Lutheran loop and receiving a grant for advertising (thanks to Adam's hard work and dedication!)

A new cabin going up at camp

A big girl bed for Reese

Little memories that added up into big moments.

Hopes for 2012...

Growing our family to 4 with the addition of Hudson

My one New Year's resolution: actually doing a daily devotion. It should be at the top of my list always, but has somehow gotten away from me this past year. As long as I can keep this up, I know it will keep the rest of this, what sometimes seems to be too busy life, in focus.

Possibly starting Reese in a class of some sort: maybe dance, gymnastics, music, or something of the sort!

Enjoying some months at home with my kiddos

and we'll need to get some sort of vacation in there at some point too!

Happy 2012 from our little moosey:)

Happy 85th Birthday (great) Grandma

2011-12-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a chance to travel to Michigan and visit my grandparents. We hadn't seen them in about a year and a half, so we were really glad to go, especially so they could see Reese and visa versa. Reese loved all the babies great-grandma had at her house. She snatched up all of the babies from the dollhouses and great-grandpa said she could have them. On to the nursing home to celebrate great-grandma's 85th birthday. I've never really been in a nursing home before, and didn't think about us being the life of the party, but that we were! As we walked down the hallway all of the old ladies wanted to see Reese. I wish I had my video camera, it really felt like we were on a parade:) Quite humorous. Grandma kept telling dad and I how cute Reese was. She really enjoyed watching her play.

Reese was really sweet to grandma and grandpa. She gave them plenty of hugs and was really concerned with making great grandma happy. (She had overheard my dad on the phone with her on Christmas morning saying she was a little sad because she was at the nursing home, instead of home.) Somehow she managed getting a new dollhouse out of the visit as well. My grandma was a very detailed dollhouse maker in her day. It is a very cool, ornate general store doll house. Complete with 1,000 teeny tiny pieces. Reese LOVES it, her mom and dad think we should put plexi glass on the front of it so it can be for show, rather than play!

I have to add in one more little story of the day....Jenna was coming back from the bathroom at the nursing home and had a lady tell her she was beautiful and ask her if she wanted to do the "hootchie cootchie." hahaha. Like I said, we were the hit of the nursing home:)

I was really glad to make the visit though. It warmed my heart to see Reese with grandma and grandpa.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

What a fun Christmas we had this year. Reese is at at that perfect age where everything is exciting and it made Christmas such a blessing. Hudson is of course another reason to feel blessed this Christmas. 30 weeks...

Sporting her new backpack and outfit made by grandma. I swear it makes her looks so old!

One of Reese's favorite gifts was a handmade Nativity set from her godmother Ashlee. She's been so enthralled with the whole nativity this Christmas season. I think it helps that Jesus is a baby, since she loves babies so much...but it is the cutest thing. She had a fight with me when we made the nativity out of playdoh a few weeks back when I told her that Jesus didn't really have a crib, because he was born in a stable/barn. She insisted that He had a blankie and a bed. Here she is proving me wrong...

Santa brought a baby carrier for her bitty baby. "It's just what I wanted," was her reply when she opened it. Santa is so smart!

and the sleeping bag from grandma and grandpa. She begged me to sleep in it tonight because we read a Bernstain Bear book about camping. I told her she could when she goes to camp someday;)

Aunt Heather got her some polly pockets for Christmas...big hit!

Despite a few chucking of clothes when she was opening presents (apparently clothes are not a very exciting gift), she shared her toys very nicely with Kamryn.

and she was sure to show pop how to use her new iXL. "This one is really tricky for you," she told him while explaining how it worked.

~Merry Christmas 2011~

Christmas with Friends

2011-12-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Bigelows tonight. Ashley made Reese the cutest things. A hopscotch mat and fridge magnets for Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

Reese also loved giving Audrey her "Best Buds" shirt. She was sure to let Audrey know that it was her and Audrey on that shirt...

and a little something for the little sis too...

and perhaps the funniest thing was that Ashley and I made each other the same exact scarf..HA! Figures, great minds think alike:)

Merry Christmas friends. We love you guys.

Baby Boy Gaines Update

2011-12-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm almost 30 weeks! The time is really flying by. We have decided on a name for our little boy, drumroll...........Hudson David Gaines. He's really beeboppin' around in there lately:) Reese is so cute when she thanks Jesus for him after our prayers each night, "and thanks for my brother." ~~She's~~ grandma already bought him a blue bunny just like Reese's pink one. I was opting for the frog, but Reese insisted we get the bunny. She's even felt him kicking. Her eyes just lit up when she actually felt him, it's like somehow she really did understand. She also started cracking up. Oh yes, and she loves kissing my belly too.
I'm starting to feel the third trimester lately. I feel pretty good overall, but I must admit I've been a little bit of a complainer. I've had a TON of braxton hicks contractions and actually ended up going to get checked because of it. Everything was totally fine, but they're killing me:) It's just a lot harder to get the rest I need this time I suppose. All worth it in the end. Can't wait to meet you Hudson.

December Goodness

2011-12-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

We have had so many fun holiday activities this month! Breakfast with Santa was one of the big hits. Ashley and her mom invited Reese and I to the event at East Noble High School. I had always heard good things about it, and it was so cute! There were singing and dancing reindeer, songs, a live nativity, pancakes, and best of all....Santa himself! I even got Reese to sit on his lap and smile...picture perfect...

Perhaps my favorite activity was going to the Fort Wayne Ballet's Nutcracker. I was nervous that Reese was a bit too young, but I was willing to chance it. I just couldn't wait another year! I prepped her by showing her the performance of when I was the chinese doll. She seemed intruiged enough. My dad got the tickets and we were seated in the front row. I gave him a hard time at first because I thought we wouldn't be able to see, but it worked out perfect! We could see so well and Reese was able to get up close and personal. She was on the edge of her seat the entire first act! If I'm being honest it may have made me a little teary:) I'm just so glad she loved it....and now she likes to be a ballerina at home while wearing my old pointe shoes. Love it.

Last weekend Ashlee invited Reese over to make gingerbread houses. I just love how these two have bonded. (the polly pockets are a bonus as well). Reese loves Ashlee's new dog Pax and says, "I wish I could have a dog like that." The house making extravaganza was a hit.

The house turned out beautiful and Reese really enjoyed ~~eating~~ decorating it.

B-ball Game

2011-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

One of the guys Adam is on the Board of Directors at camp with invited us to a Valpo vs. IPFW basketball game at the Coliseum. We enjoyed box seats...somehow my awesome hubby always has good connections:) Reese mostly loved playing with our friend Jenny and watching the "elephant", aka mastadon.

First Official Snow

2011-11-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Six inches fell last night, which meant...snow day! Reese was just content "crunching" in the snow, but when I asked her if she wanted to actually play in the snow the answer was a resounding, "SURE!"
At first she kept trying to brush her boots off, the girl doesn't like a mess. Then she really got into it...

and more into it...

and "Frosty the Snowman" was built...

and the festivities ended with a snowball fight initiated by daddy:)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The Ranch

2011-11-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

Reese made her second visit to the ranch a couple of weeks ago. I must say I was pretty excited to take her up there and play in the woods. I just have so many fun family memories from the ranch. It was fun to do some of the same things I used to enjoy.

We rode up with grandma and grandpa. I'm pretty sure it was my dad's dream come true to all ride together in the Yukon. And his dvd player was Reese's dream come true...

We enjoyed collecting acorns and making a collage, visiting the Ben Franklin store, riding on the tractor with daddy....

...he even let her drive it in the rye field in circles "all by herself",

driving the jeep and honking it's horn...

swinging on the tree swing...

...this was the ultimate favorite, especially when she could kick the oil drum. It's so funny because as a kid I remember that oil drum being so far and so high. I remember that exhilerating feeling of actually getting high enough to kick it too! The funniest quote came after Jenna asked her if she wanted an under dog. Not knowing what this was she demonstrated and Reese loved it. Then said..."I want another Rudy Ride!" I think the "Under Dog" now has an official new name!

Time spent with family. It's just so relaxing up there.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

What a blast Halloween was this year. We found a cute little pumpkin farm in Leo to pick out some pumpkins. Reese had to make sure we got a tiny one, it was her "favorite."

And who could resist these winged beauties. Trunk or Treat at church started out well until it down poured! Reese didn't seem to mind though, she was satisfied following Briley around. It just cracks me up how she acts like a mother hen to Briley. What a good big sis she will be soon. Reese was also in awe when she was able to go watch Tricia Brock sing her warm up songs at church. We can't wait to take you to your first official concert Reese! She will now allow me to listen to Tricia in the car as well, although Jenny and Tyler are still a favorite of course.

Let's not forget about the carving. I tried to get Reese to dig into the guts this year, but she was more content with the spoon. It was too "slimey" for her:)

Coloring was a preferred form of decorating for this little lady.

And here she his on the long awaited day, Tinkerbell! Grandma made the amazing tutu and I chipped in to make the fairy dust pouch, shirt, and shoes. Best quote of the night came when Reese walked out the door to begin trick-or-treating and saw Dorothy. "Oh wow, you look beautiful!" Priceless. She was mezmorized by all of the costumes. Snow White was another "favorite"...and the candy of course.

The Holiday Season has begun

2011-11-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

The turkey has been gobbled, the Christmas tree is up, and the holiday season is in full swing here at the Gaines' house. More details to come soon....

Family Fall Party

2011-10-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Brown's had a fall party at their new property yesterday and we were delighted to attend. They have tons of walking trails, an "athletic field" (as Stephanie refers to it as), a pole barn, oh yeah...and a trailer (soon to be building a house;)) Stephanie is so cute and had all of these activities planned for the kids. Reese got to go on a fall hike and collect leaves and what not (which she had her mommy do because she was riding on daddy's shoulders).

We also made a collage with all of the items we collected, jumped on the trampoline,

completed an obstacle course,

and enjoyed dinner together. It was a beautful day to spend outside!

drum roll please............!

2011-10-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Reese is going to have a baby brother! Today we had our 20 week appointment and found out that this little baby is a boy:)

Everyone predicted it. I even had a feeling this time, but refused to tell anyone. I know nothing about boys, but somehow I know this will be the perfect fit for our family. It just feels like it's real now and I feel so blessed. Reese was a little confused looking when we told her it was a baby boy in mommy's belly. We asked her if she was happy and she said yes. I can't wait for her to be a big sis to this little bundle. She's going to be such a good big sister. If only my dad could find my anatomically correct boy doll from when I was little. She continues her obsession with babies and making sure she has everything that is needed to take care of them, like the portable high chair she insisted daddy hook onto her play table yesterday for example.

It's been all about babies around here lately. I finally got a pic last week of Reese holding baby Caroline. She is IN LOVE with that girl. Every baby doll she owns is named Caroline. Caroline is so sweet she just lays there and takes Reese making silly faces two inches away from her face and ~~gently~~ shaking her hand.

I also was able to go to Keelin's baby shower for Baby Nora a couple of weekends ago. It was so wonderful to see Laura and her girls and Keelin. I love that Keelin and I are pregnant at the same time. She's going to be such a great mommy too. And to think I'm breaking the girl trend in our group! Baby Gaines will have to marry one of those girls someday;)

Oh yes, and one last bit of information. Reese can draw a face all by herself now!

And she likes to pretend she's at church playing the drums.

"We're playing church, mommy."

16 weeks

2011-09-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well here I am already at 16 weeks. Since school has started, I feel like time is flying and actually as I'm writing this I'm 17 weeks! I swear I can feel this baby moving already. Just off and on, those little flutters, late in the evening while I'm sitting on the couch (enjoying a leisurely evening of school work, can you detect the sarcasm:)). Here's an update on how the pregnancy has gone so far...

Sick from 7-14 weeks, only puked two times though. So really I shouldn't complain right....
Really exhausted between 12 and 14 weeks.
I've already had 3 ultrasounds! Luckily, everything has been normal every time. The last was due to the car accident I was in at 9 weeks and we just wanted to ensure everything was ok. Praise God it was.
I ate cereal a lot in the first trimester...nothing else sounded good. Raw meat totally grossed me out and cleaning up after dinner about did me in.
Now, only sick feeling very occasionally, a little tired (but mostly because I've been staying up too late I think), and starting to show.

Highlights:
Seeing Reese lift up my shirt and try to find the baby. The other day she actually told us that God was in her belly. I think she mixed up the baby and us telling her that God is in your heart. Love it. When asked if it was a boy or girl yesterday she replied, "a squirrel." Interesting.

Aunt Jenna is a Photographer

2011-09-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Check out these pics my sis took. She's becoming quite the pro!

Summer in Review

2011-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well somehow the summer got away from me. Must have been because we were wrapped up in so much fun! We spent most of our days at the lake house and created the first of many memories. Here were some of the highlights...
Boat rides were a daily occurance. Reese loved to go fast and would say, "faster" to daddy!

She did an amazing job with swimming off the boat at the beginning of the summer. She'd jump in all by herself with her life jacket on, go under, and come up laughing. She even swam all the way from the boat into the beach to see Aunt Jenna and Uncle Chris one day, (making certain to not actually touch the sand of course). One day a huge splash came up over the front of the boat and created a bit of a wave fear in Reese. She wasn't so brave in jumping in after that, but by the end of the summer we got her going again...

She even tried tubing!

and here's a video of her debut...

Popsicles were an obsession....

The playground was a delight (except for the sand of course)...

The kiddie pool was also enjoyable, especially with Uncle Chris...

And here she is livin' the life...

and the number one highlight of the summer......

"I'M GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!"

That's right, this little lady will become a big sister around March 4th. We were delighted to find out in June. They will be three years apart, which is what I always wanted (just like my sis and I). I feel very blessed to have this little life inside of me. Reese has been adorable anticipating her new job. She insists she will have a baby sister....time will tell. She tells everyone that my belly will get bigger and bigger. She often asks, "Mommy, I want to see that baby in there." She lifts up my shirt to try and get a glimpse inside:) I know she will be a wonderful big sister. Praise God for this gift He is blessing Adam and I with.

visiting with old friends

2011-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we had a chance to visit with our friend Gretchen from camp. She traveled from Texas with her hubby and daughter to visit family and we were lucky enough to spend an evening with them as well! Wish they lived closer, especially because the two girls were just too cute together.

Katelyn and Reese....

You know Reese must have really liked her because she even shared Minnie Mouse with Katelyn! It was fun to catch up and find out we were in the same points in life:)

Happy Fourth of July 2011!

2011-07-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the annual Gaines' family reunion last weekend. Doesn't this little beauty just have a sparkle in her eye this year! It was actually not scorching hot which was highly enjoyable for a change. The highlight: I somehow weaseled my way out of playing in the horseshoe tournament, can you tell how broken up I am about it:) It was a very enjoyable weekend had by all. Here's the crew...

And this shot shows the true colors of the crew:)

After the reunion, we ventured to the lake house and made it just in time to take Reese out on the pontoon with my fam to see fireworks for the first time. She did not cry, but I can't say fireworks were her favorite. She watched them with one bunny covering each ear. If you asked her if she was enjoying it she said, "No, it's too loud!" Can't blame the girl, but she was a trooper:) Perhaps the highlight though was the mooing of cows in between each firework....yes, that's right, cows...mooing. It was hysterical! Perhaps we're not totally broken into the country feel of Big Turkey Lake just yet. Soon, soon.

goodbye and hello

2011-06-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Leaving behind a seven year adventure as a kindergarten teacher to move to second grade. Here's what my classroom looked like the day I finally shut the door for the last time. It was my choice, but to be totally honest I was a little bit sad to walk away. I guess what I'll miss the most is the play aspect and the sweetness that (usually) comes from five year olds. I lugged home six boxes of excitement for Reese though and I'm pumped to turn the basement into our own early childhood adventure. A lot of fun, exploration, and adventure went on behind those doors, but I am ready to start a new chapter at the same time. I have no idea what second grade will have in store, but I'm ready to find out!

But enough work talk, because let's face it..it's officially summer and what better way to celebrate than at mom and dad's new lake house. We said hello to Big Turkey Lake and we know that this is just the beginning of so many memories. I have so many fond memories of the lake at my grandma and grandpa's house growing up and I'm delighted to have the same for Reese now! We are very thankful for some rest and relaxation.

And what better way to get into the spirit than catching the first fish (let's not worry that it was actually from the back pond and not from the lake, or that Adam had to dig a worm up from the ground to score this little guy).

What happy campers we are:)

Family Work Weekend

2011-06-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

What a blast we had at work weekend this year. Reese is that perfect age to really get into playing with the other kids. I hung out with her and the kiddos in the childcare all weekend while we let daddy do more of the grunt work. He's better at that than us, and kiddos are more my forte. It's always nice to visit with old friends and just be surround by God's nature and peacefullness. I really had a restful weekend this year and was grateful for it in the midst of the end of the school year hub-bub.

One of Reese's favorite activities was crawling in and out, up and down, and between all of the bunk beds. It's quite surprising that she hasn't figured out how to crawl out of that pack n' play after seeing the gymnastics she did in our room:)

And we even got a great family pic!

reese update..2 years, 3 months

2011-05-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

favorite phrases...
i do it myself
oh my gosh
whatever (with hands in pockets)
here, i'll show you
no, i'm talkin' about...

new knowledge...
knows our road when driving in the car and when asked what road she lives on, answers, "52."
m for mommy, d for daddy, r and s for reesey
counts to 15 with assistance
knows circle, heart, star
calls the old church on 11A Jesus' castle
loves finding matches....of anything.... and says, "match match!"

favorite songs reese sings...
it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring (bumped his head is her favorite part)
any song by jenny and tyler!
itsy bitsy spider
alphabet song (especially likes the ending, "next time won't you sing with me!")
jesus loves me
old mcdonald

other odds and ends...
loves painting
likes making babies with playdoh (actually, likes for us to make babies for her), can roll a snake herself
tub-it fan
takes care of her baby when she's crying (she cries a lot)
new found love: ipad (can exit out of one game and into another, navigates into her correct folder, knows how to play all the apps, get the stickers she wants in doodle buddy....it's crazy!)
sleeps 11-12 hours at night, and a 2 hour nap
sleeps in her crib
about 50/50 on using the big girl potty
started using a cup with no lid at meals. this big girl cup is very exciting if you were unaware.

you're getting so big reese!

girls' weekend in chicago

2011-05-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

reese, mom, and i went to chicago to visit jenna this weekend. i love going there. it's such a fun change of pace. some of the highlights included...

a trip to american girl to get "baby" a new outfit and doctor's kit. thanks grandma!

(she really was excited, just doesn't want you to take her picture lately..haha)

we ate dinner at the erie cafe right next to jenna and chris' place. i had to chuckle when this fido mobile showed up selling gourmet doggy bones and ice cream. my sister was a sucker and bought one for dennis and steve to share.

reese loves her aunt jenna!

and the park next door to end the evening. chicago has the best parks!

the next day we ventured to the lincoln park zoo for a bit.

reese was glued to the railing watching the seals. i don't think she knew what to think...

the monkeys were next...

reese wanted to make sure bunny got a good look too. she would look at the monkeys herself, then go to get bunny and hold it up to the window and talk quietly to bunny saying, "here bunny you see monkey too." so precious.

and the goats...but when asked what her favorite animal was..."the moos". she was sure to let me know those weren't don's cows though.

thanks for a fun weekend aunt jenna!

....and....happy 7th anniversary to my hubby and i.:)

mother's day 2011

2011-05-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

on mother's day weekend we went to portage to visit with family. we celebrated kamryn's 3rd birthday and then enjoyed brunch at heather's in the morning. we surprised candy with waffles, fruit, omelettes, etc and then finally gave mom and dad their christmas present, dvd's of their old movie reels. it was a hit! reese (and daddy) thoroughly enjoyed halie and caitlin's swing set and trampoline.

canoes rock

2011-05-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

so we have a pond now, which is amazing. even more amazing is that we can canoe on it. reese LOVED the "boat". she was mesmorized and loved to help us paddle.

Easter

2011-04-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

singer

2011-04-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

reese is obsessed with jenny and tyler. fine by me, a great Christian group to be obsessed with is a great choice in mommy's eyes. the only problem is she will not allow me to listen to anything other than their cd in the car. unless i also want to listen to screaming...

Spring Wreath

2011-04-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Now don't be turned off by the title, I've seen plenty a dorky wreath in my day. This one is not. I found this wreath on a blog and LOVED it.
http://kikicreates.blogspot.com/2011/02/quick-and-fun-project.html

So, I decided I must make one. Now, you saw the above link, I do not call myself creative...just a wannabe:) But I'm great at following a pattern, or directions, so basically I just copied it and came up with this! The door down to my basement is now complete.

a close up...

and the full view...

too bad i'm not great at photography so i could make this look amazing on the blog...i need to work on that.

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

I think we have the greatest connections in the world! Our friends, Dawn and Troy, hooked us up this spring break. They let us buy a week from their time share for VERY, VERY cheap...so cheap in fact it's going to make any vacation from here on out seem astronomical. We decided to go to Orlando, Florida with the Bigelow Fam and it was wonderful. We were a little leary of driving straight through with two, 2 year olds in the car, but they were troopers. Reese even had a fever..yes I am that mom that took her child on vacation with a fever (don't worry she wasn't puking or anything).

Audrey: "Can you believe it Reese, we're going to Florida!" Reese: "I know it's so great, and our parents are in for it...wa-ha-ha-ha."

Really though, the car ride went great! Besides for the fact that my daughter somehow picked up the trick (that person shall remain nameless) of wanting me to "tickle" her whenever she was awake, aka rub her leg. My shoulder hurt for a week after that.

The first day was pretty low key, got suckered into going on a time share tour to try and get us to buy one. Don't worry we didn't cave, but we did get free water passes for all of the attractions at our resort for the week..nice. We did a TON of swimmming on this trip, and baby stalking as you can see below. I could not even get Reese out of the water to eat lunch. A girl after my own heart. I think we're in for an excellent summer.

"If I could just get a little closer to this baby I might be able to hold her hand."

We also enjoyed some daddy splashing. Reese is getting to be quite brave in the water. She wanted to jump in constantly, but only if it was above her head, and only if she could go under the water (while holding my hand). Otherwise she was very upset.

One night we went to Downtown Disney (part of the Disney for free program that my family has invested in over the years.) We ate at the Rainforest Cafe and Reese was surprisingly not scared. She was the cutest ever in the stores there. Totally awstruck by all of the princesses. I couldn't resist letting her out of the stroller to look at everything. "Mommy, look" was the quote of the night.

We went to Bahama Breeze one night for dinner as well. Here are the besties...

And here are the besties again in their matching princess jackets that we got at the outlets for one dollar!

This was the girls way of having fun in the condo...

and here was how we had our nightly fun....we were spoiled last year with two babysitters...yes, you better believe we're playing dominoes rented from sharky's club (the children's activity room)

My FAVORITE night was when we completed our "Disney for free" tour. We went to a character dinner at Chef Mickey's located in the Contemporary Resort. We also shopped around at the little shops there and of course took the monorail tour (Audrey's favorite).

"We're going to see Mickey! Our parents are the best."

Dinner was the cutest thing ever! Reese just kept saying, "Minnie, eat. Mickey, eat. Donald, eat," over and over again each time a new character came around. Minnie and Donald were her favorite and for some reason Pluto scared her and she cried...I think it was his obscenely long whiskers. It made me so excited to bring her back someday and do the parks!

Just a little leary at first....

Even the mommies and daddies loved the characters...

Aww struck by Donald, she kissed him on the nose.

"This was the greatest dinner of my whole life and I got to share it with you!"

The end of our monorail tour at the Grand Floridian, watching old school Mickey mouse movies. They were mezmorized. It really felt like we were living the dream:)

Oh and I forgot to mention Reese got sick the last day we were there with an ear infection. We took her to Redimed right away and got it taken care of before it became too big of a deal...at least she saved her illnesses for the beginning and end!

What a fun trip, and relaxing. Here are some of the other mentionable moments...

*Cici's pizza, tour bus...enough said...good pick Andrew;)

*When we got back home Reese wanted to know why Mickey Mouse wasn't at Cracker Barrel

*____ grenade by my husband to Ashley

*Pick a number between $100 and $400

*New princesses, aka "pinkerbells)

*Sneaking into the retirement community

Reese Update

2011-03-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

This little girl just amazes me everyday. She is still sporting the big girl underpants. She wears pullups when we go out and about and at Kristin's house, and underpants when we're at home.

She's gone many days without any accidents at all..number one and two, even goes number two at Kristin's house now (there are stickers involved for this one)! I know...TMI! She's beginning to tell us when she needs to go too. Public restrooms are our only struggle at this point, apparently they are scary if you were unaware. Reese is also very into reading books lately. I catch her going to her room by herself, plopping down on her chair, and reading. This generally involves Reese pointing to each object on every page and naming what it is (I like to say she's using her reading finger;))

She generally is speaking in 2-4 word phrases. The other day after breakfast she stood up and hugged me out of the blue and said, "I love you too, mommy." She also likes to make you happy. She'll say, "happy?" if you want her to do something. To which we respond, "Yes, that would make us so happy." Then she generally does whatever it is you're asking of her. Fine with me! She recognizes the letter S and knows that the R is for her name, and M is for mommy.

Reusable Grocery Bags

2011-03-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

For Ashley's birthday I wanted to make her some reusable grocery bags because she'd been wanting some. So mom helped...

She made the pattern and taught me how to use the surger, but i swear i did all the sewing myself this time. I can prove it...

They were super simple to make. If you really want a tutorial let me know and i can give you one! Here's what the boys did while the ladies were sewing...

And here's the finished product. Happy birthday, Ashley!

jenny & tyler

2011-02-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

we were able to spend time with new friends this weekend, jenny & tyler. they are christian music artists from nashville. adam discovered them one day while listening to pandora and decided to email them to see if they'd do a concert at church. much to our delightment they did yesterday! i was so proud of adam for putting so much time and energy into this concert. he would love to bring different bands in on a regular basis as outreach events and jenny & tyler were a wonderful way to start this dream off. what a sweet couple. they are a true testiment to what a loving marriage is to look like. you could just see God's light shining through them. during the concert i was looking outside just watching the world go by. it is so mind boggling to think about each minute of your day and how we don't seem to appreciate those minutes enough. much of their message last night (and this morning during church with pastor dave) had to do with this idea. you never know what minute will be your last. i have to constantly remind myself that every second counts and could be another opporunity to show Jesus to someone who doesn't know Him. jenny and tyler do this kind of life a justice just in the way they present themselves, interact with others, and live according to His will. thank you jenny & tyler for showing us a glimpse of your life and sharing that with us.

Big Girl

2011-02-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have a four day weekend this weekend so I decided it was time to try out the big girl panties Reese got for Christmas. She's doing fairly well, but I'm not sure she'll have it down by Monday. She is pretty into though, which is a good sign...we will see:)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

We love you!

Reese is 2

2011-02-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

I bet I'll feel this way every year, but I can't believe she's 2! Here are some milestones to remember
*sleeps 7-7 and takes a nap from 1-3 (i know i consider myself very blessed)
*is scared of things now...the dark, the dog in The Sandlot, burglars in Home Alone 2, and various other frightening things
*says amen after she finishes reading a book
*repeats part of her bedtime prayer with us
*when she has her shopping cart or car and says she's going bye-bye, she always says she's going to church
*can sort things
*knows that her name has an "S" in it
*can sing happy birthday to herself
*sings the elmo song (well, mostly just the la la la part)
*puts 2-3 words together when talking
*she can jump
*can pull her pants up half way, takes her socks on and off herself, and can sometimes get out of a shirt by herself
*helps me count to 10
*if you ask her how old she is she sometimes says 2 and sometimes says 3
*can pee on command in the potty, but still wears diapers (hopefully not for long!)
*knows who baby Jesus is and especially loves pointing him out in the book Ashlee got for her for Christmas

Reese's birthday party was so much fun. Ashlee helped, I mean made, her Minnie Mouse cake.

We were very excited to give her the present from us on Friday (her actual birthday). It was a total hit! She climbed in, said "jump!" and went into the air landing on her bottom. She can work up quite a sweat in that thing..

Here she is in action...

For a month now she's been singing happy birthday to herself. When you ask her how old she is she now says 2, she must have gone backwards in years because for weeks she was saying that she was going to be 3 soon:)

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, REESE. We are so proud of who you are becoming. You already love Jesus and are so kind to others (especially if they happen to be a baby:)

quiet book

2011-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

it's done! (kinda) ashley and i have been working on this thing since before christmas, actually it was supposed to be a christmas present (i know, you're thinking, and there are only 4 pages). it's still a work in progress, but it was done enough to give to reese for her birthday! she can actually do the gumball page (and proved to me tonight when she visited my classroom that she can sort things by color on her own quite easily). this is an ongoing project for sure. we're hoping to add many more pages in the future!

cover

so the farm animals aren't quite done yet...santa will have to do:)

the apples snap on and off

the gumballs velcro on and off, reese matches the color

counting!

super bowl

2011-02-16T18:51:00.001-08:00

if this photo doesn't say it all i don't know what does.

"have it"

2011-02-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

a quote from reese i'm stealing for the evening...because i'd really like to have all of this cute stuff, mostly i'd like to be amazing enough to make it all someday. it makes me feel good to put all of my "have its" together in one place. it's my type a personality i think...

**this is the cutest ever scarf from tweed baby outfitters. yes it's for a child, but i would enjoy it for myself as well. i could make this somehow right???

**i love these stitched portraits...they'd look nice going down my stairs to the basement. countryliving.com

** yarn flowers, i mean, who wouldn't want these..super easy. i've made them for hair bows before, doubling as flowers in a vase works for me! countryliving.com

**i'd like for my dad to make this for reese. ana-white.com

**and i would like to have this for my entryway please

**i'm sure these would look cute in my new bedroom, but in black or grey

that's it for now...just like to dream sometimes, and look back at this later for ideas:)

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

Sunny and 78 sounds much better than 12 inches of snow and ice, which is what I would've been enjoying in Florida if I would've had a flight 20 minutes earlier. Let me explain. I was almost on my way to a technology conference in Florida for work until Blizzard 2011 hit. Eight of us were in the Indy airport keeping our hopes up. But after hours of deicing and re-deicing, waiting for the weather to switch back and forth from light freezing rain to freezing rain (these are the technical terms they use if you weren't aware), our flight was cancelled at 11 pm. Which means we got to drive back to Kendallville in "crippling" ice (another technical term). So, at 4:30 am I finally crawled into my bed...cold. But let's look at the bright side..I got to spend 3 snow days with Reese and my hubby. Plus, I never would've had time to make these little treat bags for Reese's birthday party..

By the way, they are the easiest things to make! Here are the quick instructions:

1. cut to pieces red felt the same size

2. cut out mickey ears, i used a cookie cutter to trace, but you could print off a pattern from clipart

3. sew the mickey ears onto one piece of felt on the sewing machine. i suppose you could hand stitch too, but it would take way longer.

4. sew one piece of ribbon onto each red felt piece for handles, make sure to back stitch so they don't come off

5. stitch bag together, leaving an opening at the top

6. voila! a mickey treat bag, or purse as reese calls it

Baby Brooklyn

2011-02-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

Last week Reese and I had a chance to visit my friend Amy and her new baby, Brooklyn Reese:) She is the sweetest little layed back baby I've ever met. She just slept and slept the whole time we were there. You could jostle her and be loud, didn't phase Brooklyn. Maybe all second children are that easy:) TyAllen is a very good big brother. He was so sweet with her, getting her things she needed and being a great host to Reese. Doesn't he look so proud?

Reese adored Brookyln and kept looking at me and saying, "Hold you?" We did let her hold Brookyln and she was very gentle, petting her arm and whispering. She also really wanted Brooklyn to take her paci, but she just didn't like it, so Reese gave it a try to make sure it was working properly.

i love keelin

2011-01-24T18:23:00.001-08:00

my friend keelin is amazing...she wrote this poem in remembrance of college...friends for a lifetime. i want to make sure i never lose this...

The Mit
Sometimes I pretend
I am not here,
I am
Back
A few years
In the Mit

Don’t fret,
I like where
I am now
But I like to go
Back

On
The days of
Grey skies and
Snow
I fall in love
With it all
again

Piles of white
Friends close
I didn’t love it
Enough
For what it was
Or
Could be

No worries of
Money, debt or
Dipper’s
Just white
Breezes &
Love

Bonds made over coco
&
Other things
More often than not

Stealing sandwiches
Borrowing clothes
Making each other
Cry or
Laugh
Till sleep
Or not

Each individual
Like waves
That break
The beach

But we brought
Love
Joy &
Difference
To the table

I learned life,
And wouldn’t
Be the same
Ever

Still often, I think
Of going back
But it wouldn’t
And isn’t
The same
But for luck
And life
I still
Go back
To those days
But most,
I go back
To the
Women
Who made
Me

For they always
Make me feel
Like
Home

...i love you keelin...

winter jam

2011-01-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

an amazing night. winter jam is not usually my ultimate favorite Christian concert, but this year it rocked! all of the bands were great. francesca banestelli is my new fav. newsboys were amazing with their new lead (the old guy from dc talk). even a little ghetto Christian rappers...gotta love it! it was just so refreshing. sometimes at concerts, to be honest, i feel self concious to get too into it, but for some reason i wasn't at all last night. Jesus knew i just needed a little pick me up. i get so stuck in the busyness of life and the monoteny of it all. earlier in the day i was venting to adam how my days are literally planned to the minute all day every day. but last night, i remembered that each minute counts. tony nolan gave a message/testimony about how his childhood was terrible...abused, sold for $200 to an adoptive family, new father that told him he wasn't worth the $200..i can't even imagine. it just made me think about some of the kids i come in contact with. they can be so exhausting at times, but it reminded me that just one little moment could effect their eternity. someone touched tony and it changed his life. he came from nothing, people told him and assumed he'd never be anyone or go anywhere, and now he is an AMAZING messenger of God. that could be someone i come in contact with everyday. it may be exhausting, but it's worth every moment. we should never write someone off because of where they come from.

i love heat bond

2011-01-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

jenna and chris were here for the weekend. jenna wanted to make a wipes clutch and onesies for her friend that is having a baby. she's the first one of her friends, so she's the lucky one to get a bunch of gifts:) here's the wipes clutch...

and the onesies...my sister is so stinkin cute and creative. she put little buttons and trim on it, stitched around them all. they turned out sooo cute..these pics don't do a justice!

so then i decided i should probably make one for my friend amy who just had a baby girl, brooklyn. my sis found this cute blog (tweedinthevillage) that had onesies like this, with the letter cut out in the middle, rather than layered on top. (ps it's her friend's store in nashville...soo cute!) i even stitched around this one on the machine for the first time..not too shabby if i do say so myself.

then i made reese a shirt for valentine's day. i did it the same way, by cutting out a heart and having a different fabric peek through.

and finally reese's bday outfit for her minnie party. i didn't really want minnie on it, but the black and red colors instead. so, my amazing mother made this adorable skirt and i made the shirt...okay she stitched around it with the thick, fancy stitch..so basically she made the whole thing:) the amazing things bond it can do. i could've made ten more!

i love that my fam likes to make things. it's something fun that we can share together.

"get outta here scaries!"

2011-01-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

reese had a little rough patch last week. she had watched part of home alone 2 at kristin's house and apparently got completly freaked out by one of the robbers with green paint on his face. (kristin felt soooooo bad. she's so sweet. it seriously could've been anything, she's just started being scared of things lately) for a few days after that she kept saying, "scary, krisin, movie." i felt so bad for her...she just look petrified when she said it. she'd wake up in the middle of the night, wake up from her naps, say bye-bye and act like she wanted to leave our house (actually she kept saying she wanted to go to church, she must know Jesus makes everything better), act scared of the tv in general, only wanted me, had a really rough two days at kristin's. adam and i just kept trying to tell her that the scary stuff was all gone. we're not watching that movie any more. there's no more scary stuff. nothing seemed to help..poor girl. nothing until her genius dad got out the magic flashlight. it gets scaries out if you didnt' know. he turned it on, walked around the house and said, "get outta here scaries!" then he gave it to reese and she shook it back and forth saying the same. it was the cutest thing ever. i asked her if they were all gone and she said, "yep." it actually seemed to help! that night she didn't wake up as scared. the next day we had a snow day so reese and i got to hang out together all day. i think it was some much needed mommy time. we painted with paint brushes....my dream come true:)

and every time she got paint on her finger she had to wipe it off with a kleenex...fine by me! i'm just glad my little lady isn't as scared anymore. she's still been a little clingy and comes running to me for a hug when i get to kristin's (rather than running away from me like she used to). she'll still say scary about once a day, but i just reassure her that they're all gone, to which she usually replies, "oh, yeah," in her sweet little high voice. hopefully this is just a phase that continues to go away!

western michigan visits

2011-01-24T17:12:00.000-08:00

we had such a nice time in holland/gr! mom, reese, and i stayed the weekend in holland because we were in the area for denise and brandon's baby shower and who wouldn't want to stay in holland?! plus, we got to see julie, kya, and mark! we ate lunch downtown at one of my fav's, good earth and then went in a few of the shops...here's reese...it was cold...no big surprise...

then we met up with kya and julie and went swimming in the hotel pool...big hit! the girls had such a blast and it was really fun to see them interact. reese was all about kya's toys, especially the "people" as she calls them...aka tinkerbell fairies. kya was very kind to share all of her fun stuff! that girl cracks me up. she just says the funniest, cutest things...no one is surprised that i can't think of exactly what she said right now...i know, a meredith story...it was really good to catch up with julie too. it never fails. we can go forever without seeing each other and we just pick up where we left off like we'd just seen each other yesterday. such a good friend that one.

the next morning reese fed grandma breakfast, peas i believe it was...

then we went back to hang with julie, kya, and mark for a bit. kya was sad that reese had to take a nap, but she kept us entertained with beauty and the beast. she kept us posted on what was coming next.

then it was off to the baby shower. here's the cute little mommy-to-be. i just am so excited for denise and brandon. you could just tell they're so excited and ready. apparently the babies name is bj (brandon junior) for now because they're keeping the name a secret:) what a nice weekend spent with dear friends.

Boy Baby Shower Projects

2011-01-15T04:39:00.000-08:00

My friends, Denise and Brandon, are having a baby boy in March. It's my first friend with a boy! I am so completely thrilled for them. They will make such wonderful, Christian parents. So, I decided that I had to make something for this little one. I've had my eye on these tie onesies on different blogs for quite a while now, but no boy to make it for. This was my chance. It's the easiest thing ever to make. Just cut out a pattern, cut a piece of fabric a little larger than the pattern, iron on the bond it stuff to the back, cut out the tie, and iron it on to the front of the onesie. I was going to actually stitch around this one, but forgot I didn't have the right bond it (you have to get the lighter weight kind if you're going to stitch with it). It still turned out cute though.

I forget how little that 0-3 month size is...so tiny.

And of course I had to make Denise a wipe clutch.

I can't wait to meet their little bundle!

Happy New Year

2011-01-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve we went over to the Bigelow's house (I know we're all surprised by this). Reese and Audrey are just so hysterical to watch these days. If they're not hiding and saying, "boo," to each other or running back and forth and screaming, you might find them interacting or even assisting each other. Here Reese was having trouble getting her sock on (which she can actually do all by herself now after much determined practice the last few days). Audrey came over and said, "Reesey, help, Reesey, help." What a good friend to help out in a time of need. You might also notice the dress up heels which they were both trapsing (or attempting to) around in.

Our friend Carrie and her husband came over also. She teaches kindergarten in my corporation and her husband teaches in Dekalb. Char and Ashley's brother also joined us for the evening. She's such a sweetie. Just a laid back night really...cards, a game, some Wii playing (which I will say that I made the best Wii fit score for the ski jumping event, just try to beat it Andrew).

Later in the week my friend Jessica, who I used to teach and carpool with, came over with her daughter Kya. She was such a crackup, dancing all over the place and jabbering up a storm. Reese was so cute with her. I've not seen Reese around younger kids too often and she was really sweet with Kya, kind of treating her like a little baby and being very gentle. She did of course let her bossy side shine through a bit and insisted Kya sit in the hamper with her (one of her new favorite things to do). It was really good to see Jess. She likes to craft too so we talked a lot about projects we've been working on. We decided we MUST hang out more!

Ashlee also paid a visit before going back to school. That girl loves Reese! Reese also demanded that Ashlee sit in the hamper with her. What a nice godmommy she is.

Overall, a wonderful start to the New Year with good friends!

bye-bye paci

2010-12-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

Well last night was the night...we said good-bye to the pacifier! It was not enjoyable, but also not as bad as I thought it would be. We took the paci out of the crib earlier in the day so Reese wouldn't see. She had slept with a new (really an old one that she hadn't seen since the move) blanket and seemed to love it (because it was the kind she could rub:)). So, when it came time to go to bed she was asking for that new blankie. So we put that in there along with bunny and her old blanket as a new addition in replacement of the paci. Of course she asked for "paci", but we just told her it went bye-bye and made a big deal about the new blanket..calling it her big girl blankie. We did the bedtime routine and walked out with no crying! Hoping we were in the clear, ten minutes later she was yelling for "mommy, mom, mama, mom, mommy." Then for "daddy, dad, daddy." Adam and I went in there three times in fifteen minutes and the last two times we walked out she was screaming and clinging to us and wouldn't let us set her down. Adam brought her out into the family room once for a couple of minutes and then I took her back and literally had to peel her off of me and leave her hysterical, standing in the crib. I felt so bad that I started to cry. Jesus must have heard me because two minutes later she stopped crying all together. I thought she might wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to able to go back to sleep, but that didn't happen either! She woke up once but we didn't even have to go in there. We'll see how the nap goes today without it....and the car rides....Let's keep our fingers crossed that it's not too torturous for her or for her mom and dad.

merry christmas

2010-12-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

christmas was so fun this year. reese is at that age where she thinks every toy is the most awesome thing since sliced bread and gets very excited when a present is for her...she kept asking..."mine?" we made the mistake of teaching her to say "ho ho" before we taught her to say "jesus" so when we kept asking her who's birthday it was she'd say, "ho ho!" finally today though, (the day after christmas) she pointed to the nativity scene and said, "Jesus!" yay:)
we spent christmas eve night at mom and dad's house in the fort. reese got to open two presents on christmas eve..the first her new bitty baby and the crib that mom made a matching quilt to go with her bedroom set. it was a hit to say the least! she ripped open the package and yelled, "BABY!" she spent the evening putting her baby night-night, complete with reading her a book, saying her prayers, and kissing her goodnight.

she also opened her christmas jammies from mommy and daddy. the bunny slippers were her favorite!

my sis and i :)

and here's reese with grandma on christmas morning. she was helping grandma open her gifts:)

christmas day we were off to grammie and grandpa's house. the whole gang came over and excitement ensued. more babies and even a piano. daddy is hoping this is the start of reese's future music career. she was a total crack up singing (aka yelling) into the microphone.

and the annual christmas pj's shot. halie and kamryn were sick:( but it was still a very fun time had by all.

i'm not sure what it was about this christmas, but it just seemed extra enjoyable. reese was so excited about everything. i think i also changed my mind set this year, taking the pressure off everything being perfect and just enjoying each small moment. church didn't have to be just so for me to love it, it was perfect in all of it's imperfections. it didn't matter to me if schedules didn't go exactly how i planned and it just seemed more relaxed because of it. jesus came into an imperfect world and that's how it needs to be enjoyed, in all of it's realness.

~merry christmas 2010~

gaines' christmas party 2010

2010-12-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

we had the annual gaines' christmas party last weekend at aunt esther's house. reese unfortunately had a temperature, but she hung in there and was a trooper. grammie always has the kids act out the story of jesus' birth...reese was a king this year...

aydan and caitlin were joseph and mary and we had to use a fake baby for jesus this year...the family is in need of another baby i suppose:)

reese did not want to leave baby jesus asleep...she insisted on carrying him around and playing with him...the girl loves her babies!

CATCH UP

2010-12-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

wow, i've let almost a month go by without posting...YIKES! here's the past few weeks in review...
happy thanksgiving! this was my first attempt at getting a picture for our christmas card...

this was the second attempt...

we spent thanksgiving this year at grammie and grandpa's house in portage. reese loved seeing all of her cousins! grammie collects hallmark singing figurines and they were a big hit with reese. she liked pushing the buttons herself. grammie also got her puzzles out and reese loved them:) here's reese and halie. she tries to be just like her big cousins! her zhu zhu pet was also a ploy to get her to sit still for a picture.

here's the christmas photo of all the grandkids that grammie took for her christmas card...fairly painless this year i must say!

and fairly hilarious trying to get six squirmy children to say cheese. reese had no trouble screaming cheese, cheese, over and over again for all of the flashes...WHAT A HAM!

the third attempt...

our church has a new location and is officially lutheran now! adam worked so hard to make this happen. president stecholz visited to make us official. we're hoping this is a huge blessing of possible connections with other churches and some financial backing so we can do more outreach!

last friday adam and i got to go on a date! we went to the barlow girl christmas concert..it was AMAZING to say the least. God definitely had a special message for us at the concert.

fourth attempt...at our new house this time...which we moved into officially on december 5th! there is much unpacking to be done still, but it already feels like home. the christmas decorations are up, we are enjoying all of the remodeling we did (ok, not so much we as adam:)), and can i say how amazing it is to be on one floor rather than 3! reese does miss grandma (aka "namma") though. she still says "home!" when we pull into their subdivision.

fifth attempt...

sixth and final!...p.s. she's holding the little egg ornament her great-grandma made for her last year at christmas. it has a baby inside of it and she treats it like a real baby...rocks it, puts it "night-night" in her crib, pushes it in her stroller. such a good little mommy she'll be someday.

and the attempt at a picture with santa (aka "ho-ho")

winter baby...or should i say big girl...not so much a baby anymore!

yesterday we wanted to go sledding with reese because we got the first real snow of the season. we didn't get back from mom's until late, but daddy couldn't resist. we went out flashlight and all (reese is a little freaked out of the dark these days)...so much fun!

and that brings us to today! we had a snow day so the bigelows came over this afternoon to join in on the fun.

reese liked going down the hill best with her friend audrey. she kept saying, "more, more!"

i'm sure there will be much more of this to come this winter.

loungin around

2010-11-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

just wanted to document this moment. reese lounging in her chair. kept crossing her feet. laying her head back and sighing....

then she said.....CHEEEEEESE! what a crack up this one.

works in progress

2010-11-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

our life has been about a work in progress lately. adam has been an amazing servant lately and helping (basically leading up if we're being honest) our church move to a new location. we are really praying this becomes a huge ministry. we're now in a strip mall by concordia high school. it's a high traffic area which is a major bonus. adam helped to build walls, majorly clean, renovate, and paint the used to be dollar store now church. the grand opening is tomorrow and i know he (and i) are super excited to see all of his hard work be put to use.
not to mention all the work he's been doing on our new house. he was there until 1:30 the other night painting the last of the rooms so the carpet could be installed. it's basically done now. just a few finishing touches and we can start moving in. i'm very ready to be settled...with church...with new house...a lot of hard work ready to be enjoyed:)
while adam's been busy with that, i've been hanging with reese and my mom. we've been working on a few projects...all of which are not finished yet of course...someday soon they will be though:) we're a family of our word and things do get finished!

here is the decorative ball i'm hoping to hang above a table and chair set in the play area of our basement. it will not be red when i'm done...

ashley and i are working on a quiet book for the girls for christmas..we WILL finish them in time even though this is the only page we have done so far...

here are some clips i made for reese today that i did in fact finish..however i'd love to make a million more of these pom poms for decoration on our christmas tree. my ultimate plan is to have a small tree in our basement someday. this would be the homemade ornament tree where our kids' school ornaments would hang along with ornaments we make at home each year as a new tradition i'm hoping to start:)

here's a closeup of the pom pom barrette...i mean, who wouldn't want a tree full of these puppies!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween made for a very fun weekend at the Gaines' household. it also made me realize just how old reese is getting. on friday we went trick or treating in auburn so reese could be with audrey. reese was minnie mouse and audrey was daisy duck. they were a riot! they actually were aware of what to do. audrey would say trick or treat and i could get reese to say thank you half the time. probably the highlight for me was when reese refused a bite of candy...she just doesn't like it..fine with me! here are the girls all dolled up...

mommy was also minnie mouse...i couldn't resist matching:)

we even got daddy to join in on the fun. what a handsome mickey...

and of course there was some pumpkin carving...reese refused to get messy..she just kept saying no no...check it out...

we also went trick or treating at grandma and grandpa's on sunday. an entire halloween weekend this year!

congratulations chris and jenna!

2010-10-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

the wedding was awesome! the whole weekend just turned out so great, i wish i could've lived in that excitement and happiness for a few more days:) reese was also a trooper. were were up until 10 or 11 both nights and she hung in there with the best of them! the rehearsal was super nice. here's a pic of all the bridesmaids...

jenna had such a great group of girls surrounding her for her big day.

the wedding day started with all the ladies getting ready at hotel 71 in our suite. melissa, our hairdresser from home, came with her friend to do everyone's hair. i didnt' believe her when she said we needed to start at 7, but she was right, we finished just in the nick of time and everyone looked stunning, especially jen...

doesn's she look just divine in this pic:) the golashes were a backup plan for cute photos if it was raining, luckily they were not needed! here's daddy and reese waiting for a cab to go to the church.

when we arrived at the church the girls were all together putting on the finishing touches. reese amused herself by tinkering with the piano..

here we are right before jenna walked down the aisle and here's grandma helping reese with her flowers. the thing was stinkin' heavy! they looked gorgeous though and reese surprisingly walked down the aisle by herself holding the flowers..it was a fast walk, but she made it..and then even ventured onto the steps in front of everyone during the ceremony..such a brave one that girl:)

after the ceremony it was onto the trolley for festivities and pictures. they took us all around town for some amazing shots! can't wait to see what they look like from the photographer!

and then off to the reception at fulton's on the river. there was a cigar bar (requested by chris and a huge hit) on the veranda overlooking the river, yummy yummy food, and dancing the night away of course. here's as close to a family pic as we could get...

despite my prepartion, i was still so nervous to give my speech. jenna had done such a good job at my wedding, i just wanted it to be really special. it went very well. i'd like to keep it documented so we can always remember it....

"Jenna and chris, I’m so excited to be here celebrating this moment with you tonight. As I was thinking about what to say tonight I couldn’t help but think of all the memories we’ve shared as sisters over the years. I still remember sitting on our tan flowered couch waiting for you to come home from the hospital, really I think it’s my first memory. Seeing you was much more important than taking a nap. We’ve made big plans over the years, some of which are coming true today and some that have changed and grown along with us. Some of the greatest moments in our life are sprinkled in the smallest moments and were molded when we were young. I know I maybe, just maybe was the one that always had to be in charge, when we were little, at least I thought I was. When we played school I made you be the student while I was always the teacher. When we made cookies I wouldn’t let you measure anything, I told you that you could pour and stir. When we played dead man, I always got to be the dead guy and made you drag me across the floor. When we made up dances I was the choreographer and told you the moves. The only problem now is that if the older person is the one that is in charge, than we’re both in trouble because, if I’m not mistaken, Chris is older than the both of us! But all kidding aside, what you probably didn’t know was, when we got older I was the one that looked up to you. You’ve just always had that spark in your life. You worry less, you wing things and they always seem to work out, and most of all you have that charisma that comes only from God. You show it in your love for people in the way you truly listen. We may both have the bad storytelling gene, but you can listen to someone’s story and show them that you are genuinely concerned about what they’re saying. You’ve done this for me for years and I know that now you will be that person for Chris as well. Chris, I can’t tell you how much God has blessed my sis and our entire family with you. Jenna deserves nothing but the best. All I’ve ever wanted for her was a man that fits your description. Someone that always puts others before himself, looks out for people, and makes sure that she is taken care of. I know you are and will always be, that person for her and I thank you for that. If our lives are sprinkled with these small moments, I know they will continue to be. We can’t always plan the best things in life. Who would’ve ever thought you would marry someone that grew up ten minutes from where we grew up, and even went to Hope college and never crossed paths until just the right moment. God’s funny like that. So if I had to give you some advice, I’d say enjoy the small moments and let God lead your plans. One of Jenna and my favorite books, Cold Tangerines, says it the best. I’d like to read a quote from it.

“My dad used to have one of those cars where you can plug in your destination and the woman’s voice will tell you where to turn and whet to stop to get you there. And when you get there, she says, in this totally dramatic, slightly sexy, slow voice, “You. Have. Arrriiived.” And we burst out laughing at each other the first time we heard it. We wanted her to say it again. We wanted to plug in more places, and then go to them, just so that she would tell us again that We. Have. Arrived. It was the greatest car in the world. You knew, cognitively, that she was a computer, and that she was only talking about arriving at the dry cleaner, but another part of you just melted when she said it, “Me? Me? I’ve arrived?’ Thank you! Say it again!” That’s what I want. I want to arrive. I want to get to wherever I’m going and stay there. That’s why I was such a ferocious planner of my life. But I’m learning to just keep moving, keep walking, keep taking teeny tiny steps. And it’s in those teeny tiny steps and moments that I become, actually who I am. We won’t arrive. But we can become. And that’s the most hopeful thing I can think of.”
So Jenna and Chris, I really do think you’ve arrived, but all of the teeny moments in the future will help you continue to become. I love you both so much. Let’s raise a glass and cheer to this new beginning in becoming."
i am just so happy for those two. they're perfect for each other!
here are a few more pics from the evening...

i must say, chicago is the perfect place for a wedding and jenna and chris hit it out of the park with this one!

rehearsal day!

2010-10-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

we've arrived in chi-town in preparations for the big day:) last night we hung out at jenna and chris' condo with his parents, bro, and grandparents. today, we went to get our nails done and have been running errands. somehow the rehearsal day ends up so busy...happened the same for me. just can't wait to get to the church and practice! prayers for a blessed time for jenna with her friends and fam.

wedding countdown

2010-10-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

only five more days until jenna's wedding! it came so quick and i can't wait to celebrate the day with her. she totally deserves chris, such a good guy and PERFECT for her. he even helped us cut the programs this weekend. too bad i didn't get documentation as proof:) we made hairbows, cut programs, made parking vouchers, place cards, the whole gammet. my mom has done SO much work for this wedding and i can't wait for it all to come together. it will be the perfect day for the perfect couple.

mother hen

2010-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

i think i might have a little mother hen on my hands. reese is so into being responsible lately...well, for a one year old anyway:) this weekend she enjoyed taking steve for a walk. that was after she hand fed him of course.

then today, she decided to mother her babies. first she had to put bibs on them (both of them, not just on one). then she wanted a sippy cup and fork so she could give her baby a drink and feed her. she was even nice enough to share an animal cracker with one of her babies.

here's a video of the entire event...

pumpkins

2010-10-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

fall is in full swing here at the gaines' household. we were able to celebrate on friday by going to a pumpkin patch in kendallville with the girls. mostly we just wanted pictures by some pumpkins and we were about as successful as you can get with a couple of 1 1/2 year olds:)...

we were also able to go on a "hay" ride and we got the whole thing to ourselves! reese was mesmorized by the tractor. adam was please by this to say the least. a girl after his own heart:)

last we went through the corn maze, which proved to be a little tricky until we figured out the little clues that someone had left on the correct trail with corn kernels. thank goodness for that! reese thought it quite hilarious to run in between the stalks and then jump out and say, "BOO!" i guess she's ready for the haunted maze.

but perhaps the highlight of the whole evening was when we saw reese's friend carter. she was quite surprised to see him there and not at kristin's house. the whole ride home she kept saying, "audrey, carter, audrey carter." obviously her best friends:)

a fun time was had by all. i just like doing these sorts of things as a little family. making memories.

miss independent

2010-10-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

right now reese is sitting in the corner playing with her little people play house. its weird for me to just sit and watch her play because until now she always needed me to interact with her to keep her occupied and happy (for the most part anyway). now she can really maintain her play because she's begun to pretend so much more. she's flushing the toilet in the house and saying potty, all done. then she sets up the table with the people all around and makes eating noises. then she puts them in the bed and says, "night night." what an independent little girl i have these days. i almost feel like i don't know what to do with myself, and the crazy side of me feels guilty not interacting with her every moment i'm with her. but i do know it's good for her to have some time to herself, so i'll just keep telling myself that:) she's just getting so big.

Woof woof

2010-10-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well doggies seem to be the hit around here lately. First, we had a daughter crawling under tables, panting, and barking like a dog. Then I broke down and bought her a Barbie that came with four dogs. I mean, I couldn't resist, the girl loves dogs. There are dogs everywhere she goes: Rudy, Cooper, of course there's Steve (who I must say is her favorite and she repeats over and over again even when he's not visiting), there's Clark at Kristin's house, grammie's three dogs, the neighbor dogs, and various other places...she can spot a dog from a mile away! Next, grandma and Jenna bought Reese three dogs from American Girl this weekend. Needless to say they were a hit! She wants to play with them everyday when we get home. Yesterday she took them for a walk with their leashes. I threw one of Cooper's toys and she ran a dog over to fetch it. Today was the best though....we got home and I went into the pantry to get food out for dinner. This is what followed...

I heard a sprinkling noise and walked into this..here doggy are you hungry?

or maybe you'd rather eat it off a plate...
From here she decided to feed Cooper some food also, what a nice owner she is. She even sampled some of the dog food for herself and decided it was not very delicious. Woof Woof!

fort 4 fit

2010-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

yesterday i ran in the fort 4 fitness 4 mile race with ashley. i love a race. i just love the hype of it all, the music, the countdown, the feeling you get when you cross the finish line...so great. would've been even greater if i would've ran the mini marathon! considering i did not train one little bit for the 4 mile, hadn't even ran a mile in over a month! it actually felt really good though, i was surprised and expected to die at the finish line. i will say it gave me the fever for sure. i have GOT to find time to run more. i just love it, it destresses me, i love the monotony of it (i know i'm lame and like repetative things), sweating, etc etc. i don't want to jinks myself or anything, but i did run again today...maybe, just maybe, i can keep this up. i mean, it really shouldn't be that hard to find a half to one hour per day to workout! i'm on a mission now.

sounds and sights at 19 months

2010-09-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

Sounds you might hear from my 19 month old's mouth...
"Noooo" (when she's reading the book No David!, but mostly at other undesirable times)
"Me" (meaning that's mine, not yours)
"Boo" (when she tries to hide and then scare you)
"oh no, you never let go" (on her own variation of course when she tries to sing this Christian hit)
"poop" (no explanation needed)

Sights you'll see...
Running away from me buck naked before she gets in the bath, then laughing hysterically
Dancing in circles, while trying to jump, and doing the moon walk (her dad taught her that one)
Hitting of various people or objects, including her own head until reminded to be nice, then she'll start petting you
Rocking on Pi2 ( her rocking horse)
Climbing up on kitchen chairs or underneath them to hide

and the adventures continue:)

Jenna's Bachelorette Bash

2010-09-23T03:31:00.000-07:00

What a night! I must say I was a little nervous to be in charge of this lovely evening. I just wanted everyone to have a bunch of fun...especially Jenna. Well, we hit that and beyond...here are a few highlights.

The Bride...

The Bridesmaids...

The sisters...

and I believe there are no other details that will be disclosed at this time...I mean, my daughter will probably read this someday:)

Update

2010-09-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like Reese is doing so many new things lately...here's a few.
*says go, poop, hey, rudy (pronounced.."dee"), and seems to be able to repeat many words when we prompt her to
*she loves sitting on the big girl potty these days and insists on it before and after her bath..no action in the toilet yet, but a step in the right direction:)
*demanding over her toys at kristin's, does not like it when someone has something she wants
*LOVES playing with the little disney princess dolls that kristin has, dances them around, and makes them jabber talk
*playing dress up
*lets the dogs outside
*loves wiping her face and blowing her nose by herself
*thinks her new squeaker shoes are hot stuff

I know i say this all the time, but really, this age is so much fun!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was fun filled this year. Jenna and Chris came for the weekend and we went to check out the park in Leo that I've been wanting to visit. Loved it! It reminded me a lot of the one in Brighton where we used to play growing up. Reese loved swinging and insisted that we all swing next to her. We had the whole fam swinging in line per Reese's conducting! She was not too happy when we had to leave to go home.

We also went to the Bigelow's house one evening. The girls worked on some puzzles together. The Bennet's also came over. Carrie teaches kindergarten at East Noble as well and Jarod is randomly friends with Andrew from high school. Worked out perfect:)

The boat was Monday's event. It was a little chilly, but very relaxing...as you can tell from the photo..

The most hilarious part was when Reese was bossing Steve around like he was her baby. She wanted him to lay down on the floor with her on her towel. I think she likes being in charge..lol.

funny and fun

2010-08-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

first the funny...
at school today during writing workshop a little boy wrote this story...here is how it went:
boy: "i wrote a story about you and reese"
me: "oh really, neat, can you read it to me"
boy:"one day mrs. gaines wouldn't help reese on the monkey bars."
me: "oh no, i wouldn't help her, that's sad. i think i'd help her."
boy: (whispers) "it's just for pretend. (next page) then my sister had to get reese a bandaid because she was bleeding. (next page) then mrs. gaines helped me on the monkey bars."
me: "i helped you but not reese?"
boy: "yep"

now for the fun...
when i got home from work i got some playdoh out for reese to play with for the first time. i had made some for my class last night and was curious what she'd do with it. it was a hit! first she tried to eat it but realized quickly it did not taste so good. then, she had fun squeezing it and poking holes in it, and of course taking it in and out of the bag. i love this age!

what a week!

2010-08-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

well, i can say we made it through a successful first week (okay two days) of school. my class is actually doing really well and we've had no major issues (knock on wood)! it's been amazing having my student teacher jamie...she is a God send for sure! when i'm at school i love being with those little guys so much, they make me laugh, smirk, and i love to see them making friends and being kind to one another. i feel like i'm in my element when i'm there. the hard part comes at the beginning and end of the day when i have to say goodbye to reese, or goodnight after i've only seen her for what seems like an hour before the bedtime routine starts. i'm just bad with change and i know i'll get used to it after a few weeks.
it's nice to end my day with a little, babbling 1 1/2 year old. it seems like we hold actual conversations these days. here are the words i know she for sure says...baby, dog, duck, quack, moo, bye, hi, uh oh, steve, mama, grandma, daddy(sometimes), more, up, help, thank you(if prompted), please(if prompted)..i'm sure there are more.
some other new talents:
playing pretend with her tea set
dressing her babies
walking up a step without hesitating!
climbing
LOVES real babies
obsessed with trying to clip stroller and high chair clips
unscrews and screws back on water bottle caps
looking at herself in the mirror
letting the dogs outside
throwing trash away in the trash can
i just don't want to miss anything new...i'll have to ask kristin to make sure i'm not missing anything else that is to come:)

we got the keys

2010-08-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

to our house on friday! i'm having fun envisioning what each room will look like when all of our projects are finished. let me tell ya, it will NOT look like these pictures...

we went over there this afternoon and started stripping wallpaper. it's actually not too bad. i kind of like it. kind of similar to how i like peeling people's skin when they're sunburnt. i know, disgusting right! the bigelow's came over for a welcome to auburn pizza dinner, or should i say picnic, on our living room floor. the girls had fun running around in the wide open space. yay for our new place!

lisa's wedding

2010-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

my cousin lisa got married this weekend! we're going down the ranks in age order so far in our family. i got married first, lisa is the second oldest, and jenna comes next. we had a really good time. the reception was a blast. reese made fast friends with the cutest little boy, juan pablo. they were dancing up a storm, chasing each other, and even hugging and kissing. they were cracking me up...adam was nervous:)

p.s. i embelished this clearanced $7 dress from target with the lovely gold flowers

here's the happy couple. they are too cute together.

and let's not forget the fire twirler that entertained us at the reception. it's true, really!

my cousin john and i.

and here's a group shot:)

decorating ideas

2010-08-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

with the new house possession in the near future i've had BILLIONS of decorating ideas spinning through my head these days. my mom, sister, and i love thinking of possibilities for new canvases such as these. so here's what's been spinning in my head (it helps me to write it out to get it all straight:))..

great room: we have buttercup colored couches, but i'm sick of the green/teal tones we had with it at our old house. so, at first i was thinking about painting the walls gray, the coffee tables black, still using our light maple entertainment center, and incorporating those three colors into pillows/drapes..kind of along this line...

but i couldn't seem to find any fabric at any stores that were jumping out at me and i wasn't sure it would look quite right with the couch being yellow. however, while at joann's today i found this fabric that i fell in LOVE with...

so the new plan is: grayish/taupey walls, still paint the coffee and side tables black, and this fabric for pillows and incorporated into the curtains somehow with this ball trim that i LOVE

on the wall behind the couch i was thinking about putting maybe some black and white photos in black frames in an arrangement maybe like this...or with some type of cool art mixed in too maybe...

master bedroom: we have a green silk bedspread from world market that was matched with some aqua shades in our old house. i still like the comforter but want to switch the decor to a black and white theme. here's the approximate color of the bedspread...

it's not quite this grassy, but you get the idea.

my mom is making table runners for my sister's wedding out of this fabric...

i'm hoping some is left over to make throw pillows for the bed and maybe a shower curtain. i'm thinking black drapes like this for the windows...

with some of this fun ball trim probably....

and tie backs of some sort. like these knobby tie backs...

we have black furniture in there already, but i need to find a dresser for cheap to revamp and paint black. then probably put some black framed something or another in there as well and paint the walls celery.

basement: we have an aqua couch, arm chair with limes and aquas in it, and a chase with some of those colors in it as well. i'm going to arrange the furniture around the fireplace with the coffee table in the center and possibly a circular tiered side table next to the couch. it's too fancy for a basement really, so i'm hoping to make it more casual with some neutral curtains. if i don't use that gold ball trim in the great room, i'll use it down here. i'm planning on painting the walls an aquaish color of some sort and would love to put some type of tree in white like this in reese's play/art area...

speaking of reese's art/play area. that will be the next zone which will be right when you walk down the stairs to the basement. i'm going to put my grandma's old china cabinet there repurposed as a craft storage cabinet. i really want to paint it white, but feel bad and adam is really against it. so my mom suggested that i just take some sort of fabric or paint and make a back panel that shows through the glass cabinet portion to modern it up a bit. then put little containers inside to hold markers, thread, buttons, etc. i also want to get a little table and chair set like this one...

and put some mirrors low to the ground so reese can see herself in them:)

in the other corner of the basement by the wet bar will be our old dining room table and chairs. i think i'll cover it a bit somehow with a table cloth possibly to make it more casual. oh yeah and i want to put the letter g at the bottom of the stairs like this...

but i'm thinking a cheaper way to do this is to get a cardboard one from joann's and spray it silver:)

other little ideas i'm tossing around: reese's rooom will stay the same. guest bedroom will be painted light blue with the same decor as before. all moldings and interior doors are being painted white. hardwood is going into the kitchen and breakfast nook (i'll need a rug of somesort for under the kitchen table). new carpet on the main level. and i think ceramic in the two upstairs bathrooms...or atleast something better than the vinyl corklike floor that's in the bathroom now:)

can't wait to get started! we get the keys in two days.

p-town!

2010-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

this weekend my mom, reese, and i went back to the pinckney home front! we had a wedding shower for jenna in brighton at chris' parents place and then a shower for lisa in romulus on sunday. a two-fer, and it worked out perfect. we were a little early arriving in town so we drove by our old house and showed reese where mommy grew up. it looks SO different there now, really run down, but so many fun memories driving back through brighton and pinckney.

jenna's shower was wonderful and her future in-law family is super nice. beth really just goes out of her way to make you feel warm and welcome. she seems delighted to be adding my sis to their fam!

after the shower we ventured around brighton and ate dinner at stillwater...YUMMY...miss that place for sure. we also took reese to the playground downtown where we used to play. there's just something really nostalgic about your daughter playing and enjoying the same things, in the same place, that you used to.

sunday was lisa's shower. reese is a shower trooper these days. this makes it her fourth one!

playdate

2010-08-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

last week my friend amy and her son tyallen came over for lunch and a swim. amy is pregnant and expecting in january (should've taken a pic of her adorable belly) and tyallen seems excited about the idea. he LOVES playing with "baby" reese. he also loved showing off all of his pool tricks for us, he's got a lot of them up his sleeve:) amy's so cute because she is so nervous if she has a girl (they don't know the sex yet). i told her i would help her out because i would definitely need her help if we ever have a boy! it's so intruiging how they're so different even as little ones. it was so good to see these two. amy is just one of those good friends you know would do anything for you at the drop of a hat.

yesterday and today

2010-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

yesterday the bigelow's came over. ashley and i are planning a quiet book for the girls. we were hoping to start it and finish it yesterday...hah! we realized it is going to be a christmas present instead. here's one we're fashioning it after http://craftychiclyric.blogspot.com/2009/07/girls-quiet-book.html
we aren't doing it exactly the same, but very similar. we worked on the gumball page yesterday and just about finished it, it has removable gumballs so you can match the colors. we also went to the pool..here are the movie stars raring to go...

later we played with the water table! audrey taught reese some new tricks..throwing water..so hilarious.

and they ended the evening with some sliding...

summer needs to stop slipping through my fingers. we are having such a fun time playing and hanging out with friends.

and now for TODAY! WE CLOSE ON OUR NEW HOUSE TODAY...can't wait!

another late post: FATHER'S DAY!

2010-07-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

oh goodness. when i don't have my camera and rely on others to take pictures of an event for me, i never get the post up here in time! i guess i need to get more on top of my game:)

on father's day we enjoyed a nice dinner at red robin, one of daddy's favs. daddy also opened the present made especially for him by reese, a stepping stone. reese and audrey made them together at our house. it was hilarious to say the least! babies running around in the front yard in diapers, ashley chasing them in opposite directions, me trying to mix the cement without allowing audrey to stick her fingers in it, audrey running through the water, reese picking grass off her feet, and a beautiful handprint emerged...somehow:)

disney world

2010-07-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

what a trip, what a trip. candy and dave were nice enough to treat the whole family to a trip to disney! here's how it went in a nutshell.

day one: mgm (my personal favorite park)...highlight of the whole trip happened here. first attraction. reese dancing and clapping at the playhouse disney show!

it rained. we got wet, but it felt good because it was SOOOOOOO HOT!

here we are at the muppets 3D show

day two: epcot. this was reese at the beginning of the day. not too hot yet so she's happy...

here's grammie and grandpa with all of the grandkids!

we found the halloween costume!

day three: animal kingdom

reese enjoyed the african safari jeep ride and liked petting the goats. but i think she liked this fake gorilla the best...it was in the air conditioning:)

and the highlight of animal kingdom...seeing the doggies! goofy and pluto. reese liked petting them and talking to them.

day four: we relaxed at the pool. perhaps my favorite day of the week. reese loved playing in the fountains at the shallow pool.

day five: magic kingdom. the most crowded of the parks, but a favorite of mine as well. i hadn't been there since middle school. you just can't help but feel like a kid! reese was able to go on many more rides here. i think she liked, "it's a small world", the best.

i couldn't wait to take reese to minnie and mickey's house. she couldn't wait either...here she is...sleeping in front of minnie's:)

it was fun. it was hot. we were tired. but for some reason reese was not tired enough to fall asleep on the plane. here she is right before we got on, standing up and bouncing in her stroller! she makes me laugh:)

gotta love disney!

how could i have missed this! keelin's wedding!!

2010-07-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

oh my goodness. somehow i forgot to post about keelin's wedding from april! i didn't have my camera on me, but i got this amazing pic from keelin...

what a good time we had. brad is just the perfect man for keelin. we all knew her day would come and he was well worth the wait. they fit each other to the T. i've never seen her so happy. it was probably the hardest wedding for me to get through, because i just care so much about that girl and love seeing her so happy. it was so great to get us four girls together too. it had been way to long since it was just us four hanging out all together. i love them all like sisters.

shipshewanna, boating, minivans, and babies

2010-07-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

this week ashley, audrey, reese, and i went to shipshewanna. we went to some yard sales. i was hoping to find a crummy dresser to revamp for our new master bedroom..no luck...i'm on a mission to find one now. we did enjoy the little shops in town, browsed the amazing fabric they have there, and ate lunch at a cute little cafe in the mercanitle building. the girls were wiped on the way home...

we finally put the boat in the water this weekend! can't believe it's the middle of july and we're just putting it in, but we were glad to get out on the water. there's just something so relaxing and refreshing about being on the lake. reese did really well too. she seemed to get used to the life jacket pretty quickly, just had a little trouble drinking her, oh so loved, water bottle:) she even went for a swim. she was a little nervous about it i think because she's so used to touching in the pool. her favorite was sitting on the back platform and kicking her legs in the water. she was also really intrigued by the waves and all of the boats, pointing at each passing one, waving, and saying hi...what a courteous boater she is already:)

reese's newest love are her babies. it's so cute. she seems to be starting to play pretend more lately and i love it! yesterday i got a diaper out for her baby and we put it on. she wouldn't let me take it off, but when it did finally come off today she checked it to see if it had "anything" in it. she also loves walking her baby in the stroller and giving it the pacifier. she has two babies and two strollers since we're at mom and dad's now. so today she insisted on playing with them both.

and last but not least...ashley's long awaited and dreamed about, new minivan. i have to admit it is pretty nice, very spacious, and luxurious...soccer mom here she comes:)

reese update

2010-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

just a few things i don't want to forget about reese at this age...
8 teeth. loves containers and lids. loves puzzles and can do them by herself! it's so crazy and amazing to me. she can match the pictures and usually fit them in the correct spot. sorts things (for example, this morning she was playing with her aunt jenna's bottles of paint while i was getting ready and she separated all of the white bottles from the colored ones while i wasn't watching..it blew me away!). i wonder if she will be spatially smart like her daddy. words she can say: dog, grandma (pronounced "hmmma"), help, hi, up, uh oh, mama (which she says for both adam and i...not sure when she stopped saying dada because she did say it at one time...lol), bow (pronounced "go"), car, we're working on bird and squirrel because we always see them out of grandma's window, moo (pronounced "mmmm")...i think that's all of them. she's very independent. does not like getting help or getting things taken away (when she is told no she hits the air, screams, and then hits herself in the head...which is quite hard to keep a straight face for! lol). loves taking caps on and off of water bottles. is getting better and better at her shape sorter. knows where her tummy and nose are consistently. gets eyes, ears, and mouth half of the time. refuses to eat vegetables these days. LOVES macaroni and cheese ( i have to get this on video soon). loves dancing. liked her gymnastics class, but could not be talked into doing the activities that weren't her favorite. kisses and hugs baby dolls. just got rid of her morning nap. just switched bedtime from 7 to 8 and wake up time from 6:30 to 8:) loves the bath (refuses to get out most nights and lays down on the bath mat). loves the pool and will run off the side and jump into our arms.

you're getting so big. love you.

auburn here we come!

2010-07-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

we bought a house! in auburn...on 4.7 acres! adam and i are so excited to say the least. here's how it all went down. went to look at it. LOVED the property (pond, huge yard, next to a sub for runs, a playground, and trick-or-treating of course), liked the layout of the house, little trouble envisioning how to de-grandmotheritize the decor. we weren't sure if we could build exactly what we wanted for the same price. offer went in on the house. we get nervous and have to decide if we want to make an offer. we meet with an amish builder that night (who is so lovely by the way...i can see why the simplicity of amish life is appealing:)) he works up a price....WAY over our budget. next day we make an offer. a few days later...our offer is accepted! and poof we aren't going to be homeless anymore! we close july 28th and can start moving in august 6th. however, the grandmotherness i mentioned earlier has to be helped before move in. so here's the plan...paint moldings and doors white. paint walls. get new carpet in the great room and hallway (maybe the bedrooms too). change light fixtures and faucets (thanks to my lovely husband who has the lowe's/masco hookup), tile the bathrooms and entryway. so it will most likely be september when we move in. but we feel very blessed to be able to be at mom and dad's and have the time to do everything we'd like to before we move all of our "stuff" in. so now my mind is spinning with decorating and dreaming ideas. i can't wait to go swimming and ice skating with reese and our other kid(s) in the future. can't wait to build a fire pit and roast marshmallows. can't wait for adam to build a clubhouse for the kids to play in. can't wait to have an art/craft/play area in the basement to invent with our kids. can't wait to look out my window at nature rather than neighbors. can't wait for the unknown, priceless memories....what a blessing this house will be.

new projects

2010-07-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

it's been the summer of sewing, crafting, and designing. it's really been addicting lately. last week ashley and i finally made the cutest ever dresses for the girls. i found the tutorial online and knew we had to give it a whirl. i'm no seamstress. i usually leave the sewing to mom, but i really wanted to make something for reese all by myself:) the boys hung out and watched the office and we (ashley, her friend becca, and i) got to sewing. after much guidance from becca we did it! she's a great teacher, told us what to do and how to do it, but wanted us to learn it for ourselves and do it all alone. here we are with our finished products. becca says we're the same sort of crafter/seamstresses. we needed specific instruction, can't visualize anything, and exact. lol

"i love my new dress mommy!"

here's another project i whipped up the other day, a little felt clip i found on the purlbee blog. i think it's one of my favorite clips...better for fall though...

and the other night i got it in my mind that i wanted to refashion one of reese's old, too small for her belly tshirts into a dress. mom helped with this one. i can say i did all of the sewing, but i don't think i could recreate it if i tried it alone.

and here is my amazing, artsy sister making an acrylic canvas painting for her condo while we sewed. she's the actual artsy one of the group!

i just love seeing a finished product. i think that is where the obsessiveness with all of it comes in. more to come soon hopefully! i love summer.

happy birthday america

2010-07-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

the annual gaines' family reunion was in portage this year. a new addition was a walk in the parade to support the cancer benefit mom was involved with. it was HOT but the kids were troopers! i know mom loved showing off all the grandkids:) on saturday night we had a potluck at uncle ron's house. it was so fun seeing reese interact with all of her "big kid" cousins. she just loves hanging out with them and copying what she sees them do. reese and kamryn kept themselves amused with a cup of rocks and of course reese had to have some water bottles to play with. containers are one of her favorite things to play with these days. putting things into containers and taking them out and putting caps on things. it keeps her busy for what seems to be hours....who needs real toys?

the run and fun

2010-06-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

this week we enjoyed a day with ashley and audrey. ashley showed us around auburn (we're hoping to be locals there soon so we needed to know the ropes) and took us to some really cute shops. then it was back to her house for lunch. we attempted to eat lunch outside with the girls on the picnic table. it went well for awhile...

but then reese was not too interested in sitting down, or eating for that matter. she was very polite though and gave all of her food to audrey. next, we made our own laundry soap. ashley had to talk me into this one, but it was kind of fun once we got going. i felt so environmental. i'm interested to see if it works well!

today was the big race at camp lutherhaven. ok, so it wasn't a BIG race, just a 5k, but very fun none the less. our friend janet organized the whole thing as a fundraiser for camp and we were so excited to see it be such a success. 133 people when all was said and done. i told adam i had never run such a short race before..lol. he beat me of course. adam 30 minutes. meredith 35 minutes. the worst part though was the finish for ashley and i. we ran the entire thing together and crossed the finish at the same time...however....she stuck her head out and beat me. i didn't think it was that big of a deal until i found out she won for our age group. that little sneak! next year it's on...here's a picture of us before she stole my glory...

this afternoon we had fun playing on mom and dad's back deck. we've settled in quite nicely here and today we got out reese's water table the minards got her for her birthday. it was a huge hit! i've been eagerly awaiting the unveiling of this toy for months now. mostly she just loves taking the cap on and off of the water bottle that she dips in it (and then drinks..i know i'm such a bad mother for letting her drink that dirty water:)) i can foresee hours of summer time fun with this toy!

Goodbye Ballycastle Place

2010-06-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks were spent packing. Packing up furniture, clothes (way too many of them I might add), the lady lamp that we rediscovered, and baby food jars that Reese enjoyed helping with. The girl stacked and unstacked lids for more than a half hour straight! She also found a new love for bin lids. Taking things in and out and putting lids on is a favorite of hers now. What a good little helper.

The most important thing that's packed away are memories. It's really been bitter sweet for me. I feel ready to move onto a new chapter in our lives, but at the same time it's hard to say goodbye to six years of a journey that Adam and I began together here. We are officially moved in at my parents' house now and we're very thankful to have a place to go. Prayers that God is preparing the perfect new home for our family. Can't wait to make new memories there!

Jenna's Shower in Chi-town

2010-06-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Jenna's wedding shower in Chicago was such a neat weekend. It never ceases to amaze me the contrast between farm country in Fort Wayne and the hustle and bustle of the city. It's such a different world and I LOVE visiting! Mom, Reese, and I went for the shower that I threw for Jenna, well really, let's not lie to ourselves here, it was really my mom's shower. She just has that way of taking charge and making all of the details go wonderfully!

We started the weekend at the park that is literally five steps out of Jenna and Chris' condo. So convenient! I was shocked to find Reese loving the swings this time. I believe there was even some kicking and screaming when it was time to get out.

Saturday was the shower. Here's the happy couple opening their gifts. Jenna's thinking, "I hope I didn't break too many bows!"

We had the shower at this cute little restaurant right on the river. Reese did amazingly as long as she had her magnets. She's obsessed with these animal magnets lately and spends hours (okay, so it's not hours..but long for a 1 year old) putting them into containers and taking them out again) Cracks me up. Jenna and Chris got some really nice things and it was fun to see many of Jenna's friends all in one place. Can't wait for the wedding! I hope I'll be able to make it through though. I could barely handle giving a simple prayer before lunch. Who knows how I'll get through an entire speech! I am just so happy for my sis.

summer is here!

2010-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

it's been a busy last couple of weeks. last weekend we went to family work weekend at camp. to be completely honest i was a little nervous for the weekend because i felt awkward last year. reese was tiny, i was still a new, nervous mom, and i felt trapped between feeling guilty for not doing work projects, and sort of helping with kids, but not really because i kept leaving to nurse reese. it was of course still a joy to be there as a family for the first time, but just new and different...this time was so much different! i really felt like we could get into the swing of things and experience camp in all it's beauty. the same comfort came back as i had when i was on staff, feeling surrounded by God's love and all of his amazing, likeminded servants. we had fun hanging out with the brown family. we worked on cleaning out treetop village together and the girls LOVED playing with reese!

it was so much fun seeing her actually able to interact and play with everyone. perhaps the highlight for her was all the boys...should we be worried that she wanted to kiss them all?

she's just a friendly girl i suppose:) daddy will have to keep his eye on this one.

she also formed a special bond with joey. those jank kids are just so good with other kiddos. joey just had this quiet sweetness with her and she calmed and melted when he was near. too cute.

but here is her first love...daddy! adam was a co-leader of work weekend this year and it went wonderfully! so much was accomplished. including...

the official first ride on a four wheeler.

then it was back home to the last week of work for me. and now it's officially summer in my books! wuhoo. i am SO excited to spend a few months with reese and play and swim and dance and take walks and have a blast. with a little bit of packing and moving squeezed in there as well. it's weird seeing the house become emptier and emptier...more on that later...

happy 6th anniversary to us

2010-05-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

adam and i celebrated our sixth anniversary on saturday. we've already made so many wonderful memories together and accomplished so much in just a six year span...bought a house, sold a house, adam joined the board of directors at camp and is FULLY involved these days, started a new church, God blessed us with beautiful reese, wonderful jobs, and the list goes on...

to celebrate this year adam some how weasled his way out of watching our wedding videos, which in the past i've made him watch each year. i think we're going on two years now that we haven't watched them...i'll have to work on that:) instead, we went to the movies! i know i'm a really big nerd, but i was so excited. we hadn't been to the movies since before reese was born. went to see "date night" in auburn and laughed our heads off and enjoyed a nice dinner at the italian grille in auburn too. maybe you could say we were giving auburn a trial run. we're leaning more towards building there these days...time will tell:)

while we enjoyed a "date night", reese enjoyed her time at grandma's with jenna and chris' new dog, steve. he's so stinkin cute and reese thought he was her baby i'm pretty sure...

and on sunday, adam's all time dream came true. reese rode on the tractor with him. loved it. i must say, seeing her be a daddy's girl makes my heart smile:)

how could i almost forget...mother's day!

2010-05-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

it was a very nice 2nd mother's day. we went to a really nice brunch at eddie merlot's with my mom and jenna and chris. it was DELICIOUS! reese enjoyed it too, except when her mommy walked away from the table to get more food...hysterics ensued...she just doesn't like being away from her mommy these days:) and the greatest moment of the afternoon...the unveiling of this masterpiece!

aunt jenna helped her make it when they spent the weekend together while i was in keelin's wedding. i've been told she didn't like the gooeyness...surpise surprise:)

i have literally been waiting for this day since she was in my belly. i just think it's the cutest thing in the world to have original kid art on my wall, made by my very own daughter. lovely.

reese turns 15 months

2010-05-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

when reese turned one i stopped taking a monthly picture and anecdotes about new firsts. it's really crazy how fast three months has gone and how much she amazes me each day with what she can do. almost everyday i just stare at her in amazement because i can't believe how smart and big she's getting. i really need to get the video camera out more.

here are some fun things she's been up to lately...

loves playing ring around the rosie and actually falls down at the right time now...plays ET with daddy...

climbs up on the living room chair herself..and can get down the safe (backwards) way...

loves bringing books to you and sitting in your lap to listen to the story...cracks up when you play "this little piggy"...constantly takes her shoes and socks off in the car (we just turned her car seat around too)...takes two naps still and sleeps 11-12 hours at night...loves running and kicks her leg out to the side when doing so (she thinks she can go faster if she wings her arms out in the back to get aerodynamic)...can say, "dog, mama, dada, up(sorta), uh-oh, no (kinda)...shakes her head no...gets very hyper when she bounces on her turtle...loves playing with coasters and handing things to you one at a time...LOVES pushing her baby in the stroller (or flinging, whatever you'd like to call it..lol)...throws and kicks the ball on the kitchen floor...signs "more" and "all done"...sleeps with bunny and her paci...obsessed with cell phones and purses...likes puzzles and can put the piece where it belongs if you point it out to her...will only walk in the grass if there is a dandelion to motivate her (doesn't love things that have a different texture...sand...paint...grass)...

and she thinks splashing and dumping water on herself in the bathtub is hilarious!

i think i say this every month, but this is one of my favorie ages so far.

surprise...adam is 30!

2010-05-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

and a surprise it was! adam turns 30 this friday and he's been planning his own surprise party for months...or so he thought:) i just kept playing it off like he was crazy and it actually worked for once. mad anthony's friday night. 20 or so friends. pseudo dinner plans with the bigelows. and a husband that was none the wiser. you should've seen his face when everyone jumped out and said surprise...priceless. i was so happy to finally plan something special for my hubby. he's the best daddy and husband God could've ever blessed me with and he deserved a fun night!

we continued the party at fast track for some hard core go-karting. those things go seriously fast and yes, adam took the prize for the fastest speed of the month...another priceless face and the perfect end to the perfect evening.

my 28th..really 28 already?

2010-05-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

i turned 28 today. when people ask me how old i am i almost always say 22, but then have to think in my head for a couple seconds and keep adding a few years until i figure out how old i really am. if i'm already having trouble now, i can only imagine what it will be like 15 years from now! went to biaggi's (best italian restaurant in my opinion) for dinner with the fam and even had surprise guests...the besties! adam always has a way of surprising me...he's so good at it. it was fun to celebrate with ashley, audrey, and my family. it seems like just yesterday when we went there for my 27th birthday and reese was just a teeny tiny thing. not this time. there was talking, throwing, shaking of the head (but mostly by audrey:)), kissing, and let's not forget about the spoon banging. what could make for a better birthday!

goodbye house

2010-05-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

we sold our house a week or so ago. it was quite a whirlwind! we were at keelin's wedding in indianapolis and the second adam came out of the wedding he said, "we have an offer," but we didn't know any details. i continued on to the reception with the wedding party and when we were lining up to be announced adam tried doing sign language to me from across the room (which was very incomprehensible:)), but then came over and told me we were homeless! i was delighted to have sold the house so quickly and before the incentives that ended at the end of april, but to be honest, a little part of me was a tiny bit sad. we've been in this house six years and have so many memories here...i still remember that first summer together when i was searching for a job and VERY frustrated. i threatened to work at burger king and he, in only the way my husband can said, "sweet, i'll get free whoppers!" he always knows how to make me laugh. i remember being so lonely when adam traveled out of town that summer because we were new in a city where it seemed everyone grew up together and knew each other and always complaining about being friendless. our dog started freaking out when someone came to the door because it happened so infrequently...not the case these days. i remember jenna and i trying to start a bonfire in our new backyard by ourselves in the fire pit. rain didn't help the situation any, so we roasted marshmallows over the stove:) and of course to just a year ago when we brought our sweet reese home. i won't forget those first steps in this house with her. countless hours snuggling in the loft, chasing her around the loop through our dining room, the day she noticed she had hands in her bouncer in the kitchen, "playing" with audrey in the family room while the mommies did a craft project, chasing bubbles in the front yard, and the list could go on and on....sweet memories, but ready to start a new chapter. a new house, new memories to make, but the old ones will remain.

ring around the rosie

2010-04-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

one of reese's favorite games to play is ring-around-the-rosie! a couple of weeks ago i started singing the song (thinking i was going to teach it to her) and she started dancing...

either she's a genius baby or kristin, her babysitter, taught it to her:) she's so wonderful. i've always said, if i could've hand picked anyone to watch reese, out of a million applicants, kristin would've won. totally a schedule person like me, which made it nice when she didn't think i was psycho for being so exact about directions when she started there at six months old. she also does sweet little things at holidays and birthdays and somehow keeps an immaculately clean house..she's super woman in my mind!

reese has gotten even better at ring-around-the-rosie lately and knows how to fall down at the right time now. she also says dog and grandma (well kinda, if you consider gaga "grandma" and goggy "doggy")

decorating t's for babies

2010-04-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

our friend brittney is having a baby girl in july so we decided to throw her a little shower at church. i was super excited because i've been waiting to try out this onesie decorating idea i've seen around the net (and obviously i was excited to be helping shower brittney) i tried a practice run on a t-shirt for reese. it's super simple and addicting! here's how it turned out...

at the baby shower, the craft project was a huge hit! even some of the boys got into it. brittney was so appreciative and i was happy to have something personalized for her little lady. she will be very stylin'...

bubbles

2010-04-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Reese got some amazing bubbles in her Easter basket from her babysitter, Kristin. I had been wanting to bust them open and see what she'd do. A few warm days presented the perfect opportunity. She tried chasing them...

When that didn't work, she tried willing them toward herself...

And the face when she popped one...

Then it was time to clean up...we're training her young.

Easter 2010

2010-04-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's so strange to think back to last Easter when Reese looked like this...

I remember thinking how much more fun next Easter would be because she'd be able to do an egg hunt and beebop around a little more. Boy was I right! Reese loved the egg hunt.

We taped her eggs shut so they didn't spill open (and really it was my coniving so she wouldn't discover the candy inside). She thought they were shakers and walked around all afternoon shaking them up and down.

She's so funny because she always has to have one in each hand, she's the same way with blocks. She tried incessantly to get two in each hand, but it never quite worked out for her.

The Easter baskets were also a hit. When she opened the one at our house she took everything out and handed it all to us. What a good sharer:)

She also wanted to read an Easter book. One of her favorite things to do these days is bring me a book, sit in my lap, turn the pages, and point to everything in the book so I can tell her the name for it. I must say, as a kindergarten teacher, I love that she likes doing this!

Let's not forget about the game of ring around the rosie we had to play before leaving for Grammie and Grandpa's!

At Grammie and Grandpa's house she loved the bunny the best!

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross, rising again, and blessing us with these little joys from Reese.

tada

2010-04-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

my friend christa is having a baby in may so i had to make her a wipes cover. hadn't done it in a while...i'm tempted to keep this one i like it so much, but i will refrain.

joy in the midst

2010-04-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

so today was a crazy day for me. not really sure why, just an annoying day all around...running late this morning...few minutes late to work...running around with a chicken with my head cut off all day and behind on everything...kindergartners with chronic lice...(which makes me sad more than crazy really)...loud kids complaining they're too hot on the nicest day of the year! you get the drift. i hate days like that, where i just can't seem to snap out of it. well, adam came home with a new worship dvd for bible study that we popped in before dinner to preview it. this is what followed...

God just has a way of putting life into perspective. what could be more joyful than your daughter clapping her hands, spinning in circles, and dancing to worship music? not a whole lot.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." Psalm 95.1