Belated Birthday Bash

The guys from our community group took Rooke and our good buddy, Elijah, to the Museum of Flight this weekend since both of the boys' birthdays are in January. They had a great time on their "boy's day out"!

What little guy wouldn't love a building full of airplanes?!

"This plane is going where?!"

Ryan said that Rooke was most excited about the "plane wheels": models of a strange car/plane combination.

And then we all got together for yummy airplane cake afterward! No, I did not make this one. Elijah's amazing aunt was the creator. One transportation cake per year is my limit!

I Love my Kids!

A couple videos of my favorite little people . . .

Little Gretchen just chillin' in her bouncy seat:



This is sure to brighten up anyone's day! I was throwing his puppy dog in the air and letting it knock me to the ground when it landed on my head. We literally did this for at least ten minutes! I'd do it for hours if it meant I could hear the sound of my son's laugh that long.

G-Daddy

Ryan's dad (AKA G-Daddy) was visiting this past week! The first morning he was here Rooke kept him on the floor playing wheels all morning! Needless to say, the Paynes are a fan of G-Daddy.

Holding his granddaughter for the first time.

We walked to the library one morning - one of our favorite places! Rooke kept Kevin busy with book after book while I got to actually look around and be selective with the books we brought home.

And then we rode the bus home. I like to say that we ride the bus because Rooke really likes it, which he does, but in reality I just don't like pushing my stroller up the ginormous hill. It's a win-win for everyone!

Yes, that's a bib. Not the most attractive accessory, but it's either she wears a bib or I change her clothes 27 times a day because she spits up so much. I opt for the bib.

This picture makes me laugh. Not only is Rooke playing "bucket head", but I'm not sure what's in his hand and whatever it is undoubtedly ended up on Gretchen's back. Her crying is wearing on him a bit these days, which manifests itself in more aggression towards her. I can't blame him. I don't like the crying either! But we are working on gentle touches and kind words. I even made up a song that we sing together when we want her to stop crying. It hasn't worked yet, but it seems to help the nerves.

Sweet kisses from Daddy. She has started smiling this week! Ryan always seems to get the most out of her.

One Month Old

Our little girl is one month old today. I decided to cuddle with her (and then play a game with my husband!) instead of getting this post up earlier in the day since one month seems to have already flown by.

Posing for the camera:

I took the kids to the zoomasium indoor play area this morning. Everyone has been sick this week (except me, since moms aren't allowed to get sick, right?!), so we were anxious to get out of the house. Rooke had fun coloring:

And Gretchen slept in her fuzzy bear snuggly!

Rooke's been spending a lot of time on his motorcycle these days

Daddy and his daughter catching up at the end of the day, swapping stories of work/school and eating/sleeping.

Birthday Boy videos

It took me a week to get these up, but here they are. A couple videos from the birthday festivities:

We built it up the day before:

The cake and then presents from the grandparents after friends went home:

Compelling stories from a family living in Haiti:

http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Cake, Cake, and more Cake

If you ask Rooke what he did for his birthday, he'd probably say, "I eat cakes!". We had a great day celebrating with friends and, yes, eating plenty of cake.

Rooke opened one present from us first thing in the morning before Ryan left for work. A new firetruck!

Telling Daddy thank you

After Daddy left, we made cupcakes together to share with our friends who were coming over that morning. Cake tasting number one:

James and Averie (and their mommies!) spent the morning with us. The kids played with the new toys and the moms enjoyed a delicious brunch that Jessie and Jaime made. Cake tasting number two:

I put the finishing touches on Rooke's birthday cake during his nap. I saw this idea on a friend's blog a couple days ago and was inspired. Thanks, Sandra! I was pretty excited to show Rooke his dump truck cake!

Our neighbors joined us in the afternoon for cake tasting numbers three . . .

and four . . .

It was a great day! Videos of more birthday fun to come . . .

Happy Birthday, Rooke!

Two years ago we met our son for the first time. It was a surreal moment (at 1:03am!). Our lives had changed forever. Oh, how grateful we are for that change! Our first born turns two today. Happy Birthday, Rooke! You are an incredible little boy, full of questions and curiosity, always observant, with plenty of words to express what you are thinking! We love seeing you grow and watching how uniquely God has formed you. We delight in being your parents, Rooke.
We love you, Buddy.

Grammy Deb and her grandkids. Deborah was here until last Sunday, when reality hit me that I have to empty the dishwasher and fold clothes again.

Noticing that Rooke's not-so-great-attitude was probably from boredom and being stuck inside all morning, we made a Thomas the Train coloring book together. He has plenty of pages to color, and when he gets bored with that, he can read about Trademark law on paper we reused after Ryan had recycled it.

After putting his mark on all the pages, we moved on to glue and expired coupons. Look at all that money I could have saved!

She's still so tiny! Although we had her two-week check-up yesterday and were pleased that she's made it back to birth weight.

I love her hands. I think they are the most feminine thing about her right now.

Conversations with Rooke are a constant source of entertainment in our home. Before you get confused and/or grossed out, I'll share the conversation that goes with this next picture:

Me: Rooke, will you please go throw this diaper away?
Rooke: Throw it away in the trash?
Me: Yes. Please go put this diaper in the trash can.
After Rooke returns to the living room - Me: Did you put the diaper in the trash can?
Rooke: I put the diaper in the pee pees!

And sure enough, he had.

Another funny Rooke comment, made at a kid's consignment store last week. We were walking through the store and Rooke spotted an old-timey car you can ride/drive. He pointed to the car and said, "Ooooo . . . that looks like a good idea!". He cracks me up!

Seven Years with my Man

Seven years ago Ryan and I exchanged vows and were married in Norman, Oklahoma. It's hard to reflect on that day without tears of gratitude welling up. I am deeply thankful that Ryan asked me to be his wife - I get to be his wife! These past seven years have included plenty of ups and downs, but I can confidently say that I love him more today than I did when we said "I do". I didn't think that would be possible. God is gracious in giving what we don't deserve. I don't deserve such a wonderful husband, but will cherish, with gratitude, every year I get to be Mrs. Payne. I'm in love with you, Ryan. Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated two days early while Grammy Deb was here to watch Rooke. We spent all morning enjoying a delicious breakfast overlooking Snoqualmie Falls at the Salish Lodge.