Absolutely my favorite picture ever!!
She wants a horse...Callie will have to do for now!
The mountains wore Payton out!
Miss Hollywood...
Payton would collect ALL the leaves and give them to Daddy. It was a long (short) walk!
Partying at the Oktoberfest, Waldhorn Restaurant in Pineville, NC
My parent's beautiful mountain "shack"
Payton loves her Baby Abby!
So full of personality!
She loves her Daddy!
Watch out...wild woman on a mission!
Wat chu talkin bout?
Trying to put her hat on
Payton loves her little brother!
Auntie Cheryl with Raegan, who loves her some Griffin!! Prepping to be a big sister!
Silly girl...that's not for you anymore!!
Loving on Elmo!
Loving on Callie!
Griffin loves his big Sissy!
Griffin beside our "wedding tree"
Daddy and his little man enjoying the fresh mountain air
I'm TWO months old already!
Mommy got a little excited about this outfit...but quickly removed it, as it was a little excessive!
Griffin all dressed up to go to the Richardson's wedding!
Tummy Time!
First time in his Exersaucer, watching the Bears play football...he looks SO big!
Putting the moves on Baby Abby :)
Activity Mat
Kevin with the boys, Griffin (2 mo) and Jake (4 mo)...almost the same size!
Payton loved the Bouncy House!
Such a big girl!
Getting her balance
Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
With the Sugar Bears, at Sugar Mountain Octoberfest
Grumps' obstacle, I mean, croquet course at the winery
We love wine :)
Don't let him fool you...This is how Grumps tries to win at croquet!
Daddy teaching Payton how to play croquet!
That's our girl!!
Payton's new friends trying to steal her cookie
We haven't gotten many of the professional shots back yet (and hope we do!) but here are a few
This was the photo shoot with our friend, Jenn Greene...it started raining about 15 minutes into the shoot, but she got some cute shots!
We've already had a fun-filled, and quite busy, fall, and it's just getting started! This month is best known for its Octoberfest celebrations & Halloween. We have attended two Octoberfest's. The first was at the Waldhorn Restaurant with the Collins family. We had dinner, then stepped outside to hear the (very loud) German band play, which, not surprisingly, got better as my beer intake increased. Payton, Madi, & Cali enjoyed dancing on the dance floor, and climbing the hill out back. The second was at Sugar Mountain. There was also a (very loud) German band playing, but we mostly stayed out front so that Payton could play in the bouncy house. She was hesitant at first, and wouldn't go in...but then I let her go down the slide, and she was sold! She waited in line, like a big girl, then into the inflatable she went, jumping with the "big kids." Then we went over to the REALLY tall, steep slide. I had to carry her up the stairs, which was a task in itself, then we slid down together. My mom said the look on her face was priceless, but when we got to the bottom, she was all smiles. Brian got it on video, but until I become more blog-savvy, I have no idea how to post video.
The first weekend in October we attended our friend's wedding...Jon and Janice Richardson. It was at a castle near Jamestown, NC. Griffin came with us, but Payton stayed back with Granby and Grumps, as it would have been too late for her to join us. We all had a great time, and Griffin was my dance partner on the dance floor! But as you can imagine, we were exhausted, and had an early night. Cheryl and Jeremy also went, along with several other friends. It was a beautiful place, beautiful wedding, and beautiful couple!
We haven't been up to the mountain house since New Year's weekend...well because we've kind of been busy having a baby :) We had a nice weekend up there, and it was absolutely beautiful! Highs in the low 70's, and lows in the mid 40's, not a cloud in the sky. My parents were able to come up also. We visited a fairly new winery in Foscoe, NC...Grandfather Winery. The wine was okay, but we had a blast. We brought a picnic lunch, and pretty much had the place to ourselves, with a couple of friendly resident doggies. The owner put out some yard games for us, and instinctively, Dad pulled out and set up the croquet set. And keeping true to his character, it was quite a challenging course, up a hill, around boulders, and under a fence. Brian, no surprise, won, with me coming in second place. In the meantime, Griffin slept almost the ENTIRE time we were there, and Payton thoroughly enjoyed her freedom, playing cornhole, running around the yard, pushing her Baby Abby in her stroller, and with all the determination in the world, tried for many, many minutes to put her socks and shoes on by herself. I think she may have had the best time of all! At the house we spent a lot of time on the huge back deck, and Mom and Dad bought a gas firepit thingy to keep us warm, but it turned out to be more of an ambiance type thing, unless you stick your hands into the fire...we'll see if Santa brings them a nice stand-up gas heater ;) That should do the job! Both the kids LOVE being outside!
This week both kids had their well check-ups with Dr. Nguyen, who we adore! Both kids are healthy as they can be. Payton was in for her 18 month appointment. She weighs 30 pounds, and is 35 1/4 inches, or the size of an average 2.5 year old. She's in the 97th percentile for weight, and off the charts in height. Griffin weighs 14.2 pounds, and is 24 inches, about 90 percentile in height, and 95th in weight (as a comparison, at 2 months Payton weighed 13 1/2 pounds and was also 24 inches). He also showed off again by rolling over from his belly to his back. Little stinker! So, here comes why Payton doesn't like bandaids. The only time she's ever had to wear them is when she gets shots, so she associates them with that pain. She received 2 shots, and screamed, but stopped promptly as I handed her a sucker. Later that day, I changed her diaper and left her pants off (she was going to take a nap...) She saw the bandaid and started crying. I took it off and threw it away and she was fine. She hates stickers also. So funny! The doc wanted to see in Payton's mouth, but she screamed. Brian had to hold her arms down, and the doc said she'll be able to see when Payton cries, thus opening her mouth. Well, because Payton UNDERSTANDS EVERYTHING these days, that little booger closed her mouth and wouldn't let her see....she has 16 teeth, by the way. Once her 2 year molars come through, she'll be done with teething :) Griffin was a champ, and also had to get 2 shots. He screamed, but calmed down very quickly. He didn't get a sucker ;)
A funny...The other night Payton was sucking her thumb while we were sitting outside. I told her if she sucks her thumb that means it's time for bed. That little smarty-pants took her thumb out of her mouth and sucked on her pointer finger. What could I do but laugh? She is SUCH a character!
A funny (or may gross you out) about Griffin...Mom and I were shopping and he pooped. He poops every other day, so it's usually a big one. It was everywhere, and by everywhere, I mean his body looked like he'd been slimed by an alien! It took both of us and a by-stander to get him cleaned up...the lady offered us more wipes, as my supply wasn't enough to literally bathe him! Luckily I had a change of clothes for him. Whew! He got a bath once we got home. Griffin is getting stronger by the day, and holds his head up like a pro now. We actually got the Exersaucer out of the attic for him to begin using. Well, big sis thought it would be funny if she climbed in it...as the pictures show. He seems to like it, when he gets a "turn." He grunts, farts, burps, and makes so many loud sounds all the time. There is a lot of testosterone there...He is ALL boy!
Cheryl and Raegan came by to visit one afternoon this week. Cheryl was due with baby #2 last Saturday, October 8th. She's still waiting...and waiting...and waiting. She's showing no progress, so she and her doc have decided to induce, starting with cervadil (what I had night #1 with Payton) on Thursday night, then pitocin AND/OR a csection on Friday. Either way we are going to meet "Cameron" by Friday, and Raegan will become a big sister. She's been practicing her skills on Griffin. She LOVES him, and loves to love on him. That's a lot of love! We can't wait to meet Cameron and see if she has all the hair that Raegan did! Right now the doc's are estimating the baby to be 9 pounds! But most likely, she'll be more in the 8 pound range, which is still a big baby for Cheryl!
Thursday, October 13th, is Brian's 32nd birthday. He's getting so old, lol! We are also hopefully celebrating him passing his home inspector exam, which he also takes Thursday. Good luck, honey!!
This weekend we are expecting a visit from Grandmommy, Granddude, Great Granddude, and his new wife, Virginia. They'll spend the day with us, and Great Granddude, Burton, will get to meet Griffin for the first time. It will be a special day for them! That evening we plan on going back to Octoberfest with the Collins, Tophams, and Tisdales, since we had such a great time the first time!!
More updates to come :)
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