The Big One...

MORE PICS AT THE END OF THE POST

I haven't posted in forever...sorry about that...but we've all been under-the-weather here in the Nordquist household! All of us, except Andrew! Hope I'm not jinxing him...but, seriously, he never seems to catch any of this stuff! Lucky man!

First Reagan was sick...stomach virus was going around school...then, Mallory got her turn w/ an ear infection. I didn't even get one day illness-free before Reagan came down with her own ear infection AND the stomach virus AGAIN! Both my girls had up to 104 fever at one point. Mallory topped out at 104.1 and Reagan at 104.3...each time scared the mess outta me! Luckily, my dad is a doctor, so we were in good hands. I finally got both of them well and then it was MY turn! The bad news is that I caught the stomach virus...the good news is that I lost weight! ;) But, of course, now that I'm finally well, Mallory is sick yet again! I don't know if she really has the stomach virus or if she's just teething...and has one of those "glorious" side affects that comes with that! :P

Poor little Mallory even had to celebrate her 1st Birthday sick! I'd had all sorts of plans for a big to-do, but then had to cancel those at the last minute because she was so ill. The day before her birthday..(birthday is August 29th)...she got a shot and we said since it was an ear infection and she wasn't contagious that we'd go ahead and do a small party with just family. Which, thinking back now, was stupid...because we don't exactly have a small family! With no time to look elsewhere at this point, I literally ordered a cake from Kroger the day before the party! Luckily, they said they could do it! And I must say it was delicious! This is actually the second birthday cake we've gotten from them...the first being Reagan's castle cake that she insisted on. Both have been very yummy!

The day of the party, it was pretty obvious that Mallory was still sick...but the fever was very low grade, so we kept to our plans. We had a packed house and Mallory got lots of great presents! (Thanks to everyone, by the way...Thank You notes are on the way, but delayed because of all the sickies that have been running through our house). And well...Mallory LOVED the cake! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on that! When Reagan turned one she didn't really get too messy...and we were actually a little disappointed...well, Mallory did NOT disappoint! She gave us quite a show! haha!

Crazy enough, Mallory actually started feeling much better by that night. Her appetite picked up...and she wanted more cake!!! So, I gave her some! Probably not the best diet for a sick one year old, but I felt bad for her...and, well, I'm a pushover!

Reagan getting the party started

Pretty much how Mallory looked (as a result of how she felt) all day! :(

Getting cuddles from Maw-Maw

Mallory with Mommy and Daddy

Watching her cake come to her...

Her Smash Cupcakes

Getting ready to blow out her candles!

Going for that first handful of cake...

What?!?

I think I got a little on me.

Opening presents...

She didn't care for this much!
P.S. I've also added some new pics of Reagan as a flower girl here: http://thenordquists.blogspot.com/2008/08/flower-princess-meets-hello-kitty.html

Shop 'til I Drop...

Does anyone else have a problem with buying too much for your kids? I seriously think I need a 12 step program or something! I didn't really pay much attention to my "problem" until recently.

As I've mentioned, Reagan just started K3 at Hillcrest...where they have a required uniform. That's when I noticed how many clothes she really does have! I mean, don't get me wrong...I've always known to some extent that she has more than she needs...but this really drove it home. Because now, she doesn't even get to wear them as much!

I pretty much get her dressed in her uniform in the morning, and then when we get home after school, she changes into little gym shorts and a tshirt! All of her beautiful little outfits just hanging there in the closet!

Not to mention the fact that she now, more than ever, has a mind of her own when it comes to what she's going to wear! She must have a list of criteria in her head that her outfits must meet before she'll agree to wear them. The main thing, I've figured out, is that if it's a dress or a skirt it HAS to be "twirly"! If she spins, that thing better balloon out and twirl around her, or it is a fight to get her to agree to wear it! Every now and then, I'll cheat and say something like, "well, I know it's not twirly, but Hannah Montana has one just like this!" If HM wears it, then it MUST be cool, right? My point is, though, that now that she is picking out her clothes more often, all those cute, little outfits that I want her to wear just hang!

And don't even get me started on Mallory's closet! Being that I have two girls, both born around the same season...just about everything that Reagan wore, Mallory can wear! So, Mallory has all of Reagan's hand-me-downs PLUS the ridiculous amount of new clothes I (and others) have bought her! But as much as I love being able to use Reagan's clothes over again on Mallory, I am a firm believer that each child needs their own things, too! Or at least that's my excuse! ;)

So, I admit it...I'm a shop-a-holic (when it comes to my kids)! And I say all of this....as I head out the door to go shopping! :)

Saw this on another friend's blog. Thought I'd do it for fun! The first three, I guess I can see a tiny bit...but the last two (Nikki Cox and Vanna White)...I don't see those AT ALL! Unless you count the fact that Nikki Cox and I have the same first name! Other than that...not so much! Very interesting!

They caught it...

...a virus, that is! Last week (Wednesday, I believe), when I picked Reagan up from school, her teacher warned me that there is a nasty stomach virus making the rounds. I just knew Reagan was going to get it, too...but by Friday, she still hadn't had any symptoms and was feeling just fine. So, I breathed a sigh of relief!

Our weekend started off pretty good! Friday, Reagan got to wear her cheerleading uniform to school...which just thrilled her! Then, Friday night was the first football game...HCS vs. Starkville Academy. Hillcrest lost, but Reagan had a wonderful time! She is a Cougar Kitten and they got to release balloons at the start of the game and then got to go cheer with the "big girls" (aka Varsity Cheerleaders) for part of the second half! So, Reagan was on Cloud 9! And after the game we went to eat with my family. At that point, I could tell Reagan was tired and she barely ate a bite of her food...and she was VERY cranky! I figured it was just because she'd had a very long day and was tired, so I didn't really think much of it.

Saturday, she was doing ok, too! She spent most of the day with Andrew working on his dad's (Grampa's) 4-wheeler. Side Note: Can I just tell you how much I love my husband?!? He took care of Reagan pretty much all day on Saturday and gave me a much needed mommy break. Obviously, I still had Mallory to take care of...but she is much less "work" than Reagan. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with Reagan, but every now and then, I just need a little break. Don't all moms feel like that way at some point, though?

Then, Saturday night, Andrew watched both of them for me (again...love my hubby), while I went to Nagoya with my sisters. We had sushi and a movie planned, but we forgot about the storm coming through, so we decided to just do sushi. Although, we did go to Barnes & Noble for a little while as well.

When I got home, Reagan was in the tub and still seemed ok. Andrew said she didn't want her dinner, but she's just like that...sometimes she doesn't feel like eating...she's a BIG breakfast eater, but not so much on lunch and dinner...so, I didn't think anything of it!

When it came time to put her to bed, though, she told me she wasn't feeling well. She's got a little bit of fluid on her right ear, so I thought that's what was making her sick. I gave her some medicine and put her to bed.

Then at about 3 am, she came to our door with no pants one...uh-oh! I guess you can use your imagination to figure out which end the virus affected! LOL! So, I got her all cleaned up and put her back to bed. I guess I was so exhausted at that time of the morning that I didn't think about her being sick...I just figured she had an "accident" and that was that!

But then...at 6 am...Andrew (having already gotten up for the day apparently) came into the bedroom frantically asking where the Immodium was! haha! He does NOT do well in these "situations"! So, of course, I got up to help him. And let's just say that there was an explosion...EVERYWHERE! ahhhh...these are those moments of motherhood where you realize you must definitely love this little poop-covered (sorry if TMI) person in front of you...because there is NO way I'd clean up that mess for just any kid! Andrew later joked that he almost turned in his resignation during the clean up! LOL!

We did finally get it all cleaned up, though! Gave Reagan some medicine and put her to bed for the rest of the day! Or mostly anyway! She found little reasons to get out of bed throughout the day! I did feel bad...banishing her to her room all day...but I could NOT risk Mallory getting sick as well.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to help...because last night...yep, you guessed it...Mallory had gotten the bug, too! Good news is, though, that it only seems to be a 24 hour thing. So, Reagan is fine now...although, I kept her home from school since she had fever yesterday morning. She wasn't too happy about that...since she LOVES school!

Now, I'm just focusing on keeping Mallory away from Reagan...so, we don't continue this vicious cycle...and getting Mallory well! Though, she hasn't had an "explosion" since this morning...so, hopefully, she's on the mend!

Keep us in your prayers...them for getting and staying well...and me for not going crazy while getting and keeping them well!

MmmmmWahhhhh...

Can I just tell you how much I love baby kisses! Or at least I love kisses from MY babies! Mallory has recently...over the last couple of weeks...started giving them! Really, it's just her leaning her head/face towards you when you say "Mmmmwahh"...but it's a start!

At first, she would only give them to Reagan. But, being the Mommy's girl that she is, she started giving them to me soon after. Everyone else will just have to wait until she's ready! haha!

This morning, after I'd dropped Reagan off at school, we were driving home and in the rear view mirror I kept saying, "mmmwah" to her. She would say it back to me...her's sounds more like, "maa" (nevermind the fact that she doesn't say "mama" yet, but she'll say "maa")! This continued back and forth between us until we were home. When we got home and I was getting her out of her carseat, she leaned her little head towards me and said "maa"! Without any persuasion from me!!!

So, yeah, my heart pretty much melted at that point! If she'd asked me for a pony at that very moment, I probably would've run out immediately and bought one! That's how smitten I was! I'm smitten with her anyway...but this really sealed the deal! ;)

Third Times A Charm...

Andrew talked to his brother, Josh, yesterday...and guess what? He and his fiance, Carla, want Reagan to be a flower girl in their wedding. It's in about 4 weeks!
If you read this post (http://thenordquists.blogspot.com/2008/08/flower-princess-meets-hello-kitty.html), then you'll know what we're in for! She gets progressively better at this flower girl thing with each wedding she's in. Although, I don't know if I can really hope for any better than the last one! She did a pretty good job of behaving herself. Since Andrew is a groomsman, he will be standing up there with her...so, hopefully, he'll be able to keep her in check!
I'll be taking pictures, so there will be plenty to post!

God Our Father...

As I've said in previous posts, Reagan started school this year...K3...at Hillcrest. I'll be completely honest...I was a little hesitant about sending her there (even though I went there myself)...but the class she's in is just fantastic! Her teacher is absolutely wonderful, and everyday Reagan comes home excited about what she's learned! And the Christian values she is learning make it even that much better!

For the last week, she has been so excited about singing this little prayer song that she learned in school from Mrs. Dottie (her teacher)...
God our Father
God our Father
We thank you
We thank you
For our many blessings
For our many blessings
Amen
Amen

Can you guess which tune it's to?

Tonight, when we went out to eat with the youth group after church, she was so excited about singing it. We'd already prayed, but we did it again for her to be able to sing it. She was so proud of herself when she finished! The fact that she's learned many things this first two weeks and school, but this is THE thing she remembers...makes me smile!

Going Bananas...

Reagan had her Cougar Kitten cheerleading clinic this morning! My wonderful, dear, sweet husband, Andrew, took her for me so that I could sleep in this morning. Unfortunately, now that I'm used to getting up early to take her to school every day, I think sleeping late is a thing of the past! I was up by 7:20...but that IS sleeping late these days!
He had to have her there by 8 AM, and then I had to pick her up by 10 AM...but I decided to go a little early so that I could take pics and watch her for a little while.
All the kids were just so cute...so excited to be doing cheers with all of the "big girls" (aka Varsity Cheerleaders)! My youngest sister, Kristen (soon to be 16), is one of the "big girls", and Reagan thinks she just hung the moon! Reagan thinks it is absolutely the coolest thing in the world that her Aunt Kristen is a cheerleader and wants to be just like her!
Well, apparently, Reagan was supposed to be in a group with another one of the varsity cheerleaders, but ran off to Kristen after about two minutes! I could've predicted that was gonna happen!
At the end of the camp they all did all of the cheers for us all to see! Reagan was so into it! And since the clinic ended at 10 o'clock this morning, I have heard the cheer "Go Bananas" more times that I ever thought possible! So much so that I literally am going bananas I think! But she loves it, and she's so cute doing it...so, I'm just gonna smile...take lots of pics...and enjoy it!

We Are Family...

Lauren, Kristen, & Me

Ummmm...I'm pretty much at a loss for what to write about tonight. I was going to try to post something every night, but yesterday was just so busy that I just didn't have time. I think it took me all of about five seconds to fall asleep once I turned off the light. So, I was determined to write something tonight...but now I can't for the life of me think of anything interesting to say.

But it's just come to me...since Lauren has told me several times now how much she enjoys reading my blog, then she can just read about herself! :)

Lauren is my sister...my middle sister. She's 23 now...which I still just cannot get used to! I still see MYSELF as a kid (even though 30 is thisclose). So, to think of my sister as an adult now is just wild! She's a newlywed (married a year in October) and she and her husband, Scott, recently found out that they are expecting. I pretty much cried like a baby when she told me (no pun intended)! To think of Lauren as a mom just blows my mind!

She'll be a great one, I'm sure! My girls love their Aunt Wahwee (don't ask)! And I can't wait for the chance to be the "fun aunt"...and spoil her kid rotten! It's payback time! Just think, Lauren...remember all of those loud or messy toys you've gotten my kids? Well, this time around, I will get to do the buying! hahahahaha!

Lauren will so be the soccer mom...although, I distinctly remember her poking fun at me when Andrew and I bought our suburban! Wonder how long it'll be before she has one, too! I'll give her until the second kid! Then, I'll get to say "I told you so!" Although, as stubborn as she is (you know you are...I am, too, but this isn't about me), she will purposely NOT buy one now just to prove me wrong. LOL!

And I cannot wait until our kids are able to play together. Reagan is SO excited about having a baby cousin. Although, she keeps telling ME that she wants another baby like Mallory. But I just tell her that Aunt Wahwee's will just have to do...because I am dunzo!

So...Congrats again to my "little" sister! I can't wait to find out if we're finally gonna add a boy into our mix or not!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

For the last few days, Andrew and I (and other family members) have been asking Reagan all about things that she did at school each day. Every now and then, she gives us a tiny morsel of info, but mostly she just says, "I don't know" or "I don't remember"...which in three-year-old translates to, "I really don't feel like talking about it right now. Leave me alone.
Well, tonight, as I was tucking Reagan into bed, we were doing our normal bedtime prayer. We got to "...I pray the Lord my soul to take. A---" and she stopped and added a few more things before saying amen. She thanked God for mommy, daddy, and Mallory...and for her new friend Allie at school...and for the "bad boys" who got out of their chairs...and for "winning" at P.E....and for Mrs. Dottie (her teacher).
It was so unbelievable cute...and I got more info out of that 15 seconds of added prayer than I've gotten in the last five days of asking her a million questions about school! And not only do I love our bedtime prayer even more now for that...but I also love it more because it means she's starting to somewhat grasp the concept of what prayer is about. She's learning to give thanks to God!