Our little cheerleader.....

Taylor Kate with some of her friends---Faith, Kiele and Maddie. 1st place at Regional Competition with Coach Brittany and Coach Tanya!!

Taylor Kate, Daddy and brother Peyton---who likes to walk around finding cute cheerleaders to talk to.......Posed and ready to perform during the Memphis Tigers Basketball halftime show! Taylor Kate and Gracie's big smiles up front were the talk of our whole row!! Tay is the third one down in the front with her foot on Marlee's tummy!

Tay doing her thing at the Memphis Elite hosted Championship at the Desoto Civic Center. Mommy and Tay before Regional Competitions!

Daddy and his girl......

Taylor Kate has had an obsession with cheerleaders since the very first Memphis Tigers Basketball game she attended.....she never even looked at the players, she was too busy watching the cheerleaders do their stunts! She was in tap and ballet at the time but soon started asking, "When can I be a cheerleader?"........Luckily we have several friends from dance and preschool that took this big leap over to Memphis Elite Allstars with us. It's been such a fun experience---fun for her b/c she loves every second of it and fun for mommy b/c I love seeing her so happy and doing something she really loves.

Halloween!!

1st Halloween....cheerleader and football player! (Memphis Tigers cheerleader and Peyton Manning Quaterback of course!!) 2nd Halloween together....Mickey and Minnie Mouse!!

This year.......Here's Taylor Kate as Little Red Riding Hood and Peyton as the Wolf that ate Grandma!! All of the cousins in one spot!! Taylor Kate, Aliahna, Noah holding baby Bolden, Peyton and Kristin.We love Halloween around our house---the parties, the candy (ok, you know I really do not love the candy) and the costumes are something the kiddo's look forward to so much. Each year I've tried to match up their costumes---the first year was cheerleader/football player, next was Mickey/Minnie Mouse and this year was Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf that ate Grandma! They both loved their costumes and had a blast!!

Miley Cyrus Concert

Me and Tay before the concert!Supper at a yummy pizza place called Gusano's!Girls on the trolley ride to the Verizona Arena_Kenzie,Maci,Madison, Taylor Kate and Abbi.Mommy's posing.....me, Wendy and Shannon.

I surprised Taylor Kate with tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert in Little Rock and boy did I win Mommy of the year award with her for it! My friends Wendy and Shannon also got tickets for their girls and we had the best girls weekend!! I bought matching hats for Tay and I to wear to the concert b/c she wanted us to match....one day I'm going to put my foot down and not look ridiculous just to make her happy (yeah right!). We all drove to Little Rock together and stayed at an awesome hotel downtown. So much fun!

Play date!

We love it when our little buddy, Ryder Sills, comes over to play! He and Peyton like to do all kinds of "boy" things together--play trucks, ride around on cars and trains and watch cartoons. I hope these sweet little boys grow up to be life long friends!!

Peyton goes to school

Eating his "breastess"......that's what he calls breakfast....Hey, I can't make this stuff up!!All ready with his "pack pack". He loves his backpack---it's Memphis Tiger Blue with Peyton monogrammed on the back in Gray. Go Tigers!!!!!He has his metal Cars lunchbox which he also loves. They say he socializes too much to actually eat what's in it!Sissy telling Peyton she loves him and to have a great day at school!!

This blog is a little behind.....I mean I've got TWO kids going places now!!!! Peyton is going to Kids Day Out at the same place Taylor Kate did. He even has the same teacher!! Now, I was really leery of sending him anywhere. I'm a stay at home mommy and now know with my new little kindergartner how FAST it all goes by. But Chris convinced me that the one day a week Peyton goes to "school" I could be up at Taylor Kate's school volunteering, eating lunch with her and just getting some stuff done. So I went for it and Peyton LOVES going. He is so my child. He busts in that room, says hi to his teachers (who he already has wrapped around his finger I have to admit) and takes off to play with his friends. He barely takes the time to say bye! They say he is soooo good when I come back 5 hours later to get him.....hmmmm he must plan his non- throwing fit days around his school schedule, very interesting. Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder b/c by the time that 5 hours is up I am very ready to kiss on his sweet cheeks again!!

Trip to Heber Springs with the Mills.

Fun on the water!!!! Peyton is trying on somebody's sunglasses?? Peyton and daddy swimming in the lake.

Mr. Grant always doing what he can to keep the kids happy. He took turns letting them all "drive".......it was Taylor Kate's turn!

Now Peyton is at the wheel!

Taylor Kate, Dillon and Kendal doing some kind of crazy dance moves.

Family picture at the Little Red River waterfalls!

After this weekend, I can FINALLY tell the twins apart!! From the left is Kendal, Dillon and Tay!

Dillon and Taylor Kate walking in the ice cold river!

We had the best weekend trip with the Mills family! Grant, Jennifer and their twin girls, Dillon and Kendal, invited us up to their family house in Heber Springs, Arkansas. The house sits right on the Little Red River and is out in the middle of the "country". We spent our weekend on the boat, swimming in the lake, going to see waterfalls, checking out the fish hatchery, eating yummy food and just having a non-scheduled blast!! Taylor Kate and Peyton love Dillon and Kendal and it is so fun to watch them all grow up together. We are so blessed to have friends like these!!

Taylor Kate's first day of Kindergarten.

Rise and Shine!! Up VERY early to start her first day!!

Trying to wake and cheer up little brother....NOT a morning person like his mommy and sissy!

Dressed and ready to go!Mommy, Taylor Kate and Peyton.

Got her backpack and lunch bag, looks like a real kindergartener now!!

We painted toenails the night before...white with hot pink polka dots!

Daddy and his little girl!!

About to go into the school.....

Taylor Kate with her new teacher Mrs. Chance.

It's unbelievable to me but the time has come for Taylor Kate to go to kindergarten!! Not quite sure how the last 5 years just flew by but my little girl has become a big school girl. I have to say I didn't think I'd be the mom that had such a hard time letting go. But it was super tough keeping a smile on my face as I told her how wonderful and fun kindergarten would be! I mean I am thrilled for her and know that she will love going, learning new things and making new friends. But as a stay-at-home mommy that is used to knowing every time she goes to the bathroom this letting go thing is a BIG step!! She did wonderfully of course and adores her new teacher. I just love her so much and pray that the Lord will take care of her and help me not to worry about sending her out into the world. I wish I could just keep her inside my bubble forever but I know that's not the Lord's plan. He has a vision for her and I pray that he helps me put her on the right path to do his will. I pray with each new chapter she starts, he helps me let go of her so she can do what he intended for her to do.

Taylor Kate gets her 5 year old shots!!

The end result.....5 shots in the leg and a finger prick!! Build a Bear time!!Hmmm....decisions, decisions....

Finally, a sweet panda bear named "Pandy" dressed in Hannah Montana gear. So little, yet so very sassy.....

Well, the most traumatic thing to happen in a while would definitely be going to the pediatrician to get kindergarten shots.....I mean it was totally horrific!! But the good news is it's over and the even better news is that Taylor Kate got a trip to Build a Bear out of it!!

My coppertone baby....

Ok, one day he will want to KILL me for posting this picture....but it was just too cute and I couldn't resist! He had on his sissy's pink golf hat and was busy watching Calliou so he had no idea mommy was getting a picture of his little white booty.....

Our "new" swing set!!

We have had an old timey, metal, a-line swing set in our backyard since Taylor Kate was 2 years old. It's been fun, gotten lots of use and was definitely loved by all. But it was time to say bye-bye to the old timer when the Mills' family decided to get rid of their swing set in favor of a bigger, newer one.....so what did they do with their "old" swing set? They gave it to us!! The kids were ESTATIC!! They seriously ask to go outside everyday to play on their "new" swing set. One man's trash is absolutely another man's treasure.......

The 4th of July!!

Fourth of July 2007

Fourth of July 2008 Fourth of July 2009, look how much they've changed and grown!!!!!!!!!!

Tay with her "sissy" Jaci Renfrow.

Peyton is stalking this fireman......I think he ended up getting more than his fair share of stickers!

Peyton telling everyone that he is actually a fireman......

Tay, Jaci, Riley and Peyton in the wagon ready for the festivities!

Look closely.....do you see two little boys in this picture?? NO, you don't b/c Peyton and Ryder are too fast for me and my camera!!

Finally got one of Ryder Sills!

The kids in daddy's lap watching the fireworks from the Viar's backyard. I think the flash blinded daddy a little bit.

We had such a great 4th of July weekend with lots of family and friends. Friday night we went to Mrs. Pam and Mr. George Viar's house to watch the Bartlett Fireworks. We've been doing this for so many years, 6 or 7 we counted, and we just love it!

Slip N' Slide Fun!!

Daddy trying to explain to the kids how to do it........Finally decides to show them........Oh mercy........even Tay looks nervous!!!Tay gives it a try........ Soooo FUN!!

Peyton, well not so fun.......Daddy makes it all better by sitting in the pool with him.....Taylor Kate got a slip n slide from Uncle Cody and Aunt Lindsee for her birthday. Daddy finally broke it out the other night and boy was it fun!!! Daddy demonstrating how to do it was actually the most fun but then the kids did it a million times and had a blast. Peyton fell a couple of times trying to get the hang of it but Tay flew down it fast as lightening. Fun times!!

Happy 11th Anniversary Chris!!

Us before we left Memphis...Tay took this pic of us and no, Chris does not have sleepy eye!! Ha!

Our view from the balcony.......so beautiful!!

At dinner, Happy Anniversary!!

Wow, ELEVEN years of marriage.......I can remember my youth minister's wife, Mitzi Maynard, telling me she and her husband Bryan had been married ten years. I thought, wow they sure are old. I couldn't imagine being in my 30's like them or being married that for that long. And now here we are!! What a blessed girl I am. Chris is the best guy a girl could ask for! On Wednesday he told me he had a "kid less" surprise for me and on Thursday he told me to pack a swim suit and 3 outfits. I was soooooo excited!!! Chris' parents came to keep the kids and off we went at 5pm Friday afternoon. I still had no idea where we were going. As we crossed the Mississipi River I knew we were of course headed to Arkansas. Chris finally decided to tell me were were headed to a condo on the lake in Hot Springs! He had made plans for us to spend all day at the water park there---you should have seen us running around like little kids with our inner tubes going down as many crazy slides as humanly possible!! So fun!! We went to a yummy place on the lake called The Wharf Saturday night for supper and of course had to go get some ice cream. We sat on our balcony, eating ice cream, watching the the sun set over the lake and I knew I'd been so blessed to have Chris for all those 11 plus years.

The Zoo with my Nashville Crew!

Noah, Avery and Taylor Kate ready to roll!

The crew ready for the sea lion show.

A

Noah and Peyton checking out the snakes.....

Ok, first of all if anybody knows why my blog is posting my pics like this please let me know how I can fix it. It's driving me crazy!!

Anyway, one of my best friends and her kids (Jenn, Avery and Caden) came in from Nashville to see us and we decided to go to the zoo. It was a steamy day but we still had a blast!! We saw just about everything there and then had a cool, air conditioned lunch at the zoo's Back Yard Burger. I love the Calendine's and wish they lived here so we could do stuff all the time.....what about it Cory????

Harley and Taylor Kate....Best Friends Forever!!

Harley coming down the runway!

This is Taylor Kate's best little friend Harley's 6th birthday party!!

It was at Sweet and Sassy and the girls had a BLAST! Tay and Harley had to match with the same "Cheetah Girls" dress, green eyeshadow and pink nail polish. They are seriously such a mess together it just makes me and Harley's mom laugh so hard! I have Harley's birthday party from last year in my blog archives so check it out to see how much the girls have changed. Can't believe they'll be going to kindergarten this fall!!

It's finally up!!!!

This is me with Karlye and her mom Karen pretending to help them..........Karlye with my mom, rubbing away!!Here it comes.......Here's the finished product!! AWESOME!!Ok, I purchased this awesome Bible verse from Uppercase Living oh, like SIX MONTHS ago and have never been able to figure out how to put it on the wall. Actually, I was scared I would mess it up so it has remained on the paper it came on, taped to my wall exactly where I wanted it to be.......until Karlye Sills saved the day!!! She came over for my sister's baby shower last week and offered to put it up for me. Karlye's house was my inspiration for this wall transfer in the first place b/c she has some really pretty one's up in her house. Karlye you were probably just sick of seeing it taped to my wall with that ugly blue painter's tape weren't you?? Hahaha!!! Anyway, I am so grateful that she took the time to put it up for me b/c it looks fantastic! Thanks Karlye!! :)

First day at the YMCA...

Peyton trying on Mrs. Shannon's sunglasses......he's also wearing Maci's jelly shoes!!Ethan, Tay and Maci playing in the water!

Peyton "swimming"....

Taylor Kate, aka "bones".......this is what happens when she gets cold......

Here are some pics from our first day at the pool! It was a little cloudy but still warm and we had so much fun with the Quinn's and the Webb's!! This is our second summer to join and we just love it there. Lots more pics to come!

Our trip to the firestation....

This is our FIRST trip to the firehouse. Noah (my nephew that I keep during the summer), Taylor Kate and Peyton are checking out the truck.

Peyton checking out the Chief's hat!Our SECOND trip to the firehouse. Alayna and Tay patiently wait in the station for the firemen to come back from making a call. Tay brought Mr. Marty some cookies!Peyton and Zane checking out the firehouse recliners......Tay and Noah....The boys watch as the guys return and drive back into the station....their mouths were hanging open!!Mr. Marty went upstairs to demonstrate how firemen come down the pole.He lets Peyton give it a try...Tay's turn.....

Then the best part....the firemen told mommy to try on all the fire gear.....oh my word it was sooo heavy and HOT!!Not sure how I got talked into this.........Me, Jessica, all the kids and Mr. Marty!We've made two trips to the firestation in the last week! We were invited by our friend and fireman from church, Mary Pittman, to come check out his firestation. Peyton is absolutely obsessed with firemen and firetrucks so I knew this would be so fun for him. The first trip to the station I misunderstood and thought Marty was going to be working. He wasn't there but the firemen were nice enough to let us come look at their truck anyway. The second trip, well it just rocked the house!! Marty was working that day and he went above and beyond to make the kids happy. Our friends Jessica, Alayna and Zane met us there too. When we first arrived the guys were out on a call and you should have seen the boys faces when they pulled back into the firehouse......they were just in awe!! Marty took them on an entire tour of the firehouse and even took us on a ride in the fire truck! He let Peyton pull the horn a few times and that's all Peyton has talked about since. Thank you Mr. Marty for such a fun day, we had a blast!!

The Mouse Trap Dance Recital...

Here's our little STAR!!A quick visit backstage by Noah and Aliahna. Noah brought Tay flowers for good luck!

Taylor Kate with some of her dance buddy's...Kiele and Madison.

Tay and Kiele have become best bud's. They are also cheering together at Memphis Elite!

Mommy and her favorite girl in the whole world!

Mommy, Daddy and Tay before the big Sunday performance.

Taylor Kate had her second dance recital with Beth Cross School of Dance and Voice this month. It was awesome as always! Taylor Kate and the rest of her class were dressed as Minnie Mouse and they danced to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song and also to Hey Mickey You're So Fine. All the family came to watch as she did her thing on stage Friday night and Sunday afternoon. We were sooooo proud of her. Go Taylor Kate!!

Just a SNEAK peek.....

This is just a little sneak peek of what Taylor Kate has in store for all the fam coming to her big show this weekend.........that's all your getting though so see you this weekend!!!!! :)

Some more tball pictures...

Swing batter batter batter!!!

You should see what happens when the ball comes rolling to this group of outfielders (Tay is fourth from the left).....it's one big pile of kids ALL trying to get the ball!! Soooo funny to watch!

After the game the cousins sit on the bleachers for a well deserved snack. Noah, Kristin, Tay and Peyton.Now look closely at Peyton.....this pic makes me laugh so hard!! While everyone else is busy posing for the camera, Peyton sneaks his hand over to his sissy's cheetos bag!!!This tball game was really fun---Taylor Kate played her cousin Kristin's tball team!! The grandparents, Robin, Johnny and Noah all came to watch the girls in action.

My baby is a preschool graduate.....

Tay is on the second bleacher from the top. She's in yellow actually looking at me in this picture!Singing their program songs....

Tay and daddy in her pre-school room after the program.

Taylor Kate and Gracie!!

Some fun at the mall!!

Peyton did not think moving horses were so fun. He wanted to just sit in mommy's lap. He did get to ride the choo choo train at the mall though!

Taylor Kate graduated from pre-school!! She had such a wonderful program at her school and despite my camera that needed new batteries, we got some cute pictures of her. They sang some adorable songs and were presented with a "graduation diploma". Daddy went with us to the mall afterwards for some lunch and a ride on the carousel. It was a great day! I can't believe she's off to kindergarten this fall.......

Peyton Sings his ABC's.......

Peyton is working on his ABC's right now and I decided to video it real quick. Not great lighting but i think you can see him!! And please excuse the Peanut Butter and Jelly all over his face, he likes to save some for later, lol!

Taylor Kate's first Tball game!!!

Taylor Kate and Nathan Sewell watching the rest of the team run after the ball. Coach Daniel giving Taylor Kate tips on how to hit the ball....

Awesome hit and off she goes!!!!!Coach Todd helping Tay with her ponytail on first base. You'd never know he was the daddy of all boys!! Good job Coach!!Taylor Kate on second base.Taylor Kate on third base. Tay on the pitcher's mound and throwing the ball to first. She stopped every ball that inning and got it to first base, we were very impressed!! Tay on the pitchers mound.Game over!!

I've decided there's nothing more fun than watching your five year old play t-ball!! Taylor Kate really had a great time playing and it was totally entertaining watching her and the entire Bartlett Woods Church of Christ team. My favorite moment was Tay's first time up to bat.....she hit the ball and then took off to the outfield to get it!! Coach Todd got her back on track and to first base. On the car ride home I asked Tay why she went after her own ball and she simply replied, "I was just trying to help. I didn't want the other team to have to run and get my ball so I was doing it for them." This season is going to be sooooo fun.........

Taylor Kate's 5th birthday party!!

Taylor Kate ready for her pony ride!Tay feeding some baby goats.

Tay with a donkey named Taco....... Uncle Chad showing Taylor Kate how to feed the goats.
Uncle Cody and Aunt Lindsee fishing with the kids!

My sweet niece Aliahna feeding a goat. She is so cute!

Uncle Cody and Taylor Kate.

Daddy got in on the theme........he was wearing cowboy boots too!
Mommy and Taylor Kate.Sweet Peyton feeding the goats. He was covered in mud by the end of the party but had a great time!!
Little man walking through mud puddles......
Peyton seriously mad at George Strait, I mean daddy, about something.

The Cousin Threesome.....Tay, Noah and Aliahna. Couldn't get Peyton to pose for this one!

Time for cake!! Rodeo Rootbeer Floats!

Time to open the humongus pile of presents.......

Hayride time! Definitely as much fun for the adults as it was for the kids!

YEE HAW!!!

Taylor Kate is FIVE years old, can you believe it?! It just doesn't seem right. She wanted a "cowgirl party" this year and as usual she sweet talked her daddy into having a party at Misty Hollow Farms. It was SO much fun! The kids dressed up in their boots and hats and got to feed all kinds of animals---baby goats, big mama goats, chickens, a donkey named Taco, and lots more. They also got to ride pony's, drink Rodeo Root Beer Floats and go on a hay ride. Taylor Kate felt so blessed to have over 60 people there! She got lots of fun presents and had such a great time with her friends. We prayed for 2 weeks for no rain and God blessed us with a rain free party for which we were super grateful. We took over 100 pictures and I tried to just pick a few to show on this blog. A few turned into a few more but there were so many good one's it was hard to choose. It was a great birthday for our precious FIVE year old!!

Easter 2009

The Easter Bunny Came!!!

Ready for church!This is the kids last year on Easter.........I love to see what a difference a year makes!!Peyton NOT wanting to take any more Easter pictures!!!!

My family: Peyton 2 years old, Taylor Kate 4 years old, Mommy and Daddy????

Taylor Kate, Noah, Aliahna and Peyton.
Time to hunt for eggs!!

Easter is such a fun time of year. Between all the school parties, Easter Egg hunts and baskets from Grandparents the kids have so much fun!! I love dressing the kids alike.....Chris HATES me dressing the kids alike.......but I think I have a few more years to do that so I'm going to enjoy them. Peyton was old enough this year to understand the egg hunt and he really got into it. So much fun to watch!!

Tea Time with Darcy the Dog

Taylor Kate and Darcy in their "princess tea party" attire.....Darcy even has purple hairbows in her ears!!

Uh oh, brother wanted to play too...don't worry he poured some "tea", got bored and went back to playing with his trucks, tractors and choo choo's! :)

Taylor Kate got to bring home Darcy the Dog from her preschool class and we decided to dress up and play tea party with her. Some Crystal Light, a couple of granola bars, the tea set Nana bought for Tay and we were good to go! Taylor Kate said Darcy had a FABULOUS time!!

A masterpiece.......

Check out the CHEEKS.......

This is what happens when you are on facebook and not watching your kids........your four year old uses hot pink marker to draw on your 2 year old's face........Lesson learned, I will not be leaving them alone anymore! :)

Taylor Kate makes her own bed!!

Taylor Kate announced to me this week that "It was time for her to learn to make her own bed".........and once she gets something in her head there's no going back. So yesterday I gave her a quick lesson and she's definitely a fast learner. This morning is the first time she made her bed all by herself and of course mommy had to get pictures of this big accomplishment. Way to go Tay and thanks b/c that's one less chore on mommy's list!

Day at home!

Notice how neat and clean Taylor Kate stays.....she never has liked to be "messy"!!This is Peyton's pouty face.....mommy finally took his spoon away......:(

We are on the go so much of the time. This rainy Friday we decided to stay home and just play. The kids played together while I got some stuff done and then we all played Leapster Bingo, ride the sleigh (a game Tay made up) and made some brownies for our neighbor's Dez and Lisa. Here are some pics of the kid's "helping"---I promise the brownies were already in the pan before I let them lick the spoon! :)

Weekend with the Calendine's.....

Nashville Bound! Taylor Kate took this picture of mommy and daddy right before we left.Me and Jenn. Love Love Love her!!! Jenn and Cory's sweet new 3 month old baby, Caden. I wanted to take him home with me but Jennifer wouldn't let me......

I think Chris was in love too.........but was clear to point out we could love on Caden and then give him back to his parents, haha!Jenn and Cory's precious 3 year old daughter, Avery. The boys better watch out, she's a knockout!!

Before our fun night out......a yummy steak dinner at Stoney River. So Fun!!The boys chillin after our night out.

Me and Jenn chillin in our pj's with bellies full of steak, potatoes and of course ice cream!!
Chris surprised me last Thursday by telling me we were taking a much needed weekend trip away without the kids......we were going to stay with our best friends, Cory and Jennifer Calendine, in Nashville!! I couldn't have been more excited. Chris' mom and my mom were great about stepping up and being full time "grandmothers" for the weekend so we could go. And of course we had a blast! There's always so much to laugh about with the Calendine's and I am so blessed to have them in my life. We have fun traditions like PF Changs, making hot cookies and ice cream, naps, and of course laughing our heads off. Cory's parents were sweet enough to keep Avery Friday night and then watch both kids while we went out for a yummy steak dinner Saturday night. We had church Sunday morning at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ and then some Famous Dave's for lunch. On our way out of town (if it wasn't for the kids I would NOT have wanted to leave!!) I made Chris stop at the OpryMills mall and drug him around for hours shopping. He was quite the trooper. It was a great weekend and I am missing the Calendine's already!!!

Peyton's Two Year Old Birthday Party

Taylor Kate surprised Peyton with a Handy Manny Talking Tool Set from her before everybody got there.

The Birthday Boy!!

The football cake or "hepball" as Peyton would say.....

Taylor Kate zipping around on her pink Barbie bicycle!

Peyton got a new Thomas riding toy from Nana and Grandpa.

Peyton and his sweet cousin Aliahna.

Piper Jamerson having fun!

Piper and Zane eating some Bagel Bites.

Mimi and Aunt Shannon trying not to get run over by the kids!

Peyton, Uncle Chad and Taylor Kate. The kids really love their sweet uncle!!

Mr. Daniel Jamerson (Piper's daddy) helping Peyton ride Andrew's bike.

Some of the men hanging out--Daniel, Grandpa, Chris, Chad and Papa (my daddy).

Singing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy!!

Blow out the candles (with a little help from mommy and sissy of course!)

Grammy (my mom) cutting the football cake.

Time to open presents!!

Peyton's best buddy, Zane Coile. What a cutie!!

Peyton with his new Memphis Tigers hat on....Thanks Uncle Chad, Cody and Aunt Lindsee!!

Peyton with his new four wheeler from Uncle Johnny, Aunt Robin, and Noah.

Uncle Cody making Peyton laugh! The kids love their Uncle Cody!!

Uncle Cody and Uncle Chad helping the kids shoot some hoops. Way to go Taylor Kate!

Uncle Chad showing Peyton the "correct" way to hit the ball on the tball set from Mimi and Papa.......Peyton is a little dangerous....

Mommy and her little birthday man!!

Happy Birthday Little Man!! Peyton had his two year old party at the church building and it was such a blast. He was surrounded by family and friends that love him so much, he is such a blessed little boy. He had a "sports" themed party, although we really wanted a Thomas the Train party but Sam's didn't make Thomas themed cakes. So a football cake was definitely the next best thing! All the kids brought riding toys and zipped around the gym at full speed. They got to take home whiffle balls and bats as party favors. I can't believe my little man is two!! He makes life such a joy and I am the luckiest mom ever to have him. Happy Birthday Peyton!

Taylor Kate gets brave.....

WOW is all I can say......

Taylor Kate hanging out with her new friend.......

We have the coolest backyard if I do say so myself. It's really big and it backs up to neighbors that have several horses! If we go out back to play, the horses always come over to the fence to see us. We keep carrots in the fridge just for those sweet horses and Tay usually sets the carrots on the top of the fence for the horses to eat......she says she is way to scared to let them eat out of her hand b/c "what if the horse thinks her fingers are carrots??" Pretty logical fear I would say. Yesterday, out of the blue, Taylor Kate slowly reached her arm up and set her hand on the horses nose......I almost fell out I was so shocked! So of course I ran in to grab the camera so I could take pictures of her new found braveness. She started screaming, "look mommy, I'm petting the horse!!" It was a big step for her so it definitely needed an entire blog entry dedicated to celebrate her courage. Way to go Taylor Kate!! :)

My Little Man Turns TWO!!

About to dive in to his "cup cate".......

Sissy is loving it too!!

Today my baby, Peyton Brent Willoughby, turns two years old. My how time just flies by.......we had such a great day. We met Britney, Ethan, Wendy and Ethan at Mcdonald's for lunch and had cupcakes for dessert. Daddy even came by for a minute! We had two cupcakes left and the kids had those after supper ( I know, WAYYYY more sugar than I normally allow but hey, it's his birthday!). There will be more celebrating this Saturday the 7th when we have Peyton's birthday party at the church building with family and friends. Can't wait!!

BIG SNOW DAY!

My favorite picture from the day.....Peyton falling over and screaming, "I'm stuck, I'm stuck!"---he had on so many layers he couldn't even move!!

Mommy and Tay out to play in the snow!

Taylor Kate's snowman, complete with a carrot nose...... My little angels making snow angels.......

Peyton trying to figure out how to get up!

On this cold March 1st, we had a great big snow day!! More snow than the kids had ever seen! Our church cancelled our services b/c of the weather so we dressed the kids in about 10 layers and we all headed outside to play. It was such a fun day!

Snow Day!!

Taylor Kate in about 5 layers of clothes!Little man having a great time!My little photographer.......accidentally cut her brother out of the picture, haha!

Watching the horses in our backyard.

Making snow angels!!

Well, snow FINALLY came to Cordova, TN and we got to play in the little bit that stuck to the ground. The kids LOVED it and Tay said she wished it would snow every day......mommy wouldn't go that far but it was definitely a fun morning!

Playtime!

The mommies minus Leigh and Kellye (probably chasing their kids around) posing for a quick picture!!

Tay doing her "cheerleading moves"!Taylor Kate and EE upside down clowns!

Leigh and her "baby" Jackson....... Maci and Tay jumping on the trampoline! Wheee!!

Tay and Peyton jumping!

We had a fun play date last week and I got lots of cute pics of the kids doing their thing! Taylor Kate and Peyton got to play with "EE" (Ethan), Maci, Jackson, Will, Savannah and Jake and had a blast. The gymnastics place is perfect for letting them run wild and burn lots of energy since it's just too darn cold to go outside. We love our friends and are blessed to have them!

Ryder came to play!!

Our buddy Ryder Sills......

Our friend, Ryder Sills, came over to play while his mommy went to the doctor and we had so much fun!! Peyton loves him and showed him all the "boy stuff" in the playroom---trucks, trains, balls and well, even a few baby dolls.....but don't tell the daddy's, haha! Taylor Kate was in pure heaven when Ryder got sleepy and she got to hold him asleep. Thanks for coming to play Ryder and we love you!

Yee Haw!!

My little cowgirl.......

Taylor Kate had Western Day at school and we had sooo much fun with it. We borrowed some kickin' cowgirl boots from Riley Renfrow, put on a dress with cowgirl print, threw on a pink cowgirl hat and Taylor Kate was ready to roll! We also had to decorate a cardboard guitar so we got a pic of the finished product. Daddy about burned his fingers off helping us hot glue that zebra print fabric on the guitar, haha!! Fun times......

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 08'

Daddy and I surprised Tay with a doll house on Christmas Eve. She LOVED it!Peyton was just as happy with the bulldozer we got him!At Aunt Debbie's Christmas Eve with all their cousins.Tay with my cousin Jarred's little girl, Olivia.Noah and Tay with my cousin John's little girl, Landon.Me and pregnant Robin.My Grandmother Eanes.Uncle Johnny playing with Peyton.Christmas morning!!!! Tay with her new American Girl doll, Kit Kittredge. Peyton's new train table, choo choo!!One of the many toys Santa brought..... a new laptop for Taylor Kate!

Peyton LOVES the school bus that Uncle Bucky got him!

Grammy got Tay a movie we LOVE--the American Girl Doll movie, Kit Kittredge.
Tay and Grammy Eanes.Me and Mom.Somebody looks a little overwhelmed........

Tay in one of her new outfit's from Uncle Chad. A BIG hit b/c the tshirt was "Hannah Montana"! Uncle Chad Willoughby and Peyton.Peyton sporting his new outfit from Uncle Chad.

Soon to be AUNT Lindsey (Uncle Cody's bride to be).

New car from Nana and Grandpa.Tay and Nana.
Uncle Cody Willoughby and Peyton.

So, how fun was Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?? Just ask 4 year old Taylor Kate and she will give you a full 30 minute long spill about EVERYTHING we did, ALL the family we saw and all the yummy food she ate!! The pictures say it all! :)

Christmas with Mimi and Papa

Me and my pregnant (with TWINS!!) sister

The kids very anxiously waiting to open their presents.......
All Aboard!! Peyton loves his new choo choo track!

Peyton and his Papa

Peyton dancing for Mimi
My sweet niece Aliahna

Best buds Taylor Kate and Kristin

Peyton and Noah eating their supper

This is the picture I used for our Xmas card. It took LOTS of work (and M & M's) to get this one!!

The Christmas celebration has already started at the Willoughby household!! Here's our night at Mimi and Papa's house. There will be lots more celebration's to come!!

Thankful for Thanksgiving with My Family

Peyton and Uncle Chad Peyton and Uncle Cody

Taylor Kate and Peyton all ready to go! Another picture of mommy and daddy taken by Taylor Kate......

Noah, Kristin and Taylor Kate enjoying Mimi's good cooking.

The grandkids in front of Mimi and Papa's turkey.Our monkey's hanging from Papa's tree....

Noah, Grammy and Taylor Kate---all in the kitchen waiting for some of Gram's yummy food!!
Me and my pregnant (sshhhh, it's a SECRET, lol) sister Robin.

Uncle Johnny and Peyton watching Peyton's favorite, FOOTBALL!!


TRYING to get Taylor Kate, Peyton, Noah and Aliahna's picture is nearly impossible.....

Me and my sweet niece Aliahna

Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday for my family, especially the kids. We go three different places, all here in town, and it makes for a very busy and fun week. Here are some highlights from our many get togethers.

This is for you Emily.....

This is me trying to hold Peyton down long enough to get his shoes on in the floor. She gave me about a 2 second warning that the picture was coming! This is one she took of mommy and daddy.....She didn't like that one b/c she said she was too short, so she stood on the ottoman to get another......

Everyone knows how much we love our friend and photographer Emily Peyton Cook. Well, Taylor Kate thinks Emily is pretty cool too and is always trying to turn my camera on and take pictures "like Emily does". Here's three she took this week. Maybe Emily needs a partner?? :)

Jaci and Riley come to play for the day!

Here's the gang all ready to play!The girls like to change outfits multiple times during the day....here they are as tap dancers! Hard at play! Lunchtime!!

Peyton thought it would be fun to spill popcorn all over the floor while I was talking to my friend Wendy on the phone.......luckily I had just mopped that morning!!

Taylor Kate and Peyton just love the Renfrow's. Peyton has nicknames for all the girls in the family--Roro, Riri, and he can actually say Jaci. So they were thrilled when Mr. Brent came to the door this morning with both girls ready to play. They had so much fun and I took some pics of their day together. We are so thankful for friends like these! :)

Halloween weekend!

We're headed to Keith and Patty's house!Tay and Dylan using carving knives? Who was supervising???

Daddy and Ryan trying to carve our pumpkins..........

Some of the finished products:


This is Tay and Peyton last year on Halloween as a cheerleader and football player. Wow, how much they've changed!

Here's my Mickey and Minnie!

Tay dressed Katie up as Minnie too. (Peyton was making a "getaway" in this pic).All the cousins....how cute they are!! Noah, Peyton, Aliahna and Taylor Kate.Tay and Jaci (I mean Minnie and Dorothy)
Peyton and Mckenzie Murphy who is the CUTEST little witch I've ever seen!!
Tay, Dillon, Kendal and Christopher
Peyton and PapaA sleepy little Tootsie Roll, aka Connor Mcdonald. Taylor Kate, Mia Claire and Katie the Koala Bear going to early vote!

Ok, so this past weekend wasn't exactly Halloween weekend but we did lots of "Halloween" related stuff and had so much fun! Taylor Kate also had her preschool class mascot, Katie the Koala Bear, all weekend. She had to take Katie everywhere with us so Katie wouldn't get bored. And she dressed her in baby doll clothes for every occasion! Friday night was our annual Chili supper and Pumpkin carving at Keith and Patty's. It was fun to hang out with friends and watch Chris try to carve the apparently "hard as a rock" pumpkin I bought at Target. Saturday afternoon was our church fall festival and the kids got to be Mickey and Minnie again (getting my money's worth out of those costumes!). We had a GREAT time there too---the g'parents, friends and all the cousins came and the kids thought it was fun to see their friends in costume. These are good good times......

Zoo Boo Fun!

Here's my Minnie and Mickey Mouse all ready to go to Zoo Boo!These are what Taylor Kate was most proud of: her "sparkly" Minnie shoes with heels!!
Getting a full length picture of Mickey was a job in itself.......

Chris thought taking the wagon would keep the kids "locked and loaded" while we walked around the zoo.....Peyton liked it for about 4 minutes and then tried to get out every 4 seconds!Here's our family at the magic show:Here's Taylor Kate on stage with the magician! She LOVED it!
The kids looking at animals at the petting zoo. Notice Mickey's ears have come off......

We had so much FUN Saturday night when our family made the trip to the zoo for Zoo Boo!! The kids got to trick or treat, see live shows and pet animals in the petting zoo. We went to a magic show and when he asked for volunteers, Taylor Kate got picked to go on stage and help! It was sooo fun to watch her up there. We had such a great night as a family!

Some Highlights From Our Week.........

We had such a great and busy week that I haven't had time to post anything! Here's just a few highlights! :

We started the week with Veteran's Day which Daddy gets the day off work, yay!! Tay took Peyton for a cruise around the cove in her jeep.Daddy took Taylor Kate for a ride on the 4 wheeler which she loves to do!And of course little man had to have a turn too!Tuesday was fall break and we spent the day with Wendy, Abbi and Ethan Quinn. We went to the park to play and look who was there playing with his grandkids: Dave Brown!! He was generous enough to take a quick picture with Taylor Kate and Abbi ( I knew it would be GREAT on the blog!).
Wendy helping Peyton down the slide.
Jaci Renfrow came over Thursday afternoon to play and we had so much fun with her! This is the girls in their towels after getting out of the tub. Taylor Kate just loves her.

Friday we were back at the zoo---the weather has been so great for that lately! Tay and Mia are perfect subjects for pictures.....we always get big smiles from them!

Peyton is facinated by some ugly thing I can't pronounce.......I couldn't resist this picture....Taylor Kate and Mia Claire walked around holding hands. How sweet!

Fun Day at the Zoo

Peyton and Dylan hanging out with the Sea Lions (and eating fruit snacks).

Dylan, Dillon, and Andrew looking at the baby giraffe! It was soo cute!
Dillon, Kendal, Andrew and Tay Tay waiting for the Sea Lion to reappear!
The 4 muskateers "posing" for a picture....

Jenn M. comforting Tay who's having a melt down b/c of BEES buzzing by.......poor thing!! Andrew, Dillon, Piper and Peyton looking at Peyton's favorite, the Zebra's!
Peyton is saying, "Do you come here often?" hahaha!!! The girls DON'T like the smell of giraffe poop!

Peyton, Taylor Kate and Jaci checking out the Panda Bear. Peyton making a fast "getaway" before mommy can snap the picture...Connor enjoying the Sea Lion show.

Today we played hookie from pre-school b/c my friend Jennifer Mills was off work and we wanted to get to hang out with her and her girls, Dillon and Kendall. We decided to go to the zoo and we ended up having lots more friends go with us and had a blast! Peyton was in awe of all the animals (he's been before but wasn't old enough to notice). Tay had fun too, other than "BEES!" buzzing by and causing her to experience major panic attacks. We ate our lunch while watching the sea lions perform and had a wonderful day. We wish Jenn M. was off every day so we could all play! :)

The Yellow Jacket Nightmare......

Thanks Mrs. Pam for taking pictures of our drama! You knew that this would make a great blog entry!! :)

Well, Saturday night started out like any other---we were actually at Ellendale park celebrating Ryan McDonald's 30th birthday. There were lots of friends, yummy food and the weather was great. Chris was at the base and had planned to meet us at the party when he got off. I had just bitten into my BBQ sandwich when I suddenly heard screaming......if you're a mother you know that you instantly recognize your own child's scream. I immediately started towards the playground and I will never as long as I live forget what I saw. Taylor Kate was running towards me with a horrified look on her face and as I got closer I realized why.....she was covered in yellow jackets!!!! I dove right in swatting, slapping and ripping clothes off desperately trying to get the bees off of my screaming daughter. Luckily (though Taylor Kate didn't think so) there was a Bartlett paramedic at the party and he assisted in pulling stingers out and even called one of his unit's to come make sure Tay wasn't having an allergic reaction to all the stings. Most kids would have thought it to be soooo cool to climb in an ambulance but Taylor Kate BEGGED not to have to go in. She was absolutely petrified! Well, after a good look at her they determined she was ok and instructed me to administer a warm bath, Beneadryl and some Tylenol for the pain. I slept with Tay that night b/c she was so swollen and hurting so much she could barely stay asleep. Poor little thing. This will go on my Top 10 of worst mommy moments for sure!!! And we hate yellow jackets!!!

Princess Callie and Princess Heather

Taylor Kate, Hunter, Avery and Tekia pretending to be good.......

Princess Heather and Tay Then............
And Now.......Princess Callie and Taylor Kate
Taylor Kate and I had "girls night" Saturday night and went to Heather Hamby's wedding which was at Bartlett Woods Church of Christ. It was such a beautiful wedding but made even more beautiful by "princess Heather" and "princess Callie" (Callie was a bridesmaid). Tay was enamored by them both and said she wanted to be a princess like them one day........I have to say they were both soooo beautiful and Taylor Kate was right on the money by calling them princesses! Tay also had a great time playing with Callie's niece, Avery, nephew, Hunter, (who also happen to be our good friends Jared and Shelby's kids!) and sister Tekia. I think they were all on a sugar high and I'm just glad that nothing was caught on fire, turned over or broken by the time it was all over. I added some pics of Callie holding Tay when she was a baby. Callie was Tay's FIRST babysitter when mommy went back to work and we were soooo sad when she left for college. Callie loved her through her colic and even taught us the "drug baby swaddle" to help with the crying! :) I have to throw in that on the way home Tay asked how Tekia got her hair in "all those balls"........and said she would LOVE for her Aunt Robin (who's a hair stylist) to do her hair like that! It was an interesting conversation on the way home.......

Somebody got a new haircut......

Look at Miss Sassy.......
Somebody's being a turkey.........

AHHHH!!! Taylor Kate got the cutest haircut today! I've been letting her hair grow out this summer but after seeing a really cute bob haircut on my favorite website (smartiebritches.com--it's a MUST if you have girls!) I decided to show my hairstylist sister the cut and go for it. I was scared to death as I saw big pieces falling to the ground but when she got finished, the whole salon was over at Tay's chair raving about how cute she looked. Tay LOVES it too and said she looks like her friend Gracen which makes her happy (Gracen also has a bob). The picture of Peyton was one that Taylor Kate took at lunch today. He knew she wanted him to say smile and say cheese so he was doing the direct opposite to annoy her........

What a big boy he is.....

This is so fun!!
I'm so happy to be at the big table!!

Video of Peyton saying "hi!"

This morning Peyton walked over to the kitchen table as I was fixing breakfast and said "chair". Then he proceeded to try and climb in it by himself.....I said, "Peyton, you need to sit in your high chair to eat breakfast" and he said, "No, chair". Well, I reluctantly decided to go get the booster seat that we used when Taylor Kate was a baby telling myself that he is getting bigger and won't need his high chair much longer...... a definite sign that babyhood is leaving the Willoughby household, boo hoo! Here are some pictures of his first meal at the family table. He absolutely LOVED being at the table with his mommy and sissy! In typical Peyton style, there is butter all over his face and arms as he devours his muffin. And at lunch I decided to video him saying hi to everybody. He's just growing up so fast!

Fun Park Day!

Tay and Dylan have fun on the swings! Peyton got to climb on all kinds of things which is his very favorite thing to do, aka "mr. fearless".

Today I woke up and wanted to do something just plain FUN with the kids. They have been real troopers the last few weeks running errands with mommy and getting things checked off my to do list. That involves getting in and out of the car (which Peyton HATES) going in "boring" stores (which Taylor Kate HATES) and watching me run up to houses while they sit in the car so I can deliver hostess packets for my jewelry business. Anyway, I decided we needed a fun day of running around and enjoying this beautiful weather at the park. We called up our friends Cari, Dylan and Connor and headed to the Bartlett Park where the kids had a blast. We even went to Mcdonald's for lunch and played on that playground! Thanks Mcdonald family for coming with us---we had fun with all of you!

GO TIGERS!!!

Tay said she was a "Memphis Tiger ballerina"!
Does he look like a coach or what?

After a fun birthday party at Mcdonald's (Happy Birthday Dillon and Kendal!) the kids and I headed to the Bank of Bartlett's annual Memphis Tiger's homegame kick off party to see daddy. The kids were all festive in their blue and gray and had a great time eating and running around. We didn't get to stay for the game b/c daddy had to orchestrate the clean up so Peyton and I got to take a very mad Taylor Kate home with us for baths and bedtime. She said she hadn't been to a game "ALL SUMMER" and it "WASN'T FAIR!". Sometimes it's really hard to keep a straight face around my house.......

Delta Fair

The petting zoo was a big hit with the kids! Daddy is helping Peyton feed some sheep. Here's our 3 muskateers---Dillon, Kendal and Taylor Kate. Dillon and Tay anticipate their first ride as they wait in line......
They are buckled in and waiting to go as daddy and I prepare for the swing operator to have to stop the swings mid-ride to let Tay off!
Here they go on their first ride.....all three girls LOVED it and there was no tears or screams of terror!Here they go on the roller coaster!Peyton was so sad to see the girls whiz by on his favorite thing---an airplane!!We had the BEST time with the Mills family as we hit the Delta Fairgrounds Sunday afternoon! We had a big lunch after worship today (which by the way was YUMMY, way to go Kitchen Krew!) and didn't have any evening services so we took full advantage of some family time. The only downfall was that Peyton was too small to ride even most of the kiddie rides and boy was he mad when he saw Taylor Kate, Dillon and Kendal get on each ride without him.......he cheered up after we left the fair and Grant shared his chocolate ice cream cone from Jason's Deli with him. Speaking of rides I think Dillon and Kendal rubbed off on Tay b/c I couldn't believe all the things she was willing to ride! And each time she got off the ride she'd yell, "that was SO fun!!" (this is the same child that won't ride on Chris' riding lawn mower with him b/c it goes "too fast"). It was a great experience and I can't wait for the fair to come again next year!

A very happy 31st birthday......

Happy Birthday to me!! I had a great day of hanging with the kids, getting TONS of facebook birthday wishes and sweet calls from my family, friends and husband. Thanks everybody for making it a special day. Mom came over tonight and Chris ordered pizza and bought me my favorite--- chocolate chip cookie cake with icing on it for dessert. Tomorrow night Chris is taking me out to dinner (out to eat kidless, woo hoo!!). Here are pictures from the night:

Taylor Kate and Mommy. I think this is the first time I've noticed we have the EXACT same eye color!

This is Peyton enjoying my birthday cake.....oh my word we needed a water hose when he was finished!!

First day of preschool!!

Off to 4 year old preschool.......... Got my bag packed and I'm ready to go!
Look at these sweet teachers! We are going to have such a great year!
Brother had to get his picture made too......

Oh, I can't believe that Taylor Kate is going to "big girl" preschool....you know that only means one more year and she's off to kindergarten......I can't even stand to think about it! She has the most wonderful teachers this year (of course that's what I said last year too, we have been VERY blessed in that area!). Miss Levesque and Miss Bell are very huggy, touchy, sweet teachers and Taylor Kate was immediately drawn to them. Miss Bell's son, Nathan, just happens to be a friend of mine and Chris' from college. He was a groomsmen and even sang in our wedding. On the car ride home from school I started to tell Taylor Kate about Miss Bell's son Nathan and how we have known them for years and she interrupted me and said, "Mama, Miss Bell already told me all about it so you can stop telling me." Wow, she's to the point, huh? Tay has several of her favorite friends from last year in her class---Harley, Gracie, Nathan and even a new comer from her dance class, Kayla. She barely said bye as I left her today. She's just getting so big........

Our Orange Beach Vacation

This is what we saw when we looked off our condo balcony---pure heaven!!Peyton (age 17 months) enjoying the beach for the first time. Taylor Kate (age four) enjoying the beach for the first time.


There were three things that upset Peyton on the beach. The first being waves knocking him over: (But Daddy made that all better)
The second being Taylor Kate trying to "help" him in any way b/c that usually resulted in him falling and getting a mouthful of sand ........And the third was when he realized he couldn't get up after daddy buried him in the sand. Our family on the beach.We built LOTS of sand castles!!This is daddy trying to channel his inner photographer.......Emily don't worry, we will always come to see you!! :) Tay looking for seashells. She promised Merrill she'd bring him back one and was on the look out all week to find a really cool one for him!Jennifer's going to kill me but seriously, isn't she the cutest pregnant girl ever?!

Mommy and Tay out to eat at Lulu's Grille.Taylor Kate and Avery playing on the stage at Lulu's.

This is the farris wheel we rode before supper. The kids loved it!! Preggo Jenn couldn't ride so she took pics for us.Ice cream, yummy!!

Tay, Avery and Cory all holding hands.

Uncle Cory giving the girls a ride on the luggage cart.We had so much fun on our trip to Orange Beach that I could write about it forever but I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet and let the pictures tell the story. We met our best friends, Cory, Jennifer, Avery and soon to be "baby boy" Calendine, and had such a great time. We shared a condo with the Calendine's that was located right on the beach and we spent most of our time on the sand, in the ocean and in the pool. The kids just loved it! It was their first time to see the ocean and I think they were in awe. We went yummy places to eat every night and I think we also got ice cream every night too.....the kids and I are still detoxing from all the sugar! One night we went to a place called the Wharf and rode a farris wheel before supper. It was so cool. We made lots of family memories and I'm so grateful we got to go. We decided to make it a tradition with the Calendine's every summer as long as Cory gets to fly into Pensacola and doesn't ever have to drive 7 1/2 hours again! :) Speaking of driving a big shout out to the Mills family for letting us borrow their dvd players.....oh how they saved us! Thank you!!

Family night is so fun!

Taylor Kate, aka "Snow White", riding her bicycle. Yes, we let Peyton play outside in his diaper. He loves it!
Some fun with chalk!
I'll race you daddy!! That was a lot of exercise for poor daddy.....

I love nights like tonight where we don't have a thing going on and we can all be at home together. We grilled our favorite meal, hamburgers, and went outside in the great weather to play. By the way, Taylor Kate wore that Snow White outfit ALL day---she only took the matching crown and red hair bow off to play outside. She wore this outfit to visit the Holt's in the hospital, to shop at Walmart and to eat lunch at Burger King. What can I say? I have figured out how to pick my battles and this morning her choice of wardrobe just wasn't one of them! :)

Another Fun week at the Y!

The girls hangin' with Lifeguard Bailey.......Taylor Kate brought her Snow White crown with us to the pool for some reason and she's also wearing the lifeguard shirt Bailey gave us. Good thing no one was drowning at the time of this picture! Oh, I could just eat him.........
Peyton has a twin!! This little boy looks so similiar to Peyton we had to get a picture. Turns out he was born the day before Peyton!! We did decide Peyton had him beat on belly size....
Dillon, Zoe, Peyton, Kendall, and Tay posing by the pool. We had lots of fun at the pool this week. Jenn M. was off work Thursday and Friday so she, Dillon, Kendall and Zoe came with us both days and my favorite cousin Daonne and her boys, Tanner and Kaden came with us Friday. Wendy, Michelle P, and their visitors also were there so we just had a blast! Here are a few pictures of our time there. Lifeguard Bailey has really taken to the kids and let's them do whatever they want....and they take full advantage of him!! I think Wendy's daughter Abbi has a slight crush on him. :) Taylor Kate just wants to know why Bailey has a girl's name and he's a boy. Go figure!

Movie Day

The whole "crew" before the movie. Are we brave moms or what?

Wednesday we went to the movies (yes I took one year old Peyton!) with our friends. We saw "Flushed Away" with Wendy, Shannon, Amy and all their kids and had a blast. Shannon was such a trooper.....she has THREE girls of her own but decided to help me take on Peyton and his mobile cadillac (the stroller). Shannon and I carried the stroller, which by the way with Peyton's extra 25 pounds added to the already heavy stroller was quite the workout, all the way up the stairs of the theater. My thinking was that if I left him buckled in he may sit through the movie. Well, he actually did pretty well---he sat like a log for the first 35 minutes and then we spent the rest of the movie playing in the lobby. But Tay got to sit with all her friends and watch the entire thing so that's what matters! Afterwards we had a hectic lunch at Chic fil A but all in all it was a super day and I'm so glad we have such wonderful friends to hang out with!

Date night with daddy

Taylor Kate and Daddy before heading out!

Well, Tay went on a date with daddy tonight and of course I had to get pictures before they left! One of Chris' co-workers daughter's was getting married tonight at the Pink Palace Mansion and since Peyton was running a little fever ( a little side effect of his surgery yesterday!) I needed to stay home with him. So Chris asked Tay if she'd be his date and she said, "Of course!". She loves weddings and said she wants to plan out how her wedding to daddy and to Peyton (all on the same day mind you) will be so she needs ideas........I haven't had the heart to take away her innocence and tell her she can't marry her daddy or Peyton so if you hear her talk about it just go along. Oh, if only she COULD marry Chris I'd never have to worry about her again!! :)

It's Done!!

Wake up sunshine, it's only 5:30am!! Loving on daddy and still trying to wake up.Taylor Kate and Peyton playing in the kids area while waiting to be called back.Checking out his hospital bed---he tried to stand up and jump off! He's such a dare devil!!I had to get a shot of his diaper booty peeking out the back of his gown........
Right before the nurses came to get him and take him back---mommy couldn't quit loving on him!!!Mommy rocking him in recovery. He was crying his heart out!
Poor daddy is so tired and both kids just want to snuggle after we get home.
Thanks to Dr. Duncan, Peyton's adenoids are out and his tubes are in! Woo hoo!! We are so glad our little man won't be having ear trouble anymore and we're relieved the surgery is over as well. We had to leave the house this morning at 5:30am (ahhhh!!) to be at the surgery center by 6am. The kids played in the kids area until 7:30 when they finally called Peyton back to be prepped. He was so adorable in his little gown. Each person that was to be back in surgery with Peyton gave us a visit in triage to make sure we didn't have any questions and to reassure us that he was going to be ok. They were all so great especially the nurses. They were so sweet and nurturing to him, which if you know Peyton he really takes to that, so he was in cuddle heaven! Because of the adenoid procedure the surgery was a little longer and they also had to put an IV in his arm after giving him the gas mask. When we went into recovery he was still asleep (in one of the nurse's arms who did NOT want to give him up!) so I got to rock him for a few minutes before he woke up. Boy, when he woke up he cried and screamed like I'd never seen him do before but the nurses told me they'd never seen a child not do that and it was completely normal. We got home, fed him, laid him down and he took a four hour nap! Mommy took a 2 hour nap as well b/c 4:30am was WAY to early for her to be getting up....

I have to say a note about Taylor Kate. She was so great, encouraging, and supportive which is a lot to ask of a 4 year old. She couldn't believe we were leaving the house before "the sun had woken up" and she was all about loving on her brother and reassuring him everything would be ok. She told him all about her big bladder surgery and how she'd had to stay at Labonheur for FOUR days and he was lucky b/c he was getting to come home right after his surgery. She said, "Don't you worry brother. Sissy will be right here for you when you get done getting your ALLOIDS out." Don't you just love it when they mispronounce things?! Grammy came up to the surgery center and after Tay saw her brother leave for surgery, Grams took Tay to Chic fil A for some much deserved chicken and biscuits (thanks Grammy!). She is such an awesome big sister and I'm so lucky to have her as my daughter!!

Thanks to all you girls that have called and checked on Peyton and for all of you who said you were praying. And Wendy thank you for the kids "surprises" you brought by yesterday. They loved them!

Too Fun!!

Surf's up dude!! Peyton runs around so much it's hard to get close up pictures of him! Jaci and Taylor Kate try to soak the photographer!
Riley NOT wanting her picture made but I caught her right before she ducked under water!
Big cousin Noah helping Peyton with his snack.
Awww.....a sweet moment between Tay and Noah!!

We are just having so much fun this summer. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days at the Y. We love it there. We joined with lots of friends and we've also made lots of friends along the way. Peyton is still fearless and the lifeguards have all grown to know this so if they see him take off running from me, they jump off their life guard stands prepared to prevent him from diving into the 4 foot pool section. He actually has a couple of pretty blonde life guards wrapped around his chubby little finger........

WE GO TOGETHER LIKE..........

This is me and Chris having lunch at the convention

Peanut Butter and Jelly. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. Popcorn and the Movies. (I must be hungry). We actually had the song "We go together" from the movie Grease played as we walked down the aisle as husband and wife together for the first time. This blog entry is dedicated to Chris so if you don't like wives who brag on their husband's I suggest you quit reading now b/c this entry will make you sick! :) We just got home from my Premier Jewelry Convention in Dallas and yes I said WE b/c my sidekick Chris went with me........to a JEWELRY convention........do I need to say more?? Let me start by saying we had a blast. Anytime you can be alone together, have kid-proof conversation and eat meals without having oatmeal rubbed in your hair you're guaranteed a good time. We drove to Little Rock where Chris had gotten us a room at the Air Force Base (it was only $27 a night tax free, just a small perk for airmen and their wives!). We got on base, checked in and then headed for a conversation filled dinner at Chili's where we caught up on all kinds of things. The next morning we boarded an early flight to Dallas and the convention began. Our hotel was located on a championship golf course and I totally expected--and even tried to talk him into--- bailing on some of the conference to channel his inner Tiger Woods but to my surprise (or actually I should say I'm NOT surprised) he said he wasn't going to play b/c he was there to be with me. Wow, that's love especially for a golf fanatic like Chris. We had such a great time and I'm so blessed to have him as my best friend and husband. I laughed to myself as I looked over while they were unveiling the new jewelry line for fall and saw he was on his blackberry checking emails, looking up scores on ESPN.com, and doing anything he could to pass the time. But all that mattered was that he was sitting next to me, supporting me and knowing he loved me enough to be there. There were lots of other husbands there so he didn't feel too out of place but there were also wives who said their husbands would NEVER come with them so I feel very fortunate.

After 5 days of getting to hang out with just each other we were missing the kids pretty good by the time we got home. They were so happy to see us and we were recharged and ready to be full time parents again. I think Peyton hugged Chris for 15 minutes straight!! And Taylor Kate told me a million times how happy she was that I was back home. After getting the kids from my sister we went to pick up Maggie from the kennel. I looked in the back seat and saw Tay letting Maggie kiss her right in the mouth all the while Peyton was leaning over to grab a fistful of Maggie's fur and knew we were back to reality. Just the way I like it. :)

Pop goes the ball!!

We had an appointment at 8am with the ear, nose and throat doctor and little Peyton is set up to get tubes in and adnoids out. Last week, his pediatrician and I looked at his chart and figured out that when I began introducing solid foods and Peyton wasn't getting as much breast milk is when the ear infections began. At 12 months when I stopped nursing him all together we counted up that he's had an ear infection once a month since! He said he didn't get them as an infant b/c he had the antibodies from breast milk to fight off the infections for him. But since there's no more antibodies from mommy it's time for tubes! :) After his appointment we went grocery shopping, ran errands and came home for lunch. After lunch we were all in the playroom and Taylor Kate was making Peyton laugh so hard that I just had to video some of it. He was laughing so hard he had us all in stitches!!! By the way the playroom is a disaster b/c I haven't cleaned up from having all Tay's friends in our Caregroup over last night........

Caregoup Night

Here is Taylor Kate with her best little friends, Dillon and Kendall (yes, they are identical twins!)Here is the whole crew chillin' in the back yard---Peyton of course has found a pretty girl to sit with!!

Here is little Ryder at 4 months old. Isn't he so cute?? He can't wait til he can hang with the big kids!!

At the Church of Christ congregation where we worship we have an amazing way of getting to know others that we normally might not get to fellowship with. I feel like I know everyone at church but our Caregroup's are designed to put smaller groups of people together so that they can come together once a month after worship service on a Sunday night, eat and enjoy each other's company. We have a wonderful Caregroup this quarter---Chris and I are lucky enough to be the leader's and we had the meal at our home this month. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and everyone else brought lots of goodies too. We have a babysitting service at the church building for those with kids but when it's hosted at our house we like the kids to come. Taylor Kate loves having her friends over and I put a few pics of the kids outside eating supper. It was a wonderful night! And Jennifer M. if you're reading this I pigged out on your yummy ice cream/oreo dessert after everyone left!! :)

Happy 4th of July!!

Taylor Kate and Peyton looking festive in their red, white and blue!



This is a picture of Taylor Kate and Peyton last year on the 4th--my, how quickly they change!
Taylor Kate, Peyton and Dylan McDonald cruising the festivities
Dylan and Tay enjoying the moon bounce!

Peyton was in awe of the fireworks!

Tay thought they were pretty cool too.

We had a great fourth of July celebration!! Our tradition of hanging with the Viar's and McDonald's is one I love and look forward to every year. The Viar's live on the lake in Bartlett and for the past six years we've gone to their house, eaten yummy food, hung out with friends like the Robert's, Garrett's, (and this year the Ledsinger family came!) and had a spectacular front row view of the Bartlett fireworks show. This year was no different. We walked around the lake to enjoy the festivities---cotton candy, funnel cake, moon bounces and beautiful weather were the highlights of the evening and then a fantastic fireworks show at 9:30pm. Peyton was absolutely amazed at what he saw in the dark night sky!! Cherry Williams showed up at the end and we got to visit with her as we drove her back to where she parked her car. The kids didn't get to bed til after 11pm (which is super late for them!) but we all survived and had a GREAT time.

All about Peyton---Part Two!

Yummy, my favorite PB&J!! Where'd all the jelly go??
All finished!
Time to go night night!!

Ok, so my blog won't let me post more than 5 pictures at a time for some reason so I ended the other "about Peyton" blog and started this one b/c I had lots more pictures to show!! Peyton never just eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like the rest of us.......he loves to open it up and eat it from the inside out. It makes quite the mess but b/c he smiles the whole time he's doing it, what's a mom to do? And I had to show him in his new Thomas the Train pajama's.......I wanted to just eat him up in those!! For the most part, he's happy from the moment he wakes up til he goes to bed and I am so thankful for all these moments with my BUSY little one year old!

All About Peyton

Peyton climbing into Maggie's kennel
Hey Mommy, I'm in here!!

Finding something to climb on
A rare moment for Peyton........ (click on this one to enlarge, it'll crack you up)
Hanging with the chicks at the pool.......

I thought it would be fun to show a "Peyton Day". I actually wish I could be Peyton for a day..........he is so laid back and thinks everything is funny. He stays busy and is content to play with just about anything. He checks everything out with great purpose and laughs out loud all the time. He loves to find cute chicks at the pool to hug on, jump in the pool and go under, climb on things, climb inside things, and he'll do anything to make us laugh. I could just eat him up. I know God has a purpose for him and I can't wait to see what it is. I pray that God helps me put Peyton on the right path and teach him the right things. I decided to slow down a few times myself and just WATCH him. And of course I kept my handy camera nearby so I could capture a few things along the way.

What a wonderful 10 years!!

Chris and I celebrated our TEN year wedding anniversary this weekend. Taylor Kate took this picture for us (not too bad I must say for a four year old!). I never could have imagined that the boy I flirted with at an Area Wide Devo and then officially met at Youth in Action when I was 15 years old would have become my husband. I can remember thinking back then how cute he was and he also happened to be soooooo nice and was even a Christian! I know this marriage was literally a match made in heaven. These 10 years have flown by. We've been through so many things and now we're even parents. Last night as we were putting Taylor Kate to bed she said, "Daddy, my favorite thing about you is that you are so smart and that you love me. And I love you too." It makes tears well up in my eyes just typing that b/c I want her to have a husband and daddy to her children just like Chris! I pray for her future husband all the time---I pray God already has him picked out and he's being raised by Christian parents that take him to church and set a good example for him at home. Chris took me out Friday night and my fabulous sister kept the kids overnight for us. We had such a great time ( he took me to Folks Folly and gave me a David Yurman ring, yay!!) and we promised each other another wonderful 10 years. He treats me like a queen and I'm so thankful for him!

She's my little star!

Here are the pictures from Taylor Kate's dance recital or "show" as Miss Beth would want me to call it. Tay has been taking ballet and tap from Beth Cross Centre of Dance and Voice for a year now and absolutely LOVES it. I didn't realize just how much she loved it until I got to see her on stage for the first time.......that girl knew every move of her dance, smiled like she was on the red carpet and never even looked at her "big girl" while on stage (those are the older girls that go out on stage and do the moves with the little ones in case they forget). She loved being on stage and performing (where does she get that??). After the show, people kept coming up to me and asking me if she was mine and telling us how awesome she did. I was so proud of her! The show was at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center and we've had tons of rehearsals, dress rehearsals and picture sessions but it was all worth it after seeing the finished product. It was really a professional show. I have to admit I was a little horrified that they were required to wear red lipstick, brown eyeshadow and blush.......Miss Beth said to just trust her (she's been doing this for 30 years!) b/c the girls would be washed out in the lights without any makeup on stage so I went with it and she was right. Taylor Kate thought it was fun to play dress up but I made sure to tell her a million times that she was beautiful no matter what and that Jesus says it's most important to be beautiful on the inside anyway. Thanks to all the family that came and also Grammy and Mallory for keeping Peyton so he wouldn't be tortured for 3 hours! :) By the way there's finally a picture of Chris, aka "daddy", on the blog!!

More tea please......

We went to the coolest birthday party this weekend. Tay's best friend from pre-school (the infamous curly headed "Harley"!!) hosted a tea party for her 4th birthday in the Pink Room at Singleton Community Center. We got a sparkly tea pot invitation in the mail a couple of weeks ago and Tay had been counting down the days until Harley's party got here. The girls were to wear their Sunday best and when they arrived all had a place setting at the table complete with gloves, hats, necklaces and fans. They poured pink lemonade from tea pots and ate on little sandwiches, fruit and cookies. Harley's mom read them a story and they also played a little card game and then there was of course my daughter's favorite, the CAKE!! They had such a great time and looked so cute I just had to include this in my blog. Happy Birthday Harley!!

Adventures in Covington with Emily Peyton Cook

Well, one of my absolute favorite things is pictures of my kids and I have them all over my house. Even better though is when Emily Peyton Cook is the person behind the lens taking the pictures of my kids!! I met Emily when I worked at Mac Papers and she was a graphic designer I called on at Bellevue. I liked her immediately b/c she had such a sweet spirit about her and as we got to know each other better I found out she did photography on the side. So I took Taylor Kate to Emily for her one year portraits. Listen, most of you know that Tay was not the most cooperative, laid back baby.........I remember when I left our session thinking, "there's just no way Emily got ANY good pictures of Tay b/c she practically cried the whole time we were there!". But low and behold I received my proof book and the rest is history. I loved every shot Emily took (even the few where there's tears on Tay's face!) and have taken Taylor Kate and now Peyton back to Emily once a year to get more done. She even did our baby announcement for us. Check out Emily's blog: www.emilypeytoncook.typepad.com and she will be posting all of our pictures next week on her website: www.epcphotography.com

We just love her and her super sweet husband Zach (they were high school sweet hearts like me and Chris!) and are so glad they are part of our lives. We even stayed after our session and went to a local Mexican restaurant for supper. Emily is now doing photography full time and has been super successful b/c she puts God first in her life and also b/c she's sooooo SUPER talented. I highly recommend you all make an appointment to see her!

Sprinkler Park FUN!

We have decided to join the Millington YMCA this summer. It has an awesome sprinkler park similar to the one we played in at the Germantown Centre last year and I thought the kids would love to have a place to run around outside and get wet. We went today for a couple of hours and they had a blast! There are a couple of other families from church joining too so it's super fun for the mommies b/c we get to "socialize" while the kids play. They have a shallow part where the water washes up like a beach and there are several sprinkler's going and that's where we keep the little one's. There is also a 6 foot pool on the other side of the rope and our bigger one's like to swim over there. There are lifeguards all around which is reassuring especially after what happened today...... a little boy no bigger than Peyton fell into the deep side and no one saw him sinking except the lifeguard. My friend Shannon and I saw the lifeguard jump in and when we realized what was happening Shannon was closest to him and reached down into the water and pulled him out. It was very scary and made me remember how quickly things can unexpectedly happen and I thanked God for my safe and healthy kiddo's! Peyton likes to run from me at the sprinkler park so I'm constantly on the move. And Taylor Kate and Noah like to wear their life jackets and swim with the big kids in the deep part so keeping up with all of them is something else. Luckily all the mommies help each other out. But it's fun and that's what being home for summer is all about!

The Patient Little Puppy......

Poor Maggie. She had no idea when we picked her out of a litter of toy poodles in Collierville that she was coming into a home where she'd be sat on, chased with loud toys, teased with dog biscuits, dressed up in princess outfits and most of all be used as a live baby doll. But that's exactly what happened when Maggie became Taylor Kate and Peyton's pet puppy. I was cleaning up breakfast Friday morning and the kids went up to the playroom for a bit before getting ready for the day. When I went up to get them to my astonishment (should I ever really be astonished anymore??) this is what I saw: Maggie sitting in a baby doll high chair being "fed" pretend food off a spoon by Taylor Kate. When Tay saw me she said, "Mommy, watch! Maggie LOVES to sit in the swing!". I watched as poor Maggie was plucked out of the high chair and plopped into the baby doll swing which by the way was swinging ninety to nothing. Of course I had to get my camera out and take pictures..........this is definitely not what Maggie signed up for but, hey, she doesn't know any better and I'm certainly not going to tell her!!

A 10% day ends well......

Well, a wonderful "Eanes" trait that both my daughter, Taylor Kate, and my nephew, Noah, come by honestly is inherited from their Papa. And that trait would be his strong will..............alone it is pretty manageable (most of the time) but put them together and WOW do you have fireworks. Don't get me wrong. Tay and Noah love each other and are really great together 90% of the time. But the other 10% is spent trying to outdo, outlast, outrun, be right and get their own way. Today was definitely a 10% day. I was on the phone with my friend Britney and she witnessed first hand one of their "time out" session's. And she also witnessed my disbelief when Noah yelled, "Aunt Gigi, Taylor Kate just got out of time out and came over and hit me!". Do you know what Tay said when I asked her why she would do such thing? "Well, Noah wouldn't be quiet and I told him if he didn't stop teasing me I was going to hit him." Like the warning justified the action. Anyway, I couldn't let the day end this way and I know the key to their bossy little hearts.........FOOD! And not just any food, BROWNIES! So I had my little chef's come into the kitchen and bake their hearts out. They cracked eggs, poured oil and licked spoon's until they were giggling like crazy. All the fights were forgotten and they were loveable cousins again. And sweet, patient Peyton sat in his high chair eating Ritz crackers too young to know about the yummy batter he was missing out on. And tonight I'm going to pray tomorrow is a 90% day! :)

Shirley Temple

I just had to show these pictures of Taylor Kate. On Sunday she had her dance recital pictures and needed to have "curly pigtails"......... given that she has stick straight hair that really doesn't hold curls I called upon a professional........ Aunt Robin of course!! After much instruction I rolled her hair on sponge rollers Saturday night before bed and Chris and I just couldn't get enough of her----we thought she was the cutest thing with all those curlers in her head!! So Sunday morning she came running into my room (at 6:30am) and said, "Mommy, let's see if my hair is curly!!". So we took out the curlers and low and behold there were ringlets everywhere. I thought I'd never get her out of the mirror. She was sooooo proud of her new do. Her best friend at pre-school, Harley, has naturally curly hair and Tay ran over to her daddy and said, " Dad, it's me, Taylor Kate. I thought you might think it was Harley but it's not. It's just me." We laughed and laughed over that one. I also included a picture of Tay and Peyton. It cracks me up every time I look at it---Tay is practically pulling his arms out of socket to keep him in the picture!!

Good ol' fashion summer fun!

Today reminded me of summer time when I was little. Just playing out in the yard with a sprinkler and some Popsicle's! I am keeping my nephew Noah three days a week this summer for my sister so he will be in a lot of our pictures. I sat in a lawn chair and watched as all three kids laughed, played and had so much fun! There were also water guns involved which I didn't get a picture of but poor Peyton........his sister and cousin were absolutely relentless in shooting him with sprays of water. He would just turn and run as fast as his fat little legs would take him. I keep telling Taylor Kate to wait til he gets bigger. He's going to remember all this.......hopefully he won't be the vengeful type! :) Today I think I heard, "mommy watch this!" or "aunt gigi watch me!" about a thousand times. They just love for you to pay attention to everything they do. And I love watching!

Mrs. Charleen

Well, my daughter amazed me even more than usual today. Once a week I let her pick something nice to do for someone else. And we've done it ALL........from leaving treats in the mailbox for our supernice mailman, to taking Gatorade to construction sites for thirsty workers (Tay said those people are "pouring sweat and needed something to drink") to taking her daddy Cappucino Blasts to his office she's always thinking up something good. This week I told her about how some elderly people live in nursing homes and they don't have lots of visitors and sometimes get lonely. Well that was all she wrote. Taylor Kate said we had to go to the nursing home so that the "old" people wouldn't be sad. So this morning we baked some Cinnabon muffins and off we went. I wasn't too sure how Tay would react to a bunch of elderly ladies wanting to squeeze on her and requesting lots of hugs but again she totally amazed me with her kind heart. She went around the lobby and offered muffins to anybody that wasn't asleep sitting up! They told her how sweet, beautiful and kind she was and she beamed with happiness. Then we met Mrs. Charleen.......... She had a twinkle in her eye and a big beautiful smile and I think Tay and I were both just drawn to her. She invited us down to her room and she couldn't get enough of the kids. Peyton pointed around her room saying "ball" about anything that looked remotely round and Tay used all her manners, let Mrs. Charleen hug on her and ended up giving her an entire plate of muffins! On our way back to the car Tay said, "Mommy, I'm glad we met Mrs. Charleen. Can we come back to see her so we can make her happy again?". I felt tears well up in my eyes as I realized that God gives me these wonderful opportunities to teach my kids that there is more in this world than just making ourselves happy and I was so incredibly grateful for this day. We will definitely be going back to visit Mrs. Charleen...........