Helio Wins Crystal Ball and Julianne?

I was pretty excited when Helio won Dancing With The Stars. He was the best of the final three (not better than Cheetah Girl, but then again she was/is a professional dancer) and deserved to win. Maks and Scary were good, but in a different way. The right person won, although I wish a woman would win sometime. Maybe next year with Maks.

I do have to admit to a funny story as I had intently watched all season and saw the first 115 minutes of the finale before falling asleep right before they announced the winner. Can you believe that? I woke up 15 minutes later and was so upset I had missed the end, I had to rush to the computer to see who won. Thankfully, abc.com runs the show online and I was able to see the end and Helio's victory the next day.

But then there was the bigger "news" about Helio breaking off his engagement (Read all about it at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22011557/). Is there something brewing between him and Julianne. I always had my suspicions starting with Helio's Rascal Flatts surprise to Julianne about three weeks ago. In that segment, they show a card he wrote to her sitting on a chair and it said "Love, Helio." I could see where my fiancee might get a little upset with that.

Then there was the kiss two weeks ago where Julianne looked totally shocked and surprised before being dropped hard to the ground. You noticed that kiss was not part of the encore routine. Hmmm. Then the kiss Tuesday night? Friends don't kiss each other like that. I don't even kiss my husband like that! Hmmmm...

Couple that with the fact that Helio ended his engagement two weeks ago which would have been right after the first kiss....Hmmm.

Anyway...they are cute so good for them. I still have a hard time believing that she is only 19.

Can't wait until next year. I just hope Marie Osmond is not part of the show in any way shape or form. She was so annoying the entire season. I am just not so sure why it took America so long to see it.

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Here is a photo of when Reagan went to see Santa last week. Of course, she was scared of him so we had to visit twice. Good thing I went before Thanksgiving when people aren't thinking about seeing Santa (Question: Since when has Santa been in the mall before Thanksgiving anyway? I thought Santa came on his sleigh at the end of the Macy's Parade and then he was at the Mall?)

The first time we stood in line (only for 15 minutes), Reagan fell asleep right before it was her turn. I woke her up (which was a mistake) and she would not let me put her down at all. I should have let her sleep and she could have taken her photo like that - it would have been quieter anyway. The second time, she at least played with the books after a brief crying fit. Santa snuck in behind her so we could get a decent photo (meaning no tears).

Maybe next year, there will be a smile.

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Tales From the Potty

Reagan is really getting into this potty thing...well kind of. Tonight she took a magazine in there with her and read it as she went "potty." She still will not take her jeans off or actually go when she is sitting on there, but she must have been watching her dad at some point, as she has the finer points of the bathroom mastered. (Should I be offended she is reading Tennis Life Magazine where I write all of the articles?)

She also discovered toliet paper yesterday. Once she finished going "potty," she wiped and put it in the real potty. I thought that was pretty good.

Of course, when she first figured out that the toliet paper roll spins, she started to use the whole thing. She finally learned to tear a little off and not the whole roll - or so I thought. As I walked into the bathroom tonight, the new roll of toliet paper I put on this weekend was "gone." Of course, I lifted up the lid on the potty and here is what I found! Ugh!

At least she knows that once she is done, she needs to wash her hands and dry them on a towel. Little victories!

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Helio should win!

As disappointing as tonight's Dancing With the Stars was, there is no doubt that Helio and Julianne should win. They were far and away the best couple tonight, even with Helio's bad footwork in dance one. Their dances were cute and entertaining and really showed off both Helio and Julianne's personalities. Nothing again Helio, but I am pretty sure Julianne would win with any person she was paired with, except maybe Master P, Kenny Mayne or Tucker Carlson. She is just that much better than everyone else.

I was really disappointed in the other two couples. Scary and Maks were only OK. Maks was outstanding, but their second dance was not good at all. I was expecting way more. Marie and her partner were blah like normal. I liked their second dance that the judges totally bashed, but it certainly was not the dance to leave a vivid "vote for me" final impression. It was like they knew that technique-wise and difficulty-wise they could never pull that off so they added the rag-doll bit to gain a free pass. It didn't work.

I also was glad that Maks called Marie out on People.com about using her tragedies to gain votes and remain in the competition. He only confirmed my conspiracy theory.

Looking forward to tomorrow night and hopefully seeing Helio and Julianne hoist the disco ball.

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Dancing Finale

Tomorrow is the big day - the final dances. I was really disappointed last week to hear that Jennie Garth was the one to go. I thought she had the best dance of the night, as her second dance was really great. It was fun to see her improve.

At least Helio is still in. I have to believe that he is the favorite. He and Julianne are amazing. I love his smile and she is just the best dancer I have ever seen. I also look forward to seeing Maks. He looked and danced great last week. It is time for Marie to go. She should be the first one on Tuesday night.

The Dancing with the Stars tour is coming to Minneapolis January 3. I doubt I will go since I am not excited about the dancers they have coming, but who knows. No Maks or Julianne so far. No good celebrities either. Sabrina would be fun to see again.

Anyway...we will see what happens this week. Go Helio!

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating this. Reagan's mom has been pretty busy the past two weeks (and I was even on vacation all of last week). I finished my last major work project of the year (yea). We have been working an endless number of events this week and Reagan has been sick - not to mention Thanksgiving and shopping.

We went to The Spurrs again for Thanksgiving. Bob and Elaine are like my surrogate parents here since we are so far away from our real families. It was great and we really appreciate going there each year. We provide the turkey each year and Elaine cooks it. It is a great deal for us and we always have the best meal there. It is nice of them to let us crash their family thanksgiving.

We also saw or worked our share of sporting events last week with the Gopher women playing Sunday and Tuesday, the T-Wolves on Wednesday and Saturday and the Wild on Friday.

Reagan has been struggling with a virus of some kind. She feels fine, then has a fever of 104 and then after a shot of Tylenol feels fine before the fever comes back again. It is really strange. Hopefully we can get it under control soon.

Andrew is sick too. So far I have avoided it (knock on wood).

Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving and the Timberwolves/Cavs game where LeBron was awesome. We sat in $200 seats (six rows from the court and right by Adrian Peterson of the Vikings). Even so...it was the most boring game ever. The NBA is awful.

Now starts the long process of getting my Christmas stuff up. We did the lights outside today, as well as the bannisters. Next will be the kitchen and other rooms before we end with the tree next weekend.

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Jennie Garth Might Have To Go

Tonight was a mixed bag for me when it came to Danicng With the Stars. Helio was great and really showed once again that he is the person to beat, while Jennie Garth did not do so well. Even though she had the third-best overall score, I think she might be the one going home. She just lacked the charm she usually has and really did look like she doesn't believe that she is a good dancer. Plus anyone who gets so emotional from a pep talk given by Richard Simmons makes me wonder.... She is my girl, though, so that would make me sad if she went home, but at least I still have Helio.

In the first round of dances, only Helio and Julianne stood out. They did a paso doble that was pretty good - definitely deserved 9s across the board. Maks and Mel were the second best and then everyone else was blah.

The second round was much of the same, but Helio and Julianne were awesome. They did a quickstep that might have been the best dance of the year by any couple. It was awesome and the kiss that Helio planted on Julianne just before the end of the dance ... hmmm. She looked a little surprised that he did that, so I have to wonder if that was planned or not. In any event, it was awesome and makes them the clear leaders going into the semifinals. Can you believe there is only two weeks to go?

Otherwise, the show was really uneventful. Everyone had clothes on tonight so Andrew was disappointed about that. I do have to say that I really enjoy watching Maks dance. He looks like he is having fun this season and Scary Spice allows him to be in the spotlight much more. I think she is an above average dancer, but it is Maks that makes that couple good. It is very refreshing to see a male professional make it so far since a woman has not won the title since the disputed first season with Kelly Monaco and Mr. Peterman.

I personally think Marie should be the one going home, but I am sure she will get the sympathy vote again tonight due to the death of her father and the tears Donnie was shedding after Marie's first dance. She also played the sympathy card tonight so I am sure she can't go home. I did enjoy the "I'm a little bit country tribute" she did. It reminded me when I would watch Donnie and Marie every Saturday night and the highlight of the night was the "I'm a little bit country/I'm a little bit rock n roll" segment. I was always a big fan of the rock-n-roll tribute, which is pretty funny since I love country music now.

We will see what happens, but my order right now is Helio, Scary, Jennie, Cameron and Marie. Until tomorrow night...

Gotta "go, go, go"
Reagan's mom

p.s. - next week is going to feature Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) and Cheetah Girl. Don't miss it.

Happy Birthday Part II

Reagan celebrated her birthday for the second time over the weekend as mommy and daddy had a party with their friends to celebrate her big day. And believe it or not, she actually ate cake this time. I was shocked, but she enjoyed her chocolate cake. Maybe she is not that strange after all.

Thank you to everyone who came to the party - Bob, Elaine, Crystal, Sara, Becky and Mike. We really appreciate all your support in helping us raise her and be the best parents we can be. Here are some photos from the big day.

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Dancing With The Stars - Week 7

Here is my quick summary of Dancing With The Stars last night. Since I had just gotten back into town an hour before it started, I was not paying as close of attention as I normally do, but here is my quick analysis.

Jane has to go tonight. She is extremely beautiful, but the rest of the competition has passed her by. Her dances looked forced and she is barely hanging on. She did look great in that gold dress though. Wow, to look like at age 56. Good for her!

My other disappointment last night was Cameron and Edyta. I did not think they were very good. They might go tonight. If you read my conspiracy theory post from last week, he might be a logical choice. If he goes, then I know my conspiracy theory is true. A side note...of course, this is the only time Andrew stops to watch the show and he says before the first dance, "I hope they have a second dance because she has way too many clothes on in this one." I don't think he was real impressed with outfit number 2 either.

Helio and Julianne were good. They were having fun, although I am not sure what Julianne was wearing in that second dance. She looked like she had moss growing on her chest. She is just so beautiful though that she can pull off the moss...I hate her!

Marie was fine. She is boring to me.

Mel and Maks were good, although I thought their first dance was only OK. I did enjoy the second, although I thought is was a little out of sync. I was surprised they got a 30. I did enjoy watching Maks shake his thing though.

Jennie Garth was very good again. She continues to improve and she is just so beautiful.

Well, we will see what happens tonight. I thought the Sabrina solidairty last night was cute, although it fed into my conspiracy theory plot perfectly. They can all show how outraged they are so people will vote, etc.

Let's be real here, every person left on that show is so happy that Sabrina is off the show. Now they all have a chance to stick around one week longer and maybe even win. Besides...Sabrina got even more out of the show than she bargained for as another Dancing With The Stars romance has blossomed with her and partner Mark Ballas.

Onto the results...

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom

Happy Birthday To Reagan!

Reagan turned 2 last Thursday and the "terrible twos" were not far behind. Although she tells everyone that she is 9 (and sometimes acts like it), she is definitely asserting herself these days and voicing her displeasure when she doesn't get what she wants (which has been more often than not lately).

She had a nice party with Andrew, Great Grandma Jan and Corby, as I was in Florida on a work trip. Great Grandma made dinner for everyone and then they opened presents. Finally, they sang and gave her a birthday apple pie, since Reagan does not like cake. Unfortunately, she did not like pie either. I should have made a cracker and hot dog cake before I left with grapes on top. I know she would have eaten that.

Anyway... here are a few photos from the big day. She received a number of presents including a "color, color, color desk," videos, magnets, blocks, a stuffed Tigger, a princess pillowcase, a puzzle of her name, a purse, clothes and much, much more. She had a really good day. Thank you to everyone who sent her gifts. You will get a thank you letter some day. :)

Gotta "go, go, go,"
Reagan's mom