Weekend Fun

     Friday night Bailey and Mary came over for a slumber party. It was a lot of fun. We ate pizza, played Mario, and the girls had a blast. After they went to bed, Mary and I watched old One Tree Hill episodes. It was a lot of fun.

      Saturday morning, Mary had to work, so Ryan and I took all 3 girls to the Fort Pillow Park. We played and played. We ended up staying for just over 2 hours. It is fun going somewhere we don't go a lot because everything seems brand new to the kids.

      Rylee Love and Bailey hit the ground running and were climbing and sliding and swinging the entire time. They played their hearts out!

      Payton was unsure at first, but once we took her shoes off, she went to town. She climbed and played just as hard as the big girls. She even learned how to get on the slide by herself and sit so she could go down. Of course, there was always someone nearby to catch her at the bottom! I couldn't believe how she was playing, though. It seem unreal that she is so grown.

      When we got back we had 3 very tired girls. We had some lunch and then nap time ensued. Rylee didn't seem to be feeling very well after her nap and she had a low grade temp, but she woke up fine this morning, so I guess she was just over tired. I woke up with a sore throat and sinus gunk and a temp, so I stayed home from church while Ryan took Rylee, and Payton and I caught up on some much needed rest. We had such a fun weekend, it will be good to have a lazy day today. Then only 5 work days stand between me and fall break!!

It's Official: She's One!

      I hate to say that it's true. Payton Joy is officially one year old. She came into this world on September 25, 2013 at 5:18 pm weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 19 in. long. She has grown so much in a year's time and I'm sad that it all flew by so quickly!

     I took the day off today to be with her and take her to the dr for a check-up. I scheduled Rylee's flu nasal mist for today so she could stay home and spend the day with us as well. It's good to have a day off every once in a while. We had such a great day. The girls had pancakes for breakfast. Then we played and played until it was time to leave for the dr.

      Payton's check up went well. She is 21 lbs, 8 oz and 28.75 inches long. Her development is right on track. Her cognitive, language, and motor skills are all appropriate for her age. She still wear size 12 M clothes, size 4 diapers, and size 3 shoes. She is almost ready for size 4 shoes. She sleeps from around 7 pm- 6 am each night and takes 1 or 2 naps per day depending on how she's acting. She is talking up a storm and is such a little goofball!

     I felt bad that Payton had to get shots on her birthday, but she cried for less than a second and was laughing as soon as I let her off the table. We went to Chik-fil-a for lunch and Payton and Rylee ate their fill, then had a blast playing. When we got home, Payton was worn out. She took a good nap. When she got up we played and played until Daddy came home.

      When Daddy got home, we gave her the gifts we got her for her birthday. She played with them for over an hour. I'm so excited she likes them. It was so much fun to watch her explore and figure out what each toy could do. I can't believe how grown-y she is!

      For dinner I made her favorite: spaghetti! I think she only loves it because she an make a huge mess with it. But she is so stinking cute when she does it, it doesn't bother me one bit. After dinner, Rylee sang happy birthday to Payt and we ate cupcakes. Yum!

       Then Rylee ate some ice cream and of course she wanted to share with the birthday girl. I am so glad Rylee was able to spend this day with us and celebrate the anniversary of her sister's birth. She is such an amazing big sister to Payton. I never could have imagined that they'd be this close right off the bat. It is so precious.

       Payton thinks she's grown now. She wants to do everything the big kids can do. The sad part is she can do a lot of what they can do. She is very determined and when she sets her mind to doing something, it will be done. She loves to ride. She got lots of ride-on toys for her brithdya and she has enjoyed them all.

      She is also getting more mobile. Last week, she tried to climb up the slide at the park. And today she was standing up unsupported and clapping her hands. She is close to being able to walk, but who knows how long it will be until she does it. If she's anything like Rylee, she won't walk until she's good a ready.

      My baby is ONE! I can't believe it, but I'm excited to see what the future holds for this precious girl. She has already brought so much joy into our lives and the lives of everyone she comes in contact with, I cannot wait to see what she becomes. Well, I take that back: I can wait.... Why can't babies stay babies forever?!

Payton's First Birthday Party

      Yesterday we had Payton's first birthday party. I am so sad that this time has come already, but her party went very well. She looked absolutely adorable in her tutu outfit, and it seemed like everyone had a really good time celebrating the anniversary of her birth.

     She was so cute while opening presents, she had her cousin helping her with the unwrapping, but she kept wanting to stop and play with her new toys rather than keep opening. She got so many good things, she has been playing with her new toys nonstop today. Her favorite gift was a crawling Minnie Mouse. She kept saying "hot dog" which is what she calls Mickey because of the "Hot Dog Dance". She clapped for Minnie every time she would crawl and she has still been doing that today.

     After presents, the kids took turns hittign the pinata, until fianlly it was opened and then I gave out goodie bags. The kids loved the silly glasses in their goodie bags, and they sure made for cute photo props.

     I save the cake for last because I knew it would be messy, and it was, but it was a lot of fun watching her enjoy it. She ate quite a bit then she wanted some cheetos, I guess she was tired of the sweets.

     After cake, she definitely need a bath. She just smiled the whole day. I am so glad she had such a good time. I know babies don't understand much about their first birthdays, but I could tell she knew it was a special day and it was all about her!

    Rylee Love was such a good big sister throughout the party. She has been talking about this party all week. She really wanted to make sure Payton had a special day. This led to a minor meltdown when Rylee wanted Payton to open the presents in a certain order, but it only lasted a second, and she was right back in the action making sure baby Payton had the best of everything. I love the way she loves her sissy and I could not be more proud at how thoughtful and generous she can be. Nonna surprised her with her very own gift after the party was over. She really deserved it!

      Payton Joy's birthday is Thursday, and I cannot believe how the time has flown. I am so excited that her party went well. She deserved the best because she has definitely given us our best year yet! We love you to the moon, Payton Joy! Happy, happy birthday!

It's September!

     I know I haven't been the best about blogging lately, but OMGoodness, August in teacher-land is pure chaos. I am glad August is over. Now hopefully the craziness will slow down a bit.... Well one can hope! The weeks have been crazy, but we've tried to pack as much fun into the weekends as possible. The weekend before last, we spent Saturday swimming at Nonna and Granddaddy's!

      Unfortunately, I spent that Saturday night with Rylee in Urgent care with high fever and sore throat. Her fist case of strep throat! Luckily the antibiotics got to work quickly and she was good as new before long.

 Last weekend was Labor Day weekend. You know I love a 3-day-weekend! Saturday morning, I spent some quality time with the girls while daddy slept in. Rylee wanted me to give her some make-up. It was a lot of fun. Then we made breakfast and woke daddy up so we could eat as a family.

    After breakfast we headed to Memphis to start shopping for Payton's birthday presents, and then we headed to the mall. Payton took her first carousel ride! She had so much fun. She was giggling the entire time! And then Rylee wanted to jump. She is so brave!

     Sunday we went to church and Ryan and I had a much-needed date night. Monday, we spent the day swimming at Nonna and Granddaddy's and then enjoyed a delicious dinner with them and Granny and Paw Paw. It was a beautiful day.

        Even though this was the first week of September and a short week, things definitely did not slow down. I love what I do, but with all the programs and strategies and things we are supposed to implement each year (sometimes it seems like each week), it's hard to keep up. It did not help that Thursday, I had to leave school less than 10 minutes after I arrived because Rylee had a stomach bug. Luckily, it was short lived and she spent most of our sick day sleeping while I tried to catch up on school work, and we were able to return to school on Friday.

      Today, we had a restful morning. I spent time playing and cuddling with the girls, then after lunch they napped and I worked on school work a little. Then Ryan took Rylee to the Dyer County Fair and I stayed home with sweet Payton Joy. I had so much fun being here one-on-one with her. She is growing up so fast and I feel like I'm missing so much of it. It really breaks my heart. But a night like tonight was good for me. Now she is sleeping peacefully in her crib, and I have a little bit of alone time before Ryan and Rylee get home. In a mommy's life alone time is few and far between, so I am gonna enjoy my time tonight.