Happy Anniversary Grandpa & Grandma Payne!

Happy Anniversary

Grandma & Grandpa Payne!

You are wonderful examples of what it means to love, accept, cherish and never giving up on one another. We love you so much and the family you have and continue to raise (never ending process right?)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Spoons

Tate is learning to use utensils. He loves spoons and forks and actually loves using them while eating.

Ok, it's still a work in progress :) "A" for effort!

House Re-model Update

Ahhh I breath a sigh of releif as I look around at what has been a long process, but boy is it beautiful! There is still more to be done, but my house is beautiful. Not so clean or organized but to me it's very lived in and did I mention beautiful!? I'm just so happy!

John's schedule at work changed on March 1st. He now works 5 days a week, his shift varying between 7-4, 8-5 and 9-6. Before the change the other therapist owe'd John an extra day off and so he took a 3rd day and spent Tues-Thurs putting the finishing touches on our home. He had a March 1st deadline (that he gave himself) to get everything done...on the main level inside the house. :) There's always something to work on isn't there? It's what a homeowner does.

He worked hard and I'm proud to say doors are painted and hung, trim is painted and hung, all the windows are framed in and all but the 3 kitchen are painted and we bought our 1st blinds (that aren't paper/temporary) since moving in almost 6 years ago and hung them. I no longer live in a fishbowl.

Upon finishing this window John made the comment to McKenna

we'd been wanting to change the trim and the curtains

on this window since the day we moved in.

We've come a long way baby!

The only thing left is carpeting the stairs, a couple of drawer & cupboard fronts in the kitchen and fixing trim upstairs and in the bathroom. Then it's the personal touches in the way of decorating.

Thank You John and all the many friends and family who have helped to create such a beautiful place to live!

Where's the Sun?

It's 58 degrees outside, but I have to tell you it doesn't feel 58. There is no sunshine, and a slight breeze, sadly it feels more like fall than spring. Where is the sunshine!? It was out last week and so I snapped a few shots of the kids out playing and enjoying it.

These are my goofy girls-Bike Time!

There's a little LOVE Here!

Green Thumb/Valentine's Day

Here's our Valentine!!!

The Sunday before Tyler's birthday Tyler's nursery lesson involved planting a corn seed in class. Although the 1st seed sadly fell with Tyler down the stage stairs on the way to Sacrament meeting, her teacher gave her another one and Tyler is THRILLED it has grown. I myself am very surprised. We watered it a couple of times during the week. 2/15/10-1 week's growth

2/28/10-3 weeks growth 6"

Family Home Evening-Music Appreciation

The girls wanted John to pull out his Guitar Sunday night and Family Home Evening evolved with Music Appreciation and the influence of music was presented. The girls then put on a show for us. They are wonderful singers and I love that they love to sing!

Lil Miss Tyler-Happy Family

Lil Miss McKenna-Twinkle Little Star

Tate doin what Tate does best!

Stylin' McKenna

McKenna is by far my styling girl. She loves clothes, especially ones that are new to her. She gets pickier with them after she's had them a few weeks, but she shines when she's got her groove going on.

Showin off the new Cat in the Hat Backpack she got at school Yesterday for Dr Seuss Birthday

Loven' the hat

McKenna is learning to jump the rope. She's getting a little bit closer, each time the sun shines for about 5 minutes at a time. :)

Why I Love Little Girls

With Dad at home working this week the girls had a little party of their own. Tyler received a Princess Shopping game for her birthday and so we set up shop and they "bought" their dresses, crowns, tea party stuff and picnic stuff. Then they set up for a picnic tea party in the dining room with their Baby Belle and Cinderella Dolls. SO cute!

Tyler was taking her own pictures-She's a lil mini Me

Cars

This evening in desperation to get Tate distracted with something so I could make dinner I found a car we'd recently found in a cereal box that you pull back and it goes. Tate was fascinated and in Love-it's nice to see him actually playing with a toy. He usually doesn't have much interest in them. I guess why would you when there are so many other things in the house to discover.

Vroom, Vroom!

Just making sure it's NOT food

The Tot: Out of Commission

Thought my rantings and ravings would spare us from any further sickness, but apparently it's not that year. Poor Tate came down with a cold about 10 days ago. He seemed to be getting better and then one evening (Wednesday) I found him with a Fever and he became quite clingy wanting to be held constantly. The next day the fever lingered and he became lethargic, I also noticed he had developed a horrible smell, which emminated from his head: bad breath but also his from his ears.I spent another day or two texting and talking with his pediatrician and we decided to wait a day or two.

Saturday when the boy became unbearable: screaming, crying, stopped eating and sleeping we called Dr. G, his Good Pediatrician who went in with John to take care of his double ear infection. He did a little better, but on Monday we put him on antibiotics and it was determined he had viral tonsillitus (the antibiotics were for the bacteria/to help with the ear infections). Things have only gotten better since then.

Looking back there were only a few things that would make Tate happy at times: His Binki, Blanket & Mom holding him, McKenna & Tyler and their funny faces, playing Peek-a-boo, and playing with the Pots and Pans and kitchen utensils. Such a funny kid!

Soo happy to have my Baby Boy Back! (Despite all the energy and emotion/passion he holds).

Princess Party

Tyler had her big 3 year old Princess Birthday Party today. Both girls, well actually the Girls and I were very excited for it, Tyler especially for her "friends" to come. Both girls only have 1 or 2 girls their age in their primary class at church and so we invited all of Tyler's friends to come: Cheyeanne, Kinley & her sister Mya, Evoni & her sister Teagan.

I felt ambitious and made her a cute little princess cake. (Thank you Ebay for accessories that cover any mess-ups that I don't want to admit to).

Tyler LeAnn turns 3

Tyler turned 3 at 1:50 am-and we all Happily slept through the moment. Although I love Gilmore Girls and the thought of calling your child at the exact time they entered the world, 2 am is not mine nor Tyler's happy time. Tyler's happy time is generally 20 minutes after she wakes up until she falls asleep. She is such a happy child who thrives on the happiness of others, especially her family. She loves to share, see you smile, hear you laugh, and give you big hugs.

We woke up and found a letter from Dad to which she hugged the paper in joy. She then opened a birthday shirt to wear for the day. After opening a gift from her cousins she spent the morning singing her love of birthdays and anxiously waiting for her Dad to come home so she could open the rest of her gifts. There was a 20 minute time period when I was dealing with a meltdown from a sibling when she then informed me she didn't like "angry" parties and then proceeded to pretend to call her Papa on a plastic phone and tell him that she didn't like angry parties-is that considered tattling on me to my dad? I thought I'd outgrown that kind of thing.

Once Dad finally made it home and we had dinner we called our grandparents and had a party via phone & the webcam. I don't know that they enjoyed it as much as we did, but I'm so thankful for technology and the extra singing voices.

Tyler was Thrilled with her gifts-pink hot chocolate, candy, new dress, book and 6" twin baby dolls in a pink backpack. (McKenna was still trying to talk her out of one of the dolls and the backpack after we tucked them in bed).

We are thrilled to have Tyler a part of our family, at times she seems so much wiser than her 3 years. Tyler brings such joy to our hearts, she is always quick to remember her Heavenly Father and continually strives to maintain peace in our home.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Cooking with the Payne's-Feb 1st Part 2

Happy February 1st!

I don't know how or why it happened, but I've become quite the celebratory person when it comes to the Holidays. After the Christmas Decorations came down the girls and I immediately put up our Cardboard Conversation Hearts (which never got past my bedroom shelf last year).

This evening John was working late as he does on Mondays and was scheduled to be gone most of the evening so to minimize the "I miss my Daddy sooooo Much" and to keep the girls as well as myself busy they helped me make pancakes for dinner. The Old Cannery put up their hearts on their wall Railroad outside the store and so the girls are very aware that it is finally February :) and therefore they didn't want just any old pancake, but Pink Heart Shaped pancakes.

We broke out new aprons with matching hats Grandma had left for them for Valentine's Day baking and we had a great time. The Girls were giddy with excitement and pretended to have a cooking show and then proceeded to dance/run around the house singing.

Out of my own curiosity I decided to look up February ? I found the history and this is what I found interesting:

February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the old Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period.... At certain intervals February was truncated to 23 or 24 days and a 27-day intercalary month, Intercalaris, was inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the seasons. Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, Intercalaris was abolished, leap years occurred regularly every fourth year (after a few years of confusion), and in leap years February gained a 29th day. Thereafter, it remained the second month of the calendar year, meaning the order that months are displayed (January, February, March, …, December) within a year-at-a-glance calendar. Even during the Middle Ages, when the numbered Anno Domini year began on March 25 or December 25, February continued to be the second month whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The Gregorian calendar reforms made slight changes to the system for determining which years were leap years and thus contained a 29-day February.
Historical names for February include the Anglo-Saxon terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kale-monath (named for cabbage) as well as Charlemagne's designation Hornung. In Finnish, the month is called helmikuu, meaning "month of the pearl"; when snow melts on tree branches, it forms droplets, and as these freeze again, they are like pearls of ice. In Ukrainian, the month is called лютий meaning the month of ice or hard frost.

February was well named and placed...as if I ever doubted it but interesting facts nonetheless.