Random Thoughts and Questions

I have some random thoughts and questions.

1. When did you start giving your baby cow's milk? The day he/she turned one? Before to introduce it slowly? Did you put it in the bottle? Please give me your thoughts on this.

2. Do you watch the Casey Anthony trial? I do and I am completely obsessed with it! I love to text my aunt and get her thoughts on it because she is an expert on it and I love it! ( Confession: I wanted to be a CSI growing up) Do you think she is guilty? If so what do you think her sentence will be? If you don't think she is guilty, who do you think did it? Just give me your thoughts! I would glad to talk to you about it!!

3. I have been working on Payne's birthday party. I think I have most things planned, but I am still up in the air about invitations.  Is there some place you suggest I use? What are some things you think I should include in his party? Things I should not worry about?

4. Remember when I told you I was given a noticed about jury duty from July- through September? Well, On Tuesday I was called and I have to report next Wednesday for a one day trial. I will not know until that morning if I got selected, but I still have to go down there. Regardless I will get paid $15 for showing up and if I am selected I will get paid $50 for being on the jury.

5. I have been running/jogging/walking everyday now! If you have been following my blog for a year or so you know that my family vacations are not lay around and eat and get fat! In fact, you probably will lose weight on my family vacations. I am not very good at sitting still  for very long in general so this is ok with me. Well, last year I was 34 weeks pregnant so I was unable to do much in Colorado, but this year is different! I am going to participate everyday! One of the things we will be doing is climbing a 14,000 ft. mountain! 

Let me give you some background on this climbing mountains business!  When I was a sophomore is high school I went with the church to climb Mount French in Colorado. We hiked and spend 5 days out on the  mountain. You can see below my huge pack that I hiked with! ( Don't be fooled. I might be really short, but that was a guide who was extremely tall) You have to take everything with you! Tents, food, sleeping bag, clothes, EVERYTHING!

 

 And as if that trip wasn't the hardest thing in my life I had ever done! I decided to do it again two years later after my senior year of high school! ( Might I add I told my Papa he had to go too :) ) I had done a lot more training this time around! Like running with weights in my backpack around my neighborhood or climbing Pinnacle Mountain in Little Rock with a watermelon in my backpack! I could freaking run up this mountain with no problem the second time! The thing that made it harder was less than a year before that I had knee surgery! Therefore my knee was not able to hold me up a lot of times! I fell several times! Maybe I will show you that picture of that sometime!

Here is me the second time I climbed Mount Arkansas.

 

Therefore my Papa likes to continue to climb mountains still! This time we will only be making a one day trip up and down so we won't be packing all of this stuff in and out which will make it ten times easier! The view from the top is incredible and worth it every time! My favorite part is the way the clouds look up there! And since the first time I climb to the top and saw those clouds I think of it every time I see a cloud now!  ( I now also have a cloud obsession from teaching 3rd grade)

Ok there is all my random, random thought and things for this week! Sorry the pictures are so bad, I took pictures of pictures with  my phone. I thought you really needed a visual of my crazy things I did!

Picnic at the Park

 Sunday afternoon I decided we need to take advantage of the great weather and parks in our area and go have a picnic.  We picked up some food and headed to Wilson Park with Dalton and Ally. Payne had no idea what kind of fun he was going to get into!

 Payne played on his blanket while we ate and then Ally feed P. He liked crawling around and exploring things around him.

 Then we headed over to the swings and let P swing for a bit. He really liked this! Then Dalt and Ally had a photo shoot! Never a dull moment with these two!

 Now it was time to slide.  Payne didn't like this as much. He was a little scared!

 He really enjoyed crawling around and exploring on his own. I'm thinking we will be going back soon.

 Time to head to Andy's and then to see baby Silas.  Payne normally goes to bed around 7 we didn't get home until 9. The poor baby was worn out, but he had lots of fun!

Summer Week 2 and 3

Sunday: We worked in the nursery at church.

Monday: Payne got his first hair cut! We got the stomach virus from below!

Tuesday: Payne and I spent the day trying to recover from the stomach virus.

Wednesday: We packed up and head to Little Rock to spend a few days with my Mom, Gran, and aunts.

Thursday: Hung out with some friends from high school.

Friday: We headed down to the lake!

Saturday: Spent the day at the Maulden Family reunion!

Sunday: Had the big Maulden Family breakfast and went back through Little Rock to see Big R on Father's Day and back to Fayetteville. Where Payne still was having problems eating and keeping food down!

Monday: Took Payne to the doctor and found out he had a ear infection along with some drainage so the doctor put him on a bananas, applesauce, and no lactose diet.

Tuesday: Payne went to daycare and I had an all day professional development training in Springdale. 

Wednesday: Payne went to daycare and I had some more training and picked up before bible study. After bible study we went to Cherry Berry with some friends.

 

Thursday: Payne and I went shopping and ate lunch with Dalton, Ally, and Ryan. Then we came home and I worked a lot on Payne's birthday! 

Friday: Hung out around the house and Teme and Papa came up and Teme and I went to the pool with Payne.

Saturday: Teme took Rae-Marie and I to get pedicures while Papa kept Payne and Ryan played golf and worked in the yard. Then Saturday afternoon Ryan and I cleaned up around the house, mainly the garage and laundry room, then ran some errands. 

Sunday: We went to church and worked in the nursery.  While P was napping Ryan went to play some golf and came back home and we took Payne on his first picnic and park experience. Then to see baby Silas Parrott!

It has been a wild and crazy past two weeks. I am really glad to be able to have summers off and stay home with Payne. I feel like it is going by so fast and I am trying to take each day as it comes and savor each moment!

Overcoming the Sickness

We have finally overcome the sickness after a week! Though about half my family has gotten it now! My aunt sent me this email and I thought it was so funny and it really lets you have an inside view to what we went through! She had two kids with the virus when she wrote this and the next day her third came down with it while at camp.

Email:


For the 17 1/2 years that I have been someone's mommy, I have believed that it has been a privilege to care for my children when they are ill.

Truly....a privilege to hold buckets while throwing up, wipe noses, massage away growing pains, hold heat pack on hurting ears, ease fears in the ER or the dentist's office.  Pete and I have battled rotavirus, the swine flu, influenza A & B, strep throat, pneumonia, giaradia and every other bug that someone brought home from school, church or camp.

We have held small hands while immunizations were given and casts set...we have even carried our daughter's broken front tooth in a cup of milk to the dentist's office for re-attachment (3 times actually).

However...nothing compares to the last 36 hours!  I don't know if this bug has a name....but it wants to take us down.

In the last 36 hours, I have changed the sheets 5 times....now Olivia has declared defeat and she is sleeping on the bathroom floor. She is wrapped in my shower wrap, using pool towels for a pallet (because the bath mats got nasty-you do not want to know.).  She gave up on panties. She has discovered the joy of ice chips.

I am in the hall outside the bathroom with a pillow, magazines and a pool towel for a blanket (because all of the blankets are in the laundry room)...I have a long line of piles waiting to go into the washing machine.

In 36 hours, I have held a bucket 27 times, wiped a bottom 14 times, and washed, dried and folded 21 loads of laundry (22 is in the dryer and 23 in the wash).  I have washed  every surface in every bathroom with bleach and water at least 6 times.  I bet I have washed my hands at least 75 times.

In the last three hours, I have given a bath to a child 4 times.

As awful (and disgusting) as this has been, each daughter has said "Mommy, thank you for taking care of me."  While lying on her bed, one daughter said, "you are so pretty tonight, mommy."  Clearly, she is a little loopy because I have slept 4 hours since Saturday.

It has been 60 minutes since Olivia has thrown up or had diarrhea (really, it is the wrong name for what is coming out of her!).  I am orating foe the end.  I am praying that Pete, the boys and I will be spared.  Not counting on it.

Planned to have a witty or profound to end this email....but frankly, i'm too tired.  I am, however, content in the knowledge that our sweet children have been lived and cared for when they feel so vulnerable.

10 Months

• 
• You wear a size 3 diaper
• You weigh about 19.1 pounds 
• You have your two bottom teeth.
• You eat 4 oz at 7am, 10am, 4pm, and 7pm and 6oz at 1pm.
• You are eating rice cereal at night along with a veggie and a fruit.
• You are eating a fruit and either oatmeal or yogurt in the morning.

•  You sleep from 7pm to 7am most nights. 
• You are wearing 9-12 months clothes.
• We have started trying to give you a sippy cup every so often and you are doing great! 
• You must have someone in the room with you.
• Your favorite toys are board books, a starfish, and your stacking cups.
• You have started to dance anytime you hear music.
• You are  "talking" all the time. 
• You laugh so hard at anything you think is funny.
• You are crawling everywhere and fast.
• You are pulling up on things, but you won't walk around anything.
• You can wave bye and say bye.
• You had hives and the stomach virus this month.
• You got your first hair cut this month.
• You went on your first boat ride.
• You went to the pool for the first time.
• You have been teething but, no new teeth.

Sick

I CAN'T BLOG  LONG BECAUSE OUR SECOND WEEK OF SUMMER IS OFF TO A ROCKY START.  MONDAY P WAS FUSSY ALL DAY AND I CHALKED IT UP TO TEETHING.  BY THE TIME RYAN GOT HOME I WASN'T FEELING WELL. BY 730 THE STOMACH VIRUS WAS IN FULL SWING.  BY MIDNIGHT P HAD IT TOO.  AND WELL I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT SINCE I'M STILL LAYING IN BED. 

Easy Weekend

I love knowing that Monday morning will be here shortly and I won't have to get up and go to work, but I get to stay home with my little munchkin and play all day! 

We had a great weekend just relaxing. Friday night we sat outside and had dinner and let Payne play in his packnplay and Ryan played with Lucy. 

 We got Payne a life jacket for the lake. I laughed so hard when we put it on him.

Saturday morning Payne slept in until 8:15!! :) So did Ryan and I! Then Ryan's parents came up to spend the day with Payne. We all ran a few errands and took them to see the new office. That night they kept Payne while Ryan and I went on a quick date! Thanks D. and Big R!

Sunday we got up and headed to church and worked in the preschool area. Then headed home for lunch and a nap while Ryan went to play golf. Then we met him out at the pool and swam for a bit before heading home for dinner. 

 

 

Tonight we are grilling burgers and hanging out on the deck. I love summertime! We have a busy week coming up, but I have a feeling it will go by fast and be a lot of fun!! 

Summer Week 1

I am going to try to recap our week each week for the summer.

Saturday: Kelley came to stay with us for the weekend and we all got up and went to the Farmer's Market and then went to breakfast at Rick's. That night we cooked out for several friends and hung out talking on the back deck. Lots of fun and hope to do this several times this year!!

Sunday: We went to church and working in the preschool area. After lunch we went over to the Scott's house and ate lunch with several friends. We really enjoyed this and so did Payne.

Monday: My first real day not working!! Payne was great. He played and nap perfectly and the maid came! It couldn't have been a better day!

Tuesday: Payne went to daycare and I got to sleep into until 10:30! I found this great! I then got up and got ready and Ryan came home for lunch, then I ran some errands before picking up Payne.

Wednesday: Payne went to daycare again. I got up and picked up the house a little for Bible Study and then ran some errands. Then I took lunch to Ryan at the office and attended a workshop at school for my training hours for the summer. After that I had some grand idea that I could make baby food between 5-6:30 when Bible Study started! It stressed me out slightly, but I got half of it done.

Thursday: We got up and played and during Payne's first nap I finished making baby food. Then when he got up we went on a walk. It was slightly hotter than I thought, so it didn't last long. After lunch we went to get some ice cream with Jillian and Brody.

Friday: After Payne's morning nap, I took him out to the country club for a little swim then to eat lunch with his dada.

First Time In The Big Pool

 This morning after Payne woke up from his morning nap we headed down to the country club to go swimming. I was a little nervous since it was just me taking him, but everything was great!

 It took him a minute to warm up to the water.

 It was cloudy this  morning when we were there so I wasn't to worried that he would get to hot or burned. Though I coated him in SPF.

 You can see he still has a hold of that starfish.

 The country club as a walk in baby pool, so Payne was able to sit at the shallow end and crawl around.

 He liked watching the big girls in the other pool.

 I would throw his starfish and he would go get it.

 He loved kicking his feet and moving around in the pool.

 Look I did it!!!

We dried off and pick up lunch and went to eat with Ryan!

I think we might be going to the pool a lot this summer!