Holy Cow....6 Months and No Post...

Ok. So we have neglected posting. Sorry. Our lives have been busy and doing this seems to take more effort than not.

Lets see... in the last 6 months Gavin turned 2 and Raegan turned 4. We flew to North Dakota to visit the Longmuir Clan, and somewhere in between we have managed to keep on moving.

Time flies. I looked at Molly the other day as the kids were playing and said 'they aren't babies any more'.

Raegan finished her first year of pre-school at the top of her class (ha ha) and is grown smarter by the minute. Recently, she tricked me into taking her to school on a day she was not supposed to be there (e.g. we did not pay for her to be there). She woke up, dressed for school and told me that she was excited about going to school 3 days in a row from now on. After a few minute of debate with her and seeing her decked out in her favorite school dress and my history of being wrong a lot, I figured she was right. So I took her to school. As the day went on, I contacted Molly to ask which kid she wanted me to get (Gavin from Daycare or Raegan from school). Her response- Why is Raegan in school today!!? My response- because she told me and we budgeted her to start going 3 days a week.

Well to my surprise, the 3-days a week wasn't starting until this week. Not the beginning of the month. Molly called the school and alerted them to the misunderstanding. I, on the other hand, have been taking verbal abuse from others over being hood-winked by a 4-year old girl. Sounds like I need to start a law school fund for her as well as the college fund now.

Gavin. Well, he's all boy and has no problem telling you so. He is talking non-stop and is becoming more of a handful than Raegan ever was. He has an affinity for Lighting McQueen (Cars Movie), matchbox cars, horses, baseball, and trains. He has also become good at identifying big and small airplanes when we pass Metro Airport. Loves to sit with me and watch the Tigers and likes watching "Family Guy". We are on the fence on that one, but we let him watch it since he is too young to get the adult content.

Both kids cruise the neighborhood now. Gavin with a battery powered ATV he got for Christmas and Raegan with a battery powered Purple Corvette she got for her 4th B-Day. Corvette comes complete with alarm, radio, and connection for your I-Pod. Most times she takes Gavin as a passenger, but lately the other little girls have been flocking to take a spin in the car leaving Gavin give chase on the ATV.

Otherwise, Molly and I have been keeping busy with work. Although I work from home now, I still travel quite a bit. Sneak in a few weekends up north to nana & papa's for some relaxtion.

Thats about it for now. If anyone still reads this, please leave a comment below.

Mmmm...Sliders.....

From 'The Dad'...

As I have settled into my new job, I have slowly grown accustomed to working from my home office 5 days a week. Two of those days (Monday & Friday), Molly is off work and the house is full of people. I shut my office door and work diligently throughout the day, appearing only for meals and biological breaks.

Those days are challenging at times. At least once a day, Raegan will come bursting into my office singing, yelling, or excited to tell me some tid-bit of news that I just HAD to hear. Of course, this only happens when I am on a call with a client or on a conference call. Needless to say, I am fast to hit the mute button- but sometimes not fast enough. Gavin, although quieter on his visits to dad, enjoys pulling things off my desk that interest him and immediately bolting across the basement with them all the while laughing.

Raegan does take some interest in my work. She will bring in her little chair, sit next to me, and ask if she can help. I keep a notebook with a sharpie nearby and make her take notes (e.g. write her name, draw a circle, etc.). She likes looking at my site plans and maps. Raegan has also become my mobile assistant. Days that I have to do site visits or head to T-Mobile's corporate office, she typically joins me. She has become quite popular with my clients that when I show up without her they tell me "I was hoping Raegan was with you today..."

She joined me today to do some work out in Livoina. It was lunchtime and she was begging for McDonalds. When came up on a White Castle and she asked me what it was. I replied "sliders". Her lack of response confirmed she was confused. I followed up with "Little hamburgers served in a castle.." That sold her. We went in and ordered up a 1/2 dozen sliders. She was a little apprehensive, questioning the ingredients as she lifted the bun and peered at the mystery meat. I instructed her not to ask questions about what was in it and just to eat it. She enjoyed it. I on the other hand have been reliving them via the occasional 'Verp' and rumble in my gut. The smell of onions lingers in my car. That reminds me, maybe I should crack my windows...

Gavin has suddenly become Mr. Independent and Mr. Aggressive. We have repeated our efforts at removing him from the crib and into his toddler bed. He's adjusting well, but will abuse his new found freedom. Last night, after about a half hour of assuming he was fast asleep, we heard music. Molly and I glanced at each other and rolled our eyes. I walked in his room and he was on his floor playing with his 'Handy Many' musical tool box (thanks Unlce Mike & Aunt Beth) His nightlight is giving off just enough light to allow him to play. This was short lived as I scooped him up and rocked him. He was fast asleep within 5 minutes and remained there until morning.

With Gavin's growth comes his manly-ness- meaning he has become a little more aggressive lately. Taking flying leaps off the couch and not hesitating to give you a body slam if your are not paying attention. We are trying to keep this in check, but it is hard to do when you are laughing at him. He's becoming more interactive as well and we are getting better at interpreting what he is saying. However, I cannot say the same for him. If he is being bad, our threats fall on deaf ears. Thus, Gavin has been introduced to 'time-out'. He hasn't grasped the concept fully, but he is slowly getting the idea.

Both kids are doing well and are healthy as can be.

Later!

Brand New Nephews!

Bob and I are the proud new aunt and uncle to two new nephews - Kolton William Longmuir and Logan Dale Longmuir! My brother, Mark and sister-in-law, Nikki had these two beautiful boys on Monday, January 5.

Welcome to the world, little guys!

They join our 1-year-old nephew, Caden Michael Wheaton, into the list of little men to spoil!

Check out the links on the side to catch up with all three of them.

Raegan's first parent teacher conference

Raegan's new school does parent teacher conferences and we just had our first one. It's amazing to hear about how your child behaves with other people.


We know that Raegan is a great kid, but the child her teacher was describing didn't seem like our child.

Here are some examples:

Raegan @ school - plays nicely with the other kids and doesn't take toys away from anyone. Raegan @ home - is constantly getting in trouble for taking Gavin's toys and yelling at him to stop.

Raegan @ school - is very polite and always uses her manners.
Raegan @ home - says things like "Daddy, I want water NOW!"

Raegan @ school - speaks very softly and the teachers would like her to work on speaking louder.
Raegan @ home - is always being asked to speak in her "inside" voice and not scream.

Raegan @ school - never asks for seconds on snacks or lunch.
Raegan @ home - eats non-stop! we even have to either have a snack for her when we pick her up from school or stop to get her something.





Here I thought nothing we said to her was sinking in, but her teacher said that it's not how the child acts with the parents, but in social settings like school. This is the first time since she was born that I feel like I might be doing something right! Well, not quite, but close enough.

Gavin's trips to the emergency room

Gavin must have felt that Raegan had a lead in the emergency room visits, so he is trying to catch up! Here's his story.

Gavin started vomiting on Tuesday of last week. It started out as mucus, so we didn't think much of it. Then he got diarreah. By Thursday, he was throwing up whatever he ate, so just stopped eating. He started to lose weight and not wanting to drink anything either. He kept this up all weekend. Monday morning when we got up, he didn't have a wet diaper. I finally got ahold of our pediatrician around 10:30 and they sent us right to the ER for an IV. All four of us went up there and all of a sudden Raegan started shaking. We think she was still traumatized since this was the same ER we went to for Raegan's broken arm.

Gavin gave them enough trouble trying to get the IV in that they were debating on sedating him. Luckily he finally let them do their thing. Once that was in place, they took him for an x-ray. He would not sit still and they ended up taking about 9 pictures of his abdomen. Luckily it came back with no blockages. All of his blood work came back normal as well. After two pediatric bags of fluid, they let us go home. He went right down for a nap and woke up like a new baby! He was almost back to his normal self. Wewere just waiting for the tears and urine come back!

Tuesday, he went to day care and we thought he was goinng to be alright. I broke out in hives at work because I was so worried about Gavin. Bob went to pick him up and I got the call that he was still vomiting. Bob asked me to call the pediatrician again. They said to go right back to ER for more fluid. I ran home to pack a bag with the DVD player and Blue's Clues (which was an absolute lifesaver!!!), books, cars, jammies, etc. while Bob dropped Raegan off at Nana & Papa's house. (She has been such a trooper through all of this.) We got to the emergency room and after 2 hours of waiting ended up with the same doctor as the day before which we were happy about. They gave Gavin more saline and more sugar water. All of the fight had drained out of him at this point, so he didn't fight very hard with the IV this time. They also did more blood work. Since he was there two days in a row for the same thing, they wanted to admit him. Then they decided that if he could eat something and keep it down and if one of us stayed home with him for the next two days, they would let us go.

About 10:30 pm, they gave him a graham cracker and apple juice. He was so excited to eat, he just inhaled it! I was so glad! They wanted to keep him a while longer so we didn't get discharged until about 11:00.

We are home and I just have to push fluids today and tomorrow.

Here's a picture of him eating the magical graham cracker!

Words, words and more words . . .

Although we have been through the word learning curve with Raegan, I am still very impressed when Gavin learns a new word. I have to admit that I was very worried about his talking because he is 20 months and doesn't know a ton of words. However, these last two weeks have brought about a lot more words! Woo hoo! Even though it isn't one of his new words, my favorite is "Top!" with the hand in front of him. He is usually telling Raegan to stop bugging him.



Last night though, I heard him say three new words in about 1 hour! This just amazed me. We were at the car dealership attempting to get our SUV back (another long story!). To keep the kids entertained, I let them in one of the new cars in the showroom. Gavin sat on the driver's seat, grabbed the steering wheel and said drive! (or at least his version of it.) When I made him get out and shut the door, he ran back up to it and said inside. I was blown over by this!



When we finally left the dealership, we decided to pick up a pizza on our way home. The whole drive home he was saying pizza, pizza. This is huge because he normally taps his mouth with his fingers to tell us he is hungry.

I just can't believe how fast he is growing up!

School Bells and Update...

Ahh, another month or two goes by without an update.




All is well in the Wheaton house. Raegan and Gavin are growing like weeds. Gavin in verbalizing more lately and has made a few attempts at complete sentences. Raegan is a non-stop chatter box and has the ability to switch topics mid sentence. Her negotiating skills are improving but Molly and I still hold our ground and use the time out when needed. Gavin follows his sister everywhere and has figured out how to 'fight back'.


We witnessed this during a disagreement between them over his blanket. Raegan kept taking it away. So Gavin got a running start from one end of the kitchen and gave Raegan a solid back-check from behind- sending her flying to the floor. Raegan laughed but Gavin was all business when he turned around for another run at her. All Molly and I could do was stare and say "Did he really just do that?". I was able snag him in mid stride to prevent a second hit.

Raegan began pre-school today. She cried and protested in the morning but was glad to be there when we arrived. She toddled in with her Princess backpack and made herself at home. She was excited to see "little toilets" they had there and blended in with the other kids quickly. She discovered a book that was the same as the one she had at home. The teacher asked if she wanted to read it. Raegan replied "I can read this book" (She can read through memorization, which is pretty impressive given my ability to comprehend anything). So I encouraged her to go read the book to the teacher. No screaming or crying when we left. I got a a hug and kiss on the cheek. I looked over my shoulder as we left and got a wave and little smile as she climbed next to the teacher and began to open the book.


As Molly and I left, it took everything in my power not to spin around on my heels and go back for one more look. Granted, she is only three, but I felt a little tug on my heart knowing that this was the beginning of a new stage in her life. My 'baby girl' became a big girl today- and I could not have been more proud of her.

New Beds!!!

Our little munchkins are growing up way to fast! I keep telling Raegan that she needs to stay little and she gets pretty mad at me and says "NO!! I want to be big!"


So Raegan had started giving us problems with her sleeping. She doesn't want to go to bed, wants to sleep with us or on the couch. After yet another night of her not sleeping in her bed I finally asked her why she keeps getting out. Her response was "my bed's not soft." Bob and I talked about this not quite knowing what to do because her crib will turn into a full-size bed, but her room will not accommodate a full-size bed and all of her toys. We finally decided to get her a twin bed and just put away the crib frame until there was more room. So I took Raegan to the furniture store to look at beds. We are lucky enough to have a friend in furniture sales, so he talked to Raegan and let her jump on the beds! We finally picked one out and made the purchase. I'm not sure I have seen her this excited before!


Then when I told her we needed to get sheets and a comforter, she told me she wanted to go to Target. What the heck!! She's three!!!! How does she know that they sell that stuff?? Anyway, we go to Target and she doesn't like anything (because I won't let her get Disney Princess). So then she says "I want to go to Kohls." Now I KNOW the only reason she wants to go is to ride the escalator but then she shocks me again and says "We need to go upstairs to look at the beds!" How do they get so smart????? Anyway, she found her bedding set at Kohl's and of course they don't have the twin size, so off I go to another store to get it for her.


We had to pick the bed up to avoid a delivery charge and Raegan was able to go with Bob which was a VERY big deal to her.


So here is a picture of her in her big girl bed!

Now Gavin doesn't want to be left out of all of this! He has been in and out of Raegan's toddler bed since he was able! He had really shown an interest in laying in her bed recently, so the night that we set her new bed up, we decided to make his crib into a toddler bed. That night he did awesome! I don't think that he realized that he could get out. Last night was a different story! Bob put him to bed and he came out carrying his blanket looking really confused, like "how in the world did I get out here by myself." So back to bed he went and this time he stayed. This morning I must have been making too much noise when I got out of the shower because all of a sudden he came bursting out of his room and then stood in the hall blinking and looking confused!

It is just so sweet to see him turn into a little man, but at the same time, I want them both to stay little for a while longer!

Cleveland Rocks!

Bob had a "business" trip (aka. golf outing) in Cleveland on Friday. We decided that since we have a Toledo Zoo membership (thank you, Mamaw & Grandpa!) and Cleveland Zoo has a reciprocal deal, we would all go down. We loaded up the car on Thursday night and off we went. We stopped at a truck stop outside of Toledo for dinner and let Raegan get whatever she wanted. Yes, you guessed it, she had pancakes! Then off we went to Cleveland.

Once we were checked in and ready to go to our room, we discovered that Gavin does not really like elevators! Every time we stopped, he would grab on to us for dear life! We got settled and headed out to tour the hotel. Raegan wanted to go swimming right away and convinced her daddy to take her down there.

Friday morning, we dropped Bob off at work and headed out to the zoo - thank God for GPS!! It was so nice to see a different zoo with different exhibits. Raegan really wanted to see the frogs, but then chickened out when we were ready to go in. It was so hot that day and Gavin was pretty scared of the animals so it was a fairly short visit. We walked around, had lunch (which included ice cream!) and Raegan was ready to go before we even saw anything. She was able to swim again that night and then we headed home early Saturday morning.

It was so nice to have a mini vacation!

Having fun in the "D" with Daddy

Dad took Raegan and Gavin to the GM River Days downtown on Sunday. (Raegan calls it ‘The D’) Molly was volunteering at the Little People of America conference at the Ren Cen so I took advantage of the good weather and the festivities going on the riverfront. The kids had the chance to do some crafts, see the Coast Guard do a mock rescue with divers, helicopters, and even the Detroit Fire Department Fire Boat. They toured GM's new line of hybrid vehicles and rode the carousel. The photo where Raegan is looking extra unhappy- she lost a battle with the GM fountain. The fountain consists of about 500 nozzles that turn on/off at various intervals. The nozzles spray as low as a trick or as high as about five feet. Both kids were amazed by this concept so I let them run loose through the fountain (along with about 100 other kids). Raegan was admiring the fountain when it shrank to just a trickle. Suddenly, like a defensive tackle, a little boy came running out of nowhere and knocked her belly first onto the nozzle. As she fell the fountain cycled to full force as she lay on top of the nozzle. Water shot out from all sides of her and I thought I saw her lift in the air. She was soaked from head to toe and had a badly scrapped knee.

I stripped her down and wrung out her shirt, skirt, and underwear on the spot (no, she wasn't naked- I did it in a way that kept her modesty). A quick trip to the first aid tent, a nice EMT, and hugs from daddy made everything right again. Took her on another ride on the carousel to dry her off and then headed home. Overall a great day!

Molly's Money Saving Mania

Lately, I have become quite the economic grocery shopper. In this economy I am going to try to help any friends that would like to cut their grocery budget. I know that not everything will work for everybody, but this is what works for our family.

1. First off, we get the Sunday paper, so I clip all of the coupons of any product that I MAY use. I then file them by category in my coupon organizer. One thing that is really important to save money is to not care about brand name. Now there are some things, like JIF peanut butter, that I buy no matter what, but overall, we don't really care about the brand.

2. I joined the Grocery Game (http://www.thegrocerygame.com/) signing up for Kroger and Meijer. I look at the list weekly and will pick up products are we will use won't expire before we would use them but I do a big grocery shopping trip every 3 to 4 weeks. I have a large stockpile downstairs. We didn't start seeing a huge savings right away, but we are now enjoying this large stockpile. If you join this game, be sure to read the rules. She explains about the grocery sale cycle and will let you know when to use your coupons to maximize your savings. One thing to mention here is TRUST THE LIST!! She has a lot of unadvertised specials in there. So, if there is no sign in the grocery store, pay attention when you check out because there is more than likely an unadvertised special! I have found a couple of great ones!

3. I check this web sites daily. http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ She has some great recipes and money saving ideas. She also gives great advice on how to take advantage of the CVS sales. She posts a couple of times a day about freebies and sales. She also links to other sites that are useful.

4. I check all of these coupon web sites and print as many as it will let me of the products that we would use. They are usually updated every couple of weeks.
http://coupons.smartsource.com//index.aspx?Link=5S2ZUA6PWPEPO
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13306&zid=iq37&nid=10
http://www.redplum.com/pages/Grocery.aspx

5. I load my Kroger card with coupons from these sites. I always load all of them on because they are free and who knows when you may need something. You can use these ecoupons along with a manufacturer coupon so you can get really good deals!
http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/Unilever_MakingLifeBetter/Page/HomePage/
http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/PG_eSAVER/Page/HomePage/
http://shortcuts.com/

6. I also plan a menu, usually 3-4 weeks worth, after seeing what deals I can get the week I need to go shopping. I will use my stockpiled stuff to stretch the food farther and to fill in meals. I also try to plan that we get take out only once a month. Then I type out my menu and type a grocery list. This way I can go through the recipes and make sure I will have all of the ingredients that I need.

I know that this seems like a lot, but it really isn't that time consuming! Happy money saving!

Sittin' Out Here Watching Airplanes...as VIPs

Molly and I made an executive decision to take the kids to the Red Bull Air Races downtown over the weekend. Molly packed up lunches/drinks for the crew and we were off. The event has been sold out for sometime and our friend, Bob Krompatic, and his wife, Deb, had a boat slip downtown for the event. They invited us to the 'party' and we agreed to truck the kids downtown to watch the air race qualifying events.

Upon arrival, Bob told us he had a 'hook up' at GM and we might have good seats. Within the hour we were being whisked away by the RenCen Police department in a Cadillac Escalade to a private party. We kept on being referred to as 'VIPs'. We arrived at the main parking garage and the officers helped us unload the kids, gave us a bunch of bottled water, and escorted us to the top of the structure. The officers talked with the security guards manning the door. After a few glances from them and a few seconds of thinking "there is no way we are getting in"... we were let in. Not too sure who they said we were, but they bent over backwards to make sure we were accommodated.

As we watched all of the GM executives mingle, we blended into the crowd and let the Raegan and Gavin play. The rooftop was equipped with astro-turf and was not a 'parking' area at all, but more of a urban park on top of a parking garage. The views of the riverfront were spectacular and I for one was pumped up to see the air race.

After cooking out in the sun for over 2 hours, the race was called off because of high winds. In the mean time, a few 'side' acts flew by. The f-14 that did a low pass along the river got the attention of Raegan & Gavin- with Raegan looking at me saying "holy cow dad...that was LOUD!!". Gavin was more intrigued by the old Navy Corsair doing some maneuvers and never took his eyes off it.

Although the race was a bust, the VIP treatment was a nice surprise. Kids were spent from being out in the sun all day (no shade on that roof top) and Molly and I were equally wiped out. Photos forthcoming...

broken bones, allergic reactions and ear infections

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks! I know it has been a little while since we've updated, but it has been pretty crazy. Raegan broke both bones in her right arm on May 9. I think it has been so much harder on me than on her! Here's the story of what happened.

We had a playdate with a friend of mine from Brighton. We were all outside playing on the swingset. My friend was leaving, so I was going to walk her out. Raegan was just climbing up the slide as I was going inside. She started crying, so I turned around. She was face down on the ground. I went back to her, saw her arm and started screaming "Oh my God, she broke her arm! Ginger, she broke her arm!" Between her wrist and elbow, her arm was at an angle that no arm should ever be at. My friend was so great! She calmed me and Raegan down, moved her daughter's carseat into our truck and was preparing to take us to the emergency room. My truck wouldn't start, of course! So, we moved all three car seats to her car and were finally on our way. I started crying and Raegan fell asleep! Bob met us at the ER, sent Ginger home and called Uncle Mike to come and get Gavin. Raegan and I were back in the ER watching cartoons, waiting. She was a trooper at the ER. They took her to x-ray and back to her bed in ER. Whtn they came in and confirmed that her arm was broken (I'm not medically trained, but I already knew that!) I decided to take off while they put the splint on. Bob says she didn't even cry when they put it on. They then gave us a script for Tylenol with Codeine and a referral to an orthopedic surgeon and we were on our way. I gave Raegan three doses of her pain medication and she broke out in a red, hot rash. I took her to the pediatrian on Monday and she is allergic to codeine! At least we found out early. The pediatrician had seen her x-rays at this point and wouldn't touch her arm because both bones were broken. Tuesday, we went to the orthopedic surgeon. He set her bones, caster her arm and took more x-rays. She didn't make a peep the whole appointment. I was so proud of her! She is doing very well with the cast, but I'm sure she will be very happy to get it off on June 12!

Now, Gavin wanted in on some of the attention. I took him to his 15 month appointment on Friday of this week. Saturday he woke up feverish, vomiting and not eating. Since this is a typical shot reaction, I didn't think anything of it. Sunday he woke up with a horrible cold. Sunday and Monday were ok, but he was very whiny. We ended up sending him to daycare on Tuesday. Bob did call to check on him and they said he was fine and sleeping. Well, he vomited again when he was sleeping. Wednesday I kept him home and took him to the doctor. He had a double ear infection, along with a really bad cold. Before I left the doctor, she told me to expect the right ear drum to burst, but it was ok! What! A bursting ear drum is ok?!?! He went on his medicine and is now just as sweet as ever! He did end up staying home wtih Bob on Thursday for one more day of rest because he was still really cranky.

So that's it! Our life in terms of doctor's appointments.

On a good note, Bob and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversay on Monday!

Just a Little Update...

Ah yes, our house. The place we love and brought new life to when we moved in has tested us yet again. A 'slight' gas leak became a bigger gas leak on Monday. DTE came out, said it is "..your problem not ours" pointing to some leaky pipe joints. I called a mechanical contractor 4 hours of labor and $500 later, the problem is repaired. Nothing like stimulating the local economy.

On a lighter note, Gavin is walking consistently and rarely crawls. He is fast with his new found freedom and we have to become more vigilant around him. He still bears the name "Gavin the Destructor" since he will dismantle, tip over, break or mutilate anything or person in his way. He also has a very powerful left hook and isn't afraid to hit you with it. The sound of his hand smacking the side of your head makes him giggle uncontrollably. Although a bad habit, I believe his left-handed strength will serve him well when he becomes a pro-baseball player.

Raegan...well she's 3 and challenging us daily. We have to find new ways to keep her in check. She is a powerful negotiator and will low ball you every chance she gets. Molly and I have all but stopped 'giving in' to her and have been consistent on our 'time outs'. (Dad does give in sometimes when she wants to lay in the chair and rock/read a book; those days are going to be gone soon enough). Although frustrating at first- listing to the screaming and whining- we are starting to see some results. She is quicker now to stop misbehaving or doing something when we ask her to. Our biggest challenge is doing 'clean up' of her room/toys.

We toured some pre-schools for Raegan and will be making a decision on where she will be going soon.

Raegan is three!

I can't believe that my little girl is three!

She had a very good birthday with her Nana. Nana came and picked her up on Monday afternoon for a sleepover. They made crafts, went to Dunkin' Donuts and saw Horton Hears a Who. When Papa got home, they went and had pizza and chocolate milk at Raegan's request. After pizza, the waitress brought her a canoli with a candle and sang to her. Needless to say, she was very hyper when she got home that evening.

Today, Bob and I took her to Toys 'R Us. We weren't really sure what to get her so we thought we would just see what she played with. She fell in love with this keyboard! It's very cute with a working microphone and everything! She also stocked up her Dora kitchen with pots & pans, dishes and more food. Now she is just upset that her kitchen is still in the garage and she can't play with it until we get the new carpet in our basement.

Saturday is her party with her friends. We are taking 5 of her little friends (and her baby cousin and some adults) to Chuck E Cheese. Sunday we will have a dinner at Nana & Papa's house to celebrate Raegan and her Papa's birthdays (his is 4/10) with the family.

She has really managed to turn her birthday into birthweek, but she sure is having fun!

Trip to North Dakota

After much debate and discussion, I took both kids to North Dakota to celebrate my grandpa's 80th birthday. The only reason that I was crazy enough to do this is that my uncle Doug and cousin Jamie-Marie flew into Detroit to meet up with me to get to Minot. We got in on Friday, March 28 in the late afternoon. My brother and dad picked us up and took us all to Mark & Nikki's house to wait for my mom, grandma and grandpa. Grandma & Grandpa didn't know that we were coming so they were pretty shocked to see all of us sitting there. Luckily both kids were still in a good mood and Gavin didn't have his stranger anxiety.

Saturday my parents had rented out the local indoor pool so we had it for two hours all to ourselves. Raegan was in the pool the whole two hours! Gavin got tired after the first hour so my mom and I took him back for a nap. After lunch and a nap, we took the kids up to the drug store for a whirl-a-whip, the local specialty. Saturday night, we went out to dinner with my brother's in-laws, who happen to be my parents good friends, and then had a birthday cake for Raegan.

Sunday, we got up and drove over to Williston for my grandpa's party. Unfortunately, there was a really bad snow storm the night before so we had a long haul! We were able to see most of my aunts and a lot of my cousins and their spouses and kids. It was really fun! Sunday night my uncle and cousin came back to my parents house to stay.

Monday the trip home was ok. Gavin had a little stomach bug that caused many messy diapers and a change of clothes before we even got on the plane. He was fine until we were about 20 minutes out of Detroit, when he threw up all over me, himself and Raegan! Ugh! Raegan left the plane in panties and a t-shirt and Gavin in a onesie. We looked (and smelled) awful and a pretty white trashy!

I forgot my camera so am hoping that eventually my family will send me some pictures!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! We had a nice and relaxing day. We went to the early service at church, where Raegan had to point out anytime the pastor said Easter by replying "Ha, ha, he said Easter!" Needless to say, she was not very quite about it. At the end of the service the kids got flowers from the ushers, and they loved them!

After church, we went home to try to get Gavin down for a nap. That worked for about 5 minutes! So we let them play with their plastic eggs for a while and then loaded them up to go to Nana and Papas.

Once we got to Nana and Papa's, the three grandkids had a little easter egg hunt. I must say, for being so small, Gavin and Caden did a great job! We then had a great brunch with Nana, Papa, Uncle Mike, Aunt Beth, and Great-Grandpa Dennis. At 1:00, the kids were ready for a nap, so we went home where EVERYONE got to take a nap! After the nap, Nana and Papa called. They came over and ended up staying for dinner.

Raegan was able to talk to all of my family. She must have gotten sick of telling everyone the same thing, so towards the end of the conversation, when someone asked what she got for Easter, she started reciting her Christmas presents!

It was such a nice day! I hope everyone else had a great day too!

Toddler Talk & Basement Update

First off the fun world of Toddler Talk!
Gavin is a much slower talker than Raegan was. Although, he doesn't have much time to get a word in edgewise with his chatterbox of a sister. He says the typical "mama" and "dada" although Bob will still get called "mama" at times. I think he is getting "more" down. We have been trying to work with him to say a couple of words instead of screaming. We are not getting very far yet, but I'm sure it's sinking in. We don't give him anything without holding it in front of his face and telling him what it is about 5 times! He probably thinks we're idiots!

While Gavin isn't saying much, Raegan is quite the little chatterbox! She really picks up on what we say and it can sometimes come back to haunt us. She frequently yells at our dog "Cara, STOP IT!!" and sounds just like me. The past couple of nights, she has ended up sleeping on the couch after a long battle in the middle of the night to get her to stay into her bed. This morning, Bob asked her why she slept on the couch. Her response "because you put me there!" Then as we were all leaving for the morning, she yelled over to me "see you next week, mom!" Another of her favorites is "probably . . . . yes (or no!)." She is really fun and a realy character!

BASEMENT UPDATE . . . .
We have hired a contractor, Branim Custom Homes. The owner is an ex-cousin-in-law of Bob's. He and his crew came in to start framing today and we just got a call that they are on their way to get drywall. I am just so excited!! Not that much longer now!

Gavin Robert Wheaton - one year later!

So I will finally write a very belated birthday story for Gavin.

On his actual birthday, his Mamaw and Grandpa (my parents) took him out to McDonalds for breakfast. They were continuing this tradition because they took Raegan there for her first birthday to let Bob and I be sick in peace. After that, we took him up to get his pictures taken. He did really well for being starving! It was 2:30 and the poor thing hadn't had any lunch yet. We did get a couple of smiles from him along with a lot of frowns and tears!

We finally made it home and Nana had left him some balloons. He played with those for a LONG time!







The next day was Saturday and his big party! We had the party at Nana and Papa's house due to our basement being destroyed still. He did very well with all of the people that he is not used to. He received amazing gifts - rocking airplane, retro rocket, 4-wheeler, clothes, toys (lots of airplanes), books, etc. Then he had his cake! He didn't just eat his cake, he savored it! I actually walked away for a couple of minutes to do something. We finally had to make him stop! He was going to be on major sugar overload!

He ended his birthday celebration with a trip to the doctor. He weighed in at 20 lbs, 12 oz and is 29 1/2 inches long. He had to get two shots, but handled them really well. My parents treated him with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with Raegan as a treat before they had to leave. He really liked the Bob the Builder ride!

Gavin's 1 year pictures