move over, Chelsea...

There's a new girl in town :)  Try to imagine this new do' on a face with makeup!!  Thanks to Mrs. Chrissy, I'm sporting an easy new style - I couldn't stand it, and after catching yet another glimpse of Chelsea's hair on DWTS finale last night, I caved.  But I'm pleased!!

The 5+ inches I cut off...

The final result...

One of Reese's best friends, Landri Lawrence who lives out of town, turned "5" today, and she and Reese got to celebrate together here in Sulphur ~ In addition to pizza and bowling, they got to get a manicure and  pedicure to match.  Pink with polka dots :)  Landri's younger brother Sam, also came to visit, and I'm positive he and Ramsey could get into some serious mischief together if they lived closer... Turns out, they both LOVE to climb!



And my little Ryan turned 7 weeks old today... She has begun to grace us with her amazing smiles, which are hard to catch on film... Isn't she beautiful?!  Her blue eyes and lashes are amazing, I think...

locks of love...

I am moved daily by the thoughtfulness of my little {well, Big} girl Reese... She is always praying for people, considering their feelings, and easily moved by special moments.  I have seen her tear up over sentimental moments on television;  I have seen her "mother" her middle sister, Ramsey, even when the loving feelings are not reciprocated.  She just has a tender heart amidst all of her sassiness, which makes her all the more incredibly special :)
Over the last month or two, she and I have been discussing thoughts of cutting our long hair to shoulder length for the summer.  Her hair, even though it is beautiful and full of amazing curls, had gotten dry and brittle at the bottom, needed a very good cut, and possibly a style... we had resorted to a ponytail every single day.  Even then, her bangs fell down in her face {we are trying to grow them the length of her hair!} and she chewed {yes, chewed!} on any pieces that would reach her mouth.  Not to mention the twirling, twisting, and pulling she did on top of that.  She and I discussed the option of donating our hair to a charity - something that has been on my bucket list - to help make wigs for cancer patients.  She was excited at the thought of helping others and a new 'do'.  So this past Friday, we went to Mrs. Chrissy, and she cut the minimum required for Pantene Beautiful Lengths - a whopping 8"of blonde curls - to donate.  Immediately upon seeing her new above-the-shoulders length 'bob', her sassiness escalated... She swung her hair all around, ran her fingers through it, and then came home and we styled it any way we could.  She happily chirped, "Let's see what a head band looks like... let's see what it looks like blow dried straight... let's braid the sides..." and we managed to put every bow and hair band we own in it and modeled different styles... That kept her entertained for two days!  I think her biggest satisfaction has been how much her Daddy loves it and continually compliments her on it, and the fact that her "Big Momma" {my mom} thinks she "now looks seven!". 

Someone is going to get a BEAUTIFUL wig :) Sweetest part?  Reese asked at the salon, "Can I donate my hair to MawMaw?"  {Tann's grandmother who is battling cancer}...  Really... no words!

Help me... because I am also trying to continue to grow my long hair out, although I am desperate to cut it!  Just once, I would like to be able to donate it... I love short hair, and every time I get it this long, I chop it.  I always want drastic change when I get to the salon, and Mrs. Chrissy has to tell me "NO".  I only have 5 & 1/2" to donate right now.  Pantene donation requires a minimum of 8, and Locks of Love requires a minimum of 10.  That is a lot of hair!  Reese can grow hair fast, and I don't.  In fact, it's getting even harder, because due to my pregnancy being over, it is starting to fall out.  I also go for a daily ponytail, which is getting old.  Plus, I am constantly tempted by a cute short haircut... In fact, here is the one I desperately have in mind:

For now, I am going to attempt to continue to grow mine... I think?!

Off the subject, but before I go... We went to church AND Sunday school and successfully got all three girls dressed and arrived on time yesterday!! We also ate lunch at a restaurant with all three girls and Tanner and I were alone {no grandparent's assistance} for the first time yesterday!  Big feat!!  Here is a picture of the girls in their matching outfits :) I won't get to do this long and include Reese... She'll soon be "too cool!"



Note:  Ramsey does not sit it a bumbo... ha... but she will climb on anything, and this has become a stepping stool for her to reach other things... it just happened to be out in the middle of the floor handy, and let me tell you - getting her to sit still for a picture is impossible, and this thing just did the trick for one quick snap!  And Ryan is not happy with the noise level it required to get this shot :)

Have a great day!

in all fairness...

I try, so hard, to do things "fairly" amongst the girls... I know, it sounds silly, but that is also part of my OCD personality.  Even though they are small, and don't really realize what each has done and when, later on in life, when I am giving them each their things I have done/saved over the years, I don't want anyone to feel less special than the other. 

Several things that make me feel they are "equal": 

1. I love them all, with all my heart and soul, and want the very best for them - first and foremost!
2. They are all born on Wednesdays, in SS, at HCMH, delivered by Dr. Ram, and with Leah as my nurse.  They have each been breastfed (which is best!) and been overall healthy, been cared for by me at home for atleast 6 months or more, and have used Dr. Conner.
3. I have kept up in their baby books - and they have had well-documented lives on film (both video and photos), and each have their baby "Brandy" picture collages in our hallway. 

Here is the link to Ryan's "Brandy" pictures:  http://www.hugsandhissyfitsphotography.com/proofs/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=2516

I know, it sounds absurd, I'm sure... but I can't help it!  There are a million other "try to be fair" things I do, that aren't even coming to me at the moment...  And I know I can't control everything and make it fair, but when I can, I plan to :)  Having said that, here is where I am going...

This past Sunday, we had Ryan's baby dedication at church.  Now my other two girls each had their own baby dedication to themselves.  This time we did it with a group - which is what the church has gone to because of the increased amount of babies and dedications each year.  At first, I will admit, I was a little disappointed to share, but knew that we had to dedicate Ryan, and that it was a special day (Mother's Day)... but what made it even more special was that some of my great friends also had their child/children dedicated that day!  It was a very, very sweet ceremony, even with a large group, and the church staff did an amazing job of putting together the bulletin, passing out keepsakes, etc. for each individual to feel special and unique.  It included individual prayers from the pastor, and the bulletin shared special verses to each child involved.  It really was special, and special for Ryan on her dedication day.

Mother's Day was really special, too, because I got to spend the day with my girls and Tann, spending time with my mother-in-law, mom, step-mom, grandmothers and grandmother-in-laws, and step-grandmothers... I am very blessed to have a wonderful family, all the way around - Tanner's family is wonderful, and I am extremely thankful for them everyday for a million different reasons.  I am also very thankful for loving step-families - I hate that word "step", because in reality, they are all very much my parents/family.  They love me and my family just the same as their own.  We went to church, had lunch, had naps, swam, and had dinner.

I guess that is all for now... Atleast I updated!!  Wahoo! :) I wanted to share a few pictures and say, "Hello!" from the Ragan household!  Hope you all have a great week!

long time, no post...

I know, I know!!! I'm in trouble!  Usually I'm on top of these sort of things... me and my OCD self can't stand to not keep things up-to-date and organized!!  But life has proven to be a little hectic in the last four weeks...

Hmmm... what to report... well, nothing TOO terribly exciting... no illnesses, no accidents, no problems... no news is good news, right?

Things are extremely busy, but exciting with three little girls :) Reese and Tanner's schedules are now in full swing with softball (no pun intended!) games and practices... their team is really great - no losses, and Reese has had a successful second season so far!  I really encourage you to see a game if you can - it's amazing to watch children their age play ball, and entertaining too!  Reese is also busy, reading up a storm!  She is constantly picking up books and reading to Ramsey, or her Dad and me.  We continue to be impressed with how much she has learned at Water Oak this year - last week she brought worksheets home where she had labeled clocks with the correct times, and another sheet with the planets listed on their correct path of the solar system.  Not to mention, the double-digit math!  I'm excited for her to move over to the "Yellow" school (Water Oak) kindergarten and get started... there is no limit to what that child will learn! 

And Ramsey?  Well, never a dull moment!  She is talking up a storm... and I mean, literally, talking like crazy!  I always wondered if she would learn to talk, since Reese talks so much, I sort of thought she might be quiet and let Reese speak for her.  Boy, was I wrong!  I can't have a conversation without her two cents - and sometimes it is a long line of jibberish... but it's amazing how much you can understand her!  She is best at screaming, "Reese!" either looking for her big sister, or demanding that Reese leave her alone (mostly the latter!).  She also loves "poparts" (pop-tarts) and "nonuts" (donuts) for breakfast, and still has a bottle in the morning and at bedtime, which she can clearly say, "bottle".  She loves to sing, too, nursery rhymes like "Row your boat" and "Patty cake", but also songs off the charts that she picks up from Reese and Bayler, like, " Baby, baby, baby, OH!" by Justin Bieber, and "Stuck like glue" by Sugarland.  She climbs on EVERYTHING... from climbing up the side of my bed (by digging her toes into the side of my mattress and pulling up on the sheets) to get to Ryan, climbing up the side of her Daddy's recliner to sit with him (again, using those toes!) and even the oven door. Below is a picture of her sitting in the middle of her toy box... she climbed over lots of obstacles to get to the box, then just climbed on in.  She also washed her pj bottoms in her toilet, peed in the hallway - in which Reese slipped and fell, played in a jar of vasoline (it took me a LOT of shampoos to get that out of her hair!!), and on and on... she definately keeps us on our toes!

And Ryan?  She's growing like a weed!  I always say I can't tell if my babies are growing, because I see them all day, everyday... but I can tell she is growing!  She is longer on my torso, I swear, every time I pick her up!  And she is getting heavier, and rounder... and she gave me one of her first real smiles earlier... I'm sad that it has already been a month (on Friday) since she arrived - it is going waaaay too fast! - but I'm also excited to see her personality, and what I think are her Daddy's inherited dimples!! Yay!  (I always prayed atleast one of my children would get them, and my blues eyes {Reese - check!})  She is a great eater and a great sleeper, and overall a good baby... but I will admit, she's a Momma's girl... I probably hold her way too much... is that even possible??

We had a great Easter, with waaay to many egg hunts... but the girls loved it, and even Ramsey got the hang of it!  I love holidays - lots of opportunity to spend time with family!  

I guess that is all for now - Tann and I, well we are great!  We are loving our life right now, even though we never slow down!  It is so nice to look over at him, and savor those moments that make us smile while we are watching our children... They are all three super special, and have their own little comical habits and personality :)

We have several things coming up - Mother's Day, which is also special because Ryan will be dedicated at church, and several promising prospects for buying our house - which is super exciting, and scary to think of moving right now, all at once!  We really do need more space, and so I know it will be worth the trouble...

I will TRY to post again weekly, if time allows!