Snow Day

As many of you probably experienced, we got SNOW in South Carolina! Finally! Since we rarely see any of that white stuff it was really an ordeal! It started snowing at our house Sunday night around 4 or 5 'oclock in the evening. We were shocked to see the flurries outside of our window and of course were captivated. I really expected it to quit after about 30 minutes and all melt away, but to my amazment it continued to snow heavier and heavier. By 6:30 we had around 2 or 3 inches. I took Peyton outside to see the snow. If you look closely you can see the snowflakes on her nose and eyelashes (these are a few of my favorite things :) )
I made dinner and as we were eating at the table the lights flickered. All knowing Dustin quickly proclaimed that our power was going to go out and lo and behold it did! We gathered candles and flashlights and huddled around the gas fireplace. The snow continued to fall and our power remained off. We finally decided that we all should sleep downstairs in front of the fireplace to stay warm so we got some blankets and set up Peyton's pack-n-play and had a camp out in our house! There's nothing like a snow storm to bring a family together.
The next morning we thawed out and decided to go out to play in the snow! We bundled Peyton up in her snow suit and headed out!The snow was about six inches deep and perfect for making snow balls and most importantly, SNOWMEN! It took Dustin only about 3 minutes to make our chili friend!We used grapes for the eyes and mouth, plastic shovels for the arms, and a corn holder for the nose ( due to the lack of good sticks, coal, and carrot). Topped with my hat and scarf he sure was sheek!Peyton got a little taste of the snow, I'm not sure how much she liked it though!We ended up staying at my mom's house that night for fear of the 18 degree weather and the possibility of no heat or electricity. It finally was restored that night around 11:00. A huge thank you goes out to all of the people who worked so hard night and day to get Greenville and the surrounding area's power back on. I really was amazed at how quickly we were up and running again. It was definately a snow day we will never forget! I can't wait to share many more new experiences with Peyton in the years to come.

1/2 a year old....ALREADY?!?!?!

On February 25 we celebrated our baby girl becoming a 1/2 a year old. You know the saying "Time flies when you're having fun", well Time is not even a feasible concept when you have a baby. I can't believe that it has been six months since I was laying in that hospital bed holding my newborn baby girl and wondering what in the world to do with her.
To commemorate her six month birthday Dustin and I took her to get her pictures made at Portrait Innovations. It was so much fun now that she's really smiling and laughing and finally sitting up on her own. We thought you might enjoy seeing some of the many pictures from that night. A common trend you might find in these shots is that Peyton's tongue is hanging out. Well, if you know our girl at all you'd know that tongue is Peyton's trade mark...so instead of trying to fight it we just went with it! That's our girl!

Not a Fan of Fruit

This morning I decided after a few long weeks of nothing but veggies Peyton should get the pleasure of trying fruit. I figured if the child liked smashed up green beans then she HAD to love sweet fruit. Besides, Dustin and I are not big fans of vegetables and would prefer fruit 10 to 1 so being our offspring, she was destined to be a fruit eater!!! Boy was I wrong... we started with bananas. She gagged and shuttered each time she took a bite! We'll chalk it up to the sweetness, but it was just too funny not to share so I video taped it for your viewing pleasure!

A Girl After her Daddy's Heart

Every Monday night Dustin plays basketball in church league. It keeps him young and in shape! Most of his games are later in the evening and Peyton and I have not had the opportunity to attend a lot of them. Last night however, we went to Edwards Road to watch Daddy play! The buzzers and whistles didn't bother Peyton in the first half, but as the game got heated and people were screaming she got a little apprehensive. All I can say is she better get used to it, it's a way of life aroung this household!
SLAM DUNK!
I think this deserves at least 10 points!
Mommy and Peyton proud of the great game Daddy had!

Although Daddy's team lost, he was happy to see us at the game and made the loss a little easier to swallow! I can't wait for Peyton to learn all about sport from her Daddy and to share his interests!

Pizza and a Bridge

Last weekend we took a night out on the town and went Downtown to Mellow Mushroom and Falls Park. We had so much fun out with friends enjoying time to talk, laugh, and run in the rain!

We let the girls sit beside each other and catch up on the latest goings on in their lives...they have to gossip about their Mommies and Daddies and plan their adventures when they can actually walk around!

Elijah really loves to be around the girls and to help out (he will be such a wonderful big brother one day soon). He asked if he could carry Peyton and if he could hold her! Sure! About 30 seconds of Peyton in his lap and he was asking to give her back because "She's too heavy!!!" Hahaha...Peyton probably is getting close to out weighing that poor boy!

After we ate we decided to take a stroll over the Liberty bridge in falls park. It was cold and rainy, but the kids were good sports!

Dustin and I pushed our sweet baby girl over the bridge and enjoyed the calming sounds of the waterfall. Dustin got a good grip on the stroller though...he didn't quite trust the bridge to keep his baby safe!

We ended the night with a brisk run back to the car...it started to rain and none of us had our umbrellas!!! We took the opportunity to work off some of that yummy pizza from Mellow Mushroom! I cherish these opportunities to share with friends and to make memories that will last a life time.

Dress-Up Fun

As a young girl my sister and I were obsessed with Barbie dolls. Mostly for the sheer fun of dressing them up and doing their hair. Well I say...Who needs Barbies when you have a baby?!?!?

Here's Peyton in a adorable pair of overalls! I know some out there shun the idea of overalls on babies, but I can't think of anything cuter!

While hanging out at Amber's house the other day she showed us a really cut tu-tu and hat she bought for Kaya (see her blog). In the spirit of fun we tried it on Pey Rae too! Peyton was mostly oblivious to the princess outfit, but loved the attention she got from wearing it!


And what's more funny than wearing that same tu-tu on your head?!?! Peyton's such a good baby to humor her Mommy...one day she'll get enough of it, but until then...


Cousin Kaya also was a good sport and joined in the fun by trying on a hat while shopping at Walmart! We tried to get Elijah to try one on too, to which he replied "Those hats are from girls...I am a big boy!" Proof that this dress-up phase might not last much longer!


And what outfit is complete without a great hairdo?!?!?! We tried a side-ways pony tail...I think it works!


And the view from the back...

As she grows up I realize just how blessed I am to have a sweet baby girl to play with and share some of my fashion sense with (hahahaha)....I can't wait to take her shopping and teach her the fine art of spending Daddy's money! (Just kidding Daddy, don't have a heart attack!)

Eat Your Heart Out Peyton!

Peyton was given the all clear by Dr. Moll to start baby food! Since she has more than doubled her birth weight he thought it would be crucial to give her baby food...or else she was gonna be taking a bottle every hour! My hungry big baby girl! We started off with Sweet Potatoes!

It took her a few bites to get the hang of it...but she swallowed it down with ease!

We are concidering entering her in an Elvis look-a-like competition (her MiMi would be proud!) Although she looks disgusted she really did like sweet potatoes!

We followed the sweet potato meal with alittle apple juice / water mixture! She didn't like it too well and kept shuttering with every gulp! Baby steps...Baby steps!