A Father's Day Gift from Reina

A Father's Day Gift from Reina

At the bottom of this post is the gift that Paul received from Reina. Before I share it here is a quick update of her development. If you want to skip this portion, then go to the bottom to the video.

Reina is 17 months and amazing. She goes to her Mummi's (my mom's) childcare center everyday and fits right in. She does get special treatment of course but that's what grandparents are for right? She spends hours playing outside riding on all the cars, especially the "roller-coaster" which is basically a long ramp that you ride the car down. She likes to play in the garden with Mummi and feel all the dirt and leaves between her fingers...and eat the strawberries :) When the music is on, Reina is right there dancing away! She's always the first to start moving and the last to get tired. Mummi teaches ballroom dancing and saw her practicing the Cha-Cha and now copies her by moving forward and back in the Cha-Cha motion saying in her not-quite-clear baby talk: "2-3 Cha-Cha, 2-3 Cha-Cha!" I promise I did not force this at all just because it's my passion; she picked it up all by herself- and she is GOOD for her age. I hope she will continue to like dancing as a hobby because if softball becomes her forte, I think I'd be snoring at all the games. I really did try team sports in school, but never liked them. I'm laughing thinking back when Paul and I were dating and playing the game HORSE in basketball, he'd have to copy my shot by twirling and split-leaping to make a shot!
If Reina is not busy running around in circles with her eyes closed (literally) or dancing or playing outside, then she is either "reading" or eating. Reina loves to move and she loves to eat. You can't ever sneak anything from the kitchen or in your mouth without her knowing. I think she inherited a natural LOVE for eating from both her parents, sorry Reina. At least she eats well. She eats just about anything except potatoes, meat, and pasta. If you sneak it in soup, she'll eat it all. Her favorite veggies are broccoli and cooked carrots right now, and tonight I had some brussel sprouts and she enjoyed them as well! She claps if she really likes something, like her almond butter and jam sandwich and milk...and her gummy vitamins. When Reina needs a break she grabs a book. She loves to point things out in books for her grandmas (Mummi and Grandma Guinn), so that they will say what it is. When I read to her, she especially likes how I make the ladybugs crawl up her arm and the butterflies fly into her neck- she comes to expect it at least 20 times per reading! Whew! She still has a thing for BABIES whether they are real (like the 10 month old at the daycare), in a book, in her bed, or crying on t.v.- she's got a heart for them and always treats them well. And yes, she flirts with the men...the more "mountain man" looking the more she flirts. She basically goes to nursery even though she's not quite legally 18 months, but fits in better there than climbing the piano bench in Relief Society.

Paul and I really couldn't ask for a better girl! She's got a sense of humor already with a "fake laugh" and knows if people are laughing to continue doing it- although will NOT tolerate being a puppet. She understands so well and either mumbles to respond or shakes her head yes/no. She sleeps through the night 95% of the time (since she's stopped nursing). She is happy with routine (which for now makes our lives easier). She's a trooper when sick. She is sympathetic if someone is sad. She doesn't like to get in trouble. She's a good eater. She's sharp; nothing passes her. She has rhythm. She's happy most of the time. She likes to sing. Can you tell that we are really proud parents? Here is that cute video for daddy's Father's Day surprise:

My bedtime read for April

So lately I've been having a hard time sleeping because my mind is going in a million different directions and an hour has passed before I realize that I need to go to sleep! I'm not a typical "read-before-bed" type of person but lately I've been reading a few articles a night in the Ensign and have found them very rewarding...WHO KNEW? (read sarcastically please). March went by in a blink and didn't even get a chance to pick up that months Ensign so I read it throughout April and realized that it was from March 2007! If anyone is looking for answers to prayers or needs a spiritual lift, then I highly recommend that issue. It really helped me to put things into perspective and to find peace with the trials I am facing right now.

Pictures in the Park

Here are a few pictures that were taken of us in a park in Portland. These pictures were taken by a photographer who is a relative. He was able to squeeze us in before shooting for a wedding that day. If you want to see more of his photography go here: oakhillstudios.com



The scenery was excellent with the moist air and the moss on the trees- perfect for a Pacific Northwest family!

Cute daddy and daughter!



It was a very cold day in January if you can't tell by our pink noses! Reina is one year old exactly in these photos.

And She's Off!

My favorite dress of hers. . . for now :)

Is it okay that all of our posts are about Reina? We just can't help it since she is soooo entertaining! Ever since she started walking (at about 12 1/2 months) our little Suvi has really taken off- physically, mentally, verbally, and musically. Okay, so we are still waiting for more hair and more than 3 teeth! Sheesh! The last month or so I have been quite busy at work, so she has been spending a lot of time at Mummi and Papa Will's house which she loves! She has space, toys and playmates who treat her like a little doll. She knows she's getting close to Mummi's house when she sees rows of trees along the street nearby and begins to giggle and "talk" to herself. When we pull up to the house she squeels and says "Oooh, baby!" Okay, baby is definately her favorite word, but I think she considers all of her contemporaries as "baby". She greets anyone she is comfortable with with a "hi" which is usually daycare dads. One of the children always greets her saying, "Look, it's Little Baby Reina. Hi Little Baby Reina," as if that is her full name.

Playing at Mummi and Papa Will's. Can you find Reina playing outside?

Reina's new favorite past time is the great outdoors. I think if it weren't for getting hungry or tired she'd prefer to play outside the whole day! She recently discovered the park and oh my goodness- loves it! Since we've had some great weather (i.e. no rain) we've taken this rare occasion to go often. She watches kids go up the slides and gets frustrated that she can't do it just like them, so I help push her up so she feels like she did it all by herself. She can walk back and forth across the "shaky bridge" and the bigger the slide the better! I haven't let her go down alone yet since she hasn't figured out how to keep her legs from splitting and getting caught on the edge of the slide- no broken legs please! It's amazing how much more brave she becomes with each trip to the park. She now can run on the bark dust and will let the dogs come right up to her face and lick her. Paul insists she needs a puppy to grow up with her, but I insist that I'm not ready to take care of another baby.

She got this tube for her birthday that attaches to a tent. She likes it as long as there's someone to play with her...but it will be great when she's a little older for a nice little "hideout" with friends.

This little girl just loves to move! She enjoys the feeling of the body in motion. I call her my little "yoga baby" because she has always enjoyed moving into different yoga poses. I think she subconsciously remembers how yoga felt while in the womb. She is very careful with each movement and does it with care and concern to make sure it is stable, no matter how contorted it may look.

Mummi has been doing a lot of singing with Reina. So now she not only imitates sounds but freely sings to herself while playing or reading a book. I would love to capture this on video but all you parents know how once the camera goes on, the cuteness stops.

I can't remember how to get videos from the camera to the computer to the blog all by myself, so maybe next weekend when Paul is home he can help me put some videos on to share all the cute things she's been up to. We've enjoyed the sun while it's lasted!

Steals for Storage

I got all of this (plus a few other things that didn't make it in the photo for $51.72. This includes some usually spendy items: 16 lbs. oranges, a large block of Tillamook cheese, two packs of double-12 pack toilet paper and two whole chickens! What a deal!
I sure do love WinCo and will miss it in Tacoma! They had a few special coupons, but the majority was without a coupon and no manufacturer coupons either, so this was just pulling what I needed off the shelf. Now Paul will have at least some chili, TP, and tuna on hand while he's gone all week long.

New Adventures have Arrived!

We thought 2009 ended in a whirlwind, but this year we haven't gotten a minute to catch up! I'm taking this Friday morning while Reina is napping to quickly jot down some major changes in the Guinn family!
1. We rang in 2010 with a road trip from Las Vegas to Vancouver with Grandma and Grandpa Guinn in their Honda Odyssey. We had a Guinn family reunion after Christmas and flew down, but saved a little by riding back home to Vancouver. This was two LONG days of driving. The first few hours were horrible as Reina was screaming in her car seat on and off. Come to find out she had a triple explosion which required a complete onesie change and rinse in the sink in a restaurant and then peeing on the seat in the car during the diaper change as the restaurant did not have a changing table. I told Paul I will NEVER do a long road trip again...but after that she was perfect the whole time! So maybe I take back the NEVER.
2. Reina had her 1st birthday party with mostly family and close friends. I made a princess cake completely from scratch and even put different flavors and fillings for each layer. This was my first attempt at a "pretty cake" so I am pleased how it turned out. She even got to eat the whole top layer (thank you daddy and Uncle Steve)! I had the hardest time watching her shove that frosting into her mouth (luckily she stopped and preferred to throw it over the highchair). Her favorite gift was definately the elephant chair that Grandma Guinn made...just her size!
3. Reina officially walks 100%. She started taking her first steps December 16, and has become more confident each day...then one day while at Mummi and Papa Will's house she spent the whole day walking from room to room, just like the rest of the kids. This was about 10 days after her birthday that she decided walking was so much quicker. I walked in after work and she usually walks about 7-8 steps then stumbles down and crawls quickly to me, but that day she looked at me, turned around and kept walking the other way. Kind of sad for me, but so rewarding as well.
4. We have no more savings:(.............................BUT that means that we bought a chiropractic office! The practice we were moving towards in Austin, TX fell through when the seller decided not to sell after we got approved for a small business loan. We got that news right after Thanksgiving, so we were disappointed, mad, sad, etc....back to square one. Paul kept checking for practices for sale and looked into a few in the area. Then on January 5th there were a couple postings for practices in Tacoma and thought we might as well take a look since I still had a break from work. We went and looked two days later and felt really good about it, as well as the sellers. Things moved RAPIDLY as we scrambled to get lawyers, accountants, business accounts, legal documents and all other sorts of grown-up things together. We had to learn quickly what documents were required for what and how I should have become a lawyer or accountant with the kind of money they make :) Phew! But alas, we signed our lives away and Paul officially started February 1. I will still be in Vancouver with Reina for quite some time as the business needs a lot of growth and we still need income to survive. Paul is up there during the week and comes home on the weekends. It's only been about a week so this is all new to us, but we are trying to put things into perspective and remember that some families live like this all the time.
5. We are very thankful! We have family who have been so supportive towards us and have helped us throughout this process. It has been a long road and it is still a bumpy and curvy road, but we are beginning to see glimpses of the sun and beauty at the end of the road. I have to remind myself not to forget how beautiful the path is on this journey; stop and look around at the perfect leaves, the smell of the moss, the trickling of the stream, the yucky bugs that are content in the dirt. There is joy in these things that take us to our goals. I have a lot to be thankful for and I let my Heavenly Father know daily, bi-daily, sometimes hourly how grateful I am for my life.
My greatest joy is Reina, so of course I can't post without some pictures of her sweet, sweet face. She is such a good girl in every way!

Cousin Christina and Reina in Henderson, Nevada for Guinn family reunion Dec. '09.
Reina and cousin Madeleine meeting for the first time! (Born 18 days apart). This is Paul's twin brother's daughter.

Reina was getting a cold for her birthday party, but she was a champ and enjoyed all of the toys and people. Her favorite words at age one are: Baby followed with an Ohhhh, Doggy, and Dada.

Eating her first sweets and feeding them to Uncle Steve. By the way, this high chair is the exact same one that Paul had for his first birthday cake AND in the exact same spot in the kitchen. (tear)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Reina's 1st Christmas! She is 11, almost 12 months in these pictures. She can stand well and has taken 5 steps to Mama or Dada. Reina also tries really hard to copy words that you say. She does great with the words: baby, Mama, Dada, and many consonants that begin words such as zipper, stars, monkey, and bunny. And for bird she says "Ttt."

p.s. Paul's beard is only TEMPORARY. Long story but it's his turn to have the beard for a family picture which will be posted at a later date.



What a BIG girl standing all by herself! She is at Papa Will and Mummi's house where she spends a lot of time. I think I'll post a video of some of her favorite things to do at their house :)