The Gator Family - photo of the day

On our way to one of the Gator Volleyball games at the O'Connell Center a couple of weeks ago.

A moment of spaz...

I know it must seem like we only take photos and shoot videos at Gator Volleyball games, but we just happen to catch these great Reese-moments when she is surrounded by the excitement, energy and fanfare that comes with an arena filled with orange and blue clad Gators.

Of those orange and blue clad Gators is Reese's absolute favorite attendee of said Volleyball games...Alberta. NOTE: for those of you not in the know...Alberta is the female mascot of the University of Florida.

Reese can spot Alberta from across the arena, and when she does...she let's everyone around know it. The video below does a good job of illustrating Reese's reaction to seeing Alberta.



Although her excitement for seeing Alberta is palpable, her willingness to actually go down and have a face-to-face is much, much less enthusiastic. As we approach the lovable overstuffed alligator, Reese's eyes are solidly fixed on our big green target. Her focus is undeniable, but the closer we get, the more timid our little Gator fan becomes. By the time we are at an arm's distance, Reese usually has put the death grip around Mommy's neck and has her head buried in her clavicle as if to protect herself from certain abduction.

With much coaxing, Reese'll momentarily lift her head but she's careful to not take her skeptical eyes off of the shifty Alberta. Our first trip to Disney ought to be fun!

Gettin' Jiggy...Take #2

Reese Gettin' Jiggy

While at the Gator Volleyball game (08-29-08), I caught Reese getting caught up in the excitement of the time-out...hilarious!
Enjoy...

Reese, being Reese

filmed on Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Week 4 of Swimming

Last week Reese finished her swim classes. She can definitely swim short distances, but I am more impressed with her floating ability. She had to swim-float in her "summer" clothes (as seen below) and in her "winter" clothes. Among a variety of techniques used to ensure Reese would be comfortable in any situation, the teacher flipped her into the pool and put her in vertically. Each time Reese would flip onto her back and float. Sometimes for what seemed like hours!

Picture of the Day:

15 Months Old Today!

After 2 weeks of lessons, Paul and I are shocked every day by Reese's ability to master swimming. Today she did the following exhibition, over and over and over again.

Climbing Mountains

Last week we first discovered our baby learned how to climb up onto her changing table. While walking by her doorway, I found her sitting indian-style on top of the table, grinning sheepishly at me. Below is a video I managed to capture today.

Swim Lessons - Day 4

A bit of a breakthrough today at Reese's swim lesson. No, she didn't swim the length of the pool unassisted...no, she didn't shave any time off of her PR in the 50m...no, she didn't retrieve all of the dive sticks from the bottom of the deep-end in a single breath...BUT, she did go through the whole lesson with barely any crying! It's all relative folks.

Reese actually appeared to understand what it is she's supposed to be doing. Her kicking was much more spirited. She reached for Ms. Kelly and the wall with equal amounts of determination, she didn't swallow any water and she looked soo darn cute throughout the whole thing! With only 4 lessons under her belt, I imagine that at the end of the 4th or 5th week there won't be any dive sticks left at the bottom of the deep end.

Kicking, but not screaming


The fear has been replaced with fun


She's gettin' it now



"Last one"


Gettin' ready for Daycare in the back of the car


stay tuned...

Swim Lessons - Day 3

Our little girl has begun her journey into the world of aquatic self-sufficiency. With summer in full swing and a pool just beyond the kitchen door, the need to have our curious, fearless and daring baby swimming has become a necessity.

Enrolled in the Infant Swim Resources (ISR) program at a local club pool, Reese will be hitting the water every morning at 7:30 for a 10 minute, one-on-one session with her instructor — Kelly Kirkpatrick. By the end of the 4-6 weeks of classes Reese should have gone from sinking like a rock to swimming like a dolphin.

To this point, with only three classes under her belt, Reese is just trying to get the hang of finding the wall, reaching for it and holding onto it. She almost has the "hold your breath" and the "don't drink the water" part down.

We'll try to update you periodically throughout her swim progression so you too can witness the evolution of our 2024 Olympic swimmer. Here is some visual representation of how today's lesson went:

Before the Lesson Began:


During the Lesson:


Ten minutes after it begins, Reese is wiped out:


A bit of the Action:

Self-Feeding

What do you get when you have a strong-willed 14 month old who only wants to feed herself?


A messy highchair AND...









A MESSY CHILD!

Strawberry Pickin is Yummy

So the one day Reese and I have plans to be somewhere early...she sleeps until 7:30am! You will hear no complaints from me though, as I always appreciate a few more minutes of sleep. (especially when we had another 4:30am wake up call.) I wish this ear infection would heal quickly! At 9am we met up with Paul and some of my friends and their little ones for some good old fashioned fun -- strawberry pickin'. At first (as always), Reese was tentative and just walked back and forth between me and Paul, happy to be outside. Once she bit into a strawberry, she decided pickin 'em was fun. I tried to convince her she wanted the big red ones, but she picked a few green ones too. After tasting the green one, I think she realized I was right. A few of our strawberries have little finger holes from an aggressive pull off the plant from a certain 1-year old. But overall, we picked lots and had fun doing it! I think we're meeting at a blueberry farm next!

Here are some photos of our journey through the strawberry fields -- photos taken courtesy of my friend Amy who snapped some photos of us since mommy forgot her camera!

A Day with Mom

Here's a shot from Sun Country, Jonesville's gymnastics center which has 'open play' on Friday mornings. Reese was tentative at first but figured out she could have fun about 30 minutes into being there...the below shot is her at the top of a slide about 4 and 1/2 feet above the ground. She climbed a wooden ladder and then 2 platforms to get to the slide. I think you can tell from the picture, she was starting to have fun!

Reese on the slide...

Summer is Here

I know it's been a while, but honestly, I don't know if it's because Reese is so busy or because we are so busy, but we don't seem to be taking as many photos of Reese as we did a year ago...with that being said, here is a photo from a few weeks ago of Reese in our pool.

The Monkey can climb in and out - No problem!

A Piece of Cake...

Turning One...NO problem!

As some of you may or may not know, our little Reese isn't so little anymore. Today she turned the O-N-E! It's late, we're exhausted, but we know some of you will be aching for some birthday pics.

Here are just a few to hold you over...enjoy

Reese kneads cake


Safety first!


Post-cake...all cleaned up

...stay tuned, we'll have more for you.

A Dog's life

For some reason Reese is fascinated with the dog's crate. Taken on the tenth of March, this photo shows Reese in her new playhouse. Ironically, Cyan (the dog) was sleeping in Reese's crib???

Reese Travels to the Moon...

...or at least a Moon Walk/Bounce House type of thingy.

This photo was taken on March 9th during Hayley's (Reese's cousin) 3rd birthday party. It was one small step for Reese and a whole bunch of sitting on her lunar lander watching Hayley's commet bounce around the surface of the moon.

Photo Post - 9 of 9

Outside Looking In
While playing out front, Reese teases the dog (who would love nothing more than to be outside with her). Photo taken on March 1st, 2008



This is the end of the Photo post series. We hope you've enjoyed over a week of daily Reese photos. Be sure to check back soon and check back often for new reports on the Nugget.

Photo Post - 8 of 9

Number one fan
Reese expresses her support for her Daddy's cycling team. Photo taken on February 26th, 2008



Only one more day to go!

Photo Post - 7 of 9

Evolution of a tired baby...
The following is a series of photos that shows how you go from happy and awake, to hungry and ready for bed. These photos were taken February 26th, 2008.







Two more day to go

Photo Post - 6 of 9

Faux-hawks are Fun!
Taken on February 17th, 2008.



Three more days to go

Photo Post - 5 of 9

First trip to a Japanese Steakhouse
Taken on February 16th, 2008. Reese loved her dinner experience at Yamato's. All the others at our table loved Reese!



Four more days to go

Photo Post - 4 of 9

V-Day
This photo was obviously taken on February 14th, 2008



Five more days to go

Photo Post - 3 of 9

Went to the fair...
These photos were taken on January 27th, 2008. The bundled-up photo is Reese as we were leaving. It was a beautiful day, but kinda chilly! The second photo is Reese doing a little weeding while at the fair.





Six more days to go