Comment of the Week

Peyton: "I want to go to the car store and get me mine own car. I need a car that I can drive and push the pedals on to go."
Daddy: "Where are you going to drive your car?"
Peyton: "Everywhere Mommy and Daddy drive. On Sundays, I can drive mine car to church. I want a Wall-E car. I need to get a Wall-E car."

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Peyton: "Popcorn is a vegetable."

Our Week

Another busy week (and weekend) has come to an end, and, now that everything is "prepped" for Monday morning, I can finally sit to down write about our activities! We've had a fun-filled, friend-filled week! On Monday after school, Peyton got to go to Target and get a guitar (a beginners acoustic guitar) for earning stickers at school. He had looked forward to this day for weeks! While at Target, I had planned to pick up a few things, but Peyton insisted that we pay for the guitar right away. Then, once we were back in the car he said, "We don't need to do any more errands. We just need to go home!" He could hardly wait for me to take it out of the box and tighten the strings. He's had so much fun playing on it this week! After about 30 minutes of him "playing the guitar", I realized we should have spent the extra money to get Peyton an electic guitar with headphones! Or we at least need to get Mommy a good set of ear plugs! On Tuesday afternoon, Peyton and Reagan's friends Will and Lauren came over to play after school. On Wednesday, Peyton went to his first occupational therapy session with "Ms. Nina" and then got a hair cut (an experience he always loves!). Awanas was Wednesday night. On Thursday after school, we went for a long bike ride/walk. Poor Reagan didn't have such a good time. She took a spill and skinned up her knee. Then later, on the playground, she got into an ant hill. On the way home, Peyton decided that he wanted to take the training wheels off of his bike, so he can "ride like the big boys do". We took them off after returning home, but he hasn't had a chance to ride yet. On Friday, Mommy, Peyton, and Reagan spent a much needed quiet morning at home. That night we met Daddy at the Wiggly Play Center for fun and dinner. There were karate instructers there teaching the kids how to break boards. Peyton loved it! So now guess what extracurricular activity Peyton wants to do? On Saturday, Peyton had another soccer game. Since Reagan always loves to play with the team's balls, we bought her her own little size 1 soccer ball to take to the games. Reagan was playing with her ball close to the field when a little girl (about 7) tried to get her to kick the ball back and forth. Reagan apparently thought the girl wanted to take her ball away from her, so she would pick up her ball and say, "No! Mine!" In the car on the way home, I was telling this story to Dustin. Peyton overheard, and thought it was the funniest story ever! He keeps saying, "Weagan told the girl 'No! Mine!'" and then laughs histerically! That afternoon, we took the kids to a blue bonnet field in an attempt to get a few good pictures. Today was "Kid Care Day" at church. Peyton and Reagan got to wear their Kid Care t-shirts, and Peyton got to sing on stage with other kids. He did great!

Reagan has decided that she does not like to take baths anymore. She refuses to sit down and "screams her head off" (as Peyton puts it). What she loves, however, is ketchup! She says "ketch" and wants it with almost every meal. She'll dip any food into it and licks it off. Sometimes she just scoops it up with her fingers and licks it off!

Peyton has his birthday all planned out. He wants to have a Wall-E birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese and invite "all my friends"! Fortunatey, Peyton doesn't change his mind about things like this once he decides, so I'm hoping to be able to start making preparations this week.

Peyton is pretty excited that Daddy's birthday is only one week away. Tonight on the phone, he told Granmommy and Grandaddy that Daddy is going to be "85".

Five Speckled Frogs

Peyton's writing from school

Easter and Since Then

Easter...
We had a very busy but fun Easter weekend! The Thursday before Easter was "He is Risen" day at school. Peyton and Reagan each brought a gerber daisy to put on the flower cross. Neither one made it to the cross, however! Reagan tripped on the way in to church and broke a piece off the bottom of hers. As I was picking it up, Peyton broke the bottom off of his stem. So I picked up the second stem and tossed them both into a trash can by the door. Reagan saw me throw the broken-off stems in the trash, and, apparently thought that was where the flowers went. As I was opening the door, she dumped here entire flower in the trash! Since Peyton thinks he must do everything Reagan does or he'll miss out on something fun, he came along behind her and dumped his in the trash can as well! Fortunately, Mommy had one extra gerber daisy, so Peyton did get to put a flower on the cross with his class after all.

That morning, there was a special Easter chapel for parents to attend with their kids. I had a great time singing with Peyton, watching the puppet show, and hearing an Easter story.

Later that afternoon was Peyton's class "He is Risen" party. Peyton got to make a cross and decorate a cupcake with a ton of goodies.

After school we raced home to meet Daddy and load up the car. We hit the road and heading to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Easter weekend.

On Friday, Reagan and Mommy went to Three Rivers to have lunch with Mommy's friend and her daughter. Grandpa, Daddy, and Peyton went to Kenedy to run a few errands and eat lunch at Dairy Queen, and Grandma headed to Beeville to do errands. Later that afternoon after we all returned home, cousins Jane and Jamie came over. Jamie was on a two week R&R from Iraq and showed us her pictures. It was great to see them! Brett and Stepanie came in later that evening. They brought their recently "rescued" Greyhound Bob. Peyton and Reagan were both a little anxious about Bob at first, but they warmed up to him as the weekend went on. Peyton enjoyed putting Bob's leash on him and taking him for walks. Peyton and Grandpa drove around on the ranger, and Grandpa even let Peyton "drive".

On Saturday, we enjoyed a quiet day at home. We cooked our Easter dinner at lunch time on Saturday. That afternoon, the kids hunted eggs and opened Easter gifts from Brett and Stephanie and Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa took Peyton outside to ride his bike on their road, but Peyton's training wheels didn't work so well on the loose-gravel road. It was hilarious to watch him spin out! Finally, Grandpa took him to a concrete parking lot to ride on! On Saturday night, Mommy and Daddy went to Mommy's class reunion (Three Rivers High School Class of 95) at Nolan Ryan's Waterfront Restaurant in Three Rivers. Since it's been 14 years since graduation, we all joked about continuing to have reunions on random years from now on!

On Sunday, the kids woke up to find that the Easter bunny had visited the night before. Peyton was a little disappointed and confused that he didn't get to actually see an Easter bunny at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Both kids loved the cups they got - Peyton got a Wall-E cup and Reagan got a Minnie Mouse one. We rushed to get dressed for church and get the car packed. Once at church, First Baptist Church of Beeville, we dropped Reagan off in the nursery (the same nursery Mommy stayed in when she went to church with her Grandma and Grandpa). Peyton got to go to big church with us for the first part of the service. Then all the kids left to go to kid church. In kid church, Mommy and Peyton got to hear a story using Resurrection Eggs. Peyton was so excited to see the Resurrection Eggs in kid church! We had bought him a set the week before, and he loved opening up each egg and taking out the "Resurrection item" and examining it. Peyton's class also made a set of Resurrection Eggs. By the time Easter was over, Peyton could tell the importance of most of the twelve items inside the eggs, and, therefore, could tell most of the Easter story on his own! Back to kid church, Peyton waited patiently as each item was passed around them room. He waited patiently until the teacher called him to the front of the room when it was his turn to open an egg. After the story and the eggs, the kids sang Veggie Tale songs, which Peyton also knows very well! So kid church was a huge hit with Peyton! After church, we all had Easter lunch at the Dairy Queen. Then it was time to hit the road back to McKinney, Texas. "What Texas are we in?" Peyton asked at one point on the long trip back!

Since Then...
We've had a busy week at home this week! Monday was spent unpacking, washing clothes, grocery shopping and getting organized for the week. On Tuesday, Peyton had his second soccer game. We can already see improvement! He hasn't scored yet, but he did "dribble" the ball down the field and got a few kicks in! On Wednesday, we spent several hours at the park with friends, riding bikes and playing. At Awanas on Wednesday night, the kids "launched" hundreds of balloons carrying messages of Christ's love into the sky. Peyton was beyond excited!

Peyton's favorite activity of the week has been to "play Resurrection Eggs" with Mommy. We sit down on opposite sides of the coffee table with a carton of eggs in front of us (Mommy gets the ones Peyton made in school and Peyton get's the one we bought at LifeWay). We take turns choosing an egg and describing the item inside.

Reagan has found a new love - ketchup! She will scoop it up with her fingers and lick it off! She says, "ketch!" She loves to watch "TaTales" (Veggie Tales). Both she and Peyton really like the Veggie Tales Easter Carol. Reagan, Peyton, and Daddy love to rap! Daddy and Peyton "sing" and Reagan dances! Reagan also says, "ah Waw-we" (Wall-E). Yesterday, she fell while walking next to Dustin and said, "ah fall." She says "up high" when we go over an overpass.

Peyton and Reagan's most favorite thing off all right now is to ride around on the "inside bikes" (Peyton's tricycle and Reagan's little push bike) and chase each other. And while they ride they LOVE to scream "AAAHHHHHHH" at the top of their lungs! Our house is very loud these day!

Peyton discovered that he likes zucchini this week. I was chopping some to put into spaghetti sauce, and he said he wanted to eat one plain. So he did, and now he likes zucchini (without the peel!).

Comment of the Week

Peyton: "Who blowed me up when I was a baby?" Mommy: "I don't know, Peyton. Who?" Peyton: "God did. When I were a baby He blowed me up and I got bigger. He used a pump. It has my name on it. We have it now. Mommy, can you blow me up some more so I can get bigger?"

Daddy's Soccer Game

Daddy had an early soccer game tonight, so the kids got to see him play. Reagan for the first time, and Peyton for the second time. According to Peyton, he remembers coming to Daddy's soccer game when he was 2 with Granmommy and Grandaddy. Reagan was precious! She sat next to me on the bench and waved and said, "Ah Daddy, Ah Daddy". She even blew Daddy kisses. She was able to always determine when Dustin was on the field - pretty observent on her part since there 5 guys on the field in the same jersy. She also waved and flirted with the ref! Peyton thought the game was cool, but he was disappointed that he couldn't go out on the field. Peyton said, "Daddy is a soccer-man, too." Daddy scored 3 times, and his team, the "Hot Shots", won 9-3. Way to go, Daddy!

Comments

Peyton: "But I didn't make a big mess! I just made a little one."
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Peyton: "I like God, but I don't like sin."
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Peyton: "Mommy, I want 'sumfing' cool to do."
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Peyton (coming in Mommy and Daddy's room at 6:30am): "God told me I could get up now."

Helping Daddy Plant Spring/Summer Flowers

Robbers Cave Trip

For several months now, we've been planning a weekend trip to Robber's Cave State Park in Oklahoma with other families in our Sunday School class. It was our first experience "camping" with both kids, and they did great! The Spring weather could not have been more perfect for our little get-away in the woods! Here's a recap of our weekend:

Friday - Dustin took the day off from work, and we spent the morning packing. At 1:30 we met up with another family in McKinney, and started out on the 3 hour road trip. Peyton enjoyed watching his new Wall-E DVD in the car while Reagan slept for most of the trip. We arrived at our set of cabins in Robber's Cave about 4:30 and unpacked. A few families had already arrived. There was a playground in front of our cabins, and Reagan immediately pointed to it and demanded to "play, play, plaaaayyy." As Dustin unloaded the car, I took the kids to the playgroud to play with friends. We had only been there a short time when one of the little boys feel off the highest platform and landed on his hand, very obviously breaking his wrist. Just after they headed off the emergency room, I noticed that the right side of Peyton face around his eye was red and scratched, apparently the result of roughhousing on the playground. Fortunately, Peyton's injury didn't seem to bother him at all; it just looked bad! So basically, two injuries occurred within just minutes of arriving at the park! But I guess that's to be expected when a group of kids contains 20 boys and only 5 girls! Four families cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone for dinner.
After dinner, we put Reagan to bed in our cabin and headed to the campfire (just a few yards away!) with our baby monitor. Peyton got to make s'mores for the first time and loved them! When we grew tired of breathing campfire smoke, we heading back to our 1 bedroom cabin duplex that we shared with another family in our group. The best thing to be said about the cabin was that it was mostly clean! While it wasn't the most comfortable accomodation, it was sufficient for a couple of nights! In addition to a full bed in the bedroom, the "couch" in the main room made out into a "bed", where Dustin and I slept (and made a note to bring our air mattress if we ever go back). Reagan stayed in her pack-n-play in the bedroom, and Peyton got the full bed (which was no more comfortable than the couch). Both kids slept great both nights!

Saturday - We started the day with breakfast tacos, prepared by two of the families. Peyton discovered that he likes breakfast tacos now, even though he got annoyed that the eggs kept falling out the bottom! After breakfast, we played on the playgroup and rode scooters/bikes. We claimed the driveway in front of our cabins as bike and scooter trail for the kids. The short road had a slope to it, so the kids could get going really fast (which was fun for the mostly boy group, of course, but the words "slow down!" and "watch out!" could be heard about every five minutes or so!). Peyton must've ridden miles on his scooter out there! He called the road "my scooter road." Reagan probably rode miles on her little bike as well. She discoved really quick how to make her bike go "fast" down the slope. However, she would drag the toes of her shoes on the asphalt to make herself stop, resulting in almost worn-through shoes. Peyton found a long stick that he claimed as his "walking stick." Later that moring we all gathered our backpacks and water and headed to the Robbers Cave trail (to see where the "bad guys" used to hang out). It was a short hike up to the caves but not exactly easy with a 20 month old refusing to be carried and a 4 year old who wants to "experience" everything! The main cave was a blast! One wall was sloped, and the kids used it as a slide. The bottoms of many a pair of pants were worn out that day! Reagan, of course, was determined to keep up with the bigger kids! After leaving the main cave, we hiked a little higher to a look-out point, and then headed back down, snaking our way through a few narrow passage ways. Peyton couldn't have been any happier climbing up and over and on all the big rocks! Once we reached the bottom again, there were a few large rock formations that Dustin was able to climb with Peyton. He showed no fear of heights but demonstrated that he can proceed with caution going up and coming down! We were glad to see that our adventurous little boy was able to have fun and be responsible at the same time!

After lunch, Dustin and Peyton went to the lake with the older kids, while I stayed with Reagan in the cabin as she napped. Peyton got to feed huge catfish, eat a snowcone, and play on a playground with a tire swing. After the little kids' nap time, the rest of us headed to the lake for the Easter egg hunt and an apperance by the Easter bunny! Even though it was Reagan's first time to "hunt" eggs, she acted like a pro! She took off at the count of three and picked up as many eggs as she could! Peyton raced to fill his basket as well. The setting couldn't have been more perfect for an egg hunt - in a field next to a lake surrounded by beautiful hills. We spent another 1 1/2 hours at the lake. The Dads and some of the kids played a game of football. Peyton had fun throwing rocks into the lake. Reagan played on another playground. We also took a family paddle boat ride.

Dinner that night was prepared by us and two other families, and the menu consisted of fajitas with all the fixings. Reagan played with a friend in the cabin as we grilled, sliced, cooked, etc. Peyton went for a walk with friends and hunted snakes. We decided to serve the food out of our small cabin, and Peyton thought it was great that everyone came into our cabin to get their food. He loved being the host!

After dinner and Reagan's bedtime, I took Peyton over to the campfire. The evening before, he had watched two of the oldest boys (5th graders) reading with their flashlights by the fire. So on Saturday night, Peyton insisted on taking his book ("One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish") to the campfire, so he could "read like the big boys." But first he had to roast marshmellows. He was so tired, however, that he held his marshmellows above the fire and sort of zoned out. When he finally pulled them away from the fire to eat, they were perfectly roasted! He offered me one, and it was the best roasted marshmellow I'd ever eaten! After eating a few marshmellows and reading his book, it was Peyton's (and Daddy's!) bedtime. Mommy stayed at the campfire to play a few games of "Murder" before turning in for the night.

Sunday - A cold front came through and dropped the temperature about 25 degrees! Peyton woke up asking if we were going to have tacos again for breakfast. Fortunately, pancakes were an acceptable subsititue for him! After breakfast, we packed up, played on the playground one last time, and then hit the road back to Texas!

Class Pictures

Reagan's Class

Peyton's Class

Peyton Big and Tall

Peyton is now tall enough to reach all the light switches in our house! He can also dunk a basket on the tallest setting on his basketball goal!

Easter Bunny 2009

Peyton's reaction: Hugged, gave fives, waved to, talked to. Couldn't get enough. Loved the Easter Bunny.
Reagan's reaction: Screamed "No! No! Nooooo!" and tried to crawl back in the stroller. Wanted nothing to do with the Easter Bunny whatsoever!