Allie aka Cutie aka Stinker

Oh my little Allie cakes.  What would we do without you?  Things would be quieter, cleaner, and a lot less funny that's for sure!  Right now you have a thing for shoes.  You love to wear Renan and Dubby's "lup lups" (flip flops).

(16 mo.) You have really groovy dance moves and would spend all day outside if I let you.

(15 mo)  You are my pickiest eater yet.  You turn your nose up at mashed potatoes but will eat broccoli the next minute.  Regan's prediction came true.....you are pretty much a vegetarian.

Giving daddy high five!

You are pretty good at helping to clean up.  Something Renan and Dubby weren't good at.  I hope that continues! :)

You have the LOUDEST scream I have ever heard!  What a feisty beast!

Sweet....

...and sour!

You love your mama! (And want to be held constantly!)

You decided to play around on the stroller when I wasn't looking, and your weight tipped the stroller forward.  Blood started gushing from your nose and lip and they swelled up immediately.  You are usually really tough, but I knew you must be in a lot of pain because you could not be consoled for a while.  This was a couple days after. (17 months)

Allie and Aspen (18 months)

You like to stick things up your nose.  You will get little pieces of toilet paper and shove them up your nose.  Sometimes way up there, sometimes not.  You even like to eat the toilet paper :(  Right now you have a sticker up your nose that has been there a few weeks with no signs of coming out.  Not sure how we're going to handle that yet?!?

Rockin' the shades!

You love wearing our clothes and will put multiple shirts on your waist at once. (19 months)

You have a deep little voice.  We ask you a question and it is either a firm "No!" or "Uh-huh"

You are so goofy and funny!

You make life sweeter my little Alliegator!

Sophie

Sophie turned 6 this year and I can't believe she is going into 1st grade.  She is a goofy, funny, social butterfly.  Our house is the kid "hot" spot, because Sophie is queen bee of the bunch.  Actually, Regan calls it "Sophie's gang".  She wants to play and eat popsicles from sun up to sun down.  She is very sweet and is very helpful with Allie.  They play so well together.

Regan, Janie, and Sophie

This picture makes me fall over laughing!  What a goof ball!

Regan and Sophie swimming at the splash pad in St. George.

Sophie helping Aspen

Crazy hair day at school.  So fun!

I made these hats for Dr. Seuss Day at school.

Sweet girl.  What a beauty!

Allie loves her big sister "Dubby"

I love that dimple of hers:)

Sophie is not as excited for school to start.  She is happy that she get's the same teacher Regan had last year, Mrs. Frampton.  I'm excited too.  Life would definitely be dull without this crazy cute girl!

Reganisms

Regan was with Grandma and Grandpa Joy at Chuck-O-Rama and they bumped into an old friend of Tom's.  After a minute Tom introduces Regan.  The friend said, "I'm gonna marry you".  Regan looked shocked and immediately retorted, "You'll be dead when I'm old enough to get married!"  Tom and Virginia laughed so hard and Tom jokingly told Regan she ought to go tell his wife that he wanted to marry her.  Humor is lost on Regan, and so she went right up to his wife and told her.  What a girl!

Regan's 7th birthday

We were at a BBQ with some friends and one man was getting mad at his son for being rude to another adult.  Regan goes over and told him that he needed to count to ten or he would lose his temper.  "I've already lost my temper!"  So Regan goes behind him and picks up his invisible temper and hands it back to him with a smile.  "There you go.  I found it!"  Everybody had a good laugh.  Where does she get this stuff?

Regan's birthday bike.  She is such a pretty girl!

Regan is super excited for 2nd grade to start.  She has been reading like crazy this summer and is reading at a 3+ grade reading level.  Her biggest punishment would be to not let her read.  She still has a passion for all things nature and animals and would like to be a farmer, or a wildlife biologist, or an animal human(?).  She said an animal human is someone that protects animals from harm.  Isn't that an animal rights activist?  PETA?  Heaven help me!

Janie, Regan, and Sophie at Zion National Park with Grandma and Grandpa Joy

I was looking on Amazon.com for a nature book for Regan.  On the cover was a bird.
Regan: That's a kiwi bird!
Me: How do you know?
Regan:  Mom, I just know.
Me:  Well is that other thing a grapefruit rat?
Regan:  No silly!  There's no such thing as grapefruit rats.
Me:  Then how do you know there's a kiwi bird?
Regan:  It's in my bird book.  I'll show you.
There it was...in all it's glory...the kiwi bird.  She is sharp as a tack and has a great memory.  Man I hope she doesn't  remember everything!

Tender Mercies

In January, when I went to see my mom, I was in shock at how far she had deteriorated.  She did not respond or talk to me at all really.  She got a new dose of steroids after that and it helped.  When I went to take care of her a month later, she was talking more, was more alert, and a little bit stronger.  She remembered my name, and called Jason, "Jason McCord":)  I was with her all day and I read to her one of our favorite books...."Daddy Long Legs".  I read for probably 5+ hours and she was attentive and looking at me the whole time.  During funny parts I would look at her and she would be smiling and I know she knew what was going on.  Later, when my dad asked her what I was reading to her, she replied, "Daddy Long Legs".
I told her about Sophie coming into the bathroom and asking me if I was "dropping a deuce", and she laughed and laughed.
My most cherished memory of that weekend was when my mom was wheeled out of the bathroom by a nurse.  I was laying on one side of the bed and when she was put into the other side she said, "Well there's my lovely daughter".  That is something she used to say all the time and I never thought I would hear her say it again.  What a tender mercy from the Lord.  That weekend was a true gift to me.  I didn't think I would see that much from her ever again.  I know it's not going to be all peaches and cream every time, but the Lord gave me a gift of one great weekend with a little glimpse of my old mom again.  I'm truly grateful.

Allie: 1 year old

Allie's One Year Pictures:

She wasn't super happy so we only got a few, but my friend Amber Sheffield of Blue Iris Photography did a great job!  It was so nice catching up with her.