Reese's first Thanksgiving!

This is truly my favorite time of year!  The kick-off to this wonderful season starts with Ronnie's birthday, then our anniversary, followed by Thanksgiving.  By the time the holiday gets here, my heart is so full and I just couldn't be more thankful for our family (near and far), friends (near and far), good health and our home.  God truly is good and we are so thankful for these things. 

This Thanksgiving we were here in Florida for the holiday and enjoyed time with Great Grandma Merrill, Jimmy, Steph (and their one on the way) and Grandma and Grandpa Merrill! 

On November 17th, Great Grandma arrived from New York.  Can you believe she is 97 (well, as of tomorrow - Dec. 1, actually)??  She flies all the way down here by herself and is as sharp as a tac.  I know she struggles with her vision  - but I can only IMAGINE the things she would still be doing if she could see as good as she used to.... she truly is unbelievable and we enjoy her being around.  Drew is always the first to ask "where's great grandma?" when we get to Grandma's house.  He is always so concerned!  It is precious. 

Steph and Jimmy arrived late on Tuesday the 23rd.  The next afternoon they were over to visit - we had dinner at our house and just hung out.  It was so much fun!  We miss Steph and Jimmy and they are so sweet to the kids. They are going to be awesome parents! 

Here is grandma Merrill sneaking in some Reese cuddles! 

"Yep - I've got my "active wear" on today...thought about going to the gym but decided to stay home and hang with grandma..."  haha.

On Thursday we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Merrills for the big day!  Jimmy and Drew are like two peas in a pod.  Jimmy loves playing with Drew and their new fun game on this trip was "SPEED ROUND"!   Drew gets his golf club and Jimmy places little plastic golf balls on the mat for Drew to hit... and they do as many as they can, as fast as they can.  We played this game A FEW times!

Mommy and Reese!  This little gobbler was ready for her first Thanksgiving!

Aunt Steph was ready to jump in on the picture and get her hands on this BABY!

Steph is going to be a great mommy -- she had lots of Reese time this trip.  Seemed like whenever I said "who has Reese?"... I would catch her with snuggling with Aunt Steph :-) 

Jimmy also got his fair share of Reese time -- I would say he is ready for the real thing!

After a super yummy dinner... we were all stuffed so time to get outside before it got too dark.  Grandpa Merrill started the fire for us all to enjoy.  Reese loved looking at the flames!

Oh, and you can see the tent back there that Grandpa has set up for Drew.  They have been talking about sleeping out there -- I can't wait until that happens!  There will sure be some good stories....

With all the action and family around, of course Drew wouldn't stay down for a nap.  But that didn't stop him from racing mommy, daddy and Jimmy in the backyard that night!  Seriously - this kid DOES NOT STOP.

It was SUCH a beautiful evening - we all sat outside to watch football and enjoy the weather.

Grandpa trying to sneak up on Reese... "Oh, I see you Gramps!"

With Great Grandma Merrill's birthday around the corner, of course we had to sing her Happy Birthday!  (this is probably Drews favorite song).  We ended it with a big hug and kiss!

SO PRECIOUS

Finally time to head home....and this happened almost as we pulled out of the neighborhood....

On Friday evening, Jimmy and Steph stopped by one last time before heading back to DC.  Can't believe that next time we see them they will have their own little family.  We couldn't be more excited for the Miniers!

Two happy girls!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend it was!  Looking forward to the rest of the holiday season!

Reese turns 4 months

Stats 'n' Stuff:

Weight: 15 lbs 1 oz -- she is a chunker!  She was in the 81 percentile for weight - hard to believe at one point I was actually worried about her weight and had to make special trips in to get her weighed... times have changed!  She is such a healthly little girl and growing up so fast.

Height: 26 in.  -- SHE IS TALL!  97 percentile in height. 

Eyes: Still blue!

Hair: Still Blonde fuzz! My friends with babies that have hair all talk about bows and clips... but this babe is going to be rockin' the headbands for quite some time!

Sleeping habits:  
 - Daytime  - she usually sleeps until about 9:30 or 10... then maybe a late morning cat nap and typically an afternoon nap that lasts anywhere from 45 min.- 90 min.  If it's shorter, then she might snooze again in the evening. She is a very content baby!
 - Nightime -  she usually crashes between 9-10 and will sleep until between 4 and 6am.  She is a great sleeper...and even when she wakes up she doesn't really fuss!  We just have to keep the monitor on super loud so we can hear her wrestling around in there!  

She has been struggling to kick some congestion ever since we traveled back to Iowa this fall.  Just pretty stuffy and for awhile we had her sleeping on a reclined surface so she could breath better.  Now we have her back in the crib with the humidifier crankin' to try to kick it.  I am also wondering if maybe she has a tooth coming in... lots of drooling, bubbles and she loves to stick her little index finger in her mouth.  It's so cute!  

Favorite things to do: 
-Smiling and baby blabber!  She absolutely LOVES to smile.  Lately I have been putting her to bed while she is still awake (which we could have NEVER done with Drew at this age) and she just looks up at me, smiles a bunch, I shut off the light and she goes to sleep.  It unbelievable!  She is just such a HAPPY baby. 


 - Her bath.  Unlike her brother, she loves the bath.  She kicks and kicks and has so much fun splashing.  She just laughs and giggles the entire time.  After I get her washed up I just let her play for a bit :-) 


Things she does NOT like to do: 
 - Uuuhhh... this girl is like the definition of "go with the flow" ---  she never fusses unless she is super hungry or tired.   

Things she has learned
 -  How to laugh.  Her little smile and giggles make my day... her smile is seriously contagious! 
 - How to roll from tummy to back! 
  - How to pull on the toys on her play mat and pull them to her
-  How to hold her head up.  
 - How to sit up in the bumbo chair - she loves it!  
 - How to blow bubbles!  

Things mommy has learned:

She is so low maintenance (I am sure she is saving up for her teenage years) and everyone just can't get over her chubby cheeks and big smile.  Little girls bring SO much joy to their mommies!  

Here are a bunch of fun pics from month 4!

Just smilin' away in the bumbo chair!

Is that 2 chins or 3??

Can you say "happy?"

First Halloween!

Hangin' with Aunt Stephanie on her baby shower weekend!  Can't wait for the new cousin to arrive!

Fun visit from Aubrey and Max -- second cousin time!  Two very pretty girls :-) 

Is this Reese or Drew??  I had to double check the date!

All smiles, all the time.

Lots of love from Titi and Ali!  They just love this juicy and delicious baby!

CHILL MODE... I couldn't believe she did this... she is so her father's daughter!

We love you to PIECES little REESE!

A Pirates Life!

Wow is this post late... just realized I never hit PUBLISH, so rewriting a few sections and here we go............... 

This year's Halloween season was one to remember!  Drew was really in to it  - he wanted to be Jake the Pirate (from the Jake and the Neverland Pirates).  We ended up hosting little neighborhood get together on the driveway before trick-or-treating, so we decided to be a family of pirates!  

But before we get to all the fun Halloween tricks, I need to make sure to mention that it is now almost December and Drew is still talking about "the kickin'" (which was a lawn decoration down the street that had a blow up witch sticking out of a pot), the halloween costumer store is pointed out whenever we drive past it and he is still spooked out by spiders and anything that seems to be "scaaaaawy"!  He was such a riot with it this year!

Pic of him being in true pirate form -- defending me at the costume store! He was so serious.  He really thought the displays were real and didn't want them to "get me."

Also - I very quickly got sick of all the online custumes and store bought versions, and decided we would do a DIY version of Jake the Pirate... well, maybe not DIY - more like CALL GREAT GRANDMA BUTCHER!  She made a homemade vest for Drew and it was SO adorable.  He wore that with his "Jake boots"  (which also doubled as farm boots during our trip to Iowa).  He loved his little costume and wore it around with pride! 

We also had a few cute pre-halloween outfits for Miss Reese!  My Aunt Renea sent the cutest headband and orange tutu!  Here is the headband!. 

Here she is in the tutu!  This smile is just too much to handle!!

Mommy was a pirate and Reese was our little parrot!  

Me and JAKE!

Ronnie was a "mean" pirate!  He wanted to kill me for getting him an all black long sleeved custume when it was about 85 degrees out that night... but it was a major hit!

Here are some of our neighborhood friends.... we had Ninja Tutrles

And some white trash.  This one just cracks me up.  They are so funny!  And she just had her little baby... no sideffects from the NA beer and fake cigs :-) 

Ronnie liked to really stay in costume... what a mean pirate!

THE CREW!  These little kiddos have all gotten to know each other over the past few years and are all buds -- Drew was only 5 months old when we met everyone.

Such a nice little pirate he is! Ready to go!

And, we're off! 

What a great time we had!  Ron and Cathy were also at the party and got to enjoy the kids as well.  They stayed back and handed out candy while we went around the neighborhood with the group.  Reese was such a little trooper - I put her in the carrier and she joined the fun too :-)

Everyone had a blast and it was a Halloween to remember!

Reese's first flight for some fall fun!

WOW -- these Mommy Tales keep getting posted later and later... I swear I don't know where the time goes!  #lifewithtwokids

 

After Reese was born, I played around with the idea of taking her back to Iowa to meet her Great Grandparents, her cousins in Iowa (plus Lukey, since she had only met Ethan after she was born), her uncles and her aunts in Iowa.  I had a hard time picking a weekend and was dragging my feet because I didn't want to leave Drew home.  But when Wendy called and said she had two days off for a Fall Break - that weekend was a no-brainer and I decided to put my Super Mom cape on and take both kids!  Reese has been such an awesome baby  - so I knew that as long as Drew had his listening ears on we would be A-Okay!

 

Last fall I remembered seeing the pictures of the Pumpkin Patch with all the little boys and wanted Drew to have the same experience -- plus I wanted him to have an opportunity to see the farm during the fall when all the big machinery is out and the ground isn't covered with snow.  So the mission was:

 

1. See some very special family and introduce Reese Catherine

2. Pumpkin Patch!

3. Farm life!

 

Tickets were booked and away we went............

 

 

Of course Mr. Personality was on his A-Game at the airport entertaining anyone he could.  Apple Juice in hand, this was one happy little boy!  Oh... and don't forget about Reese.  Snoozin' away in the baby carrier like a little angel!

 

 

Naps about to happen across the board... we scored a row with an empty seat in the middle.  Drew stretched out and crashed!

 

Aunt Wendy and the boys picked us up in Minneapolis and off we went to Mankato.  We didn't even make it into the house and these boys were playing.  Ethan took them on a gator ride around the house.  Drew was in amazement that they were driving and riding all by themselves! 

 

 

It was a gorgeous day out and the Weber's neighbors across the street have an apple tree.  They said we could bring over the boys and pick some apples.  Drew had fun helping Aunt Wendy find the ones that didn't have any worms in them :-)

 

 

 

And then there was Lukey.... SO. SWEET.  He was all about Baby Reese.  He even wanted to sit next to her in the car and kept looking over at her.  When we got home and in the house he asked to hold her and he was so gentle and sweet to her (....aaahhh....I think he would be a good OLDER brother....)

There is nothing like the snuggle hugs you get from Aunt Wendy!  Lots of love there!

 

More Luke and Reesey action - TOO CUTE!

 

Grandma Lori drove up that evening so she could spend some time with THIS crew!  We had a fun day planned -- first, we went to the Children's Museum in Mankato (IT.WAS. AWESOME), then off to the Pumpkin Patch.  These little passengers did great in the car  - including baby Reese.

 

First stop:  Children's Museum.  Drew would still be there pushing those big blocks up the belt and hauling them up the steps if I left him there.  He was having so much fun - such a treat for me to watch him learning how these things worked and getting so into it! 

 

 

Ok Lukey -- you crank the wheel, I'll put the block on there

Next stop:  PUMPKIN PATCH!

 

Drew was very into Halloween and everything pumpkins this year so I couldn't wait for him to see I real pumpkin patch and experience this with his cousins. 

LOVE TIHS ONE!  HAHAHA!  BOO!

There was a fun train ride that Drew did about 3 times in a row... and he loved wearing his hat at mittens :-)

Fun was had by all at the Pumpkin Patch - now time to keep heading south toward Holstein.  We made one last stop and Great Grandma and Grandpa's house, then off to Grandma Lori's.

Aunt Melissa as there to meet Reese and give her some Iowa Auntie love!

 

Always lots of fun with everyone at Grandma Loris!  We roasted marshmallows and made smores by the fire pit.  YUMMY!

 

 

Nobody is going to mess with Miss Reese or you will have to answer to this crew! 

 

The next day was FARM DAY!  We got all the kids dressed up in ISU gear and snapped some pics at the farm.  Melissa bribed them all with a ride on the side-by-side if they behaved for the pictures.  It worked and off they went!

 

 

 

You can't get a ride this exciting at ANY amusement park! (or a more glamorous driver :-)

 

 

Organized chaos!

 

Time for a wagon ride from Aunt Bri!

 

This picture melts my heart. 

Get in here Grandpa Butcher!

Lots of love from this Auntie too!  Love you Bri!

Connie loves to snuggle with baby Reese too! SMILE REESEY!

 

We also got to meet Baby Duke on this trip!  He was such a sweetie and so big! 

GO CYCLONES!

Next stop was one I had been looking SO forward to.  Great Grandma Butcher!  Look at her loving on Reese.  I can just hear her saying "oooooohhhhh, I love you so"

 

And check this out -- Aunt Renea!  I was so glad I sent a message lettering her know we were coming to Holstein.  She zipped down to see us and get her snuggles with baby Reese too!

 

 

Nice try... but not quite the photo I was going for.  These little kiddos were tired of the camera :-)

 

Back out to the farm to DO SOME WORK! 

Checking the cattle with Grandpa Butcher

Before the trip, Melissa said Kelby was working on his list of things he wanted to show Drew.  It was the cutest list ever and when we got to their house he was SO PROUD to show Drew around.  I was loving every minute of it. 

 

First stop - show Drew the kitty cats and shop!

Aunt Melissa -- can you help me pet the kitties???

The next stop was Kelby's diggers.  This MIGHT have been the highlight of the trip for Drew.  I remember when Andrew and Ben would spend hours and hours just digging up sand with these things.  I am pretty sure that I could have left Drew there for a couple hours and he would still be digging when I got back. 

 

Beau had to show him how it works....

 

Now Drew's turn!

Showing Drew the "Pedal Tractor" was also on Kelby's list -  HERE IT COMES!

 

 

Aunt Katie with all the boys in the pick-up - time for a selfie!

 

WOW -- what a trip we had.  I feel so blessed that we can make these trips up to see family and keep these cousins close.  I have such great memories with my own cousins growing up and want the same for Drew and Reese. 

Until next time...........