Asbury Reunion

With all that's been going on lately, I hadn't had a chance to post anything about my, ahem, 15th college reunion. (Serioulsy, am I that old? 'Cause I still feel like a kid sometimes.) Anyhow, we had a fun but brief trip to Wilmore last Saturday. I must say I'm a wee bit disappointed in the number of classmates who decided not to show up (many of whom, I know, live much closer than I do). But those of us who were there had a fun time catching up and reconnecting. And, thanks to Facebook and, hopefully, the new Asbury online community, we'll stay in touch between reunions too. Here are a few pics from the event:

Matt Atkins, Jana Bracken McCracken, me, Tiffany Switzer Harper

Neil Brenner, me & Presley, Melinda Jones (don't know her new last name)

Neil and I spent ten weeks in a van together with four other vocalists on summer tour in college.

Holly Schopmeyer Law, Jana, Melissa Kuhnell Davis, Amy Turkelson (don't know her new last name), me & Presley, Tiffany

Me, Chad Crouch, Presley

Chad and I went to Jamaica on music teams together several times.

Do you see a recurring theme here? Presley just couldn't stay out of the pictures. Reagan, on the other hand, had made a new friend in Caitlyn, Jana's daughter (we were both pregnant at the last reunion), and was off doing her own thing.

I loved seeing my "old Kentucky home," but we had to return to Nashville early Sunday morning to visit with Scott's ailing granny. She passed this week, and we celebrated her homegoing yesterday. Granny was loved by many, as was evident by the full chapel at her funeral. We'll miss her, but we know her suffering is now over and her joy is complete.

Kid's Biz

Reagan just completed a week-long song & dance camp, Kid's Biz, with her Kinderdance teacher, Ms. Donna. In just one week (less than 5 days, actually, and only 2 1/2 hours in each session), Ms. Donna teaches a group of about eight girls, ages 3-6, more than a dozen song and dance numbers, complete with costumes and props. This year's theme was, "Reminisce," and featured songs such as "I Enjoy Being a Girl," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and "Someday I'll Be Miss America." The girls perform the show for a group of residents at an assisted living facility, and, of course their adoring families. Here are a couple of pics, along with a video of Reagan's solo on the mic (she was the only one with a solo!), "A Bushel and a Peck."

Club Libby Lu

Getting an Updo

The Finished Princess

Giving Daddy a Makeover

Big Girl Panties and Other Fun

Elmo Panties

The Carousel at Opry Mills

Presley with the Pink Leopard She Made at Build-a-Bear

After a Summer Treat

Summer Fun

Last weekend, we took the girls to Build-a-Bear and Club Libby Lu to use up the gift cards they had received. Here are a couple of pics.

Presley's Candy Land Party

Presley's Candy Land-themed 2nd birthday party was Saturday. You can read about it at http://presleygibbs.blogspot.com/2008/06/candy-land-party.html, but here's a pic of the cake I made.

Candy Land Party

Presley had her 2nd birthday party on Saturday. The theme was Candy Land, and it truly was! There was every kind of candy under the sun in mason jars for the immediate consumption. The cake was a full sheet cake (serves around 75!) with the game board in even more candy and icing. I printed pictures of the characters on cardstock to designate the different areas from the board (peppermint forest, chocolate swamp, candy castle, etc.). We also had our own "chocolate swamp"--Grandma's chocolate fountain. Here are a few fun pics from the day:

For the cake, I used a pre-iced full sheet cake,

then spraypainted the green and added all the candy.

The Cholcoate Swamp

Playing Candy Land on the rug board

The birthday girl takes a dip in the Chocolate Swamp

Candy Land did, however, come at a cost. Much like the Sunday after Reagan's 2nd birthday party when we kept the nursery and watched out mild-mannered toddler hit, bite, and just be generally naughty, Presley had a rough morning in the nursery at church. She wasn't being aggressive, but was crying and inconsolable--sooooo not like her! After a couple of attempts to leave her, I finally just took her into church. Once she was sitting with her grandparents and cousins, she was just fine. We chalked it up to too much candy and not wanting to miss out on cousin time. She was fine the rest of the day.

All in all, it was a fun birthday, but we still have WAY too much candy and cake in the house.

A Real Conversation

Reagan: Mama, the house is cumbersome.

Mama: Do you know what that means?

Reagan: Yes, it means it's heavy.

Hmmm...think she watches too much TV? Naahhh!

It Frightens Me...

...that my not-yet-two-year-old can work the DVD player. Seriously. What is this world coming to?

Just Anther Day in Paradise

OK, so I'm trying to stay positive...but this is going to be the hottest week so far this year and our AC is on the fritz!!! Further complicating matters is the fact that Reagan is in swimming lessons all week, which limits our availability for the repairman to come and go. Oh, yes, and did I mention that we have about twenty people coming on Saturday for Presley's 2nd birthday party?!?

But...right now we're cool enough. And, fortunately, we have the cash on hand to pay for the new system (even if it hurts a little). And, the nice man is quite sure he can have it fixed by Wednesday. So, really, no sweat (literally). Why waste the energy worrying about this minor glich when I have a party to plan?

Stay tuned for photos of what promises to be my greatest cake creation yet! (I can't help myself--parties bring out the DIY Mom in me.)

Reagan's Special Day

Reagan has been complaining recently about not getting enough attention. Apparently, I've been giving Presley some attention--how dare I! Anyhow, I sent Presley to Nana's & Gran's yesterday so that Reagan and I could have a full day together.

It started with her getting to watch whatever she wanted on TV (which is usually the case anyhow, as Presley is easy to persuade). We made a quick stop at Target on the way to swimming lessons, and Reagan took her time browsing through the nail polish, lip gloss, and other assorted sparkly cosmetics. After lessons, we had a yummy brunch at Nashville's famous Pancake Pantry. (Reagan had the "Bears in the Snow"--bear-shaped pancakes with powdered sugar and chocolate chips.)

After brunch, we made a quick stop at Michael's for fairy wings (birthday party swag) then headed to Green Hills Mall. It had been quite some time since I'd been to GHM, and it was sadly disappointing for Reagan. There's no Disney Store, no playground, and not even a toy store that we could find. But on another intersting note, I read this morning on People.com that Miley Cyrus was there yesterday too! (What is it with us and Hannah Montana being at the mall together? Read about our previous sighting at http://valsmomblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/hannah-montana-sighting.html.)

Since the mall was a bust, I took Reagan to a used music store, where we could look at all the instruments and decide what she might want to play someday. At this point, the only thing she probably has the dexterity to play would be piano or violin. We've already started a bit on piano and plan to do a bit more this summer. We haven't decided about violin--it's a pretty big financial commitment for something she may or may enjoy. Maybe in a year or so...

We came home and regrouped for a couple of hours before I had a chiropractic appointment. After that, we got ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery and finished the day out at McDonald's. Reagan ate like a champ (all that running around must have made her hungry) and played with some new friends in the playland.

All in all, we had a fun day of overindulgence and lots of undivided attention. Just what Reagan wanted.

Seeing Spots

Why am I perfectly capable of constructing intricate sentences, creating aesthetically pleasing melody lines, and even solving complex mathematical equations, but am utterly incapable of doing a load of laundry without turning everything pink?

A Stinky Situation

I think it's time to start hard-core potty training. We definitely know when Presley's about to make a stinky--although she denies it vehemently--because she finds a place in the room where she can have some privacy. (In case you can't understand her, she's saying, "Go away!")

Pomp and Circumstance

On Thursday, Reagan "graduated" from Pre-K at King's Kids Mother's Day Out. The kids said the pledges (American flag and Christian flag), sang a couple of songs, and read their sight words (and, it, the, etc.). They also had one of those tear-jerker video presentations where you see a baby photo and then your big kid (sigh). Then, as each graduate was given a "diploma," the director read what the child wants to be when he or she grows up. The answers were varied and interesting--everything from a doctor to a Power Ranger. Reagan apparently wants to be a fairy. (We're a bit obsessed with Tinkerbell right now.)

Greg Long Sighting

Ok, so this one is a bit more obscure, but in keeping with my recent "celebrity sighting" posts, I thought it was worth adding. Today after Reagan's preschool graduation (post to appear on http://www.reagangibbs.blogspot.com/ as soon as I get time to upload pics), we saw Greg Long of the Christian group Avalon. (He also had a solo career in the 90s. I had one of his albums, and he had Christian radio hits with "How Long?" and "Days of Grace" among others.) I believe he's a member at Christ Church, and he may actually even be on the board there.

I hope to be back to normal blogging soon. It was a busy week, and this is faster than sitting down and actually forming my thoughts into words.

Phil Vassar Sighting

It was not my intention to become a celbrity blogger, but recently I've been seeing them everywhere. Tonight after Reagan's Kinderdance recital (read about it at http://reagangibbs.blogspot.com/2008/05/tiny-dancers.html), we were eating at McAllister's in Brentwood when Phil Vassar walked in. I'm a huge fan of his music (mostly his writing, but I like his voice too), but I resisted the temptation to throw my kid in his lap and take a photo (even though I did have my camera there).

Tiny Dancers

Tonight we were once again in the "cutest place on earth" as seven little Kinderdancers took the stage and wowed friends and family. Although I am certainly biased, I think Reagan may just have been the best little dancer! Certainly, she was the most committed. Her movements were fluid and her facial expressions were priceless. (Sadly, it was rather dark and my photos are pitiful. We're hoping for good video.) I have a clue where she gets the drama, but I have no idea where she gets the actual dance talent. Maybe it skips a few generations.

Busy Week

It's a big week at the Gibbs house. Tonight is Reagan's Kinderdance recital. I've been running errands this morning--picking up flowers (every ballerina should get flowers!) and a giant cookie to celebrate with after the big show.

Then Thursday is Reagan's preschool graduation. We're having a few family members over for lunch just after the program, so I've got shopping and cleaning to do for that.

You'd think we'd have a week or so of down time after that, but Reagan starts swimming lessons the following week. (What were we thinking?) I guess being busy is better than being bored!

"Ear Hurt!"

I LOVE that Presley is getting more vocal and is now able to tell us things that actually make sense. After a rather sleepless night last Thursday, I called the pediatrician to make an appointment for Friday morning. She had been coughing for a few days, but had no fever. However, Thursday evening she but she became inconsolable and wouldn't sleep (and she's a champion sleeper!), so I knew something was wrong. As I was getting us all ready to go, Presley whined, "Ear hurt!" Wow! She could actually tell me what the problem was!

So...after one bout of projectile vomiting and a change of clothes for Mama and Presley, we made it to Dr. Lee's office. A quick look in her ears confirmed that she had a bulging ear infection. In fact, he even warned us that it might rupture (apparently, that's not terribly serious--you just let it heal on its own).

With a few doses of antibiotics in her system, the baby girl is doing just fine. She still has a cough (maybe seasonal allergies?), but her ear is, "better," as she will tell you herself.

We're Just Saying "No" to Zyrtec

Reagan had been sniffling and coughing, without fever or other symptoms, for a few weeks when I finally called the doctor. We suspected seasonal allergies when we visited Florida and the symptoms ceased--and then returned when we got home. The nurse recommended Zyrtec, since it's a once-daily med that (supposedly) doesn't cause drowsiness like Benadryl.

Before giving it to her, I did some research of my own and found that some parents had reported their kids having behavioral and mood changes while taking it. But I spoke to my cousin Starla, whose older kids (10 and 11) both take it without problems. I figured it was worth trying, since it's now readily available OTC.

For the first couple of days, it seemed wonderful. Reagan's cough was gone, and she had no obvious side effects. But on the third day, she had the mother of all meltdowns. She yelled and screamed and cried and was defiant. It was as if she had absolutely no self control. On the flip side, when she wasn't in demon mode, she was sweet, loving, and very affectionate. It was almost as if she had bi-polar symptoms--very Jeckyl and Hyde.

She has had similar outbursts at least once a day for the last four days. So...we're kicking the Zyrtec habit. We probably have only a couple of more weeks of super-high pollen counts, so we'll take our chances with Benadryl. Sure, she'll be sleepy, but at least she won't be unbearable.

Every kid is different, and I'm sure this med is a god-send for some. But I would recommend extreme caution when giving it to younger children.