Friday, September 30, 2011

Luau- Texas Style

So, I made a goal for myself at the beginning of the year.  It was to complete 8 blog posts a month.  So far I have 7 for this month. I am just now realizing that I only have two hours left in September! Goodness Gracious. I HAVE to do this! Every time I look at my blog archives and see that ugly number 7 I'll go crazy, so here is NUMBER 8! 
We drove home from Houston today, and right as we were pulling into Weatherford we realized that it was ward Luau night! ALOHA! This is how Texans do luaus- we sing Beach Boy songs, eat grilled chicken, bust open a flip-flop pinata, and stick little umbrellas in everything.  Sounds about right to me.  I mean, who doesn't love the Beach Boys? ;)


Look at her eyes... priceless.  Can you tell what Maggie wants?


   
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Love Rachel's smile in this one.  Nothing like FINALLY getting out of that car seat and playing with tons of other little kids and being loaded with sugar.  She had a blast!! And I love that Maggie still has her eye on that chicken. 
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And last but not least... the flip-flop pinata- 
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Whew! That was a close one.
now for a little catch up on September...

Thursday, September 29, 2011

All Better Now

Most of the time those sweet, amazing, "that's why" moments come and go so fast that I forget to fully cherish them. I hate when that happens.  But sometimes those moments happen often enough that I get the chance to completely savor them.  
Frequently Rachel comes up to me fussing about some new owie she's gotten.  Oftentimes I can't even see the owie.  Sometimes I don't think there even is an owie.  But nevertheless Rachel will come up to me asking me to kiss it all better.  I ask her where the owie is and then give it a little kiss.  Afterwards Rachel will exclaim "All better now!" and scamper off.  
It is my favorite. I wish this stage could last forever.  

Even the smallest owies need a kiss...
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Wrestle, kiss it better, wrestle some more.... it's what Daddies do. 
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It's amazing what one little kiss can do. 

Just the Two of Us

A thought went through my mind today.  It was that I miss my brother.  He is my only sibling. It has always been just the two us. We were two peas in a pod for a long time.  And growing up, complete opposites. Just like two little girls I know. 
Mike has always been very introverted when it comes to his feelings.  If he was mad or sad you wouldn't be able to get anything out of him.  I remember him playing with his action figures for hours when we were little; his room was his favorite place to be. While I on the other hand have always been an open book.  If anythings the matter, you'll know- and I'll tell you the whole story.  And I thought my room was a prison and always needed a friend to play with. But, despite our different personalities we were the best of friends.  I think that's one very special thing about having a small family- your just so tight.  I remember missing him so much when I went off to college.  He is so hilarious and is the BEST at using one liners from movies- cracks me up every time. And although he has always been the strong, silent type, he is one heck of a leader. People just gravitate towards him and listen when he opens his mouth. 
He is currently serving his mission in San Jose, California, and he only has 4 months left.  I just love to read his letters.  Simply AMAZING.  They inspire me every week and give me the urge to get on the wrestling mat and work it out. I love him so much.  


These are for you Mike- 
    I found this picture today and couldn't stop laughing!  And you wonder why I'm so paranoid when Rachel gets her hair cut (haha, sorry Mom) And look at that cheesy smile, Holy Smokes! Mike looks completely adorable though...
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hehe, so sweet. Love the crinkle nose. I guess that's where my girls get it from.  
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 Getting big now... and look, still sportin the converse!
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Hey Now!  Don't mess up my wedding hairdo! 
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 First time to be Uncle Mike!   
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Mission pictures are so fun.  Look at that clean-cut stud! And I love the Houston Temple doors... so cheerful and bright... I love my Temple. Yes, I said MY Temple. haha.
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I love you brother!  I know I'm such a slacker at writing you! Please forgive me.  See you soon. 
Until then- TEAR 'EM UP out there!  

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Snip Snip

It was time.  Time for a haircut. {sniff sniff} I know, I'm a big baby.  In all honesty, it wasn't all that bad.  Thank Goodness I have an awesome sister-in-law who is an amazing hair stylist. I told Rachel that Itzel was coming over to make her hair look all pretty, and she was ecstatic!  She loves Itzel. Who wouldn't?  And look at how cute her belly is! (she's one of those "make me wanna puke" gorgeous pregnant women, haha) She is going to be a great mother, wanna know how I know?  She is amazing with my girls! 
Anyway, Itzel knew I wanted just a little bit off.  And that's exactly what she did.  A little trim goes a long way.  No more mop-head for us! Thanks Itzel!

here we go...   
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super fine baby hair...
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excuse me, I can't see Mulan...
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all done!
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I'll smile for you Mommy, but I'm not going to stop watching Mulan... can't blame her though, it was at that cool fighting song part...
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She sure is growing up, and she's such a good big sister.  I love watching her and Maggie play together.  They are already great buddies. 

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sidewalk Fun

We had an awesome playgroup last week! It was sidewalk chalk painting!  My girls absolutely loved it.  It throws a little more pizzazz into that regular sidewalk chalk. Thanks Mely! 

oooo the excitement!  
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everyone calm down, there's enough to go around...
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little artists busy at work
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I think Maggie enjoyed it the most, haha
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the more messy, the more fun... I think that's every kids motto... mine too! haha
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don't worry, it washed off...
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Wanna make some too?
Recipe:
cornstarch
food coloring
water
Instructions: dump cornstarch into a bowl, add coloring and stir in a few tablespoons of water. Mix until desired consistency (it's supposed to be pretty runny). 
  
Now that doesn't look too hard does it? Simplicity is a beautiful thing. We'll definitely be doing it again soon. 

Friday, September 16, 2011

Maggie Ila- 9ish months

So we went to the park yesterday morning and everything seemed perfect for pictures.  Key word- seemed.  It was the first cool, windy, overcast day I've experienced in Texas since I don't know when.  I could actually smell football season and pumpkin bread.  You know when you walk outside and you just smell and feel the season changing?  And there's this rush of emotion and memories from seasons past?  Am I just crazy or do ya'll know what I'm talking about?  Anyway, it was one of those days.  
That amazingness mixed with two happy girls and a playground made it a great morning.  Until I took one picture of Maggie and my battery died.  {insert long huffy breath here} I just couldn't get over it. So after playing for a while and coming home and grabbing a snack and a fully charged battery we went back to the park, and I finally got my Maggie pictures.  {insert conquering Jess face here}
  
I can't believe how long those legs are.  When did she get so big?
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Maggie Mooza Booza Dooza Payne    
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"hmmm, I was certain this was edible..."
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Baby overalls are my FAVORITE.
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hehe... I love this one.  That goofy smile makes me so darn happy. 
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  Look at all them teethers! And she certainly knows how to use them, let me tell ya.
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Maggie Update-
Still sweet: 
Growing like a weed: 
Thinks everything's a chew toy: 
Eats more than Rachel times two: 
Loves to swing: 
Still a Mommas girl: 
Waves, says "hi", mama, and dada: 
Learning sign language: 
Loves to dig through trash: 
Loves to pull cords: 
Thinks an open dishwasher is an open treasure chest: 
Gives big slobbery kisses: 
Loves her pacifier and blanky: 
Loves her big sister: 
Makes Mommy baby hungry:  (believe me if you had a baby this good you'd be too!)
Loves to explore and roam: 
Can run now: 
Likes to tackle Rachel and pull her pigtails: 
Loves oatmeal creme pies: 
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Makes Mommy so so so happy: 


Sunday, September 11, 2011

Butterfly Hunter & Flower Picker

It's safe to say that our favorite place to visit while we are at Ft. Benning is Callaway Gardens.  It's so beautiful and there are just enough things to do and see with small children.  And I bet you can guess where we spent most of our time... The Butterfly House!!!    


They could have stayed in there all day long... Photobucket
This is how most of the trip went... Maggie was the butterfly hunter and Rachel was the flower picker.  No matter how hard we tried to draw her attention to the butterflies, she just wanted to pick flowers.  


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Getting a shot of her showing me her flowers was tricky! She would show me her flower and then ZOOM off to the next one! This was about has good at it gets... (notice the flower pickers ring, haha)
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Here's our butterfly hunter...
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Geaux Maggie! Get them butterflies!  
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There were definitely a couple fatalities in the butterfly ranks...
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 And here's our flower picker...
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Can you tell someone's off in flower-land?
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Aren't the white ones gorgeous?

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Photographer's favorite picture of the day! And look, she's still got her hunter eyes on...
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Maggie flying with the butterflys!  Definitely the cutest butterfly of them all...
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Too bad she had to come back down...
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The End.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

5 Years

We've been married for 5 whole years! Can you believe that?  Wow, I mean, Wow.

I woke up this morning and everything seemed normal.  I looked and looked but everything seemed the same as yesterday. hmmm... I was certain that something would have changed.  Come on, this is 5 years we're talking about.  Then I thought about it and it hit me.  Something had changed.  Tyler and I.  We had changed! I just can't explain it, I love him so much more than I did 5 years ago. We have grown and learned so much. It has been so much fun.  

Take a look at this picture... Aren't we just adorable?  So young, so beautiful.  {sigh}  
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I love Tyler's smile in this one... so happy.  He is one seriously handsome guy, if I do say so myself. 

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I was 19 when I got married.  19 freakin years old!  That is young, very young.  Too young to be getting married, at least that's what everyone told me.  But you know me and my hard head.  I knew what I was supposed to do.  I knew how to follow the spirit.  I knew that Tyler Payne was "The One".  What a leap of faith.  More like a free-fall.  


As we were making the drive from Georgia back to Texas yesterday Tyler and I listened to one of those ibook thingys.  It was, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus". It was incredible!  That guy was so spot on.  Tyler and I laughed the whole time.  And there was a whole lot of "Yes, yes! That is it! That is exactly what you do!", "Do you really think like that?", and, "Really, that is all you need from me?".  Haha.  It was a great time.  


Tyler and I haven't had the perfect marriage. I don't think that exists.  We've yelled at each other, and we've said bad words. I think that's a given when you marry a 19 year old that think she knows everything. This past year hasn't been easy.  It's been a rough one.  But, we're still cruising along and learning to enjoy the ride. I am so proud to be Mrs. Tyler Payne.  I am so glad that I entered the Houston Temple and on the morning of September 9, 2006 knelt over that alter, looked into my best friends eyes and said, YES!

This morning we took our girls on a long bike ride.  We had so much fun. Maggie held on to her apple for the whole ride and Rachel kept poking her head out of the wind protector thing, her pigtails were going crazy!  Tyler and I kept smiling over at each other .  It was a perfect morning, as perfect as it was 5 years ago. Life has changed, and it is so much better.

Happy 5 years!