Hangin' Out

These are just some pictures from last week that I wanted to post. Random, but a recap of what was happening at home:

The wheels were getting a bath:

Just waking up . . . streeeeeetch . . .

Yes, she gets the pleasure of bathing next to drying dishes!

He loves giving her kisses!

I Love my Kids - Part 2

It's amazing how encouraged I am by the smiles of this little girl! (The screams in the background are not from Rooke. Yes, our walls are a little thin.)



We had salmon patties for dinner this weekend (click here for the yummy recipe!). Rooke was a little confused on what, exactly, we were eating:

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 . . .