Happy Birthday Payton

>7 things I love about Payton
1. You wake up every day with a very cute smile on your face and then you climb in bed with me. (Usually at 5:00am)

2. You love LIFE and everything that it brings. No matter what the situation, you handle it with grace and dignity. Something many of my adult friends have not even mastered.

3. You love your family and friends. No matter what the gesture, big or small, you appreciate everything and everyone. I never have to worry that you will be inconsiderate or selfish, because your heart is so big.

4. Your love for the Lord is incredibly strong. You pray before meals and at bedtime without mommy even telling or making you pray. No wonder the Lord has blessed you.

5. You love to learn! You are my little bookworm and I love watching you read chapter books with such expression..so cute!

6. You are an AMAZING big sister to Caden. Even though he gives you a hard time (every day) you still love him, take care of him, and teach him everything you have mastered. That little boy will soon understand how lucky he is to have you for a big sister.

7. Last but not least (because I could go on forever) You are a tremendous daughter! I never knew I could love someone as much as I love you. Providing a life that brings you love, comfort, and joy has been my pleasure these past seven years. You will always be my little girl (bear) even when you are 50! I know your teenage years will be here soon, however, I look forward to every adventure that life has to offer.
Happy Birthday sweetie!

A long time...

Now that school is out, it's funny how your routine stops. Instead of getting up at 5:00am and going to bed dog tired, I find myself getting up at 7:00am...pretty nice. I love summer..it is by far my favorite time of year. Not just because school is out, but because I don't have to rush, I get to enjoy my children, and each day means so much more because for 8 weeks I get to stop and smell the roses.
My little Payton turned 7 years old on June 27th. We had quite a bash with her friends and enjoyed the heat to go along with her special day.

Happy 3rd Birthday Caden

Although time has passed, I thought I should post a few cute pictures of Caden on his birthday. On May 25th, our little stinker turned 3!! There is something magical about the age of three, and for Caden he surprised us by going potty in the big boy potty. I didn't have to do a thing. Way to go my little man! Even though this post is a little late...happy birthday!

We have been trying to purchase a Wii for over three months and finally after calling Fred Meyer every day, I found one. So, this was Payton's early birthday gift, York's father's day gift and Caden's birthday gift...it has brought many hours of joy to our family and even a few sore arms the next day.

We love going to Chevy's, even though it is not good for you. Here is Caden, enjoying his ice cream after being sung to about three minutes prior to this picture. I think the staff at Chevy's freaked him out a little. However, he quickly recovered once he saw his ice cream.

All events are over

A few more pictures of the kids and their events...I am trying to learn how to add pictures while I write.

All events must come to an end.

This year I really wanted to limit what extra curricular activities Payton participated in. It seemed that this fall we were running literally every day of the week. Between dance, cheerleading, Awanas, church, and Piano, I was exhausted. This spring we had Awanas, softball, piano and swim lessons. Well, they are now finally complete. Payton and caden enjoyed swim lessons and improved a great deal. Payton still has a little fear when it comes to being alone in the water, while Caden has no fear at all. He is our little fish and loves to just jump on in with the intention that someone will catch him. Over the past few weeks he started doing this dance before he jumped in..it looked as if he had been watching some sort of adult dance performance judging by his moves. He certainly did not get his "dance style" from us!

Payton had her last softball game last week and I had to get a picture of her with her catcher's gear on. She could hardly walk, which made everyone crack up!I don't know if softball will be her thing, but it sure was fun to watch her little legs run to each base.