What Should We Get Jesus For His Birthday?

(Actual conversation)

Me: Hey Dray, did you know that we celebrate Christmas because it's Jesus brithday.
Dray: Really are we gonna have a party for him?
Me: Well we are having a Christmas party tonight.
Dray: Is he coming?
Me: No, but we can think about him and he'll be in our hearts.
Dray: (concerned look) Mommy, he's too big to fit in my heart.
Me: No I mean we can love him with our hearts like you do mommy and daddy and Peyson.
Dray: Oh ok, is he not coming because he wants to go to his daddy's fire station?
Me: No, Jesus' daddy isn't a fire fighter, it's Heavenly Father.
Dray: So he's just gonna have a party at home then.
Me: Sure.
Dray: Where is his house?
Me: His house is in Heaven.
Dray: Should we go there today to see his party?
Me: No, we can't go there today.
Dray: He doesn't want us at his party?
Me: He wants us there, we just can't go there right now. But we will someday.
Dray: Did we get him a present?
Me: No, but if we treat other people nicely and do what we are suppose to, that is like a present to him.
Dray: (scrunches his face) But why did we get everyone else presents then? It's not their birthdays.
Me: (Heavy sigh) That's what you do on Christmas.

If I didn't end the conversation there, it would have lasted forever. My son dwells on things. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Photo Shoot?

I got the kids matching Christmas pjs and decided that it might be fun to take some pictures of them. It was a piece of cake, as you can imagine, taking pictures of a 1yr old and 3 yr old is always an esay task.

Actually a cute picture, too bad the lightning was awful.

Dray was mad that I messed up the other picture and wouldn't look at the camera.


He's looking, so why in the world would she.

Apparently she wanted this one to be a close up.

Ok so there's Dray, where oh where is Peyson.

I guess she's done.

In the end I didn't get a single good shot.

All I Want For Christmas Is.....

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good boy this year. That is why I am asking for a pirate ship for Christmas. I would like a Pirates Who Don't Do Anything pirate ship.

I would also like the Backyardigans Tubtime pirate ship.

I believe Fisher Price also makes a pirate ship, go ahead and bring that one by, as well.

Thanks for the pirate ships because pirate ships are all I want for Christmas.

Love,

Dray

P.S. Peyson was ok too! Go ahead and bring her something pink because girls like pink.

(Unfortunately I did not make this up. This is really what he told Santa when we went and saw him at the mall.)

By the way, just to ease all of your curiosity, he is getting the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything pirate ship. But shhhhhhhh, don't tell him.

Splish Splash They Were Taking a Bath

So here is a typical bathtime for us. Peyson plays and Drayton follows her around tormenting her. He pours water on her and covers her with bubbles. However, I suppose torment wouldn't be the approriate word because torment suggests that she is somehow bothered by these acts, and this just isn't the case. Boy does she love her big brother. And I pretty dang sure the feeling is mutual. I am so lucky to have 2 such sweet adorable kids.

I looked out the window and what did I see?

Wednesday after it rained I looked outside and saw a double rainbow. It's hard to tel it the picture, but I promise it's there. So I wished upon it. I'm not sure if you're suppose to wish upon a double rainbow, but I did anyway just in case. I'd hate to waste a wish opportunity.

While we were outside wishing to the double rainbow, Dray stepped in a puddle. He was so excited. "Mommy! Mommy! I made a tootsie print! I love to make tootsie prints! Now you can follow me! Now you know where I went!" Where in the world did he come up with that? That little guy cracks me up!

A Night Out!

Dustin and I rarely go out without our children, so when we do it's an occasion worthy of a few pictures. It was around 9 o'clock at night, so we both looked exhausted (we go out late so our children will be asleep the whole time). We went and saw a movire called Fireproof. Dustin really wanted to see it because it's about a firefighter, but it turned out to be a little cheesy. Don't get me wrong, it had a good message and I am one for cheesiness. It was a Kirk Cameron movie, and for those of you who don't know he is a hardcore christian. So there was alot of talk about God. Anyway, it had good advice on trying to improve your marriage and on appreciating people in your life you may tend to take for granted. I give it 3 stars (so more than half) for good values and a good message. Not a movie you'd have to screen for the kids. Infact, it was only rated pg, and I think that was only because he yelled.

Back Where We Belong

So, we went to the zoo again. I know I know, we go there alot. But it's free so of course we go alot. Free entertainment is the best entertainment. Ok so no, it's not actually free. We bought a membership earlier this year so it cost us then, but I'm pretty sure we've more than made it up. So it feels free. We went with my sister in law Melissa and her two kids, Kimber and Colter. Drayton and Kimber acted like heathens the entire time we were there. By the time we got to the petting zoo I was contemplating leaving Dray there to become part of the zoo. AHHHHH! They fought over everything. And Peyson wanted to walk the whole time. Anyone who has seen Peyson walk knows what a bad idea this is. She can't take more than 5 steps without falling over, and then she tries to crawl a bunch to make up for lost walking time. Crawling at the zoo, as I'm sure everyone can imagine, isn't the most sanitary thing. One child, however, did come out shining. Colter! He was a total angel. He didn't make a peep the whole 3 hours we were there. I kept forgetting he was with us. I wanted to trade Mel right then and there: Drayton and Peyson for Colter. Just kidding, I love my babies. They just make me a little crazy sometimes. The trip ended ok, though. Drayton and Kimber walked to the car holding hand and only yelled at each other once or twice. That was definately the record for the day.

We're Still At It

So as of today Dustin and I have been married for 4 years. Dang we're old. And we already have 2 kids. We move kinda fast. And what did we do to celebrate you ask? Well lets see. Last night we went out to eat and to a movie, which we missed. And today Dustin went fishing, while the kids and I stayed home and they helped me write a paper for my Contempoaray Issues in American Education class. Yes, it's as exciting of a class as it sounds. Then when he got home we took the kids to the park to ride Dray's John Deere tractor. The kids then went to bed early because they giggled through nap instead of sleeping (what was that I said in an earlier post about loving them being in the same room?), and we went out for ice cream. That's about it. We are extremely boring people. Although I did get some bananna ice cream, which was pretty exciting. I don't really care that we didn't do anything crazy. We have nothing to prove to each other that isn't instilled in our everyday, the important thing is that we can still stand each other and the fact that I am more sure that he is the one for me than I was the day I married him. Of course our journery has had it's ups and downs, but how could we grow together if there was never anywhere to grow from? Dustin is everything I could ever have hoped for as a husband, lover, provider, bestfriend, and father and role model to my kids. I am so honored that I get to spend the rest of forever with my dream come true.

I love you through it all, Dustin!

Tagged Again!

Ok with this one you have to open your 4th picture folder on your computer and post your 4th picture. Then explain it.



We went to the zoo about a month ago and at the petting zoo area they have miniture tractors and animals and even a little barn. So Drayton started telling me he was a farmer and he was telling all the farmhands and animals what to do. Like " Hey cows, gimme your milk!" So I told him to pose. This is him giving orders. He's so bossy, but you gotta love a man in charge.



I tag: Carmen Kneisly and Jessica Johnson

I've been tagged...

You have to answer these questions with one word respones.

1. Where is your cell phone? recharging
2. Where is your significant other? fishing
3. Your hair color? brownish
4. Your mother? tired
5. Your father? working
6. Your favorite thing? togetherness
7. Your dream last night? strange
8. Your dream/goal? success
9. The room your in? living room
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? failure
12. Where do you want to be in six years? flourishing
13. Where were you last night? mall
14. What you’re not? happy
15. One of your wish list items? pearls
16. Where you grew up? Phoenix
17. The last thing you did? homework
18. What are you wearing? black
19. Your T.V.? flat
20. Your pet? sleeping
21. Your computer? overworked
22. Your mood? irritated
23. Missing someone? always
24. Your car? compact
25. Something you’re not wearing? pants
26. Favorite store? toys
27. Your Summer? hot
28. Love someone? duh
29. Your favorite color? multiply
30. When is the last time you laughed? earlier
31. Last time you cried? minutes

I tag: Kristin Russo, Kathryn Curtis and Amy Johnson.

A Day Without a Camera......camera phones don't count!

Today was a very long day. And boy do i mean long. I had to drag my poor babies outta bed at 5:45 AM! This is because my job just went to fulltime, meaning I have to be there by 6:30. Of course the kids were wide awake by the time I got there. Resistence was futile, there was no going back to bed. Well my kids usually wake up between 8:30 and 9. 8 at the absolute earliest, so as you can imagine, they tired out alittle earlier than usual. I sat everyone down for lunch at 11:30 and then went to the bathroom. When I returned.......

Yes that's a chicken nugget that fell out of her hand. Poor baby. So we took a bath and then off to nap. So my day carried on as normal. Nap, snack, drive home. Well, today is my dad's birthday so Peyson stayed home while me and Dray took him bowling. I had never realized what a bad bowler I am until tonight. Now according to Wii bowling, I am the champion, unfortunately reality is not so kind. I bowled a 49. My dad bowled a 78. Drayton, the stud, bowled a 53. Yes, I am ashamed to say my 3 year old beat me in bowling. And i didn't even let him.

And what kind of a mother am I. A horrible one. I didn't even have a camera to mark this momentous occasion. He had bowling shoes on and everything. I had to take a picture with my phone. The one above of Peyson is also with my phone. The difference in quality is ................ she's not moving. My point is (yes I'll hurry up and get to it) I'm never going anywhere without my camera again. My kids are just too stinkin cute.

Bedtime Bliss

I love bedtime, and not for the reasons you might think. Oh sure, I love the fact that I get a few uninterrupted hours to get things done that I should have had done earlier, like homework or laundry usually both. And lets not forget the all too important: alone time with the hubby. But it's really the process of bedtime that I love. We cuddle on the couch and drink our bottles. Dray did away with a nighttime bottle almost 2 years ago, but since Peyson gets one now he insists. And who am I to deny him a good dose of calcium and vitamin d. Then we get our pjs on and wrestle a little bit. Mostly Dustin and the kids wrestle. I'm a lover not a fighter. This is probably a bad idea because it gets everyone a tad wound up, but I don't know where Dustin would be without bedtime wrestle mania. Then we go up to bed and get a story. I take that back, Dray gets a story. Peyson just mutilates the books and screams at the pictures. We recently moved Peyson into Dray's room. I was alittle worried at first about them keeping each other awake, but it's been great. They both seem to love it and now I don't have to worry about someone breaking into the house and kidnapping Pey (for anyone who did't know, Peyson was the only one with a downstairs bedroom and it totally freaked me out). Anyway, after a million hugs and kisses from the king (and now the queen too) of procrastination, it's "peacefully" off to dreamland.

Future Firefighter

We go visit Dustin at the fire station every so often and Dray gets to dress up and play in the engine and all the other fire fighters take him around and play with him and they even gave him a ride in the truck. Needless to say he was in heaven. Last time we were there he grabbed a garden hose and asked Dustin where the fire was. Dustin pointed to the bush and Dray started intently spraying the bush to put the fire out. I guess it's in the blood.

More Peyson Party Pics

Turning into Quite a Lady

Today Peyson is one! I just can't believe it's already been a year. It's makes me so sad that soon she won't be my beautiful litle baby anymore. She's almost a toddler. And then, soon after that, she'll be a big girl. And then.....a hormonal teenager, yikes. But fortunately today, she is still my adorable, affectionate, hilarious little baby. Somehow I actually just got myself crying. Wow, that's how much I want my babies to be babies forever. Anyway. We had Peyson's party on Saturday, my birthday. It was a Pretty in Pink Party. Everything was pink. The food, the beverages, most of the presents, even alot of the people (we told everyone to wear pink). My mom even made Peyson a pink tutu. She looked so freakin adorable. And I can't forget to mention that both Dustin and Drayton ware pink, as well.

I LOVE MY WIFE!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to tell all who reads this that I have the greatest wife ever. She supports me in all I do. I couldn't ask for a better wife and best friend. Baby I love you and appreciate all you do for me. If not for you I wouldn't be where I am today. Love you tons and thank you, thank you, thank you for being the greatest mother my kids could ever have. They are where they are because of you. And I also need to say How Beautiful you are. "I LOVE YOU MORE TODAY THEN I DID YESTERDAY, YET NOT AS MUCH AS I WILL TOMORROW."

Midnight Sun

I was really sad for Stephenie Meyer to hear that someone put her partial rough draft of Midnight Sun online without her permission. Sad because I can only imagine how betrayed she must feel having had someone she trusts stab her so blatantly in the back. I am also sad that that might be the end. Although I obviously know how the story turns out, I was intrigued by the thought of hearing Edward's side of everything. He is always making cryptic remarks and is very secretive, so it was nice to finally know how he felt about certain things. It made his character more personable. Ending where it did left me unsatisfied. I don't care what other people think of Stephenie Meyer or the Twilight series, I think she did a good job of making you feel for and relate to the characters, even if they are generally unrelateable (I tknow this isn't a real word) in most ways. So to who ever leaked her book out, you're on my list.

A Day of Fun!

Saturday we went to the Arizona Museum of Natural History and saw the dinosaur exhibit. Iy was fun to see all the dinos moving around. Dray loved it. We also panned for gold, sat in an old jail and saw an exhibit on poop. It was kinda gross, actually. Then we went for ice cream at this little diner called Grandma's Kitchen. The kids got some strawberry ice cream and when they were done the owner or "Grandma" came and wiped their faces down with a towel. I was tempted to ask her how much she charges by the hour to babysit. The kids loved her. Later that night we went to the fire station to see daddy. Dray got to go in the firehouse and get a tour. And he sat in the firetruck. It was so fun. Peyson insisted that the captain carry her around, so she got her own persoanl tour.

Chillin' at Church

Here are some pictures of Peyson at church. This is all we ever do at church. Actually attending a meeting is a very rare occasion. But she brings joy to all by yelling at them and pointing and calling them dad. Everyone is dad!

Drayton's First Day of School

I knew it would come someday, I just didn't expect it so soon. We woke up. Ate breakfast. Took a bath. Got dressed. Then loaded into the car and we were off to school. I'm only 23. I shouldn't have kids in school. Dray was so nervous. He was really unsure when we got there. And he wouldn't listen to the teacher. So we left hoping that would make things better. When we got back, he was participating and having a blast. I know I shouldn't be, but I was kinda sad that he didn't miss me. Sniff. But I absolutely love his teacher. She is amazing and so organized and good with the kids. If I have to leave him with someone, I'm glad it's her.

Happy Birthday Dusty (or That's What I Like About You)

Today Dustin turns 26! He's practically an old man. I decided that people need to know a little more about him. So here are 5 things (not nessicarily the top five) I love about him, that you may not know.

1. He always has to be touching me when we're in the same room. If we're on different couches, he just holds my foot. Or at night sometimes he draps his leg over me. Some part of him has to be touching some part of me.

2. He dreams about stuff he has to do. Like work and other things he has to get done. I personally think that would suck. I love to dream. Poor Dustin just can't relax.

3. He cries during the Notebook. Right there at the end, when they decide to die togther, there is always a tear. Awe, what a softy.

4. He love to be helping someone. No matter the feat, he will never say no. And he is so generous. Even when he shouldn't be.

5. He loves to sit and plan all the things we'll do together in the future. He makes lists. And he's so detailed. He's drawn up the house he wants us to have in the future. And pretty much already decorated every room. I love to sit and think about forever with him.

Graduation Day, Yay!

Today Dustin graduated from the fire academy. And I got to lin his badge on him. I'm so proud of him. He worked so hard. But he learned so much and had a blast in the process, not to mention some of the friendships he gained. Now off to work. Afterward we went to Red Lobster, and Dray had his first date with his girlfriend, Lexi. Young Love is so sweet And Peyson had a blast at the graduation too. Ya right.

I Always Knew I Didn't Fit In

You Belong in 1968

You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

What Year Do You Belong In?