Tag Archive for: Reagan

Back to work

Have to admit it was a struggle to motivate meself this morning after waking 3 times in the night probably because I was thinking about work today but once I was up it was ok and the main priority was making sure Lincoln was OK because there was some tears about his new trousers (they weren’t slim-fit) but he soon got over it because he just gets on with stuff, tiredness was a big part of the morning stresses. Once Billy was walked I setup in Lincolns room and started work, the COVID symptoms were a lot better today and until this evening they really did not bother me. I took a lateral flow test which came back positive so no early release but relieved I feel better.

A bit fainter?

While in Lincoln’s room today I found time to tidy his room a bit because to be quite honest it was a bloody pig sty, most parents would have probably got their child to clean their own room but while working in there it was easy enough to do a little bit here and there and it soon looked a lot better.

Reagan spent the day justifying her time by telling me everything she had done as school work straight after she did it, which just make me smile because she would have been off school no matter what, but I think she was struggling by about 1pm to fill the hours and gave up about 2pm lol More of the same tomorrow Reagan [rolls eyes]

Special mention must go to Mommy who started her new job and I know she will smash it out of the park as she always does and always makes me proud how successful she is and although “employment” might now seem the perfect scenario in her head but there is no pressure for a while but still the money coming in which I think will be a nice change for the foreseeable. Already booked to go down to London in a couple of weeks our job is to make sure we support Mommy while she finds her feet and at times works away for a night or two.

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Boxing Day 2021

They say a picture paints a thousand words and this one sums up most of the day for us, while Mommy is COVID positive we were unable to join the rest of the Forster clan around Nannies for Boxing Day we had a lazy afternoon in front of the TV Reagan was complaining of a headache so she didn’t move either.

Either side of our lazy afternoon Mommy and me went to walk Billy up to the Lime beds although Mommy struggled catching her breath it was good for her to get out and we managed to avoid people so no-one was put in danger.

We also had a couple of hours this evening playing a few games and also got a visit from Uncle Karl who dropped off even more presents as if Reagan and Lincoln hadn’t had enough presents yesterday?

  • Errr COVID!

I finished the day off watching the Broncos vs Raiders I will let you know how it went tomorrow but as I sit here writing this blog Bradley Chubb just intercepted Derek Carr and then Devonte Williams scored to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

Another good day and a good way to end Christmas 2021 tomorrow I get started with removing skirting boards ready for flooring!

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Christmas Day 2021

Reagan got a Samsung Tablet and was obsessed immediately, Lincoln got a steering wheel for his XBOX and Broncos bob hat both got Hue strip lights amongst many other presents, I went upstairs while Jamie and me were making dinner and this is what I found.

It seems that blue is the most popular colour today it’s soothing and perfect for gaming, amazing?

Christmas day began at 7am as per “the rules” and after getting Grandma on video call the present opening began in earnest, it is a blur when Reagan and Lincoln open presents and when they do it together its full on for 10 minutes and then it’s over, as quick as it begins lol

Without Nannie it wasn’t how we planned but we had dinner and pulled crackers then found charades to be the best fun ever lol while we were sitting at the table and we were all laughing hysterically it was my perfect Christmas moment, to me that is what makes me happy beyond words…it also crossed my mind that we wasted 300 quid on presents when parlour games are where its at?

I did manage to surprise Jamie who thought the chair she picked out for herself, I bought and wrapped was her only present gave her two canvases one of Reagan and one of Lincoln which were bigger than intended but beautiful and I am sure Jamie will make them work the other present was the bird feeder I had worked on the last couple of days and will add the water pump and feature over the next couple of days and position in front of her office window… I think she liked the surprise!

Late afternoon was spent playing Who knows Me Best and Kids Against Maturity until the kids got bored \ fed up with being around us so Mommy and me finished off Ghost that we started watching last night on gas telly adverts and all but it got too late and Santa might have turned up while we sat there watching? Reagan complained of a headache around 9pm and we advised tiredness and a good nights sleep would help so gave her paracetamol and sent her off to bed and we ended the night watching the film King Richard.

Lincoln ended the night flitting between building a lego baby yoda, playing on his phone and Forza on XBOX before bed

All in all a great Christmas Day and good memories made, oh and by the way Reagan smiled at the cuddly toy puppy and admitted she loves the presents she did receive and I actually heard her say “I love you, Mommy!”. Sometimes we worry about the wrong things as parents, our children are resilient and understand more than we think especially Reagan?

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…and just like that Christmas was gone!

Got woken by Jamie this morning creeping around the bedroom, I thought you were going to the gym, I was but my lateral flow is positive, and just like that the Christmas we planned was gone!

“If I isolate from you 3 you can still go to your Moms on Boxing Day, I just don’t want to stop you seeing your family at Christmas!”

My immediate thought was I have kept you from seeing your family for the last 13 years (bar one) so I have no room to moan about not seeing my family?

So we have all tried to do the right thing for months we wear masks we sanitise our hands we got jabbed jabbed again and boosted but there are so many people not bothering to do some or all of the above and avoiding those is impossible, the other thing is we have to live our lives too, we can’t stop doing the things we love to do. We were looking forward to seeing Nannie tomorrow and then the rest of the family on Boxing Day but so long as we all stay healthy that’s what’s important and that Reagan & Lincoln have a great Christmas is almost as important. We can guarantee the latter but only hope the former happens?

Reagan and Lincoln were so disappointed when we had to tell them that we need to isolate and the realisation that they wouldn’t see Nannie and Boxing day, which they both love and look forward to, wasn’t going to be possible. Reagan went cold on Mommy not wanting to be in the same room as her but warmed back to her throughout the day (well as much as normal anyway) and by the evening they were both excited and wanting to do our traditions Santa snack ? reindeer food ? snowman and snowdog ? santa key ?prayers ? and we might of added another earlier A Boy Called Christmas a great film to get you in the mood.

We will have a great Christmas, it won’t be what we planned but it will be a great Forsters Christmas the ‘rona won’t spoil that we won’t let it!

So we are sat here, the kids have just “gone to bed” so he comes quicker, exactly the reasoning me and are kids used 40 odd years ago but we used to actually fall sleep apparently because we were up just after midnight on Christmas morning, lets just say now that I am split here yes go to bed because we need to do Santa but don’t go to sleep too early because I do not want to get up at 3am any day even if I di say earlier in this blog that your enjoyment is second on my priority list because that list will alter pretty fucking quick if I haven’t even gone for my 5am piss before you want me to get out of bed!!!

May do a Santas been blog later depending on the above timeline otherwise Merry Christmas!

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A Puppy

Reagan has become fixated on getting a puppy for Christmas, so much so that it’s all she talks about at times. It worries me that she is not getting a puppy for Christmas or ever really. She will be able to do what she wants one day but at 11 years old Jamie and I have not even given getting a puppy a second of thought we have just allowed her to chatter away dreaming of this puppy. Jamie has bought her a stuffed toy puppy as a “joke” but I am not sure Reagan knows how to take a joke when it’s based on her not getting her own way so we will have to wait and see how Reagan not getting what she wants for Christmas turns out?

I know she has it in her to be excited and grateful for anything she receives but she also has the ability to decide that not getting her own way means no-one should have fun and then you have to fuss her until you win her around. I sit here hoping Christmas day doesn’t descend into that? She has got so much stuff for Christmas I can’t wait for her to open it all because watching everyone open presents is my Christmas!

So tonight she formulated this plan to stay up as long as she possibly can so that she is extra tired tomorrow because she can never sleep on Christmas Eve and off to bed she goes to watch tv and stay up. Hopefully she won’t be able to stay up too late because both her and Lincoln are excited now and no matter how tired they are tomorrow sleep will be difficult lol

Anyway no puppy…

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Christmas Pony Party

I took Billy for a walk this morning marking time until DPD delivered 4 x monitors to allow me to finish off the install I started yesterday the rest of the family went to Reagan’s riding school for the Christmas party Reagan had been looking forward to it all week and talking about it incessantly all weekend (rolls eyes) but hey she loves riding and has stuck at it even when it didn’t go so well so deserves to enjoy the good times for that fact alone!

Mommy and Lincoln went to help out but on a cold foggy day they were happy to so but really glad to get home where I greeted them with a hot bath and a roaring fire plus homemade burger for tea

I am now sat watching the Bengals vs Denver on me own everyone else has gone to bed…

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Worrying about happiness?

Looking through photos for our The Forsters 2022 calendar the photos I am looking for are the ones where we are happy enjoying ourselves and it is a really good experience to look at this years moments captured searching for 12 moments that will portray that our family is living the dream. I have done this for a few years and its always been my thing and we then give the calendars as Christmas presents, and everyone seems to love them.

The fallout this year was how I felt afterwards and I can’t remember having these negative feelings in the past?

The feelings I am talking about is fear, fear that I am not doing enough for my family to make them as happy as they are in the moments all the time? I am aware that these thoughts are ridiculous (I hope) but they are the dark thoughts I have a lot of, at times, and it’s always about my families happiness and my responsibility for it! My happiness I feel comes a lot from them being happy and when I look at lots and lots of moments filtering those moments down to about 50 and then 12 makes me think life has to be always like those 12 moments and this makes me feel pressure when I look at the effort it takes to make those moments.

I worry that I have to try harder to make my family happy and I found myself asking the kids if they are happy as if they were going to give me the in depth inciteful answer I was looking for to put my mind at ease.

Reagan said: Yes I am going to drama club tonight, duh!
Lincoln said: Of course, schools finished, can I have a Coke…..please?

Tonight I made them happy, I made them both the teas they asked for and we sat and watched Strictly the food was good but the time we spent together was great I was hilarious OBVS! and we just enjoyed each others company. No photos no forced smiles for the camera but a moment made that will only ever exist in our heads (and here in this blog post) proof worrying is wasted time but I still do….?

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Just need the photo…

I remember taking the original photo but I don’t remember what they were waiting for, Mommy was not there maybe it was Mommy, anyway I took it and then each year I have taken the same photo each Thanksgiving. I hope I can continue doing this for many many years to come! I love these two more than they’ll ever know and watching them grow and become the people they are going to become.

  • 2014
  • 2021

They are both such beautiful happy people and I am so proud of how they are turning out.

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Thanksgiving 2021

Jamie added the Facebook post below and I just though no matter what I write today this would sum it up better

We had such an amazing thanksgiving and felt so lucky to be able to bring the family back around the table to celebrate together. A few people were missing and obviously my family is 5000 miles away but none are ever far from our thoughts and never far from our prayers. Thank you to all the well wishers today as well! I am endlessly grateful for my life here thank you so much Alan ?

I did today sober and it was made easy because I drove Dad Liz Uncle Karl and Nannie which I have said before switches a thing in my head and once that happens I’m OK ?

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Just who is Reagan Grace (Part 1)?

She’s my daughter and that alone fills me with pride and joy, just to tell people that fact. From the moment I met her I fell in love with her and that is still the case, I try to be a good dad to her but sometimes she can be so frustrating.

She’s mommy’s girl although they clash 10+ times a day Jamie would do anything and everything to make Reagan’s life a little bit better and prepare her life and I think my protective nature towards Jamie is my main reason for clashing with Reagan I just can’t stand her being ungrateful for all her mom does for her.

Reagans light comes on when she is riding horses

Horse Riding is something I didn’t think she’d take to, if I am honest, not because she wouldn’t enjoy it but possibly through lack of confidence. I know she can do anything she wants to do in life but maybe she doesn’t realise that at times? Mommy took her horse riding 3 years ago and she’s stuck at it and has become pretty good and loves showing us what she can do like trotting, cantering and her favourite JUMPING

Another thing that floats her boat is afternoon tea, she loves that whole spectacle and it makes her feel so grown up

She seems very popular at school and socially and is growing into a special human being who would do anything for anyone….so long as that anyone is not me lol

Theres so much more to her and I look forward to blogging about her again

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