Everyday Life

It's hard to believe it's March already. Time sure is flying by this year! Scott only has 7 games left in the regular season. He has been keeping plenty busy, as usual, with school and hockey. Meanwhile, Reese and I are trying to stay equally busy, taking walks, playing 'ball' outside, going for coffee with the girls, etc.

We have lots to look forward to over the next couple of months. My Dad will be here Thursday which will be a nice treat for us all. The weather has been great here in Cardiff so I'm sure many walks to the park and playing outside are in our near future with Grandpa. Scott's last semester of school starts in April and with it brings much more 'free' time. I use that term loosely, as it won't exactly be free time for him but he will definitely be around a lot more! We've also just finalized our reservations for a family vacation to the French Riviera at the end of April. We found a great little apartment right in Nice which will be great for Reese. Can't wait for it!

As for Reese, she is changing more everyday. She loves to talk and practices all the time. Just not normally to anyone. She practices 'reading' books to her buddies, talking into the phone, or talking to her buddies. She is still as feisty as ever. I feel like I write that in every post but it's so true. She can be the sweetest little thing offering up kisses when you least expect them and in the next second will be having a meltdown of epic proportions. I guess she is a girl who knows EXACTLY what she wants. In all seriousness, she is so much fun these days. Watching her learn and grow is so amazing. Here are a few recent pics of our everyday life.

Animal sounds and eating like a big girl!

Here are a couple videos of Reese showing her animal sounds and eating her cereal like a big girl. She can do a snake now too which sounds more like a 'th' sound instead of 's' but it's still pretty cute!

Big girl!

Reese is such a big girl these days and seems to be growing up by the second! She is becoming more and more independent and wants to do everything herself. She will sit there forever 'playing' with her shoes. Trying and trying and trying to put them on and take them off. If you walk over to help her she just pushes you away, saying "na na na" (no, no, no!). She loves to play in her highchair if you let her after she eats. She wants her bib off and straps unbuckled but doesn't want to get out. She'll sit there and try and do up the buckle by herself. Sometimes she turns around toward the window and says, "bye, da da" over and over.

She is getting pretty good at feeding herself with a spoon too. I give her the bowl of cereal and a spoon on her tray and she eats it by herself for the most part. If my hand is anywhere near the tray, it gets pushed away. Almost all of the cereal ends up in her mouth too! I don't think she likes to get too messy yet (yay for the clean up on my part!). We have a little video of it and will post soon.

It seems early to even start thinking about potty training but she has been telling us when she poops. We thought it was just coincidence at first when she looked at us and said "poo poo" but sure enough she had indeed. Since then, she has been telling us right before she goes, pretty consistently. Maybe we should introduce a potty?!

Reese loves all of her buddies so much. She is constantly giving them hugs and kisses and loves to tuck Ruby in before she goes to bed. She also has an obsession with hats. Ruby has to have a hat on most of the time and so does Reese. Which is odd since she won't leave a headband or bow in her hair no matter what! She tries to share her water and snacks with her buddies too. So funny!

Here are some of the latest pictures.

Chicken Pox

Well, Chicken Pox have come and gone. Luckily GS was here for the first couple days to help us figure out what to do! We kept Reese covered in calamine lotion and did daily oatmeal bath soaks. Seemed to help as much as possible I guess. Thank goodness her sleep wasn't interrupted by the itch. The pox were pretty bad on her back but her face wasn't too bad. All spots have scabbed and healed now so we've been enjoying our time outside of the house lately!

Granny Sue's visit

Granny Sue, we miss you! It was so great having GS here for just over three weeks. Reese LOVED her special time with her Granny and she was such a huge help to Scott and I. Scott was busy studying for finals and playing hockey so it was great to have some extra help around the house. I basically had a three week vacation which I must say was pretty nice! Of course Granny came with lots of treats for Reese which she loved, especially her tent/tunnel and backpack full of buddies. Also, gave Scott and I a chance to get out a few times for dinner and drinks which is always a treat. Oh and I can't forget to mention Granny's awesome cleaning skills, our place was sparkling by the time she left. We had so much fun with you and appreciate all your help, thank you so much for coming GS, we love you!

15 months

Time sure flies by when you're chasing around a toddler! 15 months has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Reese is so busy these days, it's an effort just to keep up. We're not sure about her stats because things are done a little differently here in Wales but rest assured the girl is definitely a growing! She is starting to talk more and more but sticks to simple things like hi and bye. She knows her animal sounds (dog, cat, monkey, cow, sheep, lion, and snake) and usually obliges when you ask her what each says. We have a short video of it so will try and post soon. She's always on the move and loves to play hide and seek, peek-a-boo, read her books, kiss all of her 'buddies', talk on all of her phones and dance to music. Oh and did I forget to mention about her feisty little attitude. She will definitely let you know when she isn't getting what she wants, mini tantrums and all. Hoping those are just a phase but have a feeling it's just the beginning!

Christmas in Wales

We woke up bright and early Christmas morning to do stockings which Reese attacked as soon as she got in the living room! She tore right into hers....and ours too. We had homemade cinnamon rolls with our coffee then moved on to presents. Reese was really into opening gifts this year, pulling paper off of any and everything. After gifts, we enjoyed bacon brunch for breakfast then took a long afternoon snooze, all three of us. We celebrated Christmas dinner with friends which is always nice, especially when we can't be home.

Here are a few pics- Reese writing a letter to Santa, stockings, opening stockings, hanging with her buddies Laura and Stu, and posing with sweet little Blakely in front of the tree.