Tent Time - 280/365

After the last couple days of warmth, today felt extra cold. 

Nana, Reagan and I, hit the trail around 10. It wasn't too bad, but we brought an extra coat in case one of us needed it. Reagan actually asked for it first. She said she wanted to "cover up her friends," so they weren't cold. She had Mr. Fuzzy and Puppy with her. After a few minutes, she put the jacket up over her head. She rode the rest of the way under her "tent". She would occasionally peek out to say something, then go right back under. LOL! 

After our walk, we asked her where she wanted to go to lunch and she promptly replied, "Dutch Hause!" It's become one of her favorite places to go, because she's absolutely fascinated with the Disney Princess and Dora cake display at the front of the store. I keep telling her if she keeps working on using the potty, we'll celebrate with a Dora cake. 

It was a pretty exciting day at the Dutch Hause, because Reagan finally tried something new. She is an EXTREMELY picky eater. She will RARELY put anything new in her mouth. I have tried jelly numerous times. It was always met with a "shiver" and an "I don't want that." Well today, the waitress set down a jelly carrier and said, "here is some jelly if she wants it." I guess if it's someone other than "mom" giving it to you, it must be good. She asked for it and ate some strawberry AND grape. VICTORY!

This evening, Reagan and Jim went off to art class. Tonight was a Halloween themed project. They made a pretty awesome skeleton. They took black construction paper and glued Q-tips down as the bones. It really came out cute and will be part of our Halloween decor for years to come. I was upstairs when they came home, and she came flying up the stairs to show me. I love when she comes barreling in the house to show me what they made. It just melts your heart! 

 The photo of the day is Reagan in her "tent."

 Next, is Reagan and her new found love for jelly...

 Finally, Reagan enjoying art class...

 

Titanic Exhibit - 279/365

Today Jim and his mom spent the day at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. 

They went to see the new exhibit “Titanic – the Artifact Exhibition.” It’s a traveling show that includes hundreds of artifacts pulled up from the bottom of the ocean that were part of the Titanic. There were nearly 250 artifacts, along with room recreations. They had everything from pieces of the ship itself, to the personal possessions of the passengers. After they took some time to check out the artifacts, they decided to take in a 45-minutes IMAX movie also about the Titanic. In the movie they learned some personal stories, from survivors on the ship. One story was from a woman who was six at the time of the sinking. She remembers her parents running down the hall, with her screaming for her teddy bear they left behind in the room. In the end, she gave her dad a hug and was placed on a lifeboat. She said she didn't understand why at the time, but at that moment, she knew she would never see her dad again. Absolutely heartbreaking. None of us can even imagine what those people went through that night. 

At the end of the day, Jim and his mom really enjoyed the exhibit. They had been looking forward to going for quite a while – and were glad they finally got the opportunity to go. 

While they were off enjoying that, Nana, Reagan and I hit the Kirk Road trail and did a little shopping. We wanted to check out Bath and Body Works to look for some Halloween hand soaps. No luck there. Also, Yankee Candle was supposed to have Thanksgiving Dinner scented candles. They sound kind of funky, but they actually smelled really good. We ended up getting one turkey dinner, and one cranberry sauce. They had sweet potato, but we weren't thrilled with that one. Reagan was all about carrying the bags today. She would get so mad if you tried to help her.

The photo of the day is Jim and his mom at the exhibit.

Next is Reagan carrying her bag through the mall. 

 

Baby Shower - 278/365

It was going to be another beautiful day! 

Warm temps and just a slight chance of a pop-up rain shower. This morning, Jim, Reagan, Brinkley and I went up to the Kirk Road trail to get our stroll in. 

After that, I got ready to meet Nana and Aunt Barb at a baby shower. It was at Lockwood United Methodist Church, only about 10 minutes away. 

Our cousin Linda, has a niece, Becky, that's having a little girl. Becky lives down in Baltimore, we hadn't had the chance to meet her before today, but she was so sweet! 

The shower itself was really nice. They had the tables in a horseshoe shape, so everyone could see her opening her presents. The theme was My Little Pony. I guess Becky loved My Little Pony growing up. It's neat that they are making a comeback now. 

The food was great. They had sandwiches, potato casserole, veggie tray with yummy dip and lots of desserts. Our favorite was the strawberry pretzel dessert. YUM! 

We played a few games, too! I won a flower cookie cutter and a bottle of Bath and Body Works Lotion. Can't have enough Bath and Body! 

While I was at the shower, Jim and Reagan just hung around the house. They played play-doh, games, and read some books. They had nice daddy-daughter time! 

This evening Reagan and Jim ran to the grocery store for me! They are the best! 

The photo of the day is Aunt Barb, Linda, Me, Nana and Aunt Jane at the baby shower.  

A bonus thing that happened today, was we realized Reagan made the paper again! She was in the local, Canfield Neighbors newspaper. They had taken her picture at Sunset on the Farm a week or so ago, and ended up using her pic for the story! It was so cute!

Monkey Girl - 277/365

Not too much going on today. 

We slept in at the Marriott this morning. We were moving a little slow, just from being up until one-thirty AM and having many beers. LOL! Their rooms are so dark. It could be noon and it feels like midnight. It's wonderful! 

We headed home around 10:00ish. Jim was just going into work for a half day to get a few things done before the weekend. 

Grandma brought Reagan home around noon. It was so great to see her! I love when she comes running through the door saying, "Mommy, mommy!" She's the best! Grandma gave her a good report and said they had a real nice time. 

This afternoon, Nana popped over to sit with Reagan while I ran up to Casal's to get a MUCH needed color and cut. My hair was BAD! I have so many gray hairs it's ridiculous! I feel much better now!  

This evening, Jim gave Reagan her bath. Which ever one of us isn't doing bath, Reagan will call us upstairs on her way from her bathroom to her room. She just wants one more hug and kiss from us. It never fails...every single night. We love it! It's so cute to see her all innocent hanging all out, yelling for us, with a towel on her head. She's always in her little hooded animal towels. She LOVES them! We try to savor every second, because she won't always do that. 

The photo of the day is, Reagan in her monkey towel looking for a kiss...

.

Bats & Browns - 276/365

Busy day today! 

We started at Tales for Tots at the Ford Nature Center. This month, we were learning about bats. They read their story and did the coloring page. 

Next, we went outside to play a game. We had to stand in a circle while we practiced echolocation, like the bats do. Bats use sound to find their way around at night. Each parent/child team got to try it out, in the middle of the circle. One was given a blindfold and the other got a little shaker to shake. The blindfolded person had to try to locate the shaker. It was hilarious. Reagan and I tried both ways. I must say, we did great! LOL! 

After that, we went back up to the room to do our craft. This month, they spray painted smaller pumpkins black. The kids then got to adhere wings, ears and eyes, to make it a bat. The kids loved it! Reagan was so proud of hers! 

After bat class, Nana and Reagan took a ride down to grandma and grandpa Downard's for a visit. Reagan just loves playing with Zeke. They had a nice little visit. Reagan was clutching onto grandpa for his goodbye hug. It was too cute! 

They got home around three and we put Reagan down for a nap, before Jim's mom came to get her for the night. She was going to spend the night with Grandma and Papa Greg, while we headed up to Cleveland for the game. They had a great time playing! She always gets a kick out of playing with Timmy! 

We got to Cleveland, checked in at the Marriott and were off to the stadium. 

This game it was, Nana, Papa, Ray, Jenn, Jon, Paul, Jim and I. We hadn't seen Paul in a while. Boy did he GROW! 

We got in and got our tailgate all set up! We love the B Spot Burgers. YUM! 

The stadium was just on fire with excitement, it was amazing! It's just something about winning two in a row, and it being a nationally televised, night game, that just makes it extra special. It was so cool to see the floating camera all set up and the NFL Network guys on their little stage. 

We got to see Laura and Kerri hold the flag on the field for the National Anthem. We were so jealous! They did a great job. 

Finally, it was kickoff and we were underway. The Browns went three and out, right out of the gate. Fans, of course, got a little restless. Eventually, they were back on the field and Brian Hoyer took off running for a first down. He slid on his knee, which ultimately caused him to tear his ACL. Therefore, he is OUT for the YEAR! UGH! Cleveland can not catch a break! 

Weeden came in, and did not perform overly spectacular. The Browns ended up squeezing out the win which was FANTASTIC, under the circumstances. The final score was Browns 37 - Bills 24. It was such a fun, back and forth game! We had an absolute blast, with more laughs than we can count! Hopefully, they can continue their streak with Weeden. We shall see! 

The Browns are currently 3-2 and at the TOP OF THE DIVISION! Whoa!

After the game, we all went back to the Marriott for a night cap and snack. We got some delicious pizza and scarfed that down in two seconds! It was a perfect way to celebrate the awesome win!

The photos of the day are...

Reagan and I at bat class....

 Next, is Reagan hugging on Great Grandpa Downard

Finally, Britts celebrating the big "W"!

 

Stupid Stink Bugs - 275/365

Since it's been so warm these last couple days, it seems the Stink Bugs are making a crazy comeback. They are EVERYWHERE. There had to be five or more wandering around the patio door today. They are so gross and weird looking. I wish they would just go away now. I don't remember them ever being this bad. I actually don't ever even remember seeing them! BIZARRE! 

Anyway, Jim went off to work, and Nana and I were going to attempt a Halloween shoot with Reagan. We went to Poland Woods to try to find a spot, but couldn't get real far. We ended up driving a little bit where we weren't supposed to. It was quite funny. 

After that, we decided to try Yellow Creek in Struthers, since we were right there. What a great little place it was. We had the best time down there. 

The minute we pulled in, these HUGE ducks came charging at the car. It was hilarious. You can tell they are fed well, just because they come running to you, but their sheer size was amazing! Reagan got a big kick out of them. 

The photo shoot went great and she really cooperated, which was wonderful! She had been a little testy in the morning, so I wasn't holding my breath, but she really did good! 

This evening, Reagan was having a few more potty issues but we got her straightened around. Jim gave her a bath tonight. After her bath, she always calls the other parent, to come up and give her a kiss. She loves to show off whatever animal towel she has on her head. She was talking about her potty problems and said, "Mama, you go potty like a big girl?" I said, "Yes, honey." She went on to ask, "Mama, does Dada have to put whipped cream on your butt, so you don't get a rash like me?" We BUSTED out laughing, which totally embarrassed her. She turned all red and said, "don't laugh at me!" LOL! She was speaking of Desitin or so we hope! Just LOVE HER! 

The photo of the day is the stupid Stink Bug....

 Next, is Nana with the HUGE ducks...

 

Halloween is Here - 274/365

Today was a spooky good day! 

Nana came over to pick up Reagan for the day. They went to music class, then were going to play at her house for the afternoon, so I could get out my Halloween decorations. They had a good time! They played Legos, Lincoln Logs and even went to Tippy for dinner! They had a different waitress instead of Linda tonight and Reagan asked the waitress, "Where's the Linda?" She just loves her...LOL!

While they did that, I got all my spooky decorations out. It's always so fun to dig down in the bins and unwrap the treasures. There is always a few things that I say, "OH look! I forgot about this!" LOL! I got everything situated then cleaned the house. I got a lot done, it felt good. 

After I was done cleaning, Brinkley and I went up to the Kirk to Herbert trail. We saw lots of wildlife along the way, including two snakes and a tiny turtle! He was so COOL! I felt bad for him being on the trail. I picked him up and put him on the grass, so he wouldn't get run over. The snakes were on their own. 

When Jim got home, he took Brinkley up to the farm to run around, while I got some editing done. 

It was a very productive day! 

The photo of the day is my Halloween decorations... 

Next, is my turtle friend...