We Are......Reinhard

Mexico

2009-07-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

In the middle of July, Dan and I stayed at the Aventura Spa Palace Resort in the Maya Riviera, Mexico. This is the same place we went for our honeymoon. Here is the resort and random pics of Dan and me. It is a very beautiful place; it's all inclusive...unfortunately, we ate and drank waayyy too much.

Dan posing with naked lady out front.

Our room had a jacuzzi tub in it. :)

The resort doesn't have a "beach", but they have a lagoon area they built for swimming and snorkeling.

They had a climbing wall that Dan climbed. His fingers and arms were sore for days. I didn't even attempt it.

This is at the Japanese restaurant eating our favorite....tempura fried ice cream! Yum!

In the evenings, the entertainment would come to the restaurants to invite people to the show. These were 2 of the nights. I can't remember which shows they were promoting.....that's how entertaining they were, I guess. By the looks of them you would assume some sort of Dr. Suess/Cat in the Hat show followed by a pirate show the next night. Neither of those is correct.

Here are some critters we saw on our trip.

Woody the Woodpecker

Below is the ever-elusive, ever-fearful.....Mexican kitten!!! Hisss..... (He's black and white in the middle of the pic in case you can't find him.)

This place had a few cats, actually. This one was hungry. He's checking out the menu with Dan. Hahahahaha! This could be my favorite picture from the whole trip.

Lots of iguanas...this is actually a pretty funny picture. Dan doesn't like snakes, lizards, anything in reptile family - this is as close to the iguana that he was willing to get. He is smiling in the picture, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't feeling that way on the inside. Then, the iguana looks like he is watching Dan over his shoulder out of the corner of his eye.

Some type of little pig.

There is no animal in the picture above, it's just the coconut growing process that Dan found interesting.

One day, we went into Playa del Carmen for some shopping and hanging out at the Playacar Palace Resort. Their pool overlooked the beach and the ocean (Gulf of Mexico, actually).

Dan and the bartender played games as we waited for our shuttle to pick us up.

A tree in the lobby of the Playacar Resort. Very pretty. The resort, that is, not us. It was a very hot and very sweaty day.

This is Dan and the friend he made in the cigar shop in Playa.

Sometimes, I like to have Dan take some posed pics - I like to think of them as my Olan Mills pictures - like the super posed senior pictures. This one at the airport is not so bad.....however, Dan did balk at taking this one, that's how I know I'm successful.

Below is some type of hut they use for cleansing ceremonies.....followed by a shower in a straw shower stall.

Above could be one of my best ones. :)

Dan tries to get me to take some these senior portraits (see below), but I think mine are far better.

The little town next to our resort was named Aventura. We took a taxi there, did some shopping and watched the dolphins.

Below is a pewter tray that Dan bargained with the Mexican man for two days in Aventura. Dan finally got the price he wanted. This is a picture of Dan celebrating his victory.

We took a "Kitchen Tour" of our resort. It was mostly touring the kitchen, but some of it was touring their "behind the scenes", like their telephone answering department. I think they like to call it a kitchen tour so we would have to wear hair nets and chef hats. It was an interesting tour.

They had many of these posters. At the bottom of the picture is the English word for the item spelled phonetically in Spanish so the Spanish speakers can communicate more easily with the English speakers. They also offer free English classes for the employees.

Their motto: "Thank you for your smiles." Everyone was super friendly there, so I guess all these smiley faces work! Below is their recycling system. They were very environmentally friendly.

This is the man who carves the fruit. He is moving so fast his hand is blurry.

Ta-dah!

The best thing we did while on our vacation was the zipline. Dan and I had never been before. Once you get over the initial nervousness, it is great fun!

We are getting ready to go! They gave a few people brakes for the zipline - aka: a stick. Below is Dan and his brake.

I even went upside down! It's a lot more painful to be upside down than you would think. All of your weight is on the straps across your back. I guess since I have a lot fluff back there, it was a little painful to support all of myself. But, I did it!!

I hope you have enjoyed the memories of our trip to Mexico. I'm sure not as much as Dan and I do, but hopefully you felt like you were a small part of it. Thank you to Mom, Dad, and Melissa for watching the girls. We had a great, quiet vacation. :)

By the way, I don't know if I'm a complete idiot when it comes to blogger or, perhaps, I just chose too many picture to post, but this literally took me hours to compile. So, to the 3 of you that read this blog, I hope you enjoyed - I did it all for you!

4th of July

2009-07-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

This was at the parade in our neighborhood the weekend before the 4th. It was HOT! You can see we watched the parade in the little patch of shade we found.

It's all about the candy! Yes, this is a big wad of that pink sugary gum.

Even Maddie got in on the candy action - no gum, though.

Happy late 4th of July. Thank you, Lord, for our free country, for the men who fought for the freedoms we now enjoy and take for granted. Thank you for family. Thank you that I can tell Abby (and eventually Maddie) that she can be anything in the world that she wants to be. Currently, she wants to be an airplane driver. :) Our life and our family is amazing. Thank you, Jesus.

2009-06-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

I can't post and not give some pics of my baby! Not sure what is wrong here, but it's always fun to take pics of your children when they think the world is ending.

This is Maddie's first trip to the pool! Cute, cute!!

Ballet Recital

2009-06-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Abby had her second ballet recital in May. The focus this semester was arm positions (in case you couldn't tell). I think her teacher is a Karate Kid fan.

Abby did a wonderful job! We are so very proud of her. Her teacher is standing to her left. That's why she's always looking in that direction. Maybe not looking at the teacher will be the focus of third semster. :)

These last 2 poses especially remind me of "Daniel-son."

Abby's 4th Birthday Party

2009-06-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

We had a bounce house for Abby's birthday party this year. It was blast! I forgot how much fun those things were....probably because I haven't been in one since I was in elementary school (did they even have them back then?). She had a ton of fun!

Maddie and Dan enjoyed themselves, as well.

We always ask Abby what kind of cake she wants (well, we have the past year or so since she's been able to make such decisions). She asked for a car cake this year. Not sure why?? This is what she got. Not too bad if I do say so myself!

Take notice of the detail on the license plate: "4"

Abby with her friend, Isabella.

Abby's First Haircut

2009-04-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's correct. Abby is nearly 4 years old and is just now having her hair cut. She has had it trimmed before by a non-professional (me), but this was her first trip to a "salon". I went first and Abby was FULL of questions....well, when is she not? I was curious to see how she would do. She went with me about a year ago to get my haircut and burst out crying when she looked at the place. This time, she did really well...she even went with the shampoo girl and had her hair washed all by herself! Mom/Daughter manicures here we come!!!

Ta-Dah!! Finished product. CUTE!!

Norton Art Gallery - Shreveport, LA

2009-04-05T08:41:00.001-07:00

While visiting my parents, we went to the Norton Art Gallery to take some pictures.

Abby kissing the pig statue.

Then it turned into Abby's personal photo shoot. I guess she's developing her portfolio.....

Work it...own it....

The Dallas Zoo

2009-04-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Abby and Dan climbed to the top of a rock...this is Abby's "I'm super cool" dance.

Learning about turtles.

The car ride home. It was a fun day!

Maddie's 1st Birthday!!!

2009-04-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

Spring has sprung! Our Maddie is one! We had a "Spring" themed party. Hence, the cupcake flower cake.Elaine (Dan's mom) and Ray (her husband) were able to come to party. Thanks for coming, Nanna and Pops!

Maddie LOVED the cake! Mostly the icing.

She also enjoyed eating the wrapping paper.

Abby helped open presents (of course). Maddie said "thank you" to everyone. Well, she stood and looked at them and thought it.

We then went to my parents house for another birthday celebration the next weekend.

Oh, yeah...she knows what's coming. Bring on the cake!!

Thank you for my cute new clothes, Pawpaw and GG!

Please Pray

2009-03-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

When I was pregnant with Maddie, there were several of us at my school that were pregnant (4 total), and we were all having girls. Kate Wallace delivered her baby girl, Nora, a few weeks after I had Maddie. Recently, her husband, Dustin, has been involved in an accident and has required several surgeries (mostly to his pancreas). It looks like he's going to be okay, but will have a long road of recovery ahead of him. Please pray for them!
www.kateanddustin.blogspot.com

Mission: Stranger Danger Status: Failure

2009-02-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I saw on Oprah a while back (yes, I know she could possibly be 1/3 of the unholy trinity, but it was quite a while back) where they set kids up to see if they would leave with strangers. I always thought to myself that I would try that should I ever have children. Well, the opportunity arose today. We went to the park to have dinner (Sonic - it is half price burger Tuesday) and Abby was playing on the playground. I approached an unsuspecting woman to see if she would try to lure my child off of the playground. After she recovered from her surprise and hesitation, she agreed to help me...if I did the same for her little girl. She walks up to Abby, tells her she is a pretty little girl, and asks her some questions. Abby tells the lady her name and says, "yes" she does want to go with this lady. WHAT!!?? Note to self - more stranger danger teaching!! Me and the nice lady (Monica) confront Abby and she starts to cry (Abby, not Monica). Good - it's always good to reinforce a lesson with some tears, right, Dad?

So, then it's my turn with her daughter (who is a little older - 1st grade). I walk up to her, tell her I like her cute jacket, and ask her if she wants some candy I have in my car. (yuck - I feel so dirty!) The girl politely says "no, thank you". I then say, "come one, just come with me over here", and start walking toward the parking lot - away from her mom. She starts coming with me! Her mom was shocked. Needless to say, she got a lecture.

Point being - always talk to your children about strangers! Practice, set them up! You can never be too sure!

January 09

2009-02-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

January has been slow - which is good. Here are some pics of the Reinhards hanging out - literally. Dan had Maddie in the carrier, and Abby wanted to try it. Yep, she still fits.

We had an ice day a few weeks ago. Dan and Abby built a "fort". Lots of static in that fort.

Maddie is growing up so fast. She is 10 1/2 months old. Here are some of the things she can do: wave, shake her head (they learn "no" quickly), play peek-a-boo, and pull up on furniture and cruise. She can sign "more", "finished", and "water". She has one syllable "words" for bottle (this was her first word), bye, and more. She's learning "dog" right now. What happened to "Mama" and "Dada"? She loves eating, but prefers her finger foods to being fed with a spoon. We tried asparagus tonight and it was a hit!

Abby is growing cuter and sweeter by the day! We were talking about the rain the other day. Of course, she was asking "why", "why", "why"? I told her that God made it rain because the lakes and rivers were thirsty. After a moment, she asked, "they have mouths?"

She is so positive. We asked her the other day if her ice cream was good. Rather than yes, she said, "it's great!". She then told us later that evening that she was going to have a WONDERFUL day tomorrow. She is so sweet. (Most of the time) :)

December

2009-01-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, no more excuses for not blogging. Here is a pictoral diary of the Reinhard family's month of December.

At the Boardwalk in Bossier City - visiting Pawpaw, GG, and Honey.

The rocking chairs at Pawpaw and GG's - we take a picture of the girls in the chairs everytime we go to see how much they've grown.

Abby and Maddie are taking baths together now. Much easier on us! They both seem to enjoy it.

Maddie opening her stocking, and Abby trying out her "big girl bike" from Santa. Unfortunately, there was no doubt that Abby was going to get a bike. We kept telling her that we weren't sure Santa was going to bring one. I guess that didn't work because Christmas morning, before going to see what Santa left, Abby asked me, "Want to come with me to see my big girl bike?" She just knew it would be there. She was right.

We got Maddie a sippy cup for Christmas (and socks). What other year will we be able to take advantage of her not knowing what's going on?

Abby and her cousins - she LOVES her cousins. Clockwise: Great Granny, Maddie, Abby, Tyler, and Sinjin.

Maddie enjoyed eating her presents.

This is from Abby's dance recital at her daycare. She got a certificate for "Best Attitude".

This picture makes me laugh - Abby is using her jingle bells to take a swat at the girl's antlers on the floor.

We decorated TONS of Christmas sugar cookies with our small group friends. Then we passed the cookies out to neighbors - hoping to spread a little Christmas cheer and Christ's love.

Abby enjoys taking goofy pictures. She is a nut!

Maddie was fascinated with Santa' beard. Abby said to Santa, "Can you bring me a big girl bike and can you make it purple?" I'm not sure what he said in response, but apparently it was pretty convincing.

Honey came to visit and took Abby to mall. She got to ride the carousel - her favorite!

Christmas Card Pics

2008-12-29T19:54:00.001-08:00

These are some photos a friend of ours (Mallory Krieger) took. I would do that fancy number and underline her name and link her blog/photography website to it, but I'm not that advanced with the internet....her links are to the left under "Our Friends". Anyway....I love, love her photography. These photos were taken at The Shops at Legacy in Plano. I think these pictures capture Abby's personality pretty well. She is always on the go. Unfortunately, these pictures also captured my double chin. Hello?! Where did that come from? Guess I need to practice sticking out my neck in a non-goose way to take pictures. Either that, or stop eating so much Chick-fil-A. Yum!

I love these pictures!

For the two of you (you know who you are) that wait with baited breath for the next Reinhard blog, I apologize for being delinquent in blogging. Seems like the process takes FOREVER! First I have to down-load all the pictures from the camera. Then, delete the 500 pictures that don't look good or are blurry, then flip the pictures so they are all going the right way, then upload, then type something witty- all in the midst of taking care of the family, making baby food, creating something really cute and crafty (I'll be posting my creations soon!), keeping up with Abby, making sure Maddie is not eating anything off the floor - wow! wears me out just thinking about it.

Coming soon.....Christmas blog with pictures!!

Bathtime Fun!

2008-12-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Maddie is 8 1/2 months old. These are some shots of her during bathtime.

It's so much fun to have a child that actually has a little bit of hair to play with. :)

All cleaned up and getting ready for bed.

Miscellaneous Entry

2008-12-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

This is a miscellaneous Reinhard update. The first 2 pictures are Maddie practicing being a chef. I think she has natural talent.

This month has not been kind to Reinhard household in terms of sicknesses. Earlier this month Dan and I had strep throat. Thankfully neither of the girls got it. Then, last Saturday evening Abby was attacked by the stomach bug, the next night it progressed to Dan, then finally to me. MISERABLE!!! I mistakenly told Dan that the sickest I'd ever been was when I had strep throat. I had to correct myself. The stomach bug takes the cake. (or gives it back)

We planned to leave on Tuesday for Hondo, TX for Nanna's (Dan's mom, Elaine) wedding. I was still yucky and dehydrated, but sometimes you just have to grab the camera and capture the moment. This is Abby's attempt at being independent on the potty.....
Unfortunately, we did not take many pictures at Elaine and Ray's wedding (aka - Nanna and Pops). Maddie was so sick (see picture below). We are hoping to get pictures from someone else. The ceremony was a beautiful expression of their love for each other and for Christ. We are blessed to have been able to participate in that. We wish Nanna and Pops many years of happiness and joy while serving the Lord. Below is Abby's first meeting of Ray.
Our whole Thanksgiving trip Maddie had fever, runny nose, cough, and some vomitting. She was so pitiful and sad. She would just sit and cry for us. She was okay when she was held, but she definitely wasn't smiling or laughing any - she just wasn't herself - it was so sad. On Saturday we took her to the doctor to find out that she had RSV (some sort of respiratory virus that gives babies asthma like symptoms - wheezing, lots of mucus, labored breathing, etc). The doctor was fearful that she may have had pneumonia since she had a fever. We had a chest X-ray done and they couldn't rule out pneumonia, so Maddie is currently on an antibiotic. We are also doing breathing treatments with her. Below is Maddie having a breathing treatment, which she tolerates pretty well. The mask has stuff on it to make it look like a dinosaur. It's kind of cute. Anyway, she's on the road to Wellville. She's back to her old self - smiling, laughing, trying to crawl. During all of our sicknesses, we have been praying a lot for Christ to heal us. Abby asked me the other day, "Why isn't God making you feel better?" WOW! How to answer that one to a 3 year old? I'm not even sure what I said to her, I was so taken aback. However, I am prepared for that question now (now that she'll probably never ask it again).

"Abby, God listens to us and answers us when we pray. But sometimes it's not what we think should happen. God knows what is best for us and he wants only the best for us. God may not be making me feel better today, but that doesn't mean He won't ever help me feel better. I have to trust that God is doing what He knows is best for me."

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

We like to do a family Halloween around here....and by family Halloween, I mean that I am the photographer and the rest of the family dresses in theme. In September (yes, I like to start planning that early), our theme was to be "The Farm". Maddie was going to wear Abby's chick costume, Dan was to be a farmer, Abby was to be a cow, Tucker and Duncan were either going to be eggs or cow patties - I hadn't gotten that far. Then, Abby came home with the phrase I had been dreading......"Mommy, I want to be Mary Poppins for Halloween." Blasted!! I'm not sure if you're aware, but Mary Poppins is currently not one of the Disness Princesses - you can't buy anything Mary Poppins. So (good thing I start in September), I realized I would have to make the dress, hat, umbrella, etc..... This is the first thing I've ever sewn from a pattern. (Which is not a Mary Poppins pattern - it's a princess dress pattern with some alterations).

So here they are - my Mary Poppins themed family! For those not familiar with the movie, I'll explain. Dan is Burt, the chimney sweep. Maddie is a penguin from the cartoon part of the movie where they jump through the chalk drawing. Tucker and Duncan are bankers - Jane and Michael's (the children) dad works in the bank.....which is why he doesn't have time for his children, which is why they need a nanny - enter Mary Poppins (but that's beside the point). And Abby, of course, steals the show as Mary Poppins!

(We watch a lot of Mary Poppins, in case you couldn't tell!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lift-off!!

I guess instead of a spoonful of sugar, we'll just have a Twix!

This is the day of Halloween. Abby wore the cheerleading costume Nanna made for her to school. I wasn't about to let Mary Poppins come home with evidence of a 3 year old's Halloween party on it (cheetos, kool-aid, etc.).

Dancing Queen

2008-10-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

I guess those dance lessons are paying off! Well.....sort of.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-22T11:51:00.001-07:00

I love Fall. I'm not sure what it is about it - maybe it's the cooling weather, or the leaves turning colors. Maybe it's just the candy corn and Paula Deen's Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes. Whatever it is, this is my favorite time of year. Here are some pictures from our visit to the pumpkin patch.

This is Abby "eating" the gords. She never would smile while standing by the gords, she would only eat them. Interesting.....we don't eat gords at home.