Video Christmas Card

Here's a blast from the past--last Christmas, to be exact. Reagan and I had the opportunity to sing together at our church. Can you believe how much younger/smaller she is? So figity and wiggly, but so cute!

Merry Christmas!

Sibling Rivalry

Reagan simply refuses to be upstaged by Presley. (It gets a little ugly toward the end.)

Worst Mom Moment of the Year

To read all about my terrible "stage mom" moment, check out Reagan's blog: http://reagangibbs.blogspot.com/2008/12/reagans-big-finish.html.


Also, for fun, here's an "Ultimate Bucket List" that I found on Angie Hunt's blog. You're supposed to copy/paste it into your blog then put an * beside everything you've done. Finally, add one thing that you have done to the bottom of the list. I challenge my readers (all three of you) to post it on your blog!

*1. Started your own blog
*2. Slept under the stars
*3. Played in a band
*4. Visited Hawaii
*5. Watched a meteor shower
*6. Given more than you can afford to charity
*7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
*9. Held a praying mantis
*10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
*14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
*16. Had food poisoning (but my parents swear it was a virus)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
*18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
*21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
*23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (can't specifically remember, but I'm sure I have)
*24. Built a snow fort
*25. Held a lamb
26. Run a marathon
*27. Gone skinny dipping (but only with girlfriends in the country)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (have seen a partial)
*30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (does T-ball count?)
32. Been on a cruise (does the General Jackson count?)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
*35. Seen an Amish community
*36. Taught yourself a new language
*37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
*41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
*45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
*46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
*51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
*52. Kissed in the rain
*53. Played in the mud
*54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
*57. Started a business (sort of; I work for myself)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
*60. Served at a soup kitchen
*61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
*63. Got flowers for no reason
*64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
*69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
*70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
*71. Eaten Caviar
*72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (I went canoeing in a swamp in FL with gators. Does that count?)
75. Been fired/laid off from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
*78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
*79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
*80. Published a book (contributor, not author)
81. Visited the Vatican
*82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
*84. Had your picture in the newspaper
*85. Read the entire Bible
*86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (my dad has MANY times)
*88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
*91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
*93. Lost a loved one
*94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
*98. Owned a cell phone
*99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
*101. Learned to play an instrument
102. Kissed the Blarney Stone
103. Ridden a camel
*104. Sung on and album/CD

Reagan's Big Finish

You may have already heard that Reagan had "walking" pneumonia this week. Apparently there's a contagious strain going around (one of Reagan's classmates had it). But after a couple of "sick" days at home and a snow day as well, Reagan had recuperated...or so we thought.

Saturday night was the be the culmination of all Reagan's rehearsals at church. She would be singing her duet in "Fear Not Factor." Both sets of grandparents were coming (one set drove over 3 hours to be there). We had pre-purchased a copy of the professional DVD. We were all eager to see Reagan do what she loves: perform!

But just minutes before she was to leave for church, she complained about her chest hurting. Scott and I kept telling her it was probably from all the coughing over the last week. Or it might have been the slice and a half of pizza she had just eaten. I gave her a Tums and sent her on her way with Daddy.

At church, Scott said she was still complaining. I found her and gave her another Tums and a cup of water. I told one of the youth to keep an eye on her and mentioned that she wasn't feeling well to one of the directors. Just as the kids were getting on stage, another parent brought her to us and said she wasn't feeling well. Ms. Sandy, our children's pastor, came by and said to let her go up on stage as soon as she felt ready.

We tried. We bribed, we threatened. We actually got her up there for a song...then she came back down. We guilted and coerced. She went up again but barely sang and did about half of her choreography. Then it was time for her song.

She was visibly upset. Scott went to get her off the stage...she was almost in tears. He got close but then stopped because she seemed to be trying to sing her duet. It was pretty bad. She was barely singing and nearly crying (and so was Mama, who felt bad for pushing her up there), but she got all the way through it...sort of.

At the end of the song, Reagan totally upstaged her duet partner by losing her dinner on the stage! Scott moved with lightening speed to get her out of there. I ran out to meet them in the bathroom, where Reagan threw up again and I cried some more, feeling like the worst mother on the planet for forcing her on stage.

The good news is that within minutes Reagan actually did feel better. It stuck with Mama much longer. (I put on a brave face for our friends at church, but I cried even more that night in bed. Really felt awful about the whole thing.)

Like a real trooper, on Sunday morning, Reagan woke up ready to sing again! She sang "Who Would Imagine a King" with Mama and a group of 6 kids in both services, and did a great job! So...she's not giving up her performing career just yet. But we've learned to listen to her when she says she doesn't feel well and can't perform.

And although we didn't take any pictures or tape it Saturday night, we did have these pics from last week's dress rehearsal. Oh, and there is the matter of the professional DVD. We'll have to wait and see if they cut out the throw-up scene. Should be interesting...

Away in a Manger

Presley had her first public performance today, as she sang "Away in a Manger" with her toddler class at church. Now, Presley sings at home all the time--just not on demand. In fact, if you ask her to sing, most often she will not. But if she doesn't think you're listening, she'll belt out any number of tunes at the top of her tiny lungs.

Today was hit & miss. In the first service, she sang most of the song and even did a few motions. But she also spent part of the song touching the baby Jesus in the manger. Being the only girl in a sea of boys, I guess no one else was that interested in the doll--but Presley sure was! In the second service, most of the kids were tired, and none of them really sang much. And again, Presley was more interested in the baby Jesus than singing.

Regardless, she was simply adorable in both services!

Joyland

This has been a busy week(end) for us, but we've got one big event now behind us: the Joyland mini-musical. Reagan was a hit as a Shirley Temple doll! (Isn't that wig outrageous? And adorable!) It was very cute to see her sing/dance/pose as ST. Scott also got in the act as a "shopper" who chose to buy her at the end of the show.

And just before Joyland, Presley's toddler class sang "Away in a Manger." She did a great job but was a little distracted by the baby Jesus (a doll). She kept trying to touch him and was shielding him from the other children. She's very greedy, er, protective like that.

Since Mama also sang "The Name" this morning, it was a busy day for us all!

Say What?

Presley is at such a fun age! If she thinks you're not listening, you can get a full concert of her singing anything from the ABC song to "Who Would Imagine a King." (Mama and Reagan have been practicing that one lately.

Presley also never ceases to amaze us with her vocabulary and the interesting way she says things. Here are a few of her current favorite sayings:

• "Dat not berry fair!" (That's not very fair.)


• "My tummy making me hungry."


• "I not a baby--I a big girl!" or "I a baby--not a big girl!" (whichever suits her needs at that moment)


• "I not pee-pee in the potty--just change my diaper!"(potty training isn't going so well)


• "I want you, Mama." (usually spoken when I'm seated at the computer)

ICE!!!

Before Thanksgiving, we took the girls to see ICE! at the old Gaslight Theatre, which used to be a part of Opryland. (The Gaslight was the home of one of my favorite Opryland shows, "For Me and My Gal." It was also the home of CMT's "Pop! Goes the Country." I went to a taping once to get a closer look at Bryan White, whom I had a huge crush on when I first moved to Nashville.)

But I digress...ICE! was lovely to look at--quite amazing, really, that they can do all that with ice. But it was extremely COLD! They give you big parkas to wear over your own coat. Fortunately, we also had gloves, hats, and scarves. The theme was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and it had all the expected elements of Whoville. The girls enjoyed it, although Presley said, "It scare me" a few times. (She has sinced asked to go back several times.) My only complaint is that there really just wasn't enough of it. In fact, we backtracked and saw everything twice.

Presley's favorite thing was the giant ice slide. She made Daddy and Mama take her down it several times. Reagan was content with once. We were all impressed that the final room was filled with sculptures of the nativity...Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, angels, etc. And the real Christmas story was being played in that room. Not a watered-down "holiday" version...the real thing.

It was a fun outing for us all and a great start to the Christmas season.

Truer Than She Knows

I didn't hear the first part of the argument or what prompted these words, but here's what I overheard Reagan say today:

"Presley, I'm not your servant! Mama and Daddy are both of our servants."