Our child is officially obsessed with Elmo!  It’s our fault … well, more her dad’s fault.  With our new Iphones, we can watch YouTube videos so we’ll locate Elmo and Sesame Street segments and let Reagan watch them.   Now when she sees our phones, she starts yelling “Elmo! Elmo!” and then has a tantrum if we don’t show her Elmo.  So we’re trying to break her of this addiction for the cute, little red furry guy.  She says Elmo all the time at daycare!  Her provider has looked for him On Demand for her.  She’s so spoiled!

The other tantrum inducing item is cookies.  We had bought this huge jar of vanilla flavored Alphabet cookies a while ago.  We would give her some here and there.  We had to put them on top of the fridge so she couldn’t see them, otherwise she would demand a cookie.  But with her smart little brain, she knows they’re on top of the fridge and proceeds to throw a crying fit if we don’t give her a cookie.  I’m getting better at ignoring the tears (although it absolutely tugs at my heartstrings and it is all I can do not to grab the jar and say “have all you want my poor baby!”)

She’s eating pretty well and has dinner with us every night.  She’s getting better at not throwing her plate or bowl on the floor as she used to.  She’s eating more meat and regular square meals.  Mike has been great at making dinners every night so we sit at the kitchen table as a family.  We’ve both been hitting the gym again and trying to get healthy.  It’s a slow battle with weight loss but we’ll get to our goals eventually.

Megan was recently in town for a quick visit.  I had a great time with her for a couple hours at lunch.  Robbie didn’t make it with her this time, but hopefully soon we’ll see him again.  I’ve been trying to get Alex and John to come visit us, I might have to bribe them (him) with 49er tickets or something.  Speaking of John, he’s now on the radio Thursday nights on the Anaheim radio network.  We’re pretty excited for him!

Mike Sr. heads into surgery on September 2nd for a valve replacement.  He gave everyone quite the scare a couple weeks ago when he landed in the hospital after an episode.  He didn’t have a heart-attack or stroke, it appears his valve was too strained.  He’s been laying low as he prepares for surgery next week.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

Miss Reagan is amazing us everyday!  She is so smart and quick to learn.  Yeah, every parent says that about their children but our daughter is special!  She had her 15 month check-up on the 30th and although she’s grown one inch, she hasn’t gained any weight in the last three months.  The doctor wasn’t too concerned so we’ll keep feeding her the good stuff and hopefully she’ll gain some weight before her 18 month check-up.  She says so many words now like book, door, cracker, cookie, milk, juice, yes, no, baby, Rebel, love you, thank you, please, welcome, Me (me-me-me) up, cat-cat, kitty, I dunno, oh no, shoe, night-night, banana, poo-poo, pee-pee.  She communicates with us and appears to understand us as we do her.  Today I asked her to close the front door and she did.  You ask her to hand you something and she does, unless it’s something she knows she is not supposed to have and will run away from you.  She loves to read and be read to.  She loves Elmo and can say his name and recognize him in everything and every where.

I’ve been meaning to update sooner but it’s taking me this long to get back into the swing of things.  Reagan and I went to Minnesota July 15th – 21st for my cousin Danika’s wedding.  We flew Frontier Airlines and met up with Grandma and Grandpa Crean in Denver, then the four of us flew to Minneapolis together.  We drove an hour and a half south to Mankato where we stayed for the trip.  On Thursday we went to the rehearsal dinner at Aunt Sheila’s house in Pemberton.  As usual it was quite the party/fun time with the Tierney clan.  Apparently the Sheriff was called out to turn down the noise.  Yeah, that would be my family!  On Thursday, the rest of the Creans came and Keira and Reagan just loved to play together.  It makes me wish we all lived closer but I just can’t seem to get them to move up to Sacramento!

On Friday we threw Danika a family shower and she got some nice gifts.  Afterwards we just hung around the hotel and played and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Saturday was the wedding and it was beautiful.  The sun came out for a brief period during the ceremony so we knew Jaime was smiling down on the bride and groom.  The reception was fun and crazy, especially the lap dance given by my 18 year old cousin to his new brother-in-law.  I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in such a long time!  What a sense of humor this family has!

On Sunday, we Creans drove around Southern MN and saw the old farm my Dad grew up on and the town where he was born.  It really is beautiful up there, so green and lush with nature.  The weather was the coldest on record!  They had record low tempetures for their highs.  None of us were prepared for that!  On Monday, the other Creans flew home while Grandma, Grandpa, Reagan and I went up to the cities and saw the Mall of America.  I also got to visit with an old friend and former co-worker.  On Tuesday we flew home!

On Wednesday the 22nd, Nana Sherill flew in for a few days and had fun playing with Reagan.  She and Mike did quite a bit around the house which was very appreciated by me.  She left early Sunday and is planning to come back soon.

On Wednesday we found out that we’re going to become an Uncle and Aunt again as Ryan and Lauren have announced they’re pregnant!!  And they’re due mid-September!  Yes, Lauren just found out and she’s already 30-32 weeks along!!  They’re coming up next weekend to get stuff from us that we’re not using right now since they have so little time to prepare.  We’re very excited for them!