Kumquats and such

After playtime, we dressed the babies in their Easter finest and had a photo shoot!  Here are a bunch of the pics we took. Here are some of my favorites: Grandma Cindi bought this beautiful dress for Miss Reagan and she looked adorable (and pensive) in it!

On Easter Sunday, we awoke at the crack of dawn and took the kids to church.  They were both well-behaved and we only got a few "looks" from the older patrons who attend the early service for the lack of children!  After church we headed back to Betty & Gray's house for some Easter fun.  We dyed eggs, took pics of the babies in their new handmade onesies that Lynsey got from and Etsy site and opened Easter baskets and buckets (Grammy B made the babies personalized buckets filled with goodies!).  During the bucket opening portion of the day, Reagan climbed over to see what Mason's bucket contained.  She found one of his books and promptly sat down...on top of Mason!  See the picture on the bottom right for a good laugh:) Here's a close-up of Reagan's gorgeous basket that was made by Barbara Turner!  And it was filled with gifts from Grandma Cindi!  She is always so generous and takes great care of her baby girl!  Reagan had so much fu...

On the Saturday before Easter, Lynsey, Brian, Reagan and I headed to the BB&T baseball park to run the Lillie's Friends 5k around the hills of downtown Winston-Salem.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  Brian ran a great race and Lynsey, Reagan and I finished a bit later and had a fantastic time.  It was a bit difficult to maneuver the stroller among the crowd, but overall, I still love my Bob!   Brian & Lynsey pre-race Brian, Reagan & Lynsey pre-race Me & Miss Reagan getting ready to run/ride Reagan post race...must have been a tough ride:)

One beautiful day, we got the babies dressed in their plaid shorts and took them to Reynolda Gardens (one of our favorite hang-out spots in Winston back in high school).  They weren't really in picture taking moods, but we all had fun anyway and enjoyed the sunshine.  We also saw some gorgeous flowers! Here are two of my favorite pictures of Reagan: While attempting to get the babies to cooperate, we gave them each their own sippy cups.  Unfortunately, I have realized that Reagan is quite the little bully...despite having her own cup handy, she immediately crawled on top of Mason in an attempt to get his cup too:)  

Last Monday, we packed up the car and headed west, via Raleigh (to see Colleen, Keith & Max), to visit Lynsey, Brian & Mason and Betty & Gray!  We were so excited to see everyone and Lynsey surprised Reagan with the cutest Easter outfit that matched one that Mason had!  It was wonderful to do our typical stay-at-home-mom routine with friends.  Plus, when we wanted some sanity time, Grammy Betty & Grandpa Gray took over:) Lynsey gave Reagan a couple outfits, a little pink bunny bag filled with a book, stickers and socks, and lots of other goodies!  Plus, the Moore's took great care of Tommy while he visited with Deacon and O'Malley.  We probably both took a million pictures of the kiddos who didn't always cooperate, but some of the pics turned out ok.  Here are a couple of the matching outfits:

On April 11, 2011 at 9:42am, Maxwell Lewis Belward "Max," made his debut!  At 20 inches and 7 pounds, he was welcomed by Colleen & Keith along with both of their parents.  Once they arrived home from the hospital, we went to Raleigh to meet the little guy!  He's so sweet and we couldn't be happier for the Belward's! Congrats Colleen and Keith!!

for babies!  Yup, this is the newest creation I've made for Miss Reagan.  I even tasted it (despite my natural dislike for all things fishy) and it was pretty good. Start by melting 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.  Add 1/2 cup of sliced leeks (the white part only) and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Then add 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped, and cover with 1 cup of boiling water.  Cook this mixture for 15 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of frozen peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place 5 ounces of flounder or haddock (I used flounder) in a pan with 1/2 cup of milk, 3 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and 1 sprig of parsley.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Remove the fish filets and flake with a fork.  Reserve the cooking liquid minus the herbs and peppercorn. To make the cheese sauce, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and whisk in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.  Slowly add 1 cup of milk (half of which will be the reserved cook...

On Thursday morning, the day we were leaving, Grandpa went all out for breakfast and served homemade waffles!  I left him in charge while I went to take a shower, and this is what I came back to: Yummy!  My first waffle! Here's Tommy, you try some too! But Grandpa, I'm sure I can fit the whole thing in my mouth! Glad I got to capture these moments.  It was a terrific visit as always and we can't wait to see everyone again in May for Reagan' baptism!

On Wednesday afternoon, the day before we left, we went to visit Uncle Chris, Aunt Lori and the kids.  The surprise was the fact that the kids didn't know that any of us were going to be there when they arrived home from school.  It was great to see all of them and they were wonderful with Reagan as always.   Hey, do I know you?! Brody & Kellen were excited to see Reagan Brody entertaining Reagan Kellen's turn to entertain! Caitlin (who turned 13 the following day) had a great time seeing Reagan

 A week after our arrival, Uncle Cody came down for dinner and to visit Reagan.  She was thrilled to see him: After dinner, Reagan helped Uncle Geoffrey with his paperwork to finalize his permanent position with CGI.  I think she was more interested in eating the papers than actually figuring out what each one meant. And most importantly, during our trip, we finally found a bottle that Reagan will take!  This was a major relief to me as I was terrified that she would never be weaned.  Although this picture doesn't quite demonstrate her great bottle-drinking-skills, at least she isn't crying!  If you look closely, you can see her two bottom teeth that came in two weeks prior!  Dr. Brown's bottles are amazing!

One beautiful sunny day, Grandpa had Reagan outside inspecting leaves, sticks and grass.  I took that opportunity to use one of Grandma's 6 Easter baskets and a few bunnies to get some shots of Reagan. She was having so much fun playing with Grandpa too!  Mostly he was there to keep her from eating all those wonderful things she found outside:)

One beautiful Sunday, Uncle Scott & Aunt Sheri amended their typical schedule and attended the early church service so they could come visit Reagan.   Aunt Sheri and Reagan Uncle Scott, Reagan and Aunt Sheri inspecting the chicken in the egg After a delightful visit, Reagan and Grandpa were worn out, so they took a little snooze in the queen's chair:) Then we loaded up the van and headed to Gary Mike & Terry's house for margaritas and tacos!   Aunt Lisa getting to know Reagan again Uncle Kevin & Gary Mike manning the taco shells!  Seriously, BEST TACOS EVER! Visiting with Uncle Reese Uncle Geoffrey and Great Grandma making Reagan giggle