Reese Update

Here's a few Reese highlights from the last few months.

Reese's hair is getting a lot longer. She's almost recovered from the "hair-cut" her cousin Crew gave her.

She often likes to dress up as a cow-girl. I think we moved to the right place. This kid loves horses, cows and all thing that start with "howdy partner".

Reese found a great way to beat the "winter blues" in Rexburg. She likes to dress in her swim suit and pretend she's at the beach.

Next to her dad...she's my favorite date!

She loves to "do" her own hair these days. I try to maintain a little control, but on non-school days I let her have total freedom!

She's mastered my phone, even better than me. She's especially mastered taking her own pictures. This is one of my favorites.

She and her sister are the best of friends. They fight like sisters, but they love like sisters too. Seeing them play and have fun together makes my heart smile!

She was so brave sitting in the dentist chair for her first cleaning. She had no cavities and the dentist said she had really pretty teeth.

This kid loves...and I mean LOVES...to color! She's actually quite good at it. She will spend hours coloring.

Not only does she love doing her own hair these days, she loves to play with mine. I'm not complaining, I love having my hair brushed!

I could do without all the flowers and bows, but she was having so much fun!

Have I mentioned that I love absolutely everything about this girl. She is so full of life, it's bursting at the seams. Part of me can hardly wait to see the woman she will become...the other part of me never wants her childhood to end!

Wearing the pj's Grandma bought her for Easter. They came with a sleep mask. She cracks me up!

 Another one of her "selfies" from my phone! Love this face!!

Reese continues to humor us daily with all the funny things she says.


Reese bit her sister today. After a "severe" punishment of no video games or playing on my phone for the rest of the day...
Reese: I wish I didn't have teeth so I wouldn't bite my sister.
Me: How about wishing you could control your anger and make a better choice, like not biting your sister.
Reese: No...I just wish I didn't have teeth.


Tonight Reese would not stay in bed. After several attempts to kindly convince her to stay in bed...
Arnold: Reese, you have to the count of 5 to get in your room and stay in bed or there will be no TV tomorrow.
Reese: No! No counting to 5. I don't want counting to 5 anymore!!
Arnold: Then you better go get in bed. 1....2....
Reese: That's it! I'm canceling 5. No more 5. No one can use it anymore. It's canceled!!!
Me: That's fine. Then you have to the count of 4. Now get to bed.
Reese: UGHHHH!!! (As she stomps to her room and slams the door)


As I was putting Reese to bed tonight we were having a conversation about some of her friends. Her friends in Utah came up in the conversation, they always do....
Reese: Mom I'm getting so many new friends, it's crazy. But mom I still really miss all my friends in Utah. I want to go visit them so so bad.
Me: We will. I think we might wait until spring though. We want it to be nice outside, then you could play with all of them. Also, if we wait a little while Rowan's little brother will be here and we'll get to meet him too.
Reese: (Immediate distress) Ohhh no oh no! I really really don't want Rowan to have a little brother. Not a little brother. I don't like little brothers.
Me: Reese little brothers are great! You love Uncle Brady and Uncle Kit and they're my little brothers. I loved having little brothers.
Reese: Well...they're all growed up so they don't bug me anymore. But little little, like baby brothers are just so annoyed to me.
Me: How do you know, you don't have a little brother?
Reese: I just know these things mom.
Me: Well I think Rowans little brother is going to be so cute and nice. He'll just be a baby and babies are so much fun. Besides, I bet Rowan is going to really love her little brother, so as one of her best friends you're going to have to love him too.
Reese: Well...Rowan is probably going to love him, but I think he's still going to be annoyed to her. That's just what little brothers do. But I guess maybe I might like him a little. But mom, he is going to take her ponies and that's not going to be nice.
Me: You're hilarious Reese. Do you know that?
Reese: Ya. Mom can I please please please build a pretend zoo in the basement tomorrow??


Me: Reese we need to have a conversation about all these fits you've been throwing lately. You can not act like this every time you don't get your way.
Reese: But mom, that's just how my body acts. I can't stop because my body tells me not to.
Me: Reese, you are in charge of your body and you can tell it how to act.
Reese: Moooommmm...Heavenly Father made my body and that's just how he made it to be. I can't make it different. Heavenly Father wouldn't like it.


One night as I was checking on Reese, before I went to bed, I noticed she had packed some bags that were sitting by her door. They were full of clothes, books and several of her stuffed animals. The next morning she came out of her room carrying the bags, and we had the following conversation.
Me: Reese are you going on a trip?
Reese: Well mom, actually I'm going to babysit some dogs.
Me: What? Where are you babysitting dogs?
Reese: Some of my friends are going on a trip and I'm going to their house to babysit their dogs for them.
Me: Who are these friends?
Reese: Oh, just some friends from church. You don't know them.
Me: Really?
Reese: Ya. Ummm, mom, you know its just pretend, right??
Me: Oh, it's pretend friends and pretend dogs?
Reese: Ya, I'm pretending my room is my house and I'm going to the downstairs, that's where my "friends" live. I'm pretending they're leaving and I'm going to watch their dogs for them.
Me: Oh, Ok. Well I'm glad it's just pretend because if you ever really left I would be so sad.
Reese: I know mom. That's why I'm only pretend leaving. I'll see you later! Bye!
Then she skipped off downstairs. I love that kid...and her very active imagination!


Watching an episode of "Danial the Tiger" (Cartoon) with Reese. They were making banana bread and listed all the ingredients but didn't include sugar. I made the observation...
Me: ...and sugar...they forgot sugar. Without sugar that banana bread isn't going to be very good.
Reese: Come on mom...it's just a cartoon. They're not making "real" banana bread.
Me: I'm just sayin, if they're going to tell you all the ingredients they shouldn't leave any out.
Reese: Well mom, maybe tigers don't like sugar in their banana bread. Maybe that's just how they eat it. You don't know all the things about tigers mom. Maybe tigers are really healthy. You always say not to eat lots of sugar!


After church Reese went to change her clothes. She emerged from her room in jeans, belt and a button down shirt...
Me: Reese why are you wearing jeans? We're not going any where for the rest of the day. Don't you want your comfy clothes.
Reese: Mom I'm pretending to be a cowboy. Cowboys wear jeans.
Me: Ok, I just thought you'd want to be comfy around the house.
Reese: Mom sometimes being a cowboy just isn't really comfy. I imagine she's right. 10 minutes later she walked back in the living room...
Reese: Howdy partners!
Me: Hello
Reese: Mom, just so you know, "Howdy partners" is "Hello" in cowboy speak...and I'm a cowboy!


Reese being questioned about something she did to her little sister...
Me: Reese It makes mommy so sad when you lie to me. And more important it makes Jesus really sad. He wants you to choose the right and always tell the truth.
Reese: (Let's out a huge sigh and in the most sincere voice) uhhhhh...mom sometimes its just really hard and I don't want to choose right...I just want to choose left.


While insisting that Reese pick up her room...
Reese: Mom you are ruining my life today!!! This is my room and I'm aloud to do what ever I want in it!
This kid was born with one sassy, stubborn, independent spirit! ...I know I know...she's like her mom.

Me: Reese do you want to help me fold the laundry?
Reese: No thank you mom. I'm just resting right now. I'm a little tired....but not like i need a nap tired, just a little tired...like I just need to sit and watch cartoons and not do any chores or anything kind of tired.
Me: A very convenient kind of tired :)

Reese: "what the hell!!! Where is my blanky?"
Oops...that's her mothers influence.

Overheard...Reese talking to a little girl she just met: "this is my little sister anni. She's so cute and she's kinda my best friend."