18 months

This will be short and sweet as I have been hit with a stomach bug that is going around daycare. I have not been feeling well since Sunday night, but managed to work a half day today and get Reese to her 18 month appt this afternoon. All checks out well with my little squirt. Here are her stats:

Weight: 24 lbs (46%) She has not gained any since her 15 mo appt but it is not concerning to the doctor as she basically "runs" all her calories off all day long :)

Height: 33 inches (86%)
Head circumference: 46.2 cm (40%)

Snowman

Reese made her first snowman (alien) this past weekend with Kyle. We call it E.T. Its not the most well formed snowman, but Reese loves it so that's all that matters!

She also LOVES blackberries, and usually ends up like this...

Sassafras

Not only is this the name of the street right next to ours, it is also an adjective I would like to use for Reese this week. Man oh man is she a sassy little thing. I have been hearing a lot of NO! and MINE! and whining. Terrible Twos? Typical Red Head? Sick? I am not sure, but it is far from fun for this household. She has had a runny nose and a bad chest cough this week, so I am hoping that it is just because she is not feeling well.
I have not done an update on her development in a while so I thought I could catch you up:
-She has all of her teeth now, and thank goodness teething was never really an issue for her.
-She LOVES Elmo and Sesame Street
- She constantly asks about her cousins (Aubrey, Aidan, Maddy, Mekenna) and can say all of their names quite well
-She has put two words together a couple of times (usually help, please)
-She is still a big eater and may be a future champion holder of a hot dog eating contest
-She enjoys daycare and all of her friends there, but most importantly a turtle they have named Jaba
-She continues to torment the kitties, chasing them around and tackling them by surprise when she can sneak up on them :)

We have her 18 mo. appt on the 24th so I'll update her health stats then!

Christmas Catch-up

Well, we survived 4 Christmas', New Years, and our niece (Mekenna's) 5th birthday party- all packed into 2 weekends! We had a blast visiting with family and friends and Reese did great being down in IL for two weekends in a row.
We had Christmas Eve and Kyle's parents and the 3 girls did damage on Christmas gifts. They all got lots of nice things and played really well together. Christmas morning was spent at my parents house, opening a few presents before my mom's side of the family came over for the afternoon. Again, all the cousins played so well together and Reese managed to keep up with the "big kids."
This past weekend we went back down to IL to a wedding reception on Friday night, and New Years and Mekenna's birthday party on Saturday night.
Kyle and I both have the day off today, and will be heading to a Rose Bowl party this afternoon. I went to the store this morning to get groceries, and the Badger fans were out in full force preparing for the big game.

Reese and Aubrey playing with her new train Christmas night (Aubrey decked out in her new dress up clothes!)
Christmas Eve with the Montgomery Cousins

Reese and Aidan Christmas morning

Christmas-1

Grandma Montgomery and her Great Grandchildren

We had 1 of 4 Christmas' this past Sunday with the Montgomery extended family. Reese had a great time running around with cousins and enjoying eating all the yummy food (as did I!) We my immediate family, Kyle's immediate family, and my mom's side left for Christmas'. Lots of food and cheer!
We also had Kyle's Dubuque office work party this past Saturday. Reese stayed with Nana and Poppa so Kyle and I enjoyed a night out at Diamond Joe Casino. It was nice to meet all of his Dubuque office workers (Kyle works at the Madison office.) After dinner, they had two tables set up with dealers to teach you how to play craps or blackjack. I chose blackjack and thought I caught on rather quick. When they were finished, we headed down to the casino and tested my skills. At one point, I was up $60, but didn't listen the old advice of "stop when you are ahead" and quickly blew that money away. Oh well, we had a great night out!

Mine

Yep, I have already heard enough of that word! Reese's new favorite and most annoying word yet. Pretty positive she learned it at daycare because we have not spoken that at home to prevent this moment as long as possible. Everything is "mine." Whats mine is hers, what hers is hers, and what is everyone else's is also hers. So our word of the week was "Share." When she says mine, we say we share, and that helps her to understand we can share our things.
We had a super busy weekend. Dinner with friends on Friday night, as luncheon on Saturday, visiting Santa Saturday afternoon, and a 30th birthday party for our friend last night. The Santa visit went as I thought, she was ok looking from a distance, but there was NO WAY she was getting up on his lap. He was a pretty cool guy from afar, but up close, kinda scary for her! Kyle could at least hold her next to him for me to get a picture, but this is as good as we got!

Saying "WHOA" to the moving gingerbread men!

Another attempt with Daddy, but not going for it!

Blog?

Blog? Where has my time gone to blog anymore? Well, lots and lots has been happening over the past few weeks and I just haven't found the time to sit down and reflect. I am home today with Reese, she has pink eye, so while she naps, I think this is the perfect time for some catch up.
Between sinus infections, ear infections, head colds, coughs, and now pink eye, I think the Montgomery house has hit the gamete of winter sickness and it is only Dec. 7th. I pray for a healthy few weeks ahead so we can all enjoy the holidays.
Reese is now talking more than ever. This is by far, the most fun age I have encountered with her yet. She learns SO much everyday, and comes up with things that I have no idea where she learned them! This morning we were reading and she pointed to a crocodile and said "hiss". She surprises me everyday with things like this. Her newest thing is every night when we get home, we go over to the Christmas tree, count to three, and then plug the lights in. She always says "WHOA" and claps and it is the cutest darn thing!
I have also been busy launching my own small business as an Arbonne Independent Consultant. I had party for one of my friends in the beginning of November and fell in love with the products and philosophy. For those of you unfamiliar, it is an all natural, botanical based skin care and health and wellness line of product. They use no animal bi products or mineral oils, no toxins or chemicals, and all ingredients are derived from nature and botanicals. I have been successful thus far and hope to grow my business. My calendar is already booking out past January, so that is a great sign!
This past weekend we had our Christmas card pictures taken and had fun with those. Now to get them ordered and sent out, that's a different story! This weekend we will be helping a friend celebrate his 30th birthday, I have an Arbonne party, and we will hopefully be taking Reese to see Santa Clause if we can fit it in!
For details on how we spent Thanksgiving you can visit my sister's blog at www.finnlandnewsandnotes.blogspot.com.