Cullen's First Haircut

Can you believe I did it? Are you all so proud of me? I know my mom is!

Last night we took Cullie for his first haircut. I was so surprised (though I shouldn't have been) at how well he did. No fussing and he even sat STILL through most of it. I was so very sad to see those baby curls dropping to the floor, but in the end even I have to admit that it looks much, much better. It was getting a bit wild! I still may try for those long curkscrew curls at some point though!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Water Park Fun

At Last...

Emma is finally right where she belongs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Travel Plans

Today is the day that our friends Jen and Shane finally leave for China! I can't even describe how happy I am for them. They left Tennessee at 6am this morning to head to Chicago, and will head from there to Bejing around 12:30 this afternoon. Neither one of them have ever flown. So this will will quite the experience in many ways. Please, please pray for their safety while traveling. If you are interested in following their journey while they are incountry, please visit here.

Also, the kids and I will be heading to Niagara Falls tomorrow to join Shawn, who left early this morning. I figured I would take off Alex's last day of winter break and we'd do something fun. And we plan to visit the indoor water park while there!

Good Friends, Good Fun

We had such a great time last night! We had our own room at Phillips, which was nice. The food was slightly less than the typical Phillips standards, but the the good company made up for it. I, of course had to snaps pics of all the love birds.

And the concert was great. Jessica Simpson opened the show. And let's just say that she is, well, different. A bit out there, but entertaining at the very least. And regardless of what the tabloids report, that girl is drop dead gorgeous.

And Rascal Flatts did not disappoint!

Very Exciting Weekend

We have a very exciting weekend planned!

Tonight is the annual Valentine's Day Dance at Alex's school. She has been talking about it for weeks and looking forward to seeing her teacher and all of her friends. She is also excited to teach Cullen to dance, which should be interesting.

Then tomorrow is the big "date" and we are leaving BOTH kids for the WHOLE night!!! Party on! Shawn and I are meeting a group of people for dinner at Phillip's European Restaurant and then all heading to the Rascal Flatts concert together. Yes Joshua, make fun of us if you will. But we both love Rascal Flatts. We saw them back in 2006 as well and it was a great show!

So Alex will be joining my mom and Papa Steve and Grandma Marion. They have a dinner of steak, lobster and shrimp planned. Alex is super excited about the seafood.

And Cullen will be with my grandparents, Nanie and Poppy. They have been eager to have him for a night and have really wanted to take him to church with them one Sunday morning to show him off to all of their friends. So it worked out well.

And me....I think I may even sleep in!

So if I'm not on tomorrow, have a wonderful Valentine's Day. Hold those you love a bit closer and remember those who you can no longer hold physically on this side of heaven.

Love to all,
~Sue

Eleven on 11

Cullen is 11 months old TODAY!!!!!

I thought I would take it as an opportunity to share his latest and greatest accomplishments as well as some things he does or enjoys.

At 11 months old, Cullen loves:
Playing and splashing in water
Listening and dancing to music
Climbing into anything, especially the diswasher
Wrestling
Snuggling
Playing with Alex and Hemmingway (our dog)
Banging or beating on anything

And Cullen can now:
Use a sippy cup
Eat almost all table food
Pass a ball back and forth
Wave goodbye
Play Peek-a-Boo
Clap
Do "so big"
Climb stairs
Shake his head yes and no...sometimes even appropriately
Say mama, dada, mom, dad, mommy, daddy, Allie, Ellie, more, doggie, hi, bah (and probably a few more I am foregetting)
Stand on his own for about 10 seconds at a time
Take several consecutives steps at a time (made it to 6 steps last night)

Other things about Cullen include:

He sleeps well. He has slept through the night since 6 months of age and puts himself to sleep with ease. No rocking or bottle needed, hooray!

Cullen has 8 teeth. He weighs 26 pounds. And wears a size 6 shoe!

Cullen has an very happy personality, as evident in all of his photos. He is very affectionate and often takes time out to come and offer "loves".

And I feel so incredibly blessed to call him my son!

Nothing Can Keep Him Down

My boss commented this week on how Shawn would be likely be spending a lot of time at home now and off his feet. And then my friend Lisa said, "Are you kidding? Don't you know that nothing stops a Reardon!" So true, Lisa. So true. Of course Shawn didn't miss any work this week and certainly didn't stay off of his foot. He's been paying the price for it at night, but I guess it still hasn't stopped him.

So last night we kept our plans of catching a Globe Trotters show. Me, Shawn, Alex, Cullen, Uncle Roger and Trey. I was a bit nervous between having Shawn on crutches and bringing Cullen along. But both boys were wonderful! Cullen sat through the entire show. I shouldn't be surprised knowing how much he loves balls and sports, but 3 hours is a lot to expect.

It ended up being a great time and Cullen stayed awake even on the ride home.

Sticks and Stones

"Sticks and stones may break your bones"...and so can an innocent game of pick-up basketball.

You guessed it. Shawn broke his foot and sprained his ankle last night playing basketball. How many injuries has he sustained as a result of this sport? I've lost track.

He'll go back to the ortho on Thurs once the swelling goes down.

And I PRAY for a speedy recovery. I never signed up to have THREE kids!!!

(And thanks Howie for helping him out last night)