Iowa Energy!

Friday night we took peanut to see her first Iowa Energy game!

We enjoyed the game from a sky box so she was eye level with the mega tron TV display and was instantly smitten with the lights, action and music! She did great and loved watching the game, especially when they scored!

Here are a couple pics:
Had to get a pic of her 'hand stamp'

Chillin with Andy's boss 'Uncle Rick'~

15 months and growing...

Today, peanut is 15 months! Seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for her first birthday party.

15 months brings...more teeth, new words (Hi!, bye bye, up!, more, ball, owie, Uh-oh!, mama, dada) standing on her own and trying so hard to take steps! In fact, tonight we scored 3 steps all on her own!

She is also busy becoming her own little self, she knows what she wants, when she wants it- and the tantrums are coming out of hiding! I try really hard to ignore but mostly end up covering my mouth, turning my head and laughing. She doesn't find the humor. :)

She is sooo attached to her striped blankie, or lovey, and still sucks her thumb. We have noticed she usually reserves that for those times when she's so tired or has a boo-boo. She still loves all things veggie, fruit and salmon cakes! We are down to one night-time bottle and I'm sure will phase that out within the next month or so.

Will update stats after her 15 month appt. in Feb.

Here are some recent pics, enjoy!


Loves chilling with daddy...

"Are the cookies done yet mom?"

"I'll check!"

"Uh...can you give a girl a hand? I'm stuck!"

New 'teether'~

"Her 'Come and get me mommy!' smile"

xoxo

Indulge.

This past weekend Des Moines hosted their annual Indulge event downtown. This event features the 3 major food groups: cheese, wine and chocolate. Um yeah, who can pass that up? And did I mention it's all you can eat/drink? *heart thumps*

So Nette, her sissy and I put on some lipstick and headed downtown. After gorging on said food groups, we headed to Dos Rios for a killer margarita and then on to the new Copa Cavana to dance off our forbidden calories. What a fun place! A renovated dinner theater that now has a live band playing salsa music. We had so much fun trying to work off those calories. Who knew I could salsa? Okay, I know I know, what I was doing probably didn't qualify as salsa (and more like bad prom dance moves from the 90's) but at least I worked up a sweat!

At the Indulge event~



Yummy tropical drink at Copa (Hey! It contained banana puree-good for you, right?!)~

Thanks for a great night out girls!

End of an era

If it were up to me, every weekend morning until peanut left for college (yes, seriously), I would pick her up out of bed, carry her downstairs, and snuggle in with her, blankie and a bottle. But...it's not up to me. And peanut is ready to ditch the bottle.


A couple weeks ago she was fully transitioned to sippy cups at daycare. I sadly took the bag of long forgotten bottles home but still kept up the bottle/snuggle time at home. This weekend, after contemplating years of dental work that would befall peanut had she kept up the bottle much longer (or so they say...) I decided to see how she would handle only having a night-time bottle. And like any other milestone, she weathered this one quite well.

She took the sippy and never looked back. I, however, am still adjusting.

OSJ

Operation Skinny Jeans.

So I may have promised updates a few months back on my self-imposed Operation Skinny Jeans.

This just in: OSJ=FAIL!

Somehow those skinny jeans that were supposed to motivate me secretly made their way into the deepest, darkest depths of my closet. Only to make their return... as new potholders?

All kidding aside, I did not make a new year's resolution but my decision to take up 3 classes a week at the gym did coincide with the first of the year. Thanks to my loving hubby who is helping me juggle this task along with nightly household duties, I just may be able to reach my goal of losing the baby weight.

Sometime this year or... the next. :)

While the boys play...

...the girls will get away!

Since Andy had big plans to host his Fantasy Football party this past weekend, Reagan and I took our cue and headed up North! We had a great weekend that included a visit to Great-Grandma, cousin time, Aunts/Uncles time, G&G time and shopping! It was a whirlwind but fun nonetheless. Here are some pics~


Baby and the dog, both begging for a treat~

Yes, my probiotics bottle keeps her busy~ how much have we spent on toys?!

2 cousins in a pod~

Group shot~wish peanut was smiling but beggars can't be choosers!

Toddler pose~

New Kicks

In an effort to help peanut's walking, we purchased a new pair of kicks with a solid sole- so far, she is hesitant.

But I think they are helping- we're down to only holding one hand while we practice. I know she'll walk when she's ready, just want to give her all the tools that will help her along.





"Hmmm...what are these?"





"Well I guess I'll try them. If I have to..."



Standing on her own!

Stay tuned for walking updates! :)

Toddler Update

Reagan is working her way to 15 months! Hard to believe she's not my snugly lil peanut anymore. She is always on the move, giving us a run for our money!

Some new developments: Giving 'High-fives', saying 'owie' when she gets hurt (or we're changing her diaper- waiting for someone to call the authorities because she is screaming OWIE in a packed mall), has let 2 back teeth pop through and can stand on her own- one step closer to walking, right?!

Ah yes.. the dreaded subject. No. Not yet walking but we think the end of the knee crawling is near. Or so we hope.

She is still a great eater- will try anything once and is completely off baby food. Eggs and toast are her faves for breakfast, loves her some spaghetti and anything sweet? Better be shared. :)

She makes us laugh every single day- sometimes with us, sometimes not (ahem- those temper tantrums are just too hilarious!).

Here are some recent pics~enjoy!


"Uh mom? Can I pretty please eat this block?"

Gets so excited sitting on the kitchen floor!

"Now let's see what this book says... upside down..."

"Check out my grill!"

"Here's what I do when mom cooks dinner...play with my sippy..."

"Play with the water jug when mom isn't looking and then give her a heart attack when she looks..."

"And play with my kitchen magnets!"

Reagan added a couple 'new' additions to her clubhouse! Thanks to her cousins, Sarina and Kaitlynn for making "No Boys Allowed" signs that we had to promptly display!

"See Daddy- no boys allowed!"

"Ooh! Unless you're a Hawkeye fan!"

"Peek a boo!"

"Uh mom? Can I stand on the couch?"

"OHMYGOSH! I'm so excited to be standing on the couch!"

Clearly we need to invest in a humidifier.

xoxo

Weekend Fun

Despite the cold temps, we had a great weekend!

Friday night: Reagan got to have a cousin sleepover with Jack! We played lots of games, watched Shark Tale and feasted on Sponge Bob Mac N Cheese and chicken nuggets! Peanut had a blast with her cousin!

Saturday night: We celebrated Jen's birthday! Happy birthday girl! And yes I ate enough birthday cupcakes to induce a diabetic coma. *shame*

Sunday: Reagan and I got to meet up with Nette and Kelli for some retail therapy! We also made another pit stop at Trader Joe's. I am in love with that store. *swoon*

And now the snow is starting fall, new crock pot full of stew is cooking and we're snuggling in for a great family night! Hope everyone had a great weekend! xo


Andy and Jackie conquering Lego's~

"Ooh Jackie you can always make me laugh!"

Hamming it up for the camera~

Milk. It does a *baby* good.

Hooray for milk!


"3 cheers for milk!"

"Mmmm...I need a moment. This is really good."

"Got milk?"

"Do I have anything on my face?"

Happy New Year!!

Mother Nature strikes! An ice storm prevented Andy and I from heading up North for New Year's Eve this year. So instead, we hunkered down and enjoyed a great family night with Reagan's Godparents. I just realized we didn't get a family shot. I think that was deliberate on Andy's part. :)

I was aiming for a pic of Reagan wearing a funky hat holding a horn but she would NOT keep the hat on and the horn actually brought her to screaming tears. Always next year. All in all, a great night to celebrate the new year.

I pray for blessings, love, peace and health for all my family and friends in 2011.

Peanut and mommy~
It's not a New Year's celebration without a little champagne, right?

Soul sista's!

God bless! xo

GNO~ 3rd Annual Martini Night

On Thursday, we celebrated our 3rd annual Girl's Night Out~Martini night! Typically this involves heading down to the Cosmo Lounge at Suites On Locust for some amazing martinis. This year we added a twist! A stop at Nette's house for food and feasting before heading downtown. As always, we had a blast!

Martinis at Nette's house~ Spiced Pear (my fave), Pomegranate Cranberry, Gingerbread, White Chocolate and Key Lime. Who can have just one?! Yum!
The food spread- amazing!

Dessert table~

Aren't those the cutest Christmas lights?!

@ Cosmo Lounge~ My new favorite martini, Cucumber!

Here's to next year girls! xo