Ad Babz. Itz Boyz.

Winter footprint project

2012-02-09T15:43:00.002-06:00

I love doing footprint projects. Here's one of our newer creations.

How cute are these little tootsies? Caleb's is the smaller one. ;)

My superheros!

2012-02-01T13:35:00.004-06:00

Peyton is very much into batman. So much. This replaced his unhealthy addiction to Captain America. :) I'd compare the cartoon shows, but wouldn't want to bore you. Anyway with Captain America there was the shield. With Batman we have capes and bater-rangs (something like that) ours is a 20 foot string with a carabiner and a coat hanger attached. What a lucky child he is. :) Anyway, like all mothers in the past, I impressed my dish towels into service as superhero capes and these worked well; however, Peyton didn't like Caleb having the same size cape, so we then had to use a napkin. Then Peyton discovered his pillowcase made a much bigger cape than any towel and we were set. So here we are playing in the yard being the amazing mismatched superheros that we are. If only you could imagine the kids just running around and around in the yard, fighting those imaginary bad guys, with little winter hats just a bobbing.

Peyton and Caleb have a picnic

2012-01-11T21:04:00.003-06:00

So most days when I give the kids a snack it's same ol' same ol', but once in a blue moon they surprise me. Take this day for example. As you can see in the picture they are having a picnic. And not just any kind of picnic. They upturned all of their toy containers and placed their sippy cups and snack bowls on it and were sitting on the drawers of others. You might also notice they both have their own cell phone's at their place setting. So adorable. I don't know who started the idea but it was precious and they were having a wonderful time of it. Andy and I have been working together and praying that they will be not just brothers but friends. Friends who can play together and depend on one another. Mostly is it dark and at times ferocious. Then there are these rare moments and they are lasting longer and coming faster and I see the light dawning. It's beautiful.

PS Peyton is wearing his batman cape. It's his favorite.

Peyton playing with Andy

2011-09-06T21:43:00.004-05:00

I pull out the tunnel during rainy days so it's still fun and fresh every time. The kids love chasing each other in it... or running around in it... or pulling each other in it. One of the best times they had was when Andy got home and decided to play in it too.

What a minute, who's little feet are those?

And a little face. It's Peyton!

I think they both had fun. :)

Peyton and Caleb's New Year

2011-08-21T14:30:00.003-05:00

Most awesome hat ever! I think Caleb likes it too.

Those kids had so much fun.

2010 flashback

2011-08-19T20:45:00.003-05:00

What is a blog without pictures? Am I right? I could try to tell you the cute stories that go on hour to hour; however a picture can say its 1000 words better than I ever could write. So that being said all stories and blog posts have been suspended till the time I could remove the pictures from my picture taking devices. That's when it gets complicated. I got a new computer and it's apparently overwhelmed two of my cameras and then my phone software works only on a PC. So to get my phone pics to internet here's the process: take picture, move to card, insert into a bigger card, give to Andy, he downloads to his computer, it then is held captive until I pry it from his hands (very hard to do) and email myself the pictures.

So without further ado I give you late 2010 via photos:

First, Caleb had a ball. This is an old school play pen. It lasted longer than you'd think.

Then it snowed. Nothing stops us from playing with our trucks.

We had lots of tickle fights.

Oh and there was the one time when Caleb got horribly sick. While waiting for the doctor's office to open I alternated cuddling and taking pictures of the sweetest baby in the world.

More to come on our trip to South Carolina for Christmas! hehee eventually we'll catch up to present day. ;)

TTFN

Peyton and Caleb's Easter 2011

2011-04-26T12:42:00.007-05:00

So, I feel this Easter has been dragging on... and on. Not that I mind. I like the holiday; however we haven't done a formal Andy, Jae, Peyton, and Caleb Easter. I was a good mom last year and stocked up on the Target after Easter sales in anticipation of this year's Easter. Baskets? Check. Eggs? check. Easter grass that I will still find two weeks from now? Check. Cute age-appropriate toys for both boys? Check. Candy (groan)? Check. Now I'm waiting for a good time to pull it all out and celebrate. It's three days later, Jesus could rise from the dead AGAIN and we have yet to do Easter. We did have a delicious lunch at my parents and had an egg hunt there. I managed to get them to sit still long enough for some pictures:

This was the first attempt. Not bad. I wanted another just in case I could get Caleb smiling.

This is what I got after 4 more pictures. Yes, I'm done now, dad.

The horse was the biggest hit at the party (in my guestimation)*.Here Peyton is trying to fix it with dad's tools.
*Others might have differing opinions.

Happy Easter (... three days later), everyone!

Caleb turns one!

2011-04-25T20:28:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure just a couple days ago he was this:

But lately he's more like this:

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-12T14:17:00.003-06:00

Peyton's Fort

2010-12-02T12:16:00.003-06:00

We got a new addition to our backyard a few months ago. Peyton loves it. Thus far it has not just been for sliding. It's for hiding his cars and trucks under. He's turned it into a giant drum. Currently, it's buried under a HUGE pile of leaves. It makes it lots of fun to slide into, leaves fly.

Peyton Does Laundry

2010-11-23T13:10:00.005-06:00

Loving this weather! It's so wonderful... for laundry. hahaha On nice weather days I just use the little clothes line I strung up on the backyard. I've never studied up on how to hang laundry, I'm sure everyone probably has a different preference.

Peyton has a technique I don't prefer; however I love his enthusiasm and help!

I mean how are the clothes supposed to dry on the deck like that?! hahaa oh yeah and I'd have to wash them again. Peyton and I finally reached a compromise. I would sort out the underwear a
socks and he could put them on his table.

Here is Peyton standing by his work. Child labor never looked so good. Oh where was Caleb during all this you ask?

Hiding under the couch. Or did the couch eat him? Give me that baby back! He's actually trying out this crawling thing which always starts off by scooting backwards and inevitably ends with them in a corner or under the couch.

Peyton's Halloween Costume

2010-11-14T12:58:00.003-06:00

Peyton has had this costume for at LEAST a month prior to Halloween. He absolutely LOVES his helmet. Often he'll just wear it around... just cause it tickles his fancy. He also has a tool belt that goes with it, but the poor little kid doesn't have any hips to hold it up with so it just slowly... slides... down.... his legs.... till he trips or we fix it... and it starts... sliding...down.... again.
I also show this picture because this was taken just hours before he laid out his dinner in our bed. And by laid out I mean... well, I think you know what I mean. Gross. We never saw it coming. Now when I look at this picture I wonder... how did I miss it?

Peyton the Hobo.

2010-11-06T20:13:00.002-05:00

Peyton likes to pretend to sleep. Sometimes as you enter a room he's playing in you hear him whispering under his breath... hide hide... sleeping. And then as you enter he pulls out these HUGE snores. It's so cute. Lately, he believes that stairs are the place to pull this trick. I don't know where he got it from because Andy and I are certainly not catching a few z's in these places. He took it to a new level though, recently, when as I was doing laundry he pulls our towels out and uses it as a prop for his act. Never a dull moment around here.

Peyton's Most Embarrassing Picture.

2010-11-06T19:50:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure once he realizes how embarrassing this picture is he'll die, but I will defend it then as I will now.
My child is "mostly" potty trained. I'm so excited! I've tried a number of times between him turning a year till now trying to introduce him to the potty. Nothing. Then one day... I tried it again and he got it. It's like his brain was finally ready to understand! That and AMAZING potty treats. :) He will do anything for a starburst... or chocolate... or cookies... so would I for that matter. ;)
Anyway, this picture was one of the first days (I think second) when he was getting the hang of it. Anyway, I thought I'd put it out there for official documentation. You know... cause the internet determines officialness.

Also, please note the train shirt he's wearing. It's his fav. For those of you who aren't around in a continual basis, I want ya'll to see the shirt that WE see ALL THE TIME. All the time.

Caleb figures out the paci

2010-11-06T19:48:00.005-05:00

Caleb just loves his paci. It's his buddy. The paci is not always necessary infact 80% of the time he would rather be putting other things in his mouth. HOWEVER the ten minutes after his nap and half hour prior to his next nap the paci must be with in "eye"shot. Sometimes it goes AWOL and must be retrieved. I love being the retriever. It's what we mom's do, right?
It's a tough combination though. He's sleepy, he needs his paci, and oh dear... he's a baby with no muscular control. Oh he tries and tries to grab it... to get it in his mouth... to no avail. Oh the tired, frustrated, wails that occur again... and again... and again.
But AHA! He has figured it out!

"Here's my paci. Oh I love my paci. I would like to put this in my mouth. It doesn't go in this way."

"hmmmm I know I'm close."

"Oh there we go!"

Mama is proud.

Caleb's all ready for winter.

2010-10-20T14:04:00.003-05:00

Caleb's Morning Hair

2010-10-18T14:20:00.004-05:00

This kid's got some cRaZy hair. Sometimes it needs a little taming.

Caleb aka cutest baby EVER!

2010-10-14T20:22:00.001-05:00

I just want to EAT

HIM
UP!!!!

Peyton & Caleb playing together

2010-10-14T20:11:00.003-05:00

Haha Caleb's eyes crack me up. Very expressive. I think seeing a camera threw him off balance. Peyton and Caleb play so well together. Peyton loves this captive audience. He performs for him and interacts with him, but should the audience member choose to participate himself? Watch out. It's expected, I'm not shocked that Peyton doesn't want to share his toys. Even toys that I'm sure he doesn't remember playing with when he was a baby, P is Fiercely possessive over. So when I introduce such a toy to C it takes about a day of, "It's ok, this is the baby's toy. You have big boy toys. Can you show Caleb how to work it? Can you let the baby play with the toy? No, don't hit the baby with the toy. Don't swing the toy at the baby. That is the baby's toy." Then we're done. I don't know if I'm ready for C to start crawling, which I no longer control the toys... he does.

Anyway this is my boys playing together. Peyton is proudly demonstrating a beautiful duplo block bridge and tower that his dad made for him. It is a feat of beauty and engineering. Unfortunately, all creations have the same demise. Ultimately a plane will crash into it or just Peyton himself will grow tired of "bwige" and want "pwane" or "Twain Shashon" (Train station).

OH funny story about trains. My boys LOVES trains. We currently know of all the train shows that exist on TV and internet. He is now the proud owner of a train mat. We're committed. Anyway, he was watching his George episode and they started talking about training for a race and how George was going to be a trainer. Well, less than interested Peyton became VERY interested Peyton. He comes to me, "twain? twain? George Twain?" I told him there were two trains and one meant to work. He then asked me to turn on Chuggington (Disney's attempt at a train show.)

Peyton & Caleb's Canal Cruise

2010-09-15T07:41:00.006-05:00

We actually dared venture out as a family. I know, crazy right?!

Here's Caleb trying to eat the tickets.

We thought Peyton would love being on a boat (who wouldn't?) but he lost interest faster than we expected. We bribed he with parental possessions which worked for the most part till he almost launched himself out the boat which is when the kind tour guide frantically started pointing out the birds surrounding the canal. Sweet man.

Who's that handsome man??? It's my husband.... and then random boat people in the background.

Peyton's Pillow Fort

2010-09-07T15:32:00.004-05:00

Peyton loves forts... blanket forts, pillow forts, especially his new outdoor play fort complete with slide. I happened to capture a few pictures of him playing a pillow fort made out of all our couch cushions. I think he had fun.

Time to catch up on some things

2010-09-02T21:05:00.010-05:00

At least, I made our most important announcement already. Yes, we are now a family of four. Wow. Andy and I still can't believe it ourselves sometimes. We are blessed.

Life has not settled down, but we can anticipate things better. Being prepared sometimes is half the battle.

Anyway, here are four months worth of pictures and maybe some stories to accompany them.

Peyton got a golf set and it is a favorite outside toy of his.

He even let Grace (his adorable cousin) have a go at it.

He's been working on his balance and car noises (look closely at his face).

He ate his first ice cream cone. It took a long time for us to convince him that you could actually eat the cone. He had the cutest little ice cream goatee.

As you saw in the golf picture, he had a visit from his cousin Grace and they had a great time playing in the park together.

Andy and I took a trip to Williamsburg and enjoyed the pool there with the boys.

At one point Peyton got water on his face and he got out the pool and wiped his face. All on his own accord. It was one of those moments when I realized that he is growing up. Another was the first time he gave me a firm "NO!".

With our growing family came a larger stroller and Peyton was very excited about trying it out.

Peyton has also discovered his love for stickers. It has saved many a car rides and it is so adorable how he covers himself from head to toe. He even shares sometimes.

Then there is our new one. He's a gem. Here are some favorite pictures of mine.

Peyton's New Brother!

2010-08-08T21:03:00.004-05:00

April 20, 2010 Peyton's World changed forever. He got a new brother!

Peyton's Night Night Partner

2010-04-28T14:15:00.002-05:00

The best way to get a kid to sleep is set an example.

Peyton's Tantrum

2010-04-16T20:34:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure what thing set off Peyton (there could be millions), but I happened to have my camera when it started so I snapped a couple pictures of it in progress. Oh and notice his AMAZING shirt. ;)

Peyton and Mama have a disagreement

2010-04-07T13:34:00.002-05:00

My child sometimes sleeps. Often the more tired he is the less eager he is to indulge in such a luxury. I think he's afraid that I'm going to do something amazingly interesting without him, he's in for some disappointment later in life.
Nap time usually occurs between 11:30 and 12:00. There are occasional things that take us off that track and there in lies the rub (thanks Shakespeare).
On this particular occasion, Peyton didn't get a good nights sleep and then got to nap time around 12:30. I figured my child would be passing out as we walked to his bed... no... not so much. It took an hour to get him to settle down, but he finally did. When he summoned me to come get him up after a good 3 hour nap I realized what had kept him so quiet...
Tore down his curtain
Broke his blinds
Took off his shirt
Took off his pants
Took off his diaper
Took off his socks
Peed a nice big puddle on all his bedding
To name a few...

Peyton's Life

2010-04-05T19:03:00.009-05:00

We wake up and come downstairs and while I make coffee and breakfast, Peyton attempts to entertain himself. One of his favorite games is to take the cushions off the chairs and make towers etc. Andy sometimes joins in if he has time before running out the door.

After breakfast, we head upstairs and get dressed. Lately, Peyton likes doing it all himself... including putting on his own butt cream.

Then it's playtime! The best time. Sometimes he organizes his toys...

Sometimes we must figure out what makes a toy tick...

Of course, there is ALWAYS reading books... the stairs are his favorite spot.

Then at the end of the day we always have to talk our day over on the cell phone. Position doesn't matter.

Love this boy.

Peyton in the Park

2010-03-10T13:50:00.008-06:00

I love that my newest post features a mostly sunny day in the park with Peyton in short sleeves! It is a far contrast to the snow day we have featured below it. ;)
Yes, we've had a wonderful string of precipitation free days and the last three have been in the upper 60's which has me forcing Peyton (or vise versa) outside whenever we are not eating.

We spent an hour at the nearby park swinging on the swings, sliding down slides, and the other 80% of the time stalking a dog.

The owner actually said that she always knew where the dog was, because she could always find Peyton's yellow shirt in it's vicinity. I was glad to be of help. Peyton had a couple close calls with the dog peeing because it would squat which would enable Peyton to get close and then he would try to squat which once ended in a loss of balance. Luckily the dog had been marking it's territory for a while before we got there so there wasn't much being produced. Many of the pictures featuring the dog and Peyton will have him imitating the dog. Hence the squatting.

Peyton's Snow Activity

2010-02-19T21:08:00.003-06:00

As I've posted before Little boy loves to do anything cleaning related and this goes for outdoor activities. So what do we do when we go outside? Sweep snow! The snow was pretty deep, in fact I'm pretty sure snow would have engulfed him, should he have stepped off the stoop. Anyway, as a completely smitten mother of her first child I'm going to dutifully post more pictures then I should of him playing in the snow... with the broom.

Peyton does NOT like his snow boots

2010-02-16T14:35:00.002-06:00

Virginia rarely gets snow. I mean maybe a token amount once a year, but on the whole no big snows. So last year when we got a big snow in March we weren't prepared with winter gear for Peyton (plus we'd just moved from Texas and gloves and hats are more for looks). We bundled him up like a 7 layer burrito and took him out. He could barely move but sat in the snow for a few minutes before he got bored. My mom being amazing at foresight bought him winter boots at a black Friday sale. I kinda snickered because I figured the next snow we'd get he'd be asking me for the keys to the car and would have long outgrown those boots. We did try them on him with much the same result as this video shows. Fast Forward to now and as I write this I think we're on our 4th measurable snow fall of the season. After avoiding the first snow fall we were unable to escape the boredom of the next so we decided to dress Peyton up purely for the entertainment of it. Poor kid. Despite all the tears and screams and histrionics you saw, once in the snow he was ok with it. He'll even put on gloves now because he knows he can pick up the snow with them. He won't wear them on general principal though. So for the record, he now DOES like his snow boots.

Peyton hiding

2010-02-15T20:34:00.003-06:00

Sorry the pic is alittle dark, but I took it on my cell phone and the lighting was low. Anyway Peyton and I were playing in his room and he got it in his head to pull all his little animals from the lower shelf of his changing table and crawl into that space. I'm not sure if he was trying to be a stuffed animal himself or just hiding. I'm thinking the latter. He hasn't tried it in recent days as he prefers hiding behind the glider where we can join him.

Peyton's 2009 Halloween

2009-12-19T09:59:00.004-06:00

Peyton was a frog from Halloween and it fit him perfect, I was surprised he even let us put that hood on him! I think he liked it and just the other day he tried to pull it out to sleep in. For Halloween, our church put together some great stuff for the kids to do which was lots of fun for young and old. I've never been in nicer porter potties either. Deluxe. Anyway there was a special section for just the younger kids so that was primarily where Andy, Peyton and I stayed. We tried our hardest to get him to play in the jump jump but Peyton wasn't having any of that. I think we ended up going on one "activity" and eating and socializing for the remaining two hours. OH we did ride the train and hayride. Peyton did great during those, too!

Peyton in the Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T11:51:00.013-06:00

My favorite scarecrow!

Walking into the pumpkin patch.

Waiting to be picked up for the hayride.

Trying to measure him, but he was more interested in looking at the giant pumpkin.

Who doesn't love a moon bounce? Peyton will look, but not touch.

He loved sliding down the slide! Always a favorite with him.

Going to see the goats! We loved the goats. He just looked and looked at them and squealed every now and then.

On the hayride back. I know from Peyton's look you'd think we were going 40 miles per hour zooming down the lane, but it was a pretty slow pace.

Peyton's Toy of the Week

2009-10-26T19:19:00.002-05:00

For the record (which this is, right?), we've had this truck for... oh gosh since I dropped it and broke it at Once Upon a Child... That would be about five months ago. He's played with it off and on, but this past week it was all he wanted to play with. As you can see in the pictures he loved pushing it around like he does his bigger trucks and even trying to ride on it, which I thought was completely precious. I hope ya'll do too. I laugh. Ya'll. People read this right?

Peyton the Helper

2009-10-23T19:40:00.003-05:00

I might have mentioned in previous posts how much Peyton loves to clean. Seriously, he does. I take out the broom he fights me for it and then spends 10 minutes swinging it around the kitchen. Then he pulls out the dustpan and runs it around the floor before attaching the trashcan with it. At that point he gets distracted with the top part that swings and he plays with that and might even pull out an old chip container or bag of some sort. This is good because it gives me just enough time to do the actual sweeping done and all accessories put away and he forgets all about it. Who doesn't get distracted by food though?

We could go on about how Peyton will beg for the vacuum to come from the closet so he can play with it and mess with the switches and push it around... or watch me push it around... Or how he'll grab an old rag and pretend to wipe the floor... and every now and then he will actually pull out his toys just so he can put them back into the toy chest. What a gem!!

This picture is of him and his latest obsession. The dustbuster. I might also call it my own obsession as well. I've never had one until the last couple weeks when dad gave me one of his and i must admit Peyton and I could be entertained for a good half hour with it.

Peyton in Williamsburg II

2009-10-16T15:03:00.003-05:00

We loved walking thru Old Town back in March. It was so quiet and peaceful. We truly felt like we had the place to ourselves, hence some of the goofiness involved in some of these pictures. Here are some of the highlights:

Williamsburg

2009-10-15T10:15:00.003-05:00

Has it really been a month since I last posted?! WOW. I have been better about taking pictures AND I finally found my camera cord so I can post pictures long trapped inside. Here's one of my favorite from the past. I'll post more tomorrow. This is Peyton and his Grandpa getting ready to face the fierce winter of '08 (kidding it wasn't actually that bad, it just looks like it from how we've bundled him up).

Peyton's Night Terrors

2009-09-15T12:24:00.002-05:00

I'd say he's been having night terrors since he was 7 months old. It's almost always triggered by him being overly tired and occurs about one to two hours after put to bed in that condition. Once a month or every other month is the usual pattern so luckily for us it's not a nightly occurrence. You can hear in the video clip that he's crying hard and loud and it continues for eh 2 to 10 minutes. You can't wake him up because he's sleeping so hard and I've found it's best just to make sure he's not constrained in his crib and to keep putting his paci in his mouth whenever it falls out.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet!

2009-09-14T20:11:00.004-05:00

During the summer we discovered the two pair of PJ's that we had for Peyton wouldn't suffice, hence the homemade pair and a splurge at Walmart one night. We were torn, Batman or Superman??? We finally went with superman I forget why, but Peyton is so cute in his outfit with fake abs and flowing cape!

Keeping me guessing!

2009-09-14T19:58:00.002-05:00

I was playing with Peyton this afternoon which lately involves him inverted some how and swinging. Which is when I saw it- a glimpse of white! I pulled him on the couch and checked his left canine tooth. hmmm definitely suspicious and keep an eye on... AND THEN I saw it... a MOLAR three spaces back coming through. He does have more than four teeth! Then I checked the other side (Could he be so lucky??) and another FABULOUS molar proudly making its way. Both are about halfway exposed. *sigh* I'm so happy.

New PJ's for PJ!

2009-08-19T20:23:00.002-05:00

So I was getting tired of not having enough summer PJ's for Pugs. Usually I'd just put him to bed in his diaper and all was well, but it still felt like I wasn't doing enough (who makes these rules, I don't know). Anyway, I've been reading all these blogs on mom's who either make their kids clothes or refashion old shirts to make a cutie little jumper or something. I will add that most of these clothes are all for girls. Boys just aren't as much fun. Anyway, inspiration struck one night. I had an old sheet of Pugs that I thought was so cute, but it had a big baby poop stain on it so I didn't want to use it again. I cute it up, sewed it up, and voila: pj's for PJ! I even put the initials PJ on it too! They do look like scrubs though. Here are some fun shots of him in them.

Forked!

2009-08-17T13:17:00.004-05:00

The Sunday morning started like any other. I woke up, Peyton woke up, we got dressed, ate; and then Andy woke up. Somehow with this schedule we still are all ready by the time 8:15 rolls around. Just like any other Sunday Andy goes out I follow and lock the door. Only we are stopped in our tracks. Something is different today. Something... oh yes, there are little plastic things growing in our yard. Forks to be specific. Great Value Forks according to the package left on the front stoop. Then a quick glance for anything else unusual (toilets, sofas, etc). Our car, got some decoration as well, no forks, just general love messages; I love J.; I love Andy; Just married; I love CHBC; and I love Jeus (apparently that was misspelled on purpose).
When could this have happened? Certainly not when Andy and his two brothers were keeping watch just 20 feet away? Sad to say, but it is true.

Happy Birthday Peyton! (three months later)

2009-08-13T16:33:00.006-05:00

Peyton had a great birthday party. It was at my parent's house on Saturday afternoon. We had lots of family and friends there. First, me and Andy. Then Andy's Family: Wayne, Anne, and Ryan; My parents; Shuford and Celeste; and Jerry and Ellie made an appearance as well.
We had pizza, crudite' platter, and of course Ukrops cupcakes. This was fun/significant because these were the same cupcakes that Andy and I had at our wedding. They are so yummy (they just melt in your mouth) and the perfect portion.
Peyton got wonderful presents and love from family across the country and he's played and worn them all.

Andy and His Little boy

2009-06-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

Everybody on Three: Aaaaaaawwwwwww. :)

Summer Watermelon

2009-05-27T10:12:00.005-05:00

Peyton had his first taste of watermelon and I think the pictures are enough to prove that he loves it!

There's a Peyton on my Hamburger

2009-04-09T12:44:00.002-05:00

I can't spoil this picture with words.

Peyton's Routines

2009-04-06T15:48:00.002-05:00

Peyton is having fun discovering his new "home" and it comes with more stuff to figure out the use. When he gets a new item, it automatically goes into his mouth (nothing shocking there) and then in our old home he would drag it over to a stone patch by the door and knock it against it and repeat. Now in a new home here's the new routines: if he's downstairs he will take it to the stairs and then bang it on them and then climb up the stairs with it. Obviously this is under supervision. Once upstairs he likes to take it to the bathroom and if the toilet is open it is then baptised. If it's closed (general practice now) he'll just bang it on the top. If the object originated in the bathroom then we do the toilet routine and then it gets to swim in the tub. This picture is of an ambitious day of "Peyton-ifying" bathroom objects.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-25T08:18:00.006-05:00

I tried to do a themed photo shoot with Peyton and I never realized how many pictures needed to be taken in order to get a decent shot, my props to Aunt Deb, Queen of amazing children's photos.

Peyton's First Snow

2009-03-08T16:17:00.002-05:00

Peyton's Valentine

2009-03-03T13:01:00.003-06:00

So I realize it's been over a month since I last posted. I must apologize for that and offer the excuse that we moved. I know a few people say that they've heard every excuse and that you can always do what you should do, but I hope there is more understanding amongst my blog readers. With the moving several things have occured: our computer is in a box which I cannot locate or reach, my camera cord is in a box which I have no idea what it looks like or locate, and for a while Peyton was sleeping in the computer room which means you can't work on the computer while he's playing or while he's sleeping which pretty much covers 99.9% of the time. Our need for the computer is so great, that we furnished another room for him so we can use it. Amazing how necessary a computer is in our lives, now. Anyway, even with our new location St. Valentine managed to find Peyton and he got his first Valentine's day card. He Loved it almost as much as I did. I have included some pictures of him "loving" it. haha

I had to get a cameo in there.

Checking for the Hallmark.

Dibs.

Peyton in the Park

2009-02-01T17:38:00.004-06:00

Andy and I walked with Peyton to a park down the street. And when I say down the street I mean a mile and a half. Peyton did great, Andy kept asking if we were there yet. Kids. Once there, we had a great time swinging on the swings, sliding down the slide, and bouncing on the bouncy animals (caterpillar and horse). Peyton liked it all, I would say he loved the swings best, especially when he discovered the metal chains on the sides. The animals were close because he could eat the handlebars- not exactly healthy or safe. :P
There were many ducks and swans which I think are required for all parks, right? haha Anyway the surrounded us at one point and then when it couldn't get chaotic enough, they took off. Seriously, I thought I would get a duck in the face... but they apparently have better direction than I thought.
We can't wait for more park play dates!

Do you like my hat?

2009-01-30T09:28:00.002-06:00

The weather actually broached 32 degrees here in Texas so we had to get out the cold weather gear... only to find out that we really didn't have much in that regards for Peyton. Luckily we can practically see Target from our townhome (it was actually a selling point for us). We tried out a couple and here are the two finalists... I'll let ya'll know who won tomorrow. :)

Peyton Waving

2009-01-25T11:18:00.004-06:00

The other day we noticed Peyton starting to wave at random times. He sometimes waves on cue, but usually it's when he's really happy, almost like a dog when he wags his tail. It is such a charming little wave and I managed to capture it so you call could enjoy it as well. Here is Peyton being fed by Andy and I'm secretly filming him. Again I warn you, this is pretty cute.

Peyton and the big box

2009-01-23T23:02:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Aunt Kitty and Uncle Mark for the BIG box that not only contained presents for the Huff family, but was a present into itself. :) Peyton had lots of fun playing in all the packing paper, banging on the sides and lid, and sitting in his own little room. This box now contains my china so it is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks so much!

The Tunnel

2009-01-22T17:07:00.003-06:00

I've slowly been packing to prepare for moving and so our book case is getting more and more empty. This book case by the way is amazing. Just exactly what Andy and I needed in this room. Anyway it's so big that you can play peek-a-boo around it. Now that the books are gone Peek-a-boo doesn't have as much Peek in it. So now we pass through it like a tunnel and Peyton loves it. It's the perfect size for him and as you can see... it's just adorable.

My One Christmas Picture

2009-01-22T08:31:00.003-06:00

We have some great Christmas pictures... I promise... however time and situation have prevented me from obtaining them so I will post the one I have. We had a great Christmas and Peyton was completely at a loss as to what to do. He would tear off a piece of wrapping paper and that was all he needed or wanted to do:) More gifts for Andy and I to open!

So much in ONE video!

2008-12-30T09:20:00.003-06:00

This video is Peyton in a nut shell... he could be SURROUNDED with colorful toys that rattle, roll, and light up, but what does Peyton want to play with(?) the house. This includes but is not limited to: spoons, cups, stairs, chairs, electrical outlets, and trash (we LOVE the recycle bin). This video is his new find. Also as you keep watching you can see his humble beginnings in crawling as he tries to figure out how his legs work in all this and how his rear does hold him back sometimes. :) I love this little boy.

Now attempting the stairs, Peyton James!

2008-12-30T09:12:00.002-06:00

I'm behind. I know. He's actually climbing the stairs now, but this picture was taken when he first discovered them in his crawling expeditions.

Even 7 month olds know what to do with Presents!

2008-12-10T22:19:00.004-06:00

Somehow Little Boy found his way under our Christmas tree to the one present I had hidden in the corner and started to unwrap it. It's now safely out of his reach... I wish I could put everything out of his reach... I wish I could live in a place without furniture... or corners... or hard floors... what would that leave me in what- a cloud? hahaa

Too tired.

2008-12-07T16:58:00.001-06:00

There have been times where Peyton will wake up from his nap (crying of course) and by the time I make it up the stairs he has fallen back asleep. In this photo's instance... he must have been crawling and just crumpled in an exhausted heap to grab another 15 minutes of shut eye.

New Sparkly Toy!

2008-12-06T09:32:00.003-06:00

We got a new toy to encourage our new crawling "skilz". Here's a couple videos of Peyton's first reaction to it put in front of him.

Winter Wear

2008-12-03T13:25:00.004-06:00

We had a couple trips up north scheduled (Indianapolis and Tennessee) so we tried out some Winter outfits on Peyton. He did well, but this last picture was him celebrating being free in his usual romper.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T10:10:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We definitely were reminded of a couple things to be thankful for... first and foremost HEALTH! Not just the health of ourselves, but also those in our care. Poor Little Peyton got hit with a nasty stomach bug (which i thought was some formula not agreeing with him) and he was down and out for about 12 hours while I attempted to keep food/liquid down him. Unbeknownst to the rest of us he was being used to transport this virus to the rest of us. So we (that would be 5 in total) got it the days following.

As an update on Peyton in general though... he's CRAWLING! It started with swaying on his hands and knees to then backward progression (I can't count how many times did I found him in the corner of his crib or halfway under the couch) to like a little leg dance and then him falling forward... and FINALLY hands going forward and knees following. Just this morning he hunted me from the living room to where I was in the kitchen washing up some dishes. He was soooo proud of himself. Little bugger.

Just getting in the Christmas Spirit!

2008-11-18T15:16:00.001-06:00

Little boy all grown up!

2008-10-31T13:22:00.001-05:00

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Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:13:00.002-05:00

I found a fun little nick nack at Walgreens last year for our pending bundle of joy... and now he's here and gets to use it! I see no resemblance whatsoever between the two, however.

Texas State Fair!

2008-10-24T09:54:00.002-05:00

We had so much fun at the fair and Peyton did great. It definitely messed with his schedule that day and the next but it was a fun family fun day! We got to see the bird show, the aquarium and of course the car show. Honestly, they looked like the same cars from last year, but I'm sure Andy would say otherwise. hahaa We had a feast of corny dogs (not just corn dogs i guess) and fried oreos. I've heard so much about them that I guess reality just couldn't live up to it. I don't even know what I was expecting but it was good, but not mind blowing as many had suggested.

Dedication Prayer

2008-10-22T21:52:00.001-05:00

Here's the prayer that Brian, our Family Minister, prayed for Peyton. I wish everyone could have been there.

Knowing that all life and every child is a gift from our creator God, Father we thank you for the gift of Peyton James. May Peyton James see that Jesus his creator is Jesus his Savior and run to Him for life and help and peace. May he as a gift of Jesus himself carry the message of Jesus, this gift of life and help and peace to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

Peyton's first Picnic!

2008-10-18T10:10:00.003-05:00

The weather has been so gorgeous lately that I really wanted to have a picnic. So I grabbed a blanket and we hit a local park. The park left much to be desired (it looks so much bigger on paper then in real life); however there was a table and shade so a picnic was had. Peyton had fun (he told me later) and it was good to get him outside the house.

Screeching

2008-10-15T14:13:00.002-05:00

Hey mom! MOM!

2008-10-09T17:07:00.002-05:00

I know Peyton is ready to get up every morning and after some naps by him kicking out a morris code type message to me via his crib rails. Actually I think he truly is amused by the fact he has this power over sound. Either way it's nice to go into a baby's room when he's happily entertaining himself then crying out in saddness. Oh, and check out his hair, he is making thousands of baby models jealous across the country for his naturally mohawkish do.

Dr.'s Visit!

2008-10-03T16:44:00.002-05:00

What a big boy we are! Peyton had his 4 mos check up today and was FABULOUS! I found out alot and I know ya'll are curious to see how he's tracking so here are the stats:

Weight: 16 lb (75%)
Height: 26.5 (92%)
head: 55% (I forgot the measurement)
shots: 5 (they wouldn't let me delay....)
vaccinations: 12 (So much he needs to be protected against)
He took it like a man some crying but he was finished as soon as they were. He did bleed a little on the last shot, but it wasn't bad.

Waiting for Huffman

2008-09-19T12:17:00.004-05:00

So the other day was just GORGEOUS weather and so I had all the windows open and was just letting the air circulate around us. It was so wonderful, I miss being outside all the time so this was a nice alternative. Anyway, i was at the upstairs window letting Peyton look around and check things out, which he loves to do, while we waited for Andy to come home. So here we are waiting for the man.

Waiting...

Waiting some more ...
Looking...
There he is!

Me and My buddie

2008-09-17T15:35:00.003-05:00

Ok so fun with the outfit continues :) I thought it looked a bit like an outfit that I have for a cabbage patch doll so I thought I'd do another dress up time (see cowboy outfits in an early August Post). Here the little guys are just hangin' out. I'm beginning to master the art of getting a baby to smile while holding a camera. I wish you all could hold little boy! He's such a happy baby (until about 7 pm then it's all down hill from there).

How much do you love your doggie, Peyton?

2008-09-15T12:50:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, Peyton has lots to say. He's recently been pouring his little heart out to his new dog friend (name suggestions?). Here's a short clip of him talking and blowing raspberries at it. :)

This should be illegal

2008-09-13T20:39:00.004-05:00

So we had a fabulous friend of ours give Peyton this uber cute outfit and it came with a hat. Well, you can't give us mom's something so cute as that and not expect a few pictures out of it... so here's Peyton in a hat being ghetto.... as ghetto as you can get as an infant. I think he likes it! ;)

This was one of those 1960's leave it to Beaver type hat style.
Finally, we have it all together correctly. He's such a cutie!

The Slaughter

2008-09-11T14:49:00.003-05:00

Since Peyton has gotten back from the beach he has become more interactive with the animals on his bouncy chair. I was impressed one day when I discovered that he had torn the giraffe from it's Velcro and was happily chewing on his tail. Since then I think he's taken it as a challenge to get all the animals down. Usually the elephant is the last one hanging in there... until Tuesday. I have a picture of the slaughter from where he has removed everyone and is looking up at me like "yeah I did that, now what?" I LOVE THIS LITTLE BOY!

Here's Peyton Raving about his new exersaucer!

2008-09-10T22:47:00.002-05:00

2008-09-04T16:40:00.002-05:00

Peyton's love for his exersaucer grows minute by minute. Little boy LOVES it therefore Jae loves it. If you asked him (and he could talk) what he liked best about it he would say... the monkey, no, the purple dinosaur, maybe the icecream truck, NO the monkey I like the monkey best... yeah... definately the giraffe. hahahaa :)

A New Vol is Born

2008-09-03T13:52:00.003-05:00

We got him all decked out but still with all that the Tennessee Volunteers still couldn't win the game. Luckily Peyton kept it in perspective and didn't let it get him down.

Peyton Snoring

2008-08-25T14:09:00.003-05:00

Little boy has the cutest snore! You might need to turn up the volume.

Oh Brave New World!

2008-08-22T15:20:00.002-05:00

So our little boy has been forced to find entertainment where he can. I think our lack of toys has driven him to discover his feet. :) He might also be taking a cue from his cousin as she is equally fascinated with her extremities as well. I noticed yesterday morning that he was beginning to play with his feet and this was late last night while I was getting him ready for bed. I know it's completely normal for him at this stage to be doing this, but I am right in the journey with him as he figures out this world in which he's landed. He is following in my footsteps as with my parents and the people before them to the time of Caine and Able being babies and I am as Eve watching her babies discover their hands and feet. We are part of something so much greater and yet we have joy in the moment.

Two Teef!

2008-08-22T11:11:00.003-05:00

So I know I speculated with some of ya'll as to whether Peyton is teething or not. I know I teethed late, but Andy is a mystery so I can't predict Peyton's possibility or not. Peyton never was a big drooler, but since the beach he's been a drool MACHINE! Anyway that's not hard and fast evidence of possible teeth so we go to the next piece of evidence. I once saw during a big smile what I thought was the tip of a tooth hiding under a small skin of gum. But I haven't gotten to see it since. It could have been some coagulated spit up or just my imagination. As I've said, it's much like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. It's all speculation... UNTIL last night. I was in the right position apparently and Peyton gave me this huge smile and displayed not one, but TWO little icebergs! Poor little guy! So we are officially teething. Andy and I spent most of this morning trying to get him to smile big enough for us to see it... finally I pulled down his lip (no judging!) and could see them in his gum line. What a good little boy!

New Toy!

2008-08-15T15:07:00.003-05:00

I know I've told some of ya'll about this new toy that Peyton got from his Grandma. He LOVES it! (not as much as mirrors or TV but it's close) It has a light on the inside that lights up when you move it and the little arms are great for gripping and eating. I thought this picture was good to show how possessive he is over it. Also notice the football clutch he's got going on.

Bumbo Skills

2008-08-13T18:58:00.003-05:00

You can see he's getting better and better at his sitting skills. Each day he sits taller and his grip is stronger. It's amazing to witness the daily growth. I love watching it. This last picture is so much fun because when he was first in that outfit we had to cuff his sleeves and it was just huge on him, and now he has a sever case of high waters. Love ya'll.

Random Cute Picture

2008-08-07T10:25:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Peyton and Andy. My current mental picture of Peyton is this photo moment for some reason. I think it's because he was so happy even when we carried him around, even by his armpits, he was smiling and cooing at the world. Little happy baby!
I'm beginning to like this type of "outfit" for Peyton. The cloth diaper's are very bulky and tend to make him both both longer and wider than his onesies. Or no,w as I have discovered, I can put a shirt on him and not worry about it! I love my onesies though.

Splish Splash

2008-08-06T10:29:00.002-05:00

We had a good time bathing Peyton the other night and I think he did too. Usually he gives us that scared horse eye, but he really liked it. After we dressed him up in his new bathrobe complete with froggie slippers. I absolutely love the look. If I could take him around with me like that I would. Have you ever seen a child in public wearing his bathrobe? I'm intrigued.
Andy was off this morning to do a video shoot with DTS. He's the new "fresh face" of the recruiting video or something around those lines. I'm so proud. I just hope the fame doesn't get to his head. ;) My child is currently taking a marathon nap in his bouncer and I can't believe my luck! Thanks for reading and I'll try to keep you "posted" - get it... cause it's a blog...post. *jae makes a silly face*

Soooo I woke up this morning

2008-08-05T14:36:00.003-05:00

What a wonderful gift this morning that Peyton had for me. I thought to myself... this is just too wonderful to keep to myself, i must share it on my blog... so instead of cleaning him, I took a picture (and then I cleaned him).

July 13, 2008

2008-08-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Peyton has had an interesting week. I think he's adjusting well to his new role as "baby" (see PH smiling) and we are getting more and more used to his "I'm getting upset and you'd better figure out what it is" warning signals. Much of the time we can decipher it before anyone gets too upset (see PH crying). As you can see he's cute even in the middle of a "spell".

We had an eventful week. Now that he's more on a schedule I can take him places easier and know when it's time to bail out. Last week Andy and I abandoned Peyton for the second time (we left him with our very reliable friends Jeff and Nikki) and went to see Wall-Eeeeeeeeeeeee (hahaha). All reports said he did fine.

Peyton has upgraded his life in a new bouncer which is is happily cooing in right now (PH 002). Another upgrade was my new cell phone which I caught him with and that guilty expression on his face says it all (PH 001). When he does occasionally feed from a bottle he now likes to be involved as well (busy busy little hands... always doing something) so he holds it now (PH holding bottle). Last night, Andy and I went to our favorite sandwich place called Which Wich (think about it) and we choose Peyton (PH 003).

Lastly, I have to put a picture of me and Peyton in here. Nothing too special about it, only that we both look mostly decent. hahaa (PH & J)

June 27, 2008

2008-08-03T16:36:00.001-05:00

This has been an exciting week for us here. Peyton is learning to make noise so we've got some cooing going on when we aren't looking. Andy even got to hear him laugh one night. I'm waiting for my turn. Andy says I'll cry when i hear it for the first time. :) he's smiling alot more too... not so much on command though. All around he's been a pretty curious kid. He's got alot more facial expressions going on as you'll see in these pictures. Enjoy!

PH- wake up: My two men Saturday morning waking up and getting ready for a fun day. First we...
played on our new rings (PH- rings) and then tried out the bumpo (PH- bumpo) we still aren't quite strong enough for it. That was exhausting so we had to get a drink of water (PH-drink). We finally got Andy his father's day present (PH-give). So here's Andy thrilled to get it (PH-giving) and Peyton trying it on... he still has some time to grow into it (PH-model). Then they went to sleep (PH-sleep). What a day/week! :)

June 14, 2008

2008-08-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

I hope you have been having a great week. I hear the east coast suffered through some hot weather these past few days. We've had good enough weather that Peyton and I were able to get out in the early mornings to do somethings outside. I've attached some pictures of the fun we had this week.

The first set are of when Peyton and his friend "mike roscoe" dressed up like cowboys. They had a good time, but as you will see in his last picture titled "after" we did suffer the effects of all the fun.

On Wednesday we did some Gardening and Peyton kept me company and held the tools while I worked our "plot". These pictures are entitled gardening.

Thursday, we went on a long walk (it was .25 mile) but I'm still walking pretty slow and couldn't help but stop to take lots of pictures. This time I tried to put myself more in the pictures since our life isn't just Peyton, right?! These are entitled Walk.

Lastly, we got a fun gift from "grandma Karen" I "caught" him opening the gift and "looking" to see what he got. It was an adorable duck sleeper outfit which of course we had to try on... and decided we need a couple more weeks before Peyton will fill it out properly.

I love you guys, I hope this coming week goes great. i take requests on pictures so let me know if ya'll have ideas.

June 7, 2008

2008-08-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let ya'll know how our 3rd week of babydom has gone along. I would say it started with dad taking a trip down to San Antonio and College Station and leaving Andy and I unsupervised for a couple days to see how we would fare without extra help. We survived but it did make me realize how much an extra pair of hands (or just an extra lap) makes daily tasks easier. Unfortunately, dad had to officially leave on Wednesday afternoon. I've attached some pics of how things have progressed.

PH- Squashed face: is his new favorite sleeping position on the boppy. I've 86'd the pillow for future sleeping though.
PH- booboo: Friday we went to the Dr. and had to get another blood sample. :( First time I've had to sit through him being intentionally hurt.
PH- CUTE: this morning we went to breakfast in our new outfit (after the picture was taken he spit up all over it and the carrier so we had to change).
PH- & andy: cute little bonding moment between father and son.

Hope ya'll had a good week as well! Stay tuned for another installment (of course in promising this it probably won't happen, but at least you know my intentions!)

May 30, 2008

2008-08-03T16:08:00.001-05:00

I hope this finds ya'll well, I just thought I'd send along some pictures of Peyton that we've taken these past two weeks. :) We're having a great time getting to know each other and watching him get stronger every day (and FATTER- what a little chunk). Andy is putting together the changing table as i write this and Peyton is sleeping in his crib for the first time. enjoy!

Friday, May 16 2008 8:17 pm

2008-08-03T15:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome Peyton James Huff!