Halloween 2014

     This year I let Rylee Love pick her own costume for the very first time. Her original choice was Princess Peach from Mario, but that was hard to find and was going to end up being expensive, so her second choice was Elsa from Frozen. Of course, that meant baby sister needed to be Anna. I knew a lot of other little girls would be dressed up as Elsa this year, but it didn't matter. I think I had the most beautiful ice queen and little princess of them all. ;)

     We started our Halloween fun last Saturday at Mary Chapel's trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun. The kids got a ton of candy, and there were bouncy houses and a hayride, too. The weather was nice and the company was nicer. :)

     This week was drug free week at school, so Rylee Love got to dress out of dresscode every day. Our theme was staying drug free all year long, so each day was a different holiday. Of course, today was Halloween, so the kids were allowed to wear Halloween shirts or black and orange to school. Payton had her Halloween party at daycare today, and it's the first year she got to participate since last year she hadn't even started daycare yet on Halloween, plus she would've been too small to participate in a party anyways.

      After school, I got Bailey, Rylee Love, and PAyton dressed up in their costumes and we headed to meet Mary at the Ripely Square to trunk or treat. It was really nice, and there were lots of people giving out candy, but it was COLD. The wind was blowing and it was too intense for us, so we went around quickly and then headed to the cozy warmth of Nonna and Granddaddy's house. Liz and Brandon and Kaden met us there, and the kids had a blast playing together at Nonna's house. Of course she spoiled them with goodies. That's what Nonna's are for, right?!

     After we left Nonna's we headed to Granny and Paw Paw's. Matt and Amber and Jenna were there. It Rylee Love and Payton had fun playing with Jenna for a bit until Payton got tired and cranky. Granny gave the girls way too much candy, but again that's what Grannys are for, right?!, and then we headed home.

   IT has been a VERY long day. After trying to keep 20 hyped up kindergartners on task all day, and then our Halloween festivities tonight with the girls, I am wiped out. Tomorrow we are headed to my parent's to celebrate Thanksgiving since it was the only weekend in November that worked with everyone's schedule, so I better get some rest before another very fun but very busy day tomorrow. Good night!

Fall Break

       We have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our fall break this year. It started Friday with Fall Festival at RPS. Rylee Love said she had a blast and I had a kind friend to send me a few pictures of her enjoying the festival. Then after school, I took Bailey and Rylee Love to DQ to get some ice cream to celebrate the beginning of Fall Break. The girls talked and laughed and enjoyed their treat. It was a nice way to begin our break.

     Saturday morning, I caught up on housework and let Ryan catch up on sleep. Then we dropped the girls off at Nonna and Granddaddy's and headed to Jackson for a date night. While we were getting ready for our date, I made a slight change to my hair color. I like change especially when it comes to my hair. Anyway, we had some much needed alone time, and the girls had a blast being spoiled by their grandparents. I'm beginning to realize that date nights are a win-win. I used to feel guilty for leaving the girls, but now I know they enjoy those nights just as much as we do. It's harder for me to leave them after working all week, though, because I simply miss them and want o spend time with them. But when it's a break from school and I know I'm going to get a lot of time with them, it doesn't bother me so much to spend a few hours away from them.

      Sunday morning we went ti church. Then we headed to Liz and Brandon's for some family time. My parents came to visit and the kids had a blast playing together and playing with Grandma and Grandpa.

      Monday morning, I got up and got the girls ready for Fall Pictures at daycare, but neither of them would cooperate for the photographer, so I gave up. We ran a few errands and did a little shopping, then we headed home. When we got home I was able to get one cute shot of the girls in their matching outfits, so I felt better about them not doing so well at daycare. Tuesday, Grandma and Grandpa came over to spend a little bit of time with the girls before they headed back home. Rylee Love made Grandpa read to her for the entire morning, and she even impressed him by reading to him. She is getting so good at reading. I can't believe how well she's caught on to it.

       Wednesday, we met up with Liz and Kaden and headed to Union City to the Discovery Park of America. It was really neat. The kids really enjoyed all the exhibits and baby Payton enjoyed taking in all the new sights. Rylee Love went down a slide that was a story tall. She amazes me how brave she is. She said that was her favorite part, but I know the pumpkin patch was a close second. She ran the pumpkin maze at least a dozen times. After we got back from the Discovery Park, we headed to our town square and took some pictures of little miss Payton. She is such a pretty little baby model.

      Thursday, I did crafts with the girls. We started out by painting pumpkins. It was Payton's first time finger painting, and she loved it. She wanted to paint everything. She coated her entire pumpkin with paint, she didn't want miss a single spot. Rylee Love preferred to use a paintbrush. She was much more intentional with her painting, which of course would be expected since she's 3 1/2 years older than little sissy. After we painted pumpkins, we made feet ghosts and hand turkeys to hang on the fridge for fall. It was a lot of fun. I enjoy being able to do things like this with my girls. I wish I had more time to do fun little crafts with them.

      By the time we were done painting and cleaning up, it was time for lunch and nap time. While Payton slept and Rylee Love had some quiet time, I got some school work done. I ended up working on school work until after dinner, but at least I know I'm completely caught up so hopefully I won't have to work late playing catch-up all week. I want to be able to spend as much time with my girls as possible. Friday, we woke up and it was rainy, so we decided to have a lazy day at home. The girls and I played in their playroom, read books, and snuggled and watched cartoons. It was a perfect day.

       Saturday, we took the girls to Chuck-E-Cheese. It was Payton's first time and she had a blast. She tried to help sissy play all the games, and she loved the little rides. After we were done playing, we went to steak-n-shake for dinner then headed home. It was good to spend time together as a family. Today we went to church, and it was a really great sermon. Brother Ryan was preaching about the differences between being a fan of God and a follower of God. God doesn't want to be our #1, He wants to be our EVERYTHING. I had never heard it put exactly like that, and it was a really moving service. We had 2 people come to Christ, and that is always the best feeling, to watch someone give their life to Him. It was a good way to start this week going back to work.

      I am sad that Fall Break has come to an end. Little breaks like these make me realize how quickly they are growing up. A lot has changed in the last 10 weeks since summer break ended for us, and I hate feeling like I'm missing out. I love what I do and I love every single child in my class, and that is what keeps me going. I just have got to do my best to get my work done and get home when the school day is over so I can have the best of both worlds. These girls will only be small for such a short time, there definitely isn't any time to waste. I am thankful for the memories we were able to make this week. I love, love, love spending every minute with these two precious girls.

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?!