Darius Day - 59/365

It was Darius Day today! Woohoo! 

We just love Darius Rucker and really look forward to when he tours. This tour he happened to be stopping at the Covelli Center! We couldn't pass up that show, being it's practically in our back yard!

Nana, Papa, Jim and I, were meeting Ray and Jenny for a pre-concert dinner at Roberto's downtown. It's one of Ray and Jenn's favorite places, so they really wanted us to try it. It was phenomenal! The food was excellent, especially this oil and cheese they give you with their bread. To. Die. For! I could have had that just as my dinner. 

After we were all stuffed, we headed over to the arena. Darius packed it! It was great to see. We happened to have seats right across from Christy, who owned our house before us. It was a hoot! The concert was great and he played all our favorites. Even Raymond, who isn't a country music fan, enjoyed it. 

After the show, we went over to Suzy's Dogs and Drafts to meet Ron and Rachel for a drink. They were at the show, too. We chatted with them for a while and had a couple beverages. 

We finally called it a night with a trip to One Hot Cookie. We had been wanting to try this place forever, so we were making a point to go tonight! It was amazing! We got three cookies, peanut butter cup, snickers, and oreo. All three were terrific and a perfect sweet treat to close out a super fun night! 

Meanwhile, Reagan was spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa Cvetkovic's. They had a fun night playing and watching television. She likes sleeping over there. 

This afternoon, our new dishwasher came. It's amazing what can excite you at 35. I was pumped! I didn't realize how bad our old one was, until the new one came! Amazing! 

The photo of the day is a "selfie" we took at the concert.

Next, Darius...

Finally, the new dishwasher...

 

Preschool & Chuck E. Cheese - 58/365

It was a big day today for Jim and I...We registered Reagan for PRESCHOOL...OMG! 

We can't believe it! Where on earth did the time go? 

We had been wanting to check out Ursuline Preschool for awhile. Finally, we just bit the bullet and went today. People really seem to like it and it's so close to us, that we were almost positive that's where we would send her, but of course, we wanted to look at it first. We fell in love right away. We were just in awe walking around that it really was a little school! The classrooms were adorable and the staff was amazing. The nice thing is, it's only two days a week for a couple hours, so it's perfect! I know she will just love it. She's a social butterfly and loves to chat with just about anyone. She'll do great! 

While mommy and daddy were getting shell shocked, Adrienne came down to pick up Reagan and take her to Chuck E Cheese. She had to miss Reagan's birthday because she was out of town, so she wanted to do something special with Reagan. They went to Chuck E Cheese and had a great time. Reagan rode her favorite horse game and earned lots of tickets which she redeemed for Smarties. LOL! After Chuck E Cheese, Adrienne took her over to Target and let her pick out a toy. Reagan picked out a Disney Princess book that had a little plastic CD player and a couple CD's that really play music. She loves it! She had a fantastic day with her aunt! It was so sweet of Adrienne to take her! 

 The photo of the day is Reagan's Preschool....ACK!

Next, Reagan playing with her new toy from Aunt Adrienne.

  

Photobook Day - 57/365

Reagan was going to spend today with Nana today.

They hung out and played games and "castles" all day! They had a great time! 

I stayed home and organized all Reagan's pictures from Reagan's birthday. I had a pretty good coupon for a photobook, so I wanted to get that done. I'm trying to get caught up and try to get some of our vacations and other events into photobooks. It's a never ending process though. Brinkley and I just chilled most of the day, it was kinda nice! 

 Jim had a typical and uneventful day at work. 

The photo of the day is my sidekick for the day....

Next, Reagan playing at Nana's. 

 

Alexandra's 5th Birthday! -56/365

Today we were heading up to Crocker Park to help Alexandra celebrate her FIFTH birthday! 

FIVE! We can't believe she's five! It's amazing how fast time goes! She is growing up into the sweetest little girl and always keeps us laughing. We just love her! Reagan just loves spending time with her, too! 

Ally had been wanting to get a manicure and pedicure, so Nikki promised her she would take her for her birthday, and asked if we would like to join her! Of course we said, YES! 

We met at 11:00 at Anthony Vince Salon at Crocker Park. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot right outside and walked in right on time. It was a really nice place with a ton of spots. The employees were so great with the girls. They got them all set up and got started. Ally and Reagan both, picked one color for their toes and one color for their fingers. They both sat like little angels through the whole thing, too! They were totally into it. Reagan chatted with her nail tech quite a bit. It was so adorable. The girls were so excited because they put little dotted flowers and some sparkles on their finger nails. They just had an absolute blast and felt like big girls! 

The nail techs just loved them and asked to have their pictures with them at the end. 

 After their mani/pedi we went over to Brio for lunch. We had a great time just chit chatting and the girls were perfect angels there, too! They both had "buttery noodles" and colored some pretty pictures. 

Us big girls, had some lunch as well and enjoyed an adult beverage. YUM! 

After lunch, we headed over to Ally and Reagan's favorite, Menchies, for dessert! They just love that place! Reagan picked out blueberry ice cream with gummy bears and chocolate chips.

It was so adorable because Nikki said that Ally called today her "best day ever!" Nana, Reagan and I are so honored we could help share in her "best day ever." She is such a little sweetie. It was great to spend her birthday with her. Her and Reagan get along so well, it's wonderful! 

Our fun day hit a speed bump on the way home. Nana, Reagan and I were on 80, in between the Meander bridge and the route 46 exit, when a silver van in front of us swerved a bit, then shot out a big black thing. Here, a semi truck that was up ahead blew a tire and an ENORMOUS chunck of it (pretty much the whole thing) was in the road. The van hit it, which made it bounce up and then we hit it and ran it over. It made the loudest sound and scared the crap out of us. We really didn't think much of it right then, but as we kept going, Nana said, I hope it didn't smash the front of the car. 

Once we got to my house, she hopped out to check for damage, while I unloaded everything. Unfortunately, her front bumper had a pretty good crack in it. She'll need to get a whole new bumper put on. It was such a bummer. We noticed it also pushed her running board back a little bit, too. UGH.

It was amazing how big and how hard we hit it. We thought we mostly went over it, but apparently not. Oh well, we're just happy the bumper had a crack in it and not our heads. We're lucky it didn't pop up and smash the window. Yikes! 

This evening, Jim attended the Boardman Rotary Strategic Planning Committee meeting. They basically put together a long term plan to guide the club for the next 5-10 years. They met at the current Rotary President, Jay Summer's house. He provided food and drink for everyone. His wife, Penny, made chicken pot pies. Jim said they were delicious! 

While he was there, Reagan and I hit the grocery store and then just played toys. I was supposed to attend a MOPS meeting, but with the big day and Reagan getting no nap, I decided to sit it out. With no nap, she would have been a bear for the childcare ladies and daddy was gone all evening. Oh well, we had a fun night just us girls! 

The photo of the day is Ally and Reagan enjoying the spa!

Next, relaxing while their nails dry.

A little Menchies fun.

Finally, Nana's smashed up bumper. 

  

Potty Training Party - 55/365

Today, we were heading over to a fellow MOPS mom's house for a Potty Training Party! 

Paula got selected by Huggies Pull-Ups to host a little potty training party at her house. They sent her some free pull-ups, stickers, potty training charts and coupons to pass out. It was so cute! Even though both main kids are already potty trained, it was still a fun little party to have. 

She originally was going to have the party last Wednesday, but some of the kids were sick, so we postponed it until today. Some kids were still sick, so it was a small crowd, but we still had fun. 

She had everything set up super cute. Fun table cloth, a cookie cake, chocolate milk and goldfish crackers. The kids loved it! Reagan and Isabella had a good time playing together. They especially loved playing dress up and were both pretty good at sharing all the accesories! It was so cute to see them strutting around in their gowns. Us moms had a good time just chit chatting, too.

It was a really nice afternoon. We had a great time and were grateful for the invite. 

This evening, Jim attended the client Stifel seminar out at the Holiday Inn in Boardman. They have some clients out to talk about future growth potential of the stock market. He said it was just your typical seminar, nothing overly exciting and nothing bad either. He got home around 9:00, just in time to tuck Reagan in. She was thrilled. 

While he was at his seminar, Reagan and I just hung around the house. She strutted around in her new Anna gown from the "coronation" part of the movie. She absolutely loves it! She twirled all evening! 

The photo of the day is us girls at the potty training party.. 

The girls blowing out the candles on their goodbye diapers cookie cake...

Finally, Reagan in her Anna Coronation gown.

.

CAVS Game - 54/365

Jim and I had been wanting to see a CAVS game since the season started. 

The end of last year and so far this year, have just been crazy, so we hadn't made it up there yet. Finally today, we got to go! It was a beautiful drive up with no problems at all. 

We had tickets in the club, so it was nice to be back there. They changed the food stations up a little bit, they were A LOT smaller. They still had some good stuff though. They had their traditional hot dog and ice cream bars. Then they had one Asian station and one with pierogies and lots of toppings. They were delicious! 

The game itself was good with lots of back and forth scoring. They were winning most of the first half, but really struggled in the second. They ended up losing 96-83. Oh well. 

We love going up there, because they do SO MUCH fun stuff during the game. People were still having a blast and dancing, even in the last five minutes, when you were sure they were going to lose. Cleveland fans are used to it. LOL! 

We had a really fun time and it was nice to have a date night. 

While we were at the game, Reagan was spending some time with Nana and Papa. She went over early this afternoon. Her and Papa decorated the living room with battery operated tea lights while Nana took a shower. They did a fabulous job! 

Later this afternoon, they went down to visit Great Granddad and Grandma. Reagan loves going down there and especially seeing Zeke. They even played a racing game with her toys. First one to the carrots won! It was a tight race! LOL! 

This evening, they went and had some dinner at Stonebrige, then called it a night! Reagan loves spending the night over there! They have such a fun time together! 

It was a fun day for all!

The photo of the day is Jim and I after the game. 

Next, Reagan playing down at Great Grandma and Granddad's house. 

 

Rotary Conference - 53/365

Today, Jim had to go to Canton for a Rotary President Elect Training Session. 

He had to leave super early to be there at 8:00am. The meeting was held in the lower level of the conference center. He said it was really uneventful, but he learned some a lot, which is always a bonus! 

He got to meet the incoming Rotary District Governor, Phil Mariola. He said he was a super nice guy and really enjoyed talking with him. He got home around one and went straight for a nap. He was pooped! 

While he was off doing that, Reagan, Nana, Brinkley and I, took advantage of the warmer weather and sun, we hit the three mile trail! It was so nice to be back out there. You could just tell everyone was breathing a huge sigh of relief! Everyone was like, "I'm free!"  It was great!

This evening, we just played around the house and relaxed. It was nice!

The photo of the day is Jim and Phil. 

Next, Reagan and Brinkley at the park. 

 

Sump Pump Problems - 52/365

I have this terrible fear that our sump pump will fail and flood the basement. 

Our basement is finished and we just love it. It's all Browns stuff, so we do call it our "torture chamber", but we love it all the same. Some days we do think about turning it Disney, but that's another story and down the road. Anyway, with the rain and major snow melt, I was worried about it. We just had a new, high powered one put in about two years ago, but in the fall we had a geyser in the basement because the clamp on the backflow valve came loose and the pipe separated. THANK GOD, I was home and made a quick call to Uncle Ed, who told me what to do until the plumber got there. We got away with no damage to the basement. With all the snow melt, I saw a few friends on Facebook had minor sump pump issues, so I thought, I better go down and check ours just to be sure. Sure enough, something didn't look right. The backflow valve was dripping water at a pretty good clip and when the pump would shut off, it was shooting water (no more than a spray or two from a spray bottle, but enough to make the wall wet) out the side of the valve. I called both, Uncle Ed and Uncle Raymond for advice. Uncle Ed, said the valve was bad, but it wasn't an emergency. Anything sump pump drives me mad, so I got the plumber to come out later that afternoon. I knew if I didn't, I would stare at the damn thing all weekend. The plumber put a new valve on. He was in and out in a half hour. YAY! 

We (knock on wood) should be back in business! 

This morning, during all the sump pump commotion. I noticed Reagan had unbuttoned her pajama top and took it off. She isn't one to strip down, so it was pretty funny. I tried to put it back on, but she wouldn't let me button it. She walked around the rest of the morning like that. What a goofball. 

The photo of the day is the broken backflow valve.

Next, my little hillbilly...

 

YSU Basketball Game - 51/365

Reagan was feeling a bit better today, so she went to spend the day with Nana. 

She was still pretty stuffy, but in a really good mood. Brinkley went with them, too, so they could drop him off at his hair appointment. He was getting a shampoo and a trim today! I love when he is fresh. His incisions are healing great. There is no redness at all and the hair is starting to grow back. They looked even better after his bath. We're so happy that is over with.  

This evening, Jim went to meet his dad, Steve and Frank for a few drinks at O'Donalds downtown. Then they went on the the YSU basketball game. YSU ended up winning a pretty exciting game in overtime. They beat Milwaukee 88-83 and even set the YSU single-season record for free throws. They had a really good time. It may have been one of the last games if they don't make the playoffs, so they were glad they went. While they did that, Reagan, Nana, Papa and I went for a quick bite to eat at the Phoenix. Reagan was feeling a bit better, but the darn stuffiness is really holding on. She's happy, just can't breath! UGH! 

The photo of the day is Jim and Greg at the YSU game.

Next, Brinkley after his bath with Reagan. 

 

Sick Day Take Two - 50/365

Reagan still wasn't feeling all that well today.
She didn't have a fever, she was just REALLY stuffy and kind of coughing. We decided it would be another pajama day. She was really into her watercolors from yesterday, so we spent a good amount of time doing that. The rest of the day we just played and watched TV.
When Jim got home from work, I decided to sneak out and take advantage of the relatively nice day of 40 degrees, to do a little running. With the winter weather, I have pretty much lost all the stamina I had built up. I'm anxious to get back into it in a regular routine! Hopefully, as Spring inches closer, I can do that. It was so nice to be back out there.
When I got home, and was getting cleaned up, Reagan was just hanging out in the bathroom with me. She loves my one pair of shoes with these little fish on them. She clicked around the bathroom during my whole shower. It was a hoot!
The photo of the day is Reagan sporting my fish heels.

Next, just a winter shot of the trail.

 

Sick Day - 49/365

Today our little sweetie woke up with a very mild fever and was pretty stuffed up.
I felt so bad for her, she looked terrible. Usually she's all bubbly and happy in the morning. Today, she woke up in tears.
We made it downstairs and she asked to lay on the couch with a blanket. She snuggled up with Brinkley and they just chilled. We all snuggled for awhile and watched some of her favorite shows.
After awhile, she had some "cheerios with milk" (she won't call it cereal). Eventually, she was up for playing a little bit. She played with her dollhouse and loopsies, while I started on some thank you notes from the party. The next thing I knew, she climbed up next to me at the table and wanted to paint. It was so cute, we both just sat their talking and working on our projects. We had a nice afternoon. When nap time came around, she gave no trouble at all. She was pooped.
 Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow!
The photo of the day is Reagan and Brinkley resting.

Next, us working on our projects.

 

Lazy Monday - 48/365

Today, was just a day to get caught up around the house. 

Jim was off work for President's day. It was nice to have him home an extra day for a long weekend! 

We started by going through all her presents. We got everything put together and put away. She had such a blast going through all her bags of treasures. It was like Christmas all over again! She was so proud of everything! 

After we got all that stuff put away, she played with her new stuff, while I tore down Valentine's day and put up a few St. Patrick's Day decorations. I also did a massive amount of laundry. 

The weather was half decent, (for what's it's been) so Jim and Brinkley went up to the experimental farm for a hike. Brinkley loved finally getting out and feeling good enough to run! He was loving it! 

This evening, when I was finishing everything up and getting ready to shut it down for the day, I could NOT find my cell phone. I was going nuts! I hadn't left the house and had used it, so I knew it was in the house somewhere. I ALWAYS have it on vibrate with no sound, so it wasn't as easy as calling it and listening for the ring. I had to listen for a faint vibrate. Jim and I went through every room in the house listening while calling it OVER AND OVER! We could hear some vibrating in our spare bedroom, on the first floor. I was looking and looking and looking and could not find it. I traced the sound to the corner of that room. Jim went out in the garage, nothing. Finally, he said, maybe you set it down in the basement in the storage room when you were getting the decorations out. I said, I KNOW I didn't have it down there. The storage room is directly below the spare bedroom where I could hear the vibrating. Jim finally called up from the basement and said, "I found it, but you have to see where it is for yourself. Come down here and call it." I went down and called it. Here, I must have grabbed it with some extra St. Patrick's Day stuff I wasn't using from the kitchen table and packed it away in the bin with the decorations. We were HOWLING! It took us nearly a half hour to find it. It was nuts! I'm just glad I found it! LOL! 

The photo of the day is my phone in it's hiding place.

Next, Brinkley on his hike!

 

Princess Brunch - 47/365

Today, we were having a family fun brunch at Tippy with the Princesses! 

Tippy hired, Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella to come and host a brunch for all the little princesses! 

Pam, Ed, Ray, Jenny, Nana, Papa, Jim, Reagan and I all met over there around 11:00. They had it set up beautifully, with pink tablecloths and magic wands and flowers for centerpieces. 

The buffet was fabulous! They had eggs, bacon, pink pancakes, hashbrowns pasta, buns, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into crowns and hearts. It was great! The hit of the lunch, was this amazing pink punch they had. We kept going and filling up our glasses! YUM! 

All the girls had a meet and greet with all four princess and get their picture taken. Reagan was so into it! After that, each girl got to get crowned a princess and walk the runway. Reagan walked right up on stage and got crowned. It was adorable! After her crowning, Belle escorted her down the catwalk and Reagan gave a sassy princess wave. We about died!! LOL! 

Next, they had story time, where some of the kids got to act out characters from the stories the princesses told. They seemed to really like that! 

To close out the brunch, they had a little dance party. This was a hit! They had a ball, especially doing the Hokey Pokey. 

It was such a fun event. Reagan did not want to leave! It was a great day! 

This evening, the princess fun continued with Reagan hosting a Frozen dance party in her Elsa gown.  

The photo of the day is Reagan and Belle strolling down the catwalk! 

Next, Rapunzel and Rapunzel

Finally, an Elsa dance party!

  

Goldfish Party! - 46/365

Today was Reagan's Goldfish party! She was super excited! 

 Nana, Pam, Ray and Jenny went out around 8am to start setting up! Papa was on pop and cake pick up and Jim hung out with Reagan at home until it was time. He even gave her a little manicure because mommy ran out of time! What a great daddy! 

We worked so hard to get everything ready. Jenny, Pam and I, even had to watch a YouTube video to learn how to do the chair ties. LOL! It was so funny! We just kept watching this British woman over and over, but it finally clicked! We got everything all set and it looked awesome! I was so happy with how it came out and couldn't have done it without all the helpers! 

People started arriving right on time and Reagan greeted everyone. She had such a great time playing with all the kids! We had little magnetic fishing, corn hole fish toss, play-doh, crafts, balls, hula hoops. Even a sandbox to dig for hidden goldfish! The highlight was my old wagon from when I was a kid, that Uncle Ed turned into a boat for them to ride around in! It was a hoot! It was a boat on one side and had a huge goldfish on the other! It was AWESOME! He worked so hard on it and it was perfect! Andrew and Alex gave all the smaller kids rides around the hall. They loved it!

 After the party, the tear down went pretty quick. Then, Nana, Pam, Ed and I went over to BW3 at the mall to have a few beverages. We had a blast and just laughed the whole time. We think and hope that everyone had a great time at the party! We still can't believe our little one is three!  

The photo of the day is Reagan ready for her party!

Next, all three of us at the party...

Finally, all the kids. (Baby Mike, Baby Milana and Parker did not participate in picture time.)

 

Valentine's Day - 45/365

Today was Valentine's Day! 

We started the day exchanging our Valentines! 

Jimmy and Reagan got mommy, some nautical jewelry she had been eyeing up for our Myrtle Beach trip, a new licence plate cover for the new car, and a running iphone arm band. 

 Reagan and I, baked Jim heart sugar cookies, got him a new fancy watch and some candy. His old watch was barely working and would collect "dew" inside the face. It was a mess! 

Reagan got a cool Frozen balloon, two mini Lalaloopsies and some books she'd been wanting.

Eventually, Jim had to get off to work, while Reagan and I just hung around the house. 

This evening, we were having a family fun Valentine's dinner with Nana, Papa, Aunt Pam and Uncle Ed! We met at Tippy and had a great time! We had a nice quiet corner table, it was really nice! Reagan was excited because she got a mini coloring book from her favorite server, "The Linda!" That kept her quite busy during dinner. Family fun is always fun!

The photo of the day is Reagan with Nana and Papa. 

 Next, Reagan with Aunt Pam and Uncle Ed.

Finally, my kiddos....