Reagan's sayings, family update, and Christmas pictures!

I just can't seem to get into blogging regularly. I wish I did. Erik has been bugging me (for a good reason) to write down a few things that Reagan has been saying lately. It's really funny to see what's going on in that little head of hers.

Around Christmas, Erik asked Reagan a few questions and here were her responses:
Erik: "Reagan, what are your ears for?"
Reagan: Listen to the vacuum and to Grandpa (Garner) say no, no.

Erik: "What is your nose for?
Reagan: "Um...to smell ice creams, nummy ice creams."

Erik: "What is your mouth for?
Reagan: "I don't know daddy, mine's broken."

One night after we had put the girls to bed, Reagan started crying about something. When Erik went to check on her, he asked her what was wrong. With visible tears in her eyes and her lip in full pout she said "I just need candy." She truly felt like she needed it. She is turning out just like my brothers and I were. Severe candy/sweets addicts.

One day Erik was out in the backyard lifting weights and Reagan was out playing. There was a ladder and Erik specifically told Reagan not to climb on it. When Reagan thought Erik wasn't looking, she got on the ladder. When Erik asked her if she had gotten on it, she paused and thought for a minute and said: "Daddy, I just don't know."

Today Reagan watched Cinderella for the first time and loved it. During the part where Cinderella goes to the castle for the ball, Reagan excitedly said "Look! She's going to the temple, daddy!"

I know there's a bazillion more that I'm forgetting and I really need to be better about writing them down. She makes me smile and laugh on a daily basis.

In other news, we're anxiously waiting for Match day, which is March 9th. I've been obsessed about looking at houses online and getting totally excited about entering this phase. It will be nice to have our own space again and to not feel like we're burdening family with our constant presence.

Erik has been studying for his part 2 board examination, which he takes on the 4th. To celebrate, we are taking the girls to Disneyland the next day. I can't wait! We haven't really done much as a family entertainment wise since we've been married so it should be fun :) I hope it goes over well!

Reagan and Sarah continue to fight the majority of the time. It is constant DRAMA around here. I can't take it! I just don't understand it. I didn't have a sister so this is completely new to me. The few times they get along it's because they're causing trouble and getting into mischief together. Hahahaha, I can't win :)

Sarah is now 14 months and is hating her lack of communication skills. This girl loves to be heard and understood. Man what a temper she has. She continues to demand near constant attention and still loves to be held a lot. She's very attached to me and VERY attached to her aunt Elizabeth. Elizabeth is good at spoiling her by carrying her around a lot :) I am also amazed at how expressive she is. She has quite an impressive array of facial expressions, including 5 or 6 different scowls. Anyone who knows me very well is familiar with my scowl. I don't do it on purpose, it just happens. Especially when I'm concentrating. It's fun to see things that she takes after me on.

I'm continuing to TRY to exercise although I've been very frustrated with the results. I worked my butt off all of January and didn't lose much weight. Then my appetite soared pretty much all of February. I couldn't(still can't) get enough to eat. I hate that I love to eat so much and am so addicted to sweets. I just don't have the self control I did 5 years ago.

Here are a few pictures from Christmast that I'm finally getting around to posting.


Reagan and her big blue eyes.

Our Happy Girl!

Checking out a new toy from Grandma and Grandpa Rosenlof.

Sarah was really excited about all of the presents.

Reagan concentrating really hard while she opens a present.

Reagan enjoying a warm cinnamon roll after opening her presents.

Having fun taking real pictures with her very own digital camera. I bought this on Black Friday for $20!

Reagan thrilled with the surprise and lots of presents to open Christmas morning. I loved that she's finally getting into it.

Sarah on her 1st birthday, December 23rd.

Who do you think she looks like? Sometimes I think I know but I really don't :)

I Conquered My Ridiculous Craving

Hello perfection...blissful perfection.

You can't have warm straight from the oven cookies without a cold class of milk. It's a sin.

I've been craving these bad boys for weeks on end. I finally gave in. Oh how I love you chocolate chip cookies. And yes, they tasted just as good as they look, if I may say so myself.

Now off to my second hour workout of the day...If only I had some self control!

Current Obsession: Exercise

When January of every year rolls around, I become a little obsessive about exercise. All of the food from the holidays has made its way through my mouth to my lovehandles (first place I gain), then to my thighs, and my gut. Why can't I EVER gain weight in my chest? I'd gladly eat a couple slices of pie or some homemade cookies for that. But no, weight gain is non existent there for me unless I'm pregnant. But I'm not about to go there again anytime soon. Oh and by the way, it's the first place I lose weight. Seriously, how depressing is that? Ok enough with the boob talk. I figure only females read my blog so I'm safe :) Well, I got off on a little tangent there. Anyways, I'm really enjoying my workout routine this time around. Here's what I've got going:

1. I try to do 45-60 minutes on the treadmill alternating between walking fast on an incline and running. I've been trying to take it easy with the running since I'm walking a very thin line there. Erik says I need surgery again on my foot and I'm in denial about that. Even though it hurts when I run too much. It's definitely holding me back and is very frustrating and depressing for me because I absolutely love to run.

2. I've also been doing Winsor Pilates, which I highly recommend. Each DVD is only 20 minutes and they go by really quickly. I seriously notice results really fast when I start these workouts. I alternated every other day with the Bun and Thigh workout and Abs. It doesn't really get me sweating at all but it really tones and strengthens those areas.

3. I've been doing Kathy Smith's kickboxing workout since high school. It's a really good workout and a lot of fun. I'm definitely sweating when I finish.

4. Since I liked the 30 Day Shred so much, I decided to buy the Biggest Loser's Cardio Max dvd. What I love about it is that its a really intense workout that keeps you working hard the whole time. There are three different cardio workouts each done by one of the trainers plus a warm up and cool down. It's also customizeable. You can do just workout 1, or 1 and 2, or 2 and 3, or 1 and 3.

5. I've been incorporating strength training into my daily workout more seriously than I ever have before. One of the things I'm doing is Jillian Michael's 30 day shred dvd. It has three different levels with level one being the easiest. But it's not so easy at first. Each workout has 3 six minute series of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute abs. I've been doing it for the last 2 weeks and I've been sore the entire time. Really sore actually. Today was the first day I tried level 2 and let me tell you it was a super intense 2o minute workout that left me sweating like a pig. I love that I can get a kick butt workout in 20 minutes. Since doing this my muscles have exploded! I was actually really not excited about this at first because I'm a little obsessed about the number on the scale going down. It was actually going up at first, even with eating super healthy and reducing my portions. But, I'm glad I have stuck with it because I feel so good! I seriously feel so much stronger.

I'm wishing I would have taken some before pictures. I've almost been doing this for 3 weeks straight and although I've only lost 2 pounds I've noticed a HUGE change in my body. My love handles have shrunk considerably and I'm a lot stronger and more toned. I'm still frustrated my weight hasn't dropped much but I'm hoping that changes soon if I keep sticking with it.

Oh and one last thing. Is it just me or does anyone else whose had kids think it's a bunch of crock that you can completely get rid of and tighten that post baby pooch? It's much smaller but still very much there! Those movie starts have to be getting all sorts of plastic surgery. That's all I've got to say about that.

Sunny California

I have really not been motivated to blog the last few months. But you already knew that :) We have been sick a lot since the fall and I've just not been motivated. This 4th year of medical school has really run me down. Lets just say that I couldn't be more thrilled that we have less than a week until Erik is with us FOR GOOD! 8 long months without him was way more than I ever want to be away from him again. My poor girls, especially Reagan, have had a really hard time with daddy being gone.

Well, we're now in California. We left Rexburg on December 29th. I cried like a baby leaving my family. It was the last time I'd see my brother until he gets back from his mission. He's leaving for Johannesburg South Africa on February 17th. Let me just tell you how much I am enjoying sunny California. It is fantastical! Oh how joyful it is to be able to play outside with my girls in January in 60 degree weather. Sorry to all of you who are surrounded by snow and below zero temps.

What's new with our family...

Reagan is 2 1/2 and talking like crazy. It's so fun to have a full conversation with her. Lately she's been saying how much she doesn't want a baby sister. I don't know if that means Sarah or a future baby. Good thing I'm not even close to being ready to have another one. Although, it's nuts how often I get baby hungry. I don't understand that one at all. She still doesn't care for her sister at all. There is constant drama. Any suggestions there? It makes me so sad (not to mention frustrated) that they're constantly at each other's throats. They're only 2 and 1 for crying out loud! But when she's sweet, she's the sweetest thing in the world. She loves to pretend play and I love her cute little imagination. She loves making me black pie. It's her original recipe. We also love to exchange recipes :) I'm hoping she'll share my love of cooking when she's older!

Sarah turned 1 last month and boy is her personality coming out like crazy! She loves to go bye-bye and constantly tells me she wants to go. She loves to play with her sister but is starting to fight back now when Reagan isn't so nice. She has the craziest temper! I think she's very frustrated because she can't communicate very much and wants to talk so very badly so she can feel a part of everything. She is so social at heart! Her facial expressions crack me up! Everyone says she looks so much like me with all of her expressions. Especially the furrowed brow. I'm always doing that...can't help it.

I've just been trying to keep up with the girls and I'm in a major exercise mode. I have been sore (really sore) for the last 2 weeks. I can't do exercise half way. It's all or nothing for me. I'm hoping to drop 20 pounds but it isn't coming off as easy as I'd like! Other than that just trying to adjust to being in a new place and can't wait for Erik to be here!

Erik is finishing up his last week in Detroit. He's very anxious and stressed about getting a good residency program although I'm not worried a bit. I wish he would realize how capable he is. I always get those "I told you so" moments so I like to rub that in! We're both anxious for him to get here on Monday next week. I'm so so proud of him for all that he's sacrificed the last 8 months. You're the best sweetie!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I am so bad at taking them. Erik has most of them on his camera so I need to do a major update when he gets here.

Soooo Excited!! 27 hours and counting...

Erik is flying in tomorrow to visit 8 days for Thanksgiving! It's going to be the best spending time with him and the girls :)

In other news, for the last several weeks, Sarah has been acting like this:

Will the nightmare of teething ever end? Only one, repeat ONE of the 6 teeth she has been trying to cut has come through. Is this some kind of sick joke my kids like to play on me? Erik has been joking that he's going to bring a scalpel with him to help her out. Some kind of sick sense of humor eh? Hahaha. Here's to hoping that the others cut through very soon. Her teeth seem to be cutting her a little slack so I'm thrilled that now she's acting a little like this:

What's going on with our little Sarah bear...

Sarah is now 10 1/2 months and is changing oh so fast! She started walking about 2 weeks ago and gets better at it every day! She has such a personality. She's very social. She hates feeling left out and wants to be right in the middle of things...preferrably in mommy's arms. She's very attached to me right now and has a hard time going to anyone else if I'm within sight.

She has said a few words: baby, hieee (hi with emphasis at the end), bee (for binky), beeyah (for bottle), and mommma (emphasis on mm)

She's currently trying to cut 6 teeth at once for the last 6 weeks. Can you say nightmare?! Needless to say, I'm getting in and out of bed constantly all night long most nights. I think two finally cut through though so she's been doing a bit better.

She LOVES food! She's always crawling around on the floor in search of crumbs or morsels that Reagan may have dropped. She also hangs out near Reagan while she eats and steals her food. Reagan doesn't care because she's not much of an eater these days. I think Sarah's probably 22 lbs. and Reagan's probably 28...yeah :)

She also loves to dance when there's a little tune and she even has her own style of breakdancing which is quite entertaining.

Proudly stealing Reagan's lunch.

Taking a big bite!

Playing with Reagan and doing what they do best...making messes!

So tired!

Striking a pose in her sunday dress :)

Here's a video of her walking but it's already outdated. She's walking everywhere now!

Here's a video of Sarah stealing Reagan's lunch :)

Here's a video of Sarah break dancing:

Best Birthday Surprise Ever and Halloween!

My birthday was on October 22nd and all I wanted was to see Erik. He told me he was sending me a package for my birthday. I told him all I wanted for my birthday was to fly out to Detroit to visit him! Little did I know he had other plans. So, Erik's sister Elizabeth is going to school here at BYU-Idaho. She called me up on the 29th saying she had cut herself really bad making dinner and wondered if I could take her to the hospital. So I halted dinner preparations and threw a few things together before rushing out the door with the kids. While I'm rushing around, Erik called me to chat (so I thought). I talked to him while I drove to Elizabeth's but said goodbye when I got to her apartment. I called Elizabeth to tell her I was there and then all of a sudden I heard a knock on my car window. I turned over and there Erik was! I was totally shocked. I had just talked to him on the phone seconds earlier, totally thinking he was thousands of miles away in Detroit. My jaw literally dropped and I had all sorts of emotions going on at the same time: shock, disbelief, pure joy, excitement, confusion, and just plain emotional. Erik said the look on my face was priceless and wished he had gotten a picture of it. It was the best surprise ever and the best birthday gift ever. It has been really hard on us being apart so much and it just seems to get harder. We had a great weekend while he was here (even though I was really sick the whole time).
Sarah desperately trying to grab the candy out of the bowl. This kid loves any and all things that she can stick in her mouth, especially when it's edible and delicious. She sure enjoyed her sucker :)

Here's our little family right before we took the girls trick or treating.

Reagan's super cheesy "pretty smile" mingled with a yawn I think :) Don't mind my bug eyed look. I was feeling really crappy that night.

Sarah was our little chunky monkey. The pictures just don't do justice how cute she was!

Reagan was a little princess and loved that mommy put real makeup on her.

Reagan relaxing with her daddy while watching Care Bears or one of her regular favorites. She absolutely adores him and has had a hard time being away from him. We had a great time together and are counting down the days until he visits for Thanksgiving!