Discovering Discovery Park

Rooke and I took G-Daddy to Discovery Park for his last Seattle excursion while Ryan was at work. Jackets in August?!

Rooke developed a special connection with this particular rock. He kept coming back to it to give it a hug! Funny guy.

He would have thrown rocks in the water with G-Daddy all day long had we let him.

My new favorite picture of our precious son. . .

We found a "tunnel" and had to go inside!

Later that night, we put Rooke to sleep at a friend's house and headed out for a very special evening. Kevin treated the three of us to dinner and a show: Bela Flek performing live! Thank you!

G-Daddy's in Town

G-Daddy (AKA Ryan's dad) is in town for the weekend and we're having a great time! The look on Rooke's face when he woke up and saw G-Daddy in the apartment was priceless!

"Too much, Mom?"

We took Ryan's dad to the Arboretum and all enjoyed walking around on a cool day.

He LOVES throwing rocks - especially into water.

On a little afternoon hike. . .

"The stick broken"

Oh, how I love this man.

He loves his G-Daddy!

Baby Payne #2

Baby Payne #2 is a . . . . .

GIRL!!!!!!

Yipeeee! We are grateful that she continues to grow well and everything points to her being a healthy and strong little girl. Praise God for His gift of life in this little one that we get to call our daughter! Now, if I can just get used to the idea of a closet filled with pink clothes!


I had these cupcakes ready to be iced with blue or pink frosting after our appointment and sent them with Ryan to work the next morning. They were the perfect celebration treat (along with the pizza we ordered because I didn't want to cook! =)
Go here for the delicious recipe.

Life at Home

Rooke's reunion with his "wheels" after coming back home kept him busy for most of the day:

While he is still obsessed with wheels, his new fascination is wheels in tunnels! Thus the tunnel/fort building has commenced.

Putting a blanket over his head = being in a tunnel

We enjoyed a concert in the park with friends last weekend.

Last- minute instructions on how many pancakes he wanted

Ryan and I enjoyed a kid-free evening with some friends! First dessert and then a killer game of Putt Putt.

Trip Down South, part 2

The main reason for our trip was to take part in my aunt's wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony and we were blessed to be there for the special event. Ryan's parents were gracious enough to drive down and watch Rooke so we could participate in the wedding "stuff".

My sweet aunt Sara

Everyone on my dad's side of the family!

We were married in the same church 6 1/2 fabulous years ago

It was fun getting to be a bridesmaid!

With my Mom and Dad at the rehearsal dinner

Rooke and I drove up to spend a couple days with Ryan's family before heading home. It was a perfect ending to a fun trip: relaxing, low key, and lots of Rooke-loving from the Payne family. Walking with Uncle Joe:

He had fun "jumping" (AKA taking large steps) off Sean & Jessica's fireplace.

Rooke loved laughing with Uncle Sean!

Trip Down South, part 1

We had a great time on our family trip. We saw everyone in our immediate families (wow!) and spent time with lots of dear friends.

I failed to get a picture of the whole group, but one evening we enjoyed dinner with our friends, the Minters and the Hamiltons. It was a fun evening with seven kids there! I was taking notes, watching each family parent three kids under four!
The kids had ice cream cones for dessert. You'll notice that Rooke's cone is missing something! He didn't seem to mind once he bit into the chocolate rim.

Playing the piano with Nana

We spent one night with Tricia and Andrew, who are expecting their first baby in just a few weeks! Rooke had fun testing out their daughter's new toys for her.

It's hard to be in Oklahoma and not go back to OBU, especially since Konnor and Tana live there! Rooke and Uncle Konnor walking the campus:

A stop in Konnor's office with our friend, Michael.

Another fun stop at Cuppies & Joe to see more special friends, Callie, Megan and Elizabeth.

The weather was surprisingly cool and a morning rain left us with great puddles to play in!

Getting a running start . . .

Little Evelynn wanted in on the fun too. Look. At. Those. Thighs. I love her!!!!

Yes, we did let our kids sit and spalsh in puddles in the middle of a hotel parking lot.

It was a rare blessing for us to be with my entire family!

"Nana, please"

I haven't been posting much lately because we are on a family trip! I'll try to post pictures as we go . . .

The past few days we have been staying at my Nana's house. It's hard not to have fun when you're with Nana. Rooke has absolutely found that to be true. He loooooooooves Nana and will quickly go looking for her if she leaves the room or look at me and say, "Nana please". I'm glad Rooke already realizes how special Nana is.

Adventures in playdough

Fun in the srpinkler!

This is the high chair that my mom used!

Nana's house = lots of yummy snacks . . .

. . . and toys

She even went to the library to get books for Rooke to read