Maggie Ila turns THREE!

Miss Mags turned three last month.
THREE.
tHrEe!
3!!!!
She's growing up way too fast.

There are many words I could use to describe this three year old...
One would be-
Free spirited.
She goes where ever her boots take her.

Beautiful.
And she knows it too.
It's my mission in life that make sure she never ever forgets it!

A fidgeter.
Yup, she loves to figure things out... take things apart, put things back together.
Rachel and I don't care about such things. She must have gotten that from her Daddy.

Confident.
Yeah Mom, I got this.
I have no doubt that this girl can do anything she sets her mind to.

Funny.
This girl has a sense of humor let me tell you! She loves to laugh! Her forced fake laugh makes me sooooooo happy! haha!

Sweet.
Yup, she's still got that cuddle-bug in her. Thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do without Maggie cuddles.

Active.
I know every Mom thinks this about her children, and I'm no exception.
This girl wears me out! She climbs, runs, jumps, dances, skips, trips, and falls all day long. Seriously, this is the reason we MUST get out of the house on a daily basis. We have to get those wiggles out.
On the upside of having this active girl is that she's is amazingly athletic. I can't wait to see her in action.

She's One of a Kind.
And she's mine. 
Please.
Stop.
Growing.

Merry Christmas from Austin, Texas!

 I'd like to take the opportunity to say that I love my Savior and I know that He LIVES!
I love this Christmas season and the spirit of Christ that it brings! 
We hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!
May it be filled with joy, laughter, and if you're lucky---
two little girls and a baby boy! hehe!

Time Flies! 2 Months already!

It's incredible how time flies with a baby! They grow so, so fast. 

Here are several fun snapshots I've gotten over the last 8 weeks.

Caution!!!! These are bound to make you BABY HUNGRY! ;)

This one was actually in the hospital! 4 days old! I still can't believe how little he was!

Only a week old here... awake and ready to see the world!

Maggie's turn to hold baby Luke... only lasted a minute or two but you can tell she enjoyed it by the look on her face. :)

Hey there little dude...

Don't be fooled by all the sleeping- he was actually quite busy--- GROWING!

tootsies!

Sadly the sink baths ended this week! He has gotten too big. 

I just love it when their whole little body fits in the sink.

Whoah! This feels nice!

He almost always loves taking a bath. He just relaxes and enjoys it.

 Can't you tell by the arms behind the head?

All clean and ready to cuddle!

I have to say--- there's nothing more attractive than a good looking Daddy holding his newborn baby... I love that man of mine...

Mama? What's that big black box you're holding? It keeps clicking in my face!

Get used to it kid.

Shhhh! The baby is sleeping! :)

Hanging out on Grandmas lap...

Oh my! These last two just make me swoon!

He has gotten so alert and talkative. I LOVE IT! And smiling! He smiles all the time! 

I'm going to get a good smiley one soon, do you worry!

Oh my word! This one! Bright eyed, fuzzy head, double chin goodness!

I have sooooo enjoyed being Mr. Luke's Mommy. 

Best. Job. Ever.

Little Miss Mommy

Rachel has a mother heart. 

I must admit, it took me awhile even after becoming a Mother to gain one of my own.

But, Rachel... she was born with one.

Every time Luke cries she runs to his aid! Every time he wakes up, she goes to greet him! Every time I can't be there for him, I'll find Rachel holding him and sweetly uttering the words, 

"Its okay, it's okay... Mommy's here." 

She is my Little Miss Mommy.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I have been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. 

I had it all planned out in my head... Christmas music playing, hot chocolate, decorating the Christmas tree with my girls...

Our whole family, all together, in our own home- just us. 

It was just how I imagined it, although we were out of milk so we had water hot chocolate and it was pretty nasty. haha! 

Look at these little rascals!

I just love Maggie in those jammies... 

And this one... oh my! Rachel in all her cuteness and Miss Mags- she's a mess. 

Can't you tell???

It makes me so so sad that this one is blurry! BAH! I don't care! I just love it!

Can't forget Luke! 

*big long happy sigh*

Christmas time is so much better with children. 
Yup, I'll keep them. ;)

Gettin Things Done

How do you move with two littles and one tiny? How do you get anything done????

Well, it looks a little like this...

My Boys

Being the men of the house is no easy feat... napping is essential.

So much strength and sweetness all mixed together.

I sure love these boys of mine.

Name them One by One...

What I did today-

1. Took a shower. All the kids were awake at the time; a dangerous time to try and shower but I was mighty desperate.

2. Can't remember but it made my head spin.

3. Made a To-Do list. Then Maggie colored all over it.

4. Made another To-Do list.

5. Stared at the To-Do list. How in the world are these things going to get done?

6. Cleaned, fed, drove, hushed, read to, kissed, and squeezed my children… 

7. Number six all day long. 

Its quiet now. This doesn't happen often so what do I do? I blog. 
Life is so beautiful right now. Almost knocks the wind out of me sometimes. 
My husband has been home from Afganistan for a year now.
We have a beautiful baby boy.
Our girls amaze me with how fast they are learning.
And we just bought our first home.
We put up our own Christmas tree for the first time in our entire marriage last week.

Like I said- knocks the wind out of me.

Oh! Someone is stirring. And with that the day keeps on going… bedtime will be sweet tonight. :)

 Gosh, he is so YUMMY! :)

Luke William Payne

Choosing the perfect name for our children had never been a challenge until Luke came along. 
I know that Rachel Lynn was meant to be Rachel Lynn and Maggie Ila was meant to be Maggie Ila. With both, the spirit confirmed to me so strongly that those were their names. No question about it, no changing it. 
Luke was different. I agonized over choosing his name. No confirmations, no peace on the matter. Even days after we brought him home I would ask Tyler, "Are you sure Luke is right?" 
Tyler replied, "Yes, he is our Luke. Luke is just right."
Tyler was right- Luke is perfect.
The name has settled on me more and more as the days go by and as little Luke's personality starts to surface. I love this little boy so much! He is such a sweetheart. He gives me big smiles all day long (after a full tummy of course!). I already can't imagine this crazy life without him. 

We have an amazingly talented photographer in the ward--- who happens to live only two doors down from us! I asked her if she'd be willing to coach me through a newborn session. Honestly the last thing I wanted to do 8 days after a C-Section is a photo shoot, and I am so glad that I asked for help or it probably wouldn't have happened. They turned out soooo great! My friend shot some and I shot some… it took 3 hours to get these between the pee, poop, spit-up,fussiness, and wiggliness! We were both sweating by the end of this photo shoot! 

Here are the shots she got--- LOVE THEM!
This one makes me want to buy a new lens…. like bad. I think it's my favorite of them all.

So why Luke you may ask? 
 Because there's nothing like a good, strong, MANLY name. 
I love that it's common, yet not so common. I love that its a good cowboy name. I love that it's from the Bible. It is just right for this little man. 
Definitely the cutest little man I've ever seen!

Why William for his middle name?
Some of you may not know that Tyler's first name is actually William. 
As is his father and his grandfather. We feel honored to have the pass down name of such amazing men and didn't want to let it stop at Tyler. 
So William it was! 

I am in love with this close-up. 8 days old and already has them chubby cheeks! And I love to look at his little fist in this one. 

Those first few weeks I was just baffled every time I looked at him… A boy? Really, I have a son?
YES, YES I DO!

Absolutely no mistaking him for a girl… I love his masculine features. 

And here our the ones I took…
hehehe… love that football beanie...

Doesn't this one just make you swoon? 

I love how this one focuses your attention to his nose and brow… I already think he looks like his Daddy. 

And this one would be my favorite of all the ones I took… mighty proud of this one!
Everything from his toes to his little face… perfect.

This one is a close second… fun angle!

Can't forget a little toesies picture! 
Nothing like baby feet. 
nothing nothing nothing!

LUKE WILLIAM PAYNE
Yes, it's just right. ;)

Happy Halloween 2013!

We kept it super simple this year and wore our dress up clothes for Halloween. 
The cure my Mom guilt I bought the girls some princess shoes and tiara's to complete their ensemble. 
They didn't complain! Not to mention they were ESTATIC to get to wear "Mommy's makeup!" haha.
Rapunzel and Cinderella… 

Daily I tell Rachel how beautiful she is… it goes something like this…
Mom: "Rachel, you are soooooo beautiful!!!"
Rachel: "I know Mom."
It makes me so happy that she know's how beautiful she is. I hope this never changes. 

Miss Maggie… 

Just beautiful! She has the Cinderella look down.

My favorite!

Whoever thinks brown eyes aren't stunning need to look at this picture… Sometimes it's hard to capture the sparkle of brown eyes but once you do they are breathtaking. 

Luke was asleep in the baby carrier during all the festivities but I got a few instagram pictures the day after… 4.5 weeks old!


Hey there little boy! Next year you'll be all into the Halloween business, but for now… let's cuddle. ;)