Quotes

Reese quote: standing on one side of me on the couch looking like she is preparing to leap over me "are you sure this will work?". I had to answer no :)

Warning this is gross: Reese had an accident this morning and a little poop got on the floor. She just looked down and said "It's a good thing we don't have a dog."

And here is a word from little Reese:
Xdcv : bhh.l, Wwee34qoreese reqwed

Love

Man, I love this girl and she loves oranges!

Reese Quote:  We were playing outside with Charlotte today and I was telling Reese that she couldn't do something because it was dangerous.  She turned to me and said "Maybe I want to have a picnic." 

Out of no where, it wasn't even close to lunch time. I think she was using distraction to change my behavior :)

Walkabout

Amy, Katherine, Charlotte and I had the wonderful experience of introducing Reese to Phoenix Art Museum today!  Today was a cultural event at the Museum so Amy and I took the girls.

Reese danced with the Steinkamp tree and then loved the Kusama fireflies room!  It was fun to see her first experience with that space and an art museum in general.  I know we will be spending more time there then she would ever like but I can't wait to see her experience art.

I learned tonight that Reese likes salmon.  Who would have thought?  I had back up hot dogs but she ate it right up, after gobbling up corn like it was the apocalypse.  I love when she takes a bath because she is always singing or making noises and since another shipment of her toys came on Friday, she has so many toys for the bathtub that there is little room for her.  Reese kept going to the bathtub today and saying that Blair was in there and I thought maybe she had found an imaginary friend but no.  She was referencing a scene from Barbie Princess Charm School, so we watched that tonight.  I feel better to be in the loop on that one.  Bed time was rough!  She just kept getting up and getting up and getting up.  No real meltdowns, which would have been worse but goodness.  I thought about getting out my kindle to have Samual L. Jackson read Go the F*%$ to Sleep to her. 

Changes

Things that have changed in my life:
I now carry a four-course meal in my purse at all times.
Chocolate milk is worth more than gold.
I say "tinkle"and "potty."
My right arm bends to the backseat of my car in ways though should not be physically possible.
You could survive for a solid week on the crumbs found in my car.
I have never talked so much in my entire life.

Reese quote:
"Hey, a P.U.S. truck! Just like Marcer drives!"
- every time we see a UPS truck which is more often than you would think

A Wonderful Day

Reese and I started out the day by looking at her one year book that Annie made for her.  Reese really enjoyed seeing her loved ones and herself when she was little.  We ended up going through it three times today and I have a feeling that we will again tomorrow.

We went to the park with Amy and Charlotte this morning and Reese was a doll.  She listened well and played nice with Charlotte.  She sometimes has a hard time with sharing and taking turns but we are getting there.

Lunch time was cute because I told Reese that I put some love in her chocolate milk and she decided to take it out and give it back.  We played a game of tossing my pretend love around then we read a couple books and she was ready for a snooze.

After nap time we ate some ice cream and video chatted with my mom then took a walk with the wagon and played outside.  We found the little green grasshopper again and we played jail (Reese closing the gates with me on the other side of them).

Then I made some crab pasta salad while Reese played with some water and cucumbers in a bowl.  She didn't like the crab but ate a lot of the pasta, green peppers and cucumbers so I was happy.  We chatted with my dad while Reese finished dinner and took a bath. 

We we had popcorn and watch Cinderella!  Emily had suggested (brainwashed) that Reese's favorite princess was Cinderella even though as far as I can tell she had never seen the movie.  We borrowed it from the Wazny's and Reese was enthralled.  We snuggled and when it ended she looked at me and said "again, again!"  Thankfully, I had a Cinderella book so we read that twice and then it was bed time.

There really wasn't anything to make this day exceptionally special but it was a really good day.  No big tantrums, lots of smiles and laughter, and all around a good day.  I think we are starting to fall into a routine and Reese is starting to understand what to expect throughout the day.

Retirement

Reese and I headed out to be retired for the day yesterday, aka we went to visit my Aunt Karen and Uncle Bob.  Reese loved it and was really well behaved, which I loved.

Reese went for her first ride in a golf cart!  She loved it as we rode to the playground.  It was a little chilly on the way back so she way my scarf as a babushka.

Playing at the playground.  Everything was, "No, I will do it myself." Meanwhile, Karen and my hands were sweating as she bravely climbed.

She had a great nap time!

And was able to help with dinner!  I know, Karen let her come into her kitchen!  I can't believe it either! :)

Everyone fawned over Reese, which she ate up. She especially liked Uncle Bob!  I know she is looking forward to our next visit to Aunt Karen and Uncle Bob.

Two Things are Official

First is that Reese is officially a Phoenix Public Library user.  We went to the library today and she was able to get her own library card.  She was more interested in playing in the kids section than looking at books to check out but I know that will change.  The library is doing a centennial reading program (Arizona turns 100 on Valentines Day!) so I picked up a form and look forward to getting Reese excited about reading programs :)  We are currently reading a new-to-us Sleeping Beauty book over and over again.  We bought it last night at the library book sale and I think I have already read it 15 times. 

Secondly, Reese can officially sleep through anything.  After a later-than-I-hoped bed time and many "Hey, Aunt Lindsey"'s coming from her room, the police helicopter decided to come around.  We live close to the Phoenix Children's Hospital and downtown Phoenix so helicopters are not anything new but goodness that police helicopter is loud.  It is like they took the muffler off and it only comes around between the hours of 10pm and 4am with the giant spotlight going, then it just keeps circling for what seems like forever.  I like the idea that it is helping to catch criminals but I do not like it keeping me awake or worse worrying that it will wake up Reese.  So tonight the 'copter was out and I just kept looking out the window like giving it nasty looks would make it go away.  Then the new old-style alarm clock that I bought for Reese's room decided it was time for the alarm to go off.  That stupid little piece of metal started to go back and forth between the bells and made me jump out of my skin.  After I realized what it was and that it wasn't criminals trying to hide from the helicopter , I sprinted to Reese's room ready for the battle of getting her back to sleep.  Nope, she had not even moved!  I was so worried about music from the bar down the street keeping her awake but now that I know that she can officially sleep through anything, phew.  One less thing to worry about!

The Hunt for Chocolate Ice Cream

Reese and I made homemade fried rice and egg rolls tonight for dinner.  She loves being able to help with dinner and I am just happy that my brain is thinking of healthy fun dinners that I know how to make and that Reese is enjoying.  After dinner, we went to the Library Booksale and picked up a couple new-to-us books and then went in search of chocolate ice cream.  Who knew that you can't get chocolate soft serve anymore?  I didn't, especially when I promises it to Reese.  When I was little we would drive to Dairy Queen in our pajamas and each get a cone and then drive around while everyone ate their ice cream.  Reese was SO excited and I am happy to carry on the tradition.  We stopped at three places to see if they had chocolate ice cream, the third being Dairy Queen since I thought that was a sure bet but nope.  No chocolate ice cream in a cone anywhere.  What is the world coming to?  Thankfully, Reese didn't get upset and was just excited to be eating an ice cream cone, and it definitely wasn't as messy as it could have been!

Outside

One thing that Reese and I have enjoyed this week is playing outside.  It is in the high 60s here in Phoenix so we have been able to spend time out in the sun everyday.  Amazing Amy bought us a wagon which has been really fun and we have borrowed Katherine's old princess bike so today we tried learning how to pedal.  I just realized that I am getting to teach her how to ride a bike which is such a staple of childhood.  I'm excited to be a part of that.

This morning we ran around the front yard after having a picnic in the back.  I started picking weeds and found a little grasshopper.  Reese loved trying to catch him as he jumped all over.  Then, we came inside and read from Disney's Family Story Collection because it had a story from A Bug's Life that included a grasshopper.  I have always been nervous about reading out loud so I never could have imagined how much I loved reading out loud to Reese.  

Homemade Pizza

Tonight Reese and I entertained Lani for dinner so we cooked homemade pizza.  Reese had no idea that we were going to do this and with her amazing timing this morning she asked "who was that girl with the dog (Lani stopped by during graduation weekend with her dog, Penny, in the car)? Can she come to our house?" She had so much fun with the flour as we rolled out the dough.  She kept clapping because it made a small flour cloud.  The pizza was really good so I think we will definitely be making this again.

 

Because I am having that kind of day, I need a moment here.  Today, I am missing homework that involves reading about libraries and thinking about how information is or should be organized and where to find it.  I have no doubt that Reese is totally worth everything but today it is feeling overwhelming.

Parenting Victory

Reese got a splinter yesterday when we were playing outside but wouldn't let me look at it. This morning after a long bath, I was able to get the splinter out with no tears! Hooray!  Now if only I could say that nap-time went as smoothly...  Oh well, we will get there.

Reese quotes

She just said "I love you forever, Aunt Lindsey!"
Yesterday she counted her toes by saying "little toe, little toe, little toe, little toe, big huge giant toe!"

New Beginnings

I headed back to Indiana on Wednesday to pack up Reese and bring her back to Arizona.  I am not sure where the time went and that I am writing this now that I am back in Arizona.  So, I'm hoping that this blog will help me to remember all of the small things on my adventures with Reese.

My dad was in the hospital on Tuesday with an intestinal virus which caused extreme dehydration.  It was something I was not prepared to deal with this week.  After being sick all of my time in Indiana at Christmas, I completely understood how hard it was for my dad.  He took the rest of the week off to recover and I enjoyed having that time with me.  It helped a lot to have someone else there to distract Reese while I was packing. 

I picked up Reese from daycare when I got in on Wednesday.  She was so excited to see me which felt amazing.  Thursday morning we went to her three-year wellness visit with Dr. Olalade.  She is 27lbs and 36" tall, in the 15th percentile which is where she has been since birth.  Reese was a trooper, Dr. Olalade gave great advice and nurse Lisa was so sweet and remembered our situation.  It was good to see her again.

It started to snow while we were in the doctor's office so we caught some snowflakes on our tongue when we got home.

It continued to snow for the rest of the day and it was nice to see a winter wonderland since we didn't have one at all for Christmas.  Packing went well and thankfully didn't take as long as I thought it would.

On Friday, Reese turned 3!!  She was so cute always saying "Happy Birthday" back to anyone who said it to her.  We had a little celebration at my mom's house that evening with a Hannah Tannah (Hannah Montana) cake.  We both spent the night there where we share Kayla's queen-size bed while  she is at college.  I woke up Saturday morning to Reese quietly giving me a kiss on the back of the head.  Moments like that have a way of melting stress away.  Reese and her Mimmie played in the 'now (snow - Reese does not say the "s" at the front of her words). 

Then we had a birthday party with my dad's family with a beautiful Tinkerbell cake.  Sophia was there which I know Reese and I loved.  She is getting so big and I miss her so much.  It was a fun time with family where big news was announced and the best line was "Who is on your underwear? Can I see?"  Emily was saying this to Reese who was not wanting to take a minute to go to the bathroom but taken out of context, we all had a good laugh. 

After a night out on the town (or downtown Griffith) with my cousins, we started the hardest day of my life with a pancake breakfast at St. Marys.  I do miss those pancake breakfasts! 

Saying goodbye really made Reese realized how big it was to move to Arizona and it wasn't just a vacation.  The airport was the excruciating because Reese really did not want to leave her Grandpa, on top of way too many bags.  Thankfully, Reese took a nap on the flight and was a sweetheart. 

So, now we are here!  Reese had to touch everything in her new room and just kept saying "Oh Aunt Lindsey, you got a new [insert every item in her room here] for me, Oh, thank you!"  The stress level was taken down by a million just being at home and having her here.  Bedtime was a little hard but after the day we had, I expected that. 

I did almost forget to bring her car seat and also bring my mom's car keys with me to Arizona.  So needless to say, I am feeling scattered.  Unpacking, grocery store and a birthday celebration with Kathryn and Charlotte are what tomorrow brings.

The Next Chapter

Tonight is the last night in my quiet house for at least 15 years. Big changes start tomorrow. I'm a little nervous and very excited about what my future will hold with my favorite little girl in the world.
I am going to work hard to keep up with this blog again so that everyone can see what is happening in Reese and my lives.  I have all kinds of adventures planned!  I can't wait to be able to see the world through Reese's eyes and hear all of the amazing things she has to say.