Reagan's Pose

We've noticed Reagan sitting like this a lot lately, with her hands locked in her lap. She usually sits like this when she is watching tv. We don't know if it's from school or where... but's it cute!

Confessions of a Mommy Who Doesn't Want Her Baby to Grow Up

Reagan has always referred to her favorite food - ketchup - as "Tibit". At dinner a few nights ago, she was enjoying chicken nuggets and 'tibit". She said, "More 'ketchup', pweese." (Note she finally said ketchup correctly). I said, "No Reagan, it's 'tibit'." Then she said, "Okay. More 'tibit', pweese," and has been saying 'tibit' ever since! Bad, bad Mommy! :P

Reagan's New Favorite Hang-out

I recently emptied this basket by the fireplace, and Reagan has "claimed" it as her new hang out. She climbs in and says, "Chase me! Chase me!" and then just sits there!

Reagan also has a new game. Yesterday morning, when Dustin got her out of bed she said, "The bears are coming!" She keeps insisting that the bears are coming! One time, they were coming through our front door!

Great Wolf Lodge

In the lobby, anxiously looking into the water park.

In our room, anxiously waiting to go swimming!

Fun in the water!

On Sunday, February 21, the kids finally got to "cash in" their Great Wolf Lodge tickets from Santa on a surprise trip. The kids and I didn't have school on Monday or Tuesday, and Daddy to a day off on Monday. As we pulled into the parking lot, revealing the surprise, Peyton was beyond excited. He was so excited, he couldn't finish his sentences! He would say, "What... There? Are we... Can we? We're really going there! Can I...." It was really cute! Reagan didn't realize what it was all about until we got inside and she say the water park. "I want to go swimming!" she said! We got checked in, got into our room, changed into our swimsuits, and headed down the the water park. As we walked in Peyton looked up at us and ask, "Can I really do what I want to when I want to?" We assured him that he could do whatever he wanted to do! He decided to "brave" the toddler pool first. There was plenty to do there for both kids. Peyton loved the slides. He could go all the way up and slide down completely on his own. Reagan did the slide once and didn't like it too much. She mostly liked squatting down in the water until only her head stuck out, walking around and saying "Look! I'm swimming!" We then ventured over to the big fort. The kids loved to watch the huge bucket at the top dump 1000 gallons of water on the people below! Peyton didn't want to be under the bucket because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to breathe when the water was falling down on him! Peyton and Daddy did the "medium" slides on the fort - Peyton could do these by himself as well. After a while we decided to try the wave pool, but, just as we got there, it was turned off. We still played around with in the tubes. We also tried out the lazy river and the hot tub that night. Peyton really loved the hot tub because he could stand up in it. Reagan enjoyed it until she accidentally stepped off the seat on the edge and got some water in her face. After that, she wanted nothing to do with the hot tub! In the midst of all the fun, Daddy went to Sonic to get our dinner, which we went back to the room to eat. On our way back to the room for the night, we stopped at a bakery and got a huge brownie and rice krispie treat to share. The kids took baths, and Reagan fell asleep while watching tv on one of the beds. Peyton decided to serve Mommy and Daddy dessert. He cut the brownie into four (actually, very equal!) pieces and gave us each one. After eating his own and munching on the rice krispie treat, Peyton sweetly "tucked" Daddy into one bed, Mommy into the other bed, and then climbed into his bed (the pull-out couch) and fell asleep.

We woke up around 7 the next morning. I had brought Honey Buns and some other snacks for breakfast. Peyton and Reagan ate their breakfast while watching tv on the edge of Peyton's pull out couch bed. Then Peyton "severed" Mommy and Daddy breakfast in bed - He got two more Honey Buns out of the box and handed them to us, wrapping and all! The kids couldn't wait to go back to the water park! It didn't open until 9:00, and Peyton kept a very close eye on the clock. He gave us time updates about every two minutes! We packed up everything, Daddy braved the cold morning in his swimsuit to put our luggage in the car, and it was finally time for the water park to open. Again, we spent most of the time in the toddler pool. We convinced Peyton to try one of the biggest slides with Daddy. After being adamant that he did not want to do it, he actually loved it! He and Daddy got to do it several times until Daddy decided that he can't handle fast and curvy water slides as well at 33 as he could as a teenager! Mommy and Reagan played in the wave pool (the waves were on this morning). The signal that the waves were about to turn on was a wolf howling. Reagan loved to listen for the wolf howl, and she would howl along. Reagan really like playing just at the edge of the wave pull. She like pushed empty tubes around and out into the water and them watching them come sliding back to the edge. She would do the for a few minutes, and then insist that she and I sit in the chairs and watch for a few minutes. We repeated this cycle several times! She was being so precious! After a couple of hours in the water, we decided it was time to go. But first we had to watch the bucket dump water, just a few more times! We changed in the locker room and then headed home, stopping at Chick-fil-a for lunch.

I think Great Wolf Lodge is now Peyton's favorite place! He has asked us several times if we can go back, "while I'm still 5". As we were putting him to bed Monday night, Peyton started crying hard and said, "I want to go back tomorrow! I want to waste all of our money and go there every day!"

It was such a fun family trip for us all! I don't have very many great pictures - it was almost impossible to get the kids still long enough to take posed shot! They were pretty much "on the go" the entire time we were there!

Grandma's Visit

On Friday, February 19, Grandma flew into town for a quick visit and to stay with the kids so Mommy and Daddy could go to a conference. We picked up Grandma from the airport Friday afternoon and came home. This kids were so excited to see Grandma, but they were a little confused about why Grandpa didn't come to. Reagan would ask, "Where's Grandpa?" We would tell her, "He stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He needed to take car of the cows and the new kitty." "Oh. I want to go see cows." We took naps and played at home Friday afternoon. That evening, after a quick dinner, Mommy and Daddy we to the Love and Respect marriage conference at our church. Peyton was super-excited about Grandma getting to put him to bed Friday night! Mommy and Daddy go home late and then left again early Saturday morning. They kids and Grandma played and played and played most of Saturday. Mommy and Daddy got home that afternoon. Since both Grandma and Daddy love Chinese food, we went to McKinney's Grand Buffet for dinner. Peyton declared that he, too, loves Chinese food. On Sunday morning, we stayed at home. Grandma packed up her stuff for the flight back home, and Mommy packed up the rest of us for a "surprise trip." Around lunch time, we headed to Chili's then to the mall. Then it was time to take Grandma to the airport. Peyton said several times, "I don't want to go to the airport!" After hugs and kisses, we pulled away from the airport, and Peyton said, "I'm sad. I don't want Grandma to go home." We reminded him that he'll get to see Grandma and Grandpa again in just a few weeks - at their house this time! Then we headed out on our "surprise trip."

Donuts with Dad

Reagan's Projects

Peyton's Projects

On Thursday, February 18, we celebrated Donuts with Dad at school. Dustin brought the kids to school in his car - always a big treat for the kids! The kids had been working hard to make Daddy special projects. First Dustin went to Reagan's room. (Peyton decided to wait with Mommy in her classroom) Reagan and Daddy enjoyed donut holes. Reagan gave Daddy a felt tie, a picture frame with her and Daddy, a painted rock that says "My Dad Rocks" and a colored "I love my Daddy picture." Unfortunately, Mommy needed our camera in her classroom, and I'm still waiting to get a picture of Reagan and Daddy from someone else. Reagan has a Valentine's shirt that says "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and she wore it that day. When Reagan's festivities were winding down, Dustin picked up Peyton from my classroom, and I was able to snap a quick picture. They head upstairs to Peyton's room, where he presented Daddy with a painted picture frame holding a picture of him and Daddy at Kelsey's wedding, a notepad with a covering that said "Daddy, You're 'Thumb-body' Special"and a huge card with a Daddy Interview. Then Daddy (with Peyton) got to eat more donuts! Here is a copy of his Daddy Interview (Peyton's answers in italics):
What size shoe does your dad wear? 10
What is your dad's favorite food? Spaghetti
What is your dad's favorite color? Blue
What does your dad do that is funny? Tickles me
What does your dad do at work? He types on the computer
What is your dad's favorite TV show? Football
What is your dad's favorite sport? Swimming
How tall is your dad? This tall (stands on a chair) 90 ft
What does your dad do best? Picks me up funny and throws me
How old is your dad? 33
Where was your dad born? At the hospital
What color are your dad's eyes? Green
How much does your dad weigh? 90 lbs
I know my dad loves me because... He's nice to me.

P.S. - Reagan has two of some of her projects because she is enrolled in two different "sections" of classes - a Monday-Wednesday class and a Tuesday-Thursday class

Reagan Asleep at the Dinner Table

Apparently, she had had a really long day!

Chuck-E-Cheese

Aunt Jenna came in for quick visit to see Hillary and new baby Baron. On Tuesday afternoon, she and Jackson met the kids and I at Chuck-E-Cheese for some fun play time! Reagan is still a bit apprehensive about the big "Chuck E Cheese" mouse that moves. She doesn't mind watching from a ways away, but she doesn't like to get to close. Peyton fell in love with the one of the car race games. It was hilarious to watch him try to reach the pedals and at the same time stretch up enough to see over the steering wheel while steering! It was great to see Jenna and Jackson for a while! We had a great time discussing all the fun we're going to have a Disney this summer! :)

Could their personalities BE any more different?

Making History

On Thursday and Friday of last week (February 11-12), the Dallas area received a record amount of snow fall. Over a foot in some places! I don't know the total for McKinney, but we seemed to have about 8 inches on the ground by Friday morning! We still had school Thursday, but the snow fell all day long! The kids had a blast playing outside Thursday afternoon and again on Friday. Of course, we are totally un-equipped clothing-wise to handle this much snow! Reagan is the only one of us who actually owns a pair of rain boots. Peyton has gloves, but they are not water-proof. A couple of times, the kids just went outside in their pjs, covered with their jackets! Despite their not-too-warm attire, the kids still had so much fun! On Thursday, they built a small snowman in the back yard, which was completely covered with snow by Friday morning. They also enjoyed making snow angels. Peyton loved to just roll around in the snow! On Friday afternoon, we went out to a big field just outside of our neighborhood. There the kids were able to just run and run and run through the snow! They also helped Daddy make a huge snowball! As much as the kids loved the snow, every time they came in from playing outside, they insisted on a bath to warm up - a bubble bath in Mommy & Daddy's big bathtub! On Saturday, Peyton came to me and said, "Today is a sadder day." At first a thought he was just saying "Saturday", so I asked him to clarify. "Today is a sadder day because it isn't snowing any more today," he said. We never, ever expected to see this much snow in our yard!

An interesting side-note to the snow - a few days before the snow started falling, we noticed that birds we picking off all the berries from our Bradford Pear trees in our backyard. We had never seen them do this before to that extreme. They literally picked all three trees clean! A few days later, it snows and the snow stays for a few days. It was as if the birds new the snow was coming, and they weren't going to be able to eat for a few days.

More Snow Pictures

"I a prin-cess!"

This weekend, Dustin walked into our bedroom to find Reagan jumping up and down on our bed. As she jumped, she was chanting, "I a prin-cess! I a prin-cess! I a prin-cess!" She hopped down, looked at Daddy, and asked, "Where's my crown?"

Cheeseburger Bread

Peyton has decided that he now likes cheeseburgers. He sweetly asked for one for dinner one night last week, and, since Daddy wasn't going to be home, Mommy decided that a trip to Wendy's for dinner sounded like a good idea. Peyton likes his cheeseburgers plain. He ate his entire Wendy's cheeseburger, crumbs and all!

This weekend, he decided bake something in the kitchen. First, he measured 1/3 cup of water into a mixing bowl. Then he added a random amount of flower. Next, he added 1/3 cup of oil, 2/3 cup of sugar, and, finally, 1 teaspoon of vanilla. All of the ingredients and their measurements were completely his idea. (obviously, he really does pay attention when I let him help me bake!). He asked me to blend it all with the mixer (he know he's not allowed to use it yet). Then he picked out a pan to bake it in - a 9 x 13 pyrex. We sprayed the dish with cooking spray and then spread the mixture into it. Peyton decided it needed to bake at 350 degrees. It ended up needing to bake for about 20 minutes. When it finally came out of the oven, I asked Peyton what he had made. "Cheeseburger bread," he said. Once it cooled down, he had fun "serving" everyone pieces of his cheeseburger bread. He was so proud of his creation! Later that night, I asked him to tell me how he had made the cheeseburger bread, and he recited the directions (including the measurements and order of ingredients) perfectly!

P.S. - While Peyton's cheeseburger bread did not taste bad, it didn't really taste good, either. But, of course, we told him it was the "best cheeseburger bread we've ever eaten!" :)

School News

Peyton's folder came home today with a yellow happy face stamp in today's date on the calendar. (Yellow is the highest color - except for the rare and invisible "super purple"!). There was also a note that said, "Peyton was the only one on yellow today! Super Day!" We are so proud of Peyton for being the best-behaved in his class today! (And at the same time we feel extremely sorry for his teacher who is probably really looking forward to the weekend!)

Yesterday, I was able to chat with his teacher for a few minutes. She complimented Peyton on how well he is doing in circle time now! She said that he now consistently sits still and listens and responds to what is going on in front of the class. She also said that he has become one of the best in the class with circle time behavior expectations! This is such a long way from where we were at the beginning of the year - when Peyton perceived turning somersaults to be appropriate circle time behavior! :)

Reagan is starting to feel some peer-pressure at school to go pee-pee in the potty. Sometimes she tells her teachers that she wants to go pee-pee too, so they'll let her sit on the potty. She's actually gone once!

Reagan has learned how to chew gum. She asked Daddy for a piece a few days ago, and, of course, got exactly what she wanted. She actually does really well - she throws the wrapping away, chews the gum for a few minutes and then spits it into the trash. Something tells me that a 2 year old who is capable of enough control to chew gum can manage enough control to use the potty.....

Reagan's Imagination

On one recent morning we were eating Daddy's Belgium waffles. Reagan always get a quarter of one of the large circles. She eats the quarter "big" (she doesn't want us to tear it up for her). On this morning, she took a couple of bites and said, "Look, an angel!" Sure enough, her waffle was in the sort-of shape of a angel. A few more bites. Then she says, "Look, a kitty cat!" Sure enough, you could definitely see a kitty cat in her waffle! Once the waffle was gone, she pointed to a tiny "owwie" on the back of her hand and said, "Look, my owwie is a heart." I looked - definitely could see a heart!

This and That

Last weekend, Dustin painted the cabinets in the kids' bathroom. Peyton wanted to help, so Dustin taught him how to paint on the back of one of the cabinet doors.

Peyton's new game is to charge people an "admission fee" to enter his room. You have to pay whatever amount he declares and then be given a ticket before you may go in.

Peyton's prayer tonight: "Dear Jesus, Thank you for me getting on pink today at school. Amen."
Mommy: "Peyton, let's try again and make your prayer a little longer."
Peyton: "Dear Jesus, Thank you for me getting on pink today at school. Thank you for letting me get on pink again tomorrow. Amen."

Comments of the Week

Peyton: "I don't like this shirt anymore."
Mommy: "Why not? Does it not fit you anymore?"
Peyton: "No. I just don't like the way I look in it."

Reagan to Daddy: "I a girl. Ur a guy."
Daddy to Reagan: "Is Mommy a girl or a guy?"
Reagan: "No. Mommy's an angel."

Peyton: "Mommy, I want to watch the really old Veggie Tales."
Mommy: "Which one is that?"
Peyton: "You know. The one I watch years ago. The first one I watched."
Mommy (pointing to the letters RLF): "Those are Reagan's initials. They stand for Reagan Leigh Francis."
Peyton: "Mommy, what are my 'commercials'?"

Reagan (pointing to herself): "I baby doll."

Reagan (while scribbling on a Magna Doodle): "A... B..... C... I write 'Grinch!'"

Peyton: "Mommy, there was no TV when you were a girl."
Mommy: "Yes there was, Peyton. How old do you think I am? There was even TV when Grandma and Grandpa and Granmommy and Grandaddy were boys and girls."
Peyton: "But there was no TV when Gran Gran and Pe Pa were boys and girls. They just had to read books."