Christmas Day

On Christmas Day we always do the drive from my parents in Marion to Adam's parents in Ames. We weren't so sure that was going to happen this year because of the storm they were saying was going to roll through. Since all we had gotten up to Christmas Eve was rain we thought we were in the clear but then they predicted the temps were to drop and if that was the case everything was going to ice over. We decided we would wait until morning to see what the weather would bring. We woke up on Christmas Day and things looked good so we packed up all our belongings and headed to Ames. Reagan was less than thrilled to climb into her car seat!

About 30 miles outside of Cedar Rapids we ran into some snow. It was coming down pretty hard and boy was it windy. After a quick phone call we were told we would be driving out of it in a few miles so we decided to treck on. The rest of the drive wasn't too bad except for the closer we got to Ames. The temperatures started to drop so the roads started to ice over. Thank goodness Adam is a good winter driver!!

Reagan got to open some more gifts and see her Uncle Ben who was home for the holidays. It was good to see him one more time before he leaves for more training and then back to Afghanistan. We are all very proud of him and continue to pray for his safety.



Of course Christmas wouldn't be the same without a game of Phase 10. If you haven't played this card game before make sure you have several hours to spare. I think I am one of the few members of the family that really enjoy playing this game year after year! We threw in the towel at 11:30 this year, but Ben was happy to say that he was the declared winner! He had the fewest amount of points and passed the most phases! I'll reclaim my title next year:)

Christmas Eve

We thought we better try to beat the "big" storm that they were forecasting so we left Cedar Falls for Marion on Tuesday afternoon when I got off of work. We didn't want to be stranded here in Cedar Falls all by ourselves on Reagan's first Christmas!! We spent Wednesday hanging out at my parents house. My mom still had to work and my dad a doctor's appointment and a few errands to run. Adam went and picked up Josh for some afternoon fun. He was so good with Reagan and played with so well with her. You can tell he has some experience with little ones at home!

On Christmas Eve Dustin, Beth, Josh, Lauren and Ella all come over to open gifts before the church services.

Here are a few pictures of the cousins playing before the madness begins of opening the presents.





A quick picture with Grandma and Grandpa before opening the gifts. You can tell that everyone is less than thrilled for the photo shoot!



Reagan really wasn't into opening gifts this year. She just liked eating the paper. She did like getting the gifts though! If she saw something under all that pretty paper that she really liked she would scream until we were able to free it from it's million twisty ties and plastic. Beth had a great idea and if I remember it for next year I think I might do it. Untie all the twisty ties and plastic before wrapping the gift making it much easier after they open the gifts!







After church we stopped by Dustin and Beth's to get a few picture's of the cousins in their Christmas outfits. As you can see great minds think a like because Beth and I bought the girls the same dresses!









Our annual family picture in front of the Christmas Tree. We are so blessed to be able to add Reagan to our picture this year.

O' Christmas Tree

Of course we took several pictures of Reagan in front to the Christmas Tree this year. Here are just a few that we took before Christmas was actually here.

Santa Came to the Lewis House Early!

Since we were going to be traveling at Christmas we thought we would let Reagan open her big gift from Santa early. We saved a few smaller items for her to open at grandma and grandpa's on Christmas Eve. We bought her a small kitchen/living room set.

Reagan helping Adam put it together.





Reagan absolutely loves it! It is one of the first toys that we have found that she plays with independently! Which we like:)

14.5 inches of SNOW!!

They started talking about this "big storm" that was going to hit us last week on Thursday. When they forecast it that far out you often think that they are hyping it up and it isn't going to amount to anything. But I told Adam that it was time to get serious about buying a snow blower for the season. Last winter we relied on the shovel and our next door neighbor. I didn't think we could ask him to do it again this year. Adam ended up buying something last Friday and was able to put it to good use today.

For once the weather men were correct and we got slammed! We went to school on Tuesday but it was announced at 9AM that we would be letting out at 1:15. They made a good decision because by the time I got home the snow was really starting to come down and stick to the roads. They were calling for 10-15 inches and winds up to 50 mph Tuesday night through Wednesday. Spinutech closed it's doors so Adam and I had a snow day together. He worked all day but at least he was home with Reagan and I!

Here are some pictures that Adam took when he went out to clear the drive this morning.


The snow drift that was in front of our garage.


You couldn't tell if it was still snowing or if it was the wind blowing the snow around...probably both at this time.


A drift going up to our front door.


This shows you how deep the snow was in front of our garage!

Snow days are also about staying in your pj's and snuggling!

9 Month Check Up

Adam took Reagan to her nine month check up yesterday. At nine months they aren't scheduled for any shots but she got her second round of the seasonal flu shot along with the first round of the H1N1 shot.

Here are her stats. They didn't give us percentages (I'm not sure why):

Weight: 19 lbs 7 oz
Height: 27.25 inches
Head: 17.25 inches

Her doctor did say that she still has a small head but it is growing and that is what counts! I am thankful for her small head:)

She growing up so fast and changing daily. She is going through a phase right now where she only wants to feed herself. We have been giving her cut up green beans and just bought some canned peaches and pears. Gerber makes small diced up carrots and apples that she loves. Other than that she is sleeping well. She goes to bed around 6:30 and sleeps until I wake her at 6:30 in the morning. She is crawling all over the place and now pulling herself up. She is an absolute joy! We just love her to pieces!

A Weekend of Firsts

We had a busy weekend celebrating lots of firsts.

On Thursday Reagan celebrated her first Thanksgiving. We packed up the car and headed to my Grandma Bricker's house near Victor/Ladora. We had a great turkey dinner with all the fixings. You can never go wrong with turkey, mashed potato's, green beans and pie! We even had a surprise visit from Dustin and Beth and their family. It is always fun to see them and my nieces and nephew. We all have a lot to be thankful this year. Most of all I am so thankful that God gave Adam and I a healthy little girl.

A few pictures of Reagan last Wednesday.





On Friday, Beth, my mom and I were one of those crazy Black Friday shoppers. We walked into Old Navy at 3:09 AM! We picked up our purchases and then waited in line for 2 hours before we finally reached the check out! The line pretty much wrapped itself around the store. When the check out was in sight we heard a lady yelling "20 dollars to trade spots in line, 20 dollars!" Other than that little show everyone was friendly and happy to be out. We hit about five more stores before heading home around 11. I am happy to say that I knocked out a lot of my shopping!

Reagan also got to do a little Black Friday shopping for her cousin Josh. We weren't planning on taking her out but saw an ad that was just too good to pass up! She loves being out in public and was happy to do a little shopping.

On Saturday Reagan got to experience her first trip to the Christmas Tree Farm. Adam and I were so excited to take her there this year and were very happy that the weather was so beautiful! It always takes us forever to pick out a tree and this year was no exception. We walked through the entire tree farm before going back where we started from to find just the right tree.



Adam and Reagan as we walked around the tree farm to find the perfect tree.



Reagan and I standing in front of our Christmas Tree.



I think one of Adam's favorite parts about going to the tree farm is getting to cut down the tree. He was a little disappointed this year when one of the workers came over half way through his sawing and say that he could take over from there.

Reagan got to meet Santa Claus for the first time. When I put her down on Santa's lap she took one look up at him and started to scream. Some how I knew this was going to be her reaction. Maybe next year we will get a picture of her smiling with Santa.





While she took her afternoon nap Adam and I got the tree set up and decorated. Here is a picture of Adam putting up the finishing touch.



When she woke up she wasn't so sure about this huge thing that was taking up our living room but after she got a little more comfortable she was quick to crawl over and check it out. She was a little upset that she couldn't reach the bulbs.





Last but not least, Reagan went to her first UNI Men's Basketball Game on Saturday night!! We weren't sure how she would do because she usually goes to bed between 6 and 6:30 but she took a two hour nap that afternoon and slept late. The one thing we knew that we had going for us is that we weren't at home. Usually if we are out and about she is good. She did great! As Adam said, there were a couple thousand people there and she just sat and watched the same few people. We didn't make it to the end of the game but made it home in time to catch the last few minutes on TV. We were happy to have a win! Not sure how many games Reagan and I will make it to but we can always cheer them on while watching them on TV.







I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving. We enjoyed our weekend of firsts, it was a few more things for us to be thankful for. Have a great week!