Payton's Shower and Nursery

     Last Sunday, Liz hosted a baby shower for little miss Payton at church. It was absolutely lovely. She is already one spoiled little girl! Some people think that showers should not be thrown for second (and third, fourth, so on..) children, but I look at it as a celebration of a life. At Rylee's shower, we celebrated Rylee. At Payton's shower, we celebrated Payton. Every life is unique and deserves to be celebrated in some way whether big or small. It's almost like their initial birth day party...

      Payton is blessed with lots of people who love her and who anxiously await her arrival. She is loved so much already. I cannot believe that in a month (or less, if she so decides), I will have her in my arms! This pregnancy has flown by!

     She got a lot of great gifts at the shower, and I had great help opening them. 1 big sister and 2 big cousins were very excited to see all the stuff for baby Payton. They are all so excited for her arrival. No one better ever mess with her, because she's definitely got 3 guardians watching her back! :)

    Today, I finally got the chance to organize all of her stuff from the shower. Waiting 6 days to put her stuff up is completely unlike me, but it was a busy, crazy, tiring week. However, I did wake up at 6 am and get started on it today. I guess the nesting period has hit! Last night, I ordered her travel system and pack-n-play, so as soon as those arrive, we will be completely ready for her to be here!

     I love Payton's nursery. It is my favorite room in the house. I can't wait until she's in that room, and all her things are going to good use. I just go in there and think about her, and it makes me happy. I already love her so much, I feel so blessed that God has entrusted me with 2 precious princesses.

    I've been going to the doctor every 2 weeks, now, and after my next appointment, I will start going weekly. Payton has been growing right on track at every check-up. On Monday, I will be 35 weeks pregnant, and so far in this pregnancy I have gained 18 lbs. That's much better than the 40 I gained while pregnant with Rylee... Lol! If Payton decides to come on her own, my doctor said he is not going to stop her, otherwise she will be born via repeat C-section on September 25. I can't believe how close it is getting! I am so ready to meet you, Payton Joy!

Family Time and Airshow 2013

     My parents came into town Friday afternoon, and we spent the evening together at Liz and Brandon's house. Brandon cooked a yummy meal for us all, and we had a blast just hanging out and playing with the kids.

      Yesterday, we went to the Wings Over Hall airshow. This was our 3rd time going, but every year we bring more people along to enjoy it with. It was fun to watch the kids' reactions tot the planes and their stunts.

    The kids watched some, and played some, but they all seemed to really enjoy it. We adults enjoyed it, too. It's a great show and a nice way to spend an afternoon.

After the airshow, we went over to Mary and Bailey's for dinner. The kids had a blast making a tornado of Mary's home and being silly. They are so full of life and laughter. I love these 3 kiddos so much!

Back to School

      Goodness gracious, I think absolutely every part of my body is sore and tired, but I made it through my first week as a Kindergarten teacher! And it was fabulous. I already adore my sweet kiddos so much! Kindergarten is an entirely different challenge than first grade, but I think I am already getting the hang of things. The first day, I was a little surprised by how much I was going to have to teach these babies, not academically, but in terms of how to hold a pencil, how to use their supplies, how to stand in line, how to raise their hand, how to stay in their seats for more than 1 minute... etc. After I realized what all they needed to know and started working on it, it seems like this week got better and better. But it did WEAR ME OUT! I am glad it's the weekend. Next week will be the real challenge having all 19 of my Kindergartners there all day all week long. We phased in this week, so the most I ever had at one time was 10 students. I can only imagine how exhausting going to be to work with all 19 of them at once. Ah! But if I am tired, which I am, it is in the best possible way. The- I've been busting my rear doing what I was absolutely meant to do- kind of way!

     This sweet girl has had a fabulous time in the 3-year-old preschool this week. Last week, she moved back and forth from the 2-year-old room to the 3-year-old room and that made her very uneasy and unhappy. This week has been entirely different. She loves her new "big girl" class and loves her new teacher, Ms. Cindy. She also loves spending all day with Bailey, but she did inform me on Monday afternoon that she is sad that Kade "quit school." (He didn't quit, he just stayed in the 2-year-old room, but she doesn't see him anymore, so she is sad that he isn't with her.) I have been missing her something fierce, though. I don't even have a minute to stop and miss her while I'm with my students, but every afternoon, I am so glad to get her in my arms again, and every morning it hurts my heart to let her go. This morning, she ran in and sat down as happy as could be, and I left with tears rolling down my cheeks. Blame it on the hormones, but this adjustment has definitely been harder on me than on her!

Summer's End

    It's official today is the last day of summer, not the season, but the end of summer break from school. Teacher inservice begins tomorrow and students start back next Monday. We have had so much fun this summer, that it's sad to see it end. Last Saturday, we took Rylee to see the Jackson Generals play. We had a blast, and she really got into the game.

      Thursday, Liz and I took Kade and Rylee to Kid's Play in Germantown and they had an absolute blast. I think they would have stayed all day if they didn't get hungry. We played for 2 1/2 hours and then headed next door to Mellow Mushroom for some awesome pizza. It's days like that that made our summer so fantastic! We did so many fun things this summer, and I am excited about all the new experiences Rylee had.

    I have so enjoyed spending every single day with this sweet girl. Even thought it is sad to see summer break end, I am super excited to begin a new school year. The more time I have to prepare, the more excited I get. I am now thrilled to be in Kindergarten, and I really look forward to what this year has in store for me. I know that I am exactly where God wants me to be at this moment and I couldn't be happier. This coming week will be a bit hard, sitting through inservice, missing my Ryles, but as soon as I meet "my babies" next week, everything will be so worth it! I love working with children, and I pray that God works through me to bless these babies as much as they will surely bless me! :)

Summer Fun & Venting

     Yesterday, we took Rylee to the Ripley Tomato Festival and it was an absolute blast! There were great booths to shop and browse, lots of great junk food, fun music, and carnival rides. The kids had a ball. They rode so many rides including their very first roller coaster: The Dragon Wagon. I can definitely see a trip to Six Flags in our future. ;)

    Today, after church, Mary and I took the girls to see Monster University. They had so much fun. First, we took them to Pizza Hut and they pigged out on pizza and were being super silly, which was fine considering we had the whole place to ourselves. Then we headed to the movies, and the girls got a chance to play some arcade games while waiting for the movie to start. Once the movie started, the girls were perfect. They laughed and commented on what was going on, but otherwise were quiet and still. I could not believe how well they behaved, they must have REALLY enjoyed the movie! I must say, Mary and I enjoyed the movie as well. It was super cute!

    I've been having a bit of a hard time lately. I've been having a lot of anxiety and stress, and just feeling like no one really cares. A lot of my relationships seem to be shifting and I don't really understand why, but it's left me feeling a bit off-kilter and like I just don't know my place anymore.
     One thing I have been stressing about is moving grades at school: I am going from 1st grade to kindergarten this year. When I student taught, I loved kindergarten and was actually hoping to be able to teach kindergarten after graduation, but I got a job in first grade instead.I love teaching young children, so I know I will still be so happy with my job, but it's a hard time to change grades with me having a maternity leave this fall and everything. Between moving classrooms, trying to gather materials for kindergarten, and beginning to think about how to write leave plans for a grade I've never taught before, I'm a bit stressed.
     I am also pretty sad about summer coming to an end. Much of these last 2 weeks of summer break will be spent working on preparing for the upcoming school year, and then school will be back in full swing and things will get crazy again. I love staying home with Rylee, and would adore being a stay at home parent while my kids are young. I am thankful for my job, and I do feel a great passion and calling for what I do, I just feel like I could always teach once my children are school-aged and older, but I can't get back these early childhood years with my girls. I would sacrifice all the money in the world for more time with them. I like to shop for my girls, but they could do without material things in exchange for more quality time with mommy. If only...
    I find myself having intense anxiety about Payton. Things like birth defects, stillbirths, and SIDS make pregnancy and infancy very frightening. I have to constantly put my trust in God and his protection. I also already am kind of freaking out about sending Payton to daycare at 7 weeks old. I had to leave Rylee with family twice a week to go to classes at U of M when she was 11 weeks old, and it about killed me. I don't know how I'm going to leave Payton in daycare full time so young...
     But even on my worst days, my little family makes me so incredibly happy. I love Ryan, Rylee, and Payton so very much. For some reason, I just don't stress about adding Payton to our family at all. I am nothing but excited about her upcoming arrival. I know there is bound to be some jealousy from Rylee at first, but she is a great kid and she is a great helper. She already loves her baby sister so much; I know she is going to be wonderful with her. I cannot wait to have both of my sweet girls in my arms!

Fourth of July & Family Time

     This year, our fourth of July was almost as busy as Christmas, and we had a lot of fun. We started out by heading to my parents' house in Middle Tennessee to attend a Fourth of July celebration in Tracy City the weekend before the fourth.

     The celebration had a ferris wheel, bouncy houses, water slides, and all kinds of games and booths. The kids loved all the attractions. They played for a bit, and then we sat down to have dinner. After dinner, we browsed a few of the booths before heading over to the water to wait for the fireworks show to begin.

     Well, we waited and waited. The fireworks show was delayed so we ended up waiting for an hour for the show to begin, but once it started it was well worth it. It kept going and going and it seemed to get more beautiful with every shot. Rylee was intimidated by the loud sounds at first, but really loved the bright colors in the sky. After the show, we headed back to my parents' house to spend the night. The next morning, we went for a swim at a local lake. Then we headed home after lunch.

    Sunday night, we had our VBS wrap-up at Mary's Chapel, and there was supposed to be a fireworks show, but we had a scattered shower that lasted just long enough to cancel our show. So we headed back up to church on Wednesday night for Bible study and a fireworks show.

     Rylee still didn't care much for the noise, but was super excited about the fireworks. She just talked and talked, telling us everything that she saw. She is so observant and expressive, and I love to hear her talk about something that excites her.

     Thursday morning, we headed to Georgia. When we got there, we had a cook-out for the Fourth, then we just enjoyed the company. We were originally supposed to go to a fireworks show in their town, but it was canceled due to rain. However, the rain did let up for a while, and the neighbors decided to shoot some fireworks, so we watched from the porch. Rylee didn't seem to mind the sound at all this time. She has become a fireworks pro! :)

    The next morning, Paul took us on a golf cart ride. Rylee loved it! We saw 2 deer, some chipmunks, and various birds. Rylee was so excited about everything we saw. After our ride, we went to a local pizza place for lunch. They had a kid's combo that included a slice of pizza, an applesauce cup, and a drink. IT was like the combo was made for my picky eater! She ate her whole plate! When we got back from lunch, Rylee got a chance to pick fresh vegetables from Paul's garden. She loved the experience and seemed to be learning a lot about where we get different foods.

    After Rylee got up from her nap, we took her to the movies to see Epic in 3D. She loved it! She was completely still for the first half hour, then she started to seat hop, while still watching the movie. About halfway through the movie she lost her glasses and had to watch the rest of the movie without the 3D effects, but she still seemed to enjoy it. She talked about everything that happened in the movie the whole way back to Aunt Andrea and Uncle Phil's house.

    Saturday was our last day there. The boys headed to a gun show in Atlanta, and Aunt Andrea, Rylee, and I headed to a local toy store called Shenanigans. This toy store had it all, tons of toys, a pottery painting section, and an indoor play area! Rylee painted an owl for Payton's room, and then we headed to the back to play. Rylee slid, swung, played with a train table and doll houses, and jumped on a trampoline. She had a blast! Later, we went to dinner to pick up Ryan and hear about his day at the gun show and shooting range. Sunday we headed back home.

   Today, I really should've cleaned the house and gone grocery shopping, but instead I took Rylee to swim at Nonna's house because Mel and Austin are visiting this week. We had a lot of fun this morning, and now Rylee is napping. I feel like I could, too, but I won't. When she gets up, it will be time to get some things done... Fun, fun!

28-Week Dr. Update

    Today we went to the Dr. to check on Payton. She is doing well. Her heart rate is staying steady at 150 beats per minute. I had to take my yucky glucose test today. Thankfully, I passed and won't have to take another test! I gained 1 lb between this appointment and my last one, putting me at a total of +10 lbs. I am starting my 3rd trimester, so that means Dr. visits are becoming more frequent, and we are getting closer and closer to meeting Miss Payton!! She is a very active little girl so far during this pregnancy. I swear she never stops moving! I am also beginning to feel the joys of rib pain as she is starting to grow up into my rib cage. Another [not] fun pregnancy symptom I've been struggling with lately is roller coaster emotions. I cannot seem to keep them in check, but the people who love me will love me in spite of my craziness, right? :)

Rylee's 3 Year Check-Up

      Today I took Rylee to her 36 month check-up with Dr. Melton. She weighed in at 29 lbs and measured 38 inches tall. I cannot believe my baby is 3 ft 2 in tall! Her height and weight put her at the 25-50% for weight and 50-75% for height. She is growing perfectly! At this check-up she did a hearing a vision test, both which she passed with flying colors. They also did a routine screening for anemia, kidney function, and childhood diabetes. They said they'd call if anything was abnormal, but I'm not expecting a call. What impressed me about Rylee is she did not even flinch when they pricked her finger for the anemia test, and she peed in the cup for the kidney function and childhood diabetes screening without even the slightest bit of fuss. She is getting better and better about freaking out in unfamiliar or scary situations. My baby's growing up on me!

    Look at just how much she has grown and changed over the last 3 years! I cannot believe she is even the same girl as that tiny baby I held in my arms 3 years ago! She now wears size 4T in shirts, dresses, pj's, and jeans, but 3T in shorts, skirts, and swimwear. She doesn't wear pull-ups at all anymore, even for bedtime! She is 100% potty trained. See, I told you we'd have her trained by age 3! ;) Now that it's summer, she typically sleeps from about 9-7:30 and takes a 2-3 hour nap during the day. During the school year she slept from 7:30-6. It's funny how she still sleeps 10 1/2 hours at night, once I pushed her bedtime back, her wake time got pushed back as well. 



     Now let me take a minute to brag on her brain. She has always been smart, but her motor skills have always lagged behind. That is why I am so impressed that she can almost write her name all by herself! The only letter she still struggles with is the y. We started working on this the first week of June, and on the very first day she learned how to independently write the l and the e's. She wrote this on her birthday: Rolee. I think for how young she is and how bad her motor skills have always been this is absolutely amazing! This was the first Check-up Rylee has ever had where the Dr. said her motor skills were on level. She is finally catching up in that area! He also said her speech and vocabulary skills were advanced for her age. She seriously reminds us of one of those kids from the AT&T commercials that just ramble on and on when they talk. He said what makes her skills not just on level but advanced is that she starts up conversations on her own and tells complete stories, she doesn't just answer questions and respond when spoken to, which is what the appropriate speech of a 3-year-old consists of.

     After her check-up, I took her to Chikfila for lunch since it is her favorite place to go. She ate her lunch, played, had and ice-cream cone, then played some more. We were there for over an hour, but it was fun, and I love to see her so happy!

      Ryan was supposed to come with us today, but he decided at the last minute not to. I was disappointed at first, but it turned out to be a great mommy-daughter day! It helped that Rylee behaved perfectly all day. I didn't even get a tantrum when it was time to leave Chikfila. She came along, even though she clearly wanted to stay. You would have to really know Rylee to know why I keep repeating how impressed with her I am lately, but boy, has she come a long way this year! I am so proud of my big girl!