Firehouse Fun

Today we had a “field trip” to a Fire Station. One of our good friends has a friend who is a fire fighter, so we got the hook up to take the kids through the station and see a fire truck up close. The kids were all so excited about seeing a “Real Fire Truck”. Being that it was 100 degrees outside and we were in a garage with trucks that were just running … we were HOT! The kids did not seem to mind though … the water fountain was not too far away. We had a great time and have great friends to do fun things with.

The whole gang on the back of the fire truck.

 
They did a good job listening to what the fireman had to say.

  They got to go inside the truck …

and pose on the back of the truck.

They gave all the kids a goody bag with stickers, pencils, badges, and hats.

 

Before we left, they let the kids all lounge in their family room and watch some TV. I thought they were going to relax too much, they wouldn’t want to come home. Riley looked like she was about to fall asleep!

Shining Stars … Musical Theater Group

Tonight was Reagan’s recital for her Musical Theater class she has been taking for the past two weeks. Yep, just two weeks and they had a recital that was so cute and they kids all did great. They worked on stage presence, acting, & singing and dancing together (which they say is very difficult to do). Reagan did a great job, had a smile on her face most of the time … except when the audience would clap … she would cover her ears! We were so proud of her and hope we can continue to do fun dance classes like this in the future.

But of course, those of you who know Reagan well enough know, nothing ever goes just perfect. After the recital, we headed over to Scott's sisters house for a yummy dinner with the whole family. On our way there, Reagan started complaining of a headache. We got there, she laid down and just did not get better. We stayed just long enough to eat dinner and said our goodbyes. We did not make it to the car without Reagan saying she was going to throw up. And she did.
SO FAR, my guess is that she is most of all, exhausted from her day, but also a little bit dehydrated from dancing for hours without drinking much water. (They had a dress rehersal before the recital that lasted 2 hours). And to top that off, she is VERY sensitive to smells and the house was filled with a lovely Italian kitchen smell, which just does not sit well with Reagan's nose. She made it home without messing up my clean car and fell asleep very fast. I am hoping she sleeps all night with no more vomiting ... then I will know that she just over-did today. Poor Baby!

UPDATE THIS MORNING: Reagan slept all night long, soundly and peacefully. She feels 100% better this morning, which confirms she had just overdone it in the heat yesterday. Hopefully we won't have this problem anymore in FL. She has had dehydration problems quite a few times living here!

Here are her pictures ... she looked so darn cute!

Her hair-do was so cute. Mom let her wear makeup too, so she was super excited!

She got to dance next to one of her good friends, Brielle. The 2nd picture, she is showing off by sticking her tongue out at me!

She is the one with her hands over her ears!

After the show, Reagan got flowers from Daddy and took some pictures with her girlfriends who took the class with her (Rylee, Reagan, & Brielle).

Below are the videos from her recital. Check them out if you have time. She was in the second row, so a lot of the time she would get blocked by another kid. But the videos turned out really cute. I tried to keep the camera on her most of the time.

Zippidy Do Dah

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

It’s A Small World

Fabulous

What Time Is It?

A Yummy Little Snack

We had Reagan’s girlfriends over for snack … we made homemade ice cream sandwiches. The girls had a good time rolling their ice cream sandwiches in sprinkles and eating them. Reagan has been so lucky to have such good friends that live right in our neighborhood. We sure are going to miss them when we move.

Aubrey, Reagan, Rylee, & Brielle

Rockstar Day

Today was Rockstar Day at Reagan’s dance class. Now, I am very impressed with my Rockstar makeover, considering I was up all night with a stomach bug and in bed today until 11:00am. My neighbor called and said she would pick Reagan up for dance today since I was sick, and reminded me that it was Rockstar Day.

So, with about an hour to plan, I found her an outfit and did her hair. She turned out so cute … the hair was my favorite part. She wanted glitter, so we put glitter in her hair and made a shooting star out of glitter on her face.

 

What a cutie!

Pippi Longstocking

One of Reagan’s favorite movies is Pippi Longstocking. She watches this movie over and over again, and sings the songs all the time. She has been asking me to fix her hair like Pippi’s hair, so today, for crazy hair day at dance, we fixed her hair Pippi style. For my first attempt, it turned out pretty cute. Next time, I will use something stronger than one pipe cleaner.

Of course, when taking pictures, Riley always wants in on the action … so we took her picture too!

Mom & Dad’s Getaway

Scott & I got to take our first official vacation since our honeymoon. Yep, six and a half years we have not gone on a vacation together that did not include the kids. We were lucky enough to have wonderful neighbors who took our kids so we could enjoy the trip alone.

We went to Newport Beach, California for four days and three nights. We stayed in a beautiful hotel. We checked in and went to our room. It was a very small compact room with a view of the roof and construction. After going back downstairs, Scott flashed his Marriott Gold Status card, we got upgraded to a huge room in a different tower of the hotel, with an awesome view of the golf course and the bay.

Of course, while there, we indulged in some great foods we usually don’t get around here. Our first dinner, we ate at the Blue Water Grill and got some yummy seafood. We ate mussels and clams for our appetizer and YES, I did eat it and I did like it. For dinner we ordered King Crab Legs and Pasta with Shrimp. Dinner was so yummy.

The second night, we ate dinner at Las Brisas at Laguna Beach, an authentic Mexican Riviera cuisine. Scott used to go to this restaurant when he lived in Laguna Beach 20 something years ago. The restaurant sits on a cliff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We had a window seat and a wonderful dinner.

After dinner at Las Brisas, we went down to the water to get some pictures. Scott told me to pose on a rock, so I did, and of course, a wave crashed and got me wet. It was pretty darn cold. The ocean was so beautiful with the cliffs surrounding us. After the beach, we went to the movies at 10:00 pm ... something we have not done since the kids were born. We saw a hilarious movie, the Hangover, and stayed out until after 1:00am. We felt so young and free again ... it was great.

Our last dinner, we went out with some friends of ours that live out that way. We met at the Wood Fire Grill in Corona and had a great dinner with some great friends.

So, we had a fabulous weekend away. The girls did a great job away from us for the weekend. Thursday, right after we left, Reagan got sick and vomited for the rest of the night Thursday night. I felt so bad leaving her with a neighbor while sick, but she got over it pretty fast. I wonder how much of it was a stomach bug and not just her nerves.
Our neighbor kept them busy and they all slept great … so I was told! I am sure my friend withheld the bad from me so I would feel better about leaving them with her, but I am sure the weekend went just fine for them too.
As a return favor, we are going to take their kids overnight, so they can have a night away. I know, one night traded for three does not seem fair, but I am sure I can do other things too to make it up to them … hint, hint, you know who you are!

On the Move, Again

Well, for those of you who know us well enough, you know that the Posti Family moves, A LOT.
When Scott & I first met, we lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. Scott got offered a job with the Department of Veteran Affairs in Houston, Texas and we had our official first move. Second, we moved to Warwick, Rhode Island where we lived there just long enough to endure all of their brutal winter, and moved again to Glen Carbon, Illinois. A year and a half later, we moved again to Phoenix, Arizona, where we currently are living. Believe it or not, we have lived in Phoenix for almost as long as we were in Houston, shy of a few months and we are on the move again!

Our soon to be new home will be in
Saint Petersburg, Florida

We will keep everyone posted on the details as they come ... moves are always stressful and time consuming.

Lets pray for an easy move this time around!

Four Singing Monkey's Jumping on the Bed

We had some wild children running around today. They were full of energy and had a great time singing to all the songs that they knew. Usually when I get the video camera out, they tend to stop whatever it was that they were doing ... not today. They were all so excited to be the center of attention today.

Riley, Cooper, Reagan, & Brielle singing "Big House"

Riley's New Look

Today, we got Riley's haircut for the 2nd time. She did such a good job, sitting pretty still in the chair all by herself. She went through a few lollipops and ended up with a cute little haircut. Thanks Ms Jackie, we are always pleased with your work!

Fun in the Sun!

How do you stay cool when it is hot as you know what outside? You SWIM!
We have gone swimming at Grandma's pool three times in this past week. The water feels so refreshing that you forget it is over 100 degrees outside.

REAGAN

~ Day one of swimming, she was afraid of getting her face wet. She would swim all over the pool with her kick board, but when she got splashed or fell under, she would panic. Once she started crying, it was hard to get her to stop. She must have had fun though, she came back for day two.

~ Day two, we went swimming over the weekend, so Dad got to be there. After about five minutes, mommy decided if I went underwater, than so would Reagan. She agreed and under we went. That was the end of her being afraid of being underwater. She started swimming short spurts from the steps to the wall and was a lot more calm in the water.

~ Day three, no fear! She was jumping off the side, swimming from side to side by herself, and even diving to the bottom to pick up rings. We swam for over two hours and she had a blast. We are so proud of her and will continue to work with her through out the summer to improve on everything she has done so far!

Great Job Reagan!

RILEY

~ Day one of swimming, she was psyched! She couldn't wait to get her swimsuit on and her earplugs in so she could get in the water. She climbed in the stairs and hung out on the top step for a little bit. Once she learned she could walk around on the next step, she was wild. She kept taking Reagan's kick board and trying to use it, but would end up falling off, going under, and coming up with an ear to ear smile, screaming "I DID IT MOM!"

~ Day two, Mommy was smart and went out and bought Riley her own kick board. She was so interested in the waterfall, that she spent the majority of the time making Daddy take her back and forth to the waterfall.

~ Day three, absolutely fearless. We are going to really have to watch this child. She walked right into the pool, right off the top step and kept going ... under that is! She would not even wait for a hand to catch her, she just went. She was jumping off the side and spinning around in the big inner tube, which she can barely hold on to, it is so big. She kept saying, "Let me go ... I do it myself." So, every time we would let go, she would laugh then fall under. Always to return to the top with a huge smile. By the end of the two hours, she was starting to balance herself on the kick board. Amazing!

Riley, we are so impressed. Way to go!

Doodle Bug's Playdate

While Reagan was at school and having her own play date today, Riley got to have a play date of her own. Her friends, Cooper and Carter, came over to play and eat lunch with us. Riley had a fun morning with the boys. Thanks for coming to play today!

Playing with the trains ... this is what the boys LOVE to do when they are at my house.

Ready to eat some lunch ... Hot Dog Octopus and Mac-n-Cheese!

Riley showing off her Octopus.

Cooper (the Octopus was his idea).

Carter enjoying his Hot Dog!

Goodbye Preschool

What an exciting time, yet sad time too. Reagan has come to the end of preschool at the First United Methodist Church of Gilbert and is now ready for Elementary School. It is amazing how quickly they grow up and how much they actually grow into a person in just 5 years.

To celebrate the end of the preschool year, her school put on a program. They sang some songs, had a slide show presentation of pictures throughout the year, showed off some of their work they have done, and also had some yummy desserts. The kids all did a great job. The songs were really cute this year and every one's personality showed through their performances.

Reagan waiting for her classes turn to sing. She was sitting right in front of us (you can even see Riley's hand waving back at her).

Reagan and her class, singing away! She is right in the middle in the back row.

Daddy bought her some flowers for her great performance. She was so excited.

Reagan & Ms. Maurer. We are going to really miss Ms. Maurer. She was a great teacher.

The Brave Butterflies singing "John 15:12"

clip from "Big House"
It is hard to understand what they are saying in this clip, but here are the words they were singing ...

I dont know where you lay your head, Or where you call your home
I dont know where you eat your meals, Or where you talk on the phone
I dont know if you got a cook, A butler or a maid
I dont know if you got a yard, With a hammock in the shade
I dont know if you got some shelter, Say a place to hide
I dont know if you live with friends, In whom you can confide
I dont know if you got a family, Say a mom or dad
I dont know if you feel love at all, But I bet you wish you had
Come and go with me, To my fathers house
Come and go with me, To my fathers house
Its a big big house, With lots and lots a room
A big big table, With lots and lots of food
A big big yard, Where we can play football
A big big house
Its my fathers house!