Reese Quotes

After a morning of getting things done at the house, Reese woke up from her nap asking where we could go.  We had a little time before it closed so we headed to the public library.  Since I had a coupon for a free meal, we headed to Pei Wei afterwards and Reese decided that we should eat there.  Thankfully, she wanted to sit in the corner by the picture of a guy on the wall and no one was near us.  She loved the crab wantons and tried to use chop sticks to eat the lo mien.  We didn't stay long but headed home and finished up dinner.  It was fun for a little bit to be out to dinner.  I saw us being able to do this more in another five years. 

This morning we took a spontaneous trip to Ikea with the Wazny girls.  We had a cheap breakfast and then Katherine and Reese headed into the Ladybug playland for kids and poor Charlotte came with Amy and I because she wasn't tall enough.  Thankfully, I didn't spend my entire paycheck and the girls had a great time.  We got together for some ice cream and play time between nap time and dinner time tonight.  I don't know what I would do without the Wazny's so close and so helpful.

Reese Quotes: 

I put on Alice in Wonderland yesterday for Reese to watch while I took a shower.  She came into the bathroom and said "Mom, you are missing your favorite part: Tweedle Dumpling and Tweedle Do."

I was telling Reese that I was a woman (which feels weird to say) and she turned to me and said "I'm not a woman, I'm a people."

Reese and I were headed to the public library a couple weekends ago and I was going over the rules of the Library and what to expect as we drove there.  I said "And when it is time to go, it is time to go.  No fits." To which Reese replied "Amen!"

Our First Vacation - A Trip to CA

In June, Reese and I were given an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.  A friend offered to let us stay at their condo in Oceanside, CA for a long weekend.  Thank god that Lani was able to ride with us as we drove over because I could not have driven and kept Reese entertained for the six hour drive.

We cut it scarily close on the drive over and had only a quarter of a gallon of gas left and we were in the middle of nowhere. I am so thankful for that little gas station that came out of no where. Above was Reese and I saying thank your to a little shrine to Mary at the gas station.

We got there late so first thing Saturday morning we headed down to the ocean. We didn't let the clouds or the chill in the air keep us away. Reese loved digging in the sand with her new beach toys. We splashed in the waves and had some snacks on.

Sand was everywhere!!

First time at the ocean!

We headed back to the "apartment" for a lunch on the balcony then a long nap. 

Afterwards, we went for a walk down the ocean to the pier. 

And we found a swing set!!

We ran back along the water.  That night we were both chilly from it being so much colder than at home so Reese took a hot bath and we read our new Brave book.

Sunday morning we got up and headed straight for the ocean again.  It was great to be on our own schedule just the two of us.  We came back for lunch and then packed up the car and headed to San Diego to spend the afternoon with my friend, Kristina, and her family.  Kristina was weeks away from having her third son but still welcomed us with open arms.  Paul, her husband, was amazing with the kids and took Jack and Reese on a ride in the kid size car around the block.  Then, he took them down to the neighborhood pool for an hour and gave Kristina and I a chance to catch up.  We had dinner with Kristina, Paul, Pat and Kathleen and then headed back to Oceanside.

Reese, Jack and Jimmie dancing in the living room!

Monday morning we got up and headed to the happiest place on earth!!!!!

We got a later start than planned and hit some traffic on the way but none of it mattered because that day was the first day that Reese would experience Disneyland!  I was really hoping that I could take Reese this year but I wasn't sure how financially I was going to be able to do it.  It was such a great day for the two of us to have together.  It is a day that I am not likely to ever forget!

We are on the bus from the parking lot to the entrance to Disneyland!

Too excited to sleep!

So I had a whole plan on what we would do first and how we would maneuver the park but when we got inside and I forgot it all.  Our first ride was Pinocchio because there was no line and then we jumped on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  If you have been to Disney, you should be wondering what I was thinking, apparently I wasn't.  Those are the two scariest rides there are.  Reese actually started to cry in Mr. Toads.  So then I woke up and stopped freaking out about missing something or not having enough time and tried to just live in the moment.  We went to King Arthur's Carousel and all began to be right with the world.  Reese knew exactly which horse she wanted to ride and she loved it.

What is it about riding around in a circle, going up and down on a horse that is so much fun?  I can't explain it but this carousel turned our day around!

Dumbo! Reese wanted the yellow one and loved being in charge of going up or down.

First set of Mickey ears ever!  All she wanted was one with a veil.

First princess encounter ever!  The line took forever in the hot sun and we had not even seen the movie yet but meeting Merida was totally worth it!

Crazy, curly haired girls

It's a Small World - Reese's favorite ride

Lunch in Critter Country

Tarzan's Tree House (Swiss Family Robinson)

A little nervous about what Jungle Cruise was going to bring.

My brave girl on Pirates of the Caribbean!  She didn't want to go on this ride and I tried to guilt her for a minute because it was closed the last time I was here.  Trying to be a good mom, I gave up on it until we got off of Jungle Cruise and Reese very genuinely said to me "I think I am brave enough to go on Pirates."  I talked her through the beginning and at one point she said at the top of her lungs "I'm not even scared!" 

She likes to sing it "Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho, A pirates life for sale!"

In Pixie Hollow!

I really thought meeting Tinkerbell was going to be the highlight of the day to Reese but I was wrong.  It was meeting Mickey Mouse.  The excitement on her face when we first saw him was worth anything I have ever done for her.  She was truly excited to meet him.  It was one of the best moments of my life.

Minnie was pretty exciting too.  The professional picture people caught a great picture of Reese's little smiling face peaking out from between Minnie's skirt and arms when they hugged.  It was really cute!

After Toon Town, we headed straight to the area where you can wait in line to meet the princesses.  I knew that Reese would love it and I knew it was closing soon so it became an instant priority.

We were able to meet Cinderella!

Jasmine was a huge hit and Reese's favorite princess, which I was surprised about.

She is showing Aurora her picture on her autograph book.

Sleeping Beauty!

On our drive to Disneyland, Reese asked if she would be able to drive a rocketship.  Dreams really do some true!

We made it 13 hours in the park with no nap and no meltdowns.  These glow bracelates that I brought from home, saved the night as a good distraction when the say became too long. 

Of course, Reese decided at the end of the day that she was brave enough to ride on The Haunted Mansion.  Since Fantasmic was going on, we were able to walk right onto the ride.  Of course, it was scary and I talked Reese through the whole ride but now that we are home, this is the one she asks to watch on YouTube or hear the song to. 

Reese was asleep before I even started the car to drive back.  On that 45 minute drive back, my tire light came on and I started to panic that we would not be able to drive back to Phoenix the next day.  It was perfectly fine the next day and I think that light coming on just to keep me awake on the drive home that night. 

We took our time packing up on Tuesday and recovering from our marathon in Disneyland.  Then, we picked up Lani and drove an uneventful drive back to Phoenix.  It went by too fast and I wish we could have stayed a week longer in Disneyland but this was a wonderful first vacation for Reese and I.  Everything worked out and I was able to take her to experience Disneyland  and the ocean for the first time.  It was a really wonderful trip.

Dentist

Reese had her first Arizona doctor's appointment in July when we headed to the dentist.  She did amazing!  She listened well and sat for x-rays.  I had a hard time finding a pediatric dentist who took her insurance.  But finally I did and the whole place was pirate themed.  The appointment was quick with no cavities or meltdowns.  She got a balloon and was given a coin to use in the toy slot-machine.  

I cherish these moments and realize how far we have come together.  I knew how to keep her calm and she trusted me to make sure everything was okay.  She really is a great kid. (knock on wood!)

June

Ugh, no wonder I didn't blog in June.  I look back at my calendar and it is a mess!  I had some events to work for the Museum and then I was asked to return to Chandler Public Library's Sunset Branch to conduct two children's craft program, one for Father's Day and the other was fingerprint crafts.  They were both really fun to do and I loved being back in a public library.  With all of this time that I had to be working outside of the regular 9-5 business, I had to seriously think about babysitting options.  Thankfully, Lani's sister is someone who I have known for years (she used to hang out with Lani and I sometimes).  Also, she works at Madison School District where Reese is enrolled in preschool (though at different schools).  We had her over for dinner one night and then she came to babysit while I went off to Chandler.  Reese loves her!  Just adores her and always asks when Miss Jessica can come back.  It was such a stress reliever that I had another person who lived close by and could watch Reese.  She is actually coming over on Wednesday night to watch Reese so that I can work an event at the Museum and I know Reese is very much looking forward to it.

The other thing we did in June was go to California to spend two days at the beach and one day in Disneyland.  That is going to be a whole post of its own (maybe two) so watch for that to come in the near future.

Reese has some nasty bug bites on her legs which caused her to be up from 1-3am last night because they itched and nothing I did helped.  Needless to say I am exhausted.  I hate that medical things always happen in the middle of the night when I cannot rationally think and am just on an adrenaline rush of panic.  Fingers crossed for an uneventful night to come.

Here we are on the "big climby thing" at the Phoenix Children's Museum in June.

Summer Camp

This summer, Reese attended Madison's summer camp.  There were two classes of preschoolers and a number of children from her class in the spring which made me happy.  Also, Ms. Milli was an aid in her class which made me very happy.  Ms. Milli took Reese under her wing the minute she started at Simis and Reese always looked forward to seeing and helping her. 

Boy, they kept those kids busy!  Every Wednesday they went to the Tempe Splash Pad and every Friday they went to the movie theater.  They took field trips to the Arizona Natural History Museum, Superstition Farms, and Phoenix Children's Museum.  They painted ceramics, had visits from the firefighters and Adobe Mountain Wildlife Reserve. 

We both had a hard time with it and I think it was just the stress of having an inconsistent schedule every day.  I know she truly enjoyed camp but I also think we were both looking forward to the regular school year starting with a pretty consistent schedule from day to day.

May Weekend with Grandpa

Catch up...

My dad had work in Las Vegas the week before Mother's Day weekend so he was able to finagle things so that he could be here for a long weekend.  Reese loved it! 

One of the days that I had to work, my dad picked me up and we went to eat at McAlpines, a little soda shop by the Museum.  Reese was so excited to get to have her own milkshake.  The restaurant is located in my old neighborhood and when we were leaving Reese said "Wait, I think I see Jasmine's house."  It is an ashram right by my old apartment.  We had to drive by so that we could see where Jasmine lives.  At first she scared us because she screamed "Wait" and then paused for dramatic effect.

That night we took Reese to her first professional baseball game.  We were able to get seats in the family section which is located in the upper-deck but has a playground and there were lots of families around so they were not upset by us ruining the game or anything.  Reese was excited because Grandpa bought her a Diamondbacks helmet full of popcorn.  She also declared that she wanted to be a life-sized bobble head guy when she grew up (though they creeped her out a little when she was able to see them up close).  She did a great job even though we were up way past bedtime.  We were able to stay for the fireworks and the only time she got upset was when we weren't going to stay for the Christian rock concert after the fireworks but by then it was after 9pm so she had a right to be upset with life.

The Saturday, we were not really sure what we were going to do.  It was hot already in Phoenix so we decided to take a road trip up to the Tonto Natural Bridge just past Payson.  The weather was beautiful and so was the nature.  We had a picnic then went for a hike down under the natural bridge.  Reese has amazing balance and thank goodness there were no major falls from any of us.

It was wonderful to be outside and I love sharing the AZ beauty with my IN family!

We did have one incident where Reese wandered away from me and slipped in some water.  She got up and looked at me accusingly and said "You didn't catch me!" even though I was a good ten feet away from her.  I guess that just says that she trusts me to always be there to catch her!

When we left the state park, we decided to go just a bit further to the Gingerbread House in Pine to get some ice cream before the drive back to Phoenix.  We thought Reese had fallen asleep until we started talking about ice cream when all of a sudden from the backseat we heard "I want mine in a bowl."  That little stinker!  She was ready for ice cream the minute we stopped.

On the way there and home we saw smoke and when we watched the news that night, we heard that a large wild fire had started over the weekend so that is what we were seeing.  I'm so glad that we weren't any closer to it.

For my first Mother's Day, my Dad and Reese got me a necklace with the adoption creed on it: "Never forget, for a single minute: You didn't grow under my heart but in it." and "Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously, My own."  I cried of course and then my Dad took Reese to church with him and I got an hour of quiet time.  It was really a wonderful weekend!