HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAEGAN!

I can't believe my baby is now 2 years old. She is amazing and has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. She is my best friend and my world and I can't imagine my life without her. I will brag more about how amazing she is after her 2 year well baby check up in 2 days. I just want to talk about her Minnie Mouse party for now.

We had her party at our house on Saturday, her actual birthday. It was a small get together of mainly just family. It was very hot out, 90+ degrees out and humid. We had tables set up in the garage and I thought people were crazy to sit out there to eat and socialize but hey whatever!

I spent a week making everything, balloon wreath with 375 balloons, cupcake toppers, picture frames, cupcakes, cake pops, pasta salad, potato salad, fruit kabobs, ect. Ryan made his awesome Hahaj brats and chip dip.

She was so excited when we got her Radio Flyer tricycle from Grandpa and Becky and she loves her new PBK backpack and lunchbox for her "school" this fall from Aunt Tricia, Uncle Jon and Baby Mady. Ryan just got finished putting her Princess Musical vanity together and all her baby doll accessories. Raegan also got her first Barbie doll from Great Grandma Miller.

She got to eat cupcake and ice cream and loved when everyone sang her happy birthday. She had been walking around the house all week singing it to herself! She kept blowing out the candle before we could sing, I think Ryan had to lite it 6 or 7 times before we got the song finished!

We are officially potty trained!

Man, I feel like I say this all the time these days, but my baby isn't a baby anymore. She is a big girl, who is now potty trained. And once again, I can't believe how easy it was. We have been casually using the potty since she was about 16-17 months old. But I wasn't mentally prepared to potty train her. The thought of running errands, having to leave your cart to take her potty, driving in rush hour traffic and hearing those precious little words of "Mommy potty." I wasn't ready. She was, I wasn't.

So last weekend I decided to give the 3 day potty training method a try. This 3 day potty training lady seemed a little hard core for me. I couldn't imagine not leaving my house for at least 3 days and not leaving my childs side. Not watching TV, no facebooking, no "me" time while she plays on her own, no walks, no park, no pool for 3 days. Yeah right lady, your crazy. And to throw all my diapers out and go straight to panties, once again yeah right lady. I had about 80 diapers left. I paid good money for them I am not getting rid of them. Plus Raegan doesn't wake up dry in the morning, and no crazy potty training lady I am not waking my child up an hour after going to bed to get her to go potty. And no, crazy potty training lady, I am not waking my child up an hour early in the morning to get her to go potty. She can stay in a diaper or pull up at night for all I care. I do not want to be changing bedsheets at 3am. I want to be sleeping.

So Monday morning, July 18 we went for it. Straight to panties. Raegan did awesome. She would tell me ahead of time when she had to go potty and we would walk to the bathroom together, pull her panties down, she would do her business, and then she would get an M&M for a reward. If she would go poopy then she got a bigger reward, cookie, stickers, stamp on her hands and feet. Whatever she wanted, she got!

3 days went by accident free. I couldn't believe it. She was even waking up from her naps early to go potty. So Thursday, day 4, I was finally able to leave to house with her, but I was scared to. I didn't want to deal with an accident in the car or at Target. So we used a pull up. We even bought her a new potty chair that was smaller so that we could take it with us in the car. That way, at any point when we were out and about she could go potty. She stayed dry at Target and as soon as we got home ran inside and went potty on her new chair. Friday we went to Hobby Lobby to buy some stuff for her birthday and she told me she had to go as we were leaving to store and she got to use her new potty chair in the back seat of my Jeep for the first time. We then went to TJ Maxx and she picked out 2 new packs of big girl panties, Minnie Mouse and Hello Kitty. She loves picking out her panties in the morning. If I try and put Hello Kitty on her she wants Minnie Mouse and wants to pick them out herself and put them on herself.

It is such a great feeling going to Target and not buying diapers. I can't believe how fast she got it and how easy it was. And it really is nothing to stress about. Now whenever I go to a store the first thing I do is find out where the bathroom is in case she needs to go at any point.

WE ARE OFFICIALY BINKY FREE!!!!!!!!

I am in shock. How this happened is unbelievable. We have been working on getting Raegan's big girl bed all set up. It took about 6 hours, and 5 trips to Lowes too many, and a special order from Amazon for footboard claws and it is finally done!




On Thursday last week I put her new freshly washed bedding from Pottery Barn Teen on right before nap time. She was so excited she wanted to go to bed. Since Monday was a holiday (July 4) our trash pick up was delayed from Wednesday to Thursday. The trash always comes in the afternoon during naptime and has woken Raegan (and Kaylie) up numerous times. So as I am laying next to Raegan in her new bed reading her night night books, we hear the trash truck come up and down the street. We talked about the trash man and that he was taking our trash bye bye. We finish the books, sang our night night songs and she falls asleep... RIGHT AWAY... WITHOUT HER BINKY!!! I couldn't believe it. She didn't ask for binky, she didn't whine or cry. She was so excited for her bed she didn't realize it.

2 hours later, she wakes up, and asks for binky. I told her the trash man took it bye bye with all the trash. End of story. She was fine and didn't ask for it again. Who is this child? Where did my binky obsessed girl go? She really is growing up. She has asked for binky a couple of times since then and we just tell her the trash man took it and she is fine with it. It has been the easiest 5 days I ever could of imagined. I collected all 10 or so binkys from around the house and hid them- just in case. But I think tomorrow when the trash man actually comes tomorrow, that he really will take all the binkys this time.

I should also note that we have been weaning her off the binkys for a little while now. She use to seriously sleep with like 8 binkys. I cut her down to 3, one in her mouth and one for each hand. Total security for her. She then went to only 2 for bedtime and none in the car. She hasn't been allowed them during the day for quite some time now, only for naps and car rides. After a few days of the 2 binkys at bedtime, we went to just one. Then the trash man came. So we slowly weaned her and it was amazing. I am still in shock over how easy it was. She even saw babies with binkys the other day and didn't care or throw a fit about wanting one.

My sister couldn't believe that I told her the trash man took them, and that I didn't tell her something cute like the paci fairy came. But Raegan doesn't know what a fairy is. She knows to throw her trash away. She knows what the trash trucks are. It made sense and it worked... like a charm! Yay! Hopefully when the trash man comes tomorrow she wont throw a total fit wanting binky back.

4th of July!

July 4 is one of my favorite holidays. I love being at the lake and watching fireworks. But ever since Ryan came in the picture years and years ago, 4th of July is, well, a little different. His birthday is July 3, so now my favorite holiday is all about him and what he wants to do. Boo! Luckily most of the time he likes to be at the lake too!

We went to Lake Lemon on Saturday the 2nd and stayed until late Sunday night. My dad has gotten a new pontoon boat and also a new fishing/ski boat. Raegan got to drive the boat!

Say hello to Captain Raegan!


The fireworks at the lake were on Saturday night. We can see them from our dock since they are shot off from Riddle Point. It was a great show. Much better than the Fishers Freedom Festival fireworks. Raegan didn't pay any attention to them. She would go boom boom boom to some of the loud ones. Every once in a while she would say ewwwwww or ahhhhhhh. But otherwise had no interest. She would rather play with the flashlight.

For fathers day Ryan got a new set of Titleist AP1 golf irons. And so for his bday I got him custom made cornhole boards. I have a friend from college whos parents live on the east side of indy and make them. I ordered them back in May and picked them up last week just in time for his birthday. He designed them and they did a great job.





On July 4 we spent the day at home relaxing and getting things done around the house. Ryan and Raegan washed the Jeep for me. She is such a big help!





And I spent all afternoon of the 4th putting 4 coats of white paint on Raegan's headboard, footboard, and bed rails.

Bed before


Bed after





We, as in Ryan, then spent 3 hours trying to connect the headboard and footboard to the bed frame. Total fail. I had to order footboard connectors from Amazon. They will be delivered next week. So she is sleeping on the twin mattress on her floor with her new bedding!