Grocery Shopping with Reagan

While she's STILL not walking, we did have some fun at the grocery store today.



We took a family outing, and, as always, she got tired of sitting in the cart. So, I was going to let her walk around and hold my hand. Instead, as soon as I put her on the floor, she got behind the cart and started pushing it! She thought it was the greatest thing, and we let her push the cart around the rest of the store.

Please forgive the poor picture quality--we're not yet in the habit of bringing the camera quite EVERYWHERE...

Funny Story OR My Worst Blonde Moment EVER

It's 1:30. Bill and Debbie come to watch Reagan.

I leave at 1:33 to go take my test. I'm hoping I have time to stop for an Iced Coffee. No luck.

I'm nervous. I want to do well.

I get to the address. The place I'm looking for is not on the directory. Shoot. I decide to go looking for an open office door to have someone direct me to where I need to be. I charge up the stairs. 5 minutes to start of test.

Top of the stairs. I find it. Weird. I enter, give my name, and am given paperwork to sign.

A man approaches me. "Do you have your confirmation?" he says. "No. I thought I only had to bring my ID." I say. "He says, well, I don't have you down. Can you go home and get your confirmation, and be sure to double check the date and time?" "Sure."

I get home. What the heck? This is weird. I know I saw that I was going to take the test today at 2:00pm. I call Jim. "Did ETS ever charge us for the GRE? Call me back and let me know." I check my email. Nothing. They never charged us. I never registered.

Ug.

So, if I couldn't figure out how to register properly, should I really be trying to take the test!? Sad.

Random Thoughts and Updates, Including: Fishing is stupid, Canoeing is awesome

We ran the BolderBoulder (a 10k or 6.2mile race) on Monday. We were both slower than we wanted to be, but sometimes that's ok. I ran nearly even 5k splits (times for each half of the race)--which is good news for my upcoming triathlon. (Only 4.5 weeks!) Reagan got to hang out with her Grandparents Lamb. The rest of the day consisted of moving furniture--Bill and Debbie's couches, and our new (to us) bedroom furniture. (An aside...I think it's the first time in years...literally, years...that we've both had all our clothes put away IN our drawers! They just didn't all fit before. Now I feel like we're grown-ups.)

I was feeling rather discouraged about my triathlon today. That is, until my extremely supportive husband talked me into going swimming. I hadn't timed my entire swim time yet. So, I decided I would go and swim a 750m (a little less than 1/2 mile) tonight. I had no idea how long it would take, but I figured more than 1/2 hour. To my delight, I was done in just 22 minutes, and I never stopped. I'm excited! I might make it through the whole race after all!!

A couple weekends ago we went fishing. Again. Jim is addicted. Still didn't catch anything. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm cursed. I insisted that if we were going to have to fish that we make things more interesting and rent a canoe. Jim was sweet, and smart not to argue. Needless to say, this is the reason for the second half of the title of tonight's blog. I've decided two things: first, if Jim insists on taking me fishing just to sit and not catch anything, he's going to end up owing me a trip to New York--or better yet, Rome, and second, I'll fish all he wants as long as I have something to sit on the water in. Oh, and a paddle. Reagan's favorite part?? Blowing the safety whistle. Here are pictures from the day.





I'm taking the GRE tomorrow at 2pm. The sooner we all accept that I won't do well on the math portion, the better off we'll all be. Nevertheless, prayers for strokes of genius are much appreciated.

Reagan is not walking yet. She took 4 steps right around her 13 month birthday. But like all other developments in her short life, she seems to be waiting a month after she does it the first time to attempt it again. She simply refuses. A friend of ours said that sounded like someone else he knows, and he also implied that that someone wasn't Jim. Hmmm... Here are some pictures of her standing around from Mother's Day.



Hallelujah, hallelujah! I have survived another school year.

Relay for Life

Hello all!
In case I missed you in my email--please look into this and consider helping in any way you can!

Hello Friends and Family,
I'm attaching a message with information about an event that I am helping with next month. As most of you know, my dad was diagnosed last fall with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. We are blessed, because he is already officially in remission. His successfull treatment probably wouldn't have been possible without the advances made in recent years by the American Cancer Society. However, as you know, those advancements aren't free, and they certainly aren't cheap. In addition to my dad, several other people whom I care a great deal for have had cancer at some point, and some have not been as blessed as my dad. I'm sure you also know several people who have been impacted by the disease in some way. Hopefully, with events like Relay for Life, we can eventually make the cancer diagnosis a thing of the past. Any help you can give to the team I have joined is greatly appreciated. There is more information in the attachment about the Relay for Life. The funds go to support general cancer research, not any specific cancer.
Please feel free to forward this email on to any friends, family members, coworkers or others who may be interested in supporting the American Cancer Society.
Thanks so much for your time!
Amanda Lamb

And now, for the attachment...

Can you believe that more than 1.3 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year? Those are staggering statistics, but there is hope. Each of us can do something to save lives and help those already fighting this disease. That's why I've decided to take action against cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society Relay For Life® event right here in my community.

Relay For Life is an overnight event that brings our community together to help support the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. The Society works hard every day to prevent cancer and save lives by supporting groundbreaking research, affecting public policies that protect us from cancer, and educating people on how to prevent or detect cancer early. The Society helps people with cancer right here in our own community. And our efforts at Relay For Life can help the American Cancer Society to keep working toward a cancer-free future.

I want to invite you to show your support in the ongoing fight against cancer by joining us for this year's event. Please click on the link below for more information, including details on the inspirational Survivors' Lap and the moving Luminaria Ceremony. We hope to see you there! If you can't join us, will you please visit the site and make a donation to support our efforts? Either way, you will make a real difference in the lives of people facing cancer and in the lives of the people who love them. Thank you!

For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society's Privacy Policy, please paste this link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeGreatWestDivision?px=7035265&pg=personal&fr_id=6084&et=zyBn-CeqGJkBAokbnAB9PQ..&s_tafId=103291

Click here to view the team page for Survivor Colorado
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeGreatWestDivision?team_id=222266&pg=team&fr_id=6084&et=lXy5lAdukEfzvWDKQhWNAw..&s_tafId=103291

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Our Nanny, Katie!

10. Because she is a former student, and therefore reminds me of the things I love about teaching.
9. We sometimes attend common functions, and she's always happy to help, despite not being "on the clock".
8. She is always willing to come early, and/or stay late.
7. She doesn't mind house sitting on the weekends now and then, and she's the only person other than Jim and me who can get Scout to eat anything.
6. She takes Reagan outside to play on warm days.
5. I frequently come home to a much cleaner house than Jim (or I) left.
4. By the end of the year she will be a CNA, and she wants to do pediatrics.
3. Once she taught Reagan to climb UP the stairs, she also taught her to climb DOWN the stairs...in the correct direction.
2. When Reagan had a rash, she correctly predicted a peanut allergy--even before the doctor did!
1. She is Reagan's absolute, without a doubt, favorite person she has met in her whole entire life.



We love you, Katie!!!

Birthday and Mother's Day

This weekend was especially busy for the Lamb family!

Friday was my birthday. 26. It was also the weekend of the Regional Track Meet. After 6 years of coaching, it still seems especially busy.


Reagan is getting extremely close to walking. She has taken a single step about 3 times, only to promptly sit down. She is getting quick at getting herself up to standing from sitting, and she does a good job of standing in one spot for awhile. Everyone keeps telling me that once she walks I'll wish she hadn't, but nonetheless, I'm very excited for her to reach this milestone. I know she will have so much fun when she can walk like a "big person".


My Aunt Diane was in town for the weekend. It was GREAT to see her, as always. I just wish I got to see her and the rest of my extended family more often! We had a great Mother's Day brunch downtown, and luckily the weather warmed up for us.


I only have 9 more days with students and I CAN'T WAIT!!! I have been given the job of AP coordinator, at least for the end of the year. Long story short, I was first told that I wouldn't be doing the job, then told that I'd be doing the job in name only, and now I'm doing the job. Eek. We had a psuedo-awards night for school, and as you can see, I'm earning my award. It's been stressful, and I can't wait to be done. Reagan and I start swimming lessons as soon as school is done. I'm also signed up for a photoshop class that will be on Thursday nights. I'm eager to learn more to build the business!!

Reagan is Allergic to Peanuts!

We found out for sure today. It was the scariest thing I think I've ever been through. I was crying on the way to the ER because I didn't know what was going to happen.

Of course, the worse that happened was Reagan's two hours of screaming. We got there and the doctor decided to give her an shot of epinephrine and some prednisone (not sure how to spell that one.)

I'm trying hard not to be mad at my doctor, because this is actually the 2nd reaction she has had. When that happened, she had been acting kind of sick anyway, so we took her to the doctor's office. My (very smart) nanny said she thought she might have an allergy because she had given her peanut butter and jelly for lunch and that was when she noticed the rash. So, at the doctor's office, he said Reagan had a virus and it would go away. I said, so she doesn't have a peanut allergy? He said, I don't think so.

Today, because my daughter didn't have a peanut allergy, I gave her a pbj sandwich. Rash. Clicky breathing. I say, well, I'm going dress shopping with Julie (man, she's going to look amazing, no matter what she picks!) so since it cleared up itself last time she'll probably be fine. I'll just keep an eye on her.

The rash did go away. Here she is playing at the dress store (look closely, you can see her tooth!).


Then, 2 hours after her sandwich, she was tomato red, and SWOLLEN... I got out of there, and got her home and in the bath, hoping that would help. No. Her feet and hands started turning bluish... Jim came home with the benadryl, I said, get in the car, we're going to the hospital.

I'm just glad she's ok!!

That was quick!

It's amazing how quickly "later tonight" can turn into 11 days. Sorry about that!

Since we have been so busy the last week and a half, here's a photo blog about what we've been up to.

First, as promised, the VERY special birthday present Reagan received the day before her birthday was a hand-knitted dress from her Auntie Carol. It's so pretty--and Carol, if you're reading, as you can see, is not too small at all. If anything, she has a little room to grow!



Second, our long-time friend, Andy got married last weekend in Buena Vista. Congratulations to him and his new wife, Pam! Here's a picture of us with the happy couple.



Third... drumroll please...



The ring you see here is on Julie's finger!!! That's right! Mikey (cough) finally (cough) proposed to Julie. They're busy planning a wedding! I was lucky enough to be there for the proposal, because Mikey thought Julie might like to have pictures of the event. I kidnapped her from her apartment parking lot, came up with a cheesy line about wanting to get Starbucks (lie) because I was on that side of town (lie) dropping off some friend's belongings (lie). Then I told her that since it was such a nice day outside that I thought it'd be fun to go for a drive through Garden of the Gods (lie). When we got there, Mikey was waiting for her. He took her through a little stroll through the park and presented her with a beautiful solitaire diamond ring. The diamond will soon be mounted into the BEAUTIFUL, "real" ring Mikey and Julie picked out together. Congratulations to them!!! We love you both, and are very happy for you!!



Reagan loves the Hug-A-Bear (it's official name) that her Auntie Diane got for her when she was still in her Mama's tummy.



I gave Reagan a mohawk in the bath the other night.


And finally, today we had a track meet and Reagan and Jim came to visit me while I coached.

Happy Birthday to Reagan!

Today is the day. Precicely 1 year and 30 minutes ago, Reagan Renee Lamb was born!

I will be posting pictures tonight of a very special gift she got in the mail from California...but more about that later.

Guess what. Yesterday, I came home from work, and Katie, our nanny, informed me that Reagan had a tooth!!!!

So yes annonymous comment poster. I got my wish. :)

I know, I said last one for awhile...

But then today we went to the park to watch Jim play flag football. I forgot my camera but it was an exciting day so I took pictures with the cell-phone instead. Love technology!

First, upon arrival at the park, Mikey locked his keys in his car. Already running late, I convinced him to head over with the team and Julie and I would take care of it. Luckily, he had his window cracked, so there was a chance.

I started looking around Jim's car to see what could be used, and saw that we still had fishing stuff. I handed the tackle box over to Julie who managed to find a quad-hook and a fish-stringer (I'm not sure what the technical term is, but it's the thing you stick through the gills of the fish to line them up...). Needless to say, it took Julie about 2 minutes and she had the keys in hand. She's the hero of the day!

We brought some of Reagan's new toys to the park and she contently played on a blanket for the entirety of the football game; about an hour.



She was very proud of her dad at the end!!

Reagan's Birthday, Mostly in Pictures

Yesterday was Reagan's first birthday party. I'm grateful that her actual birthday isn't until Tuesday because it was VERY bittersweet for me. It's a little bit reassuring to know that I still have 2 more days until she's ACTUALLY 1.

We had lunch and cake, with a Hawaiian-esque theme.
Jim cooked burgers and brats on the grill, I made potato salad. Of course, cake and cupcakes for dessert. I also had some fresh strawberries out, and Debbie, if you're reading, you'd be proud of me: I made my own whipped cream. I suppose I don't hate doing it so much now that I know what's involved in the process.

We had some late-comers; our friends Brad and Kim from Fort Collins came to visit in the afternoon and brought their 3 kids. Reagan got SUCH a kick out of them.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, or so they say, so, here was our day.

3 Generations of Ladies

First Taste of Cupcake

Mom, Reagan and Dad

Stuffing Her Face as Scout Looks on With Slight Jealousy

"Mom, this is an excellent cupcake."

"Excuse me, I'm trying to play with My Leslie here, do you mind?"

"This Frog bag says, 'Ribbit'."

"Sure, Erin. You can play with my Cookie Monster and his surfboard. But be careful please, it's from my Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Bill."

"Erin, take it from me. Birthday parties are SO MUCH FUN! You'll see, only 6 more months!"

Thanks to everyone who made it! Back to work for me tomorrow, so this may be the last blog for awhile. :(

Fishing

On January 1st, 2008, Jim took me to Wal Mart to buy fishing licenses. Nearly every weekend since then, he has been itchin' for fishin'. The man who sold us the licenses was impressed at our expediency.

We finally got a chance yesterday. Mikey and Julie came along for the ride, and we headed south to Pueblo Reservoir.

My infamous "never caught a fish" streak continued.

We had fun nonetheless. The day went something like this.

We stopped for lunch.
Jim fished to his heart's content.

I fished.
Reagan took a nap.

After awhile Julie, Mikey and I got bored and decided to see how well we could skip rocks; the answer was quite well.
I experimented with the new camera and took this shot of the water through the lens of my sunglasses...

We found some fossils.
Then, after an excellent day, we loaded up and came back home!

Oops...

I almost forgot...

Reagan has new sunglasses.