Too much fun for this girl!

I'm talking about me, not Reagan! We have been going non-stop since Wednesday...family, friends, fun. We hosted the Bray family Christmas this year, so we had a lot to do to get ready for that. Adams' family stuff on CHRISTMAS DAY! (Hope all of you had a very nice Christmas!!!) We went camping yesterday and got home this afternoon. Tonight we went out to Arcadia to hang with friend's at their property. We're now home and I'm pooped! I'm heading to bed right now...but I wanted to send a quick shout out! Stay tuned for more stories and pictures from our adventures this past week.

Tomorrow's schedule includes.... unpacking and washing camping supplies, cleaning and getting the house back in shape, going to mom and dad's for the last family holiday gathering, to call my friend Ashley who is home for the holidays, and to BLOG! See you soon!

Merry Christmas...couple of days late!!!

Feeling Horrible

I just let Reagan cry herself to sleep and I'm feeling bad about it. I fed her about 1.5 hours ago and she fell asleep, but woke up shortly after I laid her in her bed. She then played on the floor for a long time. I walked around the house with her trying to put her to sleep. She was so close, but just wouldn't close her eyes. I put her in her bed with her passy and her blanket and she only cried slightly. Then she really turned it on and of course the passy fell out. It seemed like forever...less than 10 minutes in all reality. Is that too long? Am I teaching her that her bed is a bad place? Should I have held her no matter how long it took? Isn't it good that they can fall asleep on their own...kinda? Isn't that a way of soothing herself?

Thanksgiving Recap

I thought I would share a few pictures from the entire Adams family Thanksgiving even though it was last month. We met the weekend before Thanksgiving at Ethan's (Jon's cousin) house. (Our group is too big to meet to do a traditional sit down meal, so we meet up at homes with property where there's room for us to roam.)

Memories

Earlier in the month was my big bro's birthday. Here are some pics of us from back in the day.

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16

Wondering...

Can you "overcook" soup? I told someone the other day that I thought I might have overcooked some Italian-style lentil soup, but is that really possible???

Sweet baby

As I wrote yesterday, Jon has been gone all week and he made it home safely last night. YAY!

The weather is beautiful today, so we went on a walk this morning. We have spent the morning working in the office doing a variety of things and Reagan has been playing on the floor and in her exersaucer. She just started getting a little fussy, so I changed her diaper and loved on her a bit. Then I laid her down in her bed with her blanket and turned music on. I thought she would lay in there for a bit and then want to be picked up. Well, I just went in there to check on her because I didn't hear anything and this is what I found....


Sleeping babies are so sweet! Life is so good!

My Sweet, Kim!

Kim turned 25 today! Happy birthday! I'm sure your big day was great considering the great company you have.

Kim has been my blog mentor! More to come on Kimberly tomorrow! (I need Jon's help with the pics I want to use!) :)

I'm sorry I've been missing. Jon left this past Monday for Virginia, so I've been a single mommy trying to keep my head afloat. He's coming home tonight! YAY!!!!! His plane lands at 11:37...I'm counting down!

Good Song - Powerful Words

Slow Fade by Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

We must guard our eyes, mind, and heart!

Another California Birthday!

Today was my sis-in-law's birthday!!!! Happy birthday, Arwyn! I hope you had a fabulous day! I love you and look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! Yea!

Arwyn and I after two days of white water rafting

Happy Birthday, Rob!

My oldest brother, Rob, turned 31 today! Happy birthday! Now you're well into your 30s...oh my!


I hope your day was great! I love you very much!

Picture of the Week

I almost forgot this week!

"One more picture."

"I said only one more! I'm done!"

NO MORE PICTURES!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I love holidays for so many reasons! No work for Jon Mike, yummy food, great friends and family, unusual activities, more food, memories, etc. We had a great day today and I sure hope you did too!

Quick run down of the day..woke up (obviously), made corn souffle (not for breakfast, but for lunch of course), squash/zucchini dish, and two loafs of bread
- got cleaned up, bathed and got Reagan ready, then out the door
- went to D & J's house for a great meal, good conversation, and new memories
- then back to our house to get ready for the Bray family
- had some more yummy food, played games in the backyard, went on a walk in the neighborhood, explored through some homes next door that are still under construction
- watched Shrek and played an American Girl game with Gabrielle
- cleaned up the kitchen and prepared food for tomorrow's adventure...CAMPING!

I will include a few pics from today later! We leave tomorrow for a camping "adventure" for a night in Arcadia. More stories and pictures about that to come!

I genuinely hope that you had a wonderful day! I know that I have SOOOO very much to be thankful for...today and year round! Life is good!

Love to you and your family!

Don't be an under the radar reader!

Definition: one who views and enjoys in another's blog; however, the individual does not participate or provide vital feedback

In other words....some of you are faithful followers/readers and I am so very thankful for you during this holiday season of giving thanks; however, I need to see some comments and for goodness sake, participate in the dinky survey I have on my sidebar. You don't have to sign in or give your e-mail address or anything. (I wouldn't do it either if that was the case.)

Thank you in advance for your cooperation! ;)

Two Bits of News...Some Good & Some Bad

1. BAD NEWS...I have been summoned for jury duty! Yuck! I've never done this and I don't have a desire to either. It's during a week when Jon is suppose to be out of town. This is very inconvenient. I don't want the responsability on my back to send someone to jail or not. I am not qualified for this!


2. GOOD NEWS...Rea Bay officially, 100%, by herself, rolled over yesterday. She's been soooo close, but her arm gets stuck or she gives up. Sometimes I even give her a little push, but not this time! Once she got there, she was content and just wanted to lay (or lie?) there sucking on her hand.

Picture of the Week

I've decided to post my picture of the week on Sundays since that is officially the beginning of the week.

Jon returns to work full-time and full-speed tomorrow. Since his surgery, he has been working from home and going in to the office part-time. This is bittersweet for me. I enjoyed seeing him a bit more and he seemed a little more relaxed, but it will be good to get back to a schedule.

I selected two pictures of Reagan and Jon during his recovery. In the first one, they are working on the computer together and in the second one, she was watching T.V. with him...I think her eyes got heavy. Have a great week!!!!

More Fall Festivities 2008

I don't really like the negative thoughts Halloween brings for some people...so I've chosen to title this post differently, but really it's about our Halloween this year.

This year the D & J Adams family re-started a tradition that they enjoyed when they lived in Ohio. They use to go trick-or-treating then they would end up at his Gr. Grandmother's house (who is still living and is 100 years old...really!) for hot chocolate and little donuts. They also would exchange candy with each other. So, this year we decided to meet at Grammy's & Grampy's to reestablish the tradition.

I felt like a party pooper because we weren't going to be home for trick-or-treaters and we have a really nice group of people in our new community. So, I decided to leave a dish of treats by the door with a little note. (Some candy was taken, but no one stole the dish.)

Jon and I stopped by my parent's house to show off Reagan. As you can see, she was a pumpkin. (My MIL bought her an adorable lamb costume, but it was way too big for her. We did get a few professional pics in it though. My SIL, Tara, gave us this pumpkin costume last year before we even knew that we were having a girl.)

Then we ventured to Grammy and Grampy's where we met up with everyone. We saw two spidermen. (Names by day...Colby & Carson)

We also ran into a girl from the 50's (Aleah), an ice princess (Dreamy), and Cleopatra (Anna).

We even saw this little cute baby dressed up as a sweet baby named, Addison.

Time for the donuts!

Every little pumpkin needs love from the green duo, Uncle Al & Aunt Kels! This pumpkin was fading quickly.1st Halloween down...many more to go. It's hard to believe that next year she'll be walking around helping herself to candy.

Picture of the Week

Every week I will be posting a picture of the week. These pictures will be my top picks from what's going on in our life at that time. The inaugural picture is of Reagan (surprise, surprise), Jon, and his sweet mama, Joy. She was telling Rea bye as I snapped this adorable moment.

Check them out!!!

We just got the gallery for Reagan's 4 month pictures. We are so pleased with them that we want to share them with you! Click here then select R. Adams. The password is Rea08. Let us know what you think and if you have a favorite!

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

The D & J Adams family started a tradition last year by going to a local pumpkin patch. This is as close as we get to fall festivities in southwest Florida. (Pumpkin patch = local Methodist church puts a bunch of pumpkins in their lawn and sells them to the public as a youth fundraiser) We all meet up there, pick out pumpkins, and take a bunch of pictures. We then meet up again over the weekend to carve the pumpkins, eat yummy fall desserts, and the kids decorate cookies. Good fun and great memories! The pictures below are a few from our visit to the P.P. last month.

Another Picture

Paula with Paula Kennedy Photography posted another picture from Reagan's shoot. Click here to check it out!

4 MONTHS!

I better post Reagan's 4 month picture before she turns 5 months!

As you can read, she now weighs 11.9 lbs., 24.5 in. long, and is a happy baby! She is now in the 5th percentile for her head circumference, length, and weight. The drooling and chewing/sucking on her hands has greatly increased. No teeth yet...thank the Lord. She loves to talk and she is madly in love with Jon. She is much more interested in toys and tries to get them to her mouth. She has started to grab at things and be very curious. Below is a slideshow of Reagan wrestling with the paper and then rolling a bit on the ground. Enjoy!

Here I am....

Ok, I'm back. Sorry about my great absence. Life got busier than normal and I didn't have time to blog. I have found myself busier now than when I was working full-time. When Jon and I were in school and working, we use to say that we were going to have so much free time once we graduated. That was not the case after graduation...we filled the time easily. I thought the same thing would happen once I quit teaching and that doesn't seem to be the case either. Here's a quick summary of our schedule...

Mondays - walk in the AM with my friend, Marin, and her baby *Ragan* (Nice name, huh? More on her later.) The rest of the day is spent on getting caught up from the weekend...cleaning, e-mails, Bible study homework, phone calls, blog, etc. I really enjoy my Mondays; however, they have been filled the last several weeks...I substituted for my mom, Jon had several Dr. appts. (more info below), church meetings, etc.

Tuesdays - Bible study in the AM - take Reagan to my MIL's - volunteer in the library at my old school - teach a 3rd grade art class for my former students - tutor five low-achieving, 1st and 2nd grade little girls - pick Rea up - go to our small group - feed/bathe/put down Rea

Wednesdays - walk at the park in the AM with my friend, Marin - deal with Reagan and try to get house stuff done - watch my nephew, Jaden, until late afternoon - dinner - clean - feed/bathe/put down Rea

Thursdays - I attend a Healthy Moms stroller class - Shaklee business meeting - manage house/family stuff - tutor my five little girls again - dinner - feed/bathe/put down Rea

Fridays - walk in the park in the AM - either going to lunch with a friend, painting pottery (future post), Dr. appt., running errands, etc. ...sometimes fun activities and sometimes important responsabilites.

These are the basic activities that fill up our week. It might not look that bad,but you must remember that I'm taking care of a 4 month old, so that makes everything more challenging and more time consuming. Add in there 30 minutes several times a day for feeding and changing.

On top of all my socializing, I have been nursing my sweet husband back to health. He had a cyst removed from his backside 2 1/2 weeks ago. SOOOOOOO, he hasn't been able to sit, which means he can't drive, go to work, be very active, etc. He has a pretty serious wound...20 - 25 stitches and he had a drain in for a week draining blood, fluid, etc. which had to be emptied I've been trying to meet his needs, little Rea's needs, and maintain somewhat of a normal schedule. THEN he got sick...fever, congestion, etc...then I caught it a bit...then my sweet baby girl got sick and had a fever. :( Jon has been able to work from home by either laying on his side or standing at the bar. He was doing really well and felt really good, so he started to go back to work part-time this week. WELL....he went to a meeting yesterday and tore open part of his wound, so now he's back on the couch taking it easy again.

Needless to say, we have been a mess!!!! Everyday gets alittle bit better. I will be posting more often...I hope...and I will be posting some more pics of our many activities. Thank you for your patience and your understanding!

A quick break from the craziness...

I am ashamed to show my face again after my 19 day absence. All I can say for now is...it has been crazy busy. I know, I know we all could say that. I will go into greater detail later, but for now enjoy these two precious pictures of my 4 MONTH OLD baby girl. Here's the link.

Thank you to my readers who are faithful...even when I am not!

New baby girls in the family!

Braylen Reed Schmeelk

born September 19th

Wonderful parents...Grant & Sarah Schmeelk

(This is their first baby. I cannot wait to meet her!)

(Sarah is my cousin...my dad's sister, Aunt Becky....her daughter)

Isn't that a great name? (See the family connection?) I'm sorry they beat us to it, but I always say...first come, first serve.

Addison Clara Adams

born September 10th

Wonderful parents...Matt & Tara Adams

Big sisters...Anna, Aleah, & Adriene

(Matt is Jon's older brother.)

Look how big my baby girl is next to little Addison. (...and this was taken a month ago) They will have so much fun growing up together. (Jon's older sister, Kara, is expecting a girl in January. So, the D & J Adams' will have 3 little girls all within 6 months or so.)

Notice the time I posted this...yes, that is accurate. Jon has been at a conference in Duluth for a couple of days and this is what I do when he is gone...I stay up way too late and do nothing but waste time....like watch TV... I rarely watch TV any other time.... another reason why he is so good for me. Speaking of my fabulous husband..... it's his birthday!!!!! He's 25...half way to 50!! He was 18 when we met...just a little boy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUB! I LOVE YOU!

Paula Kennedy Photgraphy

I must share our fabulous photographer with you. Her name is Paula Kennedy of Paula Kennedy Photography. She is so talented! Paula always gets amazing shots and we always have the hardest time selecting what we want....we love them all. She did our engagement pictures way back when, a Dan & Joy family picture, our maternity pictures, Reagan's newborn pictures, and Reagan's birth announcement. Next time you come to visit us, you must checkout the magnificent coffee table book she made for us that includes our maternity pictures and Rea's newborn pics. The picture above is the newborn collage she put together for us. (This picture does NOT do it justice. Sorry about the poor lighting. Click on it to see a larger image. ) We are on Paula's website.... http://www.paulakennedyphoto.com/index2.php?v=v1 .....Can you find me and Reagan? Can you find the picture of my big belly exposed?

Here are some samples of the work Paula has done for us. We love her!!!

3 Month Picture

Reagan Catherine at 3 months old!


1.) Rough start! 2.)Laughing at Jaden!

3.) Funny little face! 4.)Deep in thought...

I Always Have Room to Improve

Reagan and I didn't make it to church today. So, we visited the Internet Campus at Life Church. As always, Craig Groeschel is a great communicator and I enjoy listening to him speak. The following are the key points from his message on caring...

TO SAY YOU CARE BUT NOT ACT IS TO NOT CARE AT ALL.

TRUE COMPASSION DEMANDS ACTION

YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN EXCUSE TO JUSTIFY NOT GETTING INVOLVED.

COMPASSION
1) INCONVENIENCES. INTERRUPTIONS.
2) COSTS.
3) CHANGES LIVES.

Fading quickly...

Feeling sleepy...
My eyes are so heavy...
I just can't keep them open anymore...
Ahhhh!

These were taken last month...thought they were cute to post.

Just Do it!

Yes...you can! Just like the classic Nike slogan...JUST DO IT!

I have spoken to many of you regarding my entrance into the blogging world. Thanks for the support and for reading; however, I need to see more participation...leave a comment or two. :) Now it is time for you to start your own...just do it! It doesn't have to take very much time...unless you want it to of course. You will be glad you did! Share it with as many or as few people as you wish...record the highlights and low lights of life. It's kind of like a Christmas letter, but year-round....my fabulous sis-in-law, Kels, says..."Christmas is always here." So, go do it and let me know if you have any questions.

Once you get going, check this link out....there's some really cool backgrounds...http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

Sweet Baby = Good Time

I just returned from Prepped & Ready and I wanted to write about my wonderful experience. I had a fun time the first time I went with several ladies and no Reagan, but this time I had to venture out without friends (I called EVERYONE.)...and with Reagan this time. I could just see it...I get my gloves on and she starts crying...and her cry is loud. It's a little place, so we would be disturbing everyone. I had to go today because the October menu starts on Wednesday. I decided to make the following dishes...

• Chicken Hemingway: Chicken breast lightly dusted, sauteed and topped with our basil cream sauce and finished with dried tart cherries.
• Italian Chicken Breasts stuffed with Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes: This crispy chicken just oozes with flavor and cheese and it is so easy to prepare!
• Grilled Flank Steak with Garlic-Parsley Sauce: Coating this steak with our potent sauce adds just as much flavor as marinating and takes just 5 minutes!

My sweet little baby sat in her car seat, sucked on her passy (A.K.A. her wiffle) and watched me "cook". (She will probably grow up thinking that the first step to a GREAT meal is putting the ingredients in Ziploc baggies.) Not a peep..except a few smiles at those who spoke to her. The picture above is her being precious so I can cook. **Notice the smile behind the wiffle.** :)

OH MY, a big moment in Reagan's life JUST happened. She's sitting behind me in this seat that has toys that hang down from it and she's talking/yelling at the toys. She yanked on the cow and made it sing....all by herself...normally I have to do it. All of a sudden it started singing and it was her. What a big girl! (Picture number 2...click on it to enlarge it)

So Much Change Already...

2 days old

1 month
2 months
3 month picture to follow...

The Good with The Bad

Ya know how in Christmas letters people usually write about how wonderful their kids are and how wonderful their year has been? ...and they don't mention the hard and dirty moments of life? (I know, I know. Who would want to hear about that anyways, but its real life.) Well, I thought that I should include the hairy times as well as the amazing moments in this blog, so it will be true to life. The hairy moments aren't all that bad in retrospect because they make you even more grateful for the beautiful moments. I was laying in bed last night after two difficult afternoons and I thought...I should be blogging about these moments. (but I WAS NOT getting out of bed and turning on the computer to vent about the day)

So after my wonderful morning with Reagan and Jaden on Wednesday, I didn't get to all of my things that I mentioned because of my sweet 3 month old. I fed her after Jaden left and she wasn't content again until Jon put her to sleep later that night. So that was a frustrating afternoon of her crying and fussing...I was attempting to make a new lasagna recipe in the middle of it all (Believe it or not...it turned out ok.) and Jon was working late. Once he got home, we chalked the fussiness up to "gas". (Side note...this can be another frustrating experience because I really have no clue what the one item I ate that could have affected her.) I was happy for that day to end and a new day to start...to have my easygoing baby girl back. She woke up beautifully, we went to our stroller class in the mall (another post sometime), we went to a Shaklee meeting and then I wanted to run to my school for a sec...she started fussing which turned out to be an all out scream. (...and my baby has a set of lungs on her!) I did what I needed to do there and then I needed to go to Publix, so I could make dinner for Jon's big bro, Matt, and his family of GIRLS. They just had their 4th little one a couple of weeks ago. (a post to follow) Long story short......the dinner took me forever to put together, I finally got it to Matt and Tara'a....with a screaming baby. She's still not happy once she gets home...tried it all...new diaper, fed her (which worked for a bit), in the swing, on the bed, gas drops.... holding her and bouncing finally did it and my sweet baby fell asleep in my arms around 7ish. Jon was working late again. We laid her in her bed and she slept until 6:00 this morning. The moral of the story.....Tara (my sis-in-law) made a comment like "you want to be able to say what is wrong with them" and she is so right. I wish I could say oh, she needs this and it will be fine or atleast it would be an excuse for the abnormal behavior. The reality...I may NEVER know exactly what the problem was. Also...an onlooker may read my previous post and say "how wonderful, she gets to stay home with her sweet little baby and tidy it up all the time, and of course be suzy homemaker." Well, I try, but I've learned that a stay-at-home mom's schedule must be tentative at ALL times (those who even have a schedule...which you know I do...well, I try). It is definetly one of those "harder than it looks" type of job. Everyday gets easier...today has been MUCH easier then yesterday!

Now, I better get going...I have no idea when things could turn sour....

Get to it...

I was so excited to start this blog to document all the changes in our life and yet I have not made a post since. So, I thought I would take a couple of minutes while I had some "downtime"....kind of. I watch my nephew Jaden on Wednesdays and he wanted to "swim" in my bathtub, so he is occupied for now. Reagan finally gave it up and fell asleep in her swing downstairs...not until she was covered with a blanket or two. I know it looks like she could be suffocating, but I check on her often and she is just fine. Jaden and I made orange juice Popsicles today too...good old fashion fun. I didn't have any sticks to stick in the cups, so I used cheese/butter spreaders that were from a Hickory Farm Christmas gift package. I am so resourceful! Jaden couldn't wait any longer to try one, so they weren't frozen solid...a few moments after I took the picture above...it broke into many pieces...better luck next time. After our time together, it's back to the chores for me...today I will put away a load of laundry, do some ironing (a post to follow about this), work on dinner (spinach laz, I think), empty the dishwasher, do my homework for Bible study, probably feed and take care of my child several times (at least) in between there, and whatever else I find that I still need to do. Better go make sure Jaden hasn't emptied out the tub onto the floor...