Another One

Another awesome quote from my daughter:

Discussing her going grocery shopping with me.

Payton - "Mom, I don't think I want to go, everyone will just stare at me."

Me - "No one is going to stare at you Payton."

Payton - "Mom, they always stare at me because I am so cute"

Many people have said she is cute, none have said she is humble!

Heavenly Wisdom

Laying in bed with Payton the other night:

Payton - "Mommy, can you tell me what heavenly wisdom is?"

Me - "Well, you know what wisdom is right?"

Payton - "Yea! Good math"

Gone Fishin'

We took a fishing trip the other day. Didn't catch anything but the kids had a good time. Wyatt kept saying in the beginning "EAT FISH!?" So cute.....

Payton wanted to sing to the fish. She was trying to figure out if it was actually working.

Her First Concert

Let me give some background to this post. On a visit with my mom last year Payton asked her Grammie who was on her shirt? It's Brad Paisley Grammie answered. Payton wanted to know all about him and why he was on a shirt. She even drew a picture of the cowboy. I tried to send it to his fan club but it was returned. When Mike heard Brad was coming here we decided to go. I mentioned this to my mom over the holiday. Well Payton overheard this and wanted to know if she got to go. Ooops! As it turned out my cousin who was supposed to watch the kids caught a stomach bug and wasn't going to be able to babysit. So instead of scrambling to get someone else we decided Daddy would take his little girl. Not that Payton listens to country music, and truth be told probably not a place for a five year old. But seeing as Mike needed a date and it was Brad Paisley we thought why not? What I didn't know was that Bill had come through and gotten back stage passes! Score! So Payti was able to meet the man she wanted Grammie to introduce her to! They had so much fun. She hung in there, got herself a Brad tshirt, met the man and didn't come home until midnight! Quite the experience.

Ready for the show!
Backstage with Brad

The morning after - tired eyes

Playing her guitar, which we had to get out of the shed. At one point she was upset because she couldn't get "Ain't Nothing Like" the way Brad does it!

And by the way - the autographed 8x10 is now framed on her dresser! And she is going to be a rock star when she grows up! She promised to get us tickets and even back stage passes for us!

My Little Pack Rat

My daughter has what I would call a weird sense of attachment to, well, almost anything. A sticker on the floor of the classroom came home the other day. She gingerly pulled it from her pocket with that "you're not going to make me throw it away are you?" look on her face. She saves the straws from her juice boxes she gets at lunch - she pretends they are birds. We were constructing things with play dough the other day when she begged me to save a butterfly I had made. I relented, then she begged for the bear I made, then the duck. She explained to me that she gets sad when she makes "friends" with things and then has to get rid of them. So now all three sit atop my "treasure ledge" above my kitchen sink. A few days later while playing mega blocks she announced she didn't want to take apart the castle she just made. Then forlornly said "you know the feeling I get mom!". Yes, the castle is still perched on her book case awaiting the day it can be dismantled and put away. Mike made her a snowman pancake this morning - I was worried she would make friends and refuse to eat him! (She did eat him, only after I took a picture of him) The other morning before she would eat her breakfast of peanut butter toast she had to draw a picture of the smiley face she had formed it into. I have a girlfriend who still laughs when she remembers the story my husband told her husband - Payton had a bowl of grapes she insisted were a family and would not eat them nor let me throw them away. Her reluctance to get rid of anything sometimes worries me - what will her room look like at college? One day at a time I guess - or one "treasure" at a time. I guess the saying is true one mans trash is another little girls treasure!

Guess Who Has a Big Sister?

Wyatt giving his baby a new diaper. He did not want any help.

Wyatt has been making "toffee" for us. We stir, he tells us it's hot and even cools it off in the toy fridge. (well he uses the microwave)

Not sure how Daddy feels about pink tea sets and babies. I personally think he will be well rounded. Right?

A Little Reading

Wyatt doing a little reading with me.

All God's Children

We recently decided to pull Payton out of public school. Her kindergarten class was, well, let's just say not what I was expecting. I struggled with the decision. I volunteered in the classroom once a week and each week would leave with a heavy heart. I just did not feel comfortable leaving her for seven hours a day surrounded by chaos with a less than loving teacher. But would pulling her out of a classroom she had grown used to be worse? I visited a christian school that Mike and I had toured in July. First we decided to leave her in public school until first grade. Then I volunteered again. I just couldn't do it. I decided to bring Payton with me and let her visit the class and see how she responded. My daughter is very social and pretty much easy going (well, minus the dramatics that sometimes unfold!). We opted to pull her out mid year. So after Christmas break she started at her new school. There have been a few meltdowns, usually at night when she is exhausted. And of course I have been agonizing over whether we made the right decision. No doubt she will get a better education but I just wasn't sure if it was too much change for her.
Well - God spoke to me today through my little girl. When I picked Payton up today she was so excited, the music teacher was telling the class that if they pray and invite Jesus into their heart that they will be her sister or brother. I explained that yes, we are all God's children. She understood as much as a five year old can. And then the greatest thing happened - right there in the car on the way home, while her brother napped next to her my little girl asked God into her heart. Then she went on to tell me that she likes "this new Christian school and can I keep going here?" Thank you God for reassuring me in my time of doubt as a parent. Tonight my heart is overflowing with blessing........

Uncle Bill

If Wyatt was taken with Grammie than I would say the same for Payton and Uncle Bill. I am sure Payton misses his personal touches he added to pretend play, and most of all his Frederick voice. Come back soon!

Uncle Bill arrives to much fanfare

Ride em cowgirl

Uncle Bill pushes way higher than Mommy, I was told I could "go now Mommy"

Payton's Christmas present to Uncle Bill - a print of artwork she made

Helping in the kitchen, making the famous pie crust

A stroll along the beach

Catching a ride

Look, she's a UT fan and doesn't even know it

Payton loves her Uncle Bill

Winter by the Beach

Gammi

Grammie was a favorite over the holidays. From day one it was "Gammi". He sat with her in the car and did pretty much everything else at one point or another with her as well.

A trip to the beach

Wyatt's favorite game - hide and seek (Grammie was held captive in the closet for quite a while)

Helping unwrap a Christmas gift

Crafts - Grammie was the best, she let him use scissors!

Baking Christmas cookies

Relaxing after Christmas dinner

Just sitting

Being silly

Wyatt requested another "piture gammi"

It's been a week and Y will still say "sit gammi" when we get in the car. And just the other day he asked "gammi go?". Now, after talking on the webcam it's "see gammi!" each time I sit in this chair. Someone is smitten......

Holiday Baking

Ok - I know I am ridiculously late in holiday posts, but probably like the rest of you I am just now sitting down to actually look at the hundreds of pictures I took. All that family togetherness left little time for anything else. Which is definately how the holidays should be. So be patient with me, as I spend probably the next week sharing my favorite Christmas moments from 2008. One of them is the tradition of baking sugar cookies for Santa (and yours truly - mom and I love em thin and brown with lots of icing!) This year was doubly fun because Y got to participate. Mind you, we did the full batch while he napped. We saved a little ball of dough for our boy. He loved it!
What was great is that he didn't realize that he could eat the frosting. I remember Paytons first experience - she immediately licked the frosting and it was over after that! He was just happy creating.

He could have played with that dough for hours! He really enjoyed using the cutters and placing the cookies on the pan. I have a future baker on my hands!

Payton's turn

She insisted on wearing her "caroling" dress to bake the cookies, promising me that she wouldn't get it dirty. Well we ended up not caroling (her idea to go, her idea to cancel) and she did in fact flour up her dress. Makes for the cutest picture though, and of course it washed right out.

This year Payton meticulously placed the cutters to cover the entire space. My mom would say she has good spacial something.....

This is my favorite holiday tradition. I bet it is one of my moms too. The kids get to do something my mom did with me. I love the holidays....

Time to Say Goodbye

We took Mom and Bill to the airport today. The 10 days went way too fast. We got used to having them around. Uncle Bill woke up with Y for an entire week! And Grammie was his constant companion. Not to mention having 2 extra people to occupy Payton, who constantly needs a playmate. Of course the adult company is also nice! So it was with a sad heart we dropped them off at the airport. Wyatt had fallen asleep since it was nap time. However, we weren't a mile away when he awoke saying "Where Grammie?" So Mike turned the car around so he could say a proper good-bye.

Here he is after spotting Uncle Bill and Grammie. They were greeted with a big HI!

Walking through the airport with Grammie. The whole way home in the car he kept saying "sit grammie" (he was in the third row with her the entire stay) followed by "grammie, bill, bye bye". I wonder if he will call for Grammie in the morning? Hugs and kisses - we already miss you!