15 Months and Disneyland!

I still haven't figured out how to stop my little man from growing so here we are, celebrating his latest milestone. On May 25, my little guy was a big 15 month old!

We had spent an awesome week in Disneyland with Poppa, Grandma, Felicia, Aaron, Jen and Derek. Peyton did really good on all the flights; I was pretty impressed with him. It was hot and humid in Disneyland and was quite a change from what we were used to in little ol' Cedar City. Peyton had recently grown quite attached to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV and I couldn't wait to introduce him to Mickey Mouse for real! I hoped that he would be okay with the characters and not be frightened but we were just going to have to wait and see.

Peyton had recently discovered that Mommy was getting slower and he was getting faster and he used that to his advantage every chance he got. He sure is a fast little guy, especially with those chubby bowed legs! Thankfully, Poppa stayed with us the whole trip so Jayson had a little bit of help (since I wasn't much help at all!).

We were able to see a couple of characters; not as many as I would've liked but Peyton is too little to understand why everyone is just standing around in line all day so I didn't push the issue. We got to see Tigger, Eeyore, Pooh and of course, Mickey Mouse! Since Tigger was the first one we saw, Peyton wasn't quite sure what to think about him. He stood for pictures but that was about it. Once we went around the corner to Eeyore though, Peyton lost all inhibition! He leaned over from my arms and gave Eeyore a big kiss without even being asked to!! It was one of the cutest things I had seen him do. My little lover man! :)

Leaning in for loves!

One of the SEVERAL kisses Mickey got.

For some reason, Peyton looks grumpy in this pic but it makes me giggle! 

And how is just Peyton? Great, growing all the time. He is starting to babble quite a bit and some words are very obvious. He says "ha-whoa" when he picks up someone's phone and he says "bye bye" when you're leaving. He doesn't really say Mickey Mouse but it's "um-mou" and we've come to find that is Mickey. He has a lot of cute little habits now. He does a strong face on command (Peyton, give me a strong face!) and he can point to several body parts including his belly button, ears, nose and when you ask him where his mouth is, he sticks his tongue out and goes "blah!" He is quite the little man and he makes his mommy very happy. :)

So that kinda catches up Peyton; now that he is over a year old, I am probably not going to be able to do monthly updates. I might still try but if nothing else, I'm going to hit the milestone months so the next one will be 18 months. And since this is a past update, I'm going to skip the letter to Peyton (don't want to make it up) so that will start again at the 18 month one. Hope you enjoyed this little catch up!

My Big One Year Old!

It happened. As much as I didn't want it to (or at least not so fast), Peyton's first birthday has come. My little man is a big, bad one year old!

He went from this:

To this:Peyton has changed so much in the past year, and so have his parents! The night before his birthday he decided he was going to start walking. Just like I thought, he wasn't going to attempt it at all before or practice at all. He just decided he was going to start walking and POOF! he's walking! The timing couldn't have been better. My mom and brother and sisters were able to come down for his birthday party and he started walking the night they got here. We missed the 'first' first steps (I was attempting to locate my mom in Cedar City to have her follow me back to the house) but it was awesome that he started walking that weekend!

We had an awesome birthday party for him. The house was packed with people and decorated to the max! Poppa Jay made an awesome lunch for everyone and then we got to have cake...the cake I made and decorated MYSELF! That's right, my self. No one else. The only help I had was asking Jayson's opinion on the icing coloring. Other than that, I did the entire thing myself. And all I can say is: I have such a deep respect for people who do that for a living!

Anyway, Peyton got tons of new stuff including his first car!! Okay, it was just a little Cozy Coupe car but he sure likes it! The twins and Jaxsen took turns driving him and his cousin Tru Lee around the house and it was pretty cute! He looks awesome in his little car, I must say so myself. But then again, I think he is about the most handsome baby boy ever so he looks good in EVERYTHING!
He did enjoy his day and then to top it off, Grandma's hotel room had a POOL so we went swimming with Uncle Tristan, Aunt Kaycee, Aunt Sydney and Aunt Chelsea. Even Grandma came down to chill with us! Needless to say, Peyton's birthday weekend was very fun and entertaining. It was busy but worth it.And what's new with Jayson and me? Not much of anything. We are not-so-patiently waiting for spring break to get here so we can relax. My spring break sounds like it is going to contain a lot of traveling. My Aunt Leah has graciously agreed to take my dog Annie for me. Annie hasn't been very happy since we moved to Cedar because she is a bigger dog and has to spend most of the day outside in a backyard that has NO grass. So after wrestling with the decision for months, I decided to give her away and what better person than someone in my family?! Leah has a HUGE yard and will be an awesome home for Annie. Plus, I will get frequent updates about her. So, over my spring break, Peyton and I will be driving to Logan and then Mom, Tristan and Kaycee will all be driving to Montana. Lots and lots of driving but I am excited to see some family!

But that's about it. Almost. (read the next post!) Anyway, as always when finishing these here is my little letter to Goose!:

My Big Boy,
How is it that you are already one year old?!? Time has gone by so fast, it isn't fair. I have enjoyed every minute with you; even the hard ones. You are such a smart, amazing little man. You know how to make me and Daddy laugh and that is one of your favorite pastimes. You will do almost anything to get a smile from us. Now that you are walking and you are more sure of your balance, you have quite the dance moves! Let's just say you get them from your mom; you can decide later on if that's a good thing or not.
One thing that I have been reminded of recently, Peyton, is that life is FULL of changes and surprises. Sometimes they are great surprises and sometimes they are ones that you'd rather do without. However, two things will always remain certain in your life: Mom and Dad will ALWAYS love you and your Heavenly Father will ALWAYS love and be there for you. With those two constants in your life, no matter what else comes your way, you will always be prepared to handle it.
I know you are going to do great things in life Peyton. You have such an amazing heart and at such a young age, are willing to do anything to make those around you happy. Keep smiling my big boy. I love you so much Peyton. You are surrounded by those who love you, both near and far. I love you Peyton. Thanks for an amazing year my sweetheart!

Love,
Mommy

11 Months

(To my readers: I wrote this in the proper time frame, just didn't have enough pictures so I didn't post it)


So Peyton's 11 month marker has passed. I'm down to less than a month before he turns 1. (I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry...) He is getting so big. I have no idea how much he weighs right now, I want to wait until his year check up to be surprised.Peyton isn't walking yet but I can't tell he is really thinking about it. He can stand on his own (even though he doesn't really like to) for about a minute now but then if he wants to move, he drops to his knees.

He is so 'helpful' these days. He loves to help with the laundry by pulling each piece of my clean clothes out of the laundry basket and onto the floor. He does this, smiling the whole time. Good thing he is so cute!

My new favorite thing that he does is 'talk'. He will have full conversations using nonsense syllables but will look at you just like you are talking to an adult. I love hearing him babble like this. He does like to say "Wow!" whenever he sees something new or something bright. I LOVE IT! It is so cute that he knows when to say it and he has the exclamation right. He will also say "oooo" if he falls down or if something scares him. It makes me giggle every time.

He is such a sweet boy. He has his moments, don't get me wrong, but he is a sweetheart. I'm really excited about his birthday but I'm really sad too. I can't believe that a year has gone by already since he got here. I just think about how tiny he used to be compared to how big he is now. I just really love him more than words can ever describe.As for the rest of us, nothing big has changed yet. I was supposed to have my shoulder surgery on the 1st but it got postponed; something happened with the doctor and we had to cancel the surgery until I hear from him again. I was pretty bummed but everything happens for a reason.

Jayson and I are still working on getting sealed and will hopefully be able to do so this summer. Keep us in your prayers! Also, this year marks Jayson and I's "first" anniversary since there is actually a February 29th this year. So, to celebrate, we are taking money from our tax return this year (gotta love the child tax credit!) and going to Disneyland with Jayson's family. It will be Peyton's first flight and mine and Jayson's first one together. I'm super excited to go to Disneyland and take Peyton to see all that color! We are also going to go to the beach one day and play in the water and we might go to the Los Angeles Zoo. I am super excited and May can't get here fast enough!! Anyway, that's about all that's new with us. School is about the same; busy, boring and we're only about half way through the semester, haha. Summer break is going to be a nice welcome. I hope you all are doing well and that life is going as well as you would like it too!


And as always,

Goose,
I love you so much. You are such a mommy's boy and sometimes, I worry that this could be a bad thing but it's so hard not to hold you all the time and pick you up when you are crying. I love that when I come home from a day at school, you have the biggest smiles waiting for your daddy and me. It makes that long day at school worth it just in the first minute I'm home. You are just the best. I've been a little worried lately about school and being gone so much but just remember that it is so you can have a great life. Someday, daddy and I will look back at this day and realize that it wasn't as hard as we thought it was. However, I hope someday that you can appreciate all that we do for you and for our family. I want you to have the best life possible. I even started you a savings account. It doesn't have much in it now but we add to it every chance we get and someday, you will be able to use it for college. I can't wait to take you to Disneyland this May. You probably won't remember it but I'll make sure to take a lot of pictures! It's going to be so much fun--this is supposed to be mine and daddy's 'honeymoon/anniversary' trip that we never got to take but I'm glad that we get to take you. I hope that you will be walking by then but I think walking is going to come just like crawling did--you aren't going to try, you aren't going to practice, you are just going to do it one day and you'll be a natural. I can't wait, even though life after that will never be the same. :) I love you sweetheart. You and daddy are my everything, always remember that.

Love,
Mommy

Peyton is 10 Months!!

On Christmas Day, my not-so-little man hit the 10 month mile marker. I can't believe he is that close to being one already. Every day, I think to myself "There is no way that he can make me smile anymore than he did today," and every day, he proves me wrong. He is the sweetest little guy I could have asked for and thank goodness that the Lord knows what I need more than I do because I got so much more than I would have ever even thought to ask for.

He is so much fun! He learned, quite fast, while we were at my dad's house that he can climb the stairs and boy, does he think that is just the bee's knees. He would start heading for those stairs, look back to see who was watching and then just take off. Before we knew it, he'd be at the first landing, giggling away. He is into everything now, which at our house generally isn't a problem but we got to see first hand why baby-proofing is so important while we were at my dad's. Thankfully, there wasn't any problems, just him being a nosy little boy.He finally has another tooth on the bottom of his jaw. It's on the right side and the one on the left is working on coming up. This boy is going to have a full mouth of teeth before he is 1!

One of the toys he got for Christmas is a walker style toy and he's learned to book it on that. It's a little alphabet train and it's tall enough that he doesn't have to bend over when he walks to hold onto it. He is still a little wobbly and sometimes, his top half goes faster than his bottom half but I think he might be walking on his own before his birthday. He is getting braver every day.

We recently found out that he doesn't appreciate fry sauce...at all...I gave him some tater tots on while I was cooking some more, Jayson dipped just one in a little spot of fry sauce and gave it to him. After he spit that one out, he wouldn't even touch the tots that didn't have fry sauce. I am pretty sure that this is the first thing we have found that he doesn't like...and Jayson plans on changing that as soon as he can (Jayson will eat fry sauce with just about anything).

Before school starts, I hope to get Peyton using sippy cups instead of bottles during the day. We tried to get him used to them today but he just HATES it. He fell asleep twice without a bottle/cup, which is very weird for him. He just refuses the cup and then daddy came "to the rescue" and gave him a bottle. I don't know what is going to be harder; getting Peyton on the cup or getting Jayson to put up with it while I do.

Oh, and the best thing I got him for Christmas??? He finally has his own Manning Colts jersey. I walked past a store in Logan that had them for 40% off and I just couldn't help myself! He looks quite handsome, if I do say so myself!!Anyway, that catches us up with Peyton the Tank, or as I have started calling him 'Goose'. He is, and will always be my little goose.


And, as always, my note:


My Goose:

You are getting so big and you are so smart! You know when you are getting into something that you shouldn't be and sometimes, it is so hard to tell you no because you are just so stinking cute. I love you more than words could ever describe and every day, that love just grows and grows. I can't believe we are getting so close to your birthday. I'm excited and sad at the same time. It's going to be fun, I'm planning a whole party for you with a Mickey Mouse cake that I am decorating myself. Daddy thinks we should just buy one but I want to make it for my special little guy.
I bought you Dumbo for Christmas and even though you don't like the whole movie, when the spot comes on that sings "Baby Mine", you stop and watch. Guess that's what I was buying it for. I love singing that song to you and I try to every chance I get. You are growing up too fast and I am afraid that I missing chances left and right but just know that I am trying. I love you Peyton. I can't wait to see what a good man you will grow up to be. But then again, I can wait forever. Stay sweet my precious man. I love you Goose.

Love,
Mommy

Mommy Musings

So, I was talking to Jayson the other day and finally was able to put into words what I have been thinking for the past couple weeks.

I love Peyton more than anything in this world. The whole world could disappear but as long as I had Jayson and Peyton, my life would still be the best. As I was holding Peyton the other night, letting him fall asleep in my arms, I told Jayson I didn't understand how we could have more kids. He gave me the funniest look and I knew that I was going to have a hard time explaining it so I just jumped in as best as I could.

I told him that when we got married, I was the happiest I had ever been in life. At that point, I didn't think there was anything that could top that feeling and I was sure there wasn't room in my heart for any other being.

Then Peyton came along. That feeling I had when I got married to Jayson had amplified to more than 1000 times what it originally was. I truly was the luckiest person in the world. I had an amazing husband and a beautiful, healthy, happy baby boy. As the months wore on, my love and this feeling in my heart continued to grow. I have now arrived at the point where I feel, on a constant, daily basis, that my heart might just explode from all of the love I have for both Jayson and Peyton.

Which brings me to my point...how does one get past that? How can I have any more children when I don't think my heart can grow anymore. I don't think I can carry around any more love with me. I definitely want more kids. I just don't know how my heart can expand any more to encompass more love. So my mommy friends that have multiple children, how do you do it? I truly don't understand how one person can have this much love and excitement for someone else, and then two someones else and then three, or four, or five....or more. So for those of you who read my blog, feel free to comment because I truly want to know.

On a completely different note, I have found the coolest website ever! www.icaughtsanta.com I'm pretty sure I'm going to do this with my little brother and sister this year (they are five) and once Peyton and any more of my kids are old enough, I will do it with them. You upload a picture of your Christmas tree, in your house and you add a pose of Santa of your choice and then you have proof that Santa came to your house! How awesome is that!?!?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the mommy musings for today. Love to all!!

Little Moments

Yesterday marked Peyton's nine month 'birthday'. I can't believe he is already nine months old but I say that every month. He is such a beautiful boy and every day, I thank the Lord for blessing me with such an amazing gift.

So what has Peyton been up to? He's been crawling...everywhere. And I love it!! It is so much fun to follow him around and see what he tries to get into. He is learning so much every day. In our house, the kitchen/dining area and living room are separated by our couch and off of the dining area is a hallway which leads to the main bedrooms and the main bathroom. If I go and start his bath, he will hear the water running and crawl as fast as he can from the living room through the dining room, down the hall and into the bathroom. He LOVES his bath time. He likes to play in the water while it is still running and loves to play with his rubber duckies and his pirate ship. I love bath time almost as much as he does, just because he is so entertaining.

The day before his 'birthday' was Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving at home (Jay and Debbie's) and all of their kids were able to come for the holiday. Let's just say that my little mister loves Thanksgiving. He enjoyed several foods, but his favorites were turkey, mashed potatoes, Grandma Debbie's rolls, and some ham (as long as it wasn't too chewy). But his absolute favorite ?? Banana cream pie. He ate half of Poppa Jay's slice and three or four bites of mine. And then I can't figure out why he was in 18 month clothes at 8 months, haha. He wasn't quite sure what to think of all the noise of some many people in the house but he sure enjoyed the food.

Since Jayson's sister, Jen, was able to come down for the holiday, she agreed to do his nine month pictures. We have only done two sets at this point (finishing the other two tomorrow, the 27th) but they are going to be so cute! I can't wait to see how they turn out. We also did some really cute family shots for my Christmas cards this year. I love Jen's work and can't wait to get them all back.

Jayson and I are still working on our sealing. We've had another minor setback but in a way, I'm glad that we did. It gave us the opportunity to better communicate with each other about the problem and our expectations. I think that it brought us not only closer together but closer to solving the problems we are facing right now. I am actually thankful for the incident because I truly think we are getting better at being married...and who doesn't like that feeling?? :)

The semester is almost over and I can't wait. Since we are going to St. George for school right now and our first class is at 8 a.m., we have to leave the house by 6:30...and I'm getting pretty sick of getting up at 5 to get ready for school. We have registered for our next set of classes for the spring semester and that will be the last semester we are at Dixie State. After next semester, we will have enough credits to transfer up to Southern Utah University. We are only taking 13 credits at Dixie right now but once we are up at SUU, we plan on taking more so that we can get done as soon as possible. I would love to take more right now but it is so hard being at a school that is an hour way (so that means two hours of driving, three days a week). Next semester, we are only in class two days a week, for about the same time; but it will be nice cutting down back on our driving.

As for my own personal goals, I set one for myself to read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the semester. I stumbled a little bit along the way but I have finally (after two months) made it past Alma and I'm hoping the rest will be a little bit easier. I have about two weeks before the end of the semester, so as long as I apply myself, I should be just fine. I'm happy that I should make this goal. However, as soon as I'm done, I'm just going to turn around and read it again. They say that you get something different from it every time that you read it so I hope that is true. There are still so many things that I don't completely understand but I'm just glad I have the opportunity to read it. I'm also very thankful that I have Jayson for a husband and Jay for a father in law that I can go to with my silly questions and have them explain more to me.

Anyway, that catches us up for another month. We are so excited for Christmas and I am really hoping that we can spend it with my family (it's contingent on their quitting smoking). We have some really cute things for Peyton and I'm sure he will just love the tearing through (and probably trying to eat) the wrapping paper. Heck, he may even like that more than the presents!

As always, my note to Peyton:

Mister Man,
I love you so much. You bring so much happiness to my life. A few weeks ago, you were able to stand up in your crib and I was so afraid that you would fall out onto the floor. Before Dad was able to lower it for me, I had to rock you back to sleep in the middle of night so that you wouldn't try climbing out. We sat in the rocking chair, in the dark, with no noise but the space heater that I keep in your room. You laid on my chest, wrapped your little chubby legs around my waist and snuggled into me. As I sat there, tickling your back and telling you that I loved you so much, I heard you giggle. At first, I thought you were still awake so I quietly said to you "What's so funny?" but as I looked down to your sweet little face, I saw that you were asleep. I laughed to myself as quietly as I could but it was so cute. You had a little smile on your face and every few seconds, your smile would get bigger and you would just giggle. It made my entire night. At that moment, it didn't matter that it was two o'clock in the morning and that I had to be up in three hours. It didn't matter that I had two tests that day in our classes and that I could use all the sleep I could get. All I wanted to do was sit there and hold you. You didn't laugh for very long; it couldn't have been more than a minute or two. But it was that moment in time that made me so thankful I am your mommy. I thought to myself how much I am going to miss those days when you no longer want or need me to rock you to sleep at night. I know that you will always love me and you will always be my little man but it makes my heart sad that someday you will be growing up. I know that it needs to be done; you need to grow up, serve a mission and find a good girl to be sealed to in the Temple; but right now, I just want you to stay like this so I can have more of these little moments with you. Your crib has since been lowered down so that you can't fall out of it and most days, you sleep completely through the night. Sometimes, you will wake up in the middle of the night and if you cry for more than five minutes, I will go and rock you back to sleep. Most of the time though, you cry yourself back to sleep and all I can do is go make sure you have your blankets. But I do cherish those moments I have when it is just you and me. I love you so much. Words cannot ever describe how much I feel for you. I don't even know if you will ever understand a mother's love. Daddy loves you very much too but there is something different about our love; not bad by any means...just different. I love you so much my little man and I can't wait until Daddy can take us to the Temple so that we can be sealed as an eternal family. We have struggled on this road, as we are supposed to, but just know that we are trying so very hard to be sealed to you. I love you sweetheart, more than you will ever truly know and I can't wait for more of our little moments.


Love you honey,
Mommy

Peyton Crawling

So of course, right after I do the blog update that says he isn't crawling, what does Peyton do? Starts crawling!!! I was laying on the floor with him but I was watching TV. He was playing with some toys and he flung one a little bit away from himself. I saw him moving out of the corner of my eye but that wasn't too shocking since he's been scooting for a couple weeks. But then it dawned on me...I heard distinct thumping with every move forward. Jayson was walking into the living room about then and I said "I'm pretty sure he just started crawling." Jayson looked at me and said "No way." I responded, "No, seriously I think he did. Move his toys away from him and see if he does it again." So we moved his toys away and guess what? He started crawling! (Told ya so Jayson :))

It was so cute! He just started moving forward. I loved it! It was SO hard to not just pick him up and dance! He did it almost perfectly too. He was slow and you can tell that it takes him a minute to think about his movements but he's doing it. It's like he's been watching and just waiting for whenever he felt like it was necessary to move, haha. I sure love this little man and I'm so excited for this new stage in our lives!

Eight Month Update!

Believe it or not, we have hit the eight month mark. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't have such amazing math skills :) He is so big now! We had to take him in to check if his ears were infected again (they were) and when they weighed him, he was 22 pounds! I love this chunky man.He finally has all four teeth and he is working on his fifth and sixth tooth as we speak. He looks so stinking cute with all those teeth but it is just one more reminder that he isn't staying little forever like I want him too. I guess he's going to be a rebel from the beginning :)

I'm not sure why but about two weeks ago, he started doing this weird, hilarious, blink-spasm thing. He will look at the light, or you, or anything, and blink and twitch at the same time. It's a 'hard' blink too, with his eyes all scrunched up. It is SOOOO freaking funny. I bust a gut every time he does it and he has gotten to the point that sometimes when I go "Peyton.....do it...." he will start doing it just for me. Sometimes, to top it off, he makes this throat clearing noise when he does it and that just sends me over the moon!


Tell me this isn't the funniest thing you have ever seen?? I just love it!!

He is ALMOST crawling but just like with the rolling thing, he gets halfway there, gets frustrated and gives up. He can move backwards and he gets around the rooms by laying on his stomach and then pushing himself forward. Then he sits up and rotates the other direction. He does this several times and gets himself wherever he wants to go. It's pretty cute to watch him scoot around. He is loving the fact that he is somewhat mobile but I really can't wait until he is fully crawling. It'll make my life a little bit more crazy but a little bit more sane at the same time. And only you other mommies will understand what I mean.

He does the funniest things to interact with me these days. He is eating finger foods, like Cheerios and the Gerber Graduates Puffs. Sometimes, when he eats too fast, he coughs/chokes a little on his saliva. I always say to him "Be careful buddy," and he will look at me, smile and then fake cough a few more times. Then I will say "Oh, you are such a little faker!" and he will just giggle!! My nerdy little man.

Jayson and I have hit the middle of our semester and I can't wait for it to be done! It's not that our classes are hard, by any means. I am just so SICK of driving to Saint George three times a week. I was tentatively planning our next semester (which will also be at Dixie State) and if it all goes like I want it to, we can make it so we are only driving down to Saint George one day a week! That means spending less on gas, less on daycare and maybe Jayson and I can afford a date night once in a while. If we're only going to class one day a week, we would spend the same amount on daycare for the whole semester as we do in six weeks now and gas is no different. We are filling up our tank about once a week which means we are spending at least $150 a month on gas; keep in mind, our income is $1000 a month. I'm sick of being so strapped so I seriously can't wait for next semester! Plus, our classes should be a little more challenging. Biology, Chemistry, English 2010 and elementary algebra (ya, the one they do in high schools; we're dumb).

Anyway, that's about it for us this month. Jayson and I are getting excited for Peyton's first Christmas. We aren't sure where we are spending it this year. It was going to be with my family but unless they quit smoking by then, we will be spending it with Jayson's family. That will be really hard for me; I really wanted Peyton's first Christmas to be with my family but I don't know if I'm going to be able to. I guess only time will tell. So anyway, we'll hang on until next month and see ya then!

As always,

Peyton,
You are getting bigger every day. I sure wish you would try crawling! You get so close, and it makes me so happy to see you learning new things. You just need to try a little harder and you'll have it. I can't believe just a couple more months and you will be a year old. It really isn't fair and someday, when you have kids of your own, you will understand all of the excitement and heartache I go through every day. You make everyone around you smile and you don't even have to try, it's just a natural quality you seem to have. You are the BIGGEST flirt I have ever seen. You got mad at me because I stood between you and a female clerk at the store the other day. You hollered at me until I moved and then you sat there and smiled and winked at her. You made the poor girl blush. I love you so much Peyton. You are my biggest little man and I love how much you have changed my life. Some days are hard but they are completely worth it. I love you so much honey. Keep smiling and keep growing; I know you need to, even if I wish it happened a little slower. Love you buddy.

Love,
Mom

Seven Months Update

Wow. Time doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. Peyton is already seven months old. And we are loving every minute of it! He is getting so big, trying to crawl, trying to walk, trying to eat more of mom and dad's food. This little man just grows a little bit every day. Poor guy had his first ear infection and we thought it was a constipation problem (because his infection was causing him other issues) and ended up taking him to the ER twice for it. He would feel better for a few days and then get stuck again. On the third time, it was during the week (where the first two times were late in the evening on the weekend) so I was finally able to take him to his regular doctor. He suggested several things for me to try, most of which we had already done, and went to check the rest of him out and lo and behold, an ear infection! He's been on antibiotics for 5 days now and seems like he is doing so much better. We'll have to wait until he is off the antibiotics to see if that's truly what was causing the constipation. Let's hope...I hate it when my little guy is in pain because there is only so much that I can do.Peyton is working on his top tooth and I can't wait until it is fully popped out. The tip of the tooth is visible but doesn't look like it is going to come out much more for a while. We have plans to go up north to Salt Lake City and Logan in two weeks and I hope it is more visible by then so I have something new to show off for him (not that he doesn't have enough already!!).

We finally had to cut his hair. I didn't cry. I definitely wanted to but I didn't cry. He looks so handsome. It's amazing how something as little as getting his hair cut can make him look so much older. He does, he really looks more grown up now. However, it looks like his hair is going to be just like his dad's-growing at the speed of light! It's only been two-ish weeks and we're going to have to give him another one soon.

Jayson and I are getting closer to being sealed. I can't stop thinking about it. I can't wait for the time we can be sealed together as a family. We have made a lot a progress both as individuals and as a couple and family. I don't know when we finally get our temple recommends but I truly can't wait. I have also been working on genealogy for my mom's side of the family. Basically her whole side of the family is Catholic and needs to have their work done for them and I can't wait to be one that can do baptisms for my ancestors. There are so many that I won't be able to do them all myself but I know that Jayson will help me and when our kids are old enough, they will help as well. I'm not sure how my mom's family would feel about me doing this so for right now, it isn't going to be something I freely advertise. The time will come, I just need to be patient.

I am so blessed that I have such an amazing family. Not just Jayson and Peyton, but his family and my extended family. I recently received a Patriarchal Blessing and one of the things that stood out to me the most was I was told that I would be instrumental in the conversion of my family. Nothing would delight me more. I am so thankful that I live in a time that the Gospel is so readily available. I am glad that I have the chance to teach it to my growing family and those around me.

As always, I want to end with a note to my special little guy:


Peyton,
You are still growing, as you will for years to come. It makes me cry sometimes but they are always tears of happiness and love. I want you to know how hard your Dad and I are working so that we can be sealed as a family. The road has been, and will continue to be, hard at times but we know that it is infinitely more worth any of the hardships we go through to get there.

You are learning that it isn't fun to just sit there all the time. You are starting to pull yourself up onto your toys, onto people that you sit with, and on pretty much anything else you can get a hold of. It is so cute to watch you, especially when you don't know that I am there; turns out, you are quite the 'mama's boy' and if you see me, you quit trying whatever you were working on because you want me to pick you up, and I almost always give in. I'm going to have to start getting a bit more strict or you aren't going to learn. I think this is what everyone always refers to as 'tough love'. More than once, you have pulled yourself up onto something, only to realize that is as far as you can go! You still aren't quite brave enough to do much else. I've tried to entice you with graham crackers to get you to take a step away from the couch, but to no avail. You aren't there yet, but it won't be long before you are completely walking all on your own. I can't wait but I don't ever want it to come. You'll understand this someday when you have your own children.Peyton, I know that you are going to do great things in your life. Even at this young age, you have already brought so much positive change just to our little family and I can't wait to see what you do later on in your life. I know that it will be great. Just remember to keep smiling for me; those cute little smiles I get (especially after I've been gone to school all morning) make my heart melt and keep me going through those hard days. I love you so much Peyton. So very much.

Where Does the Time Go?

(I really wrote this on his 'birth-day' but forgot to publish it!)


It's happened. We've hit the six month milestone. I'm really not sure where the past six months have gone but boy, have they been fun! Peyton is getting so big, he's already over nineteen pounds! The little stinker still isn't rolling over from his belly to his back but he's giving it more of an effort now. I honestly think he is going to be crawling before he figures out the rolling thing.Peyton is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. He laughs at everything these days. I recently bought the movie Rio for us (okay, I really wanted to see it and even though he is only six months old, Peyton is now my excuse for watching little kid movies again!) and he loved it! All those bright colors and the music, it was hilarious to watch him, watching the movie. I didn't manage to get any decent pictures of him doing it (they are all on my phone) but, since we were watching it on dad's computer (the main house power was out), he was able to lean REALLLLLY far forward. He was almost bent in half leaning towards the computer screen, it was so cute.

I've started 'walking' with him across the floor. He can take about ten steps before his legs begin to give out but he is getting so good at taking steps. Before, he would just drag his feet along but now he is getting the concept that it's easier to pick up your feet.We recently had another bout of teething and this time it was the top two coming in. The right hand side broke through for just a minute and then went into hiding again. His no-longer-toothless-grin is so adorable, I just love it.His new 'trick' is to make funny faces whenever I pull out the camera. Just a few examples:


Jayson and I have started school again. It's a little weird going to school with a baby because most of our classmates aren't even married, let alone parents, so we get some pretty strange looks when we talk about Peyton but that's okay. Better late than never, right? :) I love being back in school. We are going to Dixie State College, which is in St. George, about 40 miles away from where we live. Once we have enough credits (24, I believe), we plan on transferring to the better school, Southern Utah University, that is here in Cedar City. The classes we are taking right now are just general education courses, which are a little boring, but at least it's something. I just can't wait until we are in our nursing course classes, it'll be so much more interesting.

Jayson and I are also working on our personal issues so that we can be sealed together in the LDS Temple. I'm working on removing the tattoo on my foot, since it is the only one that is visible, and once we can afford it, I will probably get the others removed. I have just come to realize that there are so many more important things in life than a tattoo and just like I once had to 'give up' my belly button piercing, I'm doing the same with my tattoos. I used to think that I never would hit this point in my life, or that if I did, I wouldn't be happy about it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Although I love my tattoos because they all mean something special to me, being sealed to my husband and son are SO much more important.

So that's about it with us. Peyton is continuing to grow, much to my amazement and disappointment. I am so happy he is growing and healthy but it breaks my heart that he is already six months old. He'll be in kindergarten before I know it! Even though that idea makes my heart cry, I love being a mommy and wouldn't trade it for a single thing in this world.

As always, I want to end with a note to Peyton:

Peyton,
Hey there my little man! You are getting SO big. I love that you are learning with every single day and I love helping you learn. I can't wait to show you all the beauties that this world has to offer. I can't wait teach you about church and our beliefs. Today, I watched a lizard scurry across the parking lot on our way out of class in St. George. I thought it was so awesome to see something like that, right out in the open and I can't wait to watch your face the first time you see it. You are my sweet little man and I know that no matter how old you get, you always will be. We, Dad and I, really love you; more than anything in the world. Even though I love being back in school, I miss being home with you. It's only for a few hours, three days a week but I miss that time in the morning when we snuggle in bed. It's not for very long but it's one of my favorite times of the day. I love you so much sweetheart. So very much.

Love,
Mom

5 Whole Months!

So I am a little bit behind in posting; vacations, job changes and life somewhat got in the way so bear with me :)

My little man is a whole five months old! Can you believe it? I know I sure can't. I'm not entirely sure where five months went but he is getting so big and so much fun!He still won't roll over from his tummy to his back but has finally figured out how to do it from his back to his tummy (which is backwards for most kiddos and generally harder than tummy to back. What can I say?). I came home from work on the 21st of July and Jayson came upstairs and said "Come look at this!!" Peyton had rolled over in his sleep and was comfortably sleeping on his stomach. Soooo cute! When I try to get him to do tummy time, he still just whimpers until I finally give in and roll him back over. We've tried everything: moving toys across his field of vision, me moving and calling him from the other side. Nothing works. He just follows it until the object is out of site and then lays his head down. Pretty cute, I just wish he'd roll over. Oh well, it'll happen when it's time.

On the 26th of July, after almost a month of solid teething, his right bottom tooth finally broke through. Two days later, so did the left! He looks so cute with two little teeth. They are still pretty small but when they get a little bigger, I will get a picture with my little man's latest fashion accessories. Such a handsome boy.

He is sitting up mostly by himself these days. He still has moments where he leans too far forward and can't save it or off to the sides where he'll just tip over. It's so cute but it makes him so mad!

I love this man so much. He is just my little sweetheart and makes me smile 1000 times during the day....sometimes more. :)

As far as Jayson and I are concerned: I had a job for a few weeks working with girls that had anger or substance abuse issues. I really liked my job, even though dealing with 20+ teenage girls could sometimes get annoying, but I quit this week. The management was a joke and wouldn't work with the schedule I needed (and told them when I was hired) and it was just really hard being away from Peyton during the evening. I didn't have this much trouble with a day job but I just felt like I was missing too much with him at night. So, after some prayer and talking it over with Jayson, I decided to quit. I was a little nervous at first and spent the entire next day out in Cedar City looking for jobs and filling out applications. Then, on Wednesday, we received a letter from the Veteran's Administration saying that Jayson had been approved for his housing allowance. Not only had he been approved for it but it is about $250 more than we were expecting! We'll be receiving about $750 a month, which with me only working part time, was about how much I'd be bringing in. So if everything works out, I may not work at all. Jayson and I can just go to school full time and spend the rest of our time with Peyton and working on homework. I sure how we can do that. It would be so nice.

Anyway, that's pretty much all that's new with us. I am super excited to start school in 17 days. The sooner we start, the sooner we're done! :) I just want to end by saying how grateful and thankful I am for the blessings I have received in my life. I am very lucky woman and can't wait to see what the future brings!

As always, I want to end with a note to my little man:

Peyton,

You are growing WAY too fast! I wish sometimes that I could slow down time and enjoy you more as you are right now. You are such a smiley man and it makes my heart sing every time you look at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and that smile that is no longer a toothless grin. I am so thankful you were given to me and I can't wait for our family to be sealed together. I know it is taking longer than we want but I just want you to know that you are the drive behind it all. You are the reason that we are focusing so much now, even though we should have been doing it sooner.
I love watching you explore your surroundings. I love watching the look on your face and the concentration in your eyes as you study something new that you haven't seen before. You love to learn and I can't wait to help you learn all that you want later in life.

You are my sweetheart Peyton. You always will be, no matter how old you get, or how much you may not want to be. You will always be my little man. I love you so much and I can't wait to explore the world with you. Keep smiling, you are my sunshine.

Four Months...and Changes

So on June 25th, Peyton turned 4 months old. I can't believe how fast he is growing!! At his last check-up, he was 15 pounds, 7.5 ounces and almost 25 inches long. He's a chunk!! He still hasn't rolled over yet, and still hates his tummy time. He is getting closer to rolling over but after about three minutes on his tummy, all he does is cry. My cute, pathetic little man :) The last week and a half or so, he has been pretty fussy and I wasn't sure why, but now I think we are teething. On his bottom jaw, there looks like there might be two teeth struggling to break free. He still sleeps normally through the night but is fussier during the day. That's okay, he's still super cute!



So the biggest thing that has changed is we have finally moved to Cedar City. We are living with Jayson's parents and it looks like we will be here for a while. I'm so thankful that they are putting up with two more adults, a baby and two dogs moving into their basement! I'm glad to finally be down here but it's bittersweet. I haven't ever really moved away from my family before and now that we have a little one, it seems even harder. Being in Cedar City means that we're finally going back to school but I still miss my family like crazy. Before we left, Jayson and I took the family to the Living Planet Aquarium in Salt Lake City (well, Sandy). It was so much fun! There was a sea turtle and penguins...all that I needed to be happy!
The picture is a little blurry because he was swimming so fast...this little guy booked it around his tank! It was so cool!!



So that's pretty much all that is new with us for now. It's been a fast and crazy month but a good one overall. My mom and I are already devising plans for me to be able to come up to Logan next month around her birthday so hopefully it works out so that I can! I just want to close by saying how in the past month, my testimony of Jesus Christ has increased so much. I know that without Him and the Church, I wouldn't be able to go through this--while moving down here is a good idea, it's still very difficult for me to be so far away from my family--and without His help, I would be a complete mess. I am very thankful for the Church and for His guidance and I know that the Church is true and I say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.





P.S. A note for Peyton:
Everyday with you is an absolute adventure. I love watching how much you grow and learn every day. It's like I can almost see your thoughts as you see something new for the first time, like when you were watching the sea turtle swim by with your daddy. I love you so much Peyton, I don't think you will ever know how much. You and your daddy are my everything. I can't wait to see what the next day will bring! I love you!!

Three Months!

So I'm a few days late in posting this (our computer crashed and my amazing husband has spent the last few days fixing it, successfully!!) but Peyton is three months old already!! I can't believe how big he has gotten. He tries to roll from his back to his front but hasn't quite figured it out yet. He gets all the way to either side...he usually accomplishes this by trying to eat his fist, which, the harder he tries to reach it, the farther it goes.

He talks all the time and is so aware of his surroundings. He loves to watch TV (sad, I know)--I think the moving colors fascinate him; or at least that's the justification I try to give myself for my 3 month old watching TV. We are finding more and more ticklish spots to make him giggle. His laugh is the cutest thing in the world. I can be having the worst day ever and one little giggle from my little man is all I need.

He likes to play peek-a-boo and has gotten very good at anticipating the "boo!".

Look at that face!!! I about died laughing!!!!

He has finally gotten big enough that I feel okay with bathing him in the big tub. I, for the life of me, cannot find one of those little baby sponges that you bathe babies on so we just use a towel with the top rolled down for a headrest. Works for what I need it to :)

Not a very modest picture but he's three months old so deal with it. :)

He looks so tiny in that big tub but he likes it. Last night, he discovered if he kicks, he can splash, and that made him smile. Pretty cute! :)

I sure love being a mom. I couldn't have asked for a better lot in life. Some days, when I am starting to get down or frustrated, all I have to do is look at my beautiful family. Peyton has made such a positive impact in our lives; we are currently getting things in order so that we can be sealed in the LDS Temple. I hope to be sealed next year-Jayson and I had our first date July 16, 2007 and I think it would be neat to be sealed the same day. I don't think we will make it this year but hopefully by 2012, that can be accomplished. I tell Peyton every day how special he is and how he is encouraging us to do something we should've done a while ago. Better late than never, right?
As far as our personal lives, Jayson and I both got accepted into Dixie State College. We start classes on August 22nd. I am super excited to be going back to school! Jayson and I are both going into nursing so we are taking the same classes for as long as we can (there are some classes I might not have to take). It will be so nice to have a study buddy right in my own house! Jayson is pretty excited to be going back too. However, with going back to school, that also means moving. Jayson's family is being gracious enough to let us stay with them as long as we need to. Our plan is to go to school full time fall, spring and summer to hopefully get done sooner. It is going to be a nightmare at sometimes with both of us in school and with Peyton, but it will be so worth it. We'll hopefully be done before Peyton gets into kindergarten! I have interviewed at an office in St. George but I am not for sure if I will take it-I won't be able to go to school except for one class in the early morning and one at night.

Moving is going to be hard. I have cried on each trip to Cedar City for a good portion of the trip. I have never been away from my family, and now that I have my own little baby, it makes me really sad that I won't be able to run over to my mom's house when Peyton rolls over, or sits up completely on his own. Jayson has been really good about it, talking me through all my crazy emotions and telling me about when he had to leave his family for the Army. I know it will be okay. It just will be a bummer for a while. But hopefully, with school and Peyton, I will have enough to keep me occupied.


Well, that about catches us up. Hopefully, our computer won't crash again and I will be able to keep going with my blog.




And, as a special note to my little man:

Peyton,
I love you more than words can ever describe. You have no idea how special you are. You are making so many things happen that you may not even comprehend for years to come. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father blessed me with you and I cannot wait until we are all sealed together as a family. You are growing up so fast, I can't even believe it. Every month that I post these notes, I can't believe another month has gone by. Next thing I know, you'll be walking, and running, and going to school. I am excited for the future but I will definitely miss these days with you. I love you so much.

Love,
Mom :)

Peyton Saying Hi To Aunt Leah and Uncle Wayne

Little Peyton 'saying hi' to my Aunt Leah and Uncle Wayne, who live in Montana! Love you guys!!

Peyton's First Easter

Can I just tell you how much fun I have doing family pictures now? Thank goodness I have a husband who puts up with my shenanigans (for the most part :)

We had an Easter Egg Hunt in our yard for my little brother and sister, Tristan and Kaycee. At one point, Kaycee turned to me and said "I'm good at this game!!" Yes, Bear-Bear, you are good at it.

Our Easter Egg Hunt ended with Jayson deciding to attack my sister Chelsea with four cans of silly string...my yard still has string in the grass...haha

Also, since Peyton was two months old the day after Easter, we'll just count the Easter pictures as his two-month-old ones. He is getting so big! He had his two month check up on the 28th; that meant shots :( But he did really well, it didn't even effect his sleep that night. But he already weighs 11 1/2 pounds!! My little chunky monkey!

He has been laughing now for a week or two. It is one of the cutest things I have ever heard. What makes him laugh? Almost anything, including the fact that when his nose is stuffed up in the morning it makes him snort like a pig--apparently, that's funny feeling/sounding to him because I get a giggle almost every time. And I'm pretty sure that I have one of the CUTEST, most HANDSOME boys ever. Just sayin' :)

Smiles!

Have I mentioned how much I love his smiles?
In the morning, Peyton gets in this quiet, content, happy mood.
That's when I usually get the best smiles.
However, by the time I get my camera, he isn't giving me as big of ones, but they are still cute.
I can usually get him to smile by saying "Helloooooo Baby Peyton!"
I love it.


I just love him.

1 Month Old!

So my pregnancy went by so fast; I shouldn't be surprised that time with Peyton is doing the same thing.
Jayson keeps saying things like "I can't wait until he is crawling" or "I can't wait until he can pick up his toys!".
I keep telling Jayson to stop saying those things because I'm already afraid of that. I like this time.
Even though they are long sometimes, I love the night feedings when it's just me and Peyton. I can sit and stare at him and if he feels like it, he can do the same to me.
He is starting to coo and 'talk' and his movements are more controlled...he still manages to smack himself in the face on a daily basis but it's not QUITE as often.
I seriously love being a mom.
I love this little guy to no end and would do anything to make his life better. :)