Payten and Brayden

Okay well I just got done writing a lot on this blog and my computer deleted it! :( Oh well, I guess I will start over. I wanted to post some pics from us hanging out at home. Payten loves her baby brother. Brayden has just started sitting in his Bumbo seat and really likes it. He loves to look around and Payten will just sit there and look at him....and hug him. It is really sweet to see them together. I know they are going to be good buddies once he gets a little older.

In this picture I captured Payten and Nala at their finest. As you can see, Payten is messing with her and Nala no longer puts up with it. :) And of course there is Brayden just hanging out.

I captured one of Brayden's first smiles. He started really smiling at around one month old and he continues to smile more and more every day. He really likes the "Good Morning" song I sing him every morning. He thinks I am pretty funny....or maybe a little goofy! The things we will do to make our kids smile!!! :)

Brayden Matthew (one month pics)

My little precious one turned one month old on January 10th. We went to his check up yesterday and he weighs 10 pounds and 6 ounces. He is doing great! I couldn't ask for a better baby. He basically sleeps through the night. He will wake up to eat but then will go right back to sleep. He is a cuddler! And did I mention he loves his mommy? I wouldn't call him high maintence, but I would definitely say he loves to be loved.Every day he is looking more and more like his daddy. He has got such pretty blue eyes and such soft skin! I am trying to cherish every day because I know how fast these moments pass you by. They are only babies for a moment so all you have is the memories you make. :) And pictures!!!! Speaking of pictures....here are a few that my new friend Krissy took for me. I LOVE them. If anyone is needing pictures I would highly recommend her. I will post more pics as soon as she gets them finished.

Christmas 2008

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Although we missed spending the holidays with our families we still had a very blessed time. Payten LOVED Christmas this year. She was soo excited about every little thing. And she loves Santa!!!!! We talked to her a lot about how Christmas is about Jesus, not Santa and getting things. She thought it was great that Santa Clause came to her house, ate the cookies that she made him and brought her lots of great presents. She couldn't believe that he brought her everything on her list with the exception of a puppy dog. She really wants a dog, but that is the last thing Matt and I want right now. Maybe someday...... Having two kids and a cat is PLENTY!!!!!!! :) For the last couple months all she could talk about is how she wants a jump rope. Even when we went to see Santa at the mall, he asked her what she wanted and she told him a jump rope. Well, Matt and I went to every store you could think of and no one had a jump rope... not even Toys R Us. There is something wrong when you cannot get a jump rope at a toy store!!!!! Apparently they carry them during the spring and summer months. So Matt had to buy a black fitness jump rope. It was pretty funny when she opened it....She looked a little confused and said, "Santa brought me a black jump rope. I don't want a black jump rope." We couldn't help but laugh. We told her that Santa would bring her another one in a couple months. :)

Daddy and Brayden in their Polo. I love this picture. My two favorite guys!!! They are soooo handsome. :)

The night before Christmas Payten and I had some bonding time and made Santa Clause some cookies. Pink sugar cookies with green sprinkles. (Payten picked the colors) We had a lot of fun making them, but had an even better time eating them. After we made them we set a few out along with a letter she made to Santa. (You can read the letter below.)

I love this picture of Payten. She is such a happy girl!!!!! (Most of the time.) She can be very stubborn sometimes......and hard headed but we are working on it. She is going through a very independent stage right now. She wants to do absolutely everything on her own......brushing her teeth, picking out her clothes, buckling herself into the car seat, picking out her sippy cup in the morning, giving herself a bath, brushing her hair and blow drying it after bath time..... anything you can think of she wants to do it herself. So for now I have decided to pick my battles. Some things are not worth getting upset about. Of course I would love her hair to be fixed and all pretty every day, but for now she wants to do her hair every morning, so I let her. It makes her happy and after she brushes her hair and "fixes it" she will stare into the mirror and just smile and then she will look over at me and ask me if I like her hair. I will just smile back at her and tell her what a great job she did and tell her how much I love her hair. I know this season will pass and one day we will be able to look back and laugh. :)

Payten loves her new playhouse. I took the kids to Target the day before Christmas and while I was gone Matt put it together. Christmas morning we took her in the backyard and it was all set up. She just stared at it for the longest time. She loves it. Payten loves to be outside playing. She could play outside the entire day and I don't think she would get tired. The back of the playhouse has a soccer net and a basketball goal. We decided to get a neutral playhouse so Brayden could enjoy it in a year or two.

Here is Payten in her cooking apron that Aunt Brooke got her. She loves to cook things for us. She is a good cook!!! haha