PRE-SCHOOL for Brightlie!

Oh my goodness!  Can you believe it?  I surely can't.  Brightlie is going to/starting Pre-School.  My baby, at a big school, learning...growing...playing...
Wasn't it just yesterday that i was holding her in the hospital?  Oh, my beloved first-born.  Well, enough with the sadness... we are super excited for her!  And, Brightlie is more than ready.  She is so excited, and can't wait to make new friends.  She is enrolled at Queen Creek Elementary School, in the 'Kinder-Prep 3" pre-school program. There are 15 kids in her class, with one main teacher & one assistant teacher. Her class is 3 days a week, M-T-Th, from 12:40pm - 3:10pm.

 We were able to go to "Meet-the-Teacher", where we were introduced to her teacher "Ms. Deb" (Deb Schultz).  I am thrilled, because I have already heard good things about her from several other moms, so that gives me hope that Brightlie will really like her.

Sisters!!!  I had to take this pic before B heads off to Pre-school.  I am not

sure how Peyton will do without her big sister there... although I think it will be good

for them to have a little individual time. Still, these 2 are best friends! (well, most of the time).

Brightlie Donna Reidhead

(photo shoot by me, on her 1st day of Pre-school!)

 This is her with her class!  (There are 12 girls, and only 3 boys in her class!)  She was a little nervous, but went right over and lined up with the other kids.

 ADORABLE.  Seriously, I know I'm biased, but this girl is so dang cute!  She was thrilled to get to wear her new outfit to school, and of course we made sure it was her 2 favorite colors, pink & purple.  :)

Proud Mom moment!  I am so proud of this girl!  She was so excited, and it helped

me to be happy for her.  I didn't even cry! (Well, i did the night before, but not in front of her!).  And Paul gave her a beautiful blessing last night, that told Brightlie how proud we were of her, and specifically mentioned that she will be a good example and friend to her peers.  We love her and are so excited for Brightlie's desire to learn and grow!  What a fun year this will be!

Ps.- SHE LOVED HER 1st DAY!  

4th of JULY!!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

We were grateful to be able to have the 4th of July Holiday, not only because it is full of fun, food, and friends, but because it is a chance to enjoy and be thankful for the many freedoms we enjoy in this great country.  

 So, since Paul was off work, we spent the afternoon swimming with his sister Chelsea at her apartment complex.  It was a super hot day, so the cool water and good company was perfect!

 And although you can't tell,poor Paul (though looking ghostly here) came home quite "lobster" looking, after baking in the sun for a few hours (ouch!)

Oh, and then there is our sweet little Peyton (and Brightlie) who love the water.  I call them my little fishies!  

They love any chance to get in a pool! 

 We were invited to watch fireworks and eat food over at the Anderson's Home, and it's always a fun party over there!  That made the evening memorable- good food, good friends.

 Peyton - 14 months old 

(She did not like the noise of the fireworks.)

 Brightlie, 3.5 yrs. old

(loved ever bit of the fireworks, and got to do sparklers this year!)

And yes, here are our 2 girls, in their adorable red, white & blue

outfits!  Such cute little All-American girls!!!

Brightlie had SO much fun this year- it was so exciting to see her hold a sparkler, and see the joy it brought to her!  These are the fun memories/tradition I hope to encourage... every year growing up my mom would take us down to MCC, with lawn chairs, blankets, and food, to go see the fireworks.  I truly treasure those memories, and it's so fun to pass of 4th of July traditions to my kids!

Summer Catch-up! JUNE

Okay, so I can't believe it is already August!  Where did June & July go!?  Well, I guess pictures are a good way to show all of the fun we have had, so here's what we have been up to!
JUNE....

 We got to celebrate Paul's 27th birthday!  It was a lot of fun- we went to a new restaurant, called Benihana's.  It is awesome, cuz you sit around a large flat stove, and your own personal Japanese Chef cooks all of your food in front of you, putting on a big show!

 We doubled with our dear friends, the Anderson's which is always fun, and we all enjoyed a great night out!

Our chef!  

 Not only is my man hott at 27, but he is also an official Mechanical Design Engineer & working for a great company, has 2 (going on 3) children, is helpful, happy, and a wonderful father & husband, and is my best friend.  It seems like this guy is only 27, and really going places!  Can't wait to see what this year hold for him!

Father's Day 2013

 Paul is the best father and "daddy" anyone could ever ask for.  He is kind, loving, firm but gentle, loves to play and wrestle.  He is always greeted most enthusiastically when he walks in the door each evening by two girls who totally adore him!  He helps with bath-time & story-time, plays outside, encourages dress-up, takes the girls to the grocery store with him, helps with discipline, and is INVOLVED!  That is really the key.He loves to listen to Brightlie as she tells him about her day.  He gets on the floor and rolls around playing "monster" with the girls as they scream with delight!  He is affectionate and loving, and complimentary of each of the girls' unique talents.  He is the perfect Dad, and I am so proud to call him my husband.
Happy Father's Day, Paul!

It's a ........BOY!

So, we had my 15 weeks ultrasound and we were both so nervous, in hopes that

Dr. Beck would reveal the gender.  And he did!  After only a moment of looking at the screen,

we were able to see... well, a little something extra!  Yep, it looks like it's gonna be a boy!

Of course, Dr. Beck said he will re-affirm this at the 20 week appt. just to be safe, since the umbilical cord was between the baby's legs, but even so, he still is pretty sure it's a boy.  Well,

I'm gonna be honest.  I was crying... not really tears of joy.  I'm terrified!  This is a whole new

ball game for us- uncharted territory.  But, I am sure I will get used to the idea soon enough.  Plus,

everyone else was hoping for a boy, so at least everyone will be happy for us!  

Here is to Baby BOY Reidhead, due Dec. 20th, 2013.  

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Well, here we go again!!!  That's right, we are PREGNANT!  

I found out on Tues. April 23rd. Even though I was not exactly sure, I felt like I was a little late.  Silly to jump to a pregnancy test, but i though,what the heck.  I really didn't actually THINK i was pregnant.  Instant POSITIVE on the test.  Oh.my.gosh.  I was stunned.  I spent the entire night thinking about what this meant, how to tell Paul, what this meant for our family.
We knew that their was a 3rd child meant to come to our home.  That was made clear to me only a few days after we arrived home after giving birth to Peyton.  The thought that I had still brings me to tears...  I vividly 'felt' a small voice say, "please don't give up yet, i'm supposed to be in your family".  Gosh that is hard to ignore. So, we knew there was another, we just weren't sure on when or why....
Because Paul and I had talked of Peyton being our last.  We have no desire to have a huge family.  We have always said 2, maybe 3 kids. Well, just before I found out about baby #3, Paul had just said, lets wait 6 months before we try to get pregnant.  We had a large Disneyland trip planned for the fall, Peyton is still little, and  B is starting Pre-school this yr.  A lot going on, and i totally agreed with this plan.   Funny,  that conversation occurred 2 days prior to me taking the pregnancy test.
So, I woke up Wed. morning and headed off to the doughnut shop before heading over to Paul's work.  I got lucky that right when  arrived one of Paul's co-workers whom i recognized with about to walk in.  I handed her the box of doughnuts, and asked her to deliver it to Paul. This is what it said:

Cute huh?  Anyways, a few minutes later, out walks Paul.  He was so surprised...he asked me if i was joking.  I started to tear up and told him, "I'm serious, I'm pregnant!"  He hugged me, and hugged me some more, and really didn't have anything to say, except that he needed some time to process this.  :)  haha!  He later called me from work and said he couldn't concentrate.  Oh, my dear hubby.  

Long story short, he came around.  He is happy.  I am happy.  We are terrified, anxious, nervous, and happy.  I am pretty sick, as usual.  I've dropped 10 lbs. in 5 weeks.  I throw up nearly everyday, if not multiple times.  Everyone hopes it is a boy.  Everyone but me. I would love another girl.  Paul says he'll be happy either way, whatever the Lord sends us is fine  :)  

Above is the 1st ultra-sound picture!   We are excited to find out what gender Baby #3 will be.  My first appt. with Dr. Beck was on May 21st, and everything looks healthy.  Strong heart beat.  Only one baby.  My due date is technically Dec. 20th, but we are already planning on an early induction on Dec. 13th. Life is good!!!!

  

The month of May, pt. 2

OUR CRUISE!!!!!

So, to celebrate our 5th Anniversary (4/4/2013) we decided to book our very 1st cruise!!!!  It was so much fun, and certainly a new adventure! Of course we took lots of pictures, to tell our story!

 We departed from Long Beach, CA on May 13th!  

Here we are, about to walk on our ship!

 The ship is massive!  I've never seen anything like it.

This one is called the Carnival Inspiration.

Me and my sexy man!  Ready for some sun! 

Tues. we docked at the 1st port,  Catalina Island. 

 Catalina Island!

 We rented bikes & toured the island.  It was so much fun!!!

 This is us at lunch, and at delicious little Italian restaurant.

 What a beautiful sunny day, with great scenery!

 For our excursion on Catalina Island, we decided to try something new-

we went kayaking!  We even saw quite a few sand sharks in the water,

which freaked me out, but we survived!  

 Each night, we would come back to a clean room

with an awesome towel decoration!  It was so fun!

 On Wed., we docked in MEXICO, and spent the day in Ensenada!!!

 We got to see Ensenada's famous tourist attraction, a blow-hole right

on the coast, called "La Bufadora"

 Then we went to a flee/swap market, where my favorite part

was the huge pina colada drinks!!  YUM!  

 We ended our day with a guided horseback ride along the beach!

My first good experience with a horse- thank goodness!

 MEXICO!!!!

My first time ever to leave the USA.

 Our trip would not have been complete without the making of some fun friends!

We spent lots of time with these 4 awesome people, and were so glad to meet

such nice, fun people to share the experience with!

Overall, all though we had fun, Paul and I decided we are NOT cruise people.  The rocking of the ship

made me super sick, and i did spend a good deal of time barfing.  Paul and I agree that it was a great adventure though, and it was great to have a vacation without the kiddos, where we could just focus on

us.  Happy 5 years!!!! 

The month of May, part 1!

Oh my gosh, i've gotten so far behind!!!!  OK, where to begin....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

So, I turned 27.  Quite sad for me, only 3 away from 30-  yikes!  Anyways, I had a great day. I went out to lunch with my 2 best friends, Elisha & Tiffany.  We had a great time eating at Oreganos- Pizza, salads, deep dish cookie w/ ice cream.  Amazing.  Then Elisha and I spent a few ours at the mall shopping, where she convinced me to get my first "real" sunglasses.  (Real meaning they cost more than $10).  Paul was sweet and bought me a great gift- a Sony Camera!  I love it, and it is perfect for all the pictures i love to take of the girls and our family.   I'm excited to see what this year holds, and excited to see what adventures happen while i am still in my "20's".

Me & my besties, out for my birthday lunch!

Paul, showing off the new camera he bought me-

Thanks Love!!!!!

 MOTHER'S DAY 2013!

Me & my girlies.  They were so sweet and bought me

two new charms for my Pandora bracelet.  Paul also

surprised me with 2 dozen gorgeous red roses! I am spoiled!

Peyton- 13 months old, a mouthy full of teeth!

 Brightlie- 3.5 years old, her hair is getting so long!

Also, notice her big smile?  She is proud that daddy let us

go to the mall and the get the girls' ears pierced!!!  

The girls did so good, and hardly even cried!

Hurray for earrings and girly girls!

Peyton is ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday

 Peyton! 

We can't believe that our little baby is already a toddler!  It is so fun to see her interacting with Brightlie, playing, exploring, learning, and walking!  Yes, she walks/runs everywhere!  Everyone seems to comment on 2 things... her big blue eyes, and her walking skills.  I think it is  fun to see her personality shining through.  She is certainly in love with me and Paul, and loves to be held (clingy).  She LOVES Brightlie, and now that they can share toys, they are truly acting like "sisters"- plying one moment, before tears the next moment.

Paul & I gave Peyton this cute little riding toy... "THEY" love it!

( Don't be fooled... Peyton is actually the stinker when it comes to toy-taking... we are working on the concept of sharing.)  
Peyton's hair is still pretty thin, but it is growing.  And this little lady has a mouth full of teeth (i think i counted 10 teeth)!  She refuses to use sippy cups of any kind. She likes to read/tear apart books.  She thinks bath time is awesome, and she loves the anything with water!

She ways hi, says "ha" which i think is "hi" and also says "ba" (bottle), along with a wide array other chitter chattery noises.  She wears size 12 month clothes, weighs 18 lbs., 15 oz., and is 30 in. tall.

For her birthday we celebrated by going to the zoo on Friday, and then yesterday we had a little party with all our dear friends!  Tonight we are having Paul's family over for cake and ice cream, so i'm pretty sure Peyton is pretty spoiled at this point.  :)  

 Best Friends

{Peyton - 1yr. / Brightlie - 3 yrs.}

Spending the day at the Phoenix Zoo for Peyton's 1st birthday!

 Peyton's favorite part of the day was the splash pad!

 Happy Birthday!  Lots of fun decorations!

 My friend Leigh Root, her baby Natalie,

and Peyton.  N & P are only a month apart!

And of course, Nana Biggs was there!  

She is such an awesome Great-Grandma to my girls.

 Peyton got lots of great presents - clothes, toys, and books.

 But she wasn't very sure about the cake....

 But she eventually dived in!  Look at that messy, cute face!

Brightlie was so cute and went around the whole day saying "Happy birthday Peyton!"

Well, until we said family prayer....

Me:  "And we're thankful for Peyton, and that it's her birthday"

(Brightlie, interrupting)  "And for my birthday!"

Hahaha!!!  Love these funny sisters and all the joy they bring to our lives!