The West Family

The Last 5 Months

2010-02-23T16:54:00.004-06:00

I know it's been forever....I will catch up as quickly as possible.

Halloween 2009

Christmas 2009

Snow!!!

Sweet Regan

Spunky Riley

The last two pictures are the most recent. I have pictures and blogs I have thought of in my head, but just don't feel like spending the time getting it all together! My grandmother passed away in November a little unexpectedly. That was right before Thanksgiving and Christmas so our family was even more tired and busy. And finally after all the snow days, the girls are back in their school routine. I have worked today on uploading all my pictures off my camera so felt I should share what I have.

The best news is little Elle Louise High was born on February 4th. You HAVE to go look at her pictures. She so tiny and perfect.

Yee Haw!

2009-09-21T12:07:00.003-05:00

The girls still love school and we are getting our routines down. Getting up at 6AM is definitely new around here! I think I drink as much coffee as I did when I was nursing newborns. Whew! I am trying to spend my days decorating. I can't believe it has been 8 months since we moved here! I am finally getting around to getting the girls room together. Since they decided they wanted two separate beds I have a lot of work to do! Cute girls bedrooms are so hard to find! It's either baby or tacky. Seriously. If you know of a company that make stuff along the lines of pbteen or pottery barn kids let me know.

Anyway, last Friday was Cowboy Day in kindergarten. Yee Haw! Jason and I went up to see our little cowgirls on their trail ride. They were so excited to ride their stick horses around the school. My mother in law found these outfits at the Dixie Stampede and they were perfect. I was just glad Riley remembered we had them. Ha! She kept telling me she wanted to wear the shirt with the boots on the front and I had no idea what she was talking about. I accidentally found them while cleaning their playroom at the bottom of a large pile of dress up clothes. The playroom will need to be tackled after I finish their bedroom.

Before school

The girls were both so funny when they saw us in "their space". Regan would not even stop to say hello because she was in the school zone. It was so cute! Riley was the exact opposite eating up all the attention.

Love this picture of Regan and her Daddy!

KINDERGARTEN!

2009-08-17T19:03:00.002-05:00

Today was so fun! Both girls did so well and LOVED school! We took a few pictures before we left the house because I wasn't sure how crazy it would be once we got there.

Here they are walking in. I got a few butterflies as we got closer and closer. I was afraid if they acted worried or scared that it would make me sad! They didn't want any breakfast (poptarts, donuts, capri sun - I know, I know) so I think they were a little nervous too. But when we went inside they walked down the hall with teachers, put their backpacks away, and sat down to color.

I didn't even walk in with Riley because I had stuff to give to Regan's teacher. I was feeling guilty for going with one and not the other, but when I got to Riley's room she didn't even look up. I barely got pictures she was too busy.

Regan did great as well. When I picked her up she said, "That day at school was not that long!".

One thing that did make me happy - they told me they found each other at recess and ran from all the boys. :)

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

2009-08-16T21:21:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of kindergarten! Both girls are SO excited. These pictures are from new student orientation and meet the teacher day. We did finally decide for them to be in separate classes. It was SO hard to make that decision. It was more sad for me than for the girls.

Loving Daddy

Girls and Mommy

I wanted to document this day since they were so cute with their backpacks and got to wear "regular" clothes. Tomorrow I will have uniform pictures (which is just as cute). We have already matched our fingernail polish and hair accessories to go with our collared shirts and "fast" shoes (Nikes).

I am not quite sure what I will do after I drop them off. I think it may take awhile to adjust to "free" time.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girls!

2009-07-11T23:10:00.001-05:00

Regan Paige, I can't believe you are five today! I am so proud of you. You have such a sweet spirit and an amazing imagination. You are a great big sister to Riley and helper for Mommy. Although you are quiet, you are such a deep thinker. You keep me on my toes with some tough questions. What a smart, amazing little girl you are!

Riley Kate, you are such a big girl! I can't believe you are five! You are the funniest and spunkiest little girl Mommy knows. You keep all of us laughing with your "silly shows", silly faces and just all around goofiness. You amaze me with your ability to learn any and everything! You make me so proud with your determination to learn more and more every day! You are so special to me!

I am so thankful I have two of the best girls around! They are best friends and just the sweetest girls! I am going to really miss them when school starts! (1 month, 5 days)They are really growing and becoming so independent. I am sad and proud all at the same time.

The pictures above are from Disney World. I uploaded them today and have 665 from 8 days! Whew! I was a little overwhelmed so I will have to organize them better before I get a Disney post on here. I should say IF I get a Disney post on here! Ha!

And, since the last blog was about Regan losing 2 teeth, I should let you know Riley lost her 6th (!) tooth in the Magic Kingdom. She lost her 5th in Vegas. We will have to plan a big trip soon since she is about to lose another one. I am thinking...Grand Cayman? That's next on the list. Jason?

Toothless in Arkansas

2009-05-19T19:18:00.002-05:00

I can't keep up with all the teeth falling out around here! I didn't expect to be dealing with loose teeth so soon either. They won't even be 5 until July and between the two of them they have lost 7 teeth! Riley lost her first tooth at 3 years 2 months old (NOT an accident either!).She has already lost 5 teeth and has two permanent teeth in as well! Regan has always been proud that she has "none loose". However, this last week she showed me her loose teeth and I was shocked because her two bottom teeth were barely hanging in!

Sunday night at bedtime we were reading and her first tooth literally just fell onto her bed. Then tonight she was trying to eat and I hear her spitting something out and it's her second tooth! Yes, right in the middle of us eating. Oh, well.

So here are pictures from Monday and today. She is SO proud and calls it her "new smile".

Somehow the pictures are backwards and you get to see the tooth in the middle of the table first. Oops! That is green marker on the table as well. :)

Tonight, second tooth!

Monday, first tooth!

The tooth fairy now has to go find more quarters somewhere....

Sisters

2009-05-13T13:52:00.003-05:00

Don't you wish you were in our family?

Continue to Pray for Avery

2009-05-12T21:50:00.003-05:00

My friend Carissa had her baby girl today! I blogged about her story a few weeks ago and you can follow her story here:

http://keepingupwiththekeirseys.blogspot.com

Keep praying for them as they go through these first few days.

Dear Parker Michael Thomas,

2009-05-12T00:02:00.004-05:00

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!! I love you so much and am so proud to be your Aunt Coco. You can't understand yet how much joy and happiness you bring to our family. As you grow up you will also find out what an awesome mommy and daddy you have.

No matter what Mommy says, I think it's kinda funny how determined you are to get your way. It shows great promise when you hit the terrible twos at 6 months old. By the time you start Kindergarten you should be doing fractions.

Also, Mommy gets a little worried about letting you have candy. If she ever refuses you candy please call me so I can explain the fact that she lived off gummy peaches and sour patch kids for a few years.

Your big cousins Regan and Riley are very excited for your birthday. We have picked out no less than 30 different present ideas for you. You will be very happy with our final choice and so will Mommy. But, tell her it's yours and she needs to let YOU play with it. You could share if she's nice.

It's going to be so fun watching you continue to grow. You are such a big boy now and have a new trick every time I see you. I think my favorite new trick is how you tell yourself "No" when you know you shouldn't be doing whatever it is you're doing.

Like this picture above, Coco will be less scared than Mommy to let you do the "scary" things in life. For example, play in the Mall playground or swim at the Jones Center. When you are ready for the big jump give me a call, but don't tell Mommy because she would KILL us! I think I had to just grab you and put you in the swimming pool.You LOVED it! Mommy only had 4 panic attacks.

I think these next few months Mommy is going to be kind of tired from your lack of sleeping and chasing you around. You might just pick one day a week to take it easy. You know, only eat something off the floor maybe a couple of times or if you pull off the entire roll of toilet paper, just put it in the toilet. Not the bathtub.

I have decided that I really don't care if I am called a Baby Hog because I love you to pieces and can't get enough. I can't wait to watch you grow even more over this next year. Hope you have a Happy 1st Birthday!

Belated Birthdays

2009-05-11T00:11:00.002-05:00

May is birthday month in our family! I decided instead of several posts I would just do one to cover them all. We start with Kari Beth, my sister in law whose birthday is the 3rd. Kari and Aaron are a perfect match and always hilarious! I am totally jealous of her ability to make the same clothes I would want to wear look WAY better.

Holly and Kari today at Mother's Day Celebration

Here are the girls with Kari at their wedding. The wedding was so fun and personal. And she had really cute flower girls. :)

Next comes my little brother Aaron whose birthday is the 5th. Aaron is so smart and talented. He is the only guy I know who can out shop all three of his sisters. Happy 28th little brother!

Next is Holly "the middle child". Ha! Her birthday is actually today. Holly is my style and decorating consultant. I am the non-artsy one in the family and I turn to her for help. By the picture below you can tell she has always had a love for accessories. She is always fun and positive to offset me. :)Holly is a great mom, sister, and constant source of entertainment.

This Tuesday (the 12th) is a VERY SPECIAL family birthday that will require its own post with many, many pictures. You will not want to miss the newest May birthday of the family. Please note: Kari, Holly and Whitney try not not have any future babies in May :)

Away from the birthday theme, I must congratulate the "baby" of the family for graduating from the U of A on Saturday! This fall she will start the MAT program 8 years after me! Yeah, Whitney!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, but especially to mine! Despite the fact that I have pictures to develop all the way back to last August (gasp), I could not find one of mom by herself. So here's the best one I could find of the parents! Happy Mother's Day MOM! Thanks for letting me call you with my daily "quick questions" and for usually having the answer.

Here's all the girls last Thanksgiving. (Whitney, Mom, Holly, Me)

Also, Happy Mother's Day to my little sis Holly! Last year she had Parker 2 days after Mother's Day! She is such a great mom and definitely keeps me laughing with all her stories. Parker is proof that boys are different than girls. I can't help, but laugh sometimes! However, I am the one who will have TWO 13 yr old girls at the same time! Please start praying for me now.

Speaking of the cuties.....I am so blessed to be the mom of two perfectly healthy, happy and sweet girls. I feel grateful to be their mom every day. I love you Regan and Riley. Being your mom makes me the happiest I have ever been.

Are you ready for....

2009-04-30T23:17:00.003-05:00

Hannah Montana!!!!!

Well, I finally took the girls and it was so worth it! It was actually a very cute movie. I was pleasantly surprised. The show is a little much for me to handle so I thought the movie would be the same. I was wrong! When Regan had to go to the bathroom I talked her into waiting so I could find out if Hannah was really going to tell everyone she was Miley. Such drama! You may have to go see the movie to find out!

We sang all the songs out loud because only 5 other people there. Since we've had the soundtrack for a few weeks it made them so excited and they would say, "That's number 5!" or "It's Taylor Swift and it's called Crazier". So funny! Then we came home to the soundtrack blasted on the karaoke machine until 9PM. Breaks only for dinner and bath. Our empty room upstairs has been named the karaoke room since it's the only thing in the room right now. :)

The girls are continuing to chose their outfits quite well. I must say they look pretty darn cute in their Hannah shirts. The best thing is to see how COMPLETELY different their choices are when they are all ready to go. Riley insisted on the boots and braids. I will admit that at first she chose jeans and I suggested the skirt to show the boots off better. Regan also added the boogie board to her shoot just for a dramatic statement.

I took these pictures as we left for our girls day!

Singin' and Dancin'

2009-04-27T22:07:00.005-05:00

Whew! Last week was crazy! I am a BIG homebody so not being home much just makes me tired! Sad, I know. Last Sunday night the girls sang with the FBC Springdale Children's Choir. They were so excited to be on stage and wanted everyone to watch them. This is the first year they participated in choir and they really enjoyed it.

I went and took pictures before they sang, but I don't have any of them actually singing. I had the video camera and just assumed the camera Jason had was OURS, but it was not so I have no singing pics. Oh well!

Daddy's girl.

Then last Friday was their dance recital! They were SO excited to wear makeup. They asked me all day if it was time for make up! It was so cute and a little scary at the same time. I have never put make up on them like this and they look so big!

The girls with their friend Macy. They have choir, dance and gymnastics with Macy and they just giggle the whole time they are together. It's very cute.

Flowers from Daddy for such a great job!

More of the same...

2009-04-17T00:10:00.004-05:00

Just needed to finish Easter photos and add a little more to catch up!

Here are the girls ready to dye eggs! So excited!

Working hard...serious business.

Both of them were so proud! I didn't take pictures of the glitter eggs because they had run off as soon as they were done and I was cleaning up the glitter.

Easter morning in our Spongebob pajamas! The girls got 5 Easter baskets and lots and lots of goodies in each. Their favorite thing was hunting for eggs the Easter bunny had hidden throughout the house. They were running around screaming every time one of them found one. They were very cute! The night before we put an empty basket out for the Easter bunny to fill complete with the exact same eggs so that we could know that they each had the exact same things. Riley was concerned that she would find a pink one and Regan might not have a pink one..... and on and on.

Easter morning photo with Daddy. Okay, the pictures of me with the girls were so unflattering that I could not post them. I will keep them on the computer, but they are not for anyone else to see, ever.

Today at the mall the girls were just being silly and posing for the camera. They are both wearing their new headbands they picked out yesterday.

Parker was too busy eating his apple to pose, but he is still the cutest baby ever! And he loves his Aunt Coco!

Planning for Disney

2009-04-14T18:51:00.002-05:00

Jason and I are planning a trip to Disney World in June! Neither of us has been and it is a little overwhelming when you don't know what it is like! Anyone who has been please give us any tips about the best places to stay and eat. We are deciding between the Contemporary, Animal Kingdom or one of the value resorts if it's not worth the $$ to stay at a Deluxe. That's why we need your help. Other questions we have are about the dining plan. Did you do it? Which one and was it worth it? I called and talked to a Disney agent today and all we need to do is finalize where we are staying and which meal plan we want. So HELP US! Thanks!

Easter Beauties

2009-04-11T12:58:00.002-05:00

Since tomorrow will be rainy (ugh!) I thought I would take advantage of today's weather for pictures! They were SO into posing and dancing in their dresses. I will have to put more of their inventive poses up because even Regan got into it! We are now dyeing Easter eggs and making sugar cookies to decorate. I will post pictures of all that later. Happy Easter everyone!

Thank You Nana and Papa!

2009-04-09T20:05:00.002-05:00

We came home from dance today to find a package from Nana and Papa on the doorstep! The girls LOVED their Easter baskets. Thank You!

As I rambled about last night, we had our big day at kindergarten. The meeting went well and the girls seemed comfortable there. They said the questions were "easy" and they knew all the answers. Ha! I am just glad they talked. After their test was over they came into the principal's office with us and Riley wouldn't answer any of Mrs. Foley's questions. She had her feet up on the couch with a skirt on and rolled around in Jason's lap. I was so embarrassed. We talked about them being together or separated and I told her either way was okay because they don't depend on each other but also wouldn't keep each other from developing either. She won't place until August so I will pray until then.

On the way to our new school!

Regan posed in the kindergarten hallway for me. Riley, um...no.

Kindergarten

2009-04-08T23:29:00.004-05:00

Ahhh! Tomorrow is the big day! We have our family interview and the girls do their kindergarten testing! I am scared and nervous. Imagine how bad I will be the first day of school. Eeeek! Yesterday I took the girls on a "Mommy guided" tour of their school so when they show up for testing they at least are familiar with the place. They were sick on the meet the kindergarten teachers day. Regan was SO excited. Riley was too, but she would never admit it. I have really been talking about starting school and beginning lots of sentences with, "Next year when you are in school......" just to start the mental preparations. I am nervous about the being in the same classroom or not conversation. I am also worried they will be nervous in the testing process and not show their true genius! They are still 4 so I feel like they are a little young and may be shy. Obviously I am worried and nervous.....

I couldn't post without a picture so this is from last weekend in Branson. I will post with more pictures later! Kindergarten has taken over my brain!!!!

Mom's Birthday (no old school, sorry Kari)

2009-04-06T18:12:00.003-05:00

I haven't had a chance to get my "old school" pics of mom together. I have so many good ones and need time to get them together! But I don't want to get behind so here's the birthday post. Last Thursday we surprised mom by all showing up at the restaurant my dad was taking her to and then to Holly's for cupcakes. So Happy Birthday Mom. We all love you! Most people think our Mom is one of us sister's and someone actually asked me once if Regan was hers and Riley was mine! Hope it's genetic and I got the gene.

As you see above Parker is such a stud, always dressed well. Future best dressed of 2026. Watch Out!

I continue to let the girls dress themselves in whatever they come out their room with and here it is! Riley's birthday outfit consisted of 2 shirts, a skirt over a pair of pants. Regan is wearing her "fighting clothes". We play Zelda Wii around here and she is completely obsessed. She must always be dressed as Link (main character) in her green shirt, brown pants, and boots. She also has a sword she puts down the back of her shirt as her sheath and rides her stick horse around. As Holly always says, it totally fits.

This photo is what was happening when we were leaving Holly's house that night. Aaron licked the icing off of a cupcake so Holly smashed it in his face. We left as he chased her around.

I know it is shocking that I have posted twice in one day! Amazing! Since Jason decided we should go to Branson (Friday night at 6pm!) and Easter is right around the corner I knew I couldn't be behind.

Target Photos as promised

2009-04-06T12:19:00.002-05:00

Per Riley's request here are the much anticipated Target shots. Regan had the idea to sit on the bullseye to add a little creativity to our shoot! Sorry grandparents that it took me awhile. Enjoy!

Best Friends

2009-03-26T19:27:00.003-05:00

Today as we made our way around the new Target (again), Regan asked me the sweetest question. She said, "Mommy, did God give you two babies in your tummy so we could be best friends?"

I pray every day that they will continue to be the best friends they are now. At 4 they are SO into playing and get along so well. Sometimes in the mornings they won't even come down until lunch! Except for today when I heard, "Hey Mom! I'm hungry and bring it up here!"

P.S. - The girls requested photos taken outside the new Target because when we were in Florida last summer they WOULD NOT let me take their picture at the new Target there and they wanted to make up for it! Then after I said I had my camera Riley told me to put in on the computer and send it to all the people I know. I am dead serious that they actually remembered and requested all of that. I haven't uploaded those but I was afraid to forget the sweet question Regan asked me and had to get it in writing! The target photo op is coming up. Don't miss it! Riley might have her feelings hurt if you miss out :( Ha!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-03-18T22:58:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Dad! Thanks for being a great dad and a fun Papa! We love you very much! My pictures are in a weird order but I am sure you will still enjoy. There is a mullet involved, has to be fun!

This is the mullet. It is a close up from the family pic below! Wow.

Family pic. 1982. I was 3 Aaron was 11 mos.

Familly pic 1987. Me 8, Aaron 6, Holly 4, Whit few months old

I am not sure of the years on all of these. We laughed so hard looking at pictures tonight and I got many threats from others about what I may do on their birthday. Like I mentioned before, I already found THE BEST pictures for my Mom's birthday. She's next!

We love you Papa Wray!
Please excuse my dirty children. I fixed their hair about 7 hours before this was taken and they had a popsicle, hamburger, chili, and chocolate cake. Still cute though!

Spring!

2009-03-16T22:11:00.003-05:00

Yeah! We are back out in the world! It seems like we have been sick FOREVER! The girls were so happy to get out and play today and so I snapped a few cute shots. For the record, I did not prompt any poses.

I told Jason the other day that he will have to have his guns ready because we have some cuties! Ha!

Lillian Blessing West

2009-03-09T12:59:00.002-05:00

Lillian was born this morning a healthy 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long. Everyone is healthy! She looks like her mom (so did her big brother and sister) and the girls are DYING to see her. Hopefully we will be able to go at the end of this week.

Missing Out :(

2009-03-08T23:58:00.003-05:00

Well, I am stuck here again with sick kiddos. The weather has been so great and we haven't enjoyed it beyond the fresh air coming in the windows. Hopefully this weather will stay around!

I have missed out on SO MUCH since the girls are sick. Since Jason works so far from home getting out in the evenings isn't really an option by the time he gets home. I have yet to experience the greatness of our NEW TARGET! I was so pumped up to go too!

I have also seriously missed out on the cuteness of this little guy. Don't you just want to kiss his little cheeks?

Tomorrow is also a big day in Jason's family! Tomorrow is SuSu's Brithday! Happy Birthday SuSu. We love you! Jason is with his parents in Jonesboro for our niece to be born. I mentioned before that my sister in law was going in last Tuesday but they postponed everything until tomorrow. So Happy Birthday to Lillian Blessing West as well! We are sad to not be there but think your mom will appreciate our germs being very far away. :) I will post pictures as soon as Jason sends them.

This pic was from Jason's 30th birthday dinner with his family. Riley loves that hat because she feels it makes her look more like Miley. Regan's mouth looks weird due to chocolate icing.

Riley's hat makes me think of a new process we are going through around here. Moms of same sex twins face the dilemma of dressing identical, similar, or not at all alike. Sounds silly, I know. I have never dressed the girls identical. I have always gotten the same outfits in different patterns or colors or whatever. I also have always just picked out their clothes for the day and they never really cared. Since the girls are so independent I thought I should just start letting them pick out their own clothes from now on. I thought it would be so easy. Here is how it goes when I ask "So what so you want to wear?":

Regan: I want a black turtle neck, brown pants, and a pink belt. Hmmmmm......
After explaining matching she agrees and we move on.

Riley: A pink dress
Me: Do you want leggings or tights?
Riley: Nothing
Me: It's too cold for this without either one.
Riley: Okay then I want that (shirt).
Me: Okay, what pants.
Riley: A skirt.
Me: Which one
Riley: Pink.
Me: I don't have a pink skirt.
Riley: Remember last summer the one...
Me: That's too small.
Riley: Where is it?
Me: With your clothes that are too small.
Riley: How about you find it and I try it and see.
Me: If you wear a skirt you will still have to pick leggings or tights.
Riley: But I don't want those!

Okay you get the point. I told Jason I never thought it would cause such issues! Honestly neither one of them really care what they wear but I thought it would be healthy to start developing independent identities. Even if it is just what they wear.

Design Style

2009-03-06T16:00:00.003-06:00

I took this design style quiz on Kari Beth's Blog. It's too funny because it really is my style:
I think I was 60% Contemporary, 30% Vintage Chic, and 10% Rustic Revival.

Contemporary

So fresh and clean! Antiques? No thanks! Vintage collections and clutter of any type? Not for you! You like your space new and sleek. Each piece is chosen carefully as though it were a piece of art, and your love of minimalism is expressed throughout each room. Furniture has clean lines and geometric shapes are preferred.

You're not afraid of color — in fact, bold color options only highlight the minimal items you choose for your home. But the key is clean. To master the minimalist interior you not only have to be selective in the few furniture items you bring into the space, you must also find a way to hide all of the real-life items as well.

House for Sale!

2009-03-05T23:12:00.005-06:00

We FINALLY got our old house listed! Yeah! Now somebody needs to move in! It's all ready to go. The MLS# is 569000. Our real estate agent is Martin Brooks with Crye Leike. There are lots of pictures on their website. I will answer any questions here if you are interested.

Update

2009-03-04T21:51:00.002-06:00

My friend Carissa has started a blog! For those of you who read my earlier blog about her story you can find updates from her blog as well. Please pray for Shane, Carissa, Kaitlyn and baby Avery. They need so much prayer right now.

www.keepingupwiththekeirseys.blogspot.com

Thanks to those of you who told me you are praying for her.

Back for More

2009-02-28T15:09:00.004-06:00

This was from our family's first trip to the beach. She still strikes this pose daily! We can't get her to stop.

I guess she had to learn that pose somewhere. She is dressed up (another daily). Unfortunately I am not. I really wore those clothes.

Whitney was always with the animals. She would spend HOURS outside with the dogs, cats, rabbit, bird....you name it.

This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE! I have had this picture in my possession since it was taken 17 years ago. She is coming down the McDonald's slide at her 5th birthday party.

Don't know how old. But always had the curl on top!

I would constantly dress Whitney up and make her pose for photos. I am not really sure what is going on here, but she went right along with my plan.

Someday I will actually scan pictures. I am really looking forward to Mom's birthday next. I have found the BEST pictures from when we were little. Whitney, don't let mom hide any of the photos we found.

Today is the best lazy day ever. I am still in my pajamas and plan on doing nothing (except clean). Since the girls are all well (thank the LORD) I am planning on finishing the sweater I am knitting for my niece who is being born on Tuesday. I just wish I could stop snacking.

Peanut is 22!

2009-02-28T00:05:00.002-06:00

Today is my littlest sister's birthday! (Well it's after midnight so her birthday is the 27th.) Anyway, since we have just moved my printer/scanner is not hooked up and all my old pics I am just trying to take pictures of them with my camera, but it's too dark. So, don't worry I will upload all of my "old school" pictures of Whitney tomorrow. Don't miss it.

Happy Birthday little sis! You are a great sister and aunt. Hope you had a great day (and no one had TOO much fun after I left).

Stay tuned. You don't want to miss what I found.............:)

Old School

2009-02-26T16:08:00.003-06:00

I couldn't resist!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

2009-02-26T00:30:00.003-06:00

Today Jason joins me in the 30's! Whooo-Hooo!
Jason is a great dad, husband and boss. He works very hard for all of his girls and we are very grateful for him!

Hope you have a great 30th birthday Jason! I love you!

PRAYER NEEDED FOR A FRIEND

2009-02-23T21:52:00.002-06:00

This blog was initially intended just for family who live far away to keep up with Regan and Riley. It has slowly become a way to keep up with others and even those I don't know, HA! I am going to take advantage of all you blog stalkers out there. You know who you are! Please read about my sweet friend Carissa and join me in prayer for her and her family:

Before we moved, Carissa lived right across the street from us. We got to know each other better as our daughters got big enough to play together. She is a great mom and has the cutest little girl Kaitlyn who my girls LOVE to play with. She is expecting another little girl in May who she is naming Avery. Over the last few months she has gone through quite a lot with little Avery. In the ultrasound they found a problem that they wanted to check closer. They found that Avery has a hernia in her diaphragm that has allowed her stomach to push up into the chest cavity. That caused concern about the heart's development so the ran more tests last week. The doctors found a heart defect that will require surgery as well as the hernia and is very serious.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CARISSA AND BABY AVERY! They will be going to Children's every month to meet with different Dr's and the surgeons. She knows she will deliver there at Children's and will be there for quite a while. She has told me that finding out people are praying for her is something that really encourages her. Please tell your church groups, family members and friends to pray with us! Feel free to leave messages for her here!

Regan, Kaitlyn, and Riley BFF's!

Friday the 13th

2009-02-16T14:50:00.003-06:00

(Before anyone gets worried Riley is just fine now.)
Friday night Riley started throwing up about 9:30PM. No big deal. About 10:30 she was STILL throwing up and starting to act a little listless. By this time I sent Jason upstairs to go to bed with Regan because I knew I would need to watch Riley anyway. I started noticing blood in the trash can and panicked a little! I called the ER and they said to bring her in. So at 11PM, we arrive and I was so rattled I couldn't remember their birthday. She was sitting in my lap throwing up as I filled out all the paperwork and did all the insurance stuff.

We got into a room where a nurse had to wake her up (pitiful!) to take blood and give her IV. Riley did not even look at the nurse for either needle which made them even more concerned. In the end she was very dehydrated and broken blood vessels in her esophagus caused the bleeding. We got home about 3:30AM.

However, today Regan has fever! Crazy!

I am still working A LOT on our house. Last week I painted the Study and am working on ordering the furniture for that room. Target has the cutest printed chairs on their website! Speaking of Target, their Home sale last week was AMAZING!!! I bought 6 shower curtains for my 2 bathrooms that need them. Ha! It was hard not to buy things that I might need sometime. After all I bought I am kind of hoping I find something to return to make myself feel better.

I have a furniture order coming in today for the Living room and Kitchen. It is slowly coming together!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. We opted to cancel our dinner reservations after our late night adventure in the ER. We picked up sushi and watched Survivor that was DVRed from Thursday.(please go home Sandy) That is actually my favorite kind of "date".

Our New Home!!!

2009-01-13T08:47:00.002-06:00

So I really don't have an excuse to be absent for so long! However, I will use the fact that we moved! YEAH! Finally after 2 years of looking, praying and saving! We love it!!!

We still don't have our computer here that has all the pictures from the last few months so at some point I will try and post an update on Regan and Riley. Really, I promise.....

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T14:46:00.002-05:00

Both girls had a great Halloween! We Trick-or-Treated for 2 days so they got to wear their costumes twice! I think that was even better than the candy for them.

Regan was so sweet. She would just come and stand in front of me silently and say "I'm a butterfly, they don't make any noise."

Riley was HILARIOUS in her cat costume. She meowed and clawed around everywhere. When we were at the mall she got a gummy mouse at the candy store and called her chick-fil-a mouse nuggets.

One year later....

2008-10-20T18:43:00.004-05:00

It was last October when I started this blog and I can't believe it's been a year! I really want to do a better job of updating for family and friends to keep up with the girls as they grow. I will make an effort to do better in this next year!

Both girls got new haircuts a couple of weeks ago and they are so proud. Regan cut at least 5 inches and Riley only got "a trim" which she insisted upon.

Since we are in Farmington to get our haircut we cannot pass up a chance to see Parker! He is so cute!

Last weekend the girls and I camped out in the back yard. (I did not force Jason to actually sleep outside since he had to get up and go to work.) They loved it and slept better than they do inside on a bed. However, I woke up at every noise, dog bark, tree rustle, and sort of gave up on a good night's sleep when the mattress deflated.

These pictures are all from this last weekend. We went to Branson on Friday night and spent that day and the next at Silver Dollar City. I tried really hard to get some cute pictures of the girls, but Riley is making extremely strange faces in every single picture. I gave up.

Yesterday was my birthday and we spent the day with my family. Thanks to all for my great birthday gifts!

Today we finally carved our jack-o-lanterns. This is one the girls favorite fall things we do. They love to take out the seeds and create their face. We then made pumkin soup and roasted our pumpkin seeds.

I am officially all caught up on my blog! Whew!

I am still having blog issues. I cannot see my pictures when I post them. They are all just script. I also cannot change my font. Does anyone know what I did?

So I'm a bad blogger

2008-09-15T16:48:00.002-05:00

For some reason as I post this, my pictures are showing up as script!?!? Also I can't change the font or sizes or anything! So if this looks crazy, it's not my fault. I couldn't help posting this first picture...sorry Jason :)

Our fall schedule is in full swing. The girls started dance and they love it! These pictures are from their first day as they show their moves. My grandparents love to see the girls when they are dressed up for either gymanstics or dance so we had to stop by.

Daddy and Regan

I got my camera out today and took some pictures as the girls played outside. I love this weather!

Vegas Slide Show...Finally

2008-08-30T11:22:00.002-05:00

Computer Savvy

2008-08-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I said I would try a slide show of Vegas pictures but it didn't work and I haven't had time to sit down and upload all the pictures of both Vegas and the beach. (Beach pictures are on my facebook for anyone to see, but I will try to get some on here later.) So my computer skills are suffering since I haven't been in school or worked for over 4 years. However, my girls make up for it. Funny story...

A few nights ago the girls were eating dinner and I was walking back and forth from the kitchen to the table not really hearing their conversation. Then I hear Riley start yelling, "Spacebar! Spacebar!" over and over. I kind of listened but didn't get what she was saying. I thought she was yelling about the new Space Chimps movie or something. Finally, I noticed Regan was in the living room and I said, "Riley why are you yelling spacebar ?". She very expertly explained, " Mom, I am saying spacebar so Regan can jump!". I tried to hide my laughing.

The next week we were walking down the sidewalk to chuch and Riley stops and says, "Regan say arrow key so I can make it over this crack." So Regan yells, "Arrow key" every time she gets to a crack all the way to the door.

They obviously love the computer. When they start kindergarten next year I will have them help me do a slide show.........

7, 4, 5, VEGAS!!!!!

2008-08-07T22:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the title will make sense once I explain. Over the last 6 weeks or so there has been so much going on that I have A LOT to blog about. Also, I have spent ALL WEEK downloading and developing pictures so I feel "in order" enough to get my thoughts to make sense. I will put more pictures up soon ( hopefully tomorrow). We are leaving for our next vacation tomorrow so I am making myself sit down and do this so I am not even MORE behind! Here's to explaing that title.........

7: Jason and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last month. Yeah, we haven't killed each other! (it's been close) :)

4: Regan and Riley are 4! I know, I know...I am a terrible mom for not posting already! We had our first big party with friends and family at Jumpzone in Bentonville. The girls LOVED it! Jason and I got them a swimming pool which has been the best present ever! I even have a tan!! Whooo - hooo!

These pictures are the only ones I posted because I couldn't help it. I just thought they were sweet. I took these on the 4th at my sister's house as they watched fireworks.

Regan Paige

Riley Kate

5: Riley lost her 5th tooth! She also has one 6 year molar and almost has her first big girl tooth in on the bottom. Regan is very proud to say that she has no loose teeth or 6 year molars.

VEGAS!: We took our first family airplane flight and went to Vegas! The girls loved flying. I think I was more nervous that they would be afraid of the loud noises and stomach drops, etc. They were so excited that they never had any problems. We stayed in the Venetian which was huge and so pretty. We walked miles just to get from once place to the other and only left the hotel once just to say we saw the strip. We took a gondola ride inside our hotel and ate really good food. Food is pretty much my favorite thing about any trip. We went to see The Blue Man Group one night and I highly recommend it. It was entertaining, educational and kid friendly all in one!

I will try my best to post birthday and Vegas pictures before we leave tomorrow! I may even attempt a slide show.....

Summer Fun

2008-07-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

This is a lot of pictures, but I had to post them all. The girls have decided to make the linen closet their hideout. It's actually really funny. They get in together with their flashlights and close the door. Riley has not been in the mood to have her picture taken lately. That is why she is missing. (She just saw me typing this and said "Oh, I changed my mind. Remember I just wanted you to take my picture on another day?!?!")

My mom had a garage sale last week and Holly and I helped . As you can see the girls LOVE Parker. If she was allowed Regan would pick him up and carry him off.
Riley is very concerned that Parker is happy at all times. She loves to give him his "paci".
I love this picture of Parker! Whitney showed me how to make my camera change the colors to black and white. You can definitely see how much he has grown in 6 weeks! He looks more and more like his dad as he gets older.

The next two pictures require a little story. The girls love to "take care" of their babies. They have all the stuff that goes with every baby doll imaginable. I started letting them have real baby powder left over from when they were infants. It was just under a sink and not being used so I thought they would love it. They did, and were doing great only using a little bit on each baby. After I thought they were doing really well, I just left it in their room so they could play with it. Regan took full advatage.

She still has baby powder all over her.
We have also been having Beauty Shop in our living room where they put lotion on me, fix my hair, and give me massages. Obviously the massage is my favorite part!

Sunday we went to see Wall E. It was cute. The girls have been waiting so long for it to come out! Our church had fireworks that night and the girls loved it!

Riley was just happy she got sugar.
Parker. Cute as usual!

We've been busy!

2008-07-01T12:38:00.001-05:00

This summer is flying by! We have been so busy that I can't believe it is already July! Last month, we took the girls on their first camping trip! I camped a lot when I was little, so I was really excited. The girls favorite thing was fishing with the boys. They reeled the fish in (I was too afraid that someone would lose an eyeball if they cast themselves!) and both of them actually held the fish to return it to the water.

Our next adventure was back to Branson with Jason's family. The girls love their cousin Ethan! We went to all the parks, Talking Rocks Cavern and Predator World. They fed the sharks, sting rays and sea turtles. At Silver Dollar City, Regan rode her first roller coaster. She has been wanting to the last 2 summers, but she was too short. Now I have no excuse for her not to ride. When she came off the first thing she said was, "Daddy, can I go again?" and she went 3 times in a row!
White Water was so fun! This year the girls were so brave and went down slides by themselves. You can see by their faces they loved it!

Only 11 days until they are 4!

Mother's Day pictures

2008-06-10T10:21:00.001-05:00

Since I finally have pictures of myself with the girls I figured it was worth going back and posting about Mother's Day. The girls were so excited to give me their card. They are starting to write me notes which is so cute. Riley will write all of our names like this DADMOMREGANRILEY. She writes "I lv mommy" which is my favorite.

Mommy and Regan
Mommy and Riley
The girls with GiGi (my mom)

Daddy's New Boat!

2008-06-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

Jason"needed" a new boat...so here it is! He purchased this back in April, but with Parker on the way I hadn't posted about it!

We took the girls for their first boat ride and they loved it! We had to stop by Wal-Mart and pick out new life jackets. Barbie and Dora. They also brought their Barbie fishing poles which made the trip!

Riley casting...
Regan reeling...

#4

2008-05-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

While waiting for Parker, Riley lost tooth #4. This was the first tooth I was okay with losing so early since it was standing all alone in the middle of her mouth. She should be getting her big girl teeth anytime. The dentist said we were only a few months from her having the bottom ones. Please ignore the Chick-Fil-A Honey Mustard...

Back for more!

2008-05-14T15:10:00.000-05:00

Those of you waiting on the edge of your seat......

All dressed up to face day #2
Regan was facinated. She loved her new baby cousin. On the way to the hospital she wanted me to ask Aunt BooBoo if she could spend the night with Parker. Can you imagine? Ha!
Riley said she didn't want to hold Parker. I remember that feeling when my little sisters were born (too young to remember Aaron). It's a little scary at first. But, I made her and she was amazed!
Parker and his FAVORITE Aunt
Okay, well I guess he will love Aunt DeeDee too

Drumroll please..............

2008-05-12T23:20:00.001-05:00

Introducing....Parker Michael Thomas!

Mom and Dad: Holly and Jason Thomas

Time: 6:34 pm

Weight: 7lbs 3 oz

Length: 20 in

Mommy and Parker

The Thomas Family

All clean

Everyone is GREAT! He is too cute. Watch out ladies!

Update

2008-05-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

We will have to wait a little longer to see Parker. His lungs need to develop more. One MORE week! Please please pray for Holly and Jason. I can't imagine how hard this is.

Cousins

2008-05-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

Parker Michael will be arriving today! We are on stand by. For the 5 people who read this stay tuned.....

Please continue praying for Holly and Jason as they welcome their little one.

See the Future.....

2008-05-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

Scary huh?

Flying Kites

2008-04-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

Although I dropped my camera at Holly's shower and killed my flash :(, I got some really great pictures flying our new kites.

Regan wants her kite to go up as high as possible and flies it about 4 times a day.
Riley wants her kite as close as possible and is scared it will get away. She flies it about 5 minutes a day.

Holly's Shower

2008-04-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

My sister is having a baby boy and her shower was last Saturday. She got the cutest stuff and A LOT of it! She will have to change his clothes 5 times a day to get him in all the clothes before he outgrows them. It was a great shower.

Kari, Trish and Christie you did a GREAT job!

Our mom, Holly and Jason's mom Connie
The Girls: Kari Beth, Holly, Whitney, and Me
The girls are not quite sure about Parker yet. Riley would not touch Holly's stomach for the picture and it has taken her until now for me to get her to feel him kick. They are SO excited for him to be here and will LOVE to have a little cousin, but as long as he is in Holly's stomach they are having nothing to do with it. This picture cracked me up! The girls have so much fun with Zander and were so excited he came to play with them. I have been working on their "pretty smile" and it worked pretty good this time.
Okay, if you didn't believe me before here's proof of all the goods!

Please pray for Holly, Jason and baby Parker! He will be here in 18 days or less!

WOO HOO!

Naturals Opening Night

2008-04-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Arkansas Naturals opening home game. Luckily we were in a box so that the girls could run around. We all had a great time.

Appetizers as we watch the warm ups
The view from the box.
Team mascot "Strike" who is a sasquatch (!?!) and Regan named him the Squash Man.
Gov. Mike Beebe
Aunt DeeDee making the game much more exciting.

Silver Dollar City

2008-04-10T13:31:00.001-05:00

First of all, Riley lost her THIRD tooth! If you look closely at the picture you can see that the bottom tooth is all alone in the middle. Hilarious!

We went to Branson last weekend and had such a great time! Jason has been working so much lately and really needed to get away. We spent 2 days at Silver Dollar City and went swimming as much as possible.

Below are the newest Spring fashion trends in swim wear! Lately we have had many fashion shows where I hang up the same clothes over and over all day long! See if you can guess who is into the posing more........

They loved swimming! By the end of last summer they were swimming great, but I was thinking it might take them awhile to get the hang of it again. They surprised me by swimming all over the pool and even underwater. By the second day they didn't even wear their armies!
We always pet the goats and rabbits. It is a great resting time after all the rides.

I just had to throw in this picture of Riley running so fast!

This is their new favorite ride! Regan will ride anything, but Riley a little more cautious. She actually liked it!

Finally we're all smiling!
So cute!
Daddy and Regan on her other favorite ride. She giggles the whole time!

Easter 2008

2008-04-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

Behind again....For those of you giving me a hard time (Holly and Kari), here are the new pictures.

The girls loved Easter. They both know the ENTIRE Easter story and really understood the point of Easter Sunday. We have the Resurrection eggs (see Wilson's Blog) and it helped them understand why we celebrate. As we drive now Regan will be looking up at the sky and say, "Jesus died so we could go to Heaven". They ask a lot of questions now about how to get to Heaven and then how to get back again.
One of us all together!
Pop and Susu with our family at Granite City.
My parents Papa Wray and Gigi with us as well.
I love this picture! Why are there no smiles in a picture with me?!?!?
Can you tell who she looks like? Hmmmmmm.....

Okay, so there were NO good pictures of me with the girls. It happens every holiday, birthday, etc. Jason never gets a good picture. EVER! I don't really have the time to notice before we leave. I also realized I didn't get a good picture of the girls by themselves in their dress. Oh, well.
Here's Aunt DeeDee leading the way on the Easter egg hunt.
In my family we still use the same Easter basket from when we were little. As we each get married my mom adds a new one to the bunch. Jason was so excited to that the Easter bunny still found his basket.

Catching Up......

2008-03-05T14:30:00.000-06:00

Well, Riley lost her 2nd tooth today. She has 4 other loose ones. She is just 3 yrs. 8 months (almost) and will have no teeth!
Jason celebrated his 29th birthday last month. The girls were so excited to get cupcakes and go to all his "parties" (out to eat). My little sis, Whitney also turned 21 (Woo-hooo!!!) last month. I forgot my camera that night :(.

This past weekend Nana and Papa came to visit! We went to Chuck E Cheese and to the Promenade. We tried to go swimming at their hotel, but none of the adults wanted to put on their bathing suits. Even though they could touch in the shallow end, they were very reluctant to swim. Very! I put Regan all the way in the water to show her she could touch and she freaked out. I felt bad that I scared her so I went over to talk with her and she said, "I need an angel to help me". I asked if whe wanted to pray and she said, "No, I just need it to put her kini (bikini) on and swim with me". I was trying so hard not to laugh because she was so worried her face was broken out in red splotches and she was hiccuping as she said this.

Happy 30th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2008-02-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday was my parents 30th wedding anniversary. We sort of surprised them and took them to MarketPlace and had family get together for cake and a few gifts.

Mom and Dad with their cake.
This is the whole High family. Left to Right: Jason and me, my brother Aaron and his wife Kari Beth, my parents, My brother-in -law Jason behind my mom, sister Holly (including Parker Michael), and "the baby" Whitney. My mom made sure we posed in our "birth order". I am the old lady since I am even older than Jason!!
We had a photo from my brother's wedding framed and then engraved for everyone to sign.
Unfortunately on the way to dinner, I looked at Riley and saw "the look" of fever. She said she was fine and really had been fine all day. I thought she felt warm, but didn't think much until she crawled in my lap and fell asleep. Last nap taken : 2006. Seriously. I got her to my parents and her fever was 104.4!!! I sent Jason to get Children's Tylenol and tried to get her fever down. It was so sad because she wanted to play in GiGi's playroom with Polly Pocket, but literally had no energy. I knew it was really serious when she said no to cake. We fought high fever for about 48 hours and that was all. I have no clue what it was, but am very thankful it was NOT the flu.

On Friday, Regan came in to the living room where Riley was laying on the couch and said, "Mom we're sick". Riley promptly said, "I'm not sick!". I told her when you have fever you are sick and she said, "But Regan doesn't have fever." So I said that Regan was sick last week with her cough. (Cue cough Regan) Regan wanted to be sick with Riley I think mostly out of boredom. So, I let her be Nurse Regan for a while and she liked helping me. Regan really misses Riley if they are not able to play. She wants to "take care" of her and "love her" and "check on" her. This translates to, "Mom! Regan is bothering me!" (Riley) "But I just want to love my sister!" (Regan)

Snow Days

2008-02-07T14:17:00.000-06:00

Regan and Riley loved the snow. We waited and waited because the weather man kept saying the snow was coming. They were so excited! The first time we went out it was raining so I didn't get many pictures.

Any excuse to wear our new rain boots!

Later that night, Jason took them outside while I made dinner. They had so much fun because Daddy got out the snow sled! This year they were big enough to run and jump onto the sled and slide down our front yard.
I had them so bundled that Riley couldn't really walk that well and kept losing a shoe.
Success!

Boys and their toys

2008-02-07T13:58:00.000-06:00

As I have mentioned before, Jason is a HUGE duck hunter. Last weekend he bought a new layout blind. When we first started dating I had no idea what a duck blind even was. Now I have a freezer full of deer, geese, duck, pheasant, etc. The girls love daddy's hunting stuff. When we drive down the road our conversations usually go like this:
girls - hey look mom birds
me - uh huh
girls - is daddy gonna shoot them?
me - he might
girls - he needs to get his gun out and kill them
They also want their own duck call. I think they would love to hunt with Daddy until he shot his gun. Regan panics at the automatic flushing toilets so I think she may not like the gun so much. But, they got a fishing pole for Christmas and are ready for Daddy to take them soon!

This is Jason and our friend Jeremy (aka Dr. Bushy). Jeremy is probably as serious as Jason when it comes to hunting.

Aaron Jolliff's dog Hagen got in for the picture.

Chuck E Cheese

2008-02-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Last week we headed to Chuck E Cheese for the first time. Every time we drive by the girls ask, Can we go there sometime? To avoid ANY weekend day we headed out Thursday night. They loved it!

PS - Snow pictures are coming soon!

Latest Project

2008-01-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

Regan modeling the latest look.
Obviously, she likes the camera. If you could only see her come alive as I start to take pictures.

I finished! I put this project on hold to make all my Christmas gifts. I remembered it last week and got busy! It only took me about 2 weeks to finish them both. I just made it up as I went so I thought it would take longer. I still have to add buttons and they will be ready! Regan's
Riley's
They are too cute!

Princess Tea Party

2008-01-25T21:46:00.001-06:00

Last week we decided to have a Princess Tea Party. Since the weather has been so cold we have been creative. They haven't been wanting to go anywhere and this was so fun! They dressed up and I hot rolled their hair. They LOVED the rollers! I made teeny tiny little sandwiches and other small foods to fit on the little tea party plates and they poured their own tea. Even the Barbies got dressed up for the occasion

3 1/2 !!!

2008-01-16T15:24:00.000-06:00

Well, this month the girls are officially 3 1/2!!! I can't believe how fast it has gone. They are such big girls and make sure I know it too. They do everything by themselves. It is great, but also sad that I am not needed so much. They get dressed, undressed, brush their teeth, clean up their toys, etc..... They have become more determined lately not to let me help with anything. I am so thankful to be home with them everyday. We have so much fun and life is never dull.

Regan Paige

Regan is the oldest by 1 whole minute! She was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and just keeps growing! She is happy go lucky and more laid back like her daddy. She is VERY social and makes a best friend everywhere we go. She is very sweet and sensitive to others and does not like to see someone sad or upset. She is a GREAT eater and is blessed with her Aunt BooBoo's body type. She already eats 3 pieces of pizza at one sitting and still has room for dessert. (I am afraid she got that from me.) Regan is active and not scared to try new things. She has such a happy outlook and keeps things in perspective.

Here is all about Regan!

Favorites:

foods: brown meat (beef), pizza, broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, butter with a little bread, cheese, sour cream
drink: sweet tea
toys: Barbies, blocks, tools, thomas train
movie: Toy Story 1 & 2, Monster's Inc.
activity: building, fixing, dress up, gymnastics, helping me cook
song: Sponge Bob theme (??? this is what she said when I asked)
characters: Barbie, Sponge Bob, Disney Princesses, cowboys
new accomplishment: writes her name, dresses herself

Riley Kate

Riley is our baby. She was 5 lbs 15 oz., but didn't let that little size stop her. She makes sure we are all in the right place, at the right time, in the right way. She is an extremely quick and eager learner. She asks a lot of questions to know how everything works and never forgets what you tell her. She is independent, but more hesitant to try new things. She gets shy around new people, but loves to be the center of attention if she does know you. She loves to be outside and loves animals. She is very observant and picks up on everything.

Here is all about Riley!

Favorites:

food: corn, squash, cauliflower, beans, chicken nuggets, sweets (all of them), chili
drink: lemonade
toys: Barbies, school books, zoo
movie: Barbie Diaries (!), Aladdin, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2
activity: computer time, reading, school, singing
song: Away in a Manger, Barbie Island Princess, any music (she knows every word)
characters: Barbie, Sponge Bob, Disney Princesses
new accomplishment: addition, patterns, reading familiar words

CHRISTMAS 2007

2007-12-30T23:49:00.001-06:00

This was the first Christmas that we had no where to go on Christmas Day! The girls are at such a fun age and we enjoyed all the holiday fun stuff. They were most amazed at the overflowing stockings and the notes Santa left on each present. After opening presents, I made breakfast (not normal) which they called the Christmas Special and we stayed in our pajamas.

Milk and cookies for Santa (Beach Barbie helped)
Finally
Barbie the Island Princess
Regan and her stocking
Barbies!

Jesus' Birthday Cake

2007-12-30T23:39:00.000-06:00

This year we made a birthday cake for Jesus. The girls had so much fun putting on their cooker hats and aprons. However, once the cake was done...I ate whole thing. Seriously.

Pajama Party!

2007-12-30T23:13:00.000-06:00

This year with my family we decided to all wear pajamas like we had just woken up on Christmas morning. I am trying not to overload you with pictures because I have taken 328 since I got my camera. So here are a few of Christmas with the Highs!

Papa Wray
Papa Wray reading the Christmas Story
Riley's new rain boots
Regan's new rain boots
My brother (Uncle Bubby) has the best conversations with the girls. He is so funny talking to them and they giggle the whole time they are with him. Thanks Gigi and Papa for a great Christmas!

My Present from Jason

2007-12-30T22:56:00.000-06:00

I have to be careful to tell Jason what I want for my gift because he is a big spender. However, this year I relaxed my penny pinching ways and let him go crazy. And he did! I got a NEW CAMERA! I am so excited and drove my family crazy for 2 days with it. Here are some of my first shots as I practiced. I know nothing about photography.

Christmas with Jason's Family

2007-12-30T22:40:00.001-06:00

We began our Christmas with Nana and Papa in Caraway. We had a great time and the girls love their princess computer!
Christmas #2 was with Susu and Pop and Jason's uncle Phil, Kristen, Jordan and Noah. As you can see Susu and Pop got the girls a new pink Barbie Mustang! They go to Target and Wal-Mart many times a day. They also honk at people and tell them to get out of the way (oops). They were very disappointed when I had to explain that they couldn't get on the road and go anywhere. They also play their new Jump Start Kindergarten every day! Thanks Susu and Pop!

Making the Christmas card

2007-12-19T11:33:00.000-06:00

Every year I take a picture myself and make a card at Wal-Mart. It gets a little easier to take the picture as they get older, but his year they were hilarious! By the end I am sweating and hate my camera.
For some reason they pinched each others nose and just laughed and laughed.

They wanted to do a silly picture so I just started taking as many pictures as possible as quickly as I could.
I finally got THIS! Although it is blurry, I used it anyway because it is so cute!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Santa Claus is coming to....Springdale?

2007-12-19T11:26:00.001-06:00

Jason's uncle Phil was Santa Claus for Halloween this year. We didn't get a chance to see him so when we went to their house he dressed up for us. I could not stop laughing the whole time because the girls had NO CLUE it was him! He even left out the front door like he was leaving the house and came back in through the garage. But when we left, all they could talk about was their dog Jasper. We made Jasper very hyper and he kept stealing Riley's house shoe and running around like crazy. We are going to their house tonight for Christmas and the first thing they said was, "Maybe Jasper could be there."

A B C D E F G ......

2007-12-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

I get my old teaching stuff out of the garage for the girls and they love it! One day I walked into the kitchen and Riley said, "How do you make Q?". So I went over to see what she was doing and she had written her alphabet! If you look close you can see all the letters! She even kept them in order, but when she ran out of room she would just find a new spot. I am so proud!

Wo-o-o-o-o-o PIG SOOIE!

2007-12-19T10:57:00.000-06:00

We took the girls to their first Razorback game ever and they LOVED it! They got to dress up which made it much more exciting. This was about 3 weeks ago so I am a little behind and trying to catch up!!!
Riley began posing like this and I finally asked her where she learned it. She said, "Ariel does this on Little Mermaid". She loves the camera!
Regan LOVES to dress up!! She would wear princess clothes or a cowboy hat and boots everywhere. She was ready for the game early and had her pom poms and lip gloss on. At the game she was so funny. Every time the crowd would cheer, she would say, "We're the winner?" or "We won?" She liked the game, but was more interested in the arena. She asked about the lights, the flags, what that boy was doing up there (scaffolding) and how do you get up there? (balcony). She notices everything. She loves Sue E Pig and Pork Chop and hugged (and hugged and hugged) them.
Riley asked about the rules of the game and was seriouly trying to "get it". She would yell "Two points!" every time we would score. She also watched the cheerleaders and band and followed their every move during time outs. She was really excited to meet Pork Chop and Sue E. Pig and danced with them.
We had so much fun and can't wait to go back! Thanks Susu and Pop and Phil and Kristen for the tickets!

Thanksgiving x 3!

2007-11-30T19:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, we have three thanksgivings! We started with my family in Springdale. Since there are so many of us we go to a church which is where Riley is playing. It's great because they can run around and there are toys already there. After my family, we go to Jason's dad's in Bella Vista for dinner. Jason's brother and his family come over from Eastern Arkansas. The girls LOVE their cousin Ethan and never eat anything because they are so excited to see him. After dinner we all head to Branson for the weekend with Jason's mom.
This is my brother and his wife Kari. It is extremely difficult to get a picture of my brother without him making some sort of face. (Sorry, Kari. I told you I was posting this:)

This was our first morning in Branson. Jason's mom gets us a condo so the kids get to play together a lot!

On Friday, we went to the Branson Belle. The girls really liked the boat and the show.

Here they are getting ready to ride the boat. Yes, I made those hats! I taught myself to knit and have become obsessed!

On the fourth deck of the ship you can go into the captain's quarters and look out onto the water. It was cold!

That night we went to the lights at the Shepherd of the Hills. We had never done this before and it was great! Santa was in the General Store afterwards.

It was a challenge, but I finally got all four kids in one shot! There are too many of us now to all fit in Papa's lap.

Thanks Nana and Papa for our fun weekend in Branson!

Light the Night

2007-11-21T15:57:00.000-06:00

After the Mall Friday night, we headed the the Fayetteville square for Light the Night on Saturday. The weather was great and the girls had so much fun! It was so pretty I think we may have to go back for a Christmas picture.

This is "posing". I am really not sure how to explain.

Regan was so excited about the ponies! She still loves cowboys and did not hesitate. She was so sweet petting her pony and asking what all their names were.

Riley was unsure at first, but jumped on as soon as Regan did. My dad was there to keep her in the saddle.

Here are GiGi and Papa after they finally turned on the lights.

I put this picture last since I have on no makeup and am glowing as white as the lights. If you can't tell, I think they are yelling "Santa Claus!" Also, if you wonder where Jason is for our exciting weekend, he is duck hunting. He is obsessed and not even his sinus infection will keep him from getting up at 3 am to sit in cold water.

Ballerinas and Christmas Parade

2007-11-21T15:46:00.000-06:00

Friday night we went to the Christmas tree lighting and parade at the mall. There were ballerinas that performed in the food court and the girls were mesmerized. They loved it. They were so excited that Santa had flown all the way from the North Pole to be there.

This is my mom who they call GiGi. She wanted to be MiMi, but it came out GiGi and stuck.

I am so glad they love each other!

Thanks Aunt Boo Boo and Uncle J!

2007-11-10T10:29:00.000-06:00

My sister Holly and brother-in-law Jason took the girls to see Bee Movie last weekend. This was their third movie and they were still so excited. I think they felt cool going with someone besides me and Jason. (To avoid confusion, my sister and I both married a Jason.) The girls LOVE Boo Boo and J! Whenever they use their pretend phone to call someone, they always call Boo Boo. Regan also says that Uncle J is her boyfriend. So, thanks Aunt Boo Boo and Uncle J! WE LOVE YOU!!

Not washable

2007-11-07T15:51:00.001-06:00

This is what Regan was doing yesterday when I was starting this blog. Ususally they use washable markers, but this is dry erase. They were doing "school" and when she finished her alphabet she went straight into make-up application. Regan is a very smart girl, but she has her priorities. If I can keep her listening and focused she can write her alphabet. I promise!

Now, Riley doesn't mess around. This picture is from over a month ago when she started writing her name. She can write her name, the alphabet, and can spell phonetically. She has known all her letter sounds for a long time and wants to know how everything is spelled, what it starts with.....etc. Regan's lack of focus gets on her nerves and she corrects her all the time. It's hilarious to listen to their "school" conversations.

Halloween!!

2007-11-06T11:34:00.000-06:00

Riley as a cute fairy! She first wanted to be Barbie the Island Princess and we had the costume and everything. The day before Halloween we tried on the costume and she said "it hurt". I had already tried to talk her out of Barbie because I knew it would be itchy. So, we went to Wal-Mart to try and find a witch. Of course there was nothing at all. We actually had all the stuff for a fairy and it worked out great! Although now she says she was the tooth fairy. She did magic all day!

Regan was a cowBOY. Not a cowgirl. She has been "Woody" from Toy Story for a few months, so she had to be a boy. She even got a "Woody" hat from the Disney store. Her shirt was actually mine from when I was 3. It was almost too small, but we squeezed her in. She loves, loves, loves to dress up so this was the best day ever for her. You can't see it in the picture, but she also had a gun. Even today she is walking around the house in her silk pajamas with her cowboy boots.

I wanted to go back and put some other Halloween pictures, so here we are. This is the first year that every thing was more fun than work. They LOVED carving jack-o-lanterns and cooking the seeds. They would not touch the insides, but Regan stirred her pumpkin like cake batter. Riley had to make sure every single seed was cleaned out. We also made marshmallow ghosts and sugar cookies in halloween shapes. It was so much fun!

First Blog

2007-11-06T11:11:00.000-06:00

I got the idea to start a blog from a good friend (thanks Catherine!). I think it is such a great way for family to keep up with our girls. Speaking of the girls, Regan and Riley are 3. Yes, they are twins. No, they are not identical. No, one of them is not "evil". They get along GREAT!

This picture is the day Riley (left) lost her first tooth. She was 3 yrs. and 3 mos. and I was not ready for it. She is proud of her missing tooth, but Regan was the one who held it and put it in the tooth fairy pillow.