LATELY

Here is Finley in a classic sulk. These happen pretty much daily. She's really good at acting dejected, and she will definitely show you her disappointment.

So things have been flying by these past few months. Seriously! It's cliche because it's true. We are quickly approaching Finley's third (THIRD!!!) and Reagan's first (FIRST!!!) birthdays. We are all full of distinct personalities around these parts. Finley is still as sassy and independent as ever, Reagan is still a mama's girl who loves to be held. And a few other crazy milestones... I turned 30 last week! WHAT!? I know. I know. And also we have lived in Birmingham for almost a year now. This year has flown by. The first few months were rough, but since last August things have just been a blur. Here's to 5 more blurry years!

Finley and Reagan are becoming better friends. Mostly because Reagan is very forgiving of strangulation and blunt head trauma. She usually gets her just deserts because she's a very good slapper. Even though it appears here that she really doesn't do much damage. Yet.

This is Finley with her friend James hugging their baby siblings. Want to get a two-year-old to defend their brother/sister's personal space? Have another two-year-old try to interact with them. Suddenly they become fiercely possessive and loving, "THAT"S MY SISTER!"

One of Finley's favorite pastimes if collecting flowers (don't tell her this is a weed). It often makes walking outdoors very sloooow.

We take advantage of sunny Saturdays with Dad. They don't happen too often.

One of Reagan's besties is her giraffe Sophie, or as Finley calls it, Soapie.

And this is our snuggle monster. It's so strange having a snuggly child. She'll sit on my lap completely content. As soon as Finley was able to move on her own she spent most of her day trying to get away from me as quickly as possible. Even though Reagan is totally mobile most of her day is spent following me around the house. Poor thing. But she's building up some tough knees!

CLOTHES, POTTY, & YOGURT

I think it's accurate to say that these two munchkins keep me busy. These pictures were taken a few months ago when they both happened to being wearing clothes, which doesn't happen often. When it occurs I usually pull out the camera to document the occasion.

Since these pictures were taken Finley is now completely potty trained! Hooray! It's great for her to have a little more independence since previously she ALWAYS needed her diaper changed right when I sat down to feed Reagan. Now she can pretty much do everything on her own. I have to say that potty training was the one milestone that terrified me most about parenting. Everything else is a cake walk from here, right? Ha!

Reagan can almost crawl (so close!) and has finally gotten her third tooth (two on bottom, one on top). Her favorite food right now is yogurt. I was really hesitant to give it to her because she was really sensitive to my milk whenever I had dairy. I've been having almond milk in cereal and I've given up ice cream - oh the wondrous things you do for your children. Anytime I had more than a few bites of ice cream or spoonfulls of milk she would getting a "burn your skin off" diaper rash that would last forever. It didn't seem to affect her in any other way and my pediatrician wasn't worried enough to call it an allergy, she just told me to stay away from diary as much as possible. Anyway, so I fed her a few bites of yogurt one night to see if it would affect her and what do you know, no rash. But I found some soy yogurt that she loves just as well, so I'll just play is safe for now. That was a very long and boring explanation about yogurt and digestion. Sorry. Just so you know, Reagan loves yogurt.

Reagan does not let Finley get away with much, she protests if Finley takes her toys or food. And does not stand for being messed around with. It's probably a good thing because Finley is so feisty Reagan probably wouldn't stand a chance otherwise. She has definitely learned early on. You can tell though, that Reagan is so ready to be a big girl and get up and play with Finley. Sometimes she'll squirm out of my arms and bend over backwards trying to get on the ground to be with Finley. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to give up my baby yet, not even to her sister.

 

HAPPY 2013

So that was officially the longest blogging break I've ever taken. See I have this little problem, it's called iphone addiction. I got an iPhone and Brad got an iPad for Christmas and now with Instagram I'm finding that I'm getting lazier when it comes to jumping on our actual computer which is where I need to be to blog. Anyway. No excuses (except for the one I just gave), I'm committed to this blog so I want to keep it going. Posting just may be a little more sparse. For a daily update on the Carn Clan (mostly Finley and Reagan) then you can find us on Instagram at @bridgetcarn (or click on the link to view us in the Statigram viewer). So now here's a quick rundown of our haps:

Brad: Had a week off for Christmas. It was heavenly. Now the study marathon begins for boards. He'll get the month of March off to study and once his test is taken he'll have a little more time off and then Med School starts. Can't believe how these first 8 months have flown by so quickly.

Me: I got called to be Primary President at church (Primary is the children's Sunday School program for ages 18 months to 11 years old), which means I'm over about 70 kids every Sunday. We finally have all our teachers in place, which is a huge relief! Other than church, you can find me at lots of play groups for the girls. Luckily the other moms are awesome. I've found plenty of things to keep me and the girls entertained everyday. The house is about 90% put together (Reagan's nursery is not done, and two rooms still need to be painted), but I'm happy with how everything stands now. Of course all houses are a work in progress and I've learned to embrace that.

Finley: Talking up a storm! Sometimes she gets on a roll and starts saying every word she knows, every place and person and toy she's ever come in contact with. Which is pretty hilarious. She loves wearing her hair in pig tails. She loves "noodles and broccoli." She loves giving Reagan hugs and saying, "Nice to meet you Reagan!" She loves Peter Pan and Rio. She loves singing. She loves my phone and Brad's iPad. And most importantly she loves Daddy. The facetime feature on my phone has been used every night when Brad is on call, which really helps Finley.

Reagan: Also talking up a storm - just more babbling and less words. She loves jumping in her exersaucer. She loves chewing on her Sophie giraffe. She loves sweet potatoes. She loves smiling at strangers. She still loves the Baby Bjorn (thank goodness). She loves rolling everywhere (still not crawling, but she definitely moves around). She loves being held. She has two teeth on bottom and one on top peaking through. She also loves Daddy, but is still more of a Mama's girl.

 Hopefully this has us caught up so I can then catch up on all the pictures I have ready to go!