Back to School.....

Well, its officially time to go back to school!

Reagan started school on Wednesday. This was a big deal for us because (a) he had been home all summer with me (b) they were "bumping him up" to the next class. He has new teachers, a new room, new friends, and new routines. Yesterday I cried as Nick left the house to take Reagan to school.... ya, definately dont think I could handle the drop off!! When I picked him up after my meetings later that afternoon the teacher said Reagan had a sad morning and cried in spurts. He took a long nap (which I was surprised- being that it was his first nap on a cot!.... his last room had cribs) And he woke up from his nap in a great mood.

Today was another good day for the little man!

Here is a shot of today's behavior report:

Here are two art projects he did this week:

I love that even though he is so little, they are really working on some concrete stuff. This week are they working on the number 8, the letter T, the color black, the star shape, and their theme is "Under the Sea".

My sister and I went to my school today and worked from 9-4 putting up bulletin boards. We made a lot of progress but I am excited to work again with her tomorrow. I am so lucky that even though she still has her own classroom (a 7th grade Social Studies class) she wants to help me! Love you Meggo! I will post pics soon! :)

Tuesday's Top Two

This week Taylor picked "Top Two Scents".

Im pretty tired after a long day of training- so I'm going to make this short and sweet!

My signature sent is:

Chanel Chance

I have worn it every day since for at least the last 7 years.

And my fave sent on Nick is:

Ralph Lauren Purple Label

What are your favorites????

Happy Tuesday!

Monday Monday

Happy Monday Everyone!

(1) I'm having a really rough time lately that Reagan is growing up. He is totally a toddler now and not my baby boy. I could stare at him for hours (and I do) and just am in awe at how much he has changed in the last 15 months. While I love the stage he is at now, I totally miss just being able to hold him in my arms.

(2) Today is my last day as a stay-at-home mom. I basically go back to work as a teacher tomorrow. I have ELD training with all of the district's ELD teachers on Tues and Weds. Then I set up my classroom on Thurs and Fri. Ahh... here we go!

(3) Remember operation:ditch the binky? Well, if I continue to follow my original plan, that means no more binky at all starting Weds! Oh my. Is he....er...am I ready?

(4) I'm super excited for Sat night. I'm going to see Lady Gaga!

(5) Nick just informed me that YoGabbaGabba is coming to concert in December. Tickets for the three of us is $145. We are on the fence.. He is so obsessed with them now. But will he still be in Dec? Doesn't $145 seem like a lot for a 1 year old's first concert? Thoughts?

(6) I'm super excited for TV tonight. When Nick gets home we will (hopefully) watch MadMen from last night and then I will convince him to let me watch The Men Tell All for the Bachelorette. Do you think Frank will show?

My Name is Reagan. I like to dance!

So, many of you already know that Reagan is slightly obsessed with the tv show Yo Gabba Gabba. Our friend Megan and her son Noah introduced us to the show. Noah even had his 2nd birthday party around this theme. Part of the goodie bag included the cd for the show. And thus created a monster. Reagan has the cd, 1 dvd and about 10 episodes saved on the dvr. I know, I know. Most adults find the show extremely annoying. And I think I did at the begining too. But seeing how excited he gets when its on, how he screams "yes!", and how he dances like a wild man around the house to it makes me smile. Every episode they have a dance party and so do we!

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Reagan is now obsessed with dancing. Lately he goes to the cd player in his room, turns on the radio/cd, and starts dancing. Here is a short video I caught of him dancing last night.

Five Question Friday!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

1. What were your school colors?

My high school's colors were maroon and grey.

My college's colors were maroon and gold.

(I don't particularly like maroon, so pretty ironic both school's had it as their color.Icky)

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

Probably that I am a good mother, because it's something I'm very critical of myself of!

(Isn't this picture hilarious? This was my first Mother's Day. He was not a happy camper at this moment!)
3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

We buy Charmin from Costco... I think its like 20 dollars for 75 rolls.

Seems like it is in the middle.

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else? When I was preggo the staff at school threw a surprise baby shower for me. Another day one of the mom's from my class threw a class shower for me... It was too precious. (Reminder- I teach in a really low income area, so there is no way the kids could all buy presents. But this amazing mom bought a gift and wrapped each one. She gave each of the kids a gift to "give" to me. It was amazing and she was such a kind woman! Sorry that I looked like death in all the pics!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

It's a toss up.... I would prob say my phone, camera, or computer... Im pretty attached to all of these things!!!

Lately....

Sorry I haven't been writing much lately!

But not too much has been going on our end! Here is a little taste though....

Reagan had a playdate with my friend Erika's little girl Isabella.

We had dinner with two very special friends of ours from college - Lindsey and Johnny.

I have spent a lot of time at these two stores finishing my school shopping.

I've been working on curriculum mapping with my fabulous first grade team.

(above- In Kate's room for 2009 Meet the Teacher Night)

(above- In Lisa's room for 2008 Meet the Teacher Night)

Reagan and I have also been spending lots of time with my mom and sister Meg. I am so lucky to have them as my best friends and family. And Reagan is so lucky to grow up being so close with them! :)

Operation: Ditch the Binky

Alright, I told you all how at Reagan's 15 month dr. appointment the doctor told us to ditch the binky asap. We knew she was right. The sooner we do it, the **easier** it might be.

So literally the next day we made the decision to only let Reagan have his binky when in the crib (during his 1 nap and bedtime each day). It really wasn't hard on him. I'd say it was harder on Nick and I. The first two days when Reagan had a meltdown or threw a tantrum it would have been soooooooooooooo much easier to just put the binky in his mouth to quiet his screaming. But we stood strong (meaning I would distract him with food, milk, toys, books, etc) Who knows if that is good parenting or not, but it worked! It has now been 11 days and Reagan is doing great. He knows to drop the binky out of his mouth when I pick him up out of the crib.

The next challenge will be loosing it completely! I think we will start it when I go back to work and he goes back to daycare. (2 weeks)The doctor told us not to bring it at all to daycare , so he has no choice there but to soothe himself another way. And hopefully at night he will be so tired from playing that he will pass out without it. Fingers crossed. I will keep you all posted!

What a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

Im such a happy camper today!!

My mom, sis and I went shopping with Reagan today.... We basically just went out to check out some new stores and I got lucky!! I got a new painting from Kirklands for over our fireplace/mantle, a new lantern from Pier 1, and a new phone!! Whoohoo!!

Do any of you all have this phone? I have heard good things!

And Im in the best mood right now. So like ten minutes ago I was getting Reagan ready for bed and asked him for a kiss. He usually blows a kiss or just presses his open mouth again mine (haha).... but this time, the little cutie really did it. He puckered up and went in for a smooch. I about died! Nick was right there and saw it and immediately asked for one. Nothing beats a baby's kiss!

Misc. Monday and a book rec!

Happy Monday!

One of my fave blogger friends did this on her blog, so I'm hopping on the bandwagon. Since my thoughts are pretty random today, this is perfect! :)

(1.) I was given another sweet blog award today. Thank you to 2Bloggeristas. If you haven't checked out their blog yet, you should! Thanks again ladies :)

(2.) Reagan, my sister Meg, Mom and I went to Scottsdale Fashion Square to do some shopping today. Found a new adorable shop and visited some other faves. After the mall we had lunch and Reagan napped while Meg and I read magazines in the pool.

(3.) Reagan's new fave words: "yesssss!" . Its fun to ask him questions and hear this enthusiastic answer. Reagan is also really starting to get into animal noises. My personal fave is the "cockadoodle doo". It looks/sounds like his tongue just thrashing around in his mouth. I will try and get a video. Its too funny.

(4.) This afternoon Reagan enjoyed his first Popsicle. Slash that. First two Popsicles. He enjoyed his so much then proceeded to give me puppy eyes as he reached for mine. I couldn't resist. This might have something to do with why he wouldn't eat dinner tonight!

(5.) I want to do a quick book rec to all of you readers out there... A friend of my mom's recommended this book , The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. She read it, loved it, and immediately told me to read it. I placed a request for it at the library (the city library only had one copy amongst all of its locations). It was transferred to my branch and I took it up to Payson with me for the 4th of July trip. Oh my gosh, once I started I couldn't stop. I read it in 2 days (as soon as Reagan took a nap or went to bed I went into power reading mode!) It was such a great page turner and I think you all should read it too!

Movie Madness!

I grew up in a movie-crazy family. We went to the theaters at least once a weekend growing up and had all the movie channels. Each holiday we would go see the new movies. But then life changed a little when we got married. We had to split holiday time in half which usually meant Nick and I passed on the movies with my family and went to see his side of the family instead. And then came Reagan..... And trips to the movie theaters became pretty rare!

I haven't been to see a movie in the theater since December!

So this weekend was very ex-c-i-ting!

(Picture me saying this in an Oprah-like voice)

Friday night my parents called and offered to come over Saturday night to babysit Reagan while we had a date night. This was so perfect. They came over around 3:30, played with Reagan, took him out to dinner (they have a car seat for him in one of their cars), bathed him, and put him to bed. All while Nick and I had some alone time! We went to see "Grownups". It was HYSTERICAL! If you haven't seen it, DO IT! When we left, Nick and I were totally amped to do this kind of trip with our friends when we all have kids. After the movie we went to RA for some yummy sushi. We came home to a sleeping baby and caught up on some DVR.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Today I went to see Twilight Eclipse with my sister and friends Lisa and Sarah. It was so good! I'm still unsure which "team" I'm on... They are both super sexy to me!

Have a great week everyone! XXOO

Friday Fun Day and Bethany Getting Married

Yesterday was a fun day with my family.

We went to the new Sea Life Aquarium in Tempe. We went with my older sister, Jocelyn's church and had a good time watching Reagan's face when he saw all the beautiful fish. It wasn't the greatest aquarium we'd been to, but it was a fun way to spend the scorcher of day!

After the aquarium we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. I hadn't been there in years! And it was Reagan's first time.... he L-O-V-E-D it!!

On a side note.. I loved, loved, loved this wedding episode of Bethenny Getting Married... It also brought back a fun potty memory... While I didn't pee in a bucket before the ceremony, I did have an entourage trying to help me not pee on my dress!

Video of Bethenny peeing

Reagan is 15 months

Today we had Reagan's 15 month dr. appt.

Here are the stats:

Weight: 26 lbs (68 percentile)

Height: 32 in (76 percentile)

Head Circ.: 52 percentile

She said he looked great. His ears were clear and looked good (yay!). He was doing a good job with 1 nap a day, drinking lots of milk, loving to brush his teeth, and very active. She did give us a mission before his next appt --- loose the binkie! She said she noticed that he was quite dependent on his binkie and could tell just by looking at his front teeth! Yikes! So we are going to try and get him to just use it in the crib at first.... and then hopefully stop cold turkey.

Any advice from you mommies out there in blog land?

How did you get your babes to loose the pacifier?

After the appt we had lunch and went shopping. I felt badly that he had to get 4 shots, so I let him pick out a toy at Target.... he picked this out- (of course!)

I am loving that it is summer vacay! But I cant believe school starts in 1 month! At Target today I saw the "back to school" section... I had both excitement and nerves.... haha .... Not the kind of nerves you would expect... I kept thinking, "Crap.. I should buy all this stuff now before the cute stuff runs out!"

Ok... I need to go itch my feet... I took Reagan outside to play before bed... and I stepped on an ant hill and got bitten all over!! OUCH! Better me than him, but I feel like chopping off my feet! Gross!

We're Back....

From another fabulous family trip to my parent's tree-house!

There were lazy moments where we laid around the house and read, there were fun moments swimming in the pool, delicious dinners, a patriotic parade around the community, and lots of family time!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

My BIL Shaun, Sister Meg, Nick and I

Happy 26th bday Meg!

Happy 15 months baby boy!

Parade time!

My adorable niece and nephew ready for the parade!

My parents with the grandkids!

Our whole group at the club's BBQ and Blues Night

Sisters!

At the 4th of July Pancake breakfast at the club.

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July as well! XXOO