Ramblings from the Past Week

We continue to have had many days stuck inside with rainy weather. Payton kept us entertained with her Doc McStuffins doctor kit, which she plays with on repeat lately.

She loves having each of us be her patients. We then help her to check on the health of all her stuffed animals. Then, the dogs. And then she repeats the cycle again. She is so sweet and would make a wonderful doctor someday if that is what she chooses.

And then, the sun came out and we moved outdoors quickly, without even skipping a beat.

Riley found joy in splashing in all the puddles, racing through them to see how fast he could go, and then eventually just plopped down and took a seat in the puddle. He's never afraid to get dirty. Payton, on the other hand, ventured near the water long enough to realize she would get wet and then settled for playing chalk on the other side of the road.

Payton likes to be clean and not cold. She keeps us entertained by eating popsicles (which she begs for) with gloves:

Days when we are home, the kids get to pick their own clothes. This is a sample outfit Payton chose. Riley typically could care less what he's wearing and eventually, I pick out his own clothes to keep him from running around naked.

Over the weekend, we had graduation receptions to attend so the kids dressed up a bit.

The rest of the weekend and this week, we worked around the house. We are really trying to get the landscaping done now so we can enjoy it. We had evergreens planted on our property to create a tree line, but they are so tiny we won't see much of that tree line for about 5-10 years.  We also planted about 14 other trees and shrubs on the property including a peach tree.

Monte and Payton are the most excited about this tree.  I'm just excited to see how this property will change over the next decade.

We ended the weekend with letting the kids make s'mores for an afternoon snack. This has been on Payton's list of summer activities and she was so, so excited to do something she had been planning. We've loved watching the stickiness of both the kids attempting to eat their first s'more.

Tonight, we are headed to Payton's first gymnastics presentation. It's an end of the year celebration for her and she can't wait. It's a little bittersweet to see her first activity finish a complete year, but we are all ready for the fun of summer! We won't be doing any weekly activities (just a dance camp and maybe a few swim lessons) so we can't wait for the freedom in our schedule. Now, we can start focusing on summer!

What do you have planned for this summer?

Getting Outside This Week

This may be my shortest post ever. The weather has warmed up and we are outside again. I love being outdoors and it always feels the best after coming out of a long winter. So, I will use less words and more pictures to show you what our week looks like.

 

Outside smoothies, gardening, and swinging galore. That pretty much wraps up our week.

Payton is really into picture taking and I delete about 200 (no joke) pictures a day she has taken. Selfies, random shots of our house, pictures of family members taken when they aren't paying attention... you get the idea. I have found a few pics of hers though that show she may just have some real talent to go with her newfound interest:

Seriously? Aren't those good.

Also, I got a picture of Riley that reminded me so much of a picture I took of Payton, at about the same age:

I know, not exactly the same, but similar. And totally reflects the two personalities.

Happy Thursday! Have a great rest of your week!

A Snow storm and May Day, Not the Typical Combination

We have already had the wildest week weather-wise. On Saturday, we had decent (but a tad chilly) weather as we attended a birthday party in the morning and wedding that evening. I only have 1 picture and it's between the two events.

I think sometimes it gets too busy and I forget to take pictures.

On Sunday morning, we woke up to snow and were predicted to get 6-8 inches that day. Snow! It was basically May so we were quite surprised. We welcomed the extra quiet day though after the busyness of Saturday.

Payton had been disappointed she hadn't made a snowman all winter, so this gave her one more chance. She was so happy to have a snow friend! Imagine her shock when her new friend melted the very next day. The poor snowman didn't even make it 24 hours.

After the Sunday storm, Monday and Tuesday have been gorgeous. On Monday, we were outside in t-shirts and jeans, handing out May Day baskets and planting trees.

We hope you had a great May Day (May 1st). We took some special treats to the few neighbors we have. This morning we went on a play date and played outside for most of the time since the weather is so nice again. We are planning to spend the next couple of days around the house and I'm so excited to get some things done at home! I feel like we've been extra busy lately and I'm very ready for life to slow down, if possible.

Did you participate in May Day? We hope you have a great week!

Happy 4th Birthday to Payton

Happy Birthday to you, Payton Ruth! You have grown so quickly and we have been so honored to be blessed as your parents.

You are the sweetest child with the biggest heart. You love to color and send pictures to family and friends, make calls just to say, "have a great day," and are very concerned about doing the right thing. I watched as family members and friends have called today to wish you a happy birthday and your response continues to be, "Thank you and how are you doing?" You always remind the person that you miss them and wish to see them soon. I'm sure you will continue to inspire me to become a better person as I watch your loving heart evolve.

We spent yesterday celebrating your last day as a 3 year old and today we are ringing in your 4th year. Your request for a meal includes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with an apple. That's exactly what you had for lunch today. You also wanted dirt cups instead of cake. Balloons were the decor of your choice (although balloons covering your bedroom door were not welcomed this morning).

May you always be this easy to please.

I have to share a story from the picture above. You opened this gift and saw the graham cracker box. You were so excited and happy to get graham crackers that you celebrated this gift. There was quite the moment of surprise when you realized that was not what was actually inside the box.

Today was also a big day for your brother, your biggest fan. He was so excited to celebrate your special day with you. He made a card for you and cheered you on with the festivities. He hugged you constantly and tried his hardest to say happy birthday.

Your birthday will probably always be a little sad for me as I watch you grow and grow. This year though, I am just more excited than anything. Your own excitement is maybe just that contagious. I am so happy for you and how much you love life. I am looking forward to what this next year will bring. And, in your own words, "you will always be my baby." Yes, yes, you will.

So, cheers to you, our Payton Ruth. Life is so much better with you in it!

Let's Play Farmer

Originally, Payton wanted to be a doctor so bad to both animals and humans. Recently though, she started saying she wanted to be a farmer instead. The farmland surrounding our properties is just starting to see activity again as farmers prepare for another season so I think this may be why she had a change in career goals. 

We have a friend that lives on a farm and she called saying she had a few bucket calves and wanted to know if we would like to bring the kids to feed them. I didn't hesitate a second and accepted immediately. We brought out food for a picnic in exchange for an evening of playing farmer.

Oh my goodness! We had so much fun being exposed to this way of living. The kids have been talking about it since. Riley was obsessed with the little "moos" of the baby calves. One of the calves was born that day so that was so neat to see. 

Payton was so excited to feed the horses until they actually ate out of her hand. She has always been super clean and the messiness that comes with letting horses eat out of your hand was not her cup of tea. She was a good sport though. 

Payton also loved all the gates and figured out the system quickly. She loved opening and closing gates on moving the baby calves around. They followed her closely!

 Now that we are spending today at home, the kids and I went and put together a vase of fresh blooms from our yard. Lilacs and apple blossoms! I love this part of spring and the smell of fresh lilacs. Life doesn't get any better with the help of my littles either:

We are spending today at home and, other than a visit from a friend this morning, have nothing planned on the agenda. These are the days we love!

Have a great Thursday!