Walking!!

Here she is....walking! :) SO exciting! As Grandma Shari says, "What out world!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHFz7d6KUUo&list=UUBNC420GHGFcYS1zfJHbwBQ&index=1&feature=plcp

The puppiest paw-ty ever

I have never been to a puppy party, let alone hosted one, but that is what we did for Raegan's first birthday party. Everything was themed around dogs and puppies, and Raegan LOVED it! I had some creative help from friends and family, and some custom party favor help from etsy.com.  I love that website by the way. There are some very talented women out there, that is all I know!

Now, even though I have never been to a puppy paw-ty before, I know, paws down, that this was the best one ever. When guests arrived at the door we had a happy birthday sign, custom with puppies and Raegan's name. Puppy paw prints were on the tile floor of the entry, leading past the puppy coloring table (where kids could color pictures of dogs and choose dog stickers) to the custom made-out-of-a-box dog house that Meg and I designed and painted. Each child could choose a stuffed dog from the dog house to adopt, name, and put their dog collar name tag on. Some of the adopted doggies names were Frank, Doggie, and Misty. :) Raegan's dog's name was "Raegan" so no one would take hers home by mistake. She fell in love with a little black and white one whose nose was apparently delicious to gnaw on. We rented a helium tank, so there were tons of balloons, including the custom made by Meg (based on a martha stewart template) puppy dog balloons. I also made a milestone banner, which featured Raegan's picture for each month through one year, and a custom puppy banner with Raegan's name on it near the kitchen.

While adults were snacking and drinking adult beverages, Meg ran the "Pin the paw on the puppy game," which subsequently involved stickers (safer) instead of pins, but everyone enjoyed none the less. After watching all of the kids put stickers on the dog poster, Raegan actually took her own turn, accurately placing her sticker on the poster....and then wanting to pull it back off when she realized she wasn't getting it back!

Next was the "toddler-ized" pinata (aka, a pull string pinata) in which each child takes turns pulling a string hanging from the bottom of the pinata. One of the strings opens it up and out drops the candy. Jasen couldn't find a place to hang it, so I dubbed him pinata holder. The thing opened on the third string pulled. Lucky kids! They swarmed like sharks to a swimmer. The candy didn't have a chance on the ground. I must have over estimated the amount of candy for the number of kids, because the parents looked pretty horrified at the amount of candy their child had gathered in their "doggy bags." :) Yes, the bags had dogs on them, too. The pinata had a dog on it, too.

Before time for cake, Meg, the famous face painting artist in Northern California, did some face painting! Paired with the puppy dog head bands I purchased, each child (and in this case, adults) could be transformed into a dog! What fun!!

We had to pause the face painting for some cake and singing. Raegan loved the singing and although she didn't dig into the cake (okay - there was no sugar in the frosting - I admit it) she did enjoy the whipped cream and the balloons tied to her chair. Oh, and she wore the happy birthday hat! Amazing! It was so cute having all of the little ones gathered around the table for the birthday song and cupcakes. Homemade carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (with a hint of orange in the frosting). Delicious! Meg and I devoured the gluten free ones. Some of the kids asked what kind of cupcake it was, so I said it was called "surprise" because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't eat it if they new it was made with a vegetable. The cupcakes had dog cupcake toppers on them. :)

Last, Raegan opened her presents (she actually did help open some) and the little kids loved helping us open them up!

It was so great watching Raegan interact with all of the kids, following after them, playing in the dog house, squealing when she saw them playing ball outside, and smiling from ear to ear.

The next morning, when Raegan woke up and Jasen brought her into our bed, she gave me five kisses. I'm pretty sure that meant, "Thank you, mommy, for my wonderful puppy party! It was so much fun!"

Yes, it was!!

The Big One!!

Happy Birthday to our baby girl! One year old today! (More to come on the Puppy Birthday Paw-ty in a later post). One of the neatest things Raegan is doing right now is communicating! She does this by signing, pointing, gesturing, and sometimes words. She loves to point to everything, and she notices new things right away. She hands over toys, as if to request help or to "do it again." She points to pictures, and if she knows the sign she will do that. She requests water, and to eat (although she sometimes mixes these up because the signs are so similar). She understands "no" and will crawl away from me as quickly as she can so I won't take something from her. She is becoming more and more social, and now likes to meet new people. Although she will sometimes scowl at first, she then quickly smiles, as if it is a game. She can take 5 steps independently! She can stand on her own for a good length of time, and loves to hold onto her train or her dolly stroller and push them all over the house while smiling and squealing and chasing Roxy.

I really can't believe all of the changes we have seen in Raegan in this first year...from this tiny helpless baby to this animated, mobile tot! It is amazing to me watching this human being grow and change right before my eyes. Sure, there have been trials and tribulations, but someone got it right when they said, "There is nothing like the joy of a child."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAEGAN!!! :)

Easter bunny

For Raegan's first Easter, we went the the famous Easter hunt hosted by Jasen's cousin, Jeff. It is quite the event! The night before, Matt went to Jeff's to help dye eggs, hide eggs, and eat lots of sugar. This has been a tradition for many years now. :)

The morning of the hunt, I was brushing my teeth when I had this feeling that Raegan was going to love the bunny. Many children cry with the bunny. But, I turned to Jasen and said, "She isn't going to cry with the Easter bunny. I think she is going to really like it." As always, I was right! ;)

She loved everything about the egg hunt. She loved seeing family and watching all of the kids. She loved picking up the eggs and shaking them (the candy or coins made noise), and she really loved sitting with the Easter bunny. She looked into the bunny's eyes and rubbed his fur even. She looked beautiful in a dress and cardigan that Chris Maiocco (a family friend) gave to her when she was born! Here are some pics from the day!

One year of Raegan

Someone special is turning 1 year old next week! Below is a link to a video of Raegan's year in pictures. Turn on your computer's sound for the music, too. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-i6AlfPrIY&feature=youtube_gdata

Phoenix!

We were reunited with our long lost friends, Steve and Robin, who previously lived in Lincoln. They now reside in Phoenix with their two beautiful girls, Ava (2 1/2) and Aubrey (7 months).  We went for a 4 day visit, and had a blast! Raegan did a lot of "firsts"... First trip to the zoo, first baseball game (Spring Training Brewers game), and first ride on a Merry-go-round. She was so busy she could barely find time to sleep - ha! The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time catching up with old friends!! The girls had a lot of fun playing together, and Raegan REALLY enjoyed all of the new toys!


Here is a video clip of Raegan practicing her walking skills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL9vipQIPVA&feature=channel

Snow bear

This was our second annual cabin weekend in Foresthill (For those non-California readers, this is in the Tahoe Forest Area). There wasn't quite as much snow as we had hoped for, but still enough to have fun! Believe it or not, this is only a little more than an hour drive from our house! :) Reagan and Matt went with us this time, and 5 other couples. Some went snow mobiling, and some (Reagan) went sledding. It was a very relaxing weekend of good food and good company! We also celebrated Matt's 14th birthday that weekend! 14! Next year is high school, oh my! Here are some pics! Also, a short youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVjOhYCSqos&list=UUBNC420GHGFcYS1zfJHbwBQ&index=2&feature=plcp