Raegan-1 year!

 Well, we made it to a year!  Our little Raegan is a lot of fun and so full of personality.  We took her in for her 1 year check up and although she is totally healthy and hitting all the normal milestones developmentally, she is on the small side.  Still not quite 20 lbs and just over 28 in. long, putting her in the 14th and 17th percentiles.  Not quite sure where this little one came from but we love her.  Jeff likes to say that the only big thing about her is her attitude...which if you spend much time with her, you can quickly see!

 She got her first 2 teeth just shy of her first birthday.  She continues to be a good eater and her favorites include yogurt, cheese, oranges (fruit in general), bananas, pasta, mac and cheese, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and black beans.  She has slowed way down in the baby food eating and really eats mostly table food all day.  She has transitioned from nursing to whole milk, but hates it out of a sippy cup so it is usually in a bottle for her (I know, I know-I'll fight that battle later!)  She is a great night time sleeper (usually 12-13 hours a night), but not a great napper (usually 1-3 hours total).  She always has her bear, blanket and a sound machine to help her sleep.
She loves to babble and scream, dance (bounce) and smile.  She stands by herself and took her first official step on her birthday.  She has taken several more since, but crawling or walking along furniture is still how we get around.  She loves her mommy, but will go to whoever if I leave the room.  When others want to hold or play with her, I literally have to leave or she will almost never go to other adults.  She loves her brother and loves to play with other kids.  She already knows how to drive her brother crazy and just how to mess up his stuff so that he gets mad.  We are working on it and I know they love each other so someday we will get past that.  I remember that happening with my siblings when we started to move out:)

Overall, Raegan is a content little girl who loves to explore and make messes.  We love her to pieces and can't wait to see what she comes up with over the next year!

 Proof she is standing on her own.

December Road Trip Part 2-Chicago, IL

We spent about a week in Chicago and managed to cram in a lot!  Raegan loved all the presents under the Christmas tree. 

Harrison loved the time with family and cousins.

 It was cold for our little TX bodies!

 We went to another Christmas party.  Harrison bombed the kids choir.

But the party was fun.

Until I put Raegan on Mrs. Clause's lap...I thought we would have better luck with the Mrs.

She liked it better being held by me I guess.  This was all my family who was there for the party.

And we were there when my sister, Diana, got her mission call.  Ukraine!  I can't believe it and I'm so excited for her!  She leaves in March.

My Dad had a birthday.

 I got to visit some friends that I grew up with and get our kiddos together to play!

 We spent a lot of time hanging out with family.

 And we ended the trip with a birthday party for Raegan and myself. 

 

 And the night before we were supposed to leave, it finally snowed.  That was what we all really wanted so that we could enjoy some of the fun winter activities that don't happen for us in TX.  And enjoy we did.  Harrison went out that night and built a snowman with Grandpa and the next day we decorated it.

And we also went sledding.

 Harrison's first trip down the hill, he bit it and got snow all over his face and down his jacket.  He stood up and said "that was awesome!".  Then the reality of the cold hit him and he was ready to go home.  I talked him into a few more runs and he had a good time.  It was only about 22 degrees and really windy so with the wind chill it was close to 0!  Probably the coldest weather this boy has ever been out in!

 Raegan joined us on the little hill by my parents house, but wasn't impressed so she stayed home with Grandma while we found a big hill.

 We had a great trip and after a fun morning enjoying the snow, we took off with my awesome sister Deana, who did most of the driving to get us home.  This time we went straight through the afternoon, night and got home about 8 am on Saturday (Raegan's real birthday), just in time to see Daddy!  The kids were troopers, my sister was awesome and we were happy to be home!  Thanks everyone for such an awesome trip!

December Road Trip Part 1-St. Louis, MO

 So, for some reason, I got a little crazy this year...I decided that it would be fun to go and visit family this year pre-Christmas.  I figured I could drive the Jeff's parents, in St. Louis, MO and after spending some time there, continue on to Chicago.  Luckily, some people realized my craziness and helped me out.  Jeff's mom flew down to Houston to make the drive to St. Louis.  Without her help, we would never have made it in 1 day.  It was 15 hours in the car and it was a long day for everyone.  My mother in law is amazing though and drove most of it so I could take care of the kids.  And the reward was worth it. 

 We loved getting to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ward's new place.  They had ducks

Swimming...

And a giant bridge we could walk across.

 

We also spent a day at The Magic House!  It is the Children's Museum in St. Louis.  There was plenty for both kids to do and they had a blast.  My pictures from that day are on my video camera, and my video camera charger went missing during the trip, so once  I get a new charger, I will be able to turn on the camera and get the pictures from that day.

We had a great couple of days with Grandma and Grandpa Ward and Harrison is already planning our next visit.

Beginning of December

The beginning of December was spent getting ready for Christmas because we were leaving and not coming back until just before Christmas.  So we did some shopping.  Harrison loved Bass Pro Shop.  The fish tanks, the big bear, the remote control train...he was in heaven.

We made gingerbread cookies.  These are pre-frosting.

We also went and got our Christmas tree.  This was our second year with a real tree and it went a lot smoother this year.  We were able to get the tree, set it up, light and decorate it all before bed time...much better then last year!  And yes, most people get all bundled up to get their tree, we however live in Texas.  We went in shorts and it was a warm day.

 Love watching these two enjoy the tree.

 And of course a Christmas party with Santa.  Harrison was excited to talk to Santa...Raegan on the other hand, was done with him before we even started!  Oh-well, classic!