Hoppy Easter Everyone!

A while back I purchased this little bunny ears head band at the dollar section of Target. It has been my saving grace as of late in keeping Peyton distracted while I change her diaper or give her medicine. Today, with Easter just around the corner I put them on my funny bunny and showed her herself in the mirror and she thought they were just the funniest things in the world. I had to snap a few pictures of her. I could not keep from cracking up at how much of a ham she was in them. Enjoy and Hoppy Easter!

Post Much?!?!?

I'm finding it harder and harder to find the time to post about our lives now that Peyton's more active and less tired (naps are not as long as they used to be). But I figured I should let everyone know what's been going on in the Thompson household!

At Peyton's last doctor visit our not-so-little girl weighed 22.2 lbs!!! (on April 2nd) Because of her weight we have had to take her out of her old car seat and have switched to what I like to call her "big girl car seat". She loves sitting up more, but it really makes for an uncomfortable sleeping position as you'll see in the picture below

In typical spring fashion we experienced some very cold weather (the snow back in March) and then it turned around and was sunny and 80 degrees. Peyton and I absolutely loved the warm weather and spent many afternoons laying on a blanket in the grass blowing bubbles and exploring the world around us. We even ventured out for a nice summer-like stroll around our neighborhood. Peyton really enjoys the outdoors and is a great sport in her stroller as I attempt to loose a few pounds for bathing suit season.

Saint Patrick's Day was a lot of fun. We didn't do much celebrating aside from dressing up in an adorable headband, but it was fun to spend yet another holiday with my sweet girl. Next year I dream of green milk and green pancakes with green syrup...oh the possibilities are endless!

Kaya's one year old birthday party was by far the highlight of March for us! On March 28th by sweet niece turned a year old. It was a bittersweet day for all of us as we came to the realization of just how quickly the time is passing. All I could think was that Peyton was next. Ugh....I'll push that thought away for a while. Kaya was so sweet at the party and spent much of the day pushing Peyton around in the stroller. It has been such a blessing to watch the two of them grow up together. They are really a blast to watch now as they are interacting more and more with each other. Their friendship is truly a gift from God. Peyton is growing up so fast. She is entertaining her self more and more these days and I find is not relying as much on her mommy for fun (sob sob boo hoo). Just the other day I decided to use some unconventional toys to distract her while I was doing the dishes. I was truly surprised at how much she loved banging and "stirring" with the pots and pans. Her Daddy has high hopes that this is the beginning of a passion for the drums.

We recently had the opportunity to meet a few old friends for lunch. I worked at a day care called Pocketful of Miracles for 7 years or more. While I was there I made some life long friends in the staff. Chris, Justin, Erica and I staffed the after school program for a couple of years there and had the time of our lives doing the summer camps. We had many activities to keep us busy...we took the children to the movies, the park, played Fear factor, had mock Olympics just to mention a few things. Last year because of my pregnancy I wasn't able to come back to the summer camp and work. Since then Peyton's kept me pretty busy and I've only been able to see my friends a couple of times. Just the other day Peyton and I met them for lunch and it was like the time had never passed...never a dull moment with that crowd. Peyton really enjoyed their company and I cannot wait for her to get to know them better.

Just to keep you updated on Peyton's progress @ 7 months she is now...

• *Sitting up all by her self
• *Doing 180's on her bottom and belly
• *crawling backwards
• *grunting and screaming to get attention
• *pulling up on fingers
• *blowing raspberries with her tongue
• *grabbing anything within her reach
• *looking for Mommy whenever I leave the room
• *crying for Daddy all the time
• *sleeping 10 to 12 hours a night, but has reduced her naps to just two small naps a day
• *eating all kinds of baby foods, bread, Cheerios, rice puffs, Potato Salad (thanks Papa), oatmeal and jelly bread

Just recently we visited the doctor and found out that she had pink eye in both eyes and a double ear infection! She's been on an antibiotic for a few days now and seems to be feeling much better. She's a bundle of happiness all the time and has the greatest disposition. She is mild mannered most of the time but has quite a temper when you do something she doesn't like (i.e. sucking snot form her nose or making her take medicine). I can't believe how in love with her I am and what amazes me the most is how much that love grows everyday.

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.